Inside a tent made of animal skins and branches in the Chu Lin's camp, Chu Lin, Mu Chen, and Hun Hunsheng sat on the ground.
A young man walked in, approached Chu Lin, and said with a smile, "Brother Chu, who are these two? Aren't you going to introduce them to me?"
Chu Lin patted the young man's shoulder and said, "This is Fang Zhong, a good friend who co-founded the Chu Lin with me.
"Fang Zhong, this is Mu Chen, the 'Blood Calamity Bringer' of the Spiritual Road, and his companion, Hun Hunsheng."
Mu Chen and Fang Zhong greeted each other.
Then Chu Lin said, "A week ago, our people discovered a valley covered in ice, which we named Ice Valley.
"There are many natural treasures inside, as well as a mysterious spiritual beast. The snowstorm was very heavy at the time, and we only saw a blurry, massive shadow, so we weren't sure what kind of spiritual beast it was.
"However, that kind of pressure definitely couldn't be possessed by a high-level spiritual beast, so it must be a Heaven-tier spiritual beast!"
"Not sure what kind of spiritual beast?" Mu Chen asked.
Fang Zhong analyzed, "I have some guesses… After all, this is an assessment ground specifically set up by the academy, so there shouldn't be anything too outrageous. Most likely, there won't be any spiritual beasts ranked in the top fifty of the Ten Thousand Beast Record's Earth Ranking.
"Beyond that, there's only one type of spiritual beast that resembles a giant python and prefers to live in icy places. That's the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon, ranked seventy-third."
Mu Chen raised his eyebrows, "A mature Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon is comparable to a Late Stage of the Heaven Merging Realm expert. Can you deal with it?"
Facing such a spiritual beast that was a whole major rank higher than him and had thick skin and flesh, Time Zero wasn't very effective. Even if he borrowed the power of the Nine Nether Bird, Mu Chen wasn't absolutely confident.
Chu Lin smiled, "No, our goal isn't the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon itself, but the spiritual medicines in the valley.
"We plan to release the news and gather everyone's strength to kill or drive it away.
"Brother Mu is powerful, and if you join forces with us, we can secure a larger share. Or, if Brother Mu is confident in himself, he can also try to seize the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's essence."
"No need to find anyone else, I can chop it to death." Hun Hunsheng's tone was full of confidence.
"Ah?" The other three looked over in surprise.
"It's just a spiritual beast, at most Late Stage of the Heaven Merging Realm, still within my hunting range. I just happen to need its essence blood," Hun Hunsheng said.
"You are confident in killing it?" Chu Lin and Fang Zhong's expressions changed.
The two looked at Hun Hunsheng, with a hint of hesitation in their expressions.
Mu Chen spoke, "Why don't we try it? I have confidence in Hun Guniang."
"Since Brother Mu has said so, then let's try it first."
Chu Lin made a decision, "Against this kind of spiritual beast, Fang Zhong and I can't provide much help.
"If Hun Guniang can really kill it, we won't take a single cent from the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's body, and seventy percent of the medicinal herbs gathered from the valley will belong to you two."
"Alright." Hun Hunsheng nodded.
Half a day later, they arrived outside the Ice Valley.
The cold wind whimpered like sharp blades, making a faint clanging sound as it scraped across the mountain ridges. The cliffs on both sides were wrapped in ice, and the rugged outlines of the rocks resembled the arched spine of a giant beast curled up. The ice was not pure white; deep within, faint blue patterns shimmered, like frozen blood vessels.
Standing on the mountain, looking down, everyone felt the spiritual power pressure faintly emanating from the depths of that icy World.
"Fang Zhong and I will accompany you inside; the others will wait here."
Chu Lin still couldn't quite believe that Hun Hunsheng could chop the opponent to death, so he didn't let those with weaker strength enter together.
Hun Hunsheng ignored him and directly transformed into a bloody stream of light, rushing into the valley.
"Wait for me." Mu Chen quickly followed, but he was slower and was left far behind.
Chu Lin and Fang Zhong exchanged a glance, then gritted their teeth and followed.
Not long after, an earth-shattering roar came from the depths of the valley, filled with ferocity. Clearly, the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon had appeared.
When Mu Chen arrived, he saw Hun Hunsheng punch the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's head. Its massive body fell heavily backward, collapsing a large area of ice.
The Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon had a massive body, shaped like a giant python, covered in crystalline ice armor, with a pair of huge ice crystal wings on its back. Its eyes were ice-blue, its mouth was full of sharp teeth, and it exhaled cold air.
However, this huge and beautiful creature looked to be in a bad state at the moment. Its ice crystal armor had many cracks, several teeth were broken, and a large amount of blood was overflowing from its mouth.
Mu Chen had originally intended to borrow Nine Nether's power to help, but he found that he seemed completely unnecessary. Hun Hunsheng displayed terrifying strength, directly pressing the opponent and fiercely pummeling it.
