The Ice Dragon, feigning deep slumber, was even more dangerously deceptive!
Most crucially, for Qin Yang to unleash his dragon's might at his current cultivation level, he'd need to make eye contact with the opponent. But the Ice Dragon's eyes remained firmly shut...
The Treasure Rat chittered excitedly, a mere mid-level beast showing no regard for a Zongshi-level monster...
The rat scurried about until it found a shaded spot where a spirit medicine plant radiated icy blue coldness. The mist surrounding it pulsed with dense spiritual energy, its mere sight refreshing the mind and spirit.
As Qin Yang stood on edge, Qin Dashan beside him let out a sigh of relief.
Qin Dashan chuckled softly, "See how lively the Treasure Rat is? That Ice Dragon must be truly asleep. We should snatch the spirit medicine while we can and get out of this hellish place!"
Qin Yang's muscles tensed, every fiber of his being alert. He wanted to scream: Are you fucking blind? That Ice Dragon appeared on a tree right behind us in the blink of an eye! How can you claim it's asleep?
But he had no time for explanations. His full attention remained fixed on the treacherous Ice Dragon.
With such overwhelming power, it still resorts to these underhanded tricks...
Despicable!
Utter shamelessness!
"Look at you, so frightened!" Qin Dashan laughed at Qin Yang's expression. Acting like a death-defying ghost, he directly approached to harvest the spirit medicine, muttering to himself.
"Perfect! With this spirit medicine, our mission is complete! Maybe we'll even get a reward..." Qin Dashan's face lit up with excitement as he yanked the spirit medicine out by the roots!
Qin Yang's eyelid twitched violently. The fierce Ice Dragon remained motionless, but the cold emanating from its sinister horns subtly contracted.
When Qin Yang opened his eyes slightly, a frosty light flashed, and the air's temperature began to drop steadily.
"Hiss! So cold!" Qin Dashan shivered. "Let's hurry away! Why is it getting colder here?"
"Leave? True ignorance brings false courage!" Qin Yang sighed inwardly. With a flip of his hand, he produced a Mind Concentration Pill and swallowed it directly.
"What's that?" Qin Dashan asked, puzzled.
The Ice Dragon, enraged at having its spirit medicine stolen, seethed with fury. It had merely intended to toy with these two humans, never expecting them to act so boldly!
Slowly, its eyes opened, revealing vertical pupils that glowed like ancient ice, their blue light piercing through the air.
As the dragon's eyes opened, the temperature plummeted in an instant.
Qin Yang and Qin Dashan, mere tens of meters apart, felt a sudden chill envelop their heads.
Qin Dashan's mouth gaped open, his entire body frozen stiff as if carved from ice. His heart turned to ash, certain death had come. With a final shudder, he closed his eyes and collapsed - frightened to death.
"Holy shit!" Qin Yang cursed. Qin Dashan was truly blessed! First came the ignorant bravery, then the instant fainting when facing certain doom...
"How dare you steal my spirit medicine? I'll freeze you both into ice sculptures to trample underfoot!" The Ice Dragon roared furiously.
Trapped here with only one spirit medicine for company, the dragon had grown to cherish it more than life itself - refusing to consume it even when starving.
Without this precious herb, how unbearable must its loneliness be?
The Ice Dragon slithered down the tree, its four clawed feet leaving terrifying gouges in bark and earth. Its serpentine body coiled forward until its massive head pressed against Qin Yang's face. Just a fraction closer, and those gaping jaws would swallow him whole!
Clanking chains stretched taut, their metallic rattle echoing through the air.
Two icy pillars erupted from the dragon's nostrils, instantly encasing Qin Yang in a frozen sheath.
"Are you not afraid?" The Ice Dragon glared at Qin Yang, its voice cold as frost.
Qin Yang's face remained impassive, but inwardly, he was locked in a bitter argument with the Dragon Jade.
