Zhang Lexuan nodded and followed his suggestion, retracting her shield and only maintaining the most basic circulation of her Soul Power to resist the severe cold.
Indeed, her purpose on this trip was not only to help Caelus hunt for a spirit ring, but also to investigate the disturbances in the Extreme North Land and look for clues related to Nirvana Corpses; she needed to save Soul Power whenever possible.
Since Caelus had the strength to protect himself, she said no more.
The two set off again, trudging through the boundless snowfields with uneven steps.
The snow here had accumulated for untold ages; the lower layers had long been compressed into solid ice, while the surface was covered with freshly fallen loose snow, making every step require significant effort.
Aside from the endless howling of the wind, the surroundings were deathly silent, but beneath that silence lurked heart-palpitating dangers.
Sometimes, the seemingly flat snow would suddenly collapse, revealing bottomless ice crevasses.
Sometimes, polar astral winds as sharp as blades would sweep from behind ridges without warning, enough to instantly sever refined iron.
Several times, predators adapted to the extreme environment would pounce from beneath the snow or the shadows of ice cliffs—snow-white, lightning-fast Snow Shadow Martens, or Cold Breath Pythons capable of spitting breath that could freeze blood.
However, these Soul Beasts, which were at most a thousand years old, posed no threat at all to Zhang Lexuan, the Senior Sister of the Inner Court.
Often, just as they revealed their hostility, a cold flash of moonlight would flicker, and they would be knocked unconscious, unable to hinder their journey further.
As the two headed further north, the environment became increasingly harsh.
The sky was no longer a simple grayish-white but presented a strange, pale purple halo that seemed distorted by some force; that was the Aurora Miasma unique to the Extreme North Land, which not only interfered with one's sense of direction but also possessed the property of disrupting the circulation of Soul Power.
As they officially stepped into the central region of the Extreme North Land and headed toward the edge of the more dangerous inner region, the aura of the Soul Beasts active around them also became noticeably stronger.
Existences with ten thousand years of cultivation were no longer rare here.
Just as they rounded an ice peak that pierced the sky like a sharp sword, an unusual fluctuation of Soul Power in a relatively open ice valley ahead caught Zhang Lexuan's alertness.
She raised her hand to signal Caelus to stop, her sharp gaze casting toward the center of the ice valley.
There, a massive creature lay prostrate.
It was shaped like a giant ape, over five meters tall, with its entire body seemingly condensed from deep blue mysterious ice that hadn't melted for ten thousand years; its muscle lines were clearly visible beneath the ice crystals, filled with explosive power.
The most peculiar part was its head, which was not that of an ape but closer to a crocodile's, with a long, narrow snout densely packed with jagged, interlocking ice teeth; its eyes were pure ice-blue, devoid of any emotion, containing only endless cold and brutality.
It was merely lying there sleeping, yet the extreme cold radiating from its body caused the air within several hundred meters to condense into fine ice crystals and snowflakes, forming an absolute low-temperature Domain.
"It's a Ten Thousand Year Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile."
Zhang Lexuan lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of solemnity.
"This is an extremely rare top-tier ice-type Soul Beast, possessing strength, defense, and extremely strong control over ice. Judging by its size and pressure, its cultivation is at least fifteen thousand years or more. Its defense is extremely strong, its strength is terrifying, and it can control a Domain-type ability called 'Ice Prison,' making it extremely difficult to deal with."
She then looked at Caelus and said, "I don't know much about your Martial Soul. Do you have a specific target? How about this one?"
Caelus stared at the Vicious Beast radiating heart-palpitating cold and nodded, saying, "This is the one. Senior Sister, I'll have to trouble you to back me up."
The wind and snow roared as if they wanted to completely erase all traces of life on this ice field.
Zhang Lexuan's cold voice, carrying a hint of disbelief, pierced through the howling wind and clearly reached Caelus's ears:
"You want to hunt it yourself?"
She cast a scrutinizing gaze at Caelus.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast is comparable to a human Soul King, and this Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile before them possessed a top-tier ice Bloodline; its fierce might would force even an ordinary Spirit Emperor to be on high alert.
And Caelus? He was just a prospective Spirit Ancestor who had just broken through level 40 and hadn't even obtained his fourth spirit ring yet.
The gap between them was not something that simple courage could bridge.
She worried that this was a fatal arrogance born from Caelus's past successes.
Caelus turned around, facing Zhang Lexuan's scrutinizing gaze directly.
The polar cold wind blew his white hair, but it could not disperse the confidence in his eyes.
He did not rush to defend himself, but simply pointed at himself, his lips curving into a clean and transparent smile that seemed capable of dispelling the overcast cold of the sky.
"Senior Sister."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange, reassuring power.
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would joke with my own life and can't see my own weight?"
The sunshine and confidence in that smile were not the fearlessness of the ignorant, but originated from a recognition of his own abilities and a certain confidence deeply rooted in his bones.
Zhang Lexuan was slightly startled; in her mind, his stunning, rule-breaking Spirit Ability from the Freshman Assessment and his composure in controlling the airflow just now flashed by.
This youth always seemed able to break the shackles of common sense.
She stared at him for a moment, the solemnity in her eyes slowly melting away, replaced by anticipation.
She nodded slightly, and moon-white Soul Power flickered faintly around her body like an arrow on a string.
"Good."
A single word, heavy as a thousand catties.
"Then be careful. Remember, as soon as something goes wrong, I will act immediately."
This was her bottom line and her protection for her junior brother.
"Then thank you, Senior Sister."
Caelus's smile remained, and he calmly accepted this heavy protection.
He turned again, facing the deep ice valley.
His steps were steady and firm, without the slightest hesitation.
His figure looked somewhat thin in the drifting snow, yet he seemed like a sharp blade about to be unsheathed, heading alone toward that trial ground guarded by a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast and filled with extreme cold...
Zhang Lexuan stood in place, her moonlight aura restrained as her presence merged with the surrounding environment; only her beautiful eyes were tightly locked onto Caelus's back and the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile that was about to wake up.
She wanted to see how this youth, with the body of a Soul Elder, would shake this ten-thousand-year-old iceberg.
Caelus walked into the ice valley alone.
His footsteps landed on the ice that hadn't melted for ten thousand years, making a slight but clear 'crunching' sound.
This sound was infinitely magnified in the deathly silent ice valley, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking a certain balance.
The aura of a strange life, like the most pungent smell of blood, instantly rushed into the perception of the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile.
Those eyes, which were originally tightly closed, suddenly snapped open.
There were no pupils, only a pure ice-blue that made one's heart palpitate, reflecting Caelus's tiny figure within, which was immediately filled with an extremely fierce killing intent.
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