Challenge Competition·Buzhou Mountain Arena (Part 7)
As the seven people went deeper in the severe cold, the ice walls on both sides of the stairs became increasingly transparent.
Lin Bai sensed the approaching danger, and she quickly looked towards the place where she sensed the unusual movement. She saw a huge creature swimming in the water like a fish between the crystal clear ice walls, quietly approaching them.
As the huge monster gradually approached, the seven people could see its figure clearly without needing to sense it, and they all became alert.
"The Ice Nightmare Beast has extremely strong defense." Rock said.
Everyone entered a state of combat readiness.
Lin Bai didn't dare to be careless with such a huge creature. He recited in a low voice: "Zhu Rong, with the body of a beast and the face of a man, with a red face and red lips, rides on twin dragons and controls flames. He can control the order of summer and the virtue of fire. He can burn mountains and boil seas, and he can also conquer gods and demons."
Instantly, flames erupted, and a deity, riding on two dragons, emerged from the void. The others, without hesitation, summoned the gods one after another.
Gu Zhou's lava mammoth stood in full battle formation, magma flowing from its massive tusks, scorching hot. At Chen Wen's side, a flaming deity descended with a majestic presence.
Ellie and Arthur each summoned two roiling magma pythons, Flame Rope, their pupils crimson, their breaths scorching with heat. Meanwhile, Arthur summoned a fire lion, its mane blazing with flames, standing tall like a god of war.
Rock immediately activated the shield and protected the seven people.
The blazing flames illuminated the entire space, with heat and bitter cold intertwined, and the battle was about to break out.
A huge dark beast broke through the wall, and cold air surged out.
It was a pitch-black Ice Nightmare Beast, massive in size, like a walking iceberg, its entire body made of solid ice, with sharp ice spines extending from its back like blades. As it approached, it quickly locked onto the seven people.
The Ice Nightmare Beast let out a deep roar, accompanied by a terrifying chill that spread outward like an icy tide. Even though Rock's shield was deployed, the chill still seeped in, freezing the air and sending a chill through the bones of all seven of them.
Lin Bai launched the attack first. Zhu Rong opened his arms, condensing blazing flames into a fireball, which he hurled. The fireball blazed and surged wherever it passed, hurtling towards the Ice Nightmare's chest. However, the Ice Nightmare simply tilted slightly, its sharp ice armor blocking the fireball. The blazing flames vaporized the solid ice, but failed to truly harm it.
"That's a really strong defense!" Ellie exclaimed in surprise, nodding at Arthur. The two giant lava pythons attacked simultaneously, and the scorching lava spread along the ground, surrounding the Ice Nightmare Beast. Arthur's fire lion roared, and flames billowed from its claws. It leaped up and pounced on the Ice Nightmare Beast.
However, the Ice Nightmare Beast showed no fear. It opened its maw and unleashed a violent, icy storm, instantly freezing the incoming flames and lava. The Fire Lion was engulfed in the cold, its flames rapidly dimming. Its front paws were frozen in mid-air, and its body fell stiffly, slamming heavily onto the ground, sending up a shower of shattered ice.
"Oh no!" Arthur's face changed and he quickly called back the Fire Lion with a serious look.
Gu Zhou's lava mammoth suddenly charged forward, its heavy steps shattering the ice as its massive lava tusks swung out like battle axes. However, the Ice Nightmare Beast's claws shot out with lightning speed, condensing the ice and abruptly blocking the mammoth's attack. With a clench of its claws, a burst of cold air instantly froze the mammoth's tusks into ice, halting its movement.
"We can't go on like this." Chen Wen said in a deep voice, his eyes sharp. "Its defenses are too strong, and the extreme cold is its comfort zone. We must find a flaw quickly. We can't keep wasting time."
Lin Bai took a deep breath and swept her eyes across the body of the Ice Nightmare Beast. Suddenly, she looked at the belly of the Ice Nightmare Beast. Although the ice armor was thick, there seemed to be a faint crack in it.
Her eyes lit up and she whispered, "There's a weak spot on its abdomen. Let's attack that spot together!"
