Departing from the passionate, tragic Fire Crow Village, Tang Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister Liu Yun didn't rest. Riding flying artifacts, they raced northward. The Southern Frontier's humidity and verdure quickly faded behind. The scenery below scrolled like a painting, transitioning from layered mountains' ink-green to gentle hills' pallid yellow, then to endless, cold-tinged earth-brown wasteland.
The further north, the drier and more biting the air became. The wind carried knife-like sharpness. Spiritual energy attribute transitioned from Southern Frontier's fire-wood dominance to water-ice dominance, with thin traces of metal and earth, appearing cold and stern. For Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister just adapting to Southern Frontier environment, this was another adjustment process.
"According to Master Tianjizi's final star map and the riddle 'Star-fall place, dao-origin's beginning,' combined with Four Symbols directions—Black Tortoise belongs to water, governs north, guards darkness. Its soul crystal's most probable location is this extreme north's 'Northern Plains Snow Region.'" Xiao Qi spread out a brief Northern Plains map purchased at a large cultivation mart, brow slightly furrowed. On the map, records about the snow region's depths were scarce, mostly marked with "unknown," "dangerous," "spirit-depleted zone" annotations.
Third Senior Sister tightened her newlychange to, snow-fox fur-lined cold-resistant magical clothing. Her breathcondensed intowhitemist. "The Northern Plains Snow Region, they say, is miles of ice eternal, never thawing. Not only is the environment extreme, but many fierce beasts adapted to bitter cold inhabit here. There are even rumors of ancient ice-attribute divine beast bloodline descendants lurking. Its danger level probably rivals the Southern Frontier."
Xiao Qi nodded. Feeling the omnipresent cold in the air, he tried operating his cultivation technique. Initially, that icy spiritual energy entering his meridians brought slight stinging and stagnation. But quickly, his Four Symbols golden coreslightslightturnmovement. Particularly the Black Tortoise Soul Crystal's power was summoned. A heavy, warm, embracing water spiritual intention circulated, easily assimilating and absorbing the icy-cold qi. Not only no discomfort, but a sensation of fish returning to water!
"It seems the benefits of gathering Four Symbols are already manifesting." Xiao Qi rejoiced internally. Four Symbols balance greatly enhanced his adaptability to various extreme environments.
Half a month later, heaven and earth's colors were completely replaced by monotonous white and gray-blue. They had officially entered the Northern Plains Snow Region's outer reaches.
As far as eye could see, endless snow plains stretched to the horizon's end, merging with lead-gray sky. The wind howled with snow spray, like white sandstorm, sweeping across the land,emitted a wailing sound like ghosts and wolves. Massive glaciers, like sleeping dragons, lay across the snow plains, reflecting icy light. Temperature was terrifyingly low. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators here, without special cold-resistant means, probably couldn't last one hour before freezing.
Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister had to activate spiritual power barriers to resist the pervasive severe cold and wind blades. Even for them, traveling in such conditions consumed spiritual power far beyond normal.
"This space seems somewhat abnormal too." Third Senior Sister swept her divine sense across surroundings, expression grave. "Within the wind and snow, spatial distortion fluctuations are faint. Easy to lose direction. Moreover, divine sense detection range is heavily suppressed."
Xiao Qi also discovered this. His divine sense originally covered a hundred li, now compressed to less than ten li, perception becoming fuzzy. This undoubtedly brought enormous difficulty in finding the Black Tortoise Soul Crystal.
The two lowered flying altitude, struggling through wind and snow. Beneath their feet lay snow accumulated for countless millennia, occasionally showing frost-resistant, crystal-like strange plantstenaciously extending branches in the wind and snow.
After roughly a day of travel, besides the harsh environment, no other dangers were encountered. But both dared not relax in the slightest.
Toward evening, wind and snow eased slightly. They found a leeward ice cliff, excavating a temporary ice cave for rest.
Just as Xiao Qi set up a simple warning array, the rabbit spirit on his shoulder suddenly became restless. Its long earsverticalcanstraight. Ruby-like eyesstaring fixedly atice caveoutside'ssomedirectiontoward, throatemitted "gu-gu" low warning sounds.
"Something's wrong!" Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister instantly alert,suppressaura, gazing sharply outside the cave.
After a moment, accompanied by extremely slight,as ifice crystal friction's "sha-sha" sounds, over a dozen white shadows, like ghosts, silently emerged from the wind-snow-veiled darkness, quietly surrounding the ice cave.
