The crimson light of the signal flare, like a drop of ink falling into still water, spread ominous ripples across the sky above the Eternal Night Forest. Su Nian knew that this brief tranquility was over. More hunters, even more terrifying beings, would soon swarm in like sharks smelling blood.
She dared not pause for a moment, enduring the tearing pain in her left shoulder and right arm, and the waves of emptiness deep within her soul caused by excessive exertion, as she followed the thread of her connection to the ancient, cold presence, trekking towards the darkest core of the forest. The path beneath her feet grew increasingly difficult; the tangled tree roots were like malicious traps, and the drooping vines, laden with thorns, tried to block her way. The air thick with a mixture of decay and strange floral scents, a dizzying poison; had it not been for the exceptional nature of her Ice Soul Power, which spontaneously resisted most of the corrosive effects, she would likely have already collapsed.
The sounds of pursuers behind them could be faintly heard again, and their numbers seemed to have increased. Interspersed among them were several fierce, inhuman roars—Xie Chen had probably used his tamed dark beasts.
The pressure, like a tangible shadow, gripped her heart. But the coldness in her eyes grew ever more resolute. The awakening of her memories gave her a resilience that transcended physical pain; she knew that stopping meant death, and retreating meant eternal darkness.
Finally, after passing through a strange area filled with thick white fog and with visibility of less than a few meters, the scene before us suddenly changed.
The towering ancient trees abruptly stop here, as if repelled by some unseen force. A vast circular plaza, constructed of jet-black, mirror-smooth rock, comes into view. In the center of the plaza stands a dilapidated altar, yet still exuding an aura of ancient desolation. The altar, also made of the same black rock, is covered with ancient runes, worn and difficult to decipher by the ravages of time. Above the altar, suspended in mid-air, is a huge, irregularly shaped, ghostly blue crystal, silently and slowly rotating, emitting a soft, cold glow. It is this light that dispels the surrounding thick fog and becomes the only cool, piercing source of light in this dark forest.
The ancient and cold sensation that drew Su Nian here originated from this dark blue crystal!
As Su Nian approached the altar, she felt an unprecedented, almost joyful resonance emanating from the Ice Soul Imprint deep within her soul! The aura emanating from that azure crystal shared the same origin as her Ice Soul Power, yet it was far more ancient, pure, and vast! It was as if it were the ancestral source of her power!
She staggered up the steps of the altar, the black stone beneath her feet feeling cold to the touch, yet strangely bringing a sense of peace to her restless soul. As she approached, the runes on the altar seemed to flash with a faint light.
She reached out, wanting to touch the floating, dark blue crystal.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the crystal—
"roar--!!!"
A deafening roar echoed from the edge of the thick fog! Immediately afterward, a colossal beast, resembling a giant lion but covered in bone armor and with eerie green soulfire burning in its eye sockets, burst through the white fog, hurtling towards the altar with a stench! Its gaping maw revealed fangs that gleamed with a corrosive, ghostly light!
It's the Hellbone Lion! One of Xie Chen's most ferocious hunting magical beasts!
Following closely behind were more than ten elite vampire hunters with even more ferocious auras and colder eyes. They spread out in a fan shape, completely blocking all escape routes from the altar! The leader of the hunters held a long whip burning with dark red flames in his hand, and his aura was already close to that of a high-ranking vampire noble!
"Seize her! His Majesty wants to interrogate her personally!" the hunter captain shouted sharply, his long whip lashing out like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Su Nian's feet!
An ancient altar and a mysterious crystal lie ahead, while elite pursuers and terrifying monsters loom behind! Su Nian is in a desperate situation!
There's no way to retreat! There's no way to avoid it!
As the Hellbone Lion's claws and dark fire whip were about to strike, a resolute glint flashed in Su Nian's eyes! Instead of trying to defend herself or escape, she made a move that surprised all her pursuers!
She abruptly turned around, no longer touching the azure crystal, but instead pressing her bleeding hands fiercely onto the center of the altar, onto the most ancient and complex runes! At the same time, she abandoned all defenses, pouring without reservation, like a sacrifice, the awakened memories from the depths of her soul, her obsession with Xie Chen's journey across worlds, her overwhelming rage against the Main God Space, and all the remaining Ice Soul Power and Origin Soul Power into the altar beneath her feet!
"With my blood as the catalyst!"
"With my soul as my pledge!"
"In the name of Ice Soul, awaken the ancient spirits that slumber!"
She spoke the ancient language of the star-studded "she" who appeared in her dream! It carried an undeniable authority and a plea!
Buzz—!!!
At that moment, the entire altar came alive!
