The cave was dark, and the dim sunlight shone in through the top of the twisting tree.
In the dark cave, there were intertwined roots everywhere. At the bottom of the cave, a huge Ice Python with a length of more than ten meters was lying on a pile of intertwined roots, like a prey caught in a fishing net.
It was dead!
Below the Ice Python's body, its roots were intertwined into a giant ice cocoon that occupied half of the cave.
The roots were extremely hard, even harder than the twisting tree trunk outside.
There was a faint chill coming out of the giant ice cocoon, as if there was a huge ice cube inside.
Qi Yuan sat on the Ice Python's crystal head and looked at the Ice Python's body that was more than ten meters long. He shook his head slightly.
The Ice Python was indeed very powerful. It only took a few seconds for its frost breath, which contained the power of frost, to freeze a person into an ice sculpture. Even a Stage Two Transcendent would find it difficult to resist the attack of this chill.
However, its defense was a little weak. The few seconds it took to freeze a person was enough for Qi Yuan to give it a fatal shot.
The armor-piercing bullet with the Annihilation Warhead could even penetrate a Grade 2 Transcendent's defense, let alone an Ice Python.
With just one shot, Qi Yuan sent the bullet into the Ice Python's mouth, hitting its heart and ending its life.
The Ice Python was dead!
Qi Yuan's body was still covered in frost, and even his breath was cold. This was the price he had to pay for taking half of the Frost Breath head-on.
The temperature in the cave was close to zero. Qi Yuan waited for a few minutes, and his almost frozen body slowly regained some warmth.
In the center of the layers of roots, the light beam of the check-in point was clearly visible.
Qi Yuan jumped down from the Ice Python's body and calculated the distance of the light beam. He then put his right hand into the gap between the roots until his entire shoulder was in. Finally, he touched the light beam.
"Check-In successful. Rewarded one talent point!"
Hearing the familiar feedback, Qi Yuan's lips curled up. Another transcendent ability!
"What is this thing wrapped inside?"
After signing in successfully, Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and glanced at the core wrapped in layers of roots. When signing in, he accidentally touched it and felt a chill that was even sharper than the Frost Breath.
"I wonder if this thing inside can fuse with Talent Points and unlock new talents!"
Qi Yuan tried to reach his hand in again, and a wisp of coldness entered his body. However, Qi Yuan did not let go of his hand, and a strange look appeared in his eyes.
It could actually be fused!
Qi Yuan suddenly thought of the xenogeneic metal in the underground chamber. The two spawn points seemed to be a guide to his awakening ability.
A mysterious force was guiding him to fuse with it, to light up certain abilities that it had chosen!
Qi Yuan only hesitated for two seconds before he made his choice.
The Talent Point and the core wrapped in layers of roots instantly fused, turning into a strange energy that flowed into the Talent Tree and lit up a brand new ability.
With the appearance of the new ability, the powerful energy feedback from the Talent Tree once again spread to his limbs and bones, transforming Qi Yuan's body.
In a trance, Qi Yuan felt as if his body had been thrown into a huge energy furnace.
Endless energy poured in from every pore and gathered in his chest cavity, finally condensing into a brand new heart on the right side of his heart.
Feeling the completely different heartbeat in his body, Qi Yuan suddenly came back to his senses!
A heart condensed from energy!
This was energy control!
Qi Yuan withdrew his right hand from the gap between the roots. The core wrapped in layers of roots was still there, but it no longer emitted a cold chill, as if it had become an ordinary stone.
The spawn point appeared here. Is it really as I guessed? Is it because of this core full of frost power?
Qi Yuan felt the energy heart in his body and suddenly found that it was filled with a powerful frost power.
Is this the energy I absorbed?
Qi Yuan's face changed slightly. Compared to Steel Defense and Steel Strength, the energy control ability did not directly increase his melee strength. It was also unlike Annihilation Warhead and Firearms Control, which could increase his long-range attack power.
Its biggest use was to increase his control over energy, a bit like the Elemental Domain ability.
The heart in his body was like an energy control center. Not only could it control energy, it could also store and absorb energy.
A small portion of the frost power from the core wrapped in ice had been stored in the energy heart.
