Far North

After five days of searching, most of the Icebound Forest had been explored.

Not a single pure-blooded Ice Dragon, a subdragon species, had been found.

However, beneath an ice cliff deep within the forest, Jiang Bai discovered a Frost Earth Dragon that was more than eight thousand years old.

It was a powerful soul beast with a dragon's head and a lizard's body, capable of burrowing through the earth. Its bloodline was purer than any they had encountered before, nearly approaching that of a pure-blooded dragon.

But an Earth Dragon was not a flying dragon, and it was not the Ice Dragon he envisioned—one that could soar through the skies and command frost.

This Frost Earth Dragon could serve as a backup choice.

On the evening of the fifth day, Jiang Bai called back the three dragon beasts and rested in a sheltered ice cave.

The campfire blazed brightly, and the scent of roasting meat filled the cave.

As Jiang Bai turned the Snow Soft-Bone Rabbit they had caught over the fire, he sorted through their gains from the past few days.

"Master, there are too few high-level soul beasts in this forest." Fire Dragon lay nearby and spoke dejectedly. "We've practically searched every corner, but not a single pure-blooded one was found."

Earth Dragon said, "The Icebound Forest was never that large to begin with, and humans have hunted here for so many years. It's only natural for high-level soul beasts to be scarce."

Wind Dragon nodded. "Perhaps true Ice Dragons prefer an environment like the Far North—colder and more vast."

Jiang Bai listened in silence. He handed the roasted rabbit meat to the three dragons, then tore off a piece for himself and chewed it slowly.

He had actually anticipated this long ago.

Though the Icebound Forest bore the name "ice," it was ultimately only a transitional region on the edge of the Far North. True Ice Dragons probably preferred to dwell farther north, in an icy kingdom beyond human reach.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to the Far North." He swallowed the last bite of rabbit meat and spoke calmly.

All three dragons raised their heads, excitement and vigilance mingling in their eyes.

The Far North was a forbidden land ten, even a hundred times more dangerous than the Icebound Forest.

Seeking an Ice Dragon there meant a true adventure—and a true test of life and death.

The three dragons exchanged glances and said nothing more.

They trusted their master's judgment.

At dawn on the sixth day, while the sky was still dim, Jiang Bai packed his gear and mounted Fire Dragon.

In such extreme cold, Fire Dragon could provide constant warmth and protection.

"Let's go."

Fire Dragon spread his crimson wings and shot into the sky, flying north toward that true frozen wasteland.

The Icebound Forest rapidly receded beneath them, becoming a stretch of silvery white.

Ahead, at the end of the horizon, it seemed that nothing remained between heaven and earth but an endless, heart-chilling white.

The wind cut like knives, and the snow swept down like curtains.

The Far North lay before them.

Yet only at the moment he truly entered the Far North did Jiang Bai understand what the words "forbidden land" meant.

This place was completely different from the Icebound Forest.

If the Icebound Forest was a frigid frontier, then the Far North was a kingdom ruled by ice and snow.

The air was so cold that it seemed frozen solid. The vapor from his breath turned into tiny shards of ice the instant it left his mouth and nose, crackling as they fell to the ground, or becoming sharp ice dust in the gale and striking him head-on.

The sun was merely a vague, deathly pale blot of light hanging beneath the low sky, stingily scattering rays that carried almost no warmth.

The snow did not drift down gently. It was swept up by the gale and assaulted them endlessly from every direction.

The snow on the ground was knee-deep, and in some depressions, it could swallow an entire person.

A hard crust covered the surface of the snow, cracking with a "crunch" beneath one's feet. Yet beneath it lay loose powder snow, and one could sink in with the slightest misstep.

Even Earth Dragon and Wind Dragon were unsuited to remaining outdoors for long in such an environment.

Jiang Bai could only ride Fire Dragon himself and struggle onward through this white hell.

Fire Dragon was not doing well either.

