Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 718: Extracting The Orchid And Extracting Himself

The moment Han Yucrossed into the final hundred meters, the temperature dropped sharply.

The cold aura of the Cold Silk Orchid washed over him like a wave.

Frost formed instantly along his eyebrows, eyelashes, and the edges of his robes. His exposed skin prickled painfully as moisture in the air crystallized upon contact. Even his eyes burned as a thin layer of frost threatened to form over their surface.

Han Yu reacted instantly.

He activated the Dancing Flame Art, circulating its heat beneath his skin in controlled waves. Warmth spread through his muscles, countering the invasive cold just enough to keep him functional.

Only then did he manage to breathe steadily again.

But the cost was immediate and obvious.

His Qi consumption spiked sharply.

The Dancing Flame Art, usually smooth and efficient, now burned through his reserves at an alarming rate as it fought against the orchid's relentless cold aura. It was like holding back a glacier with a bonfire.

"This thing really is a monster," Han Yu muttered grimly.

He knew he could not maintain this state for long.

His time was short.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward, closing the remaining distance as quickly as he dared. Ten meters.

Nine.

Eight.

The cold intensified dramatically with each step. Even with the Dancing Flame Art pushed harder, his bones began to ache, and his blood felt sluggish, as if it were thickening within his veins.

When he reached the ten meter boundary, it felt as though he had stepped into the heart of winter itself.

Han Yu snarled and unleashed the Dancing Flame Art at its maximum output.

SHUA

His entire body glowed with a deep, blood red light, heat radiating outward in visible waves. Snow beneath his feet hissed and evaporated instantly, leaving bare stone behind. The air around him warped slightly from the clash of heat and cold.

He stood out like a beacon in the night.

And that was when it happened.

ROARRRRRRR!

The roar shattered the silence like an avalanche.

It came from a distance.

The sound was deep, resonant, and filled with rage. It reverberated through the mountain, shaking loose sheets of snow and ice that cascaded down the slopes.

Han Yu's heart dropped.

"So much for the beast being far away," he muttered darkly.

The guardian had noticed him.

And judging by that roar, it was very, very displeased.

ROAR!!!~

The roar echoed again, deeper this time, carrying with it a pressure that made the air itself feel heavier. Han Yu did not need a second confirmation. Whether it was the guardian of the Cold Silk Orchid or another apex predator drawn by the clash of heat and cold, one truth was absolute.

Something powerful had noticed him.

He did not hesitate.

There was no time left for caution, refinement, or second thoughts. The only thing that mattered now was speed and decisiveness.

Han Yu forced his way forward, teeth clenched as the cold gnawed at him like a living thing. Each step closer to the Cold Silk Orchid felt as though he was wading deeper into an abyss of ice. The frost creeping across his skin thickened, his eyelashes clumping together with ice crystals as his breath came out in short, ragged plumes.

He raised the Dancing Flame Art again, channeling it with ruthless precision.

SHUA

Instead of letting the heat flare outward, he compressed it inward, wrapping it tightly around his right hand like a glove forged of living fire. The flames did not flicker wildly. They clung to his skin in a dense, controlled layer, humming softly as they devoured the cold that tried to seep in.

With his left hand, he extended thin tendrils of flame.

They stretched out like living threads, burrowing into the frozen rock around the base of the Cold Silk Orchid. The moment they made contact, the ice hissed violently. Steam erupted in short bursts as centuries of accumulated frost were melted away in seconds.

Han Yu worked fast.

Too fast to be elegant, too fast to be cautious.

The tendrils drilled deeper, loosening the orchid's anchor point inch by inch. The Cold Silk Orchid resisted instinctively, its aura flaring in response as if offended by the intrusion. The cold surged outward in a violent pulse, forcing Han Yu to grunt as even his Dancing Flame Art wavered under the pressure.

"Not today," he muttered through clenched teeth.

KACHA 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

With a sharp pull, the final layer of ice cracked.

Han Yu's gloved hand shot forward and closed around the stem of the Cold Silk Orchid.

The sensation was immediate.

Even through the dense flame covering his hand, the cold bit deep, sharp enough to send a jolt through his arm and into his chest. It felt like gripping a shard of frozen lightning, the chill trying to race up his meridians and extinguish his Qi entirely.

Han Yu did not let it linger.

In one smooth motion, he ripped the orchid free and shoved it straight into a prepared herb box. The box snapped shut instantly, layers of runes lighting up as he slapped preservation talismans onto it one after another without even looking.

The cold aura vanished in an instant, sealed away completely. He stored it in his storage pouch immediately to cut off any lingering energy signatures.

Han Yu did not waste even a heartbeat.

"I've extracted the orchid," he muttered grimly. "Now to extract myself from this place."

He turned and did the last thing anyone would expect.

He jumped.

WHOOSH!!

The world inverted as Han Yu hurled himself off the cliff.

Cold wind slammed into him like a wall, ripping a shout from his throat as gravity seized him mercilessly. The mountain face blurred past, jagged rock and ice streaking by as he accelerated downward at terrifying speed.

Han Yu adjusted instantly.

He throttled the Dancing Flame Art down to a controlled internal circulation, extinguishing the external glow that had made him a beacon moments earlier. The heat stayed beneath his skin, just enough to keep his blood flowing and his muscles responsive.