Chapter 23
The shadow of the Bone-Erosion Nest has not yet completely dissipated, and the incident of the ghost invader in the Energy Tower has cast a vague cloud of suspicion over Lin Yao.
The atmosphere in City Lord Qin Lan's study was solemn.
The deputy captain's report was thorough, the guard's testimony was flawless, and Lin Yao's "proof of presence" seemed impeccable.
But deep in Qin Lan's eyes that see through the world, the seeds of doubt have already been planted.
What a coincidence.
After Qin Mu was confined, an accident occurred in the energy tower. As soon as Qin Feng left Lin Yao, the alarm sounded, and the intruder disappeared without a trace... There was no evidence pointing to Lin Yao, but Qin Lan's intuition told her that this beautiful and fragile boy with silver hair and blue eyes was hiding too many secrets that she could not see through.
"Three days later, the B-level dungeon in Everfrost Rift will open."
Qin Lan looked at her eldest son, Qin Feng, and her voice was emotionless. "You lead the team, and Lin Yao will accompany you. His abilities...need to be tested more rigorously in actual combat."
This is both an opportunity and a final test.
The environment of Everfrost Rift is extremely dangerous, far more so than E-427, but the resources are also richer.
If Lin Yao's ability is real, this will be the ultimate test for him to prove his worth; if it is a disguise... the cruel environment will tear apart all illusions.
Lin Yao knew it all. But he gladly accepted it. This was not only to clear his suspicion, but also a great opportunity for him to obtain higher-level repair materials!
The energy of the source crystal can no longer meet the needs of his increasingly powerful core.
…
Everfrost Rift, truly worthy of its name.
The moment you step into the dungeon, the biting cold wind carrying ice crystals cuts through your protective suit like a knife.
As far as the eye can see are rolling gray-black mountains covered by ten-thousand-year-old ice. The bottomless ice cracks are like scars on the earth. The air is filled with thin oxygen and a chill that can freeze the soul.
The energy field is disordered, and spiritual perception is greatly suppressed here.
The exploration team trudged through knee-deep snow.
Lin Yao was wrapped in a special constant temperature protective suit, his face still pale, but his blue eyes were more focused than ever.
He was no longer just passively sensing emotions, but spreading out his spiritual threads like the most sophisticated radar, combined with his keen insight into energy flows, to actively scan for dangers beneath this dead ice field.
"Five hundred meters ahead, behind the left ice wall. Intense hunger and... camouflage! There's something under the ice, a swarm of mimic ice worms."
Lin Yao's urgent voice was transmitted to the ears of every team member through the mental link.
Almost immediately, the ice wall to his left shattered with a bang. Several giant worms, each as thick as a bucket and camouflaged with ice crystals and with mouthparts like meat grinders, broke through the ice and pounced on the nearest team member.
"Space cutting!"
Qin Feng's reaction was as fast as lightning. An invisible spatial blade flashed across, cutting the ice worm in front of him into two pieces.
The other team members also reacted quickly, and various supernatural lights lit up.
"Right side! Be careful of the ice crevice! The energy field is abnormal, there is collapse suction!" Lin Yao warned again.
As soon as he finished speaking, the ice beneath one of the team members suddenly collapsed, and a powerful suction force pulled him downward. Qin Feng's spatial barrier deployed in time, pulling him back and preventing him from falling into the abyss.
"Northeast direction! The core of the ice storm is forming! Intensity level A! Avoid the path!" Lin Yao's voice was a little tired, but still accurate.
The team took evasive action in advance and narrowly avoided the terrifying ice storm that could instantly freeze people into ice sculptures or tear them into pieces.
Time and time again, Lin Yao's warnings were like a beacon in the darkness, guiding the team to move precisely on the edge of death.
His demonstrated value far exceeded the description of the intelligence in City D. He could not only sense danger, but also accurately locate it, analyze its type, and even predict its strength. This ability was truly divine in the extreme environment of the Everfrost Rift.
Qin Feng's gaze towards Lin Yao also gradually changed from the initial protective scrutiny to true appreciation and... a hint of indescribable throbbing.
He witnessed with his own eyes how this seemingly fragile boy used his incredible mental strength to pull the team back from the brink of destruction time and time again.
