164: The terrifying tundra

A vast expanse of white lay before them, the gale howling like an enraged beast with wind speeds reaching thirty meters per second, swirling ice shards striking the shield like dense bullets with a fine "pitter-patter" sound.

Most of the forward vision was blurred by flying snow, making visibility extremely low. Even wearing an ignition jumpsuit, the extreme cold seeping through the gaps in the shield was enough to make an ordinary person lose their ability to move instantly.

The faint five-colored halo circulating around Lin Luo could no longer be fully restrained; it had to be maintained outside his body to form a relatively stable energy shield, protecting the two inside. He himself was naturally not afraid of this bit of cold, but Erina's body was far from reaching the point where it could withstand such an extreme environment.

"If you had this ability, why didn't you use it earlier?" Erina grumbled in a low voice, hiding inside his shield and feeling a rare peace isolated from most of the gale.

With a thought, Lin Luo intentionally let a gap open at the edge of the shield, and a bone-chilling wind mixed with ice shards instantly drilled in!

"Hiss—!" Erina shivered from the cold and stomped on his foot hard.

Lin Luo then closed the gap and said crossly, "Do you think keeping this open doesn't take effort? Maintaining this thing is constantly consuming my energy."

Erina knew she was in the wrong, but she wouldn't admit defeat, craning her neck and saying, "Then take it back, I... I can still hold on for a while!"

Lin Luo curled his lip and pointed at several blurred, twisted ice-pillar-like shadows half-hidden by the snow not far ahead: "Fine, weigh yourself and see how much you're worth. Do you see those 'ice pillars' ahead?"

Erina followed the direction he pointed, squinting her eyes to look, and vaguely recognized that they didn't seem to be naturally formed ice pillars; their outlines vaguely resembled... stiff human figures? She had a faint ominous premonition in her heart but still nodded.

"Those," Lin Luo's tone was flat but carried a cruel reality, "are all guys who, like you, 'thought they could still hold on' and ended up freezing to death halfway. Ice Hell won't give you a chance to regret."

Frightened by these words, Erina subconsciously shrank back and pressed tightly against Lin Luo's side, her previous little stubbornness vanishing instantly. After a few seconds, she asked again cautiously and in a slightly pleasing tone, "Then... then if you keep the shield open like this, is the consumption very large? Is the burden heavy?"

Seeing her transform from a baring-claws kitten to a well-behaved and worried look, a flicker of amusement passed through Lin Luo's eyes, and his tone softened: "Mhm, that's a good girl. It's alright, there is consumption, but it should last until we find a place to rest away from the wind and snow. We can recover then."

Hearing him say "it's alright," Erina breathed a slight sigh of relief, but hearing that "good girl," her cheeks burned again, and she snorted in embarrassment, turning her face away: "Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth! Good girl my foot!"

"Hey, Lin Luo! It's great that you haven't gone far!" Toriko's voice pierced through the snow from behind. Lin Luo looked back to see Toriko carrying Komatsu on his back, catching up with heavy, rapid steps.

Komatsu lay on Toriko's back, his face pale, pointing a trembling finger at a huge shadow to the side, his voice shaking with lingering fear: "Mr. Lin Luo, Mr. Toriko! That... that is the 'Gatekeeper of the Frozen World that Freezes Everything'—the Tundra Dragon!"

Hearing this, Erina also looked carefully in the direction Komatsu pointed through the halo of the shield Lin Luo maintained.

In the blurred vision of the snow, a massive, hideous, and lifelike dragon head was held high toward the sky, its mouth wide open as if letting out a silent roar. Its entire body was covered in a thick layer of ice, reflecting a faint blue light under the weak sky light, looking like a giant ice sculpture of divine craftsmanship.

In fact, it had indeed become an ice sculpture.

"It's already dead," Lin Luo said calmly. He had already probed with his Divine Sense; there was no trace of life within the giant dragon. However, deep within the dragon's frozen belly, he detected a faint, strange fluctuation of aura.

Toriko looked around solemnly at the other massive frozen outlines vaguely visible under the snow, his brow furrowed: "This... is the true entrance to the continent, right? Is it already this tragic?"

Lin Luo nodded and said deeply, "Stay sharp. The real test has just begun; there's a long, difficult road ahead. Before the sky turns completely dark and the snow intensifies further, we must find a stable place to hide from the blizzard and rest."

