Encountered a Dragon!

The sealed skill of the Double Mirror was "Reflect," while the sealed skill of the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow was "Whirlwind Blade."

The moment Yato made his move, both the Double Mirror and the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow immediately retaliated.

The Double Mirror initially attempted to use Reflect to create a fake Yato, thereby causing trouble for Fan Xing and her team. However, because its skill was sealed, the attempt failed, leaving it looking flustered.

Just then, the Princess’s attack arrived. Firing a colorful beam formed by her Glaze skill, she struck the Double Mirror instantly.

With a whimper, the Double Mirror dropped to the ground.

The White-Feathered Aurora Swallow was far more ferocious. It immediately launched Heart-Piercing Drill, its petite body transforming into a streak of light as it charged fiercely toward Fan Xing, aiming straight for her heart.

The White-Feathered Aurora Swallow moved with incredible speed—so fast that ordinary eyes could hardly track it. Likewise, the immense momentum generated by such high-speed movement made the impact of the Heart-Piercing Drill unimaginable, capable of effortlessly piercing thick steel plates.

Seeing the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow charging at her, Fan Xing did not hesitate for a second, invoking her Dead-Bone Swords to counterattack.

Bang! Accompanied by a violent crash, the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow collided directly with the crossed bone swords raised by Fan Xing.

The impact force of the Heart-Piercing Drill was simply too overwhelming; Fan Xing was forced to slide backward continuously, struggling mightily before finally regaining her footing.

"Meow!" Yato roared, unleashing its Tail Strike skill against the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow.

However, a transparent, glass-like shield materialized around the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow, blocking Yato's attack entirely.

It turned out the Double Mirror had cast Reflect Shield.

While Yato's Tail Strike indeed possessed the ability to shatter shields, the moment the Reflect Shield broke, Yato's attack was reflected right back, sending it flying backward instantly.

Fan Xing and the Princess moved simultaneously.

Fan Xing swung her Dead-Bone Swords, using brute force to drive the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow back.

The Princess activated Steel Wings, her black wings suddenly gleaming with a silver metallic luster before she charged forward in the next instant.

Bang! The Double Mirror, which had just managed to rise into the air, was sent crashing away by the sheer force of the impact.

Nevertheless, the Double Mirror was a defense-type spirit seed with formidable base durability; the Princess's all-out strike failed to defeat it.

Fan Xing and the newly recovered Yato launched a coordinated assault on the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow once more.

Fan Xing wielded her Dead-Bone Swords, raising them high to slash at the swallow; Yato leapt to the swallow's side, its three tails elongating simultaneously as they struck together.

Yet just as master and pet were about to hit their target, the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow accelerated and vanished from its spot in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, it triggered Refracting Feathers. After its white feathers flashed brilliantly, the entire creature suddenly disappeared from the sight of both Fan Xing and Yato.

Seeing this, Fan Xing felt a headache coming on. This stealth skill was terribly troublesome; they had suffered greatly because of it last time.

On the Princess's side, just as it intended to resume its attack on the Double Mirror, the Double Mirror activated its Mirror-Image Clone skill.

A flash of light swept across its silver-white mirror surface, and in the next moment, the Princess found herself surrounded by a dozen identical Double Mirrors.

The Princess looked bewildered, momentarily unable to tell which one was the real Double Mirror.

Realizing how difficult it was to catch the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow's attacks, Fan Xing decided to focus on dealing with the Double Mirror first and eliminate it.

Just as she and Yato were preparing to strike the Double Mirror, the invisible White-Feathered Aurora Swallow launched a sneak attack, using Heart-Piercing Drill against Fan Xing.

Sensing something amiss at that exact moment, Fan Xing suddenly thrust her hand toward the front right and activated the Skin-Flaying skill.

"Squeak!" A miserable screech echoed through the air as bright red blood exploded into the space. The White-Feathered Aurora Swallow was knocked out of stealth, drenched in blood, its eyes filled with sheer terror as it looked at Fan Xing.

Its beak had been cleanly sheared off by Fan Xing's fingernails, narrowly missing half of its skull.

It could not comprehend how the opponent had managed to detect it.

Even Fan Xing was somewhat surprised; she had only reacted on pure instinct, never expecting to actually hit the invisible White-Feathered Aurora Swallow.

The moment the swallow closed in on her, a sharp alarm bell had rung in her heart, prompting her decisive strike.

It seemed that as her strength grew, her formidable instincts as an Evil God were also awakening.

Taking advantage of the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow's shock, Yato unleashed its Tail Strike, instantly reducing the creature to a mist of blood.

Seeing the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow killed, the Double Mirror lost its composure, revealing an opening. The Princess immediately swept forward with its Glaze attack.

Accompanied by a miserable cry, the Double Mirror was defeated, and all the illusions created by its mirror clones vanished along with it.

Giving a casual glance at the unconscious Double Mirror and the puddle of blood that remained of the White-Feathered Aurora Swallow, Fan Xing called out to Yato and the Princess:

"Let's go, to the 29th floor."

