Chapter 446 - 12: Ice Jiao King
Shuijiao Peak, Ice Fish Spring Cave.
It was a spring cave covered with ice and snow, with ice crystals dangling all around. The spring water dripping from the icicles created a constant tinkling sound, like numerous wind chimes chiming at the same time.
The cold, bone-chilling ice element spiritual wood spiritual flower could be seen everywhere, giving the impression of being in a world of ice and snow.
In the center of the cave, a spring’s eye sprayed water to form a water wall, reflecting all happenings within a hundred miles of Shuijiao Peak.
The Cloud River raged on, and a dazzling Star Light Summoning Array made a stunning appearance.
A cold and detached male figure stood beside it, his upper body bare, with waterfall-like blue hair, and his lower body that of a merfolk, as handsome as the Luohe River God.
As the Star Light Array appeared, a loud and piercing cry came from outside the Ice Fish Spring Cave: "Jiao Lan, someone has violated your Shuijiao Peak domain, and you let them get away. Could it be that after a hundred years, you’ve turned vegetarian?"
That voice seemed eager for chaos; no sooner had it sounded from afar than the speaker had already arrived inside the cave.
Upon closer inspection, it was Tu Sanbian and Feng Yan walking shoulder to shoulder.
"You’ve come early," the man’s voice was ice cold, sounding like an ice blade scraping across one’s eardrums.
"Tsk, still so inhospitable. If it weren’t for Feng Yan inviting me, even if you begged me with tears, I’d be too lazy to come here," Tu Sanbian shivered as soon as he stepped into Jiaoquan Cave, glancing around. Over the past hundred years, Jiao Lan’s cultivation had improved quite a bit; just approaching him felt like being assaulted by the biting cold.
Among the Five Holy Beasts, the one Tu Sanbian disliked the most was Jin Jiao of Golden Horn Peak. Second only to him was the Holy Beast of Shuijiao Peak, Jiao Lan.
Who could blame him? This guy had an icy face for a millennium, as if everyone owed him a hundred and eighty thousand Dark Pills, just looking at him could chill someone to the bone.
Dark Beasts like the Ice Fish naturally don’t fear the cold and prefer living in an ice and snow environment. By extension, the ruler of this place, Jiao Lan of Shuijiao Peak, also had a cold and detached demeanor. Tu Sanbian suspected that even the blood flowing in his veins was made of ice.
When Feng Yan and the others arrived near Shuijiao Peak, they also sensed someone trying to trespass into the mountain. As Holy Beasts themselves, they have always dealt harshly with such Dark Practitioners trying to invade their domain.
Yet, Jiao Lan only uttered a warning to the intruder without making a killing move, sparking curiosity in them.
"Star Light Array?" Catching sight of the fleeting, yet brilliant Star Light Array in the water curtain, Feng Yan’s beautiful eyes sharpened, and her expression grew solemn. "Is there a descendant of the Summoning Clan among those people?"
"How could that be? The Summoning Clan faced divine punishment and was nearly wiped out a thousand years ago. Even if a few Tom, Dick, and Harry’s survived, they couldn’t amount to much. I’ve been roaming the Canglong Continent for many years and have yet to see a powerful Summoner," said Tu Sanbian in his characteristic booming voice.
In the eyes of most Dark Beasts, Summoners are an extremely fearsome existence, for once they form a contract with one, it means a lifetime of servitude.
However, for the Holy Beasts, unless facing a Gold Summoner with extraordinary summoning abilities or an even higher-level Diamond Summoner, they generally don’t take ordinary Summoners seriously.
"You suspect the other party is a Summoner, and this is why you hesitate to move forward? Jiao Lan, you’re really regressing as you live. If it were me," Tu Sanbian raised his voice, mocking, but as he was about to speak, he was met with a cold glare from Jiao Lan.
Suspended three feet above Tu Sanbian’s head, several razor-sharp ice crystals broke off at the sound.
