No one expected that this Avalanche River is far wider and boundless than what can be seen with the naked eye. The ice bridge stretches towards the other side for a long time, and there is still no end in sight, like an endless road between life and death.
Lady Luo Ou has tried her best, her ice soul is running at full strength, and the soul power is pouring out like a tide. The cold sweat on her forehead is frozen into ice beads by the cold air as soon as it seeps out. Her face is as pale as paper, and her whole body is trembling slightly.
But even if she stabilized the ice bridge to the extreme and suppressed the power of the ice soul at the bottom of the river, everyone could still clearly feel the eerie and biting cold air and the terrifying pulling force when they stepped on the ice bridge.
The cold air spread along the ice bridge and penetrated into the bone marrow. Even Shaja Zhou and Chen Lang felt the rapid and continuous consumption of Magic Power. They tried their best to resist this chill that could freeze their souls.
There was an invisible force rising up from under their feet, pulling on everyone's ankles, as if dragging everyone into the abyss of ice and slush. Every step they took required a lot of effort to resist, and if they were not careful, they would fall into a place of eternal destruction.
Holy Arbitration Mage, who was accompanying the team, was not as good as the top experts present. Under the continuous invasion of cold air and pulling force, his mind was already tense to the limit.
When they reached the center of the long river, where the pulling force was strongest, a violent ice wave suddenly arose from the river. The ice edges splashed in all directions, and a huge force far exceeding the previous one suddenly struck. Holy Arbitration Mage's feet slipped and he was dragged away from the ice bridge without even having time to scream. His body swayed and he fell straight into the surging ice slurry.
"Plop..."
The dull sound of falling into the water was covered up by the roar of the glacier. The next second, the terrifying cold air enveloped him instantly. However, in an instant, the Holy Arbitration Mage was frozen into a stiff ice sculpture, and then was carried by the rushing ice slurry and sank to the bottom of the river, leaving not even a trace.
Everyone's expressions changed, but no one moved to rescue them. No one even dared to lower their heads and take a second look. They just stared at the ice bridge under their feet and moved forward faster.
It's not that they are cold-blooded, but everyone present knows that the pull of the Avalanche River's ice soul is too overbearing. Once it breaks away from the ice bridge, even a strong Forbidden Curse Level will be dragged into the bottom of the river and frozen in an instant. A hasty rescue will only end up in vain, and there is no room for recovery.
In this desperate situation, taking the overall situation into consideration and preserving the vitality are the only choices. Excessive compassion will only cause more people to die here.
With this sudden tragedy, the remaining Holy Arbitration Mages did not dare to relax in the slightest. They all held their breath and concentrated, trying their best to resist the cold air and pulling force. Their steps were as steady as a mountain, and they did not dare to be distracted in the slightest.
Lady Luo Ou gritted his teeth and exhausted his soul power, holding on to the ice bridge to prevent the ice body from breaking into pieces.
After walking in fear and fear all the way under the shadow of death, everyone finally stepped on this long bridge made of ice and soul power and successfully reached the other side.
The moment their feet set foot on the solid ice field, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Their backs were already soaked with cold sweat. Looking back, the galloping and roaring Avalanche River looked even more terrifying and ferocious.
Lady Luo Ou could no longer hold on, and staggered to the ground, gasping for air. The spiritual and soul power in his body was almost exhausted, and he was extremely weak.
Chen Lang stood on the ice field on the other side, staring intently at the Avalanche River who was still roaring behind him. The blue ice slurry was surging continuously, and he could still vaguely feel the pulling force of the remaining ice soul, and the coldness kept creeping up the soles of his shoes.
He knew better than anyone else that the dangerous crossing of the glacier just now was by no means the end of the danger. Instead, it meant that they had entered a deeper Desperate Land, and every step forward would be even more dangerous than when they crossed the river.
Because, after crossing Avalanche River, they completely got rid of the peripheral buffer zone. What they faced next was no longer scattered ice demons and natural disaster-like weather, but the absolute dominance of this Antarctic Glacier.
The Emperor of the Extreme South who has been dormant for eternity and oppressed the world.
The air was a bit frozen, everyone looked solemn, and they didn't dare to take a breath. After the frightening scene of crossing the river, everyone was already exhausted physically and mentally, and Magic Power had also consumed a lot of energy.
"Let's rest here for a while. Next, it's Emperor of the Extreme South's territory." Shaja spoke slowly, her voice calm but with unquestionable leadership. As the initiator of this mission to kill Emperor of the South Pole, she is also the actual leader of this team, and her right to speak is very important.
