235: Chapter 235 I, Lu Cheng, acknowledge you!

On the walls of Frostbone Fortress, the alarm bells had not stopped ringing.

Guard after guard surged up from the towers, arrow slits, and the inner stairs.

They wore gray-white bone armor, with mostly white markings on their faces, and the gems between their eyebrows glowed very faintly, like old crystals worn down by the cold wind.

Everyone stared at the black-red glow of fire outside the city walls.

The Cold Attack was still ongoing.

Snow and wind churned over the snow plains; if an ordinary hunter stepped out of the fortress in this weather, they would be frozen stiff within a few steps.

Yet those few people walked out of the snowstorm.

They were actually able to generate flames beneath their feet to dispel the cold.

The guards of Frostbone Fortress were too stunned to speak for a moment.

What kind of monsters could move during a Cold Attack?

At the top of the wall, a guard captain wearing a gray-bone cloak gripped his long spear; cold sweat had barely formed on his forehead before it froze into tiny ice beads in the cold wind.

If they opened the gates now, the cold wind would rush in, and the consumption of the central Warm Stones would double.

Opening the gate was definitely out of the question...

The guard captain stared intently at Lu Cheng.

"The Cold Attack has not ended. Frostbone Fortress cannot open the gates for a few outsiders."

Below the city gate, Lu Cheng faintly heard the argument above.

He could roughly understand the situation at Frostbone Fortress.

However... understanding is one thing. They were holding his people, and that debt had to be settled.

Lu Cheng looked up at the city wall. "Since you cannot open the gate, we will come in ourselves!"

Yi Ning's heart tightened. Before she could react, Lu Cheng had already reached out and grabbed her waist.

The next instant, she was hoisted onto Lu Cheng's shoulder.

Yi Ning's face turned red instantly. "What... what are you doing?!"

"Taking you up," Lu Cheng said naturally.

Yi Ning wanted to struggle, but then she remembered that they were currently in the middle of a Cold Attack; if she left the range of the Eternal Calamity Flame, her body would quickly be overwhelmed by the cold.

Su Wan glanced at them, ice crystals condensing beneath her feet. Li Chenzhou gripped his short spear silently, preparing to jump.

Flames exploded beneath Lu Cheng's feet. Boom! Carrying Yi Ning, he shot straight up into the sky.

Su Wan followed closely, stepping on stairs made of ice crystals. Li Chenzhou used his Military District footwork to leap onto the outer side of the city wall, stepped on a protruding bone pillar, and flipped over onto the wall.

The snowstorm was torn open by the Eternal Calamity Flame, creating a path. In the blink of an eye, the three of them landed on the walls of Frostbone Fortress.

Snow Spirit lay on Lu Cheng's shoulder, its tail fluffed up by the wind. As soon as it landed, it raised its paw and waved at the guards on the wall. "Ying."

No one responded. All the guards were stunned by this scene.

The walls of Frostbone Fortress were very high. Normally, even strong hunters needed to use a lift to go up or down.

During a Cold Attack, the outer surface of the wall was covered in thick ice, and the circulation of Source Power was suppressed by the low temperature. Yet, these few people had jumped straight up.

The guard captain reacted the fastest. He suddenly raised his spear. "Surround them!" "Outsiders are invading!"

The surrounding guards immediately swarmed up. Long spears, crossbows, and bone blades were all aimed at Lu Cheng and the others.

Lu Cheng set Yi Ning down. Yi Ning adjusted her cloak; the flush on her face had not yet completely faded, but she immediately stepped forward.

"I am Yi Ning, the Chief Elder of Snow Rock Fortress. We have come to find the outsiders who were previously sent by Snow Rock Fortress. You, Frostbone Fortress, have detained them."

The guard captain saw the gem between Yi Ning's eyebrows and her hunter insignia, his eyes flickering slightly. "Yi Ning?"

He had clearly heard this name before. The female hunter from Snow Rock Fortress had a certain reputation among the surrounding fortresses.

But soon, his expression turned cold again. "You couldn't keep the outsiders yourselves, so you sent them to us, and now you want to take them away? There is no such easy thing in this world."

Yi Ning's gaze turned cold. "Those outsiders never belonged to you."

The guard captain sneered. "The rules of Frostbone Fortress are decided by the Frost Bone Council of Elders. Snow Rock Fortress has no jurisdiction here."

He looked at Lu Cheng. "As for the 'strong' you speak of... Snow Rock Fortress has been getting weaker these past few years. I think... the 'strong' in your mouths are nothing special in Frostbone Fortress."

The surrounding soldiers closed in. There was fear in their eyes, but also the arrogance long cultivated by Frostbone Fortress.