Rank 1 Energy Control could only store a limited amount of energy. Just a small portion of the frost power was enough to fill the energy heart, making it unable to absorb any more energy.
"I actually have an extra energy heart. Am I still a human now?" A strange thought suddenly appeared in Qi Yuan's mind.
At this time, Nie Xiu and the others outside seemed to be unable to wait any longer. The Snake Ghoul entered through the entrance at the top of the twisting tree. Like a four-legged snake, it followed the intertwining vines all the way down and entered the dark cave.
The Snake Ghoul carefully passed through the layers of intertwining vines. It seemed that it did not expect that there would be another world in this tree hole. More than half of the space was actually occupied by dense plant roots.
As it slowly went deeper, the Snake Ghoul's eyes slowly adapted to the darkness of the cave. Slowly, it saw the figure of an Ice Python entwined in the middle of the vines.
The Snake Ghoul's eyes became excited.
The Ice Python's flesh was very valuable, and the Black Gold Trade Union had always had a good reputation. There had never been a vicious case of a double-cross. Such a large Ice Python could be exchanged for at least two Grade 2 potions. In addition to the strange metal filled with frost energy, it might even be possible to exchange it for a real mechanical weapon.
As long as we finish digesting the rewards of this mission, the three of us can join forces and establish a firm foothold in the Iron Chariots. We can then try to compete for more lucrative missions, unlike now where we can only pick up the leftovers of others.
The Ice Python emitted a faint chill. It lay motionless in the vines as if it was asleep. The Snake Ghoul hesitated for a moment, but it still continued to move down. The existence of the Ice Python had been confirmed. As long as the existence of the strange metal filled with frost power was confirmed, this information could be sold for a high price.
Under the premise that the item was precious, the Black Gold Trade Union was even willing to send their own people to deal with the Ice Python and the ore inside. This was a shortcut for many weak Wild Hunters to make a fortune.
There was also a prerequisite for this, and that was the authenticity of the information.
It was not easy to establish a connection with the blind man of the Black Gold Trade Union. If they dared to use fake information to fool the blind man, the consequences would definitely not be something that a few Rank 2 players could bear.
When the cooperation was good, the Black Gold Trade Union was a trustworthy partner. However, when you deceived them, the powerful Black Gold Trade Union would also make the deceiver pay the price!
The Black Gold Trade Union was able to establish a firm foothold in the Iron Chariots in just a few years. They even suppressed the old Futu Trade Union.
Not only did they rely on their good reputation, but they also relied on their powerful strength!
Ordinary Wild Hunters would not care about their own reputation in the face of profit. However, the more powerful a Trade Union was, the more they valued their reputation. No one would be willing to trade with a Trade Union that was far more powerful than themselves. A good reputation was the key to attracting Wild Hunters to trade with a Trade Union.
The Snake Ghoul cautiously approached bit by bit. It was not worried that the Ice Python would suddenly attack. Ever since its body had mutated and gained snake characteristics, the Snake Ghoul knew that it was no longer an ordinary person. In addition to the strange power brought by the snake genes, the biggest change it brought was that it could easily communicate with snakes and make them treat it as one of their own. As long as the snake was not too aggressive, it would not take the initiative to attack it.
The Snake Ghoul constantly stuck out its forked tongue to sense the remaining scent in the air.
The snake tongue gave it a superpower similar to the Perception Domain. In addition to sensing the target's scent in the air, it could also sense the target's presence through heat.
The air in the cave was extremely cold. In addition to the scent of the Ice Python, Qi Yuan's scent was also present. However, the tongue could not sense the heat of the two.
The body temperature of the Ice Python was originally cold, so it could not sense it. Then, where did Qi Yuan go?
Was he swallowed by the Ice Python? Was that why it could not sense his presence?
The Snake Ghoul vaguely found the answer. This underground cave was not big. Although it could not see clearly because of the crisscrossing roots and the dim light, the perception of the tongue could not be wrong.
There was only one possibility for Qi Yuan's heat source to disappear, and that was that he was eaten by the Ice Python!
The Snake Ghoul slowly approached the Ice Python. It knew the habits of the Ice Python very well. It knew that it would not be too far away from the Ice Python. Therefore, the Ice Python must not be far away from the Ice Python.
