I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 689 - 505: Fusion of Flesh and Bone, Eerie Demon Creature

Within the heart of the frigid abyss, the wind shrieked like countless blades forged from ice, raking across the cliff faces. Dense fissures webbed the ice on either side, emitting a piercing, sizzling lament.

The atmosphere was so frigid it felt capable of freezing the very soul. Every breath exhaled instantly materialized as white mist, settling on eyelashes to form tiny ice crystals.

Amidst this glacial desolation, four figures advanced: Qin Tian, Zhuge Yu, Huo Yuansheng, and Taishi Feng.

Their protective Spiritual Energy shields shimmered faintly against the gale, a bulwark against the abyss's brutal chill.

"Something feels off," Taishi Feng declared, halting his steps. He scanned their surroundings, a frown creasing his brow. "Why aren't there any other people? Even if they were spread out, battles between Tier Six and Tier Seven fighters should generate detectable energy signatures—yet there's not even a ghost of an energy ripple."

He reached out, his hand brushing against an ice wall. The piercing cold seeping into his palm sent an involuntary shiver through him.

Qin Tian's gaze swept over the seemingly endless ice path stretching before them. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his features.

Before they'd entered the treasury, this ice abyss had appeared as a vast, icy mountain from the exterior. A quick flight would have spanned its length in mere minutes. Yet, upon entering, they found it to be a bottomless expanse of winding, interminable ice paths.

With almost five hundred prodigies having entered, meeting others should have been frequent, like stones dropped into a vast ocean. However, fights involving Tier Six or higher cultivators typically left residual energy that could linger for miles, impossible to completely conceal by terrain. The fact that they had journeyed so far without sensing any battle aftermath was perplexing.

This ice abyss felt like an immense labyrinth, effectively isolating everyone.

Huo Yuansheng pulled his robe tighter, his expression somber. "Could there be some kind of Array at play? Perhaps dividing the entire treasury into countless individual pocket dimensions?"

Qin Tian nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the deeper reaches of the icy passage. "That's a distinct possibility. This ice abyss is far more peculiar than we initially surmised. We must proceed with heightened caution."

The quartet resumed their arduous trek, the ice beneath their boots groaning with each step.

Suddenly, Qin Tian's pupils constricted. He subtly raised his right hand towards his chest, signaling for heightened alertness.

Zhuge Yu and the others instantly grasped his meaning. Their expressions remained outwardly calm, their pace unwavering as they advanced, yet the Spiritual Energy within them began to surge with readiness.

As they rounded a bend, the ice wall on their left shimmered like disturbed water. A figure, stark white, burst forth, limbs flailing as it launched itself at the outermost member, Huo Yuansheng. The creature was cloaked in a chilling, malevolent Demonic Qi.

"It's here!"

Huo Yuansheng was already prepared. His sword drew forth in a flash of cold light, its keen edge aimed directly at the demonic creature's midsection.

Taishi Feng followed suit, his Heaven-piercing Halberd sweeping in an arc to cut off the demon's escape route.

Zhuge Yu flicked his fingers, and an Array Plate shot skyward. Faintly glowing, pale blue Array patterns materialized on the ground beneath them.

"Soul-locking Array, activate!"

The Array enveloped them and the attacking demon creature.

Qin Tian molded a Thunder Skill hand seal. A thick bolt of violet lightning erupted from his palm, striking the demon with a sharp CRACK.

CLANG!

The jarring sound of metal on solid material echoed as Huo Yuansheng's longsword and Taishi Feng's halberd connected with the demon. Their weapons, however, were parried by its carapace, which was covered in razor-sharp ice crystals.

In stark contrast, Qin Tian's lightning, like a piercing lance, tore through the Demonic Qi and struck the creature squarely.

Only then did they get a clear look at their assailant. Standing about two meters tall, it was unnaturally gaunt, a mere skeleton draped in skin. Its body was covered in a layer of thin snow, its face sunken and skeletal, revealing sharp fangs. It bore a chilling resemblance to a mutated snow monkey, but its blood-red eyes burned with feral madness. The coldness radiating from its Demonic Qi was identical to the ice demons encountered earlier.

Struck by the lightning, the demon creature convulsed violently, emitting a piercing shriek. Fine cracks spiderwebbed across its ice crystal shell.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhuge Yu unleashed the Spiritual Energy chains within the Soul-locking Array. They shot out like feral serpents, coiling tightly around the demon's limbs and neck. Pale blue Spiritual Energy seeped into its form, causing its Demonic Qi to sputter and falter.

Witnessing this opening, Huo Yuansheng lunged forward, driving his longsword into the wound created by the lightning. Simultaneously, Taishi Feng, with a two-handed heave, brought his halberd down with crushing force upon the demon creature's head.

With a sweep of his hand, Qin Tian unleashed torrents of purple-gold lightning, each bolt meticulously targeting the demon creature's existing injuries.

This snow monkey demon, a formidable Tier Seven entity, proved more challenging than the prior bone demon. However, under the combined assault of the four, its disadvantage grew rapidly. Huo Yuansheng's blade severed its right arm, while Taishi Feng's halberd crushed its head, shattering its Ice Crystal carapace and sending black ichor flying.

Just as the snow monkey neared defeat, Qin Tian's expression shifted abruptly. He swiftly turned his head, scanning the area behind them.

"Beware! A new adversary is approaching!"

The group extended their spiritual senses, detecting a dark silhouette hurtling towards them with incredible velocity. Resembling an octopus, it possessed a plump, spherical body and a multitude of thick tentacles that writhed and propelled it across the ice at dizzying speeds, all enshrouded by billowing, fog-like Demonic Qi.

"Another Tier Seven!" Taishi Feng's countenance darkened.

Even before he could finish speaking, the octopus demon breached the perimeter of the Soul-locking Array. Zhuge Yu attempted to intercept it with chains of Spiritual Energy, but its tentacles effortlessly tore them asunder.

The severely wounded snow monkey let out a piteous cry. The octopus demon then unfurled its Demonic Qi, descending like a vast black shroud upon its prey.

Witnessing this, Qin Tian and the others promptly retreated. Mere meters away, they observed a truly astonishing sight.