Upon hearing this, everyone adjusted their offensive.
After hearing Lin Bai's reminder, everyone quickly adjusted their tactics, changed direction, and locked their attack on the belly of the Ice Nightmare Beast.
Zhu Rong waved his hands, sending a torrent of crimson flames surging outwards. The blazing flames, like a savage fire dragon, pounced directly upon the Ice Nightmare Beast's vulnerable spot. Gu Zhou's lava mammoth roared, raised its massive hoof, and stomped down fiercely, sending lava surging in a fiery shockwave that surged across the ice.
Chen Wen summoned the Fire God, whose palms intertwined, and a shadowy image of a blazing sun emerged. Its blazing light descended like divine retribution, targeting the Ice Nightmare's vital points. Ellie and Arthur's magma pythons writhed and twisted, searing lava dripping from their bodies. They burrowed beneath the Ice Nightmare's abdomen, biting its vital points and rapidly eroding its ice armor.
Facing the concentrated fire of the crowd, the Ice Nightmare Beast cried out in pain, its body suddenly erupting with cold energy. It suddenly raised its front paws, unleashing a blanket of extreme cold, attempting to block the crowd's attack. However, this time, the crowd was already prepared.
"Now!" Lin Bai shouted, and Zhu Rong suddenly stepped forward, twin dragons swirling around him, raging flames coalescing into a monstrous flaming blade. Zhu Rong raised the blade high, its light reflecting his divine might. The next moment, he roared in anger and slashed down!
"boom--"
Blazing flames tore through the air, the blade slashing precisely at the crack in the Ice Nightmare's abdomen. The instant the flames erupted, the Ice Nightmare's body trembled violently, its ice rapidly melting, and large cracks appeared in its solid armor. It roared in pain and stumbled backward, its massive body carving a deep crack in the icy ground.
Rock seized the opportunity and quickly deployed a shield to block the overflowing cold air. At the same time, his eyes flashed slightly, and a light golden light appeared on his palms. Gabaga exerted further strength to weaken the attack of the Ice Nightmare Beast.
"The last blow!" Lin Bai's eyes focused, and he quickly adjusted his posture. With a flick of his finger, Zhu Rong condensed the flame again, surrounded by red flames.
Everyone attacked together, and flames, lava, and divine power gathered into a powerful torrent, rushing straight into the belly of the Ice Nightmare Beast.
"boom--"
This attack completely penetrated the Ice Nightmare Beast's defense.
The Ice Nightmare Beast's pupils contracted violently, its massive body stiffening for a moment before it began to crumble from the cracks. The solid ice shattered into countless fragments, melting in the blazing flames. The chill dissipated, and a moment of silence returned to the space. Only the lingering warmth in the air and the lingering echoes off the ice walls bore witness to the fierceness of the battle.
Lin Bai breathed slightly, looking at the melting ice and snow on the ground, but he still remained alert.
"Is there still danger?" Gu Jin asked Lin Bai.
"Yes." Lin Bai replied, "Ice Nightmare Beasts are social animals."
Great despair enveloped everyone.
"We are unable to deal with more Ice Nightmare Beasts. Let's go down quickly before they come over." Arthur said calmly.
This was the only way, so everyone quickened their pace, even though the cold became more unbearable.
Fortunately, the stairs soon reached the bottom.
Lin Bai saw a living heart that was not frozen on an ice platform in the vast ice sculpture hall.
The others also saw this, and Arthur suggested, "His heart shouldn't be so easy to obtain. It might be fraught with danger."
The others also looked around warily. The ice sculpture hall was vast, its walls and floor a smooth, icy surface, reflecting everyone's figures. The only exception was the unfrozen heart on the ice platform, bright red as blood, as if still beating.
Lin Bai closed her eyes and her perception spread again. The cold air touched her spirit. She searched carefully but did not notice anything unusual.
"I don't perceive any danger." She opened her eyes and said firmly, "Let me try."
Everyone looked at each other, and finally Rock spoke first: "We can't just back down like this. If this heart is really important, we must get it."
