Hunting Hecalto! Whale Eating Country! Inheriting the Ancient!

The endless, dazzling whiteness stretched upwards for an unknown amount of time until it completely melted into a vast expanse of light. All illusions vanished, and before my eyes reappeared Nineteen White Suns and countless aurora borealis-frozen skies, as well as the ice field beneath my feet.

Ronan was ultimately unable to see Chaguskona what the Primordial Frost Whale that Chagus Connor had described looked like.

He was so insignificant; compared to this colossal being born since the Mythological Era, he was as small as a grain of sand.

Even the ancient silver eel that Ronan encountered on his return journey from the south to the East Coast would likely be nothing more than dust in the face of the Primordial Frost Whale.

Ronan gazed at the sky for a long time, at the direction where the Primordial Frost Whale's figure finally disappeared, still immersed in an indescribable and immense shock, unable to extricate himself for a long time.

"You were actually able to tame such a great being."

Ronan couldn't help but murmur; the only adjective he could think of was "great."

"It's not really about taming them."

The man stood beside Ronan and gently shook his head. "While I was chasing it, it also longed to be chased by me."

An entity like it cannot be found unless it actively reveals itself.

This was a hunt that complemented each other, regardless of the roles of hunter and prey; we had so much in common.

The man turned his head, looked into Ronan's eyes, and said gently, "In everyone's life, there is a 'whale' that they most yearn to hunt."

What is your 'whale'?

A moment of confusion flashed in Ronan's eyes, but it quickly cleared up again.

Just as she was about to answer, the man chuckled softly.

"I like the way you look in your eyes now, just like I did back then."

That's why I ultimately chose you.

Ronan pursed his lips and said softly, "Thank you."

Besides thank you, Ronan couldn't find any other words to express the complex emotions he felt at that moment.

The most powerful Ice Magic mage in history, a great figure who ruled an era— the Ice Emperor Chaguskona.

His succession trials always seemed too easy for Ronan to pass.

He would occasionally have the thought that he was still trapped in the illusion of the trial, perhaps lying in some corner of the icy plains, his body gradually being buried by the wind and snow, and everything before him was nothing but a pitiful fantasy before his death.

"Don't underestimate yourself; you are better than anyone thinks."

The man gently placed his hand on Ronan's shoulder, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes. "That's something my father often said to me."

The man sighed and muttered to himself, "I'm not a picky person, but I'm really tired of everything here."

If you hadn't shown up, perhaps I would have considered leaving everything to that little guy.

The man pointed to Elsa, who was enveloped in a deep blue cocoon in the distance, and said, "Although she is far from the successor I had in mind, she possesses the purest ice bloodline, which means she barely meets the minimum standard."

The man shook his head as he spoke, then raised one hand.

With a gentle pinch of his index finger and thumb towards the sky, he plucked one of the Nineteen White Suns from the sky.

"I have divided the entire legacy into nineteen parts, and this is one of them. If one day you can reach the World Root, perhaps we will have the opportunity to truly meet."

"Well"

Ronan was stunned when he heard the man's last words, and couldn't help but look up.

The latter seemed to guess what he was going to say and laughed, "Do you think I'm already dead?"

Ronan didn't know how to answer, but the man burst into laughter.

His snow-white hair rose without wind, and his blue-gold eyes shone with dazzling brilliance.

He looked around with an imposing air, his eyes filled with disdain, truly displaying the supreme demeanor of a former frost-covered overlord.

"My legend continues to be written, but I no longer need them."

The man held up the sun, looked at Ronan, and said softly, "I also hope to hear your name one day, Ronan Damien, don't you?"

Remember--"

The man narrowed his eyes and said to Ronan in an extremely serious tone, "The road ahead is far more rugged and long than you imagine. Don't give up easily. Keep a close eye on the tail of the 'whale' you're chasing in the darkness."

One day, you'll catch it!

Every word Chaguskona spoke was deeply etched into Ronan's heart, bringing him an unprecedented and profound impact.

He sensed a deeper meaning in Chaguskona's words, but he didn't know what it was, so he could only nod solemnly.

The man patted Ronan on the shoulder, looking at him with gentle eyes, as if he were looking at his younger self.

Are you ready?

He raised the sun in his hand and spoke softly.

Ronan looked at the inheritance so close at hand with a complicated expression, his face showing expectation, joy, and fear, much like a child who felt unworthy of it.

"Do I need to reciprocate with a story?"

He spoke as if summoning his courage.

The man replied, "I have heard all your stories countless times over the past thousand years."

Yes.

For over a thousand years, Ronan carried Elsa across the ice plains, and he had already chewed over the memories in his mind countless times.

But he seemed unwilling to give up and continued to ask earnestly, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Nothing is needed."

