Chapter 80: Battle Against the Ice Luan

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Battle Against the Ice Luan

The battle with the Ice Luan had lasted for about twenty minutes.

By now, the terrain around Li Heng was completely covered in frost. The ground, which had been pockmarked by icicles earlier, was now "filled in" with solid ice by the freezing wind.

After the continuous battle, Li Heng felt a little tired, but only a little. Even though his surroundings were frozen solid, he didn’t feel the cold.

Besides, these twenty minutes hadn’t been a complete waste of time. From Li Heng’s perspective, the intensity of the Ice Luan’s attacks had dropped significantly.

The longer the fight went on, the more Li Heng could feel that its icicles and shrieks were far less powerful than they had been at the beginning.

Most importantly, the Ice Luan’s flight altitude had also dropped considerably!

The Ice Luan was now flying only about five meters above him. By his estimation, if he leaped with all his might, his Empty Cicada Longsword could just barely reach it.

Up close, the Ice Luan was beautiful, from the plumes on its body to its long tail feathers. But what captured Li Heng’s attention most were the "blue threads" on its body.

When he first spotted the Ice Luan, the blue threads on its body had been a deep, vibrant color. Now, after the "attrition" of battle, the blue glow was very faint.

Everything, from the perceived power of the Ice Luan’s Soul Energy Skills to the display of the blue threads on its body, indicated that the Ice Luan was running out of stamina.

His own stamina, on the other hand, was still in good shape. He just felt a little tired.

This was a golden opportunity. Who knew, maybe the Ice Luan would just fly away once it had its fill of fighting.

A Tier Two Soul Beast could very well be that shameless.

So, after estimating the distance and angle, and operating on the principle of never letting an opportunity slip by, Li Heng decided to leap up and engage the Ice Luan.

He took a deep breath, aimed for the faintest blue thread on the Ice Luan’s body, and channeled the Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword. Bending his knees, he pushed off with all his strength, raising his right shoulder to angle the Empty Cicada Longsword for an upward "thrust."

"Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword!"

Even before this, Li Heng had been constantly recalling the techniques within the Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword, specifically looking for one that involved a leaping attack.

He had continuously envisioned the scene in his mind: injuring, or even piercing straight through, the Ice Luan with his Longsword.

Now that he had his chance, Li Heng naturally wouldn’t hold back. He focused every ounce of his strength into this single strike!

With 41 points in Strength, Li Heng felt an unprecedented terror in this leaping thrust. It was, by far, the most "all-out" attack he had ever attempted!

SCREE~

Seeing the human suddenly leap up toward it, the Ice Luan seemed momentarily surprised. It hastily spread its wings and shrieked, unleashing a howling gale.

The biting cold wind blasted him head-on!

At the start of the fight, Li Heng might have had to dodge the brunt of the attack. But now, given the faint blue threads on the Ice Luan and the boon from the Snow-Binding Ring on his hand, Li Heng was completely unafraid.

He stayed locked onto his initial target: the Ice Luan’s abdomen, the very spot where the blue threads were faintest.

PFFT—

SPLOOSH—

Charging into the cold wind, Li Heng’s school uniform was coated in frost. Even the blade of his Empty Cicada Longsword began to show signs of icing over.

But none of this hindered his attack. The Empty Cicada Longsword had already sunk into the Ice Luan’s abdomen, a third of the blade buried deep.

’The Ice Luan’s blood... it’s so cold!’

The moment the Empty Cicada Longsword pierced the Ice Luan’s abdomen, Li Heng was drenched in its blood.

In the instant the blood showered him, Li Heng couldn’t help but shudder. Ever since he had put on the ring, he hadn’t felt the cold in a long, long time.

But now, as the Ice Luan’s blood ran down his body, Li Heng felt as if his skin itself was about to freeze.

He did not think this was a good sign. Taking advantage of his successful strike, and with his hang time limited, Li Heng ripped the Empty Cicada Longsword out and immediately struck again.

In an instant, techniques from the Ghost Butterfly Illusion Sword flew out one after another. Bright, silvery butterflies materialized from thin air, all converging on the Ice Luan’s abdomen.

Meanwhile, the Ice Luan’s blood continued to accumulate on Li Heng’s body with each attack.

SCREE~

The moment Li Heng’s first attack landed, the Ice Luan had let out a mournful cry. The wound in its abdomen severely affected its flight, and an unprecedented "sense of fatigue" washed over its entire body.

The Ice Luan’s wings were no longer spread wide. From the moment it was injured, they began to flap about wildly, and Li Heng occasionally had to swing his sword to fend off a beating wing.

Li Heng lost track of how many times he swung his sword or how many cuts he inflicted on the Ice Luan. He just kept striking with all his might.

By the time Li Heng felt his body start to fall, he was completely covered in the Ice Luan’s blood.

’No! This is too damn cold! I don’t care if the Ice Luan is dead or not! Time to bail! Time to bail!’

The Snow-Binding Ring gave him +5 Cold Resistance, but even that couldn’t fend off the low temperature of the Ice Luan’s blood.

Li Heng didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if he kept getting drenched in it. ’Would I turn into an ice sculpture?’

’I’ve done what I came to do, and I gave it my all in that attack.’ With his stamina still in decent shape, Li Heng decided to retreat first and ask questions later.

[Ding! Bathed in the heart’s blood of an Ice Luan. Ice Soul Power Perception +1, Ice Affinity +1.]

However, just as Li Heng was falling and planning his escape route, a system notification suddenly popped up, making him freeze for a moment.

He had only ever heard of bathing in dragon’s blood to temper one’s body. Who would’ve thought bathing in Ice Luan blood would have a similar effect!

It was a stat boost, so Li Heng felt a small surge of happiness. Still, he had no desire to try it a second time. It was just too cold, and right now, retreating was the priority!

THUMP—

Li Heng’s feet hit the ground. The first thing he planned to do was run. ’Retreat first! Once I’m not so cold, I’ll come back and check on the Ice Luan.’

The moment he landed, he activated his Wolf Walk Technique. In an instant, Li Heng had already run more than ten meters away, and he didn’t even look back.

Although Li Heng believed that his recent barrage of attacks would have either killed the Ice Luan or left it severely wounded, his own condition was poor, and he wasn’t willing to take the gamble.

When you’re not absolutely sure, you play it safe!

Once he recovered, he would come back to deal with the Ice Luan!

SCREE~

As Li Heng fled, the Ice Luan he had stabbed and slashed let out cry after cry in mid-air.

Its cries became increasingly mournful and furious.

But whether from sorrow or rage, the Ice Luan’s voice grew fainter and fainter, quieter and quieter.

At the same time, the Ice Luan’s wings lost their strength. After its final cry, its wings drooped, and its entire body plummeted heavily to the ground. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

The frozen ground shattered on impact, sending shards and flakes of ice flying. The blood flowing from the Ice Luan’s abdomen slowly began to encase it...