92: Polar Icefield

Half a month had passed since they left Luoxia Valley, and Liu Shan and his son traveled north. The climate grew colder and colder, and the vegetation along the way gradually changed from Spiritual Plants to cold-resistant coniferous forests. Eventually, even the trees became sparse, leaving only a desolate wasteland covered in ice and snow.

The sky in the far north was always gray, and the cold wind, like a knife, cut across their faces, bringing with it a biting chill. Liu Zhi pulled his animal fur coat tighter and couldn't help but shiver: "Father, this godforsaken place is too cold. How could Mo Chu be here?"

The Golden Dragon Scale at Liu Shan's waist emitted a faint warmth, dispelling some of the cold. He pointed ahead: "Another hundred li forward is the edge of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Field. The aura there, which the scale is sensing, is getting closer and closer."

He took out a Cold-Resistant Pill, refined by Lin Qingxue, from his Storage Pouch and handed one to Liu Zhi: "Hold it in your mouth; it can resist the erosion of the cold Qi."

The two continued forward, the snow underfoot growing thicker, past their knees, making every step exceptionally difficult. The Spiritual Qi in the air became thin and icy, like needles when inhaled into their lungs. If not for their profound cultivation, they would have probably frozen stiff long ago.

"Father, look ahead!" Liu Zhi suddenly pointed forward, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Liu Shan looked up and saw several corpses lying in the snow. They were dressed in animal fur clothing, and their skin was a strange purplish-blue, clearly frozen to death. However, their expressions were filled with terror, as if they had seen something extremely frightening before they died.

"They are Loose Cultivators," Liu Shan examined the bodies, his brow slightly furrowed. "Their Storage Pouches have been emptied, as if they were robbed, but the wounds were not caused by swords or sabers; they look more like they were torn apart by some kind of wild beast."

His Po Wang Swordplay sensed a faint trace of Demonic Qi lingering around the bodies, as well as an even stranger aura—cold, domineering, and with a sense of order that did not belong to Yao Beasts.

"Is it an Ice Clan Cultivator?" Liu Zhi recalled records from ancient texts. The Ice Clan were the indigenous people of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Field, skilled in ice Spells, solitary in nature, and disliked outsiders intruding.

"It doesn't seem like it," Liu Shan shook his head. "The aura of an Ice Clan Cultivator is purer; this aura is mixed with bestiality."

Just then, a wolf howl echoed from a distance, sharp and mournful, carrying a strong scent of blood.

"Be careful!" Liu Shan pulled Liu Zhi behind a large rock.

A moment later, a pack of snow wolves darted out from the snow. These snow wolves were twice the size of ordinary wolves, with snow-white fur and ice-blue eyes. Blood still hung from the corners of their mouths, clearly having just returned from a hunt.

There were more than twenty snow wolves in total, and the leading wolf had a tuft of black fur on its forehead, exuding the pressure of the Golden Core Stage, clearly the Wolf King.

They seemed to have caught the scent of living humans, stopping in their tracks, their ice-blue eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings, finally locking onto the large rock where Liu Shan was hiding.

"Awoo—!" The Wolf King let out a howl, and the pack immediately fanned out, surrounding the large rock.

"Father, what should we do?" Liu Zhi gripped his Wind Shadow Sword, his palms slightly sweaty.

"Finish them quickly; don't expose our tracks," Liu Shan whispered, his Thunderclap Saber silently drawn.

He suddenly charged out from behind the large rock, a golden-black saber light erupting instantly, like lightning in the dark night, slashing towards the Wolf King!

The Wolf King clearly didn't expect its prey to be so fierce. Its pupils constricted, wanting to dodge, but it was locked onto by the saber light. It could only let out an angry roar, spitting out an ice cone to meet the saber light!

"Clang!"

The ice cone was instantly shattered by the saber light, and the Wolf King was shaken back several steps, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of its mouth.

Seeing this, the other snow wolves pounced, their sharp claws carrying a chilling Qi, aiming for Liu Shan's vital points.

Liu Zhi also charged out from the other side, his Wind Shadow Sword transforming into a streak of light, its sword Qi agile, specifically targeting the snow wolves' limbs. Cooperating with Liu Shan's fierce assault, they quickly killed several snow wolves.

But the snow wolves fought fearlessly, pouncing one after another. In a flash, both men were covered in a good amount of wolf blood, which quickly froze into ice in the extreme cold.

"Po Wang—Sever!" Liu Shan seized the opportunity, his saber light pointing directly at the Wolf King's neck!

A hint of fear flashed in the Wolf King's eyes. It turned to flee but was entangled by Liu Zhi's Wind Shadow Sword on its hind leg. It let out a scream and had its head severed by the saber light!

With the Wolf King dead, the remaining snow wolves immediately scattered, tucking their tails and fleeing into the vast snowy wilderness.

Liu Shan gasped for breath, looking at the wolf corpses scattered on the ground, his brows furrowed even tighter: "There's something wrong with these snow wolves' eyes; it's as if they were controlled."

