bookbashuk Page 275
Page 275
Another whooshing sound pierced the snow, and Zhuang Daihua pulled the trigger, firing a second arrow. Aiming for the head, she swiftly and cleanly ended the winter wolf's life.
[Kill Progress (2/16)]
Next, they might choose to escape. But if any manage to escape, the mission could be ruined.
If you don't understand the maze's mechanics and get stuck on the ice plains because you can't complete the mission, that would be the end of you.
With a staff in one hand and a scattered enchanted arrow in the other, Zhuang Daihua directly targeted the alpha wolf this time.
"Behind them, six wolves."
With Qin Lan observing through the demiplane ring, Zhuang Daihua essentially gained a comprehensive view.
Two fireballs were thrown backward, sending five winter wolves flying in the explosion. The remaining wolf rushed in front of Zhuang Daihua, growling as it lunged at her calf, intending to drag her down.
At the same time, the Scattershot Enchantment Arrow was also fired at the Alpha Wolf.
The winter wolf that rushed forward made a fatal mistake; it shouldn't have approached Zhuang Daihua rashly despite knowing her physical condition.
Before it could bite Zhuang Daihua, the staff head made of a mixture of mithril and crimson steel from the molten embers was already hovering above its skull.
Before its sharp teeth could even bite into Zhuang Daihua's leather boots, the mithril staff, comparable to a paladin's hammer, slammed hard into the winter wolf's head.
"Ugh——!"
Before the winter wolf could fly backward with a mournful howl, Zhuang Daihua pulled the trigger. She aimed her enchanted crossbow at the wolf's mouth and fired a burning steel ball, killing it instantly.
[Kill Progress (3/16)]
Without the combined support of the Claw of Power and the young dragon's physique and reflexes, she certainly couldn't have performed such precise movements.
Ignoring his fallen comrades, the Winter Wolf leader dodged the arrows. But under the Scattershot enchantment, the arrowheads exploded into many sharp blades, leaving several bloody holes in the Winter Wolf leader's side.
It was the eighth wolf, severely wounded.
Not only that, these arrows, under the burning enchantment, were also drying the blood from the alpha wolf's wounds. Realizing it was now the hunted, the alpha wolf roared and spoke in human language:
"Humans...kill!"
So far, Zhuang Daihua has severely injured eight winter wolves, including the alpha wolf, and killed three others with fireballs and scattered arrows. Only five winter wolves remain with their fighting strength intact.
Now, the winter wolves swarmed forward, trying to buy the alpha wolf a chance to escape.
But at the same time, the demiplane ring on Zhuang Daihua's hand flashed. A young iron dragon, its body wreathed in burning flames, blocked her way—
Thanks to refining the dragon core, Qin Lan has gained a basic grasp of the rudimentary form of the Burning Aura. Although it doesn't yet possess the terrifying power of the Black Dragon's Corrosion Aura, it's sufficient for combating the extreme weather of the Ice Plains.
Qin Lan was able to withstand the cold breath of the winter wolf to some extent.
Qin Lan, engulfed in flames, made a dazzling entrance. Had it not been for the shared fire resistance, Zhuang Daihua's hair would likely have caught fire on the spot.
The young dragon, its wings outstretched, unleashed its long-prepared electric breath. The fan-shaped dragon flames, combined with half of the electric damage, instantly annihilated the five unharmed winter wolves.
[Kill Progress (8/16)]
When the remaining winter wolves saw the iron dragon, even though Qin Lan was just a cub, they planned to flee.
The reason is simple: the iron dragon before them is different from the white dragon; it's a fire-type dragon capable of breathing flames. Even with their frost resistance, the winter wolves would have to risk their lives to hunt the white dragon.
The winter wolves are even more fearful of the iron dragon or red dragon, which are mutually restraining. Even if they are hit by Zhuang Daihua's fireball, they might not have all their fur burned off.
However, the breath attacks of these two are definitely much stronger than the fireball spell. In addition, the wind and snow have subsided, and the iron dragon is burning with flames.
The winter wolf's cold breath is no longer an advantage. In this situation, what else can you do but run?
But at this moment, Zhuang Daihua had already used the Staff of Molten Ember to unleash a wall of fire, trapping the remaining eight wounded winter wolves.
"You did a good job. Now, I'll take care of killing these puppies."
Qin Lan learned from Qin He that Zhuang Daihua had rarely killed any living creatures. Now, she had personally dealt with the three winter wolves, one of which she had killed at close range with a fire dragon dagger.
Qin He once told Qin Lan to pay close attention to Zhuang Daihua's mental state.
"Alright? Let's see who gets more kills."
As it turned out, Zhuang Daihua remained remarkably calm. In the brief pause between words, she had already pulled the trigger, blowing the head off one of the winter wolves in the middle.
