Chapter 138: Preparing for Creation

"Brother Chu Feng, you just fought a fierce battle with Dong Zhuo. Won't you be too exhausted if you use your magical power to conjure Ice Shell Golden Pearls now?"

Upon hearing that Chu Feng intended to conjure the pearls, all the female warriors were overjoyed and excited, save for Yu Zui, who looked at Chu Feng with deep concern, inquiring about his current mental and physical state.

"Haha, don't you worry, my dear sister! Your Brother Chu Feng is currently as vigorous as a dragon and as strong as a tiger, and my spirit is in excellent condition. I won't be exhausted!"

Chu Feng smiled at Yu Zui and said, "Give me some Ice Shell Golden Pearls, then find me a place where I won't be disturbed, so I can exert my power and see if I can successfully conjure more of them!"

"Very well! Not far ahead, our tribe has established a transit outpost on the ice sea. It is quiet and undisturbed, perfect for your needs!" As she spoke, Yu Zui handed a single Ice Shell Golden Pearl to Chu Feng.

Chu Feng took it and felt that the pearl was about the size of a hen's egg, perfectly spherical, and emitted a faint golden halo. It was significantly heavier than an iron ball of the same size, appearing to be made of pure gold.

"Sister, I heard that your Wuhansnow tribe needs to consume these pearls every fortnight. How many do you need to take at once?" As the group walked toward the transit outpost in the Western Sea region, Chu Feng asked.

"A pearl of this size is enough for about five clanspeople," Yu Zui replied.

"Oh? In that case, we have had quite a bountiful harvest today, haven't we?"

Earlier, Chu Feng had slain four small Ice Nether Mother Shells, plus their leader. The yield of pearls from these five shells was at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, and many were larger than the one in his hand.

"Indeed! If Brother Chu Feng hadn't arrived in time, even though we had located those Ice Nether Mother Shells, we would have been powerless to deal with them and unable to harvest the pearls. Even if we had managed to get them, they would likely have been snatched away by Dong Zhuo!"

As she spoke, Yu Zui gave Chu Feng a grateful smile. "Brother Chu Feng, thank you!"

"Think nothing of it! Is there any need for such formalities between us?"

Chu Feng shook his head with a smile. In truth, he found it difficult to face the smile of this young woman. Her smile, like her voice, possessed a beauty that made one sink into a deep intoxication after just one glance or one word. One would find oneself repeatedly recalling her appearance and her laughter, much like savoring celestial music or fine wine, unable to pull oneself away.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just then, twenty yards ahead, two Ice Nether Mother Shells suddenly surfaced through the ice, letting out wheezing breaths before diving back down into the ice layer.

"Look, two Ice Nether Mother Shells!"

"Alas, they are too far away; we can't catch them in time!"

"What a pity, they look quite large, too!"

Just as the two shells were about to submerge, a flash of golden light erupted. A golden ring, five times the size of a millstone, instantly enveloped the two creatures.

Sizzle!

Aargh!

The moment the golden light touched the shells, a massive amount of solid ice melted into steam. Amidst the billowing vapor, the two Ice Nether Mother Shells emitted agonizing shrieks, then, like frogs dropped into a pan of hot oil, they were launched out of the ice layer.

Thud!

The two millstone-sized shells fell heavily onto the ice after leaping out and immediately went still. Clearly, they were dead, killed by the intense heat of the golden ring!

The person who had acted in time to cast the golden ring was, naturally, Chu Feng, who was walking at the front.

"Haha! Young Master Chu, your eyes and hands are truly swift, and your methods are formidable! Dong Zhuo's Golden Disc has truly amazing utility in your hands—you can even catch Ice Nether Mother Shells from a distance!"

"Indeed! And Young Master Chu's inner energy is so vast; the golden ring emitted from the disc is at least three times larger than the one Dong Zhuo used!"

"Three times is an understatement, I'd say nearly four!"

"And looking at how the ice melted instantly, the heat of Young Master Chu's ring is clearly far greater than what Dong Zhuo could produce!"

"Exactly! I always said Dong Zhuo was wasting this Golden Disc; he couldn't unleash its power at all. Young Master Chu is the true master of this artifact!"

Seeing that Chu Feng had harvested two more large Ice Nether Mother Shells with a mere wave of his hand—which would likely yield over three hundred pearls—the female warriors were as happy as children, competing to praise Chu Feng's prowess.