The man looked into the innocent, childlike eyes of the person before him, smiled and shook his head. He was about to say something more comforting and encouraging when...

A voice suddenly rang out quickly.

"Then, I would like to ask you to do me one last favor."

At this moment, Ronan's youthful awkwardness and unease vanished, and he seemed to instantly regain his original calm and composure.

The change was so swift that even the man was slightly taken aback and subconsciously asked a question.

"What kind of help?"

Ronan bowed deeply to the man before him, then looked intently at him and said, word by word, "Help me complete one last hunt!"

"Um?!"

On the ancient ice plains, Ronan formed hand seals and chanted one difficult incantation after another.

As the last syllable was uttered, Ronan quietly looked up, staring at a point in the void above him, and whispered, "In the name of the Contract of Posilena!"

His eyes reflected two complex and mysterious patterns, projecting towards the sky.

In an instant, the ancient and long-lasting tranquility within the secret realm was broken by a slight ripple.

"Snap—"

Countless black and blue lightning bolts ripped through the sky, and a huge rift suddenly appeared in the void somewhere in the Secret Realm Space. Cold frost surged out from the rift, along with the head of a ferocious and domineering giant serpent covered in black scales.

The giant serpent's scarlet eyes emitted a ghostly blood-red light, like two Blood Sun projecting down from the sky, instantly locking onto Ronan's tiny figure on the icy plain.

The giant snake narrowed its eyes, revealing a cold and deep eerie light.

Through the gap in the snake's head, one could clearly see that there were even larger bodies behind it. However, it seemed that it did not want to enter immediately, but stayed at the edge, cautiously observing the ancient, hidden space that made it feel uneasy.

Ronan seemed to have anticipated this scene. He looked at the giant snake and calmly raised his right hand.

One of the Nineteen White Suns hanging high in the sky above the secret realm seemed to be drawn by some mysterious force, silently appearing in Ronan's palm, and then emitting a strange fluctuation.

The ripples swept across the body of the giant serpent high in the sky.

In an instant, a tremendous surge of energy originating from the bloodline erupted from the giant serpent's body.

"Whoosh—"

The giant snake's eyes immediately locked onto the shrunken ball of white sunlight in Ronan's hand.

Its massive body began to writhe uncontrollably, a frenzy of desire, urgency, and struggle.

A variety of emotions flickered and intertwined in its eyes.

Ultimately, instinctive desires triumphed over reason. With a low hiss, the giant serpent lunged forward, and one after another, equally ferocious serpent heads emerged from outside the spatial rift.

One, two, three.

Upon seeing the ninth snake head and the tenth slightly raised bulge, Ronan's eyes flashed, and a mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and began to run wildly towards the other end of the endless ice field.

He held up the sun with one hand, like a pilgrim carrying a torch.

Upon seeing Ronan turn around, the nine-headed serpent's eyes grew even colder and more cruel. It completely swam out of the spatial rift and violently shook its body in Ronan's direction.

"Snap—"

A massive, deep blue lightning bolt, hundreds of feet thick, ripped through the sky, and the nine-headed serpent's body appeared above Ronan's head as if by teleportation.

It swooped down, like an incredibly dense and massive shadow pressing down rapidly.

The tranquility of the silent ice plains was shattered, as waves of snow surged across the ice, and the fierce winds made Ronan's robes flutter wildly.

He just bit his lip tightly, his eyes so calm that it was as if he wasn't the one being chased at all.

The nine-headed serpent unleashed terrifying magical power, erupting like countless avalanches simultaneously in one place. Ronan's tiny body exploded violently in the rolling ice flow, transforming into dozens of indistinguishable silver figures. They were instantly engulfed by countless ice and snow, but soon shot out like arrows, charging forward steadily.

"Roar--"

The nine-headed serpent hissed, its massive nine-headed body fully extended. Complex runes flashed between the brows of each of its nine heads. Snowflakes of different colors and shapes fell from the sky, quickly forming the shape of a cage, which then slowly closed in on Ronan.

Nine different frost laws exerted an unparalleled and immense pressure from above and behind.

Ronan felt his blood gradually freezing, his soul stagnating, and all his bodily functions rapidly deteriorating.

He suddenly gripped the sun he was holding in his palm. The sun's radiance trembled, releasing an even stronger bloodline fluctuation, causing the terrifying pressure to seem to loosen slightly.

Ronan seized this fleeting opening, shot out, and finally...

On the icy plains, I saw the Ice Crystal Throne forged from ice spikes and thorns.

Seated on the throne was an old, nearly decaying body.

Only he could see that the young Chaguskona was quietly waiting for him, his eyes fixed on the nine-headed serpent behind him, seemingly admiring the "prey" he had lured in!

