CHAPTER 927: ANOTHER ICE SERPENT

After killing the ice serpent outside, Max lifted his hand and summoned black flames that burst forth like a living entity. They spread rapidly over the serpent’s bisected corpse, hissing as they devoured flesh, scales, and bones alike.

The flames twisted unnaturally, moving as though alive and hungry, consuming the body from tail to head. "Devour," Max commanded coldly, his voice calm but carrying an edge of authority.

The black flames roared louder in response, their heat paradoxically giving off a strange chill as the devouring process intensified. In moments, the massive corpse of the peak Legend Rank serpent was reduced entirely to ash, scattered lightly by the wind that whistled through the icy region.

Max lowered his hand, the flames retracting back into nothingness as though they had never been there. He shook his head slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. "A pity it didn’t have any draconic essence," he muttered. That would have been a treasure beyond measure.

Sitting down on a frost-covered boulder nearby, he allowed his body to rest and his energy to recover. The exertion from using Heaven’s Wraith still lingered, a dull ache echoing through his limbs and mana veins.

He closed his eyes and focused on steadying his breathing, waiting patiently for Sophia to return with the Ten Thousand Years Frozen Lotus.

Hours passed in silence, broken only by the occasional creak of shifting ice in the distance. Then suddenly, sharp sounds of battle echoed faintly from deep within the cave—metallic impacts and explosive bursts of elemental energy.

Max’s eyes snapped open instantly, his expression sharpening. "Is she in some trouble?" he wondered aloud. He hesitated only for a brief moment before pushing off from the boulder. ’If she’s in danger, I can’t just sit here.’

Without wasting another second, Max dashed into the cave. The temperature inside was even more frigid than outside; an oppressive chill clung to every surface, frost forming thick layers on the walls and floor.

Each breath felt like inhaling shards of ice, but Max’s black flames flickered faintly over his skin, forming a protective barrier that kept the cold at bay. His steps were silent but quick, echoing softly through the vast ice tunnel as he followed the sounds of battle deeper.

It didn’t take long before the tunnel opened up into a large chamber, where he froze for a moment in surprise. "Another ice serpent?" he murmured, eyes narrowing.

n the center of the chamber, Sophia was locked in a fierce battle with an almost identical serpent to the one he had just slain outside. ’So there were two... one guarding outside and one guarding inside all along.’

Sophia fought with incredible focus, her movements sharp and precise, her white robes whipping around her as waves of cold energy radiated from her strikes. From what Max could see, they were evenly matched, both at the peak of their respective strengths.

He folded his arms and leaned against the icy wall, observing silently for the moment. ’I’ll step in only if it looks like she’s losing,’ he thought, allowing her to handle her own battle.

He quickly noticed that Sophia wasn’t using any weapons. Instead, her hands and arms channeled powerful ice energy with every movement, and Max could clearly feel the distinct aura of a second-level concept of ice in each attack she unleashed.

She thrust her palms forward, sending razor-sharp ice spikes hurtling toward the serpent one after another. Each spike whistled through the air with lethal speed, aimed at the serpent’s joints, eyes, and vulnerable underbelly.

The serpent, despite its massive size, moved with surprising agility. It weaved through the barrage of spikes, its body twisting in a zigzag pattern, while using its massive tail to shatter or deflect those it couldn’t avoid. The icy air around them roared as their clash continued, energy waves bursting outward with every impact.

Then Sophia’s eyes narrowed slightly, her hands coming together in a sharp clap. Immediately, five translucent ice cubes materialized in the air around her, spinning rapidly as if infused with their own consciousness.

They glowed faintly with runes etched into their surfaces, resonating with her ice concept. She pointed directly at the serpent, and the five cubes shot forward at astonishing speed, encircling the beast in midair before locking into an orbit around it.

The serpent hissed angrily, sensing danger, but for the first time, its movements slowed slightly as the cubes began emitting waves of freezing energy, tightening like a net around its body.

Max’s eyes brightened slightly in interest. ’This is her special technique... sealing cubes?’ He stayed where he was, curious to see how she would finish this fight.

In an instant, the five ice cubes surrounding the serpent glowed with an intense icy brilliance. From each cube, razor-sharp streams of ice energy burst out, striking the serpent from all directions like spears launched by invisible warriors.

The serpent thrashed and hissed, its massive tail smashing into the ground in an attempt to break free, but the freezing power slowed its movements. It could no longer move with the same speed it had shown earlier, and as Sophia’s hands danced gracefully through the air, the cubes kept shifting, attacking from every angle, leaving the serpent with no room to dodge.

No matter how tough the creature’s scales were, the relentless assault gradually wore it down. Deep gashes began to appear along its body, its silver-white scales cracking and shattering under the concentrated attacks.

Its icy breath faltered, and with each passing second, its roars grew weaker. In the end, overwhelmed and unable to withstand the continuous damage, the serpent gave one last desperate hiss before collapsing, its body stiffening as life left its eyes.

"Nice attack!" Max said, stepping closer to the now-lifeless serpent, his eyes scanning the massive corpse with curiosity. He glanced at Sophia, who stood in a composed stance, her breathing calm despite the intensity of her battle.

Sophia frowned slightly, turning her cold gaze on him. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Although she had sensed his presence earlier, she hadn’t addressed it during the fight, focusing entirely on her opponent.