All the ancient runes suddenly lit up, bursting forth with a towering beam of eerie blue light! That beam pierced through the eternal canopy of the Eternal Night Forest, as if connecting heaven and earth! The suspended eerie blue crystal suddenly accelerated its rotation, emitting a chilling aura that seemed almost tangible!
The Hellbone Lion charging at the forefront showed fear for the first time in its soul-flaming eye sockets. The moment its massive body touched the edge of the azure pillar of light, it was covered by a thick layer of inescapable ice crystals, frozen into a giant ice sculpture while still in its pouncing posture! The dark fire whip lashed at the pillar of light, but it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, failing to even stir up a ripple!
The other hunters were also stunned by this sudden change. The vast, ancient, and cold pressure awakened the fear deep in their blood, causing them to involuntarily retreat one after another!
At the center of the altar, Su Nian's figure was completely engulfed by the eerie blue light. She felt as if her soul had detached from her body, merging with the entire altar and the eerie blue crystal! Countless fragmented images and streams of information, like a burst dam, flooded into her consciousness:
She saw what this forest looked like ten thousand years ago, when it was not shrouded in eternal night, but bathed in the cool moonlight. This altar was a sacred site where an ancient ice and snow tribe communicated with heaven and earth and worshipped the stars and moon...
She witnessed the coming catastrophe, the encroachment of darkness, the fading of moonlight, the rise of a crimson moon, the flight or annihilation of the Ice and Snow race, and the ruin and oblivion of the altar...
She saw the deep blue crystal, the "Fragment of the Ice Core," a sacred artifact of the Ice and Snow Clan. It contained the purest Yin Ice Power and was one of the "anchor points" of the forest's ley lines, maintaining the last vestige of balance that prevented the place from being completely assimilated by darkness...
The source of the Ice Soul Imprint in her soul is the Ice Soul Origin, which is of the same or even higher level as this "Ice Core Fragment"!
As the dark blue beam of light slowly receded and the runes on the altar gradually dimmed, Su Nian's figure reappeared.
She still stood there, her wounds still there, her face still pale. But her aura had undergone a dramatic change!
The weakness vanished, replaced by a restrained and profound coldness. Deep within her eyes, it seemed as if a ghostly blue flame was burning silently. She stood there quietly, yet seemed to merge with the entire altar and the ancient forest, radiating a chilling majesty.
She slowly raised her hand and pointed at the dumbfounded hunter captain.
There were no spells, no complicated movements.
It was just a fleeting thought.
The air around the hunter captain froze instantly, the dark red flames went out silently, and in less than a second, he and his whip were completely frozen by a layer of crystal-clear, absolutely chilling blue ice crystals! He didn't even have time to react!
The remaining hunters were terrified. They let out a shout and turned to flee into the thick fog.
Su Nian's gaze swept over them indifferently.
"Frozen".
Two words were uttered casually.
Centered on the altar, a terrifying cold wave spread out like a white ring of death in an instant! Wherever it passed, whether it was hunters trying to escape or ancient trees, vines, and moss, everything was frozen in an instant! Even the pervasive white mist turned into countless suspended ice crystal dust!
In the blink of an eye, the area within a hundred meters of the altar transformed into a deathly zone of absolute silence and frozen solidity!
Su Nian stood at the center of the domain, like a queen ruling over the cold winter.
She took a slight breath; using the newly resonated, borrowed power of the "ice core fragment" all at once was still a considerable burden on her. However, she could feel that the ice soul imprint in her soul seemed to have become more solid after resonating with the "ice core fragment," and many of the cracks had been repaired.
She raised her head and looked towards the castle, her gaze seemingly piercing through layers of spatial barriers.
"Xie Chen...did you see that?"
"This is... the real me."
However, just as she was pondering the secrets of the altar and the ice core fragments, a deep, cold voice, carrying a complex and unfathomable emotion, suddenly rang out behind her:
"Indeed...unexpected."
Su Nian froze and turned around abruptly.
At the edge of the altar, Xie Chen had already silently appeared. He was not frozen; instead, a thin, dark red energy shield surrounded him, constantly resisting and annihilating the surrounding cold.
His bloodshot eyes were no longer filled with pure rage and murderous intent, but with extreme shock, scrutiny, and a trace of... a tremor that even he himself could not understand, as if some kind of mark had been touched deep within his soul.
He looked at her as if she were a complete stranger, yet someone he knew all too well.
"Who...are you?"
(End of Chapter 65)
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Next Chapter Preview: Xie Chen arrives in person! Faced with Su Nian displaying the demeanor of the "Ice Queen," will his killing intent waver? What secrets do the ancient altar and ice core fragments still conceal? Can Su Nian's newly acquired power confront the Prince head-on? Where will the dialogue between the two, which transcends deception and imprisonment and links their souls and origins, lead? The peak of confrontation is about to erupt!
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