Flying-Horned Fish-Dragons

A world of ice and snow. Snow fell in thick flakes. A bone-chilling wind swept past. Qin Sang channeled spiritual power to shield his body against the biting chill, curiously taking in the scenery before him. The moment Yunyouzi touched the sprig of grass, everything around them had shattered like flowers in a mirror or the moon on water, and the entire world abruptly transformed. Only at that point did anyone present realize that the flora—which had looked indistinguishable from reality—had truly been nothing more than an illusion. In an instant, heaven and earth darkened, blending into a vast sea of whirling snow until nothing else could be seen. Gales howled. The ground turned into an ice plain. As far as the eye could see lay a boundless expanse of white. Wind and snow scraped past Qin Sang and Yunyouzi like knives. Qin Sang suspected that if a mortal stood here, their flesh would already have been flayed away and their body torn to shreds. Aside from the howling wind, nothing could be heard. Yunyouzi, who had been squatting on the ground, stood up, nodded to Qin Sang, and began walking into the depths of the ice plain against the wind and snow. The dense forest had actually not been very large; riding a flying sword, one could have reached its edge in the blink of an eye. Yet after reverting to the true appearance of the ice plain, Qin Sang and Yunyouzi walked for a long time without coming anywhere near its border. The ice plain seemed endless. At this moment, Qin Sang could not help wondering whether they had truly broken the illusion, or if they had triggered some restriction and been teleported to an entirely different place. "Brother Qin, once our business is done and you head back the way we came, it won't be as troublesome as this. You will only need ten breaths to walk out," Yunyouzi sent a voice transmission, timely reassuring Qin Sang. "From an ancient text left by a senior, I learned that the spirit medicine grew here. I fumbled my way here later on, and last time I only dared to follow the text's instructions without daring to venture into other areas. If Brother Qin is not completely certain, it is best not to delve deeper into the ice plain." Qin Sang nodded. He knew his own limits and would not take unnecessary risks in a place like this. Before the words had fully faded, Yunyouzi suddenly stopped. Qin Sang noticed a chasm cracked open in the ice plain ahead, flanked by glistening walls of ice. There was no telling how thick the ice layer was; at any rate, as far as Qin Sang's eyes could see, there was only ice. "It's below!" Yunyouzi summoned his escape light and leaped down into the fissure. Seeing Yunyouzi make no attempt to conceal his presence as he openly flew in, Qin Sang gathered that there was likely no immediate danger inside the fissure, so he followed without worry. The two plummeted rapidly along the ice walls. Before long, Qin Sang suddenly heard the rushing sound of water. He halted his escape light alongside Yunyouzi and hovered in midair, gazing downward. Below still lay a thick sheet of ice. Strangely enough, a river flowed atop the ice layer. It had not frozen over; the water was swift and crystal clear. One could see straight to the bottom at a glance. There were no fish or shrimp living in it. Against the surrounding ice, it took on a faint blue tint. Then, Yunyouzi landed above the river's surface and moved along the direction of its current. Splash... They traversed a world made of ice. Beneath the tranquil ice layer, only the crisp, melodic sound of the flowing water splashing against the cold ice resonated. After traveling a certain distance, a speck of silver light suddenly appeared ahead, followed closely by dozens of silver motes bursting into view. These silver lights moved irregularly within the glacial river. Under their glow, the ice appeared even more deeply, eerily blue. In this world of blue, the silver lights were like stars, leaping and chasing one another... The scenery was extraordinarily beautiful, like a dream. From a distance, he could not make out the true form of the silver lights. But Qin Sang noticed that the moment the lights appeared, Yunyouzi's expression abruptly turned solemn. His heart tightened, realizing that these silver lights were not simple and were likely extremely dangerous. "Those silver lights are flying-horned fish-dragons, a rare type of ancient beast." Qin Sang heard Yunyouzi's voice transmission. "The silver light is emitted by the power of lightning condensed on their antennae, and it is their most potent means of attack. When I encountered them by surprise last time, I suffered greatly before managing to slip past. Their pack seems to have grown even larger. Fortunately, I came prepared this time..." With that, Yunyouzi rummaged around and brought out a jade bottle. Inside the jade bottle were several drops of transparent liquid, which looked just like clear water. Once the bottle was uncorked, a strange, intoxicating fragrance wafted out. Yunyouzi tilted the bottle and carefully poured out a portion. The liquid merged into the glacial river and vanished. Yunyouzi capped the jade bottle, handed it to Qin Sang, and said with confidence, "I consulted many ancient texts upon my return before finally finding a way to deal with these flying-horned fish-dragons, concocting this bottle of Demon-Intoxicating Saliva specifically for them. Just a few drops into the river will plunge them into a drunken slumber for a short time. As long as we don't awaken them, we can easily pass through..." "Let's go!" The two proceeded silently and soon saw the true form of the flying-horned fish-dragons. Here, the glacial river converged into a bottomless, secluded pool. Floating on the surface of the pool were ancient beasts shaped like salamanders. Their entire bodies were transparent, allowing their internal organs to be seen clearly. The larger ones were several tens of feet long, while even the smaller ones were ten or so feet. From the tops of their heads extended a pointed antenna resembling a single horn; the silver light was emitted from this very antenna. Reaching the edge of the deep pool, Qin Sang could clearly sense the intensely violent power of thunder and lightning contained within the antennae. If released, it would surely cause terrifying destruction. Worse still, there were so many of them here! Qin Sang was secretly glad that Yunyouzi had not exaggerated. The Demon-Intoxicating Saliva was truly extraordinarily potent; the flying-horned fish-dragons lay in the water like corpses, drifting with the currents, thoroughly intoxicated. Thinking back on the myriad preparations Yunyouzi had made along the way, gathering these spiritual materials alone was no easy task, something Qin Sang found daunting just thinking about, let alone refining them into various spirit concoctions. No wonder Yunyouzi had almost missed their agreed-upon time. Yunyouzi was overjoyed at the sight and urgently urged, "Brother Qin, quickly into the ice cavern!" Qin Sang looked over and indeed saw an ice cavern on the opposite bank of the deep pool. Knowing that the window of opportunity was fleeting, he immediately rose on his flying sword and rushed into the cavern with Yunyouzi, one after the other. The moment they swept past the deep pool, the effects of the Demon-Intoxicating Saliva wore off. The flying-horned fish-dragons rolled over and continued frolicking merrily, entirely unaware that someone had just trespassed into their territory. *** The lush, verdant forest remained as it had been. The gray-robed person appeared silently outside the forest, their breath slightly hurried. The edge of the forest could be seen at a single glance. He surveyed the unusually calm woods, a flicker of doubt passing through his eyes. Pondering for a moment, the gray-robed person leaped into the forest and finally stopped beneath the ancient tree Qin Sang and Yunyouzi had previously approached. Promptly, he began a meticulous search of the surroundings. No traces of battle... No restrictions or formations where someone could hide... The suspicion on the gray-robed person's face deepened, tinged with a faint restlessness. Suddenly, the gray-robed person seemed to notice something. Whirling around, his eyes locked onto the sprig of grass beneath the ancient tree, the corners of his mouth curling into an eerie smile.