Chapter 144: Kirin of ice, Zhuanxu.
When the temperature of the air started to rapidly drop, Yao Jun sprung into action. This was not a fight where he could take it easy, so he immediately opened both channels of his technique, pushing his cultivation to the late stage of the 3rd Mortal Earth. At the same time, he also activated the lightning technique he had come up with not too long ago, pushing his speed and power to the top.
His sword and armor appeared on his body, preventing the frozen snow from piercing into his body. With the addition of Zhuyin, Yao Jun only needed two more Demonic beasts to complete his armor, one for his upper arms and one for his thighs. Yao Jun stepped forth and shot towards the Demonic beast, the wind raging around him as he moved at full speed.
When Yao Jun shot forward, the top of the entire mountain trembled faintly, spikes of ice growing up from the snow and piercing toward Yao Jun. Using one of the spikes as a foothold, Yao Jun kicked off it and started moving between the spikes in an unpredictable pattern. But this Demonic beast seemed to be faster than the one Yao Jun had escaped a few days ago.
The ice spikes that Yao Jun was using as footholds started shattering, the jagged pieces of ice started flying through the air at high speeds, shooting towards Yao Jun. At the same time, the spikes of ice that did not shatter started growing twisted spikes, almost like branches on a tree. The branches started moving around Yao Jun, trying to surround him and lock down all paths of escape for him.
While doing all this, the Demonic beast itself did not stay still. Its body vanished into the surrounding ice, its head popping out from one of the branches that had gotten close to Yao Jun's back. With the jagged horn on the head of the Demonic beast approaching Yao Jun, a strong sense of danger filled his body.
His body acted on instinct. He jumped up and used wind to create a quick foothold in the air, forcibly turning his body around to face the incoming attack. He created another gust of wind to throw up the snow on the ground, causing it to slightly blind the Demonic beast. At the same time, he used his mental energy to try and disorient the Demonic beast.
He was not sure if his mental energy attack was effective, as it had gotten less and less useful in combat lately, but he still continued with his actual attack. His left arm grabbed onto the horn and grasped it tightly, pulling the Demonic beast out of the ice and position it underneath the airborne Yao Jun. Yao Jun used his left arm to push down the head of the Demonic beast, and his right arm struck out with his sword. Fire, lightning, and wind entwined around his sword as he struck out with the first technique he had learned, One Sword To Free The Heart.
The Demonic beast was not content with simply taking on the attack, so it reacted quickly, blowing away the snow with a heavy exhale. Tiny thorns of ice grew out of its horn, easily piercing through Yao Jun's armor and stabbing into his hand. Yao Jun could feel himself lose feeling in his left hand, so he quickly let go of the Demonic beast's horn and pulled his hand back. While he channeled fire into his hand to remove the thorns of ice that remained in it, the Demonic beast's head and back grew a crystalline and spiky armor of ice to block Yao Jun's attack.
Yet, just as the Demonic beast braced itself to block the incoming attack, the attack vanished from its sight. Before it had the chance to realize what happened, it felt a strong sense of danger coming from beneath it. Without bothering to think about it, an armor of ice grew on its stomach to protect it. As the armor of ice was forming, a strong impact hit the stomach of the Demonic beast, fire, wind, and lightning exploding outwards as a stabbing pain assaulted the Demonic beast.
The Demonic beast rapidly repeated, jumping backwards and shattering the ice spike that Yao Jun had pulled it out of. It landed a short distance away from Yao Jun and rapidly inspected itself. The armor it had created on its stomach had completely shattered, a stab wound digging into its stomach and causing its white fur to be stained red. The flesh around the wound was charred, with several smaller cuts branching out from the stab wound.
“Fire from the Crimson Dragon, wind from the Sky Wolf, darkness from a mutant, lightning from a low ranked beast, and that mental energy that resembles the child of an Illusory Roc. Since you are using its mental energy, I guess you have not truly learned about the power that the bloodline of the Illusory Roc grants.”
The eyes of the Demonic beast seemed to narrow as it moved its eyes away from the wound and onto Yao Jun, who was standing a short distance away, fire, lightning, and wind dancing around his body and blade. The last part it said was little more than a mutter, but Yao Jun still managed to hear it.
“Quite knowledgeable, huh? You saw right through all of my abilities. And I guess you won't tell me what you mean when you talk about the true power of the Illusory Roc bloodline?”
Yao Jun could not help but let out a slightly bitter laugh. Simply by taking them on once, the Demonic beast had immediately found out exactly what type of Demonic beasts Yao Jun had acquired. He was very interested in what it said about the bloodline of the Illusory Roc, as the mental energy that he gained from Little Gray was no longer very useful in battle, as he was mostly facing opponents with higher cultivation than himself.
“I will not. You will learn about it rather soon if you just grow a little stronger.”
In response to Yao Jun's comment, the Demonic beast gave a short nod of its head and responded. After the Demonic beast responded, Yao Jun once more pointed his sword towards the Demonic beast, the elements dancing around him growing ferocious as he spoke.
“Well, let's continue this. I am not so kind as to let you completely heal your wounds while we are talking.”
Yao Jun could see the flesh on the stomach of the Demonic beast wriggling, so it was clear that it was taking this chance to heal the wound that Yao Jun had inflicted after sending his attack through the shadows. He would like to talk a bit more, but that could wait until after he had beaten it.
“Wait. I retract what I said earlier. You are strong, far stronger than I first thought. You have the right to bear that gate, and the right to know my name. I am the Kirin of ice, Zhuanxu. Now come, show me if you are strong enough to be worthy of me following you.”
Before Yao Jun could start the battle again, the Demonic beast, Zhuanxu, called out to him once more. They had only exchanged a single attack, but more often than not, a single attack was enough to ascertain the strength of the opponent. It lowered its head slightly as it spoke, but Yao Jun was uncertain whether it was because it was greeting him or because it wanted to apologize for calling him weak.
As for the race that Zhuanxu was, Yao Jun knew a little about Kirin's. He knew that they were much like dragons, mythic beasts that came in several different elemental subspecies. They had great power, but very few numbers. But the Kirin's he had read about looked like a mixture of a dragon and a horse, he had never read about one that looked like a horned horse.
“Very well, Zhuanxu. I am the Demon God, Yao Jun. Let me show you my worth.”
Since the Kirin introduced itself, Yao Jun did the same, his lips curling into a faint smile as he brandished his sword and prepared to resume the battle and acquire a new Demonic beast.