Due to Leilin's relentless hit-and-run attacks, the Ice Jade Scorpion clan had already suffered massive casualties.
Moreover, the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor had abandoned its secure nest and chosen to relocate.
During this migration, it was the perfect opportunity for Leilin to strike!
With a thought from Leilin, a violent black hurricane suddenly swept across the ice plain.
The raging black hurricane tore through everything in its path, splitting ice layers that had frozen for tens of thousands of years into fine white powder that drifted away on the wind.
The hurricane vaguely formed a tornado, charging straight toward the migrating Ice Jade Scorpion clan.
"Squeak!!!"
A piercing screech erupted from within the Ice Jade Scorpion swarm.
Along with that cry, all the Ice Jade Scorpions immediately clustered together, spewing large quantities of extreme yin cold energy from their mouths to erect a thick ice wall before them.
Seeming unsatisfied with the wall's sturdiness, the scorpions didn't stop breathing — they kept pouring more energy in, only ceasing once the wall exceeded two meters in thickness.
Crack! Crack!
The black hurricane crashed into the ice wall, instantly producing a grating sound like fingernails scraping glass. Flakes of ice continuously chipped away from the wall's surface.
The Ice Jade Scorpions behind the wall saw this and immediately increased their output, repairing the gaps the hurricane was tearing through.
These remaining scorpions working together were equivalent to the combined power of dozens of official Wizards — enough that even a peak First-level
But Leilin was no ordinary peak First-level! Although his total Spiritual Power was only at the level of a peak First-level Wizard, his spirit had already undergone the advancement of a Second-level Warlock and possessed the power of spiritual solidification!
"Hmph!"
From within the black hurricane came a cold snort.
Then, vast quantities of silver Spiritual Power dispersed outward, spreading across the surface of the black hurricane and leaving behind traces of silver cracks.
From a distance, it looked as though a layer of silver skin had been inlaid onto the black wind blades.
Boom! Boom!!
Under the assault of the wind blades, the massive ice wall could no longer hold. Deep gashes were carved into its surface, growing larger and larger until the wall finally collapsed entirely.
Crack!
Boom! The enormous ice wall toppled to the ground, and the black hurricane instantly swept through the entire Ice Jade Scorpion clan.
"Squeak!" The numerous scorpions shrieked, their bodies flickering with jade-green light as they fought against the wind blades.
Though the wind blades were formidable, most of these Ice Jade Scorpions were adults, and under the defense of their innate ice armor and personal cold energy, they could hold their ground for a time.
The black hurricane came fast — and left fast!
In barely a dozen seconds, the hurricane swept past the scorpion swarm's position and vanished over the horizon, carrying with it a faint, piercing shriek.
Hearing that shriek, all the Ice Jade Scorpions fell into a panic, then charged after the hurricane as if driven mad.
Unfortunately, speed was their weakness. All they could do was watch the hurricane grow further and further away until it disappeared entirely beyond the sky.
Leilin drove the hurricane forward, carrying a green shadow within its center, racing onward. Only after confirming the Ice Jade Scorpions behind could no longer catch up did he disperse the hurricane, revealing the true form of the green figure within.
When the black hurricane dissipated, it left behind a single jade-green Ice Jade Scorpion. This scorpion had a slender body that appeared remarkably delicate and refined, even smaller in build than an ordinary Ice Jade Scorpion.
Yet it radiated a tremendous majesty unlike any of the others. And on its back, the pattern symbol Leilin had previously seen on the elite Ice Jade Scorpions was now complete, forming the distorted image of a woman's face.
At this moment, the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor had assumed an offensive posture, raising both its claws toward Leilin.
"Stop struggling. You should know the gap between us!"
Silver Spiritual Power flickered through Leilin's eyes as a slight smile appeared on his face.
With his current strength, even a head-on assault against the already depleted Ice Jade Scorpion clan would consume enormous amounts of Spiritual Power and mana — after all, they could be treated as a large联合 force of Wizards, with even a peak First-level Wizard leading them! Before regaining his Second-level strength, even Leilin would have to be cautious.
But now, the only opponent he needed to deal with was the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor alone.
"Squeak!!!"
In response to Leilin's words, the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's cry rose several pitches, becoming even more piercing.
A large burst of jade-green radiance emanated from the carapace on its body, condensing into a thick layer of ice armor that covered it entirely.
Once clad in this ice armor, the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's body swelled dramatically, far surpassing the elite Ice Jade Scorpions — nearly as large as three ordinary ones combined.
Whoosh! The Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor left an afterimage behind on the empty ground and shot toward Leilin as a streak of jade-green light.
