682: Frozen Mountainscape

Frozen Mountainscape

Leaving the town, Ming Yue and the two beasts returned to the mountains. she studied the jar filled with the Mountain's Ink before putting it away.  0

"I wonder if there was anything at the bottom of that lake."

Thinking this to herself, it didn't seem impossible for Abyssal Ice or some powerful treasure to be the source. However, it seemed like no one has been able to reach that point. 

"I doubt I'd be able to go that deep, not even Xue Yue or Senior Zhen could do it."

Resolving herself of this, Ming Yue moved on to her new goal. 

"Now, I just need to collect enough treasures for this little jar. Though, how much would I need?"

The Frostflame Bears were the first things to come into mind but the young cultivator shook off that thought. 

"If I'm truly desperate then I'll try to hunt one but until then, I should stay away from their territory. I still have a few months before the Ascetic is supposed to find me. There is still time."

Though this threat loomed over her, Ming Yue was not overcome with fear. The young woman was determined to get out of this alive.

She then took a map out of her spatial ring, studying it closely. Given to her by Wo Long, it detailed the entire mountain range, marking points where the cold Yin energy gathered. 

"Aside from the Frostflame Bears, there should be plenty of treasure on those points. I just have to go around and see what's there."

Thinking up a plan, Ming Yue put the map away before setting off.

With the thick snowfall and the howling winds, she stuck close to her pets, keeping everyone protected with the barrier of the Dusk Lily Pin. Soon enough, she entered a sparse forest with lifeless trees covered in a thin layer of frost. 

There wasn't much else but it was colder here. Strangely, there was no wind, and the snow gently fell, coating the ground in a soft white blanket. There was a faint fog to go along with it all, not quite thick but enough to obscure everything past a hundred meters, 

"This is one of them."

Ming Yue stopped, looking at her surroundings. The prickling cold feeling was stronger here and she had already harvested a few plants and herbs along the way. The young woman was already feeling content with her progress. 

"Alright, time to get st-"

She looked up, spotting three gleaming blue lights from a distance. Her gaze sharpened while she face this light. 

It pierced through the snowfall, shining brightly upon her. And then there was a loud thud followed by another, like footsteps. 

They were slow but then, something burst out of the snowy fog!

It stood as tall as the trees, towering over the group. 

It didn't seem alive, a hulking body made of stone and ice. The eyes were nothing more than glowing gems that flashed as the monster spotted her. The sound it made was a mix between a shriek and a horn.*

"A Glacial Doll, Rank 4."

Seeing the beast before her, Ming Yue took out both Blood Moon and the Black Blade. Xiao Yin and Hei Yue were already poised to fight, baring their fangs and claws. 

She didn't bother to wait for the Glacial Doll to move, sprinting forward to kill it.  Branding both blades, she swung out, striking at its leg and cutting deep. But with a body of ice and stone, this thing was a mountain itself! 

A few small cracks was nothing to it. 

"Urgh!"

Gritting her teeth, she yanked the swords out of the crack before going back for more. Hei Yue aided her, biting off chucks of the body while Xiao Yin attacked the eyes. 

Despite all of this, the Glacial Doll did not stop. 

It raised its other foot before stomping, shaking the ground, and leaving an imprint behind. Lifting up both arms, the beast slammed down before wailing at the land even more. Cracks began to form as things slowly moved along. 

There was a rumbling in the distance, one that Ming Yue did not ignore. 

She flew up, stabbing her sword at the top of the beast's head, and looking at their surroundings. Her gaze sharpened before she spotted the source of that noise. 

"Oh no."

Her eyes widened and she immediately looked down at Hei Yue, who was still on the ground. The fox continued to attack, tearing a new hole on the Glacial Doll's leg. 

Letting go of her swords, she dropped down, grabbing the fox before flying back up. 

Hei Yue looked at her with a confused yelp but then his ears perked up. 

Seconds later, a flood of snow* came through, washing everything away except for the Glacial Doll. It was high, several feet tall and it ca swiftly. The trees were barely holding one before some of them were uprooted, following along the rushing snow. 

Ming Yue watched as the clouds of snow came up, holding Hei Yue tightly. 

"If I had been late by just a few more seconds..." she thought. 

She looked at the fox, making sure that they were fine. And then her attention turned towards the monstrous beast, 

It stood there, thinking that this would clear out its enemies. It emitted a blaring sound, what she could only think was a roar of some sort. 

Looking more closely, Ming Yue searched for some sort of weak point. 

"A Glacial Doll, attacking the joints might be better. But to think I'd come across one like this, they say that it is a walking disaster, capable of making a city freeze over. A Rank 4 beast like this, it's core probably has more energy than a hundred of those herbs I've been picking."

Thinking this, she carried Hei Yue in one arm while wielding Blood Moon with her other hand. 

Jumping off the head, she land on one of its arms, locating the point that connected the limbs. It was a smooth round piece of stone, small but dense. Filling her sword with energy, Blood Moon's aura grew, condensing itself within the blade. 

She then stabbed it into the joint piece. 

"Squall Strike."

Driving the sword deep into it, the energy within Blood Moon erupted, forming a sword several times larger. With the powerful wind and mighty lightning, the core of the stone joint was quickly demolished. 

And with its core gone, it was not strong enough to hold one of the Glacial Doll's arms, shattering to pieces. the arm dropped with a loud thud as it flattened the snow. The beast let out a high-pitched ringing, screaming in pain. 

Seeing it work, Ming Yue moved on to the next pieces, leaving only the main body of the beast left. However, there were still a few more moves it could make. Of the three gem-like eyes, one of them had grown dim, heavily damaged from Xiao Yin's efforts.

But the other two still worked fine. 

They flashed with light before shooting out a pair of glowing blue beams. The trio split up in different directions, avoiding the attack before retaliating. 

Xiao Yin sent out her own beams of light, launching them from her claws. Hei Yue went back to chewing the Glacial Doll's body and Ming Yue formed several wind lances, sending them straight at its eyes. 

Under such an onslaught, the gem-like eyes all dimmed as they broke. 

And the Glacial Doll made a shrill ring that ultimately faded out, a sign of its death. 

As the fight ended, Ming Yue gazed at the dead creature, thinking about extracting its core. But then her eyes wandered off, finding many more gazes on her. 

"Mm, I suppose I might not have to worry about searching for them. They'll just come to me."

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