I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 677 - 499: Evolution Points Surpass One Hundred Million, Entering the Treasury_2

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Previously on I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield...
Qin Tian chose to stay behind to seal the Gate of Space while Ji Taiyan entered it. As a million demonic creatures poured onto the ice field, Qin Tian unleashed the Heaven-Burning Purgatory Cannon, incinerating a massive portion of the demonic army to avenge Lan.
As fiery waves washed over the majestic ice mountain, a startling transformation occurred – ancient runes etched into its surface ignited, and a faint azure energy shield materialized, encasing the entire peak in a translucent dome. The fiery onslaught met the barrier with a sharp hiss, yet failed to breach it, merely diverting like a raging river to flow around the mountain and onward. Suddenly, the mountain, once the battle's focal point, became an isolated sanctuary within the inferno's fiery embrace. Flickering flames danced against the pale blue shield, casting eerie shadows upon the ice, rendering the massive, ancient peak even more remote and enigmatic. "Evolution Points +5890" "Evolution Points +126786" "Evolution Points +73647" The system panel within his consciousness surged, a cascade of pale golden digits pouring forth like a waterfall. Months of patient accumulation, combined with the immense power unleashed by the Heaven-Burning Purgatory Cannon, had finally propelled his evolution points past a crucial threshold, settling comfortably above one hundred million. Qin Tian’s heart pounded; this sheer quantity of evolution points was sufficient to promote two of his existing golden talents to the legendary Holy Blood level simultaneously. "What a truly magnificent bounty," he murmured. A low chuckle escaped him, the corners of his lips curling upwards involuntarily. His gaze drifted towards the horizon – the fringes of the sea of fire, where swarms of demonic beasts continued to advance like a relentless black tide, their savage roars audible even through the intense heat. However, Qin Tian felt no immediate urge to slaughter. Zhuge Yu and the others were still awaiting him within the treasure vault, and he wouldn't allow avarice to compromise their primary objective. "These walking 'evolution points' will be dealt with properly once I emerge from the treasure vault," he resolved. With this thought, Qin Tian raised his hand, recalling the Heaven-Burning Purgatory Cannon. The crimson weapon dissolved into a beam of light and merged seamlessly into his palm. With a subtle shift of his body, he stepped through the Gate of Space. As he departed, the Gate of Space began to convulse violently. The intricate energy patterns along its perimeter rapidly faded, receding like an ebbing tide, before finally condensing into a sliver of azure light and vanishing completely above the desolate, icy plains. "ROAR—!!!" A guttural roar, seemingly powerful enough to rip through the very winds and snow, erupted. The remaining demonic creatures stared at the now-empty sky, their gazes burning with fury and a profound sense of loss. The distant horde of beasts, having lost all restraint, disregarded the searing heat of the fiery expanse and charged headlong into the inferno. Dark and crimson forms writhed within the flames, yet they pressed onward relentlessly toward the ice mountain. The true destructive power of the Heaven-Burning Cannon had been confined to that single, explosive moment; the subsequent lingering flames, though formidable, struggled to contend with the physically robust and eerily adaptive demonic creatures. Within mere minutes, the energy barrier surrounding the ice mountain teemed with demonic entities. They swarmed like a menacing black tide, repeatedly battering against the pale blue shield, endeavoring to shatter this protective layer through sheer force of numbers. At this critical juncture, a figure arrayed in ice-blue suddenly materialized atop the summit of the ice mountain. Clad in an exquisite ice-blue robe adorned with delicate tassels of crystallized ice, and crowned with a glistening ice diadem, the being exuded an aura of breathtaking beauty. An intricately carved ice staff, shimmering with a sharp luster, was held firmly in hand. Their expression was one of utter calm and detachment, akin to an ancient glacier, as if the millions of demonic creatures arrayed against them were no more significant than mere specks of dust. The appearance of this solitary figure sent the surging tide of demonic creatures into a bizarre state of agitation, as excited as a swarm of ants sensing a trove of honey. Five Tier Seven demonic beasts, engulfed in roaring flames, led the charge. Their wings, imbued with dark energy and malevolence, beat powerfully as they hurtled directly toward the figure standing sentinel at the ice mountain's peak. Facing the onslaught of millions of monstrous troops, the individual remained unperturbed. Slowly, they raised the ice crystal staff high above their head. The azure gemstone crowning the staff suddenly ignited with an ethereal, ghostly luminescence. "Buzz——" A low, resonant hum permeated the battlefield, its sound more profound than the demonic roars. An annular wave of ice-blue energy emanated from the gemstone's core, its edges laced with discernible 'freezing currents.' The initial recipients of this rippling wave were the Tier Seven demonic creatures at the forefront of the assault. Their savage claws, mere meters from the ice-blue figure, halted abruptly upon contact with the spreading energy.

Muscles hardened like unyielding stone, and faint azure ice patterns began to creep through the gaps between scales. In a mere heartbeat, these patterns solidified, forming a foot-thick layer of rock-hard ice enveloping them.

Within these frozen effigies, the eyes of the demonic creatures remained wide open, their bared fangs permanently fixed, and even the saliva that had splashed during their fierce roars was now transformed into delicate beads of ice.

