233: Chapter 233 That day, people remembered...

Before nightfall, Snow Rock Fortress had already entered a state of lockdown.

The iron gates of the outer city descended layer by layer.

Heavy black rock gates slid out from the inner side of the city walls, the gear mechanisms left over from the old era emitting a low sound.

Guards ran along the city walls, moving crates of blue crystal arrows onto the firing platforms.

Craftsmen dragged their toolboxes, checking the artillery turrets and warm stone pipelines.

Some older residents took their children to transfer to the underground cold-shelter areas, while the young people remained on the streets, piling up wooden boards, beast bones, and metal scraps at their doorways to block the gaps.

The Cold Assault was the disaster the Snow Plains tribes were most familiar with.

It was no ordinary wind and snow.

Every time a Cold Assault arrived, the heat in the air would be rapidly drained, and the low temperatures outside the fortress were enough to cause ordinary people to lose their ability to move in a short time.

Snow Rock Fortress had been able to exist until now because of its central tower and the outer city walls.

Lu Cheng stood by the guest room window, watching the busy residents outside.

Including him and Su Wan, there were nine people in the room.

Lu Cheng, Su Wan, and Li Chenzhou.

The remaining six were survivors from the Second Exploration Team.

They came from the Military District and the Academy respectively, with four being young Martial Artists from the Northwest Military District and two being members of the Academy support mission.

This kept the atmosphere in the room heavy.

Li Chenzhou sat by the table, holding a cup of hot water, but he hadn't drunk from it for a long time.

His complexion had recovered somewhat, but there was still exhaustion in the depths of his eyes.

Having Source Power drained by a refining chamber was not something that could be recovered immediately just by drinking a few potions.

Su Wan sat in a position close to the warm stone wall, closing her eyes to regulate her breath.

Snow Spirit lay on Lu Cheng's knees, curling itself up with its two tails.

It liked cold air, but it did not like the aura of this fortress tonight.

Time passed bit by bit.

When the sky turned completely dark, the sound of the wind outside became heavier.

The warm stones in the guest room had not yet been activated.

The light-blue warm stone on the wall only glowed slightly, and the heat it emitted was very limited.

Lu Cheng had originally not paid much attention to the cold, but after eight o'clock at night, he also felt a trace of bone-piercing chill.

Even when his Source Power circulated, there would be brief delays.

Li Chenzhou looked up at the wall, his brows furrowed tightly.

"I've stayed in the Northwest for so long, and I've never felt it this cold."

Another Military District Martial Artist, Chen Li, rubbed his hands.

"When the Cold Wind Defense Line was at its coldest, I kept watch on the outer wall overnight."

"The cold over there isn't the same as it is here."

"Even the Source Qi here is suppressed."

A female Academy student said in a low voice:

"Then what about the residents outside?"

No one in the room answered.

They all knew that heating was not distributed evenly.

The Central District and the area near the Council of Elders would definitely be able to hold out.

How many people would not survive the night in those dilapidated houses in the West District was hard to say.

The clock hands slowly turned to nine o'clock.

The walls of the guest room suddenly lit up with full blue light.

The warm stone pipelines hidden inside the walls began to operate.

A burst of warm airflow was sent out from the metal vents in the corners, and the chill in the room was finally suppressed somewhat.

Snow Spirit raised its head and touched the warm air vent with its paw.

"Ying."

It turned its head to look at Lu Cheng.

"Dad, the wind is hot."

Lu Cheng stroked its head.

"Don't run around tonight."

Snow Spirit nodded earnestly.

As the heating turned on, everyone's condition eased slightly.

The exploration team members ate some hot food and took turns checking their equipment.

Li Chenzhou reorganized the team, arranging for two people to guard the first half of the night and two for the second half.

Lu Cheng did not interfere.

He sat by the window, closing his eyes to perceive his surroundings.

After Snow Rock Fortress entered full lockdown, the sound of footsteps on the streets gradually decreased.

Residents returned indoors.

Guards retreated into the sentry towers on the inner side of the city walls.

The light from the central tower became stronger and stronger, and blue energy flowed along the pipelines to every part of the city.

The night gradually deepened.

Everyone thought that as long as they endured the cold, this night would pass.

Just then, Lu Cheng's heart suddenly jumped.

Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck had activated.

An ominous intent pressed down from all directions, with the thickest thread pointing towards the north wall of the fortress.

