Watching the direction in which the salamander Demon Beast disappeared, Zhou Chun couldn't help but raise his hand to touch his lower abdomen where his Dantian was located.
Then, his mind sank into his Dantian, and he quickly used his Divine Sense to internally view his Dantian, reaching out towards that Jade Bead.
To his disappointment, just like before, his Divine Sense was repelled before it could touch the Jade Bead, unable to make contact with it at all.
The treasure that had just saved his life repeatedly had no intention of establishing a connection with him.
But at this moment, Zhou Chun's curiosity about the Jade Bead was reignited.
A Dharma Treasure that automatically protects its master!
This was a legendary story he had only read about in Classics, yet today it had truly happened to him.
Such a miraculous event occurring to him personally, and witnessed by his own eyes, how could Zhou Chun's heart not be filled with surprise and curiosity?
"It is said that the Lifebound Dharma Treasures of Golden Core Stage Cultivators indeed possess the Divine Skills to automatically protect their owners, after being nurtured for a long time, but it seems that no ancestor of the Zhou Family at the Golden Core Stage has ever managed to achieve this!"
"Moreover, this kind of automatic protection is typically limited to Lifebound Dharma Treasures. For Magic Artifacts like the Primordial Golden Light Ring that are refined by Refinement Masters, no matter how powerful they are, it's very difficult for them to possess this kind of skill!"
"It is indeed Spiritual Treasures, said to be even higher in rank than Dharma Treasures, around which miraculous tales swirl, that might possibly have the ability to automatically protect their owners."
"Could it be that this Jade Bead is actually a Spiritual Treasure?"
Zhou Chun's gaze flickered uncertainly, a myriad of guesses about the Jade Bead surfacing in his mind, his mood both excited and joyful.
He didn't know how long had passed before his gaze finally settled, and he stopped pondering the matters of the Jade Bead.
He had realized that whether or not the Jade Bead was a Spiritual Treasure from legend did not really concern him at present.
Even if he had opened his Purple Mansion, he would not have been able to activate a Dharma Treasure, let alone a Spiritual Treasure.
At the moment, the only thing worth being happy about was knowing that the Jade Bead possessed the Divine Skill of automatic protection, which provided him with a powerful trump card against that salamander Demon Beast.
Of course, Zhou Chun also seriously doubted whether the Jade Bead's automatic protection would always come in handy, or if it would only work when he faced attacks from ice spells.
Or perhaps it would only work when facing a powerful Demon Beast!
After all, although that strange roar had a suppressing effect on both Human Cultivators and Demon Beasts, its effect on Demon Beasts was noticeably much stronger than on Human Cultivators.
Even so, for the current Zhou Chun, this Jade Bead had become a key weapon for protecting his life inside the ice cave.
After hesitating on the spot for a while, he gritted his teeth and proceeded deeper into the ice cave once more.
No one finds a tiger cub without entering the Tiger Den.
Danger often comes hand in hand with opportunity!
Since so many Snow Crystal Worms had already been found ahead, it indicated a high probability that there was a swarm in the ice cave, and a high probability of a Snow Crystal Worm King.
And now he also had the Jade Bead that could intimidate that salamander Demon Beast.
Under such circumstances, how could Zhou Chun possibly give up advancing further?
However, perhaps because he was spooked by that salamander Demon Beast, Zhou Chun didn't encounter any more Snow Crystal Worms as he continued through the ice cave.
He also never saw that salamander Demon Beast again.
As he continued on, Zhou Chun found the way forward blocked.
At the end of the ice cave was a thick wall of blue ice.
He summoned his Magic Artifact and struck the ice wall, only to penetrate less than two feet before it became difficult to advance further.
Then, he stood in front of the ice wall and pondered for a long time before suddenly sitting down on the spot and starting to meditate.
The cold air previously expelled by the salamander Demon Beast had not killed him but had still caused damage to some of his meridians and flesh inside his body.
Since there was no path forward now, he decided to meditate and heal his injuries right there.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Chun had been meditating and recuperating in the ice cave for seven days.
With the help of the strength of the Elixir, and the healing of the Wood Charm, Zhou Chun's internal injuries had healed by seventy to eighty percent after these seven days, hardly affecting his strength anymore.
During these days, the ice cave was also unusually quiet, and it seemed that the salamander Demon Beast had left the area.
Zhou Chun gradually stood up and started to walk back.
Before long, he spotted a Snow Crystal Worm.
But because of the previous harrowing experience, Zhou Chun didn't immediately try to capture the Snow Crystal Worm. Instead, he repeatedly scanned the ice cave with his Divine Sense, not overlooking any area.
After quite some time, he felt confident enough to approach and capture the worm.
A flash of golden light swept through, and a Snow Crystal Worm wriggling on the ice ceiling of the cave was instantly bound by the golden light and then flew towards the approaching Zhou Chun.
However, looking at the Snow Crystal Worm in hand, there was no joyful expression on Zhou Chun's face.
Although Snow Crystal Worms could now be exchanged for Spirit Coins and other things at the Snow Essence Palace, he wasn't short on those.
His real goal was the Snow Crystal Worm King, and the Snow Soul Pill promised by the Snow Essence Palace as an exchange.
But the number of Snow Crystal Worms in this ice cave, while far more than Zhou Chun had encountered elsewhere, gave no sign of the legendary Snow Crystal Worm King.
Nobody knew whether the Snow Crystal Worm King was truly here or not.
Zhou Chun could only take things one step at a time, capturing any Snow Crystal Worms he could find for now.
In the half a month that followed, Zhou Chun stayed inside the ice cave, going back and forth between the end of the ice cave and the entrance multiple times, capturing any Snow Crystal Worms that appeared.