"Damn it! If you say we can't use Dragon Might, then why are you fucking around?" Qin Yang had wanted to use Dragon Might the moment the Ice Dragon turned its gaze upon him, but the Dragon Jade insisted it was impossible!
The Dragon Jade retorted, "I could have used it if you'd first nourished me with your essence and blood. But now I've exhausted my power reserves—I can't unleash Dragon Might anymore."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Qin Yang raged inwardly. "We're in this mess because of you! I'm about to die here!"
"You're the Qin Family's sole bloodline," the Dragon Jade countered. "Do you think I want you dead? You kept trying to use Dragon Might without ever considering proper nourishment. If you'd forced it, my cultivation level would've regressed!"
"Regressed?" Qin Yang's mind snapped back to focus. "What do you mean? You're not a super divine-grade treasure anymore? You need constant nourishment now? To unleash your true power later will require even greater effort..."
"W-was..." The Dragon Jade's voice faltered. "I'm only an earth-grade treasure now. That's why I can only suppress Zongshi-level beasts..."
"Fuck you! The gap between this super divine rank and earth rank is three major tiers!" Qin Yang erupted in fury. "So your 'nourishing' was just a way to feed yourself and slowly advance your power?"
"It's not advancing," Dragon Jade corrected. "I'm restoring my original power!"
"What's our plan now?" Qin Yang demanded.
"Try to stall," Dragon Jade instructed. "Then bite your finger and let me drink your blood..."
As Qin Yang's temper flared again, Dragon Jade hastily added, "Don't worry. The moment it moves to attack, I'll risk another rank demotion to unleash my dragon's might!"
"You fool! Have you lost all sense?" the Ice Dragon roared. "Pathetic! One coward faints at the sight of me, while the other stands frozen in fear!"
Unable to vent its fury, the Ice Dragon blasted a column of icy air skyward, which instantly crystallized into a massive ice spear.
The spear shattered into countless smaller spikes that scattered in all directions.
The ancient tree was pierced through, and even the solid rock was reduced to powder.
"I'm not afraid of you," Qin Yang said slowly. "And I will kill you." His body was frozen solid, his blood and true qi threatening to freeze completely.
The Ice Dragon roared with fury, then suddenly laughed. "Excellent! Now this is entertaining!"
It circled Qin Yang, studying him with contempt. "With your ant-like existence, you dare attack me while I stand here? Could you possibly harm me?"
"I can not only harm you, but kill you outright," Qin Yang replied, his face frozen in a mask of calm. Not that he wasn't afraid - his face had simply stiffened from the cold, unable to express any emotion.
Facing the Ice Dragon, Qin Yang knew this was the most effective way to stall for time.
This was a bored and twisted Ice Dragon, the kind that would pretend to sleep just to tease others. Such provocation would only fuel its amusement.
Fortunately, Qin Yang's gamble paid off.
"Hahaha! Very well, let's see you try, you insignificant ant!" The Ice Dragon's icy vertical eyes locked onto Qin Yang, unmoving.
The Ice Dragon was truly bored, craving entertainment. Little did it dream that its death would come from sheer tedium!
"Can you harm it?" the Dragon Jade asked telepathically. "If you can, I won't need your essence. I could directly absorb its power!"
Qin Yang stared at the Ice Dragon looming before him, its body covered in impenetrable scales. Neither the Shocking Sword Finger nor the Ten Arrows of Wonder seemed capable of breaching its defenses. But...
Those massive eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking...
"Are you certain?" Qin Yang asked aloud.
"Absolutely! To restore my rank without the power of absorption, relying solely on your nourishment would take an eternity!"
"Very well!" Qin Yang resolved. He formed his fingers into a sword-like gesture. "Shocking Sword Finger!"
The strike shot forth with lightning speed, infused with the ferocity of the Racing Thunder Fist.
Though a Zongshi-level demonic beast, the Ice Dragon's complacency left it unable to react at such close range.
A pained roar erupted as searing agony pierced its eye.
Qin Yang's finger had plunged deep into the dragon's orb.