The overall combat power of Frostbone Fortress was indeed stronger than that of Snow Rock Fortress. They had more hunters, tougher city defenses, and several well-preserved ancient weapons.

Lu Cheng frowned slightly. These people had seen them walk through the Cold Attack snow plains with their own eyes, yet they still thought about suppressing them. This kind of Courage was rare!

Lu Cheng raised his head, looked at the guard captain, and gave him a thumbs up. "I, Lu Cheng, approve of you!"

As his words fell, he stepped forward. No Holy Dragon Armament. No Flame Demon Transformation. The Gold Luminary Pulse flared on his right arm for an instant. Bang!

The guard captain flew backward, spear and all, knocking over three rows of soldiers behind him. Lu Cheng did not stop. With a pivot of his feet, his figure charged into the crowd.

In just a short moment, bodies were strewn across the city wall. No one was dead, but there wasn't a single Frost Bone guard left standing.

Lu Cheng brushed the ice shards from his hands. "Lead the way."

The few remaining patrolmen standing in the distance turned deathly pale. None of them dared to move.

Just then, rapid footsteps came from the inside of the wall. Several old men wearing gray-white robes climbed onto the wall.

The leader was a tall, thin old man with a bright white stone between his eyebrows, holding a bone staff. When he saw the soldiers lying all over the ground, his face immediately darkened.

"Outsiders! Frostbone Fortress took you in during the Cold Attack, yet you attack our guards. Do you want to put the entire fortress in danger?"

Yi Ning frowned. "Elder Mo'er, we are only here for those outsiders..."

Elder Mo'er didn't even look at her. His gaze was fixed solely on Lu Cheng. "Outsider, you must give Frostbone Fortress an explanation. There are thousands of clansmen here. Your actions will disrupt the order of the fortress."

Lu Cheng walked over. Elder Mo'er wanted to continue speaking. Slap! A slap landed.

Elder Mo'er spun halfway around and fell to the edge of the wall. The bone staff flew from his hand, and his face swelled up rapidly.

The surrounding Frost Bone Elders all froze. Lu Cheng looked at him. "You kidnapped our people, and you're telling me this?"

Elder Mo'er clutched his face, shock and fury flashing in his eyes. He had lived for so many years and had never been slapped on the city wall, in front of so many people.

But that blow just now made him clearly realize one thing: the strength of this outsider could not be suppressed by the ordinary forces of Frostbone Fortress.

He suppressed his anger, his voice becoming low. "They are still alive. We can talk."

Lu Cheng looked at him. "Take me to see them."

Elder Mo'er stood up slowly. "Follow me."

Yi Ning warned, "Be careful." Lu Cheng nodded. "I know."

Elder Mo'er led everyone down the city wall. The interior of Frostbone Fortress was even colder and gloomier than Snow Rock Fortress.

The streets were narrow, and most of the buildings were built with a mix of bone, gray rock, and ice bricks. The residents here were thinner than those in Snow Rock Fortress, and the gems between many of their eyebrows had very low brightness.

During a Cold Attack, everyone hid indoors. Only during the day did a few guards and craftsmen move about the streets. When they saw Lu Cheng and the others, they stopped in their tracks one after another.

Elder Mo'er led them through the central street to a stone door underground. "The outsiders are housed below," he said. "There is a Formation inside to keep out the cold, suitable for preserving their vital state."

Lu Cheng glanced at him. "You had better be telling the truth." Elder Mo'er did not answer, just opened the stone door.

Everyone walked down the stone steps. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. White crystals on the walls emitted a faint, ghostly light. At the end of the stone steps was a spacious secret chamber.

The center of the secret chamber was empty. Only complex white Formation patterns were carved into the ground.

As soon as Lu Cheng stepped inside, the stone door slammed down. The Formation patterns lit up. Cold air erupted from the ground, forming chains of white bones that wound toward the feet of the group.

Sharp ice spikes also emerged from the surrounding walls, locking onto the positions of Lu Cheng and the others. Elder Mo'er stood outside the Formation, a ruthless expression finally appearing on his face.

"Outsider, you are indeed strong. But the Frost-Sealing Killing Formation of Frostbone Fortress is specifically designed to suppress high-level variants. You will become the energy source for Frostbone Fortress."

Lu Cheng looked at the Formation patterns beneath his feet and sighed. "Do you have anything new?"

Su Wan raised her hand to condense ice crystals, blocking the bone chains attacking Yi Ning. Li Chenzhou flicked his short spear, shattering the ice spikes closing in on him.

Lu Cheng took a step forward, and the Eternal Calamity Flame ignited beneath his feet. The black-red flames burned directly along the Formation patterns. The Frost-Sealing Killing Formation flickered frantically, attempting to suppress the flames.