Tu Sanbian, frightened out of his wits, leaped to one side, endlessly exclaiming in shock.
The more he cursed, the more ice crystals above his head seemed to echo his sentiments, crashing down around him. In a moment, Tu Sanbian was hopping up and ducking down inside the cave, looking nothing like a dignified Holy Beast of Earth Qilin Peak, but rather like a monkey.
"You damn ice block, I’m done with this, I’m going to destroy your damned spring cave!" Seeing Fire Phoenix Feng Yan shaking with laughter, Tu Sanbian’s self-esteem as a dignified three-foot-tall man was severely bruised. He roared, and the might of a Holy Beast erupted like a flood, shattering countless spiritual flowers and spirit wood in the cave with Earth Spurs bursting from the ground.
In an instant, the Ice Spring Cave was in complete disarray.
Jiao Lan’s icy eyes turned even colder, exuding an unparalleled chill as he formed a Dark Technique with his hands, and snow began to fall inside the cave.
"You two combined are nearly three thousand years old. Have you had enough fun yet?" Fire Phoenix Feng Yan, now also irritated, transformed and a Five-colored Phoenix Feather Bird flitted through the cave, spewing two jets of fire from its beak, aiming straight for the pair.
Just then, countless vines appeared on the ice crystals and Earth Spurs inside the cave. As the vines twisted around them, the ice crystals and Earth Spurs shattered at their touch.
A Tree-man king appeared in the cave, his entire body green, with hair like Ancient Vines.
Engrossed in their scuffle, Tu Sanbian and Jiao Lan stopped at the sound.
"Shu Xi, where’s Jiao Mang? Didn’t we agree to meet at Jiaoquan Cave at noon to watch for the warning from the Water Mermaid Pearl?" Fire Phoenix Feng Yan had informed all the peaks half a year earlier about this gathering of the Five Giants, but here they were, feuding after a century apart, leaving her utterly frustrated.
"Jiao Mang has yet to arrive, and already we have this mess. When he arrives, he and Tu Sanbian might level Jiaoquan Cave to the ground. I’ve always said, only with united front can beasts defeat the enemy and possibly see the Dragon Transformation Pond again. With your current disunity, another hundred years will pass and you still won’t match up to the Dark Practitioners," said the Tree-man king, standing ten feet tall, his eyes filled with ancient wisdom. Among the Holy Beasts of the Five Saints Mountain, he was the oldest and most composed.
"I called you here for the matter of the Dragon Transformation Pond. The lady who entered the Cloud River Basin in search of the sunken shipwreck, her husband is the descendant of that Dragon Slayer kid. His body has been taken away," under Shu Xi’s guidance, Jiao Lan contained his chill, waving his hand and creating an image on the water wall showing Lady Qingyan searching for General Mo Lin’s body.
"That square ring is?" After clearing seeing the ring that Lady Qingyan used for self-defense, the remaining three Holy Beasts were all startled.
"The square ring itself isn’t much; it’s the person who gave it that we cannot afford to provoke for the time being," Jiao Lan was also feeling aggrieved, his icy blue eyes veiled in a layer of frost.
Since when had they, the mighty Holy Beasts, been subjected to such humiliation? All because of that incident long ago, the sealing of the Dragon Transformation Pond, stripping the Holy Beasts of their rightful power.
"..." The three Holy Beasts fell silent for a moment.
"Hmph, if not for that Dragon Slayer kid sealing the Dragon Transformation Pond that year, would we have to endure such indignity?" Tu Sanbian said, deflated.
The Dragon Transformation Pond, as long as it, which symbolized the strength of the Five Saints Mountain, was there, they wouldn’t have to endure such indignity.
"Well said. That’s also the real reason I let that woman go. She will be key to revealing the Dragon Transformation Pond to daylight again," as he spoke, Jiao Lan suddenly gestured, and a blue sphere shot out from the bubbling spring in the cave.