The Extreme North was vast and boundless. Though Su Chen's spiritual power was formidable, its coverage was still limited. He needed patience and meticulousness, not daring to overlook any possible signal.
Half an hour later, Su Chen's eyes snapped open, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Found it." He stood up and said to Ares, "Southeast, about fifty miles away. There's a Snow Ginseng, at least five thousand years old. I'm going to harvest it to treat Li Yang and Zhang Wan."
"I'll go," Ares said. "You've depleted too much; you need to rest."
"You don't know where it is." Su Chen shook his head. "And you're not familiar with spiritual herbs. If you harvest it incorrectly, we'll be in trouble. I'll go. You stay here and guard the students against a Void Cult ambush."
Ares wanted to say more, but Su Chen had already stepped out of the ice cave and vanished into the blizzard.
...
The blizzard grew fiercer, visibility dropping to less than ten meters. Su Chen circulated his soul power to shield his body as he swiftly moved through the storm. Fifty miles would normally take only half an hour on flat ground, but in the blizzard of the Extreme North, every step was a struggle. It took Su Chen nearly an hour to reach his destination.
It was at the base of an ice cliff. Growing on the ice wall was a plant entirely snow-white, about half a foot tall, with a single red berry at its tip. Snow Ginseng was one of the most precious spiritual herbs of the Extreme North, capable of purifying all manner of toxins, repairing meridians, and augmenting soul power. A Snow Ginseng over five thousand years old was exceedingly rare, practically priceless.
Su Chen carefully plucked the Snow Ginseng, roots and soil intact, and placed it into a jade box he carried with him. The jade box could lock in the herb's medicinal properties, preventing any loss. Just as he was about to leave, a strange sound suddenly echoed from above the ice cliff.
Su Chen looked up, and his pupils shrank sharply.
Above the ice cliff, a pair of massive eyes was staring right at him. They were ice-blue eyes, devoid of emotion, radiating pure killing intent. The owner of those eyes was a gigantic ice bear, over ten meters in length, covered in white fur that was caked with ice crystals. The ice bear was sprawled across the snow-covered rocks, its body color perfectly blended with the ice and snow. If not for those eyes, Su Chen wouldn't have detected its presence at all.
"A hundred-thousand-year soul beast." Su Chen cursed inwardly.
This ice bear had a cultivation of at least a hundred thousand years, perhaps even higher. Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in the Extreme North were far more powerful than those in other parts of the continent, as they had adapted to the extreme environment, granting them physiques far surpassing soul beasts of the same level.
The ice bear slowly stood up, sending rocks and chunks of ice tumbling down the cliff. Its body was now fully exposed to Su Chen, and its massive frame exerted an intense oppressive force, like a moving mountain.
Su Chen took a few steps back, raising his hands slightly as the phantom of the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox materialized behind him. Though he had depleted seventy percent of his soul power, he still had around thirty percent in reserve. Dealing with a hundred-thousand-year soul beast would be difficult, but not impossible. The problem was, he needed time, and time was something he didn't have. Li Yang was waiting for him to bring the Snow Ginseng back to save his life; he couldn't afford to tangle with an ice bear here.
"I only came to harvest a Snow Ginseng," Su Chen said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. "I have no intention of offending your territory. If you're willing to let me leave, I can..."
The ice bear didn't give him the chance to finish.
It opened its maw and spewed a blast of white frost. Wherever the frost passed, the very air crystallized into ice. Su Chen rapidly retreated while simultaneously deploying a Spatial Barrier. The frost slammed into the barrier with a cracking sound, and to his shock, fractures appeared on the barrier.
"What fearsome ice power." A chill ran through Su Chen's heart.
The Spatial Barrier could distort space, redirecting attacks elsewhere, but the ice bear's frost was so potent that even space couldn't fully withstand it. Su Chen retreated while frantically devising a strategy. He couldn't linger in this fight, but he couldn't just flee either; the ice bear was incredibly fast and would definitely catch up to him. He needed to find an opening to escape.
The ice bear lunged again, its massive paw swiping down with the force of a mountain. Su Chen sidestepped, and the paw struck the ground, smashing a massive crater into the ice, with cracks spreading in all directions. Seizing the moment, Su Chen unleashed Spatial Severance; an invisible blade of space slashed across the ice bear's right foreleg, opening a wound from which blood poured. But the bear's fur was too thick—the spatial blade only managed to slice through the pelt, failing to reach the muscle and bone.
The ice bear roared in pain and bellowed, unleashing another blast of frost from its maw. This time, however, the frost didn't shoot in a straight line; it expanded outward in all directions with the bear at the center, forming a Frost Domain a hundred meters in diameter. Within the domain, the temperature plummeted to over a hundred degrees below zero. The moisture in the air instantly crystallized, reducing visibility to almost zero.
Su Chen's soul power shield drained rapidly within the Frost Domain. He could feel his body growing cold and his movements slowing. If he didn't escape this domain soon, he might freeze to death right here.
"I have to use that move." Su Chen gritted his teeth.
He activated his Martial Soul Avatar once again, transforming into the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox. But this time, he didn't use all nine attributes; he only channeled the power of the Tail of Fire. The Tail of Fire spewed intense flames, dispersing the surrounding frost, while the fire formed a suit of flame armor over his body, fending off the invasion of the Frost Domain.
"Tail of Fire—Fire Dragon's Breath!"
The flames from the Tail of Fire condensed into a fire dragon that lunged at the ice bear. The dragon opened its jaws and unleashed a torrent of blazing fire, engulfing the ice bear entirely. The bear's fur ignited, crackling and popping. The ice bear roared in agony, rolling on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames.
Taking advantage of this opening, Su Chen dispelled his Martial Soul Avatar and transformed into a streak of silver light, soaring toward the direction of the ice cave. He didn't dare linger in the air for too long, as the ice bear would soon extinguish the flames. Moreover, the skies of the Extreme North were home to many flying soul beasts, and being spotted by them would spell even more trouble.
After flying for about fifteen minutes, Su Chen landed near the ice cave and hurried inside. Ares and the students were anxiously waiting for him, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw him return.
"Did you get the Snow Ginseng?" Ares asked.
Su Chen retrieved the jade box from his robes and lifted the lid. The Snow Ginseng lay quietly inside, emitting a faint, refreshing fragrance. The scent wafted out, and the air inside the ice cave became noticeably purer.
"This is incredible!" the medic exclaimed excitedly. "With this Snow Ginseng, Li Yang and Zhang Wan can be saved!"
Su Chen handed the Snow Ginseng to the medic, then sat down on the ground, gasping for breath. His face was even paler than before, his soul power practically exhausted. But he couldn't afford to rest just yet. He watched as the medic sliced off the Snow Ginseng's root fibers, refined them into a medicinal liquid using soul power, and fed it to Li Yang and Zhang Wan.
As the medicinal liquid slid down their throats, Li Yang's complexion recovered at a rate visible to the naked eye.
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