Chapter 374. Yishan Ice Valley (2)

"Enough already, surrender."

"Surrender?"

Shaman scratched their head nervously.

“Nonsense!”

The Xuexue Tribe had staked their lives on the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence. The number of warriors sacrificed during this time couldn't be counted, and they refused to back down like this. They had already come too far to turn back now.

"Aren’t you all invaders? You came from a foreign land, trampling and plundering the land and sea gifted to us by the Great Mother?”

Shaman’s voice was filled with anger and hatred.

“Even though you're young, you harbor extraordinary hatred.”

Zhou Xuchuan muttered after seeing Shaman’s expression.

“They aren't young," Hawar interjected.

"While I'm not sure about their exact age, the Sorcerer of the Xuexue is at least forty."

“Forty?”

Zhou Xuchuan was startled.

"I know they say that martial artists, and sorcerers especially, age slowly, but..."

Even if they did age slowly, still looking like a girl at that age was ridiculous. It wasn’t as bizarre as the Juvenile Fist Emperor, but it was still strange.

Is it sorcery? Well, now that I think about it, the North Sea Ice Palace Master, too...

The North Sea Ice Palace Master was also an old woman in her sixties. But she didn't even look middle-aged, let alone old.

While the question seemed to wiggle its tail, circling an answer, he couldn’t chase it for long.

"To rely on the power of the Central Plains to handle the affairs of the North Sea. As expected of a tribe formed of mixed blood!" Shaman shouted mockingly.

"If that's how you're going to handle things, then I won't stay calm, either!"

Woosh!

The ice storm, which had quieted for a moment, rose again with even greater force.

“Children of the North Sea, grow enraged!” Shaman’s voice echoed like thunder.

“...?”

Zhou Xuchuan felt like that voice was strangely familiar.

"Take the lives of those who trampled the heavens, blinded by their greed, and stomp out their arrogance with despair!" Shaman shouted. No, they were reciting a spell.

There was no need to speak in some ancient, obscure language. What mattered was the power imbued in the voice, not the words themselves.

The sound that escaped their vocal cords passed through the eardrums and stimulated the nerves in the brain. In response, a signal surged through the body, overriding the nerves and awakening a special power.

"GRAH!"

"AGRH!"

The hundreds of warriors left, the survivors of the Xuexue Tribe, shouted. Their shouts sounded more like the roars of animals than the shouts of a human.

"Kill them!"

Shaman’s order was the beginning. The Xuexue Tribe charged forward, howling ferociously like wild beasts.

Rumble!!

A cloud of snow rose. The Xuexue Tribe emerged through the fog that blurred their vision and charged at the Ice Palace members.

The momentum of the Xuexue Tribe was fierce. They were filled with rage, like beasts that had lost their young. Their overwhelming strength was suffocating.

They ignored severed arms and pierced chests. It was unclear whether the cries from their mouths came from pain or anger.

The only certain thing was that their madness would not fade with time.

“This is just a last-ditch effort!”

The warriors of the North Sea Ice Palace hesitated for a moment at the pressure of the Xuexue Tribe, but they gathered their strength at the voice of their Commander, one of the Six Empyrean Overlords.

More than anything, the sight of Zhou Xuchuan taking the lead ahead of Dong Xuelian inspired them with courage.

Twenty-four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom, Consecutive Falling Plums.

The swords that bloomed like plum blossoms flew wildly.

Raining Plum Blossoms!

Mount Hua's foundational qi spread across the North Sea.

The dark violet sword aura fluttered like a butterfly, and then rained down on the heads of the Xuexue Tribe.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

"Kyagh!"

"Ugh!"

A drop of blood splattered on Zhou Xuchuan’s footsteps.

Screams rang out each time purple light flashed through the ice and snow. This was the price for charging in without caution.

He walked through the snowstorm like a ghost, which made the name Snow Ghost feel natural.

“Die, Snow Ghost!”

A dozen Xuexue Tribe members attacked from all directions.

Attacks came not only from the front, back, and sides, but also from above. His enemies flew like birds from the sky and emerged from underground, raising their heads like moles.

Eleven.

The number of enemies that he had detected from using his vision and other senses.

As he stepped forward, he stomped the ground using the sutra of the Thousand Catty Ballast.

