Chapter 129: The Abyssal Ice Mother Shell

Ha! Ha!

As soon as Chu Feng and his companions, A Yan and A Ying, stepped into the Ice Nether Sea, they were immediately enveloped by an intense chill, with gusts of icy wind blowing straight at them.

Standing on the shore just moments ago, the cold wind had been bearable, but once they set foot on the frozen sea, the wind felt like sharp blades slicing through the air.

A flicker of realization crossed Chu Feng’s mind. When the Gao brothers from the Nine Profound Sect had mentioned the biting cold of the Ice Nether Sea, this must have been exactly the bone-piercing chill they referred to. Indeed, the Wuhansnow Clan had mastered the art of withstanding the cold.

Though the Wuhansnow Clan’s territory was also a land of ice and snow, the wind there was nowhere near as fierce. That was because they used tents arranged in arcane formations to block the cold air sweeping over the Ice Nether Sea.

“Two junior sisters, while we’re searching, why don’t you tell me more about the Ice Nether Mother Shells?” Chu Feng said, scanning the surroundings.

“The Ice Nether Mother Shells vary in size,” A Yan began. “The smallest are about the size of a millstone, most are roughly ten feet square, and larger ones are rare. They usually lurk beneath thick layers of ice, surfacing occasionally to breathe. That’s when we have the best chance to catch them!”

“They have three main attack methods. First, when their shells are fully closed, they can spin rapidly like a top and move swiftly across the ice. The edges of their shells are lined with razor-sharp teeth. If a warrior is struck or swept by one, it can sever limbs or even cause instant death. This is their most deadly attack!”

“Second, when the shells open, they can shoot out numerous shards of ice, varying in size. These shards carry tremendous force, enough to penetrate a warrior’s internal energy defenses. A close-range hit can cause severe injury or death.”

“Third, their shells can clamp down on a person. The two halves act like massive iron gates, and once trapped, the victim is torn to pieces!”

“Master Chu, on this vast icy sea, it’s not only difficult to spot the Ice Nether Mother Shells, but they usually appear in groups of at least three or five. Solitary ones are seldom seen. Their attack power is formidable, making them very tough opponents!”

“Yes, Master Chu, if we do find them, it’s best not to act rashly. We should alert the nearby Wuhansnow female warriors and work together to capture them. That way, the risk is much lower!”

Since entering the Wuhansnow Mountains, A Yan and A Ying owed Chu Feng many favors, so when he asked, they gladly shared their knowledge.

“Hmm,” Chu Feng nodded. “Is there any trick to finding these Ice Nether Mother Shells? Or do we just randomly search this icy sea?”

“Honestly, no real trick,” A Ying replied. “The deeper into the Ice Nether Sea we go, the higher the chance of encountering them. Also, the eastern sea area has more of them, while the western sea has fewer.”

“But the eastern sea is the territory of the Wuhansnow male clan. Female members aren’t allowed to venture there to hunt the Mother Shells, and as outsiders helping out, we definitely can’t enter that area.”

Although their combat strength was weaker than Chu Feng’s, A Yan and A Ying were far more knowledgeable about the Wuhansnow Clan and the Ice Nether Mother Shells.

“Besides the Mother Shells, are there any other formidable beasts in this sea?” Chu Feng asked.

“No, just some Ice Nether Sea Lions and Ice Nether Crocodiles, which are easy to deal with and not worth mentioning. The truly powerful sea beasts don’t frequent this stretch—at least within a twenty-thousand-mile radius.”

“Alright! Then let’s head north, deeper into the Ice Nether Sea.”

Armed and vigilant, the three pressed onward across the boundless icy expanse against the biting wind.

Unconsciously, they had traveled over eight hundred miles.

The deeper they ventured, the colder and fiercer the wind became. Still, no Ice Nether Mother Shells had appeared, but the gale was relentless.

Whoosh… whoosh…

Wailing and howling, the fierce wind sounded like sharp whistles and the roar of a colossal beast.

Amid the howling wind, countless chunks of ice, both large and small, were hurled toward the trio.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of ice shards slicing through the air was swift and sharp.

The flying ice pieces ranged from the size of a fist to larger than a watermelon, their shapes irregular—some round like spheres, others long and narrow like spears.

Though these ice chunks posed no serious threat to Chu Feng and his companions, they severely hampered their progress. Drifting ice rained down, making further travel into the Ice Nether Sea increasingly difficult.

“Hm? Junior sisters, do you hear that? It sounds like fighting in the distance,” Chu Feng said, dodging another flying ice shard.

“I don’t hear anything,” A Yan and A Ying shook their heads.

Since absorbing the internal energy of the Snow Mountain Ghost Ape into his dantian, Chu Feng’s internal energy had become extraordinarily dense, far surpassing that of ordinary martial artists. The more abundant the internal energy, the sharper one’s hearing, sight, and senses.

“The sound comes from this direction. Let’s go this way!”

Chu Feng listened carefully, then pointed eastward.

“Master Chu, the elder said we shouldn’t approach the eastern sea area of the Ice Nether Sea. If we go there now, won’t that be…”

“It’s fine. Let’s just check it out. If it’s nothing related to us, we’ll leave immediately.”

Without hesitation, Chu Feng led the two women toward the source of the sounds in the eastern sea area.

Though called eastern and western seas, the two areas were not far apart.

Like a vast field divided by a boundary marker, any territory east of the marker—even by a foot—counted as the eastern sea, while just an inch west counted as the western sea.

Battling the icy rain driven by the wind, Chu Feng pressed east for about a mile, soon spotting signs of a fierce struggle ahead.

On the thick ice, about twenty women clad in snow-white battle attire wielded weapons, fiercely fighting against millstone-sized strange objects sliding swiftly across the ice!

These twenty or so women were clearly warriors of the Wuhansnow female clan, and the sliding objects were none other than the Ice Nether Mother Shells!

Chu Feng’s sharp eyesight allowed him to make out the details from afar.

Just as A Yan and A Ying had described, the Mother Shells were millstone-sized, lead-colored, with extremely tough shells lined with serrated spikes.

Despite their massive weight, they moved across the ice with lightning speed.

Chu Feng observed that over twenty female warriors were engaged in the hunt, facing only four or five Mother Shells. Each group of four or five women teamed up against one shell, yet the battle still seemed taxing.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, one Mother Shell opened its shell and launched several fist-sized ice shards.

Ah! Ah!

Two female warriors wielding swords were struck in the chest and sent flying. When they hit the ice, they coughed up blood.

The attacked Mother Shell shattered the attackers’ formation and immediately turned to assault others.

Chu Feng hurried forward and spoke to one injured woman coughing blood, “I am Chu Feng, here assisting the Wuhansnow Clan in capturing the Ice Nether Mother Shells. Are you from the Wuhansnow female clan?”

Though the situation was dire, Chu Feng did not neglect to confirm.

“Ah? So you’re Master Chu Feng of the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins? Wonderful!”

Hearing his name, the injured woman’s face brightened. “Master Chu, we are all warriors of the Wuhansnow female clan! Please help us capture these Mother Shells!”

“No problem,” Chu Feng nodded.

Whoosh!

The same Mother Shell spun once more and suddenly opened its shell, firing a watermelon-sized ice block directly at Chu Feng.

Crack!

Without raising his spear, Chu Feng punched forward!

With a sharp crack, the massive ice block, as hard as iron, shattered into a misty spray under his fist!