Beneath his fragility lay a strong core that could guide the way and save lives even in desperate situations. This contrast quietly melted Qin Feng's frozen heart.
During an unintentional eye contact, Lin Yao's eyes, still as clear as sapphires in the snow, met Qin Feng's.
Qin Feng felt his heart skip a beat, and an unfamiliar warmth surged into his ears. He hurriedly looked away, and a barely perceptible blush appeared on his stern face.
Lin Yao caught a glimpse of the blush, but his heart was calm, and he even felt a little bored.
He had seen too much of this kind of innocent boyish throbbing in Lu Cheng.
The same script, with different actors, could no longer arouse his interest. His goal was always power and truth.
…
As they venture deeper into the core of the Rift Valley, the danger level soars. The team encounters a group of rare Frost Soul Lords—humanoid polluted beasts with the dual abilities of manipulating ice and freezing minds, making them extremely formidable.
Qin Feng, as the main combat force, was besieged by three lords, and the spatial blade collided violently with the violent ice crystal storm.
Lin Yao was protected by two team members at the back. His mental threads were running at full capacity, not only to warn of sneak attacks from other polluted beasts, but also to interfere with the Frost Soul Lord's mental freezing fluctuations to relieve the pressure on his team members.
Just as the battle reached a stalemate, Lin Yao's spiritual perception suddenly captured an extremely obscure, destructive energy fluctuation! It came from a seemingly ordinary ice shoot behind Qin Feng!
"Qin Feng! Watch out behind you! Ice explosion trap!" Lin Yao warned loudly, and at the same time, a mental shock was shot at the ice shoot!
However, it was too late!
"boom--!!!"
The compressed ice energy contained within the ice shoot instantly detonated. A violent shockwave and countless high-speed icy blades swept across the battlefield like the Grim Reaper's scythe. Qin Feng bore the brunt of the impact!
Qin Feng managed to pull open the spatial barrier at the critical moment, but in his haste, he couldn't completely block the terrifying explosion at such close range. The barrier shook violently, and cracks appeared in an instant.
Several sharp ice blades pierced through the gaps in the barrier, piercing his left shoulder and right leg. Blood instantly dyed the silvery white ice surface red. Worse still, the impact of the explosion and the extreme cold energy contained in the ice blades caused him to momentarily freeze.
How could the three-headed Frost Soul Lord in front of him miss such a golden opportunity? Three ice spears, containing both mental freezing and physical piercing power, pierced Qin Feng's defenseless chest and head with a piercing scream.
Lin Yao's pupils shrank. Qin Feng couldn't die at this moment. He was Lin Yao's most important springboard and cover.
In a flash, Lin Yao's mental power erupted like a tsunami. It was no longer a warning, but a powerful mental assault! His target wasn't the Frost Soul Lord, but the three deadly ice spears. The invisible mental force exploded at the tips of the ice spears, causing a tiny deflection in their trajectory.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Three ice spears grazed Qin Feng's body and pierced deep into the ice. Two pierced his protective suit beneath his ribs, tearing out large pieces of flesh. Another flew past his cheek, leaving a deep bloody mark. The intense pain and extreme cold made Qin Feng groan, and he completely lost consciousness and fell backward.
The explosion and the ice spear attack triggered a chain reaction, causing a large area of ice to collapse. Lin Yao's position was instantly cracked. In the chaos, he and the unconscious Qin Feng fell into a deep ice crevasse, completely cut off from the chaotic battlefield above.
…
The biting cold penetrated deep into his bones. Qin Feng lay on the cold rock, his face as pale as paper, his breathing weak.
The wounds on his left shoulder and right leg were so deep that the bone was visible. Azure energy spread around the edges of the wounds like a living thing, attempting to freeze his blood and life force. The wound under his ribs was also bleeding.
Lin Yao examined his injuries expressionlessly.
Unlike the time when he treated Lu Cheng's wound in his memory, his movements this time were precise and efficient, but without any warmth.
He skillfully cleaned the wound, used his mental power to dispel the ice energy that was invading the wound, and then used the biological gel and bandages in the emergency medical kit to stop the bleeding.
The whole process was as calm as if he was handling an object rather than someone blocking a fatal attack for him.