[Kill Progress (9/16)]
It used a piercing enchanted arrow, which was swift and effective.
"That's not fair, you've already killed one."
Of the eight winter wolves, one had already been killed by Zhuang Daihua. The remaining six winter wolves, looking at the wounded alpha wolf, planned to fight their way out of the wall of fire.
Whether out of mercy as a neutral dragon species, or because they didn't want to further damage the winter wolf's fur, it's unclear.
Qin Lan then unleashed a hypnotic breath, making it even harder for the injured winter wolf to withstand the attack. Although hypnotic breath is quite effective, it must be used strategically.
In that desperate moment of fighting to the death, Winter Wolf knew all too well that once he closed his eyes, he would never wake up again.
With sheer willpower, the winter wolves growled and turned their heads, exhaling cold air in the same direction, attempting to break through the wall of fire.
But Zhuang Daihua's second enchanted arrow and Qin Lan's burning claws also swept in at the same time.
……
"...You're cheating."
Qin Lan was a step too slow. By the time she snapped the neck of the third winter wolf, the alpha wolf had already died from the piercing enchanted arrow.
"Mission accomplished. The reward this time is a magical shuttle."
As Zhuang Daihua spoke, she prepared to skin the wolves with Qin Lan. The fur of five of the winter wolves had already been completely burned off by their electric spark breath.
The remaining seven winter wolves, which had been attacked by Zhuang Daihua with fireballs, had charred marks on their fur.
The alpha wolf, the winter wolf killed by the fire dragon dagger, the winter wolf whose lungs and skull were pierced by an enchanted arrow, and the winter wolf killed by Zhuang Daihua with her staff.
Only the pelts of these four winter wolves remained intact; the others were more or less burned. Although she had kobold companions, Zhuang Daihua still wanted to do it herself; she couldn't afford to live the life of a pampered young lady now.
But just as Qin Lan was about to swat her claws to skin it, the ground trembled, causing her to arch her back. She looked like a frightened wildcat, which could only mean that a monster stronger than the young dragon had appeared.
"Cuckoo-"
It was a Snow Owl Bear at the peak of the fifth tier, with silvery-white downy feathers speckled with black spots. It tilted its head and pecked at the five winter wolves that had been roasted by its electric breath.
This behemoth was six meters long, much more robust than Qin Lan in her current state. Even more deadly was—
The young dragon, through the true dragon's aesthetic sense that allows it to appreciate the beauty of any race, discovered that the Snow Owl Bear before it was a beautiful and special species capable of transforming into human form!
What does this mean? If an ordinary wild wolf has two points of intelligence, an owl-bear only has three. Winter wolves, which understand Common Tongue and Giants Tongue, can have nine points of intelligence.
If Winter Wolf were to attend compulsory education, with a little effort, it could almost certainly get into high school.
The snow owl bear before me, with its full plumage, is blessed because of its beauty. Not only does it possess the ability to transform into human form, but its intelligence has also leaped to ten points, equivalent to the average human level.
She was probably already lying in ambush nearby.
"Qin Lan! What should we do?"
Zhuang Daihua also noticed the snow owl bear. Although its clear yet somewhat dazed eyes, coupled with its tilted head, made it truly difficult to associate the ferocious predator with the giant beast before her.
But her glossy black beak tore open the roasted winter wolf as easily as an iron hook.
"Coo-coo—Beautiful lady, do you and your Iron Dragon companion need a familiar?"
Ok? ? ?
This snow owl bear followed us specifically, not to attack. But thinking about it carefully, she must also be wary of Iron Dragon's breath and Zhuang Daihua's crossbow bolts.
Higher intelligence means greater rationality, and Miss Snow Owl Bear had her own plans.
"You actually came here to eat my prey? You beast, how dare you!"
Although it would take the combined efforts of Flame Glaze and Blazing Lightning to defeat a peak fifth-tier Snow Owl Bear, Qin Lan, as a true dragon, could not change her inherent pride.
Moreover, even in front of the relatively gentle Iron Dragon, the servants must act like servants.
If she dares to come up and eat prey today, she might dare to eat dragon meat in the middle of the night tomorrow! Qin Lan has no good impression of savage creatures like owl bears and must reprimand them.
"Gurgle—I'm sorry! Lord Iron Dragon, my cub and I are very hungry. A young, evil white dragon wants to eat us..."
Sure enough, beneath the snowy owl mother's fine feathers, lurked an equally beautiful young snowy owl—she too was nibbling at wolf meat.
Seeing this, Zhuang Daihua switched the enchanted crossbow in her hand to the hand holding the shield.
It turns out that Xue Xiaoxiong had just witnessed Qin Lan being taken into Zhuang Daihua's ring and then released.
