The surrounding monkey troop, seeing the ice dragon defeated, was momentarily stunned before gathering around Zhang Wei, assuming submissive postures.
Zhang Wei had no interest in these monkeys, but since they were so meek, he saw no need to continue the slaughter.
"Scram!"
With a furious roar, the monkey troop scattered and fled.
He approached the fruit and, while examining it, smacked his lips.
"I didn't notice before, but this ham isn't small!"
The fresh ham was as large as a small car, but its value was low as it hadn't been cured or seasoned.
The mature fruit, however, was only the size of a coffee table, weighing a mere two hundred kilograms, yet its value was more than ten times greater!
Zhang Wei was experienced in selecting ham; the plainer the exterior, the more delicious the ham.
If it had green mold on the outside, it was the absolute best.
But to the untrained eye, this ham looked moldy. Was it still edible?
Of course, it was!
Ahem...
The ham was edible, but the moldy patches needed to be trimmed.
These mold patches were beneficial bacteria that grew during the fermentation process. It was precisely because of their presence that the ham could naturally mature, resulting in succulent meat.
[Storage Complete]
[Overlord Tree Ham (Fully Mature)]
[Capture Level: 51]
[Replication Time: 240 Days]
While there were many hams on the tree, few were mature. However, with Zhang Wei's patient searching, he found a good number of them.
[Storage Complete, Replication Time: 225 Days]
[...Replication Time: 212]
[...Time: 202]
[...193]
...
...
The Wangyue Zhai group, after days of battle, finally reached the center of the Ice Hell Plains.
According to intel, the Overlord Tree was only a hundred kilometers away.
Hengxing sat on a high vantage point, looking grimly at the tracks on the ground, with over a dozen birds of prey circling around him.
"I didn't expect Mr. Hengxing to be so formidable, having such a high affinity with beasts."
"It's said that Mr. Hengxing was born with a spirit affinity, allowing him to communicate with beasts. They're probably just chatting."
"His expression is a bit grim... could it be..."
While the others were discussing, Hengxing tossed a strip of meat into the air from his embrace. The birds of prey immediately pecked it clean and scattered in an instant.
Jun Qing stepped forward and asked, "How is it?"
"Two pieces of news..."
"Go on."
"The ice dragon of the north is not a mere adolescent, but has already entered its prime."
Jun Qing's face paled. An adolescent ice dragon and one in its prime were entirely different species.
An adult ice dragon was level 45 and above; Hengxing could barely protect himself. But in its prime...
At least level fifty!
Don't underestimate the gap of five levels; their combat ability would at least double. Moreover, the actual situation might be more than level fifty!
This also meant that the Overlord Tree ham was likely out of reach.
"Can you... hold back a prime ice dragon?"
Hengxing gave a wry smile. "How could I possibly? A prime ice dragon's breath can cover more than ten li. Even if I led hundreds of gourmet hunters, we would be no different from cannon fodder."
"Then... there's the other piece of news..."
"The eagles said the ice dragon is dead."
"Dead?"
"That's right. It's said that a powerful energy surge came from the direction of the Overlord Tree. The eagles heard the ice dragon's death cry."
Jun Qing was shocked. "So it was killed in battle? A prime ice dragon... how is that possible... Does this mean an even more terrifying existence has emerged on the ice plains? We should leave quickly."
Although Jun Qing desperately needed the Overlord Tree ham, he wouldn't let hundreds of people die in vain.
"Leave? No, this could be a once-in-a-million opportunity!"
Hengxing smiled eerily. "There is no species on this ice hell that can completely crush an ice dragon. Anyone who can kill an ice dragon must have suffered heavy losses, either one dead and one severely wounded! We can take advantage of the victor not having recovered... perhaps the entire Overlord Tree will be ours!"
The original plan was for Hengxing to distract the ice dragon while the others raided.
If they were fast, they could snatch a few.
But now...
Forget the Overlord Tree ham, they could even obtain the two dueling colossal beasts!
Thinking of this, Jun Qing's heart couldn't help but pound faster, as if he could already see himself receiving thunderous applause at a northern feast.
"What do you say?"
"Let's gamble!"
Jun Qing gritted his teeth fiercely.
...
...
Zhang Wei meticulously searched for ham.
At some point, a crocodile-like monster crawled over.
It was enormous yet agile, moving silently across the snow.
A ground dragon species!
Belonging to the flightless dragon species, though they couldn't fly, their physique was sturdier and their close-combat ability was extremely strong!
The ground dragon, drawn by the scent of blood in the air, showed extreme excitement in its small eyes upon seeing the corpse on the ground!
It was that guy...
He's dead!
After so many years, he's finally dead!
With its simple mind, it didn't overthink things. It crawled to the side and began to devour the meat with large bites!
At this moment, Zhang Wei also noticed the situation below.
"Damn it, coming here to pick up scraps."
"That wing membrane is said to taste good; I can't let you ruin it!"
Instantly, he unleashed over a dozen punches, densely sealing off all of the ground dragon's escape routes.
No matter where it dodged, it would be hit by one!
And the ground dragon clearly lacked the maneuverability of a pterosaur.
Boom!!
Boom!!
A pained howl arose as two spiral fist energies struck their mark.
Blood splattered, and bones emitted a grating sound. The pain was so intense that even a beast couldn't bear it!
The ground dragon immediately abandoned its meal and vanished in an instant.
"Such strong defense. The ice dragon would be injured from a mere graze, yet this thing could withstand two direct hits."
"I wonder if this thing tastes good..."
"Never mind, collecting Overlord Tree ham is more important."
"I'll follow the blood trail later..."
The ground dragon fled desperately.
It instinctively knew that there was a creature on the tree trunk that it absolutely could not provoke.
The wounds from the spiral fist energy were deep. Severe blood loss caused waves of dizziness.
Looking back, the mysterious creature on the tree trunk was not pursuing...
It needed to rest!
If it kept running, the blood loss would be fatal!
It extended its long tongue, and its saliva dripped onto the wound. The horrific tearing injury slowly healed and scabbed over.
As long as it took a short while, the bleeding would stop.
Then, it would find a quiet place to recuperate slowly.
"Hahaha, I told you, it's one dead and one injured!"
Boisterous laughter echoed from not far away.
It was the exploration team from Wangyue Zhai.
Hengxing, at the forefront, smacked his lips. "A ground dragon species – the Scaly Ground Dragon, known for its defense and strength. Its capture level is at least 48. Normally, I would run as fast as I could."
"But now... I will make you my vanquished foe!"
Hengxing laughed wildly.
Enemies of this level were natural overlords. Kings never fought kings; it was so difficult to encounter one that was already wounded.
If he could defeat this creature today, it would be a shining medal!
Numerous guards surrounded him. "Mr. Hengxing, let me help you!"
"No need. Even severely injured, the Scaly Ground Dragon is not something you can approach. Hurry to the Overlord Tree. The ice dragon's corpse must be there! Someone else might get there first, so the ham and the dragon corpse are important!"
The crowd nodded to each other.
"Alright, Mr. Hengxing, be careful!"
"Heh, this Scaly Ground Dragon is already in its final throes. Taking its life is only a matter of time!"