It's getting closer!

Closer!

When Ronan finally arrived at the throne at the last minute, Chaguskona smiled and opened his arms to him.

The giant serpent's nine heads drooped almost to the ground as it slammed into Chaguskona amidst eighteen scarlet eyes filled with Greed, desire, and cruelty!

The two figures overlapped perfectly, and the ball of sunlight that Ronan had been holding silently merged into it.

This moment.

Time seemed to stand still.

All sounds in the world quickly faded away.

Ronan's once pristine white hair was now rapidly dyed blue and gold from the roots.

As he turned around, facing the relentlessly biting nine-headed serpent, the moment he opened his eyes...

In his eyes, the azure pupils transformed into two burning snow suns!

"Hecalto!"

Two overlapping voices came from Ronan's mouth. At this moment, he was Ronan, and he was also Chaguskona!

He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the enormous nine-headed serpent before him, as if it were looking up at him, and he was the true master of this world at this moment.

"I said it."

Ronan looked at Hecalto, whose eyes were flickering and who was already showing signs of backing down, and smiled as he spoke softly, word by word.

"I will make you return everything, with interest."

After saying that, Ronan pressed down with one hand, his long blue-gold hair flying high behind him.

The moment his five fingers touched the ground, the ice and dust of the entire plain melted and rose upwards!

A tremendous force began to operate, and a blazing white light engulfed everything, including Hecalto's furious and terrified roar.

In the darkness, two voices drifted out amidst the swirling snow.

"So, what's this move called?"

"[The Whale Eating Country], this is also the first key to unlocking the treasure I reserved for you."

"A good name. What do you think of this hunt?"

"Very exciting."

I hope we can still have...

"Next opportunity to cooperate"

A crack silently appeared in the still void, and a figure slowly walked out from it.

This was an extremely young and handsome man, dressed in a magnificent robe woven with white and gold, with a well-proportioned and upright figure.

The young man had a blue-gold rune mark on his forehead that resembled an "S," as if it were some kind of innate noble mark, giving people a sense of depth and mystery like an endless sea.

How long was I inside?

Ronan looked around and found himself in a quiet valley. Most of the trees in the valley had dark green leaves, while some had turned slightly yellow due to the changing seasons.

He remembered that when he and Elsa entered the Ice Emperor Inheritance Realm, it was late autumn, but now it was early autumn.

Ronan opened his Character Panel and saw that the number after his age had increased by one year. He felt a little relieved; thankfully, only a year had passed.

"I should be able to advance to level five before Holy Grail Proof."

Ronan found a protruding rock nearby, gently swept away the moss on its surface with his mental energy, and casually sat cross-legged on it.

He raised his head and looked up at the sunlight through the gap in the valley ceiling, but a hint of confusion began to appear in his eyes.

Even now, everything that happened in the Ice Emperor Inheritance Realm still feels like a dream to him.

"Alazan, are you there?"

Ronan silently called out Alazan's name in his heart.

"Exist."

Alazan responded quickly, his aged voice devoid of any emotion.

"I"

Ronan hesitated about how to tell Alazan the whole story, as well as his complicated and incomprehensible feelings.

Alazan repeated, "I was there the whole time."

Ronan heard Alazan sigh softly.

"He knew I existed from the beginning, but he just wouldn't allow me to communicate with you."

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he gently touched the Frost Whale Mark on his forehead. "Have you heard of his name?"

"Certainly."

Alazan whispered, "The legend of the Ice Emperor Chaguskona had not completely faded away in our time. He was the idol of many Ice Magic wizards, and countless people traveled to every corner of the Third Ring Continent where ice and snow remained in search of his legacy."

I never imagined that you would inherit it in the end.

"Yes, I didn't expect it myself."

Ronan spoke softly, "That's precisely why."

I know what you're afraid of.

Alazan's voice gradually calmed down, "Even the most powerful legacy needs someone to inherit it, otherwise it will only be buried by the dust of time."

You've overlooked your own dazzling qualities and what you already possess.

These are all extremely significant factors; in the eyes of a great figure like Chaguskona, they represent that you are a winner who has finally emerged victorious after passing through layers of selection.

"Was that why you chose me in the first place?"

Ronan suddenly asked a question.

Alazan replied, "To some extent, I don't see things as clearly as he does, but I know very well that after missing out on you, it will be difficult to find someone better."

I've spent too much time waiting and hesitating; I don't have many more chances left.

Ronan listened to Alazan's answer in silence, and finally spoke in a low voice, "What if one day I fail to live up to your expectations?"

"Because of that Prophecy Wizard's death prophecy?"

