Published: February 12, 2025
“Is this the Ice Crystal Marsh?” Ye Zhongming asked his father, as he saw a glimmering expanse of white ice crystal mines ahead.
After exterminating the Blood Nest, the team traveled for two more days and passed through the territory of an eighth-level life form. Following the collective hunting by the Youth Army from Cloud Summit, they arrived at one of the most dangerous sections leading to Yakutsk.
“Yes,” his father replied, staring blankly at the scenery ahead, as he had never been here before either.
As the saying goes, one cannot be greedy when receiving help from others. His father was eager to complete this mission excellently to repay Cloud Summit for the resources they had given them.
Now, everyone in his team had made significant upgrades. Not only had they all become five-star evolvers, but their equipment had also transformed from gray and white to mostly silver, with each member even receiving a piece of green gear.
These items were what they had long dreamed of.
Having received their rewards, his father was eager to send Ye Zhongming and the others straight to their destination.
However, they had only traveled halfway when they reached the Ice Crystal Marsh.
His father knew this was a perilous area and had a rough idea of what dangers lay within, but he was not clear on how to navigate through it.
After pondering for a moment, he decided to share everything he knew with Ye Zhongming, leaving it up to him to figure out what to do.
“The Ice Crystal Marsh wasn’t this large originally, but over the past two years, its area has expanded significantly.” His father pointed to the twisted and uneven regions ahead that resembled a crystal forest.
“This is a dead zone; I’m not sure about other forces, but at least no one from the Blood Nest dares to hunt here,” he continued. “The dangers here mainly come in three forms. The first reason it’s called a marsh is that much of the ground has hidden pitfalls. If one is not careful, they can easily fall in. This isn’t natural; it’s created by a mutated insect called the white tiger beetle, which leaves only a thin layer of ice not fully connected to the ground. When a creature steps on it, they will fall and be attacked by them.”
“Since it is constantly covered in heavy snow, every inch of land looks the same, making it difficult to guard against.”
“White tiger beetle?” Ye Zhongming repeated the name.
“Yes, it is said to be a variant of the overlord tiger beetle. You might laugh, but when I first heard of the overlord tiger beetle, I thought it was related to tigers. Later, I learned that it is a type of beetle similar to a longhorn beetle.”
His father chuckled, rubbing his hands together. It wasn’t that he was cold; it was merely a habit he developed here.
“These little creatures have also grown larger now, some as big as house cats, with sharp pincers at the front and claws along their sides. What’s more troubling is that their bodies are covered in white armor, extremely tough. Basically, any attack from a creature one evolution level higher will be ineffective.”
Ye Zhongming's expression turned slightly astonished.
His father had just mentioned that these little creatures were mostly around levels four or five, with occasional six-level ones. Did that mean if they encountered the overlord of the white tiger beetles, they would have to fight?
“Also, these large beetles are social creatures. The traps they make are in family units, and their numbers vary—some have over a dozen, while others can exceed fifty or sixty.”
The others nodded upon hearing this. Given the size of the white tiger beetles, they probably wouldn’t dig too large of ice pits, and if a human fell in, they would have a hard time defending themselves, especially when attacked by them.
“However, I don’t know why these white tiger beetles never leave the Ice Crystal Marsh,” his father shook his head, unsure of the reason. If these insects didn’t have such a limitation and were present across the entire ice field, then human hunting efforts would suffer heavy casualties.