There was no heartache, no panic, only the pure necessity of ensuring the survival of the tool.
After placing Qin Feng in a relatively secluded corner of the ice cave where the cold was less severe and using his mental power to lay a thin warning barrier, Lin Yao cast his gaze towards the depths of the ice crevice.
There, he had already sensed a powerful energy fluctuation that was highly compatible with repairing his core—the Eternal Frost Core, a top-level material unique to B-rank ice dungeons!
His figure flashed, like a ghost blending into the shadows, sneaking deep into the high-risk area.
Soon, he arrived at his destination - a huge underground icy lake.
In the center of the lake, there is a diamond-shaped crystal emitting a faint blue light and pulsating slowly like a heart. It is the core of Eternal Frost.
But guarding it was a giant lizard, seemingly made of ice crystals—the Everfrost Guardian! The chill it exuded turned the surrounding air into frost powder.
The strength of this guardian beast is enough to make ordinary S-level psychics suffer.
The Frost Soul Lord that Qin Feng had encountered above the Rift Valley not long ago was like a cub in front of it.
Lin Yao showed up without any hesitation.
"roar--!"
The guardian discovered the intruder, let out a deafening roar, and slashed down with its huge ice claws with the power of freezing space.
Lin Yao's eyes flashed with silver light! He didn't dodge, but simply raised his hand. A tiny, barely perceptible silver light lingered on his fingertips.
"Be quiet." A cold thought came out.
boom--!
The invisible spiritual power was like an invisible hammer, precisely striking the guardian's spiritual core.
The violent roar came to an abrupt halt, and the huge ice crystal body froze in place as if the pause button had been pressed, with its giant blue eyes filled with incredible fear and dullness.
Lin Yao's mental power was like the most sophisticated drill, ignoring its indestructible ice crystal shell and acting directly on its fragile spiritual origin.
Instant kill! A true crushing victory!
Lin Yao walked calmly to the center of the lake and took out the Eternal Frost Core that exuded an alluring chill.
The crystal felt cool to the touch, and the immense, pure energy within it sent a comfortable hum through his damaged core.
Just as he was about to leave, some scratches on an inconspicuous ice wall at the edge of the glacial lake caught his attention.
Those were not naturally formed lines, but... artificially engraved symbols. He walked closer and brushed away the thin frost on the surface with his fingertips.
Several incomplete, extremely ancient characters appeared. Lin Yao's pupils suddenly contracted. They were the source essence encryption runes used within the Old World Supernatural Association.
Although its content is incomplete, its core meaning points to a coordinate and a code name - Ark!
Could it be that... these copies connecting the old and new worlds weren't formed naturally or by accident, but rather part of Project Ark, deliberately constructed by the Old World Association's leaders? Was it to preserve the Fire? Or was there some other agenda? And the Purifiers, dedicated to destroying all copies... were they aware of this truth? Was their purpose truly purification? Or... were they preventing a more horrific leak?
The mystery is like the icy fog before our eyes, growing thicker and deeper.
Suddenly, the warning barrier he had set up in Qin Feng's hiding place vibrated faintly. Someone was approaching! Most likely the search team.
Lin Yao instantly put away all his thoughts, hid the Yongshuang core close to his body, and disappeared from the spot like a ghost.
When he rushed back to the ice cave as quickly as possible, he saw two search team members find the unconscious Qin Feng and were about to put him on a stretcher.
Lin Yao appeared breathlessly, his face showing just the right amount of fatigue and surprise at having found his companions. "I... I found you. Young Master Qin Feng... he was seriously injured protecting me..."
He rushed to the stretcher and looked at Qin Feng's pale, bloodstained face. Tears instantly filled his blue eyes. His expression of worry and self-blame was impeccable.
No one would doubt that this fragile boy had just easily killed a guardian beast that gave S-class a headache in the depths of the rift, and uncovered a shocking secret that was enough to subvert the world's cognition.
The Eternal Frost Core emitted a faint blue light in his arms, restoring his strength and illuminating the deeper fog ahead.
It was urgent to contact the core of the Purifiers and obtain the truth. The unconscious S-class warrior beside him, and the resources of City B behind him, were still the indispensable keys for Lin Yao to reach the truth.
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