Chapter 1184: A Lone Beetle

Soon, Davis and the two beauties crossed the valley and entered an open and wide terrain that led to another mountain. Except, this mountain seemed to black and greyish in color, causing Sophie's eyes to go wide.

"How!?"

"What?" Davis asked as he had no idea what she was surprised for.

Sophie's lips widened into a big smile as she pointed towards a low point of the mountain, only able to be seen from the valley they exited.

"Do you see that tiny grey mound!? Inside it is the Black Yinssa Ore that's used to create yin-attributed armaments in Peak-Level King Grade Forging. It also helps in forging ice-attributed armaments!"

Davis sent his soul sense in a straight line towards that tiny mound that Sophie pointed. It quickly reached and touched the greyish surface, sinking in it before he felt an icy property encroaching his soul sense. However, it was unable to do anything significant or even cause minor damage to his soul. 

"You're right. The ores inside that grey mound are particularly yin in nature. It should be the Yinssa Ore you are talking about, but what are you excited for...? Isn't it useless to you other than making you proficient in forging ice-attributed armaments?"

"Oh..." Sophie's expression went a few notches shier, "The first thing that came to my mind is gifting the armament made from this Black Yinssa Ore to your second wife, Natalya."

"Ahahaha~"

Davis patted her head as he laughed in satisfaction while Sophie embarrassingly lowered her head. She thought this way that she could somehow gain the second wife's trust, whom she had never met before.

Davis knew that if it were him alone, he definitely would've missed that tiny patch of grey since he didn't know anything about King Grade Blacksmithing. Nonetheless, he thought if he could use this for Natalya, it would be excellent and asked for it in a roundabout way since it was her find, but it turned out that they were both thinking the same thing.

'At a glance, she seems straightforward, but she does remain considerate of other's feelings... No, she only cares about people who would become important to her later on...' Davis felt like he had seen through her, and he liked this character of hers.

They hovered towards the tiny mound and arrived within half a minute.

Davis took out Yama, the Grieving Emerald Scythe before he swung it!

*Clang!~*

The sound of metal clashing echoed as a diagonal opening was created on the mound. Davis slashed a few more times, clearing open the impurities above before he noticed something.

"Mhm...? Isn't my Grieving Emerald Scythe, which is made of Emerald Indic Ore, also yin in nature?" Davis looked at his emerald scythe as if he had only realized it now.

"Uhmm...." Sophie blinked, "Its yin-attribute is abysmal, and it's more of a metal-attribute. It also contains a minute amount of poison-attribute in its core, but that evaporates in the process of forging. However, I intentionally kept a bit of it in Evelynn's Grieving Emerald Dagger."

"I see..." Davis's eyes widened as he smiled. She was considerate indeed. 

His arm shook as he made a few more slashes, completely opening up the mound. 

"Outstanding!~" Sophie held her hands together and screamed as she watched his overwhelming strength.

She had seen it previously when he battled that enormous Low-Level King Beast Stage Twin-Shelled Earthen Tortoise. At that time, she was in disbelief but was also intensely worried to death about him, but this time, she saw his power in its full glory, making her squeal like a zealous fan.

Honestly, her impression of him that he was a scholarly and glorious alchemist, but after being with him for these few weeks, she knew that he was entirely a genius in all the cultivations and professions he dabbled in!

He was seriously her ideal man!

Sophie flew towards the artistically carved crater and took a few tons of the freed Black Yinssa Ore into her spatial ring, scrapping off the crater.

"Still, isn't this entire mountain yang in nature with lava and lightning present all day long? How is a yin-attribute material present in reality...?" Davis voiced his doubt. He had an inkling but wanted to confirm.

Sophie smiled as she explained, "It is said that the constant refining of two different yang source has a unique chance to give birth to yin. It's derived from the same principle that extreme yang gives birth to yin. That's why there are some yin-attributed magical beasts present here. Otherwise, they would've escaped to some other place long ago..."

"I see..." Davis nodded his head on having his doubts cleared.

"If I recall correctly, we managed to find something like the Black Yinssa Ore in the entrance to the core region, but it was even more thickly yin in nature, a High-Level Emperor Grade Material. We found it more than a thousand years ago but ended up gifting it to the Falling Snow Sect. I think... it was the Ancestor who had gifted it..."

'Ah, more than a thousand years ago? That must be the time my boy Dian was desperately trying to meet Ancestor Tirea Snow before he eventually gave up...' Davis laughed to himself.

"Alright, let's move..." 

Sophie adorably nodded her head when Davis suddenly grabbed her waist and flew towards the side, causing her to become stiff.

*Bang!~* 

A bolt of purple lightning struck the place she hovered, causing her mouth to become agape.