Everyone present, except Chen Lang, the strongest human being without any restraint, the other accompanying Holy Arbitration Mage, Lady Luo Ou, and even all the auxiliary personnel, absolutely obeyed the orders of Shaja without any objection.
At this moment, we are in the deepest part of Antarctic Glacier, and we cannot make a single mistake. Only by obeying the orders can we barely survive in this desperate situation.
This is already the edge of Emperor of the South Pole's territory. Ice Invasion Force is several times more terrifying than the outside. The biting cold air can penetrate ordinary defenses, directly corrode the physical body and spiritual power, and even interfere with the operation of Star Seed. It is impossible to rest in the open air at will.
The accompanying Holy Arbitration Mage did not dare to delay, and immediately followed Shaja's instructions, working together to run magic and build a special Ice Prism Fortress.
This fortress is not a pile of ordinary ice, but reinforced with defensive magic. The layers of ice walls are thick and hard. It can not only resist Icefield Storm from the outside world, but also block the prying eyes of Emperor of the South Pole's subordinates Demon Beast. It also isolates its own breath to avoid prematurely alarming Emperor of the South Pole in the depths.
After the fortress was set up, several mages who were good at Fire Element magic immediately set out to set up the Fire Vein magic circle in the center of the fortress. The orange-red fire slowly ignited, dispelling the biting chill around them and allowing everyone to relax their tense bodies and minds.
After arranging all rest matters, Shaja dismissed his entourage and walked to Chen Lang alone, looking at the dim ice peak in the distance. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Chen Lang, with a hint of doubt in his tone. "Where is the Mu Ningxue you brought?"
Along the way, she always remembered that Chen Lang was followed by the cold-tempered Master Ice Element, but now after crossing the river, Mu Ningxue was not seen in the team, which made her a little surprised.
Chen Lang retracted his gaze and looked into the depths of the ice field. His tone was calm and without much concealment. "Before coming to the Avalanche River, I asked her to find a place with strong ice power to practice in seclusion."
Naturally, he would not take Mu Ningxue into danger. Avalanche River is extremely dangerous, and the subsequent battle with Emperor of the South Pole is a narrow escape. Mu Ningxue staying on the outside to practice can not only break through his own bottleneck, but also avoid this deadly battle, which is the safest arrangement.
"That's it..." Shaja muttered in a low voice and nodded clearly. She also understood that Mu Ningxue staying on the periphery was the best choice. If he followed deep into the hinterland, it would only become a drag. Chen Lang's arrangement was reasonable and reasonable.
The atmosphere fell into silence again, with only the crackling sound of Fire Array burning and the sound of distant ice wind howling.
Shaja looked at the fire with slightly complicated eyes. He was silent for a long time and suddenly turned to look at Chen Lang. With a rare hesitation in his tone, he asked softly, "Do you think we can succeed in this mission?"
Hearing this, Chen Lang raised his brows slightly, his eyes full of straightforward doubts. He looked at Shaja and said bluntly, "You initiated this mission and took the lead in gathering everyone to kill Emperor of the South Pole. Now you are asking me if I can succeed?"
He was really surprised. His understanding of Emperor of the Extreme South was pitiful.
Although he had sporadic knowledge based on foresight, the information was fragmented and one-sided. He only knew that the other party was the top Emperor-level existence in the world and was unparalleled in power. As for the deeper details, he had no idea at all.
Holy City has stood for thousands of years, always keeping a close eye on the trends of Antarctic Glacier, and studying the background, methods and weaknesses of Emperor of the South Pole for generations. As the only Sixteen-Winged Archangel in the contemporary era, Shaja E, who holds the most complete confidential information, took the initiative to lead the expedition this time. It is reasonable to say that he was fully prepared. However, at this moment, he showed such an uncertain look, which made Chen Lang quietly feel a hidden worry in his heart.
Shaja turned to look at the dull and biting ice field outside the fortress. The original determination in her eyes faded a bit, replaced by helplessness and solemnity that could not be concealed. She sighed softly, her voice low and restrained. "In the end, the understanding of information is just talk on paper."
"Holy City The Emperor of the South Pole Ice recorded in the classics is just what it looked like a hundred or even a thousand years ago. Its strength, magical power, and territory layout are all outdated and old news.
But the creatures in this world are evolving and becoming stronger all the time. Even the existence of Emperor-level, which has been dormant for eternity, will never stagnate and live with its old strength.
What's more, it occupies the roof of the world in Antarctica, monopolizes the extremely cold origin of the entire glacier and the aura of heaven and earth, and sits in a unique secret realm of cultivation. How can it remain unchanged?