As a fire-attributed dragon beast, the extreme cold naturally suppressed him.

The search was even harder than Jiang Bai had imagined.

The Far North was far vaster than the Icebound Forest.

As far as the eye could see, there were only endless snowfields, rolling ice peaks, and bottomless ice ravines.

Blizzards swept through from time to time, reducing visibility to less than ten meters.

Searching for a specific soul beast in such an environment was like looking for a needle in the sea.

Over the past two and a half days, Jiang Bai had encountered the true inhabitants of the Far North.

A group of entirely white Titan Snow Demons, each over five meters tall, migrated across the snowfields, their heavy footsteps making the ground tremble.

These colossal creatures possessed terrifying physical strength and could shatter solid ice with a casual blow.

Jiang Bai kept far away and did not disturb them.

He also saw several crystal-clear Ice Jade Scorpions, as though carved from jade, hunting across the ice.

Snow Wolves, Frost Pythons, Frost Mammoths, Frost Griffins, Ice Bears—

But there was still no sign of an Ice Dragon.

On the afternoon of the third day, a sudden blizzard forced Jiang Bai to seek shelter from the wind.

He rode Fire Dragon between the ice peaks and eventually found a naturally formed ice cave beneath a small sheltered ice mound.

The ice cave was not large, but it could accommodate one person and one dragon.

Jiang Bai barely managed to light a small campfire.

The orange-red flames flickered, finally bringing a trace of long-lost warmth.

Fire Dragon collapsed beside the fire, and the entire dragon looked somewhat "depressed."

His crimson scales had lost their usual luster, his eyelids drooped, and his breathing was far heavier than normal.

As a fire-attributed soul beast, staying in this environment for so long was practically torture for him.

Jiang Bai stroked his head, and Fire Dragon let out a low whimper.

"Hold on a little longer," Jiang Bai said softly. "Once we find the Ice Dragon, we'll leave this place."

He was also somewhat puzzled. Had his luck truly been this bad these past few days?

Logically speaking, as a top predator of the Far North, an Ice Dragon's range of activity should not have been small.

Moreover, dragon soul beasts usually possessed a strong sense of territory and would leave obvious scent markers.

Yet over the past three days, he had not sensed even the faintest trace of a pure-blooded dragon's aura.

Could all the Ice Dragons be living deeper within the core region?

But the core region was the territory of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North. Charging in recklessly would be far too dangerous—

After resting for two hours, the blizzard outside gradually weakened.

Jiang Bai extinguished the campfire and mounted Fire Dragon once more.

"Let's go. We'll check the east. We haven't searched that area carefully yet."

Fire Dragon rallied himself, spread his wings, and burst from the ice cave.

The terrain to the east was even more complex.

The continuous ice peaks rose and fell like the spines of enormous beasts.

Ice ravines crisscrossed the land, bottomless and dark. From their depths came, now and then, an unnerving wail of wind, as though the earth itself were groaning.

A faint ice mist drifted through the air, and visibility remained poor.

After two and a half hours of searching from the air, they had still found nothing.

Jiang Bai's heart gradually sank.

Did he really have to risk entering the core region?

Just as he was nearly ready to give up and turn toward another area.

An exceedingly faint yet incomparably distinct ripple pierced through the biting wind and the snow-filled sky, entering his senses.

That was—dragon might!

Pure, icy, and belonging to an ice-attributed dragon!

Jiang Bai's spirits lifted. "Eldest, did you sense it?"

Fire Dragon also raised his head, a trace of vigilance flashing through his red-gold dragon eyes. "It's the aura of a dragon soul beast—and a very powerful ice-attributed one!"

"Follow the aura!"

Fire Dragon changed direction and sped toward the source of the aura.

The farther they flew, the more distinct that dragon might became.

After circling around an ice peak as steep as though carved by a blade, the view before them suddenly opened up.

It was an ice lake hidden deep within the folds of the ice peaks.