"Coo~"

"Meow~"

The Princess and Yato nodded, hurriedly following in their master's footsteps.

Upon stepping onto the 29th floor, Fan Xing and her companions involuntarily shivered. A world of ice and snow stretched out before them, an almost blinding expanse of pure white, accompanied by an extremely bitter temperature.

Just as they were wondering where the floor guardian spirit seed was, a sharp cry suddenly resounded, followed by a huge bird-type spirit seed standing about one meter seventy-eight centimeters tall, descending from the sky.

To clear up any misunderstandings, though it was a bird, its wings had actually atrophied, rendering it incapable of flight. Its appearance just now was entirely achieved through its exceptional jumping ability.

The bird's entire body was covered in ice-blue feathers that shimmered brilliantly under the refraction of the light.

It also possessed long blue-and-white eyelashes similar to the Princess's, framing deep blue eyes that sparkled brightly—a feature that deeply offended the Princess.

*To think a part of its appearance could rival Her Highness! Unforgivable!*

At the back of its head was a ring of white crest feathers resembling those of a secretary bird.

However, despite being a bird, it lacked a sharp beak. Instead, its legs were exceptionally thick and long; although devoid of sharp talons, they clearly possessed formidable power.

And indeed, the facts proved this true: this spirit seed was renowned for its exceptional kicking techniques.

Race: Long-Legged Ice Heron
Classification: Beast Spirit Seed
Attribute: Ice
Trait: Unawakened
Skills:
- Frost Kick (Strikes the opponent with legs imbued with ice power, carrying a chance to cause frostbite)
- Ice Dance (Performs an elegant dance aided by ice power, substantially boosting attack and speed)
- Aerial Kick (Leaps into the air to kick the opponent, inflicting defense reduction that can stack up to three layers)
Rating: C
Positioning: Heavy Offense

After making its entrance, the Long-Legged Ice Heron paced gracefully across the snow, blinking its large eyes as it observed Fan Xing and the others.

Fan Xing's gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings, searching for the other guardian spirit seed.

At that moment, a small mound suddenly swelled up on the flat snowfield, moving swiftly across the surface. Reaching the side of the Long-Legged Ice Heron, a small head abruptly burst out.

This was a lizard-type spirit seed, no larger than a palm, looking as though it were sculpted from pure ice. Its exceptionally large eyes made it appear particularly adorable.

Crucially, it even possessed a pair of tiny wings.

When Fan Xing aimed her illustrated manual at it and read its information, she knew things were no longer simple.

Race: Frost Dragon
Classification: Divine Spirit Seed
Attribute: Ice
Trait: Unawakened
Skills:
- Frost Breath (Exhales breath carrying ice power to freeze the opponent and deal damage)
- Snowfall (Summons a blizzard, altering the weather within a small area to snowing; under snowy conditions, ice-attribute skill damage is increased, lasting for 5 minutes)
- Icicle (Controls ice and snow to create icicles that attack the opponent, carrying a chance to cause frostbite)
Rating: C
Positioning: Control Type

Fan Xing wore a look of astonishment. She had actually encountered a dragon! A genuine, authentic dragon.

Generally speaking, spirit seeds referred to as dragons fell into two categories.

The first category was Eastern Dragons, possessing serpentine bodies, eagle talons, deer antlers, and other composite elemental features. Scholars classified them as Divine Dragon species, typically born from Eastern myths and legends.

The second category was Western Dragons, mostly lizard-like in shape with sharp claws and teeth, proficient in both physical and energy attacks while possessing various powerful elemental resistances. Scholars classified them as Elder Dragon species, generally born from Western myths and legends.

Yet regardless of whether they were Divine Dragons or Elder Dragons, they shared common traits: rarity and immense power!

Fan Xing had not expected to lay eyes on an Elder Dragon species today, even if it still appeared to be in a juvenile state.

After a brief period of mutual observation, Yato and the Frost Dragon made the first move.

Yato activated Demonic Eye, while the Frost Dragon unleashed Snowfall.

However, the Frost Dragon executed its skill noticeably faster; dark clouds instantly gathered across the sky, and snowflakes drifted down in flurries.

At this point, Fan Xing finally understood why the 29th floor was a world of ice and snow—it was clearly the handiwork of the Frost Dragon.

Immediately afterward, Yato's Demonic Eye sealed the Frost Dragon's Snowfall skill, and simultaneously sealed the Long-Legged Ice Heron's Aerial Kick.

In truth, Yato's skill was quite easy to guard against; as long as one avoided making eye contact with its vertical eye, the skill could not take effect.

However, Yato typically activated its skill very abruptly, and coupled with the opponents' ignorance of this ability, it succeeded time and time again.

With the conclusion of Yato and the Frost Dragon's skill activations, the Long-Legged Ice Heron, Fan Xing, and the Princess launched their offensive simultaneously.

The Long-Legged Ice Heron leapt into the air, its robust legs wrapped in ice-blue energy as it viciously kicked toward Fan Xing.