She understood that Zhuang Daihua possessed a storage ring, and that living beings could inhabit the ring. If she could hide inside the ring with her cub, perhaps she could avoid being discovered by that wretched white dragon.
If the human young lady in front of her refused, she would have no choice but to leave as quickly as possible with her cub. Although the enchanted crossbow and the Iron Dragon's breath were powerful, they couldn't hold back the Snow Owl Bear in its human form.
"Qin Lan, I think it might be possible?"
Although this pair of snow owl bear mother and daughter are somewhat different from the "docile owl bear cub" rewarded in the previous level, the overall differences are positive.
Even the most docile owl bear cubs have an intelligence level of only three, making them idiots who sit at the same table as cats and dogs.
Even if you get used to them, you never know when they might treat their owner as emergency food.
But the snow owl bear mother and daughter in front of us can both transform into human form. Most importantly, they are smart enough to distinguish between a full meal and a full meal.
Although there are risks involved, as long as you cultivate good relationships...
"Wait, you mean the young White Dragon?!"
Grasping the key point, Qin Lan immediately exclaimed. Zhuang Daihua also realized the problem—
The one chasing this Snow Owl Bear is the young White Dragon! He's almost an adult... at least a sixth-tier cultivator.
Even with a burning aura, Qin Lan would be doomed if she were spewed with a breath of dragon's breath by the young white dragon.
As luck would have it, a dragon's roar shook the surrounding area. It was accompanied by extremely unpleasant dragon profanities:
"I'll kill you, you beast! You wretched Snow Owl Bear, today I'll freeze you and eat you!"
As it leaped over the glacier, the mid-level sixth-tier white dragon keenly sensed the molten ember staff made of mithril in Zhuang Daihua's hand.
In addition, there was an iron dragon with its entire body ablaze with a burning aura, a mother and daughter snow owl bear, and a pile of dead winter wolves...
Zhuang Daihua could even see the drooling, fanatical expression on the young Bai Long's face.
Another roar of ecstasy rang out, and the white dragon flapped its wings and flew toward them!
“I agree! From today onwards, you and your daughter will be our family.”
Zhuang Daihua acted decisively, using her demiplane ring to retrieve Qin Lan, the Snow Owl Bear mother and daughter, as well as the Winter Wolf and arrows on the ground.
"Receive award!"
Claim the amphibious magic shuttle from the quest panel and assemble the ice blades and tracks from the terrain modification kit.
The "Snow Leopard" appeared on the spot, and Zhuang Daihua flipped herself onto it. While the white dragon was still far away, she used her mental power to activate the magical shuttle.
The magic engine roared to life, and the shuttle sped across the snow, heading towards the unfolding portal to the room in the distance—
"Aaaaaahhhhhh—damn white dragon, please, please don't know any ranged spells—!"
Although at this distance, the white dragon's breath wouldn't reach Zhuang Daihua, if she possessed some long-range, lethal magic, Zhuang Daihua would be the one to die.
Fortunately, this white dragon was also a classic example of an ignorant and incompetent evil dragon. It couldn't compare to Tōru, who worked hard to improve herself.
Despite pushing its flight capabilities to the absolute limit driven by greed, it still couldn't outrun the shuttle's tracks.
She floored the accelerator and slammed open the wooden door that led to the next floor. Finding only a blue event room, Zhuang Daihua rushed inside without hesitation.
Once the wooden door, the motorcycle, and the priceless staff had completely disappeared from sight, the white dragon roared to the sky and went mad.
Chapter 356 Dragon Island and the Battle with the Loli
The Snow Owl Bear mother and daughter entered the demiplane ring and, at Qin Lan's request, transformed into human form. The Snow Owl Bear mother, a peak fifth-tier cultivator, became a tall, voluptuous beauty draped in an owl-feather robe.
Their lake-blue pupils were innocent, lacking the predatory ferocity of typical owl-bears. Unlike other species of owl-bears, they did not have ear feathers.
As for her daughter, being a cub, her feathers were gray. She was also covered in thick feathers and looked very endearing.
"Hmph... You guys should state your names first, and then... tell us how you got involved with a white dragon?"
Qin Lan was still shaken by what she had just witnessed. That was a sixth-tier white dragon!
Although they are regarded as a disgrace to the dragon every day, any slander that does not take into account actual compatibility is regarded as mindless defamation.
Perhaps the young white dragon wasn't very powerful, but it could easily kill the young iron dragon with a single breath. Having almost died at the hands of the white dragon, how could she possibly remain calm?
“Okay… My name is Yukie, and this is my daughter, Sherry. Just like I said before, this white dragon wants to eat us. It has been chasing us all the way from its lair to here…”
The Owl Bear, a monster unlike any other magical beast or wild animal, is said to have extremely delicious flesh.