CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 378: THIS PERSON IS UNRIVALED! (PLEASE SUBSCRIBE)

Following the sound, Han Qiwu cautiously jogged forward, hiding his body behind a nearby rock and quietly peeking out.

The ice layer making the noise now looked as if a shaved ice machine was hidden underneath, furiously grinding upward while piles of shaved ice accumulated beside it.

"What a waste—this shaved ice would taste amazing with a bit of strawberry syrup!"

After digging for over ten seconds, a massive ice cicada suddenly emerged from beneath the ice layer. Its entire body was translucent, about 1.2 meters in length, and it even carried a certain artistic elegance.

"An ice cicada emerging?!" Han Qiwu wasted no time; he immediately loaded his Ice Bomb Slingshot and launched an explosive snowball straight at it.

Hit them while they’re down!

"Boom."

The snowball struck the ice cicada dead-on, creating a distinct crack on its body.

"Buzz buzz!"

The ice cicada, now in pain, became enraged. Having stayed underground for so long and just about to soar into the skies, it was instead attacked? How dare you!

Outraged, the cicada moved its mouthparts back and forth a couple of times, unleashing a headache-inducing buzzing sound.

This noise was far louder than the summertime chirping of cicadas outside. It echoed across the ice layers, creating layer after layer of ripples even on the frosted sand atop the ice.

Han Qiwu felt like his nose and mouth were about to bleed. His head buzzed incessantly from the pain, and his health bar visibly declined. The airborne Xiao Dian struggled to maintain its flight posture under the barrage, wobbling before crashing to the ground. Only Xiao Lai, nestled in Han Qiwu’s arms, appeared relatively unaffected, though its body trembled violently.

"This thing’s using a soundwave attack—it’s disgusting." Without hesitation, Han Qiwu quickly activated the Phoenix Cloak’s innate Phoenix Aegis skill.

In an instant, the world fell silent.

Han Qiwu knew this fight had to be quick and decisive—dragging it out wasn’t an option. He promptly activated the cloak’s other two skills as well.

All systems go!

"Xiao Lai, venom mixed with mist!"

Switching to his ice spear, he held Xiao Lai and charged forward, aiming the weapon’s frosty new blade tip straight at the ice cicada’s mouthparts.

With a single thrust, the special effects of the Century Mysterious Ice Pendant, combined with a Repelling Flame Ring, triggered simultaneously, sending the singing cicada hurtling into a nearby ice wall.

It’s worth noting that even smashed against the ice wall, the cicada persistently continued its buzzing soundwave attack.

"Still singing after being pinned to the wall? Can this soundwave attack not be interrupted?" Han Qiwu muttered nervously, gripping his ice spear and charging again. "Good thing I didn’t hold back my skills earlier; otherwise, my health would’ve been drained dry by now."

Two seconds of invincibility left.

Keep stabbing.

"Swish swish swish swish swish."

Han Qiwu’s arm moved swiftly, carving a "W"-shaped wound directly onto the cicada’s mouthparts.

Thankfully, the ice spear now had a bleed effect. Transparent liquid slowly seeped from the wound, inflicting continuous damage.

"Puff puff."

A delayed attack from Xiao Lai finally landed after a few seconds, but its impact proved remarkable.

The venom, interlaced within the mist, clung to the cicada’s mouthparts, dealing corrosive damage over time.

Under the flurry of attacks, the cicada’s buzzing finally ceased.

It wasn’t like it had a choice—its mouthparts were nearly destroyed.

The ice cicada, regaining its composure, shot Han Qiwu a spiteful glare before rapidly flapping its thin wings and darting deeper into the mining vein.

If it can’t win, it’s going to run!

Seeing this, Han Qiwu wasn’t having it.

"I used my once-a-day skills, and now you want to flee?"

"What am I supposed to do if I encounter you again later?"

