Chapter 185: Ice Cranes, Collecting Essence Spirits
Chapter 185: Ice Cranes, Collecting Essence Spirits
“Forget it, let’s not bother with that for now. Pony, where do you guys usually go to hunt Ice-type Spirit Creatures?”
Ye Rong set the matter aside, planning to find a chance later to ask the Long-Legged Lady for help. Maybe she could get some information from her master, Yan Yingmu.
The crafting quest for the Heavenly One Mystic Ice Banner had a two-hour time limit, so that was the more urgent task.
“Seven hundred miles west of Chengdu City, there’s a canyon. Inside are many ice streams with several kinds of Ice-type Spirit Creatures. We’ve done all our previous quests there. But the spawning rate of those creatures in the canyon’s ice streams is very unpredictable. Sometimes we run into a bunch; other times, not even one.”
“Plus, the Heavenly One Mystic Ice Banner has really high requirements. Even if you kill a lower-level Ice-type Spirit Creature and trap its spirit, it won’t form a complete Essence Spirit—just a wisp of spirit energy.”
Trail-breaking Pony explained the crafting process of the Heavenly One Mystic Ice Banner in detail. Only then did Ye Rong fully understand.
“Then why not craft it near Bolang Isle? Aren’t there Ice-type Spirit Creatures here?”
“There are. But bringing the whole team thousands of miles out to the sea is too costly. It’s more convenient for me to just travel alone. Also, we don’t know the environment around Bolang Isle well. I think this area is some faction’s exclusive grinding spot. Hunting Ice-type Spirit Creatures here might get us into a fight with them.”
“Just tell me, are the number and quality of Ice-type Spirit Creatures better here or in the canyon west of Chengdu City?”
“Here, definitely.”
“Then that settles it. Let’s go!”
Ye Rong shouted decisively. He was determined to complete the quest of crafting the Heavenly One Mystic Ice Banner by himself with Trail-breaking Pony.
The only officially established sea faction at the moment was the Tsunami Longevity Pavilion, and their territory was mainly around the South Sea. Clearly, this place wasn’t part of it. As for ordinary sea factions, he had nothing to fear. Nothing was more important than crafting the banner right now.
This place was much closer. Once they crafted one banner, Trail-breaking Pony could immediately claim the next quest and continue without breaking stride. This efficiency was bound to be hundreds of times faster than their old method. If everything went smoothly, they could probably gather a full set of the Heavenly One Profound Ice Banner Array in just a day or two.
Heading directly northeast of Bolang Isle, the two flew for several hundred miles on their Sword Lights before reaching the place he mentioned.
“The monsters below on this island are called Ice Cranes. They’re ordinary Level 50 monsters and are just perfect for sealing into the Heavenly One Mystic Ice Banner as Essence Spirits. Once we gather nine, we can complete the craft for one banner, finishing the quest!”
Trail-breaking Pony pointed towards the island, which was significantly more packed than Bolang Isle. Players swarmed all over, bustling around, with various Sword Lights popping up and weaving through the air.
There was a tiny sect on this island, but it wasn’t meant for players to join—it was meant to be killed.
The Sect Leader of this ultra-tiny sect was just an Elite Tier NPC around Level 50. Together with his family and all the junior members, the sect only had about twenty weak NPCs—not one above Level 50.
Killing them had a decent chance of dropping the sect’s Dao Scrolls, mostly water-element related. They were ideal for players living near the ocean, drawing huge crowds who stayed here long-term.
Also present on the island were several kinds of cranes like Ice Cranes, Sand Cranes, and Fire Cranes—all monsters hunted by players. Large groups of players camped near each spawn area, waiting for them to respawn.
“That’s really odd. There’s actually a sect leader NPC whose job is getting hunted? It’s embarrassing for all NPCs. Land sects, even the weaker ones, have Sect Leaders with Rare Grade templates and Levels around 150 or 160.”
Ye Rong was stunned for a long while when he heard about this place, finding it hard to accept.
A Rare Grade, Level 150-160 NPC could strut around intimidating players for quite a while yet, let alone be easily taken down by just a few players.
This island’s sect NPCs respawned incredibly fast—every few hours they’d fully refresh, replenishing the missing members so players waiting could keep killing without end.