Alazan said in a deep voice, "Where is Ronan Damien, who dared to risk his life in the Storm Realm and willingly endure the Weaver's Thunder?"

It's ridiculous for a wizard to be preoccupied with things that haven't happened yet, or might not even happen at all.

You should understand this better than I do.

"It won't happen again."

Ronan shook his head, choosing to end the conversation with Alazan.

He swept away his distracting thoughts and focused his mind on the blue-gold whale pattern symbol between his eyebrows.

Within Ronan's Consciousness Space, it exists in the shape of a Blue-Gold Water Drop.

It includes not only a portion of the Primordial Frost Whale Bloodline and the Spell Inheritance of Ice Emperor Chaguskona, but also...

Hecalto was also in it.

Through his mental energy penetrating the surface of the Blue-Gold Water Drop, Ronan could clearly sense that Hecalto, whose size had shrunk countless times, was being suppressed in a certain space by a vast force far stronger than itself.

Its nine heads were all screaming and howling madly.

Within that void, the bloodline power of the Primordial Frost Whale condensed into snow-white chains, binding it tightly and constantly absorbing and devouring its power.

Bloodline Devouring!

A higher-level bloodline devours a lower-level bloodline!

This is actually quite common; many Warcraft games rely on this method to achieve continuous transformation and advancement.

But this was the first time Ronan had personally experienced the cruel and ironclad law of nature revealed by the rare and uncommon high-level bloodline crushing a top-tier Primordial Bloodline into a quasi-Primordial Bloodline.

"If I gather the Primordial Frost Whale Bloodline, devour the complete bloodline of the Hecalto Frost Hydra Bloodline, and then use the power of the adult Saint Blood Tree, can I push the Primordial Frost Whale Bloodline to the true mythical level?"

To achieve a feat that even Ice Emperor Chaguskona couldn't accomplish?!

Ronan felt a momentary flutter in his heart, but quickly calmed himself down.

Even if this idea were feasible, that day is too far away for him now; doing well in the present is the most important thing.

"The weakness in bloodline has been overcome, even far exceeding expectations, which means he is now fully qualified to challenge for the Nine Stars Supreme Elemental Spirit realm."

Ronan took a deep breath, and while thinking, he slowly used his mental power to draw out the bloodline power within the Blue-Gold Water Drop.

What he needs to do now is to formally integrate the Primordial Frost Whale Bloodline from the Ice Emperor Inheritance!

Ronan drew out strands of blue-gold blood, which resembled pure star liquid. The Blue-Gold Water Drop trembled slightly, releasing strange runic fluctuations.

The whale pattern on Ronan's forehead radiates unparalleled brilliance.

In an instant, the blue-gold blood was shaken into particles finer than dust with a "buzz" and vanished from Ronan's perception.

Then, driven by the fluctuations of the runes, it began to seep silently into Ronan's body and even his soul.

In an instant, Ronan sensed that the Storm Rune engraved in every corner of his flesh and bones were being forcibly erased.

Compared to the Primordial Frost Whale Bloodline, the mere ancient-level Storm Weaver Bloodline is as fragile and thin as a few insignificant spider silk threads.

He frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed.

With the Primordial Frost Whale Bloodline, it doesn't matter if the incomplete Storm Weaver Bloodline is erased, since he doesn't specialize in wind and [Electric-Type Spell] anyway.

But just after Ronan made his decision, the situation took a new turn.

For some reason, the blood of the Frost Whale, propelled by the rune fluctuations, deliberately abandoned the outer layers of the body and instead burrowed deeper into the depths.

"Your body is like a perfectly pure blank sheet of paper, born to be inscribed with runes."

A comment Alazan once made about his body inexplicably popped into Ronan's mind.

Is it because of the [Innocent Body]?

Ronan was slightly taken aback, and before he could figure out the answer, "Whoa—"

A magnificent and ancient whale cry slowly resounded from the depths of his soul.

The whale's roar grew louder and more magnificent until it completely engulfed and enveloped Ronan's consciousness.

In a daze, Ronan felt as if he were in an endless Deep Sea.

Starlight filtered through the layers of water, falling from above and sprinkling onto his massive, snow-white body.

He patrolled every inch of the sea like a supreme monarch, countless bizarre and wonderful sights flashing before his eyes.

He lived through countless ages, witnessing the sky and earth crumble, the sun extinguished overhead, and blinding figures falling from the stars.

He grew larger and larger, so large that even the vast Deep Sea could hardly contain his existence.

With a casual inhale or exhale, he could dry up an ocean; with a gentle breath, he could freeze endless waters.

Finally, one day, he could no longer bear it all.

He leaped out of the ocean he depended on for survival, towards the boundless, dazzling starry sky above, singing for freedom, and swimming away with unwavering fins.