These creatures resembled giant wolves, but more agile and slender. Their thick white fur almost blended with the snow. Their eyes flickered with pale blue ice light. Breath exhaledcondensed intoice crystal in the air. Their auras weren't particularly strong—mostly early to mid Foundation Establishment—but their movements were silent, coordinated, gazes cold andfilled withwildness. They were obviously excellent hunters of these snow plains.
"Snow Shadow Demon Wolves!" Third Senior Sister recognized this Northern Frontier unique beast. "They're skilled in concealment and encirclement. The wolf king is at least late Foundation Establishment, possibly even False Core realm. Be careful of their ice attributetalent and claws."
The pack leader was an especially large specimen with silver fur streak on its forehead. Its aura had reached False Core realm. Its pale blue eyes coldly swept the ice cave, letting out a low howl.
"Awooo—!"
Like hearing an attack command, over a dozen Snow Shadow Demon Wolves simultaneously moved! They didn't pounce directly. Instead, forms flickering, instantly transforming into over a dozen blurry white shadows, likemerged intowind and snow, from all directions,initiated extremely swift'spounce attack atcunning angles! Claws tore air, bringing cutting cold gusts. Several wolves spat condensed ice spikes, like crossbow boltsshot towardice cave!
Extremely fast! Perfect coordination!
For an average Golden Core cultivator, with suppressed divine sense and harsh environment, suddenly encircled by this terrain-familiar wolf pack, it would certainly cause panic.
But Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister were no ordinary cultivators.
Facing this sudden encirclement, Xiao Qi's eyes narrowed. He didn'tuse the Flame Sword (power limited in this environment), norexecutelarge-scale spell. He simply stepped forward one step. The Black Tortoise Soul Crystal's power within his bodyslightslightguidemovement. A heavy, steady, like the depths of ten thousand zhang seas, aura expanded from his center!
"Black Tortoise... Domain Suppression!"
Not an attack, but domain oppression!
Those over a dozen attacking wolves felt the surrounding air instantly become viscous and heavy, as if falling into an invisible mud swamp. Speed suddenly dropped several notches! Their boasted stealth movement techniques, under this heavy force field, revealed obvious flaws!
Meanwhile, Third Senior Sister Liu Yun moved. Her sword stayed sheathed. She merely pressed fingers like sword,empty swing in air. Condensed mystic ice sword energiesstriking first after falling behind, precisely targeting those wolves' joints exposed by speed reduction, or ice spike weak points!
"Pu-pu-pu-pu—!"
Dull thuds rang out continuously. Sword energies weren't meant for killing, but for repelling andcollapseattack. Several wolves weresword qipointin joints, howling and rolling. Thoseshootcome'sice spike were precisely shattered by sword energies, transforming intoice powder everywhere.
That False Core wolf king, seeing this, its pale blue eyes flashedsurprised and doubtful. It obviously hadn't expected these intruders to be so troublesome. Especially that young man—his heavy aura even caused the wolf kingpalpitation.
It let out a short howl. The attacking wolves immediately ceased, quickly retreating,re-submerged intowind and snow, but that cold killing intentstill lockedstableice cave.
The wolf kingstaring fixedly at Xiao Qi,seemed to beweigh the pros and cons.
Xiao Qi didn't pursue. He justcalmgroundgaze at each other. He didn't want unnecessary killing. If they could be scared off, best.
Afterconfronta moment, the wolf king seemed to realize these two prey weren't easy targets. It growled, leading the pack, as silently as they came, retreating into the endless wind and snow, vanishing.
The ice cave front restored calm. Only wind howled as before.
"The Northern Plains Snow Region truly has death at every step." Third Senior Sister relaxed. Though the exchange was brief just now, being tangled by the wolf pack in this harsh environment would be a major trouble.
Xiao Qi's gazedeep into the deeper areas of the wind and snow. "That was merely the outer appetizer. Finding the Black Tortoise Soul Crystal will probably be even harder. What exactly does Master Tianjizi's 'dao-origin's beginning' point to?"
After resting overnight, the two set out again, advancing toward the legendary snow region's depths even birds couldn't cross. The environment grew harsher. Encountered beasts grew stronger. Once, they distantly sensed a terrifying ice aura comparable to late Golden Core, forcing a detour of several hundred li.
Ten days later, they arrived at a massive, mirror-smooth ice lake. The lake was vast and boundless. The opposite shoredisappearatwind and snowin,seenottoend. According to star map calculations, one of several fuzzy coordinates where the Black Tortoise Soul Crystal might exist was either in this ice lake's depths or somewhere beyond the opposite shore.
However, standing before this silent ice lake, both Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister felt a nameless,deep within the soulthrob and... warning. As if beneath that calm ice surface slumbered some extremely terrifying existence.