Leylin shifted his attention to the battlefield.
The Ice Jade Scorpion had already achieved total victory, and the multitude of blue ants, with a shrill cry, began scattering in all directions.
The Ice Jade Scorpion did not pursue the fleeing remnants. Instead, it crawled atop a mound of earth and dug into it with its massive pincers, revealing a honeycomb-like nest riddled with tiny holes.
Large quantities of white eggs were neatly arranged inside.
"Squeak squeak!" The Ice Jade Scorpion let out a triumphant cry and immediately began feasting.
"Sorry to disturb you!"
But its meal was soon interrupted by another creature. The Ice Jade Scorpion's small red eyes locked onto the humanoid figure before it, its two enormous pincers waving frantically while the venomous stinger on its back extended and retracted erratically.
"Squeak squeak!" Furious at Leylin for interrupting its meal, the Ice Jade Scorpion immediately flew into a rage. Great billows of icy mist sprayed from its mouth, sweeping toward Leylin.
Crack! Crack!
The temperature inside the cavern plummeted instantly. Wherever the cold energy passed, the exposed rock on the ground cracked and shattered into countless fragments.
"Extreme Yin cold energy! The Ice Jade Scorpion's signature breath attack — legend has it that it carries the unique power of the world of frost…"
Leylin murmured, his entire body now enveloped in the blue icy mist.
Immediately after, massive amounts of blue gas surged through his skin, fighting to burrow inside.
"Beep! Detected: Subject absorbing large quantities of frost-type energy. Extremely potent suppressing effect on bloodline emotions. Stored!"
The Chip's feedback came swiftly.
"Not enough! This level of frost is far from sufficient!"
Leylin shook his head with a hint of disappointment. He then extended his right hand, and the surrounding icy mist converged, forming a small vortex in the air.
This sight immediately caused the Ice Jade Scorpion to cease its breath attack.
Crack! Crack!
The blue icy mist concentrated and condensed in Leylin's hands, its pale blue sheen fading away to reveal its original pure white color.
After just a few seconds, the Ice Jade Scorpion's breath had been completely absorbed into Leylin's palm, leaving behind only a thin, white ice-like disc — identical to the one Xiling had traded before, only much smaller.
"The Ice Jade Scorpion's breath crystal!" Leylin looked at the white ice disc in his hand and let out a sudden sigh. A flash of silver light passed, and the ice crystal vanished from his grasp without a trace.
"This Ice Jade Scorpion's strength is still too low. The crystal it produced only has a minor suppressing effect on me. To completely eliminate it, I'll need to find a far more powerful Ice Jade Scorpion to experiment with…"
Leylin gazed at the Ice Jade Scorpion before him. Having expelled such a massive amount of cold energy, the enormous scorpion's coloring had become even more translucent. It had also retreated a considerable distance from Leylin, clearly intending to flee.
"It even has a certain degree of intelligence!" Watching its behavior, Leylin grew even more intrigued.
"I need to capture a complete specimen — to record data and collect materials!"
Leylin looked at the enormous scorpion across from him, which seemed to be composed entirely of green ice, and a smile spread across his face…
Several hours later, inside a massive ice cavern that had been temporarily carved out.
The entrance to the cave had been sealed by Leylin and further disguised; no ordinary creature would ever discover it here.
In the center of the cavern, upon a massive ice platform, dozens of black iron pillars stood erected, forming the shape of a cage. The Ice Jade Scorpion from earlier was imprisoned within, letting out low, guttural hisses from time to time.
Leylin, meanwhile, stood to one side, holding a petri dish that contained a piece of green shell — a fragment taken from the Ice Jade Scorpion before.
Drip!
A single drop of red liquid fell from Leylin's hand onto the ice shell fragment. Instantly, the entire piece began to boil, sending up plumes of white vapor as it melted away, until only a small patch of black residue remained.
Seeing this, a flash of delight crossed Leylin's eyes. He used a pair of fine tweezers to place the residue into a test tube for safekeeping.
"The basic biological samples and data have been collected for the most part. Next comes the experiment to harvest the exhalation crystals…"
Leylin gazed at the Ice Jade Scorpion in its cage and suddenly clapped his hands.
Crack-crack! From the top of the black iron cage, a shower of sparks erupted. Blue arcs of electricity surged along the iron bars, reaching the Ice Jade Scorpion's body in an instant.
"Ssss!" The Ice Jade Scorpion let out an enraged shriek, opening its jaws as a massive blast of frigid energy was expelled.
The cold energy condensed into a thick layer of white frost on the iron cage, but even more of it drifted on its own toward Leylin, forming the same white ice crystal plates as before.