Chapter 114: Fifth Tier Casting Snow, Renwater Ice Thunder

Exiting the great hall, the other Players treated Ye Rong quite differently than before.

Apart from Long Wushuang who snorted coldly and left immediately without a word, the other fifteen players eagerly approached him to chat. Even Yu Shuangxue, who had been fiercely hostile towards him just moments ago, exchanged a few forced pleasantries with Ye Rong instead of rushing off.

The power held by the position of Chief of Tianshu Hall might not intimidate Players like them who were already Inner Hall Disciples. Yet, they each had subordinates or close friends and allies whose prospects were now in Ye Rong’s hands. Getting on good terms with him early was clearly beneficial.

“That idea Chicken suggested about forming a faction… it’s looking surprisingly promising now!”

After exchanging polite words with everyone, Ye Rong felt a surge of excitement. His future plans were beginning to take on a vague, promising shape.

Ye Rong turned and went to find Tiancanzi to hand in the Karmic Flame of Slaughter task, returning the glass bead to him. After Tiancanzi made a few cold, mocking remarks about how long it took him to finish the task, the long-desired Casting Snow finally came into his hands.

Casting Snow, Fifth Tier Immortal Weapon. Attack Power: 288-312. Flight Speed: 300-320. Attack Speed: 250-280. Attached Spell: Arctic Ice Crystal Prison. Required Level: 42.

Arctic Ice Crystal Prison: Activate this skill to transform an area of three hundred Zhang into a freezing, snow-covered wasteland with unstoppable cold. Causes three layers of damage. Upon entering the Arctic Ice Crystal Prison area, targets are buffeted by piercing cold winds, losing 15 Health Points per second. Endless ice spikes rain from the sky; each spike deals 120-120 damage. Ice spirits can form within the Arctic Ice Crystal Prison, freely attacking any enemies within the area. Duration: Thirty minutes. Consumes: 1200 True Qi. Cooldown: One day.

“So powerful!”

Perhaps because it included only one attached spell, Casting Snow’s core attributes were significantly higher than Manzhu Lver’s Huan Xisha. Moreover, the Arctic Ice Crystal Prison was exactly the kind of large-scale destructive spell Ye Rong had been hoping for. It was practically like creating a self-contained ice and snow kingdom for thirty minutes.

However, the required level was indeed high; Ye Rong was still six levels short of being able to equip this Casting Snow Flying Sword.

Next, he went to the Sword Casting Pool disciple to have his two slightly damaged flying swords repaired, costing him nearly another hundred points of Sect Contribution. It was painful, like cutting off a piece of his own flesh.

“Other things aside, that Azure Blue Flying Hook in Long Wushuang’s hands is a real pain! It can actually damage flying swords!”

Ye Rong frowned. If he didn’t solve this problem and faced Long Wushuang again when his other Dao Spells were all ready, he would likely be at a complete disadvantage.

“I’ll just have to see, once I switch to Casting Snow, if a Fifth Tier Immortal Weapon can withstand that Azure Blue Flying Hook.”

There wasn’t really a counter for this problem; it boiled down to whose flying sword was stronger and of a higher Tier. Alternatively, he could use powerful Dao Spells to blast Long Wushuang to pieces outright, completely bypassing the need for swordplay.

…

Min Mountain Snow Ridge.

The area near the Snow Ridge had always seen few Players. The extreme cold greatly limited exploration efforts. The mountain peak was even worse, battered by Nine Heavens Gale Winds and bombarded by Renwater Ice Thunders. It was effectively off-limits to Players at their current Level.

“Damn it! Just where the hell is that Green Edge Sword?”

Ye Rong darted back and forth, his two dark Sword Lights hacking away at the Mountain Troll in front of him, sending showers of blood flying until only a sliver of health remained. With a casual flick of his finger, a stream of Chongxu Sword Qi shot out, finishing the Troll off. His movements were effortlessly cool.

He had originally intended to rush straight into intense grinding after repairing his swords. After all, both the Casting Snow Sword and the Green Dragon Ornate Feather Robe were far above his current level. Having stronger gear that he could only stare at helplessly in his Universe Pouch added fuel to his determination to level up.

However, after thinking it over, Ye Rong decided to finish the Golden Daily Quest first. It wasn’t just about the reward.

Over the past few days, Ye Rong had noticed that many Qingcheng Disciples, despite having average equipment, could easily produce ten or twenty gold coins – way more than he, a Third-Generation Disciple, possessed. The source of this wealth? It was the Daily Quests, steadily piling up silver each day.

If he kept delaying this specific Golden Daily Quest, Ye Rong couldn’t accept any other daily quests. The lost income every day was becoming a bigger problem.

So he steeled himself, gritted his teeth, and returned to the Snow Ridge to hunt Mountain Trolls.

With his current strength, compared to when he first came, the difference was like night and day. These Mountain Trolls, which each possessed unique talents that had nearly killed him before, were no longer life-or-death opponents difficult to handle.

Fighting his way up the ridge, Ye Rong encountered numerous different innate skills. Some Mountain Trolls would arch their bodies and shoot out dozens of dull gray beams with immense force. Others had white fur sprouting from their feet; when they ran, white clouds seemed to form beneath their paws, allowing leaps of over ten meters. They moved like lightning and dodged like ghosts.

However, the overwhelming power Ye Rong wielded meant he crushed all who stood in his path, leaving corpses strewn in his wake.

Yet despite killing so many Mountain Trolls, all that had dropped were piles of random clothing-type equipment. There wasn’t even a glimpse of the elusive Green Edge Sword.