The Snake Ghoul became more and more careful, fearing that it would disturb the sleeping Ice Python.
Although the Ice Python was not very aggressive and would not take the initiative to attack its own kind, once it thought that it was an intruder, it would be in danger.
Although the Grade 2 Speed Enhancement could help it escape from the Ice Python's pursuit, the Ice Python's Frost Breath was very dangerous. As long as one was hit, there was a possibility of being frozen into an ice sculpture.
Slowly, the Snake Ghoul approached the Ice Python. When the distance between the two sides was about five meters, most of the Ice Python's body came into view.
The Snake Ghoul suddenly felt that something was wrong. The Ice Python lying on the vines in front of it did not look like it was sleeping. Instead, it looked like it was dead.
The Ice Python is dead?
The Snake Ghoul was shocked by its sudden thought. It then shook its head and tried to suppress the thought.
The Ice Python could not be dead. Otherwise, who could have eaten Qi Yuan?
There was no aura of any other insect beasts in the cave!
But as it got closer, the strange thought became more and more intense. The Ice Python in front of it looked more and more like a dead thing.
Is the Ice Python really dead?
The Snake Ghoul swallowed its saliva and stared at the huge body of the Ice Python. It could not find any trace of a wound, but it also could not find any signs of life.
The Snake Ghoul felt its heart beating violently. It subconsciously stuck out its tongue and sensed the surrounding air again. It was still cold and there was no source of heat.
The Snake Ghoul's heart was slightly relieved. It did not notice that behind the Ice Python's vines not far away, a figure holding a Zhanmadao was staring at it.
Frost covered his entire body. In the Snake Ghost's highly dependent sense of temperature, Qi Yuan was like a block of ice without any heat.
The Snake Ghoul carefully closed the distance between it and the Ice Python. It did not notice that it was getting closer and closer to Qi Yuan. It was almost within the range of the Zhanmadao's attack.
The Ice Python lay quietly on the vines with a faint layer of frost spreading on its body. Suddenly, the Snake Ghoul smelled a faint smell of blood.
Only then did the Snake Ghoul realize that streaks of cold red blood flowed out from the corner of the Ice Python's mouth and dripped onto the vines below it.
The Ice Python is really dead!
Who killed it?!
The blood has not dried up yet. The killer is nearby!
The Snake Ghoul's hair stood on end. A condensed frost aura came from all directions and instantly condensed into a cold killing intent.
Go!
The Snake Ghoul's body tensed up. It was about to leave the Ice Python's body when the sound of something breaking through the air came from behind.
The enemy is right behind me. Why didn't I sense his presence?
Before the Snake Ghoul could open up a distance, the chilling Zhanmadao directly stabbed into the Snake Ghoul's back. The Grade 1 defense and Snake Scales showed its powerful side under the full power of the Grade 1 Steel Strength. It greatly blocked the blade's piercing and prevented the Snake Ghoul from being completely pierced.
One-third of the cold blade was blocked. This kind of injury was not too serious for a Grade 1 Extraordinaire. But in the next second, the Snake Ghoul instantly fell into deep despair.
A chilling aura comparable to Frost Breath burst out from the blade and exploded in the Snake Ghoul's body.
The Snake Ghoul could clearly feel its flesh and blood quickly stiffening under the chilling aura. The frozen blood pierced through its blood vessels and internal organs. Even its heart turned into a frozen stone.
The Snake Ghoul opened its mouth and tried to warn Nie Xiu and Sun Ye outside. But a cold hand covered its mouth and blocked its last trace of life.
This cold hand let the Snake Ghoul know the identity of the killer.
It was Qi Yuan who should have been swallowed by the Ice Python.
He hid from the Snake Ghoul's perception. That's why he could attack from behind.
He killed the Snake Ghoul!
He killed the Ice Python!
But … he's just a Grade 1!
The Insect Beast Detector would not lie.
How did he do it?
Qi Yuan coldly pulled back his Zhanmadao. Under the chilling aura, the Snake Ghoul's wound did not even bleed.
With deep confusion and doubt, the Snake Ghoul turned into a frozen corpse and laid down together with the Ice Python.