"You're right!" Toriko nodded vigorously, hoisting Komatsu higher on his back.

The four of them trudged forward with difficulty against the increasingly violent blizzard.

Not long after, rapid footsteps and shouts came from behind: "Mr. Toriko! Please wait for me!" It was Takimaru of the Gourmet Knights, catching up with effort.

Immediately after, the group from the Gourmet Gang also appeared in sight. The leader, Machi, looked at Lin Luo's figure ahead, which remained clear like a lighthouse emitting a stable glow in the snow, then looked at the worsening environment and the vague frozen beast outlines, and made a prompt decision, barking to his subordinates, "Follow them!"

The teams catching up from behind vaguely formed a temporary small column led by Lin Luo and the others, staggering forward in the raging white purgatory.

However, crisis always arrives quietly.

Swoosh! Swoosh, swoosh!

Suddenly, sharp air-piercing sounds came from all directions! Countless ice cones, sharpened like spears by the gale and accelerated by the wind and snow, shot toward the team like deadly arrow stray bullets without warning!

"Watch out!" Machi reacted extremely fast, instantly drawing the long sword at his waist. Amidst the flashing blade light, he shattered several thick ice cones attacking him and his subordinates.

Toriko also swung his arms, either using energy knives and forks or brute force to block the incoming ice cones, protecting Komatsu on his back. He shouted a reminder, "Keep moving! These ice cones, cut by the wind and snow for a long time, will become more and more numerous and dense! We can't stop!"

Because of the energy shield, Lin Luo was much more composed. Most of the ice cones hit the shield and were either bounced off or melted; only a few particularly thick and sharp ones required his slight attention. While maintaining the shield, he stayed alert to his surroundings and quickened his pace, carving out a relatively safe path for the people behind.

As the team continued deep into the heart of the Ice Continent, the raging snow had completely swallowed all traces and sounds. Those who lacked physical strength, were slower, or were injured and fell behind in the ice cone attacks had long since disappeared silently into the vast white, turning into new "ice pillars" in various poses on this Tundra, staying there forever as part of the cruel footnotes of "Ice Hell."

It wasn't until the sky grew completely dark in the blizzard that Lin Luo suddenly realized that of the dozens of hunters who had followed from the icebreaker, only a few were still struggling to follow behind.

Besides the four of them, only Takimaru of the Gourmet Knights and Machi of the Gourmet Gang with his three subordinates remained. The rest had already thrown their lives away in vain in this white purgatory that swallowed everything.

However, even those who remained were in a precarious state. Except for Erina, who was strictly protected by Lin Luo's energy shield, and Toriko, whose Physique was powerful and who still had strength to spare, everyone else was near their limit. Komatsu lay on Toriko's back, his face purple and his breathing weak, having fallen into a state of severe hypothermic coma. Takimaru's hand holding the horse was stiff and trembling, and Machi and his subordinates also had purple lips and staggering steps, relying entirely on willpower to hold on.

They couldn't wait any longer.

Lin Luo stopped his pace, took a deep breath, and the newly born five-colored crystal core inside his body turned slightly. He slowly spread his right palm, and a cluster of pure, soft white flame, as if condensing the warmth of life's Origin, quietly burned in his palm like a blooming lotus.

There was no scorching heat, only a warmth that dispelled all freezing cold.

His gaze swept over the few people in poor condition, and he waved his hand gently.

That white flame instantly split into several smaller sparks, flying out lightly and accurately sinking into the chests of Komatsu, Takimaru, Machi, and his three subordinates.

"Ugh...!"

Several people let out a low groan of relief almost simultaneously.

An indescribable torrent of warmth instantly erupted from within them, quickly flowing through their limbs and bones, dispelling the bitter cold that had almost frozen their Souls. Their frozen limbs felt as if they had suddenly soaked in a comfortable hot spring; the numbness and stinging pain quickly receded, and vitality surged in their bodies again.

Komatsu's eyelashes fluttered, his purple face began to regain a trace of color, and his breathing gradually became steady and strong.

Machi, this tough guy, for the first time showed an undisguised expression of shock mixed with gratitude on his face. He pursed his somewhat cracked lips before solemnly squeezing out two words: "...Thank you."

