Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 716: Climbing The Peak And Foul Inhabitants
If the guardian beast struck Han Yu physically before he even had the chance to swallow the pill, he would die.
If the beast realized that its ice based attacks were being nullified and shifted to pure physical violence, he could still die. This was after all, a beast and not a human expert. Their bodies were still strong enough to crush boulders.
If the battle dragged on long enough for the pill's effect to weaken, he would die.
Han Yu did not delude himself with heroic fantasies. Charging in and relying on a single trump card was a foolish gamble, not a strategy.
"Avoiding the beast entirely would be the best outcome," he muttered softly.
To do that, he needed information.
Right now, the flickering light was still too far away. His spirit sense, despite having expanded to an impressive thousand meters, could not reach it from his current position. The mountain's curvature, the dense natural Ice Qi, and the uneven terrain further interfered with long range sensing.
He needed to get closer.
"As long as I'm within a thousand meters, I can at least check the surroundings," he reasoned.
With that decision made, Han Yu adjusted his posture and began moving.
He did not take to the sky recklessly. Flying openly around Hook Peak would be an invitation to every flying beast in the area, and possibly the guardian itself, if it had good enough spirit sense. Instead, he relied primarily on climbing, jumping, and short bursts of controlled flight only when absolutely necessary.
He hugged the mountain's surface closely, using protruding rocks, overhangs, and natural shadows to mask his presence.
Where the cliff face grew too smooth or steep to climb safely, he used his halberd as an anchor, driving it into stone and pulling himself upward with careful precision. When gaps became too wide or vertical ascents impossible, he lifted himself with a brief, silent surge of Qi, landing quickly and cutting his aura immediately afterward.
The ascent was slow, deliberate, and exhausting.
As he climbed higher, the environment changed subtly. The air grew thinner and sharper, each breath biting at his lungs. Frost clung to every surface, forming jagged crystalline patterns along stone and ice alike. The moonlight reflected harshly off the snow, turning the mountain into a landscape of blinding silver and deep shadow.
Then the smell hit him.
Han Yu froze mid step, his nose wrinkling as a wave of nausea surged through him.
"What in the heavens…" he muttered.
The stench was overwhelming. It was a foul, acrid odor that burned the sinuses and coated the tongue with bitterness. It was not the smell of decay alone, but something far worse, as if rot, bile, and corrosion had been mixed together and left to ferment.
Han Yu immediately knew the cause.
"Bile Beak Frost Vultures."
He grimaced as his spirit sense confirmed it. Several nests clung to ledges nearby, built from frozen bones, scraps of hide, and layers of hardened excrement. The vultures themselves were ugly creatures with bloated bodies, hunched necks, and massive hooked beaks stained dark with residue. Their feathers were mottled gray and yellow, crusted with frost and filth.
They were only Qi Refining realm beasts, weak enough that Han Yu could kill them effortlessly.
Yet he had no intention of doing so.
Bile Beak Frost Vultures were infamous in the Harrow Mountains, not because of their strength, but because of their stench. Their bodies produced a foul and corrosive bile that could eat through leather and irritate Qi flow. Even their nests radiated a lingering odor that most beasts avoided instinctively.
Predators with strong senses of smell stayed far away from these creatures, and for good reason.
Unfortunately, that meant Han Yu had to suffer through it.
"HEAVENS DAMMIT," he hissed through clenched teeth. "WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY EAT TO SMELL LIKE THIS?"
He immediately covered his nose, but the stench still seeped through, clinging to the air itself. Breathing through his mouth only made things worse, leaving a bitter, oily taste coating his tongue and throat.
He tried to endure it at first, but after a few minutes, his stomach churned violently.
"No. This won't work," he muttered.
He rummaged through his storage ring and pulled out a small bundle of fragrant mint leaves he had purchased back in Frost Plume Town. Crushing them, he stuffed the leaves into his nose, hoping the sharp scent would overpower the stench.
It did not.
The mint wilted almost instantly, its fragrance drowned beneath the vile odor.
Han Yu cursed quietly and forced himself to think.
Then an idea struck him.
Without hesitation, he circulated his Qi and activated the Dancing Flame Art. A thin, translucent layer of flame formed around his mouth and nose, shaped carefully like a flexible membrane. The flames were gentle, controlled to the finest degree, hot enough to burn away impurities in the air but not so bright as to flare dramatically.
As he inhaled, the stench hit the flame barrier and vanished, incinerated before reaching him.
Han Yu exhaled in relief.
"That's better," he muttered, though the faint glow of the flames made him uneasy.
The light was subtle, but light nonetheless. To compensate, he kept his head lowered and stayed close to the rock face, using shadows to conceal any stray glimmers. The vultures, thankfully, paid him little attention.
They were accustomed to stillness and filth, and a silent figure creeping along the cliff did not register as prey. Besides, they were scavengers and seldom hunted life prey. This was also how they avoided competing with other beasts of the mountains. They only ate leftovers.
Slowly, painstakingly, Han Yu continued his ascent.
Hours passed.
The moon climbed higher, casting a colder, sharper light over the mountain. The wind picked up briefly, howling through narrow gaps and sending sheets of snow cascading down the slopes. Han Yu paused often, pressing himself against stone, waiting for his spirit sense to confirm that no beasts were drawn by the movement.