"Sigh! In the end, it always comes down to brute force."
Leilin retreated swiftly. The moment he moved, the ground behind him exploded with a thunderous crack, sending debris flying as a large crater appeared.
Whoosh!!!
The Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor retracted its claws without hesitation and spat a massive cloud of deep blue cold energy directly at Leilin.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of freezing echoed continuously through the air, and even the void itself showed transparent distortions.
"This kind of cold energy! It's even causing minor freezing symptoms in the void!"
Facing this terrifyingly powerful cold energy, Leilin's face didn't show alarm but delight. Only breath crystallization at this level could potentially resolve the emotional volatility problem of the warlock within his body.
"Chip! Scan the target's specific data!"
A faint blue fluorescence flashed through Leilin's eyes.
"Task established. Scanning now!!!" The Chip responded quickly. "Beep! The target is shrouded by an unknown Field. Scan impossible!"
"Oh?" Leilin's body erupted with black gas that condensed into an ancient shield covered in intricate patterns, which collided with the cold energy.
He could ignore the breath of ordinary Ice Jade Scorpions, but he didn't dare take this Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's cold attack head-on with his body — otherwise, he suspected that the savage cold would freeze his physical form solid on the spot!
The black gas shield and the blue ice mist crashed violently into each other. Then a point of blackness spread from their center, as if a black hole had appeared, devouring both shields, the cold energy, and even the void itself.
"Unknown Field? Where is it located?" Leilin asked. With his Chip-enhanced abilities, only a Second-level creature could block its detection, and this Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor was clearly still at peak First-level strength.
"The back! At the distorted face pattern!"
The Chip responded quickly. Hearing this unsurprising answer, Leilin's mind raced.
Some extraordinarily powerful creatures from other worlds often possessed powers approaching those of gods, and had formed unique symbols representing their path, achievements, power, and everything else condensed into a single mark.
These symbols often held mysterious power and could serve as channels of communication with their creators, passed down through bloodlines, and even transmitted across planes!
This phenomenon was even more pronounced in bloodline creatures. Leilin even suspected that the constantly evolving symbol within his body, composed of innate magical abilities, and the face rune on the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's back both belonged to this category!
"Squeak!"
Seeing that Leilin had blocked the attack, a distinctly human-like gleam of mockery appeared in the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's eyes. It then suddenly raised its back.
Buzz! Buzz!
The woman's face on its back seemed to come alive. Wisps of green light flowed across it as it let out a piercing howl.
"Squeak!!!"
An invisible sound wave swept across Leilin's body, causing his eyes to glaze over with a moment of distraction.
Whoosh! The Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor seized this rare opportunity and lunged at Leilin, one massive serrated claw snapping toward his waist!
At this moment, Leilin's eyes were vacant, his body frozen eerily in place as he allowed the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's attack to land.
Crack! The razor-sharp claw sliced Leilin's body cleanly in two. Large quantities of blood mixed with internal organs spilled out, and a flash of delight appeared in the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's eyes.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
But that delight didn't last long. The copious blood flowing from Leilin's body twisted and writhed on the ground as if alive, ultimately forming a blood-red cage that trapped the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor inside.
The body that had fallen to the ground, cut in two, stirred. Its surface gradually shifted and transformed, finally revealing a true form composed entirely of countless shadows — it had been an illusion all along!
A flash of light appeared nearby, and Leilin's true body materialized.
He gazed at the face on the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's back, still visibly shaken.
"That was a terrifying illusion! It was able to affect someone with spiritual solidification! If I hadn't encountered banshees in the Soul-Slaughtering Secret Realm before and specifically studied this type of howling spiritual attack, things would have been dangerous!"
The face attack on this Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's back was clearly far more powerful and bizarre than a banshee's, nearly catching even Leilin off guard.
"Squeak!"
Countless blood-red tendrils crawled up the surface of the cage, completely covering the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor. The Emperor roared furiously, swinging its massive claws and continuously breathing cold energy.
"I need to end this quickly!" Leilin hurled a large number of potion bottles in one go.
The bottles exploded within the cage, forming a massive cloud of fiery red smoke that engulfed the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor.
This was a potion Leilin had developed based on his extensive research on numerous test subjects, specifically targeting the Ice Jade Scorpions' unique physiology. Although he hadn't had a sample of the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor itself, Leilin had deliberately increased the dosage. According to the Chip's simulations, this potion would be sufficient to affect a peak First-level Ice Jade Scorpion, forcing it into a completely rigid state.
Sure enough, as the mist continuously penetrated the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor's body and the blood-red tendrils kept wrapping tighter around it, its shrieks grew fainter and fainter until they finally ceased altogether.