BANG!

The pillar of snow shot up. There were three Xuexue Tribe members who were caught in the blast and lifted into the air.

South Sea Single Sword Flow.

Aiming upward, he slashed horizontally.

Squelch!

The bodies of the four enemies above his head were split in two, their upper and lower bodies cleanly severed.

With just a single roll of his feet and a swing of his sword, seven enemies returned to the embrace of the North Sea.

Taking the next step forward, he shifted the force under his feet to his fist and unleashed a Power Strike Fist.

BOOM!

The Xuexue warrior in front took the blow squarely to the chest. Her ribs shattered, her organs ruptured, and her breath left her.

Her body, unable to withstand the impact, flew backward and slammed into an ally behind her.

"You of the Central Plains!"

Only two of the eleven warriors of the Xuexue Tribe were left. They swung their whale bone sabers from the left and right, drawing curves through the snow.

Woosh!

He planted his feet, twisted his body halfway, and the sabers narrowly missed him.

Zhou Xuchuan reached out and grabbed the neck of the warrior nearest him, then squeezed.

Crunch!

Her neck snapped instantly.

The enemy died before she could even scream.

“Agh!"

The last Xuexue Tribe warrior swung her sword while screaming.

She drew every last ounce of qi from her dantian and slashed at Zhou Xuchuan's neck. However, the monster in front of her only tilted his head slightly to avoid the attack.

He let go of the corpse’s neck, leaned forward, and lunged. His arms stretched out swiftly.

Startled, the warrior dropped her saber, kicked the ground, and leapt back in panic.

"Kya!!!"

There was a cliff behind her.

The last thought she had was of being driven back by the North Sea Ice Palace.

“Where is Shaman!” Zhou Xuchuan shouted, looking around.

“They're not here!” Luo Xiaoyue answered from the left.

"How dare you look away in the middle of a fight!” Tishishak, who was exchanging attacks with Luo Xiaoyue, growled.

As if responding to the shout of anger, saber aura suddenly cut through the ice and snow.

Squelch!

“Cough!”

However, the saber aura disappeared without being able to cut anything but the air pitifully. Blood flowed out from the hand holding the saber.

Tishishak trembled. Her head turned slowly, like a broken doll.

Behind her stood a girl with a blank, unreadable expression, almost as if one was looking at another North Sea Ice Palace Master.

In her hand, a dagger was buried in Tishishak’s waist.

The girl, Little Ghost, twisted the dagger stuck in Tishishak's waist with force.

"Ugh!"

Tishishak normally would have shaken her off, but Luo Xiaoyue had already worn her down. This time, she couldn't resist and collapsed.

Little Ghost pulled out the dagger without blinking.

“T-thank you...”

Luo Xiaoyue, who had been helped by chance, thanked Little Ghost.

"They're not over here, either!"

Dong Xuelian’s voice rang out from the opposite side.

The Xuexue Tribe had mostly been subdued. Some had lost the will to fight and placed their hands behind their heads in surrender.

Although they had become as savage as beasts, they had not completely lost their senses like the Demonic Cult or the Blood Cult.

Even beasts feel fear. Submission to the strong was only natural.

Just moments earlier, the voice of the sorcerer had made them forget that fear, but the effect had worn off.

"They're down below!"

As expected of the Scout Captain, Myagmar located Shaman.

“Shaman has gone down the Ice Valley!”

***

“Surrender! We surrender!” Unlike the Xuexue Tribe, the Sakha had no sorcery to prevent fear. Many in their ranks gave up and surrendered.

The might of the North Sea Ice Palace was like a natural disaster. There was no way to overcome it.

More than anything, the Sakha Tribe were more exhausted than one would think.

The North Sea Ice Palace had only recently left the palace, but the Sakha Tribe had been in the basin for quite some time.

Just living in this Yishan Ice Valley, known to be an icy hell even within the North Sea, had put them on death's door.

Especially due to the worst food shortage in history, the military rations were insufficient, and they couldn't exert their strength properly.

"You bastards!"

Nar was furious.

"You cowards, what are you doing! You dare not get up this instant!"

"How pathetic will you allow yourself to become, just because of greed?"