The Gold Luminary Pulse flared. Lu Cheng punched the ground. Boom! The entire secret chamber shook. The core of the Formation patterns shattered on the spot.

The bone chains snapped one by one. The ice spikes on the walls were burned into water vapor before they could even shoot out.

Lu Cheng reached out, grabbed a broken section of the Formation pillar, ripped it out violently, and threw it toward the stone door. Bang! The stone door exploded.

Elder Mo'er and several Frost Bone Elders were sent stumbling back by the shockwave. Lu Cheng walked out of the secret chamber. The Eternal Calamity Flame burned behind him. "That's the second time."

Elder Mo'er's face turned completely white. He turned to run. A shadow Clone emerged from the shadow at his feet, pressed down on his shoulder, and forced him to his knees.

The remaining Elders also had their retreat blocked by Su Wan's ice crystals. Li Chenzhou walked over with his spear, the tip pressing against an Elder's throat. "Where are they?"

That Elder was trembling all over. "The west side underground power supply room. They are still alive. They are all still alive!"

Lu Cheng looked at Elder Mo'er. "Lead the way." This time, no one dared to play any tricks again.

They were forced to lead Lu Cheng and the others into the west side underground of Frostbone Fortress. The structure here was very similar to the refining room in Snow Rock Fortress, only the equipment was much cruder.

Bone frames were connected to energy conduits. Several outsiders were sealed in transparent pods. They were in very poor condition, with pale faces and weak auras, but they were indeed still alive.

Li Chenzhou recognized a few of them at a glance. "Zhou Ming!" "Fang Ye!" He rushed over and opened the pods.

The team members were released one after another. Lu Cheng took out potions and fed them to each one. A moment later, they gradually regained consciousness.

One of them had just woken up; seeing Li Chenzhou and Lu Cheng, his eyes instantly turned red. "Captain..." "We thought we wouldn't make it out."

Li Chenzhou supported him, his voice heavy. "It's okay now." "Is everyone here?"

Su Wan counted them. "The remaining missing personnel are all here." This sentence finally made Li Chenzhou heave a sigh of relief. Zhao Feng was already dead. At least the rest were still alive.

Lu Cheng turned to look at Elder Mo'er. "Now it's your turn."

Elder Mo'er knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold stone floor. The other Frost Bone Elders also knelt nearby. After the two failures just now, they understood completely that force could not resolve the issue with this outsider.

The strongest Formation of Frostbone Fortress could not trap him. The city guards could not stop him. Continuing to resist would only result in Frostbone Fortress being completely destroyed.

Elder Mo'er's voice was hoarse. "We know we were wrong. Frostbone Fortress is willing to offer compensation."

Lu Cheng did not speak. Elder Mo'er looked up, his eyes full of fear and struggle. "You are outsiders... you must be looking for the path to the outside world..."

"We have clues about the outside world." As soon as these words were spoken, Su Wan and Li Chenzhou looked at him simultaneously. Yi Ning also frowned. "The outside world?"

Elder Mo'er gritted his teeth and said, "Frostbone Fortress preserves a record of an ancient path. That path leads deeper into the Old City of the Northern Territory. There is a Frost Moon Tower there."

"Every time space fluctuations appear, the Frost Moon Tower lights up. We don't have the ability to get close. But perhaps outsiders can."

Lu Cheng looked at him. "Continue."

Elder Mo'er took a deep breath. "We are willing to hand over the record of the ancient path, the Frost Moon Tower key seal, and half of the Warm Stones in Frostbone Fortress's inventory."

"We only ask that you spare the ordinary clansmen of Frostbone Fortress. The Elders and guards involved in this matter are yours to dispose of."

In the underground power supply room, all the Frost Bone Elders lowered their heads. Lu Cheng did not answer immediately. He looked at the team members who had just been rescued.

Those people were still very weak, but their eyes were full of hatred. He looked at Li Chenzhou again. Li Chenzhou was silent for a moment, then said, "Brother Lu Cheng, you make the decision."

Lu Cheng frowned slightly and said, "Death can be avoided, but punishment is unavoidable..."

Frostbone Fortress had kidnapped people, extracted energy, and even set traps twice to try and kill them. This debt could not be taken lightly. However, there was no need to drag all the ordinary residents of the entire fortress into it.

Lu Cheng walked up to Elder Mo'er. "Hand over the clues. The Warm Stones are of no use to us... All those involved in this matter are to be imprisoned, and then handed over to Yi Ning to deal with..."

Elder Mo'er bowed his head. "Yes." Lu Cheng turned to look at the group. "Let's leave here first."