Davis looked at the scar of the purple lightning scrambling on the surface before he returned his glance, "Sophie, are you perhaps, unluckier than me?"

"I'm not!~~~" Sophie became red-faced.

She didn't know why she was almost struck right after she took the ores. 

Was this some kind of heavenly punishment?

"I know... I'm just kidding..." Davis chuckled.

The purple lightning that struck now was just at Low-Level Sixth Stage, something that Sophie herself could easily defend against. If she were unlucky, the lightning bolt that should fall on her should be at the Eighth Stage since those lightning bolts were not present here.

Davis let go of her waist and held her hands before they moved on. From the moment they came out of the valley, Nadia had already concealed herself, so it seemed as if only the two of them were hiking, uh, hovering above the mountains, closing in on their destination.

A few minutes later, Davis stopped as he glanced at a beetle-like magical beast that appeared to possess a violet-black carapace. It was twenty meters tall and had six long legs that were still, making it appear as if it was hibernating or something. However, even though its head stayed put, its mandible hooked open and closed, looking as if it were eating something while strands of violet lightning lingered on its mandible.

Davis moved to the side as he saw the whole scene.

It was indeed eating, eating a fleshy magical beast alive as a lake of blood formed below its front limbs. It kept the magical beast that resembled a half-limbed deer with a blue cloud swirling around in a spiral manner between its mandibles, continuously paralyzing it with its lightning.

'What a find... A Low-Level King Beast Stage Violet-Lightning Paralysis Beetle has come out all the way to the periphery on the side of the outer region... I won't have an easy chance like this!' Davis smiled as he eyed Sophie to move far away.

She swiftly nodded her head and safely retreated while the Violet-Lightning Paralysis Beetle appeared to have not noticed them, but Davis knew that it was not the case. He knew that it was likely waiting for him to come closer, to paralyze him with a lightning strike from that mandible, causing him to become instantly paralyzed.

He knew this magical beast since it was lightning-attributed and a bit famous. It was even mentioned in the Ethren Family's Magical Beast Compendium, making him aware of its traits because it once seemed to have caused a major disaster for the Sea Plunderer's Alliance in the east of this Alstreim Family Territory.

"Well, time to use my soul..." Davis muttered as he disappeared from plain sight.

Sophie became shocked.

Where did he go in these open rocky plains?

Even the Violet-Lightning Paralysis Beetle's body shook and turned to look at the spot where Davis had disappeared from. Its mandibles were still chewing the poor deer, but its two large eyes held a hint of confusion before it spotted Sophie hiding in the distance.

*Bzzz!~*

At the same time, a stream of soul force abruptly descended on its forehead and invaded its soul without any warning, causing its eyes to go wide in shock as it released the half-eaten deer.

"I knew you were faking it, you cunning insect..."

*Boom!~* 

Davis's fist landed right on its forehead, causing it to bend as a crack appeared on its hard violet-black carapace.

*Screech!~*

"Human!" 

It shrieked as its six legs tapped the ground as it retreated while shaking its head, looking at the purple-robed human in hostility. Its mandibles shut close, visibly cutting the air as a huge spherical violet-colored lightning bolt was being formed in front of it.

"Ah, no, you don't..." Davis's expression became cold as he disappeared.

The Violet-Lightning Paralysis Beetle experienced a sudden surge in the invading soul force that it lost concentration for a moment, its attack exploding on its own mandible. However, its violet-black carapace seemed to be capable of withstanding it.

In the distance, Sophie was watching these scenes with wide-eyes.

Why did it look like Davis was having an easy time compared to the last time he faced the Twin-Shelled Earthen Tortoise? She was thinking about what was going on here when she suddenly noticed that the half-eaten deer was approaching her from the side, its whole body flying even though all of its limbs were nowhere to be seen.

Despite the gruesome scene, Sophie instantly took out her long glaive, ready to counterattack the Peak-Level Lord Beast Stage Magical Beast somehow as she retreated. However, even before she could take another step back, her mouth turned agape as she saw its large five-meter tall deer-head exploding before it could close the remaining two-kilometer distance between them.

"I didn't plan on leaving you alive anyway..." Davis pulled back his hand as he held a crystal core in his hand as he looked at the headless carcass in front of him.

It was the magical beast core of this Peak-Level Lord Beast Stage Magical Beast, radiating the yin attribute's icy property. 

He stored both the crystal core and the carcass as he mused that it would be helpful to Natalya while he turned to look at the Violet-Lightning Paralysis Beetle that had regained its battle form, its mandibles flashing with violet lightning!

"Sorry for the interruption. Let's continue..." 

Davis smiled as he eerily disappeared again!