Leng Yuefei's cold voice cooled Nar's anger.

"Leng Yuefei!"

Nar growled softly at Leng Yuefei's words.

“Are you really so greedy for the Palace?”

Leng Yuefei teased Nar’s temper.

“...!”

While no one knew what kind of structure the Ice Palace had, it was warmer than anywhere else in the North Sea.

It was like a paradise in the North Sea, where people died from the extreme cold all year round, even without the abnormal weather.

Nar, and to a greater extent, the Sakha Tribe, coveted the Ice Palace.

The purpose of obtaining absolute power through the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence was ultimately to make the Ice Palace the Sakha Tribe’s new base.

"While I would like to accept the inhabitants of the North Sea into the Ice Palace, there are already too many people."

Almost all the people in the North Sea were martial artists. It wasn’t surprising as they needed to cultivate an Ice Desolation Art in order to survive.

However, not all of them were warriors or guards. Having martial arts and cultivation be essential and fighting be essential were separate issues. There were those among their ranks who chose other paths, such as the path of artisans or cooks, for the sake of providing food, clothing, and shelter in the North Sea. Excluding the warriors, including the commoners, there were many people living in the Ice Palace.

Since the Sakha Tribe also had a considerable number of people, just like the North Sea Ice Palace, it was impossible to accommodate them all. It was truly an unavoidable situation.

“I will curse you...” Nar muttered hatefully.

Leng Yuefei strode forward and stood in front of Nar.

Even with death near, the Sakha leader did not kneel. Her eyes burned with hatred as she shouted.

“One day, one day, the Ice Palace will also be devoured by this North Sea!”

Nar glared venomously at Leng Yuefei, then stepped back.

Behind her lay nothing but the endless Ice Valley.

“May the North Sea and the Ice Palace be cursed!”

With that final curse, Nar threw herself down into the valley.

It was a meaningless end for the leader of one of the North Sea’s tribes.

Leng Yuefei looked down at the Ice Valley that had swallowed Nar, then saw someone approaching from the other side.

“North Wind Captain.”

“Please give me your command!" Xue Yong replied, bowing deeply.

"I'll leave this basin to you, so select a few elites including the Vice Captain and send them down. I'll go and join the Sword God."

"I have received your orders!"

***

An ice valley between two mountains.

There was nothing living here.

Not even animals or plants could survive in this valley of death.

The ice path was winding and rugged. Looking down from above, it was like another world, not something from this plane.

Since the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence appeared, the Yishan Ice Valley had become a place where no living beings could enter.

Even the masters of the North Sea couldn't enter recklessly. Only a few people could set foot into the land of ice.

The North Sea Ice Palace also knew this danger well, so they only brought a few people down.

“Sword God.”

“North Sea Ice Palace Master.”

Zhou Xuchuan and Leng Yuefei met at the bottom of the valley. Behind them were fifty North Sea experts.

The Empyrean Overlord of the Central Plains and the Empyrean Overlord of the North Sea walked forward without saying a word, exchanging brief glances.

Occasionally, they crossed mountains or rivers made of ice, and when the wind died down, they stood in front of a block of ice that stood out.

"So you've come!"

In front of the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence, the Xuexue Tribe’s sorcerer curled their lips and sneered.

“Shaman!”

Dong Xuelian called their name as if she was fed up.

“Wait.”

As Dong Xuelian was about to step forward, Leng Yuefei raised her hand to block her.

"Ehehehe!"

There was something strange about Shaman’s appearance.

Even if one chalked up their hair to being wild and frozen, their mouth and chin protruded like that of a beast, and their body had gotten bigger.

No, it was

getting

bigger. Four chi, five chi, six chi... eventually, after eight chi, the Snow Palace warriors realized something was wrong.

Shaman’s pupils had turned vertical like a snake’s, and their eyes were black. The fur around their hands and feet seemed to swell before tearing apart as their limbs grew claws made of ice.

“I will make you regret... making me angry...”

Their voice had also changed. It was not that of a human, but that of a beast.

Zhou Xuchuan narrowed his eyes at the sound.

Dragon's Roar?

He recognized the voice from earlier.

A name came to mind.

“ROAR!!!”

Shaman swung their beastlike arm and grabbed the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence.