21: Chapter 21 Tundra Crocodile

The light deep within the cave grew increasingly dim, barely illuminating the path ahead with the occasional flicker of lavender Lightning Radiance from Zhang Wen's fingertips. Fine ice crystals condensed on the damp rock walls, and the sound of their footsteps echoed through the empty tunnel with a dull resonance.

"My goodness, how can this godforsaken place be even colder than the ice plains outside?" Zhang Wen's teeth couldn't help but chatter, and the white breath he exhaled froze into a fine icy mist before it had even drifted half a foot. He suddenly lowered his waist and focused his mind, and crackling lightning instantly surged around his body—a sign that his talent, "Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder," was being pushed to its limit. The lavender Lightning Radiance entwined around his body like a living thing; the Thunder Power, which should have been overbearing and scorching, could now only barely offset the pervasive chill, leaving even his exposed knuckles somewhat red from the cold.

Chen Nianchu tucked back a few strands of hair that the cold wind had blown against her cheek and lightly tapped the rock wall with her lily-white fingertip. A layer of thin ice instantly condensed where she touched, only to be quickly covered by an even more intense chill. "It is indeed a bit unusual." Her brow furrowed slightly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible gravity. "My 'Frost Blade Ice Heart' is already specialized in condensing ice and resisting cold; normally, even extreme cold wouldn't freeze a single hair of mine, yet now I can feel the chill seeping into my marrow."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the deeper darkness ahead, where the chill had almost condensed into a visible white mist. "According to ancient records, a cold aura that can make an ice-attribute talent user feel oppressed is mostly related to high-level Demonic Beasts. Such creatures often guard rare spiritual treasures and use their own aura to construct a territorial barrier. Judging by the dominance of this chill, the creature guarding this place is likely at least between the Initial Blooming Realm and the Forming Realm."

Just as she finished speaking, a low roar suddenly erupted from the darkness ahead, shaking the cave and causing loose stones to fall from the ceiling. The Lightning Radiance around Zhang Wen's body surged violently, pushing back the chill in front of them by half an inch. "Looks like we didn't guess wrong; the host has already heard us."

The lightning around Zhang Wen suddenly flared up as the overbearing aura of the "Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder" spread out like a raging tide. Lavender Lightning Radiance condensed behind him into a translucent phantom of a Dragon, every scale shimmering with crackling sparks. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, lightning arcs flickering in his palms, as even the surrounding chill was distorted by this violent power.

Chen Nianchu, meanwhile, was enveloped in a piercing ice-blue halo as her "Frost Blade Ice Heart" operated at full capacity. Spiderweb-like ice patterns instantly froze onto the ground beneath her feet. With a wave of her delicate hand, two ice prisms appeared out of thin air, hovering by her side. As the chill intertwined with her own innate power, it actually formed an ice mirror shield as thin as a cicada's wing in front of her.

At that moment, a deafening roar suddenly exploded from the darkness ahead—"Roar—!"

The sound was like ten thousand pieces of hard ice shattering at once, mixed with the brute force of a giant beast's roar. It shook the entire cave violently, causing ice prisms and rubble to rain down like a storm. Even more terrifying was the pressure carried within the roar; it struck their hearts like an invisible heavy hammer. The Lightning Radiance on Zhang Wen's body stalled abruptly, and fine cracks even appeared on the ice mirror in front of Chen Nianchu.

Aided by the Lightning Radiance and the icy glow, the two finally saw the figure in the darkness: it was a Frozen Tundra Giant Crocodile nearly ten zhang long. Its blue-black scales were covered in a thick shell of ice, each scale the size of a shield with sharp ice spikes condensed along the edges. Its body, sprawled on the ice, was like a moving hill. Blood-red vertical pupils lit up in the darkness, and the saliva dripping from its mouth froze into ice beads the moment it hit the ground. Its fierce aura was like a physical cold wave, merging with the chill deep in the cave and making it almost impossible to breathe.

"An Initial Stage of the Formation Realm Frozen Tundra Giant Crocodile!" Chen Nianchu's ice mirror shield thickened significantly, her voice carrying a hint of urgency. "Its scales have been tempered by the cold; ordinary attacks likely won't break its defense!"

Zhang Wen licked his numb, frozen lips, and the Dragon phantom behind him let out a responsive roar. "Even if I can't break its defense, I have to try! We can't just stand here and become popsicles!"

"Indestructible Thunder Body, activate!" Zhang Wen shouted suddenly, his voice carrying a wave of sound and lightning that exploded through the cave. The power of the "Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder" abruptly climbed to its peak. The lightning around him was no longer just ribbons of light but had transformed into physical armor—the lavender lightning armor was covered in spiderweb-like golden patterns. The roar of the Dragon phantom behind him resonated with his own shout, actually sending visible ripples of air through the rock walls.

"Take this! Rushing Thunder Delusion Breaking Fist, First Form: Startling Thunder Arises!"

Before his voice had even faded, Zhang Wen had already lunged forward like an arrow released from a bow, his right foot stomping hard on the ice and instantly creating a spiderweb of cracks in the hard surface. He clenched his right fist, and the destructive power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder condensed into a single point of blinding purple-gold Lightning Radiance at his knuckles. Before the punch even landed, the surrounding air was torn apart by the lightning, producing a sharp, explosive boom.

"Boom—!"

The moment his fist collided with the Frozen Tundra Giant Crocodile's thick ice armor, it felt as if a bolt of startling thunder had exploded deep within the cave. Violent Thunder Power spread along the crocodile's scales, and crackling bolts of electricity tore through the darkness. Countless ice shards were shaken loose from the rock walls and the crocodile's body, flying out and raining down like a heavy storm. Smoke and ice mist rose in a chaotic mix, instantly obscuring their vision, and even the bone-chilling cold was slightly thinned by the aftershocks of the strike.

Zhang Wen used the recoil to leap back several zhang, landing steadily beside Chen Nianchu. His chest heaved from the rapid breathing, and the Lightning Radiance on his knuckles was still slightly hot. He was about to speak when a deafening roar erupted from ahead: "Roar—!"

This roar was even more frantic than before, carrying the brute force of the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm. It was like an invisible Wind Blade, forcibly blowing away the pervasive smoke and ice mist!

The two focused their eyes, their pupils shrinking simultaneously—the Frozen Tundra Giant Crocodile was still crouched in the same spot. Although several pieces of the ice shell covering its blue-black scales had been shattered, revealing the even harder scales of its actual body beneath, there was no sign of pain in its blood-red vertical pupils. Instead, they were filled with the rage of being provoked. That "Startling Thunder Arises" strike, which was enough to shatter a thousand-jin boulder, had failed to leave even a shallow white mark on its body!

"How is that possible?!" Chen Nianchu cried out in a low voice, her usually calm face filled with disbelief. She knew Zhang Wen's strength—his cultivation at the Late Stage of the Initial Blooming Realm already far exceeded those of the same level, and with the boost from his SSS-grade "Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder," a typical Initial Stage of the Formation Realm Demonic Beast would have suffered broken bones and tendons from that punch, if not death. Yet, the Frozen Tundra Giant Crocodile before them had truly remained unscathed!

The ice prisms at her fingertips trembled violently, and her voice carried a trace of gravity. "It's its scales! The Frozen Tundra Giant Crocodile hibernates in Extreme Cold Ley Lines year-round; its scales are not only tempered by the chill to be as hard as profound iron, but they can also absorb the power of elemental attacks... Most of your Thunder Power was likely dissipated by its scales!"

Zhang Wen stared at the thickest scale on the crocodile's chest, his brow furrowed into a knot. The sensation from when his fist made contact still lingered in his fingertips; it was as hard as striking Ten-thousand-year Profound Ice. The recoiling chill had even followed the lightning into his Meridians, leaving his arm slightly numb.

"This is going to be a tough battle!" Zhang Wen said with a grim expression.