After so many years, none of us know exactly how far it has broken through and whether it has any hidden trump card."
Shaja's words hit home every time, revealing all the insecurities that had been suppressed in my heart for a long time.
Although she is Sixteen-Winged Archangel and is the backbone of this operation, facing an Eternal Emperor who is completely out of control and whose strength is unfathomable, her so-called complete preparations appear to be extremely weak in the face of the absolute unknown, and she is far more uneasy than others.
Chen Lang fell silent, frowned slightly, and did not say a word to refute.
He had to admit that Shaja's concerns hit the biggest hidden danger of this mission.
He has always relied on his peak strength and prophetic advantage, but this advantage completely failed with Emperor of the South Pole Ice.
This Antarctic Emperor has been isolated from the world for eternity, silently accumulating strength, and has long been reborn. I'm afraid it will definitely not be the same as in the classics.
The most important thing is... when obtaining the impact forbidden spell resources according to Mu Ningxue,
Even though he and Shaja are both the top combat powers in the world, if they rashly face such an unknown and powerful enemy, they are not even sure of victory.
The Fire Array in the center of the fortress crackled and burned. The orange-red firelight barely dispelled the biting chill on the body surface, but it could not dispel the heavy oppression hanging over everyone's heads. The air seemed to be frozen by this solemnity.
Neither of them spoke, and there was only the whining sound of the ice wind blowing across the ice field, which was low and harsh, making people's hearts tense.
The road ahead is life or death, and this battle is victory or defeat. Even Chen Lang, the strongest man who stands at the pinnacle of mankind, is at a loss in his heart and cannot give any definite answer.
Thinking of this, Chen Lang felt a hint of regret in his heart.
He could have taken Mu Ningxue and Aurelia to find a safe place to escape from the world, away from this life-or-death situation of the world, and there was no need to push himself into this desperate situation.
As long as there is enough time, he can continue to grow.
Even if he cannot grow, he may not have no way to survive.
But when he steps here, with his butterfly wings constantly flapping, if he loses this battle, not only will he die on the glacier, but even the people he cares about may be implicated, and there will be no peace.
Just when he was confused and entangled in regrets, Shaja beside him suddenly straightened his back. His originally hesitant tone instantly became decisive, his eyes were as sharp as a blade, showing the determination to break the boat. He said in a deep voice word for word, "But we can win, and we must win. Even if it costs my life, we must stop Emperor of the South Pole from causing trouble in the world!"
As soon as the words fell, the Sixteen-Winged Holy Light behind her suddenly surged, and the pure holy aura filled the air. The determination to die for the common people and for the righteousness was without reservation, without any flinching or hesitation.
Looking at Shaja's determination as if he was ready to die, Chen Lang's heart was slightly shaken, and he felt somewhat ashamed for no reason.
He has always been casual and always puts himself and the people around him first in his actions, and all he wants is security and protection.
But people like Shaja have the world in their hearts and are willing to sacrifice their lives for justice without hesitation. This kind of magnanimity and courage is something he has never possessed and is difficult to match.
But because of this, Chen Lang has become increasingly aware that he has never been with Shaja, and he does not want to have too much contact with people like her.
The two people have conflicting ideas and are incompatible with each other. He cannot risk everything for the so-called righteousness, and Shaja will not give up his obsession to protect the world. They are not on the same journey, so there is no need to force their integration.
Just like people like Shao Zheng, Hua Zhanhong, Pang Lai, Zhu Meng, Zhan Kong...
They are all able to sacrifice for the world and are selfless.
But he is selfish.
Chen Lang calmed down his chaotic thoughts and refused to dwell on these useless emotions. He stood up immediately and gently patted Ice Shards off his clothes. His tone returned to his usual calm and indifferent tone without any extra emotion. "Now that we are here, it is useless to think about it more. It will only distract the mind. Get some rest early, be energetic, and face the tough battle ahead."
Shaja looked at his turning back and didn't say anything more. He just nodded lightly, the determination in his eyes not diminishing at all, then turned around and walked towards his temporary tent.
The construction and formation mages who accompanied this trip were all of the highest level in the world. In just a short time, a neat temporary residence was built in the sturdy Ice Prism Fortress.
Surrounded by layers of formations, the defense is comprehensive, which can not only isolate the cold outside, but also conceal everyone's aura, avoiding premature alarm Emperor of the South Pole, enough to allow everyone to rest at ease and make final preparations for the upcoming ultimate battle to the death.
Of course, as for whether Emperor of the South Pole Ice really doesn't know they are here?
In Chen Lang's opinion, the other party should know...