"Haha, you ladies are too kind! If you keep praising me like this, I'm afraid I'll float right up to the sky!" Chu Feng laughed.

However, these women were not merely flattering him. The power of the Golden Disc was indeed tied to the user's inner energy; the more abundant the energy, the greater the power. Chu Feng's golden ring could easily cover two shells, and its reach was several times greater than Dong Zhuo's. Furthermore, the intense heat—enough to make the thick-shelled creatures scream and leap from the ice—was far beyond Dong Zhuo's capability.

"Young Master Chu is such a joker! If you float to the sky, we will just pull you back down, hee hee!" one of the warriors teased.

To these women, Chu Feng was a force of thunder and lightning when dealing with enemies like Dong Zhuo, his ruthlessness enough to make one's scalp tingle. Yet, in front of their own, he was free of malice, amiable, and like an approachable brother. Having rarely encountered men, and often finding Wuhansnow warriors to be hostile, they felt both excited and thrilled to be walking alongside him. Every gesture he made and every word he spoke held their complete attention.

As they walked, a few domed tents came into view on the ice.

"Brother Chu Feng, that is our transit outpost. You can cast your magic inside," Yu Zui said. "By the way, Brother Chu Feng, do you need anything?"

"Yes! Please prepare an iron sword, a large piece of wood, a block of solid ice, a stone, and start a fire! That will be all!"

Chu Feng casually requested these five elements, which were easy to find. In reality, it was a ruse to distract them, so that no one would suspect that the true source of his conjuring was the storage bag he carried.

"Understood! Zi Xi, Shuang Zhi, have our people prepare these five items immediately!"

Yu Zui ordered the two deaconesses, and the score of female warriors immediately scattered to carry out the task.

"Brother Chu Feng, is it difficult to conjure the Ice Shell Golden Pearls? How long will it take?" Yu Zui looked at him with clear, gentle eyes, full of concern.

"Whether it is difficult depends on the abundance of my power; I have to try it to know, so it is hard to say! As for the time, well, give me an hour. If I cannot conjure them after an hour, then... I am afraid your Brother Chu Feng will be powerless to help."

Chu Feng shook his head with a wry smile. Even he, the owner of the storage bag, could not be certain if it could actually conjure the pearls. An hour was a reasonable amount of time to gauge both the feasibility and the speed of the process.

"Brother Chu Feng, if you feel your power is insufficient, please do not force yourself," Yu Zui said earnestly. "Actually, we are already very grateful that you came to this bitter, cold land and helped us obtain so many pearls! Whether more can be conjured depends not on your power, but on the fate of our Wuhansnow tribe. Please, do not put any pressure on yourself."

"Haha, very well!"

Chu Feng nodded with a smile, thinking to himself that she was truly gentle and understanding, unlike that powerful lady, Heng Mei. If he truly failed to conjure the pearls, he suspected the one who would prevent him from returning to the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins would not be some strongman like Dong Zhe, but the formidable Heng Mei! At the thought of her cold, blade-like temperament, Chu Feng felt a chill, then walked toward the domed tent.

"Brother Feng!"

Just as he was about to enter, the voice of Bai Naizhao sounded from behind.

"Hm? Naizhao, where did you go? What do you need?"

"Brother Feng, we couldn't just leave the bodies of Dong Zhuo and those three deacons on the ice, so I stayed behind to handle the aftermath." As he spoke, Bai Naizhao handed Chu Feng four storage bags, along with the golden rod-whip Dong Zhuo had used.

"Oh?"

Seeing the bags, Chu Feng smiled and took them. "Naizhao, it seems you are quite reliable. Not bad! Do you often handle such matters for others?"

"Hardly! I would like to, but where would I get the opportunity? It is only by following you, Brother Feng, that my hands have a chance to be of use, and I have the chance to clean up after the enemies!" Bai Naizhao said with deep emotion.

Chu Feng nodded and handed one of the deacons' bags to him. "Take this. It's yours."

"Brother Feng, you are being too formal!" Bai Naizhao refused firmly.

Chu Feng did not insist. A thought struck him, and he said, "While I am conjuring the pearls, take this Golden Disc and help these ladies catch some Ice Nether Mother Shells. Who knows, perhaps your display of might will catch the eye of a young lady!"

"Very well! I shall accept your offer. I will use your Golden Disc to borrow your authority for a while and do my part for the women of the tribe!" Bai Naizhao said with great excitement.