Controlling one of these sects meant a steady supply of Dao Scrolls. Occasionally, Flying Swords or Magic Treasures dropped too, making it a valuable income stream.
Such a stable and low-risk source of boss-level drops was every faction’s dream, fought over fiercely.
At first, vicious battles broke out almost daily over rights to the sect NPCs. Over time, rules emerged—three local factions now shared control, rotating its benefits.
When Ye Rong arrived, the sect NPCs had just refreshed. One faction was already laying siege with its forces.
A quick glance showed him that average player Levels here were lower than on land—both in combat skills and gear quality. Not sure if that was just here or all over the sea.
The faction currently attacking looked weaker than his own Green Emperor Alliance. They’d marshaled a hundred men surrounding a mere Level 50 Elite NPC, yet struggled desperately to fight it.
Ye Rong could solo a foe like that efficiently without much trouble. But right now, he was here for Ice Cranes to craft the banner. Otherwise, he might’ve snatched this sect leader NPC from the three factions just to see how it felt.
Shua!
Another batch of roughly Level 40 common sect NPCs spawned. Weak “trash-tier” NPCs to Ye Rong’s eyes charged in, actually causing minor chaos among the besiegers.
He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, tempted to shout “Move over, I got this!” and solve their problem.
“Alliance Leader, the ones with pure white wings and icy crystal plumes on their heads—those are the Ice Cranes.”
Trail-breaking Pony always spoke coolly and distantly, as if he wanted to keep his distance.
But Ye Rong knew his personality well; it wasn’t personal, that’s just how he was.
“Good. Aim to finish the quest within an hour!”
The island had many crane types and large populations. Ice Cranes, though, were scarce.
Ye Rong swept his Sword Light precisely, snatching one Ice Crane from a player. He ignored two nearby Sea Cranes completely.
“Friend, you look clumsy. Think I’ll help out,” Ye Rong mumbled silently to himself. Saying that aloud would likely start a fight.
He maneuvered his Sword Light across the battlefield. Spotting an Ice Crane was like a cat finding prey—darting swiftly to capture it under his light, stopping anyone else from touching it.
“Pony, kill them now! Get the banner to absorb their Essence Spirit!”
He unleashed Chongxu Sword Qi twice at each Ice Crane, weakening their Health Points below half, then delivered them to Trail-breaking Pony.
The younger man looked shocked, having not expected such brutal tactics. Snagging every Ice Crane on the island through near force was beyond anything he’d imagined. He had only planned low-key grabs on solo targets at the island fringes.
But he couldn’t deny it—Ye Rong’s method delivered dozens of times the results.
Nearly a dozen Ice Cranes had been caught already. They wouldn’t even need two full hours to gather enough Ice-type Spirit Creature Essence for the banner quest.
“Alliance Leader! Three Ice Cranes form one Essence Spirit. Meaning we’ll need twenty-seven total!”
Trail-breaking Pony even sounded a little excited. He’d never completed the banner quest anywhere near this fast or efficiently.
“Perfect. Watch me sweep over it again and grab twenty more!”
Ye Rong soared higher, scanning the entire island. Then he dived again.
Wherever Ice Cranes appeared, his Sword Light swept down instantly. A slash, a circle—and one more Ice Crane captured. His movements were super-quick, leaving attacked players no time to react. Without a word or gloating, he only took the crane and fled. Though furious over the theft, they wouldn’t chase him down just for one creature.
Most could only curse loudly at his back before getting back to grinding. Multiple crane monsters filled the island—Ice Cranes were merely one niche category. So few players specifically targeted them, the impact was minimal.
The key was Ye Rong’s speed and precision—striking like lightning to steal his chosen monsters without harming other players. This demanded a frighteningly detailed control of his Sword Light.
One tiny misstep would turn it from simple monster poaching into playing open aggression onto them.
In one quarter-hour, twenty-seven Ice Cranes were caught. The Heavenly One Mystic Ice Banner—complete!
Nine shifting white shapes, slightly resembling Ice Cranes, danced gracefully atop the banner as Essence Spirits.
Just one quarter-hour—and this task that had failed so often before was finished effortlessly. Trail-breaking Pony’s impression of Yijian Kurong underwent a massive shift.