Lu Cheng opened his eyes.

"There's a situation."

Li Chenzhou stood up immediately.

"Enemies?"

"Not sure."

Lu Cheng walked to the door, his Yueyao Pulse expanding.

The Frost Guard that was Snow Rock Fortress's trump card had already been smashed by him, and the remaining combat power of the Council of Elders could no longer pose a threat to him.

Could someone be attacking them under the cover of night?

But the fortress was already closed at this time.

The temperature outside continued to drop, and according to what Yi Ning said, monsters would hide during the Cold Assault and would not actively approach the fortress.

Lu Cheng did not know where the problem was coming from.

He could only continue to wait.

Ten o'clock.

Eleven o'clock.

Twelve o'clock.

There was still no abnormality in the surroundings.

However, the cold in the room was getting heavier and heavier.

The warm stones were already turned to the maximum, and the blue crystal light on the walls was bright, but the chill was still pressing in bit by bit.

Several exploration team members put on thick coats, but their faces were still blue from the cold.

Li Chenzhou had someone light a fire in the center of the room.

Only after the flames burned could the temperature inside the room be barely maintained.

The sound of the wind outside the room was very heavy.

Every once in a while, the entire house would tremble slightly.

Su Wan walked to the window and raised her hand, pressing it against the window sill.

Frost had already covered the entire window from the outside.

She said softly:

"The temperature outside is still dropping."

Chen Li couldn't help but say:

"In this situation, can anything really move?"

Li Chenzhou said in a deep voice:

"With this kind of city wall quality, even an ordinary Hua Hai Realm Martial Artist couldn't break through it."

Frost covered the entire field of vision, and only the faint blue light outside could be seen.

At some point, a moon hung in the sky.

That moon was huge, whitish in color, and abnormally bright.

When it appeared from behind the thick snow clouds, the entire fortress was illuminated in a layer of cold white.

Snow Spirit suddenly stood up from the table.

It stared out the window, its ears perked up.

"Dad, the ground is moving."

Under Lu Cheng's feet, a very slight tremor also came.

Once.

And again.

Very slow.

Very heavy.

Everyone in the room fell silent.

Li Chenzhou walked to the door.

"What is that sound?"

No one answered.

The next second.

Boom!

A loud noise came from the direction of the north wall.

The entire guest room vibrated violently.

The water cup on the table tipped over, and the fire was also scattered by half.

A sharp alarm sounded outside.

That was the city defense alarm bell of Snow Rock Fortress.

The bell rang urgently, tolling continuously.

Li Chenzhou's expression changed.

"The city wall is under attack!"

Lu Cheng had already pushed open the door.

Cold air poured in instantly.

That chill was extremely intense; several exploration team members stepped back on the spot.

Some even had tiny frost appearing on their faces.

Lu Cheng raised his hand, and the Eternal Calamity Fire rose from his palm.

The black-red flames spread forward, forcibly dispersing the cold air at the door.

Warmth spread through the corridor, allowing everyone to follow him out of the room.

The Central District was already in chaos.

A large number of residents rushed out from their houses, wearing thick leather armor and holding weapons.

Some elderly and children were herded toward the underground cold-shelter caves.

The city defense bell was still ringing.

In the direction of the north wall, blue warning lights flashed continuously.

Lu Cheng looked up.

Then, he saw a truly shocking scene.

A white giant was clinging to the city wall.

Half of its body was pressed against the outside of the north wall, its arms hooked onto the battlements, and its huge head peered above the fortress.

Its skin was like frozen ice rock for many years, covered with a thick layer of white frost on the surface.

Irregular ice spikes grew on its shoulders, spine, and arms.

It had no complete clothing, only animal skins and broken iron chains wrapped around its waist.

That head drooped down, and its hollow blue eyes overlooked the entire fortress.

Its breathing was very slow.

Every time it exhaled, large patches of ice mist formed.

The north wall had already been smashed open by it, creating a gap.

The heavy black rock city wall collapsed inward, and several artillery turrets were crushed into fragments.

Guards were firing on the city wall.

Blue crystal arrows and Source energy shells hit the giant, but could only explode shallow ice chips.

It slowly raised its hand.

It slapped down with one palm.

A sentry tower on the city wall shattered instantly.

Screams came from the wind and snow.

Lu Cheng's eyes darkened.

The aura of this thing had already reached the level of a War General.