"Xiao Dian, intercept from the air!" Han Qiwu grabbed the recently recovered Xiao Dian, spinning a 360° on the spot before launching it like a projectile.

"Whoosh."

The bird-cannon shot straight toward the airborne cicada.

As it struck, Xiao Dian thought to itself: What did I just hit?

It’s cold.

It’s icy.

Forget it—just zap it!

"Zzzzzap!"

Still somewhat groggy, Xiao Dian unleashed a massively powerful electric charge in the tens of thousands of volts, piercing the cicada’s wing where it made contact.

While people always say "as thin as a cicada’s wing," this ice cicada’s wings were nearly ten centimeters thick!

"Boom."

With its wings damaged, the ice cicada lost its ability to fly and crash-landed to the ground.

"Hehehe."

Han Qiwu and Xiao Lai exchanged a laugh, and with ice spear in hand, they charged forward.

"How dare you make noise around me!"

"Back in school, you cicadas ruined my afternoon naps!"

"Even in games, you’re noisy!"

Some cicadas, after taking enough hits, just end up turning into white light.

"Whew." Han Qiwu let out a long breath, finally venting his frustration. The discomfort in his head subsided considerably as he stowed away his ice spear and looked down for the ice cicada’s loot.

"Would it drop a cicada egg? If this thing can negate friendly fire, it’d make a pretty strong addition." Han Qiwu mused to himself while picking up the drops.

The ice cicada dropped two items: a jade-like pendant and a thin segment of cicada wing.

[Jade Cicada]

[Level: 79]

[Effective when placed in storage slots]

[Effect - Reincarnation: Halves the cooldown of a designated skill]

[Effect - Leisure: Reduces any source of attribute damage by 10% when equipped]

[Note: How proud must one be to trade neither golden capes nor jade cicadas?]

After reviewing the pendant’s attributes, Han Qiwu grinned.

Though fighting the ice cicada had been a pain, the rewards were well worth it.

The Jade Cicada’s two effects were both exceptionally practical.

"A cooldown halving effect? Can it work with Phoenix Aegis?" Han Qiwu tentatively stored the Jade Cicada and tried applying its Reincarnation effect to Phoenix Aegis.

[Reincarnation applied successfully]

[Skill - Phoenix Aegis: Summons the power of the phoenix contained within the cloak, forming a five-second invincibility shield. This skill can now be used twice daily, with one-hour intervals between uses.]

It worked!

Although there was still a cooldown, it was hardly a flaw—his combat power had been greatly enhanced.

The Leisure effect, meanwhile, was highly adaptable, suiting any environment Han Qiwu would encounter, whether the icy mining layer or the upcoming scorching ones.

Next, he inspected the piece of cicada wing.

[Ice Cicada Wing]

[Use: Decoration]

[Effect - Cicada Banishment: When placed, cicadas within a 500-meter radius are repelled]

[Note: A piece of advice from your elders—when you can’t face it, flee!]

Han Qiwu: "...."

Ignoring the footnote, the Cicada Banishment effect was still quite practical.

With summer approaching, placing it at home would ensure a good nap while safeguarding the growth of nearby trees.

Perfect.

After storing the loot, Han Qiwu pulled out two Mist Fruits and handed them to Xiao Dian and Xiao Lai.

"Good teamwork this time—keep it up in the future."

"Chirp chirp."

"Puff puff."

Xiao Dian and Xiao Lai nodded obediently, taking the fruits and munching on them.

If you’ve got good food, whatever you say goes.

Taking advantage of the calm surroundings, Han Qiwu swung his bronze cross pickaxe, chipping away at an iron ore node on the ground.

"Clang, clang, clang."

After clearing this mining node, Han Qiwu remained alert as he continued deeper into the tunnel.

Turning a corner, Han Qiwu was stunned!

On the ice layer ahead, nearly two dozen ice-sealed crystal spheres lay quietly, glowing with a frosty blue radiance that was utterly mesmerizing.