Ye Rong got stubborn. Even groups of seven or eight Mountain Trolls were met with a charge. He treated it as effortless grinding and a chance to hone his skills.

“Heck, these Trolls have all practiced Adamantine Body Training! Their bodies are insanely tough!”

Seeing damage numbers of only tens or low hundreds float off the Trolls’ heads, Ye Rong developed a newfound ‘respect’ for the defensive capabilities of this pack.

Fortunately, apart from their freakishly high defense, these eight Adamantine Mountain Trolls displayed no other special talents, and they were considerably slower than regular Trolls. This situation actually pleased Ye Rong greatly. What made Mountain Trolls tough opponents was the way different innate skills could combine and cover each other’s weaknesses, multiplying their effectiveness.

A group of Trolls all sharing the same innate skill? That was much easier to handle, costing Ye Rong just a bit more stamina, maximum.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

His Flying Swords striking the Adamantine Trolls produced metallic clashing sounds, as if he were hitting slabs of steel.

Besides their monstrous defense, these Adamantine Trolls also healed incredibly fast. Once Ye Rong noticed this, he focused all his attacks intensely on one target. Given his speed, the other Trolls couldn’t hope to catch up.

“Ha! My luck finally kicked in! Never knew Mountain Trolls had a habit of chewing on sword blades.”

After wiping out the pack of Adamantine Trolls, the items dropped by one of them included a single Green Edge Longsword, now clearly corroded and rusted.

Ye Rong picked it up. It was exactly the task item he needed: the “Green Edge Sword Lost by a Qingcheng Disciple”.

All that remained was a single Snow Howler Inner Core, obtained only from Snow Howlers. These creatures could be found only in the Eroding Ice Zone, starting from a hundred zhang up on the Snow Ridge.

The moment Ye Rong felt a thin layer of frost forming on his skin, turning a dead ashy gray, and his Health Points started dropping at -10, -10, -10 per second, he immediately swallowed a Red Sun Pill.

“So this is the Eroding Ice Zone… freezing everything solid.”

Stepping on the ground, the soil crackled and softened instantly, sinking underfoot. Whether it was yellow earth or green stone, it had all been frozen brittle enough to crumble. There weren’t many patches of thick snow or unmelted ice here, but the cold was exponentially worse than before.

Without the continuous stream of warmth radiating from the Red Sun Pill stored in his dantian, flowing out to warm his entire body, Ye Rong suspected he might have frozen solid already. Almost no plants could be seen here, nor any ordinary animals.

Only natural Frost Spirits like the Snow Howlers could live peacefully in such harsh conditions.

After walking for a long while without spotting a single living creature, Ye Rong grew impatient. He summoned his Sword Flight, rising slightly into the air to search for traces of Snow Howlers. He dared not fly too high, fearing a stray Nine Heavens Gale Wind might blow past, instantly turning him into a frozen corpse.

“Got it!”

Circling around, he spotted his ultimate target for this journey and shouted excitedly, swooping down from the sky with a whoosh.

Snow Howler, Level 50 Monster, Normal Tier.

Having already slain a Level 50 Elite Tier NPC like the phantom of Green Goat Ancestor, how could Ye Rong fear this Snow Howler? It looked like just an oversized Mountain Troll draped in thick white fur.

Roar! ROAR! ROAR!

Hearing the disturbance, the Snow Howler glanced up and saw the approaching black Sword Light. It bellowed and spat out a sphere of white lightning.

ZZZZZZAP!

Ye Rong felt his Black Phoenix Sword shudder violently, almost throwing him from his flight. This specific Snow Howler had cultivated enough power to unleash Ice Thunder! And judging by its appearance, it strongly resembled the legendary Renwater Ice Thunder.

Instead of retreating, Ye Rong advanced explosively. He adopted his Body-Sword Unity stance and slammed hard into the Snow Howler’s belly, sending it reeling before crashing to the ground. His black and white Sword Lights flashed and weaved, swiftly suppressing the ferocious beast. Within seven or eight minutes, he had whittled it down to its last sliver of health.

Suddenly, rustling sounds emerged. A few hundred meters away, a thick patch of snow stirred as a Snow Howler hauled itself upright. Then another behind it… and another… five… ten… thirty… one hundred! An endless stretch of white figures rose, shaking the snow from their pelts and scattering fine crystals.

Ye Rong’s heart jerked wildly. He already had the Leigong Hammer in his grasp. Swinging it forcefully, he unleashed a bolt of Wutu Divine Thunder followed by one of Binghuo Divine Thunder, blasting the nearly dead Snow Howler right beside him into a charred husk.

He snatched the fallen Inner Core and a deep blue belt with one fluid motion, instantly summoning flight and shooting away like an arrow.

Behind him, a deafening chorus of roars shook the heavens. Renwater Ice Thunders poured from the maws of the Snow Howlers. They filled the sky – easily over a thousand – detonating upon impact. The entire mountainside where Ye Rong had just been standing vanished, obliterated and sinking hundreds of meters deep into a smoldering crater.

“Scary! That scene rivaled the Far Shore promotional animation where the Emei Sect Leader, True Lord Miaoyi, using the Formless Kun-Carrying Thunder Net, destroyed the Three Evils of the East Sea, raising a thousand-Zhang tidal wave and annihilating countless aquatic life!”

Ye Rong’s heart pounded long after. If he’d delayed even a second longer down there… he would have been instantly killed, again and again and again.