He examined the Wolf King's corpse and indeed found a tiny needle mark on its neck. The skin around the needle mark was a faint blue, clearly indicating that some kind of medicine had been injected.

"It's a medicine for controlling Yao Beasts, but it's much more potent than ordinary medicine, carrying the aura of ice-elemental Spiritual Qi," Liu Shan said in a deep voice. "It seems the Ten Thousand Year Ice Field is not peaceful. Besides the Ice Clan, there are other people active here."

Just then, the Golden Dragon Scale at his waist grew hot again. This time, the light was even brighter than before, even casting a clear arrow onto the snow, pointing towards the depths of the ice field.

"Mo Chu is calling us!" Liu Zhi exclaimed excitedly. "It must be just ahead!"

Liu Shan gripped his Thunderclap Saber, his gaze fixed on the depths of the ice field. The sky there was even more overcast, and a massive ice mountain could vaguely be seen. The peak of the ice mountain was covered with thick snow, exuding a chilling pressure.

The arrow of the Golden Dragon Scale was pointing precisely at that ice mountain.

"Let's go, let's take a look," Liu Shan said, a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

He had a premonition that behind that ice mountain lay an unknown secret. Perhaps they would not only find Mo Chu but also unravel the mystery of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Field.

The two followed the direction of the arrow, walking towards the ice mountain.

The snow grew heavier, almost obscuring their vision, forcing them to rely on the Golden Dragon Scale's guidance. The scent of blood in the air grew stronger, and occasionally they saw more corpses—Loose Cultivators, Yao Beasts, and even a few corpses dressed in Ice Clan attire, all gruesomely dead.

Liu Shan's heart grew heavier. He could feel that a powerful force was rampaging across the Ten Thousand Year Ice Field, and they had already trespassed into the sphere of this force.

The ice mountain grew closer. Its size was even more colossal than it appeared from a distance, like a sleeping giant beast, standing in the center of the ice field. The surface of the ice mountain was covered with a thick layer of solid ice, beneath which some black patterns could vaguely be seen, like some kind of massive chains.

The light of the Golden Dragon Scale became exceptionally bright as they approached the ice mountain, even beginning to tremble slightly, conveying an urgent message of "It's inside."

Liu Shan and Liu Zhi exchanged glances, both seeing determination in each other's eyes.

They took a deep breath and walked towards the ice mountain.

At the foot of the ice mountain was a huge cave entrance. The entrance was covered by a layer of ice, but there was a clearhole in the ice, obviously broken open by force.

Strong Spiritual Qi fluctuations lingered around the entrance, along with several corpses dressed in black clothing. There was a clear palm print on their chests, charred black, as if burned by flames, yet the surrounding snow was completely intact, clearly indicating some kind of strange fire Spell.

"It's people from the Shadow Pavilion!" Liu Zhi recognized the clothing on the corpses, surprise flashing in his eyes. "Why would people from the Shadow Pavilion be here?"

Liu Shan didn't speak, only tightened his grip on the Thunderclap Saber. His Po Wang Swordplay told him that deep within the cave entrance, an extremely powerful aura was slumbering—cold, ancient, with a hint of familiar Dragon might, and growing closer to Mo Chu's aura.

He looked back at Liu Zhi and nodded.

The two, one after the other, entered the cave entrance.

Inside the cave entrance, it was pitch black, and the cold Qi was even more intense than outside; they could even hear the "crackling" sound of ice freezing. Liu Shan conjured a lighting talisman, and its golden light illuminated the passage ahead.

The passage was wide, as if a massive creature had forced its way through. The ice on the walls was uneven, and occasionally, some fallen golden scales could be seen, emitting a faint Dragon might.

"It's Mo Chu's scales!" Liu Zhi picked up a scale, excitedly exclaiming, "It must be here!"

Liu Shan also gripped the Golden Dragon Scale in his hand. The warmth from the scale grew stronger and stronger, even beginning to glow spontaneously, illuminating the path ahead.

At the end of the passage was a huge ice cave. In the center of the ice cave stood an ice-sealed altar. Black chains were wrapped around the altar, and the other end of the chains locked a massive figure!

It was a golden giant Dragon, its body ten zhang long, its scales resplendent, its Dragon whiskers fluttering. Although it was sealed in ice, it still exuded a domineering pressure that looked down upon the world!

And beside the giant Dragon's claw, a small black snake was coiled—it was Mo Chu! Its body was covered by ice, with only its golden horn still emitting a faint light, clearly in a state of slumber.

"Mo Chu!" Liu Shan and Liu Zhi cried out simultaneously, their eyes filled with excitement.

Just then, the ice-sealed giant Dragon suddenly opened its eyes. They were a pair of golden eyes, like two suns, shining with majestic light in the ice cave!

"Finally... have you come?" A ancient and majestic voice echoed in the ice cave, as if from primordial times.