And because of its size and the Cold Assault environment bonus, it was even more troublesome than an ordinary War General.

On the streets, the residents had already begun to assemble.

Many people knew that going out might mean death, yet they still put on armor, picked up weapons, and ran toward the north wall.

No one urged them.

And no one shouted slogans.

They just gritted their teeth and rushed forward.

Because they knew very well that if the central tower was destroyed, the entire Snow Rock Fortress would not survive the night.

Not fighting would mean death.

Fighting still offered a slim chance.

Yi Ning had also arrived.

She was wearing a deep blue Elder robe, with hunter leather armor over it, and she held a longbow in her hand.

The gemstone on her forehead glowed brightly, and blue patterns spread along her cheeks.

Yi Luo followed behind her, holding a small bag of blue crystals, her face pale.

Lu Cheng walked over quickly.

"What is that?"

Yi Ning looked up at the north wall, her voice very low.

"Frost Giant."

"An ancient species... Rumored to have once been human... But after being transformed, they stood against humanity and were sealed underground by the first Human King... However, as time passed, the Seal loosened... At the same time, they gained a new driving force..."

"Only on the night of the Cold Assault do they climb out from the depths of the ice."

Li Chenzhou followed, his expression grave.

"Has this thing attacked the fortress before?"

Yi Ning nodded.

"A long time ago, it happened."

"Old records of the Snow Plains tribes say that the Frost Giants come from the Northern Rift Valley."

"They usually sleep underground, relying on cold meridians to maintain their bodies."

"During a Cold Assault, the surface temperature drops to its lowest, and they can move."

"They will search for high-energy sources."

She looked toward the central tower.

"It is coming for the energy tower."

Lu Cheng looked in the direction of her gaze.

The central tower was running at full power at this moment, and the blue crystal at the top was blindingly bright.

To the residents of the fortress, that was the guarantee of survival.

To the Frost Giant, that was the most obvious target.

Yi Ning gripped her longbow tightly.

"Normally, the fortress is not afraid of the Frost Giant."

"We have the Frost Guard."

"And long-range artillery turrets and blue crystal crossbow arrays."

"As long as the Frost Guard can hold it off, the firepower on the city walls can shatter its core bit by bit."

She paused; the Frost Guard was gone now.

Now that the Frost Giant was clinging to the city wall, Snow Rock Fortress just happened to lack the only combat power capable of standing up to it head-on.

There was no extra time to discuss this matter.

The gap in the north wall was getting bigger and bigger.

The Frost Giant had already stepped one leg into the fortress.

Its massive sole trampled on the street, and large sections of stone slabs shattered.

Several nearby houses collapsed halfway on the spot.

Cold air poured in from the gap, and many residents were frozen to the point of sluggish movement.

The artillery turrets fired continuously.

Boom, boom, boom!

Blue fire exploded on the giant's chest.

The Frost Giant gave a low roar and raised its arm to block the artillery fire.

The next moment, it grabbed a section of the collapsed city wall and threw it at the artillery turrets.

Yi Ning's expression changed.

"Get out of the way!"

But it was already too late.

The city wall fragments smashed toward the location of the three artillery turrets.

Lu Cheng's figure disappeared from where he stood.

The Eternal Calamity Fire drew a black-red trajectory from the street.

He activated the Flame Demon Transformation.

Black-red flames covered his entire body, and the Holy Dragon Armament appeared simultaneously.

Dragon scales spread from his arms, and the Gold Luminary Pulse lit up with sharp gold patterns.

Lu Cheng appeared in front of the artillery turrets and threw a punch.

Bang!

The huge city wall fragment exploded in mid-air.

The rubble was burned into red residue by the Eternal Calamity Fire, and by the time it fell to the ground, it had already lost most of its cold.

All the guards on the city wall were stunned for a moment.

Lu Cheng did not stop.

He looked up at the Frost Giant.

The opponent was also looking at him.

There was no obvious intelligence in those hollow blue eyes, only an instinctive craving for high-energy life.

It abandoned the artillery turrets.

The huge palm slapped directly down at Lu Cheng.

The wind pressure landed a step ahead, and the ground cracked over a large area.

Shadows spread under Lu Cheng's feet.

The Hundred Shadow Killing Formation surged out from beneath the broken city walls, streets, and eaves.

Dozens of shadow Clones rushed toward the Frost Giant's arm, clinging tightly to its fingers and wrist.