Meanwhile, Fan Xing activated Shadow Ghost, transforming into a wisp of shadow that vanished from her spot. Reappearing in the next instant, she had arrived near the Frost Dragon.

Wielding her Dead-Bone Swords, she slashed fiercely at the Frost Dragon.

The Long-Legged Ice Heron's attack missed its mark, just as the Princess charged in with Steel Wings, violently ramming the heron and sending it flying.

On Fan Xing's side, the Frost Dragon's reaction speed was extraordinary. The moment Fan Xing attacked, it manipulated ice power to form several sharp icicles, launching them at her.

Fan Xing's shoulders, heart, abdomen, and legs were pierced instantly. The ice power spread, severely freezing large areas of her body as her fair skin turned bruised and dark blue in a flash.

Yet Fan Xing acted as though she felt nothing, completing her downward slash regardless.

"Wail—" The Frost Dragon shrieked as it was sent flying by the blow.

Moments later, the injuries on Fan Xing's body vanished instantly; the icicles embedded in her flesh were forcefully ejected on their own, and even the frostbite left not a trace behind.

Over on the other side, after being knocked away by the Princess, the Long-Legged Ice Heron relied on its slender legs to quickly regain its footing.

It attempted to cast Ice Dance to strengthen itself, but was interrupted by a colorful beam of light.

It was the Princess's Glaze.

Evading the attack, the Long-Legged Ice Heron leaped, easily bounding to the Princess's side, and before the Princess could react, kicked it flying.

Under snowy conditions, ice-attribute skill power was amplified, so the force of this kick caused even the Princess—protected by its Steel Feathers—to emit a painful muffled groan.

Its long legs moving like lightning, the Long-Legged Ice Heron prepared to continue its assault on the Princess, only to be intercepted by the timely arrival of Yato.

One of Yato's tails wrapped tightly around the Long-Legged Ice Heron's legs, causing it to take a thorough tumble, while its other tail deployed Tail Strike, piercing straight through one of the heron's thick legs in a single motion.

"Caw~~"

The Long-Legged Ice Heron let out a bitter cry. Struggling desperately to break free from Yato's restraint, it lashed out with its uninjured leg, kicking Yato hard and sending it soaring away.

It had poured all its strength into that kick; Yato was immediately heavily injured, coughing up a mouthful of dark blood while also suffering frostbite from the attached ice power.

Yet precisely because of this, the conditions for triggering Berserk were met.

After crashing heavily onto the ground, Yato used its sharp claws to grip the earth, stabilizing its posture just in time. Its fur spiked outward instantly, and its eyes turned crimson.

"Awooo—" It let out a roar, leaping forward to pounce on the Long-Legged Ice Heron.

Although the Long-Legged Ice Heron had managed to stand, the injury to its leg rendered it incapable of moving freely, leaving it easily pinned to the ground by Yato.

"Awooo—" Yato sank its teeth into the Long-Legged Ice Heron's slender neck, gulping greedily as it sucked down the creature's blood in huge mouthfuls.

Initially, the Long-Legged Ice Heron struggled frantically, but as massive amounts of blood drained away, its life aura grew progressively weaker until it finally ceased struggling altogether.

The Long-Legged Ice Heron's blood contained terrifying ice power; thus, after drinking it, Yato's body began to be corroded by the frost. White frost condensed upon the fur across its body, and its circulation rapidly chilled.

Had its blood frozen entirely, it would have perished.

Sensing Yato's peril, Fan Xing immediately activated Life Balance, transferring Yato's injuries onto her own body. The frost on Yato's coat gradually receded, and its blood began to thaw.

Even so, Yato remained temporarily immobilized, as Life Balance could only transfer half the damage and could not instantly heal it completely.

Having absorbed the ice corrosion from Yato, Fan Xing experienced a momentary stiffness of the body, though the affliction vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

Flying in the air, the Frost Dragon seized the opportunity to unleash Frost Breath. The chilling breath instantly engulfed Fan Xing, freezing her solid into an ice sculpture.

Just as it prepared to summon icicles to shatter Fan Xing, the Princess attacked. Waving its wings, it executed Steel Wings, slashing toward the Frost Dragon.

Small as the Frost Dragon was, its physical defense was absurdly abnormal. Although the Princess's all-out strike sent it flying, it failed to inflict severe injuries.

With the Princess buying time, Fan Xing shattered the ice and burst out, wielding her Dead-Bone Swords as she slashed down upon the Frost Dragon.

Seeing this, the Frost Dragon naturally sought to dodge without hesitation, but the Princess was quick-eyed and agile. Extending its neck forward, it snapped its beak shut around the dragon.

Though the Frost Dragon broke free swiftly, it failed to evade Fan Xing's onslaught completely.

The two Dead-Bone Swords slashed into the Frost Dragon one after the other, landing precisely on the spot previously struck by the Princess's Steel Wings.

Crackling sounds rang out as countless cracks webbed across the Frost Dragon's ice-sculpted body before it finally dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, losing all breath of life.