Arthur nodded: "Okay, we are ready to deal with any changes at any time."
Lin Bai slowly stepped forward, the chill seeping through her soles as she stepped on the ice, as if to freeze her blood. She took each step with extreme caution, her eyes fixed firmly on that heart. The others watched her movements intently, their summoned gods already lurking around, ready to engage at any moment.
When she finally reached the ice platform and examined the heart up close, she discovered it wasn't suspended above the ice, but rather slightly embedded within it. The heart beat slowly, its bright red veins still flowing, a strange sense of life.
Lin Bai took a deep breath and slowly stretched out his hand, his fingertips about to touch the heart.
In an instant, the ice sculpture hall began to shake, and deep cracks appeared on the surrounding ice walls, as if some terrible power was awakening.
"It's not that simple!" Gu Zhou cursed softly and quickly prepared for battle.
Lin Bai's heart sank, but she didn't flinch. Her fingers firmly grasped the heart. The moment she touched it, a warm breath spread along her palm, like hot blood flowing into her body.
At the same time, the entire ice sculpture hall collapsed, and a low and heavy sound rang out all around.
"To take this heart, you need to take me."
The ice shattered, and the outline of a massive figure emerged from the shards. Everyone looked up, their pupils shrinking slightly. It was like a giant cast from ice. "He" slowly opened his eyes, his gaze as cold as a star, staring at the heart in Lin Bai's hand.
Everyone prepared to fight.
However, the giant spoke: "I will not harm you, but I need this boy to carry my destiny."
The giant pointed at Lin Bai and continued, "You can accommodate the incomplete soul. One more person won't make a difference. Accept it, and I'll send you up."
Lin Bai stared at the giant in front of him and asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Ymir, I'm from Yetunheim. One day I woke up and found myself trapped here."
Lin Bai thought for a moment and agreed.
The corners of Ymir's mouth rose slightly, as if he was smiling, or as if it was just a crack in the ice.
"Very good." He extended a massive hand, complex icy blue lines appearing on the palm. Lin Bai felt a tremendous divine pressure envelop him. However, this power was not suffocating, but rather as sober and profound as a cold winter wind.
She took a deep breath and slowly stretched out her hand, palm facing up, facing Ymir's palm.
"Are you willing to carry a part of my soul, so that your fate will be connected with ice from now on?" Ymir whispered, his voice like the collapse of a thick iceberg, carrying ancient majesty.
Lin Bai paused slightly, feeling the spirits of Nuwa and the Chaos Beast stirring within her body, but she quickly regained her composure and said firmly, "I do."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ice-blue lines on Imir's palm suddenly lit up, and a faint blue light flowed down from his palm, like a thousand-year-old glacier slowly flowing into Lin Bai's body.
In an instant, Lin Bai felt an ancient, tranquil power surge within her, as if some frozen memory had awakened deep within her soul. Fragmentary images flashed before her eyes: the vast icy plains of Yetunheim, the ruins where ancient giants slumbered, the flames of Ragnarok, and a slumber that lasted tens of millions of years.
"You have accepted my spirit. The blessing of frost will protect you." Ymir slowly withdrew his hand. His figure seemed even more transparent than before, as if he was gradually blending into this world. "As agreed, my spirit will leave this place with you."
He raised his hand, and the surroundings changed.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Zhou looked at Lin Bai and asked in a low voice, "Are you okay?"
Lin Bai shook her head slightly: "I'm fine." She could feel a small group of souls belonging to Ymir running to stay next to Nuwa and the Chaos Beast, and the three groups of souls stayed in harmony.
Behind them, Ymir's figure gradually became illusory until it completely disappeared, leaving only the long-frozen ice field in the center of the hall.
Everyone soon appeared at the entrance to the extremely cold land.
Xuanming is still waiting here.
He asked, "Did you get the heart?"
Lin Bai took out his heart.
The moment Xuan Ming took it, a burst of strong light burst out and the seven people quickly closed their eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, the ice field had disappeared.
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