The giant pressed down with its palm, and the shadow bodies shattered one after another.

Every time a shadow body shattered, it would strike the force of backlash into the ice layer of its arm.

Crack, crack, crack.

A large number of cracks appeared on the giant's wrist.

Lu Cheng leaped up.

Black-red flames exploded behind him, propelling his body toward the giant's chest.

Snow Spirit stood on the roof, its little paws pressing against the tiles, opening its mouth to spit out silver-blue Frost Flames.

The Frost Flames did not attack the giant, but instead froze several houses nearby that were about to collapse, stabilizing the escape routes for the trapped residents inside.

Yi Luo shouted from below:

"Snow Spirit, be careful!"

Snow Spirit turned its head and chirped.

"Ying!"

Then it continued to spray Frost Flames, helping the residents block the cold wind pouring in.

Yi Ning saw this scene and immediately gave an order.

"All crossbow arrays, coordinate with Lu Cheng!"

"Suppress the giant's shoulders and eyes!"

The guards on the city wall reacted quickly.

Blue crystal arrows changed direction, concentrating their fire on the Frost Giant's head and shoulders.

The giant was constrained by the firepower, and its movements stopped for a moment.

This moment was enough for Lu Cheng.

He rushed to the giant's chest.

The Yueyao Pulse shone through his perception.

Soon, he found the core location of the Frost Giant.

Deep in the chest cavity was a cold blue crystal core, which was connecting the whole body through flesh and ice.

"Found it."

The gold patterns on Lu Cheng's right arm lit up.

The black-red flames brought by the Flame Demon Transformation wrapped around his fist.

The Gold Luminary Pulse made his punch even sharper.

He smashed his fist into the Frost Giant's chest.

Boom!

The thick ice armor was punched through directly.

The Frost Giant let out a deafening low roar.

It closed its hands, wanting to crush Lu Cheng to death against its chest.

Lu Cheng raised his hand and summoned a War General-level mechanical Puppet.

The gray alloy Puppet fell from the System space, spreading its arms to take the giant's left palm head-on.

Bang!

The mechanical Puppet was slapped into a half-kneeling position, and its outer armor dented on the spot.

But it successfully bought half a second.

Lu Cheng grabbed the crack in the chest, and his whole body rushed directly inside.

The Eternal Calamity Fire poured into the giant's body along the crack.

Black-red flames spread under the ice layer.

Cracks continuously exploded on the Frost Giant's chest.

It began to struggle frantically, its feet crushing the street, its body smashing into nearby houses.

Li Chenzhou led the exploration team members to rush onto the street, dragging several residents who could not escape in time away from the danger zone.

Chen Li gritted his teeth and carried a frostbitten guard on his back.

"Hurry, go!"

Su Wan also made a move.

She stood in the center of the street, the phantom of the Ice Emperor Soul Map emerging.

Thirty-six ice crystals floated in front of her, turning into lines of defense, stabilizing the ground that had been cracked by the giant.

Her ice-cold power was of the same origin as the Cold Assault, and it exerted even greater power in this environment.

"Yi Ning."

"Get the residents to withdraw behind the center."

Yi Ning nodded and immediately took people to evacuate.

The Frost Giant let out a final roar.

It raised its head and opened its mouth, spraying a stream of extremely cold air toward the central tower.

Once that airflow landed, the outer blue crystals of the central tower would likely be damaged.

Lu Cheng raised his head from the crack in its chest.

"Still want to smash the tower?"

His right hand grabbed that cold blue crystal core.

The Gold Luminary Pulse was fully activated.

His five fingers tightened.

Crack.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the crystal core.

The Eternal Calamity Fire drilled into the depths of the core along the cracks.

The next moment, the Frost Giant's extremely cold airflow was interrupted.

Its massive body froze in place.

Lu Cheng slammed the crystal core out of the chest cavity.

Boom!

The giant's body began to collapse from the chest.

The ice armor, skeleton, and flesh all lost support, falling apart piece by piece.

Lu Cheng leaped out from mid-air.

The mechanical Puppet stepped forward, raised its shield, and blocked the large pieces of ice remains falling toward the street.

Su Wan raised her hand, and the ice crystals turned into a barrier, protecting the residents behind.

Finally, the Frost Giant completely collapsed.

In front of the broken north wall, a huge pile of white remains was formed.