Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 662: Recovering From Cold And Rethinking

The wind outside was fierce now, as if the mountains themselves were exhaling cold anger. He did not wish for any stray beast to scent him or see firelight.

Once the entrance was secure, Han Yu crouched inside and summoned a small flame from his fingertip. With the Dancing Flame Art, fire bloomed soundlessly in the center of the cave, warming the cramped space with a fuzzy orange glow.

He placed some wood he had in his storage and lit it up. With that done, he let out a tired breath and sank down against the wall.

"Today was too close."

He swallowed a handful of healing pills, wincing as the bitter medicinal taste coated his tongue. They dissolved fast, their energy rushing through his body. Warmth spread through his meridians, washing away the cold residue like water flushing poison down a river.

He sat cross legged and closed his eyes, guiding the medicinal energy with careful precision.

His breathing steadied.

His heartbeat slowed.

A faint warmth swelled through his limbs as strength returned to him piece by piece.

Half a day passed.

By the time Han Yu opened his eyes again, the lingering cold was gone and his meridians pulsed with vitality. He flexed his fingers experimentally. There was no numbness left. His core felt stable. His Qi circulated normally.

He exhaled in relief.

"This body… it heals faster than I thought."

He placed his hand on his chest, feeling the sturdy beat of his heart. It really did feel stronger than before. There was a faint sense of increased vitality, almost like his body had grown tougher from surviving the frost Qi invasion.

"Did the remnant of the Wyvern's Ice Qi temper me a bit?" Han Yu wondered aloud. "Or was it simply pushing my limit and letting the body rebuild stronger? Either way… I am not complaining."

He leaned back and tore into several chunks of cooked wolf meat he had stored. His appetite surged. His body demanded energy, so he fed it without hesitation. He drank water from his pouch and popped another healing pill to hasten recovery.

Han Yu chuckled quietly.

"This is not the time to be stingy with resources. If not now, when else would I ever need so many pills?"

He had more than enough.

The Birch Leaf Merchant Clan had unknowingly financed this entire expedition. Their wealth sat comfortably in his storage bags, waiting to be used as needed. If they knew how their life savings were being spent, they would probably come back from the afterlife just to curse him.

Han Yu closed his eyes again and meditated through the rest of the evening. His spirit Qi slowly returned to its peak. His soul Qi regained some of its lost volume from the remnants of Eight Emotions Energy that were still in his Soul Core, though recovering soul Qi always took more time.

After the remnants of the Eight Emotions Energy were gone, he would not be able to regenerate more Soul Qi unless he gathered more wisps.

When night fully settled, he remained inside the cave. There was no way he would leave now. Not after the close call earlier. Not knowing that a Frost Wing Wyvern was somewhere in the vicinity.

He replayed the earlier fight in his mind and shivered involuntarily.

That thing was terrifying.

He had faced strong foes before. He had fought beasts and cultivators stronger than himself. But this was different. A Nascent Soul realm beast was on an entirely different level. Their physical strength, elemental power and vitality far surpassed any Core Condensation cultivator.

Even the first breath attack had nearly killed him.

If not for the Soul Petrifying Glare, he would have died without even touching his halberd.

Han Yu rubbed his forehead.

"That skill… I really underestimated it."

His Soul skills had saved his life several times already. Against humans it was terrifying. Against beasts it was still effective, although the stronger the foe, the shorter the effect. That was the only reason he survived the wyvern.

A second or two of stillness was enough for gravity to do the rest.

'But still…'

He clenched his fist.

"That thing was only at the Infant Soul Stage. If that was a juvenile Frost Wing Wyvern, then what does an Adult look like? What about an Ancient one? What about one at the Immortal Ascension Realm?"

He did not want to imagine it.

His skin crawled just thinking about the descriptions he had read back in the sect archives. Ancient Frost Wing Wyverns were said to be living natural disasters. Each beat of their wings could freeze valleys. Their breath could shatter mountains. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

And he had barely survived the weakest form of the species.

A long exhale escaped him.

"That settles it. I am not going after the Cold Silk Orchid. Not a chance."

Even if the legends spoke of a priceless herb that could push frost cultivators to new heights, it was not worth dying over. The Orchid was known to grow only in extreme cold areas. Places so frigid they formed ice fields that even beasts avoided.

A location like that was almost guaranteed to be guarded by a beast of great strength.

If a mere wyvern already roamed this area, then what would be watching over the Orchid?

Han Yu shook his head. He had no desire to find out.

"No greed is worth becoming a frozen corpse."

He shifted positions in the cave and wrapped his spirit robe tighter. His gaze drifted to the small gap near the stone blocking the entrance. Snowflakes drifted past outside, faint but visible.

He muttered softly.

"I will stick to the official route. It might take longer but at least it is marked and somewhat safer. No more shortcuts."

He had learned his lesson. The mountains did not forgive mistakes. A single misstep could result in death, and he had already tempted fate more than enough this week.

As the fire crackled and the night deepened, Han Yu allowed his mind to settle.

Tomorrow he would resume his journey.

Carefully.

Cautiously.

And without giving the heavens another chance to throw a wyvern at him.

For now, the cave was warm, his Qi was stable and the world outside could roar as much as it wished. He was alive, and that was enough.