Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 53: Arrival

"Fellow Daoist Tong, these Spiked Turtles always travel in groups. If you take out the young ones, you'll have to deal with the older ones. Let's each use our own methods to leave and meet up at the second location listed on the jade slip."

Liu Guangqing reacted very quickly, seemingly having suffered some hardship from these spiky turtles before. After giving a few words of advice, he decisively used a willow-leaf-shaped flying artifact to leave in the air.

Flying magical artifacts are even rarer than defensive magical artifacts. At least in the Ice Sea Market, apart from core shops like Chen Ling Pavilion that sell them, other smaller shops generally do not choose to sell them to the public.

A low-grade Tier 1 flying artifact can be priced as high as a common high-grade Tier 1 artifact. As for mid-grade and high-grade Tier 1 flying artifacts, they are not only more expensive but also much rarer.

"Unworthy of being called a son, he so easily abandoned his allies and fled."

Seeing Liu Guangqing successfully leave the fixed ice domain of the Spiked Turtle with the help of the flying artifact, Tong Bingfeng was slightly dumbfounded, and could only curse inwardly. Of course, a fleeting look of envy could not be suppressed in his eyes.

Of course, all of this happened in the blink of an eye. Tong Bingfeng reacted very quickly, instantly transforming into a streak of light and choosing to escape in a different direction from the three intercepting Spiked Turtles.

The fact that even a genuine late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Liu Guangqing was unwilling to confront these spiky turtles head-on speaks volumes about how troublesome they were.

Although Tong Bingfeng was somewhat curious about these spiky turtle-like monsters, he would not waste any time at this crucial moment when the crystal gourd was about to mature.

If I have some free time in the future, and am well prepared, I could come here and teach these arrogant guys a lesson.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"

Although the Spiked Turtle has undergone a certain degree of mutation based on the turtle-type monster, its shortcomings still exist. In terms of movement speed, it still retains the relatively slow speed characteristic of turtle-type monsters.

However, these hot-tempered fellows were naturally unwilling to give way easily after seeing the two cultivators preparing to flee one after another.

Limited by the slow movement of turtle-like monsters, it was unable to catch up, so it decisively shot out the sharp spikes growing on its shell.

The sharp spikes, gleaming with a cold light, were even more lethal under the sunlight, and the sound of them rubbing against the air as they attacked from a distance was deafening.

"Water Element Shield, Imperial Decree"

Tong Bingfeng immediately summoned the Water Element Shield, which, with the support of his magic power, quickly expanded to about the size of a person, firmly blocking behind him. Throughout the entire process, his escape steps did not stop at all.

Instead, after the battle officially broke out, they chose to escape at a faster speed. After all, this entire icy area belonged to the Spiked Turtle clan. If they could not leave in time, the consequences of being surrounded by the Spiked Turtle monster horde would be unimaginable.

"Clang, clang, clang"

The spikes shot out by the Exploding Turtle struck the Water Element Shield one after another. Each impact brought a shock to its forward movement, disrupting its originally steady rhythm.

However, the ice-covered child was not shaken in the slightest. On the contrary, he used the impact to increase his escape speed slightly beyond what he had originally planned.

"Three more spiky turtles?"

After barely escaping the attack range of the three Spikeback Turtles, Tong Bingfeng had not yet had time to recover from the extreme tension when, just like before, three more Spikeback Turtles appeared and blocked his way.

"Three after three, they're preparing to use a turtle-and-sea tactic, taking turns fighting, until I'm completely exhausted and unable to resist."

Tong Bingfeng frowned as he looked at the scene before him. If he adopted the previous tactics, there would definitely be other Spiked Turtles blocking his way.

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; if you want to harvest the crystal gourd, you can't be stingy with the talisman."

"Since you intend to adopt this strategy, I will use swift and decisive means to suppress you and break the deadlock quickly with sufficient power. This is the best course of action."

This hesitation did not last long. A talisman, depicting a cage and shimmering with layers of spiritual light, appeared in his hand.

"Earth Prison Talisman, Trapped"

The magical power in his dantian surged upwards, and beams of earth-yellow spiritual light burst forth from the talisman. After only a few flashes, it solidified from nothingness, and a huge earthen prison with a diameter of over three zhang tightly trapped the three spiky turtles inside, rendering them unable to move.

Because of the dense earthen pillars in the earthen prison, the spikes on the three Exploding Spike Turtles could not be ejected, and no matter how much the three Exploding Spike Turtles struggled, they could not escape in a short time.

"You really do get what you pay for. This high-quality, top-grade first-tier spirit talisman truly lives up to its reputation."

Although Tong Bingfeng felt a little heartbroken, he was quite satisfied after seeing the true effect of the Earth Prison Talisman. He could be more mentally prepared for the subsequent battle with the Crystal Crocodile.

After losing the spiky turtle's obstruction, the cultivator naturally did not hesitate. He immediately transformed into a streak of light and disappeared above the icy domain, fleeing into the distance.

"Click, click"

In another direction, accompanied by a cracking sound from the ice, three burrowing spiky turtles reappeared. Unfortunately, they were destined to be unable to stop them, as the cultivator had already fled, leaving only a distant silhouette.

A quarter of an hour later, more than twenty Tier 1 High-Grade Spiked Turtles surrounded the earthen prison, using the spikes on their shells to wreak havoc from different directions in an effort to rescue their three companions trapped inside.

Tong Bingfeng, who had already gone far away, paid no attention to the series of actions of the Spiked Turtle. At this moment, after confirming his own safety, he was reading the various information about the crystal gourd and a simple map with only three or five lines marked on it, which were recorded in the jade slip provided by Liu Guangqing.

"The second gathering point on the map is not far from the crystal gourd, but unfortunately it is only a general marker and there is no description of the actual location where the crystal gourd grows."

"This Fellow Daoist Liu runs away so fast when he encounters danger, I'm afraid he can't be trusted in the future. The battle with the Crystal Crocodile will probably require careful planning."

After personally experiencing the Spiked Turtle incident, the already fragile and loose alliance between the two was completely eroded by the lack of trust. If it weren't for the existence of the Crystal Gourd, it would probably have disbanded on the spot.

As for him, who was originally prepared to go all out to entangle with one of the first-grade high-quality crystal crocodiles, he naturally had some other plans in mind.

"In any case, we should first arrive at the agreed location to meet. Only after seeing the crystal gourd can we implement the next step of the plan according to the local conditions."

Tong Bingfeng's eyes flashed with an unprecedented calmness, and he moved forward without the slightest hesitation, guided by the map.

Two days later, it successfully landed in front of an ice field covered with poplar trees.