She didn't even use a spiritual art; she relied entirely on her physical strength, firmly suppressing her opponent. Her fair hands were clenched into fists, and each swing seemed to carry the force of Qian Jun.
"Oh, this…" Chu Lin and Fang Zhong, who had just arrived, opened their mouths wide, looking at this scene in disbelief.
Hun Hunsheng leaped high and brought her foot down heavily on the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's head. The latter had just lifted its head from the ground when it was smashed back down again.
This blow completely deprived it of the power to resist, and it slumped softly to the ground, like a cooked noodle.
"Tsk… It's only at the Heaven Merging Realm, and it's still immature." Hun Hunsheng seemed a bit disappointed.
She casually waved a red light, and spiritual power pierced through the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's head, ending its life.
The red spiritual power rolled back, carrying the spiritual beast essence, and returned to her hand. At the same time, a splash of fresh blood was also brought out.
The fresh blood stained half of her body red, adding a touch of demonic beauty to her.
Hun Hunsheng exuded a dense killing intent, and her whole person also seemed much colder. She looked at Mu Chen with blood-red eyes and said:
"The essence blood is for you; it should be of some help to you."
"Thank you." Mu Chen did not refuse. Hun Hunsheng should have cultivated the Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art to a relatively profound level, so this immature Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon would not be of much help to her.
Hun Hunsheng then looked at Chu Lin and Fang Zhong, "It's done. Call your people in to gather the medicinal herbs. Remember to pack seventy percent for me."
"Yes…" Chu Lin and Fang Zhong couldn't help but shiver. Hun Hunsheng in her current state looked a bit intimidating.
The blood on Hun Hunsheng's body slowly disappeared, as if absorbed by her skin. The dense killing intent also gradually receded, leaving only a faint scent of blood.
Mu Chen collected the essence blood and was about to help Hun Hunsheng cut off the other valuable parts of the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's body when he felt the ground tremble.
The ground not far away suddenly cracked open, and a massive pillar of Magma shot up into the sky. A whinny accompanied the Magma pillar.
The Magma melted the ice and snow, and the temperature in the valley quickly rose. From the cracks in the earth, a colossal creature slowly ascended.
This was a fiery red giant beast, its entire body burning with flames, Magma flowing over its surface. At its ferocious head, there was a single horn that seemed to be formed from Magma.
"Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard… Seventieth on the Ten Thousand Beast Record's Earth Ranking." Mu Chen quickly retreated, a hint of apprehension in his eyes.
"There's another one… What a pity, it's also just immature." Hun Hunsheng also seemed to not think much of it.
The Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard saw the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's corpse, and its pupils constricted.
It had sensed someone fighting its old rival, the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon, and came to take advantage, but it hadn't expected its old rival to already be killed!
The Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard dared not delay. It bit into the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's corpse, dragging it, and tried to escape.
"You still couldn't resist coming out, huh… No one has ever dared to steal my prey." A fierce light flashed in Hun Hunsheng's blood-red eyes.
Terrifying spiritual power erupted, black mist permeated her body, and four chains quickly flew out, piercing through the Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard's four limbs.
The Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard let out a painful wail. It loosened its mouth, disregarding the Ice Profound Spirit Flood Dragon's corpse, and frantically spewed a mouthful of flames.
The black mist around Hun Hunsheng surged, spreading out to shield herself and Mu Chen within it.
Only then did Mu Chen ascertain Hun Hunsheng's current realm… Late Stage of the Heaven Merging Realm!
The black mist blocked the flames, and another chain shot out, piercing through the Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard's head from top to bottom, firmly pinning it to the ground.
The Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard, with its head pierced, was not yet dead. It struggled wildly, emitting mournful cries from time to time.
Chains emerged from the black mist again, breaking its spine. The chains coiled around its neck once, then tightened suddenly, severing its neck.
This tenacious giant beast finally stopped struggling.
The chains hooked out the Magma Core Flame Dragon Lizard's essence. To Mu Chen's surprise, Hun Hunsheng did not keep the essence but instead handed it to him.
The mark on Mu Chen's forehead automatically absorbed the spiritual energy emanating from the essence, instantly turning into a Level Seven mark.
"You are…" Mu Chen was a little surprised.
Hun Hunsheng said, "Your Level One mark is too unsafe. If someone's mark reaches Level Nine, the Bei Cang Hall will appear.
"I'm also not sure if the mark will still change after the Bei Cang Hall appears, so you should raise it first.
"Fresh blood will have a better effect on the Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art. The essence blood of these two spiritual beasts should be enough for you to complete the first layer."
Mu Chen cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Thank you for Hun Guniang's care. Mu Chen will certainly repay you in the future."
"No need for the future, you can do it now." Hun Hunsheng pointed at the spiritual beast's corpse, "Before cultivating, help me roast it first."
Mu Chen smiled, "Leave it to me."