Like a swiftly flowing, frozen river, the ice patterns expanded outwards, sweeping across the entire ice plain with the central ice mountain as its origin point.

From the lowest to the highest tiers, all the demonic creatures appeared as fragile as mere parchment before the advancing ice. Within three seconds, the once-vibrant and chaotic battlefield descended into an absolute, profound silence.

The vast army of a million demons was transmuted into an immense, frozen ocean of ice sculptures. Their ferocity, their madness, and their terror were all encapsulated within the icy shells, creating a grand yet profoundly eerie necropolis of ice and snow.

The figure, clad in ice-blue, gracefully twirled their fingertips. The staff made of ice crystals began to glow once more with a clear azure light. This time, the light manifested into countless fine threads of ice, which silently began to encircle each individual ice sculpture.

"Crack——"

The first sound of cracking echoed out, rapidly spreading like a thunderous cascade across the expanse of the ice plain.

The frozen forms of the Tier Seven demonic creatures commenced crumbling from their uppermost points, shattering along the intricate ice patterns into dozens of razor-sharp ice crystals. The ice sculptures of the lesser demonic creatures, however, directly detonated into hundreds of fragments, their blood and flesh inextricably fused with the ice, completely eradicating any possibility of their return or resurrection.

As the icy threads completed their sweep, not a single ice sculpture remained intact. The shattered remains of the million-strong demon army were strewn across the ice plain, mingling with the slowly melting ice water, posing no conceivable threat.

The figure in ice-blue slowly lowered their staff, the luminescence of the blue gemstone gradually subsiding. Gazing out at the utterly silent ice plain below, their eyes retained their customary indifference, as if the annihilation of a million-strong army was akin to simply brushing away insignificant dust from their attire.

Turning around, the figure’s gaze fell upon the imposing ice mountain beneath their feet. At last, a subtle hint of emotion flickered within those frost-like eyes.

"Qin Tian, my friend."

Without any shadow of a doubt, the one responsible for freezing a million demonic troops with a solitary, powerful move was none other than Lan, the figure who had vanished after they entered the relic.

"Young Master."

At that precise moment, a deep, resonant voice echoed within Lan’s mind.

"Those humans have already dispersed. Do you truly believe they can assist us in resolving that troublesome matter?"

"Well, do not underestimate these humans."

Lan replied in a soft tone, "The might of the Human Empire far surpasses that of the Ice God Race from days of yore. Furthermore, these individuals are counted among the absolute top geniuses within the entirety of the Human Empire. Whether they can fulfill the ancient mission and bring about the rejuvenation of the Ice God Race ultimately rests upon their shoulders."

......

Buzz——

The surrounding space began to tremble violently, resembling the ripples on a disturbed water surface, and a solitary figure suddenly materialized, landing abruptly.

Qin Tian managed to stabilize his footing, took a quick scan of his immediate surroundings, and his brow furrowed slightly. "Where has everyone gone?"

At this particular moment, he found himself standing within the confines of a tranquil ice cave.

All four of the cave walls were astonishingly smooth, akin to intricately carved mirror-like crystal, reflecting his tall, imposing figure. The folds of his robe were clearly visible. The walls emanated an intense, bone-chilling cold, and faint wisps of white breath escaped his mouth and nose, instantly crystallizing into fine ice shards the moment they came into contact with the frigid air.

The ambient temperature was exceedingly low. Not to mention an ordinary individual, even a Spiritualist of Tier One or Tier Two would inevitably suffer physical harm if not equipped with specialized cold-resistant armor.

Qin Tian immediately channeled his spiritual energy, extending his perception outwards like a vast spider web. However, his senses abruptly halted upon reaching the boundaries of the ice cave. An invisible, potent force tightly gripped his perception, drastically reducing his effective sensing range to less than a third of its usual capacity.

Nevertheless, this formidable force was ultimately incapable of completely nullifying his senses. After carefully probing the area several times, he sharply detected—within a radius of several dozen kilometers—several familiar human life signatures, scattered and distant from one another. Their breaths were spread far apart, clearly indicating they were not in the same immediate vicinity.

"They’ve actually managed to separate us all." Qin Tian’s eyes darkened slightly, his fingers unconsciously moving to grip the hilt of the Black Frost Long Saber.

The capacity to precisely disperse hundreds of geniuses who had entered together strongly implied that a hidden controller must exist deep within this ice mountain vault. This controller possessed the power to effortlessly interfere with the spatial laws governing this vault.

"What is its objective?"

As questions swirled through his mind, Qin Tian suddenly recalled the Ice Crystal Phoenix that had guided him into the ice abyss.

That Phoenix, appearing as if crafted from pure crystal, should also be present in this location at this very time.

His ability to perceive was significantly limited, but fortunately, Qin Tian had previously placed spatial markers on Zhuge Yu and the others. This allowed him to still sense the general direction of those markers.

As long as he journeyed towards those marked locations, he should be able to reunite with his teammates relatively soon.

Alternatively, beyond what he could directly sense, other methods might have been available. Qin Tian brought up the system interface, his attention zeroing in on the recently obtained talent. Kingdom of Mirrors