Takimaru took a deep breath of the long-lost warm air and gratefully cupped his fists to Lin Luo, everything left unsaid.

Lin Luo just waved his hand, indicating not to mind. His gaze then fell on Toriko. Although Toriko's condition was much better than Takimaru and the others, his gourmet cells' energy was also constantly burning to resist the severe cold and maintain high-intensity physical consumption, and his aura was no longer as abundant and high-spirited as at the beginning.

"We must find a safe place to rest as soon as possible," Lin Luo said deeply, his voice still clear in the wind and snow, "and we urgently need food to supplement energy! Otherwise, even with my life energy temporarily warming you, exhausting your physical strength will still lead to death."

Moo—!!

Just as everyone was worrying about food and physical strength, a low but powerful mooing of cattle suddenly came from deep within the greyish-white snow ahead!

In the hazy white, a group of shadowy, robust outlines suddenly appeared. Moving closer, they saw it was a herd of Frozen Bison!

They were massive in size with knotted muscles, their thick fur matted with frost, and a pair of curved, sharp horns glinting coldly under the weak sky light.

These natives of the Tundra clearly held great hostility toward the humans intruding into their territory. They stared with eyes like copper bells, a fierce light showing in their eyes, their nostrils spraying thick white steam, and their hind hooves restlessly pawing the hard ice with a "clack-clack" sound, their massive bodies lowering slightly, clearly preparing to launch a violent charge!

"Talk about getting what you wish for!" A sharp light flashed in Lin Luo's eyes. In this desperate land where food was scarce, the appearance of this herd of bison was undoubtedly sending charcoal in the snow—a "Gourmet Supply" from heaven!

With a flick of his right hand, a condensed and flexible milky-white light whip shot out like a venomous snake, lightning-fast wrapping around the four thick legs of the nearest bison and suddenly tightening! The bison's charging momentum was instantly checked, its massive body lost balance, and it crashed to the ground, letting out an angry and terrified roar.

At the same time, Lin Luo's left hand made a grasping motion, and a white spear made purely of condensed energy, emitting a sharp cold light, instantly took shape above his head.

Whoosh—Thud!

The spear, like a spear of judgment, pierced through the wind and snow, accurately stabbing into the vital point of the fallen bison!

Moo...!

A short wail came to an abrupt end. That strong Frozen Bison twitched violently a few times and then completely lost its life.

From the strike to the kill, it was only a blink of an eye—clean, efficient, and astonishing.

Takimaru and Machi also struck at the same time, their targets clear and their movements swift.

Machi gave a low shout, and the long sword at his waist unsheathed like lightning!

The blade light drew a cold and perfect arc in the wind and snow, accurately cutting into the neck vitals of another charging Frozen Bison—fast, accurate, and ruthless!

When the blade returned to its sheath, the bison's forward momentum had not completely stopped, but its head had already separated from its body, and its massive body charged forward a few more steps before crashing down.

On the other side, Takimaru's fighting style was completely different. He did not use a weapon but took a deep breath, his gourmet cells' energy surging as he used the unique power-exerting techniques of the Gourmet Knights. He nimbly avoided the bison's frontal collision, moved to the side, and smashed a punch that seemed simple and unadorned onto the bison's back neck vertebrae!

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone cracking that made one's teeth ache rang out!

That thick-skinned, muscle-knotted bison actually had its spine smashed apart by this one punch, its massive body instantly slumping as if its bones had been removed, dying on the spot without even a grunt. This strike not only had amazing power but also reflected a precise understanding of biological structure and a perfect grasp of timing.

In an instant, three Frozen Bison of capture rank 11 had been dealt with. For the group in urgent need of physical replenishment, this was already enough for a full meal.

Seeing this, Toriko did not personally hunt. He took a step forward, took a deep breath, and his body suddenly erupted with the terrifying pressure and violent appetite aura belonging to the Gourmet Devil within him!!

"Roar—!!"

An invisible airwave mixed with the deterrent of a top predator spread out. Those originally fierce Frozen Bison were instantly scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, the fierce light in their eyes completely fading, leaving only instinctive fear as they turned tail, letting out panicked moos and rushing into the depths of the vast wind and snow with chaotic hoofbeats, disappearing instantly.