The deeper they ventured into the inner region, the heavier the icy chill in the air became.
Shen Xiu had already pushed the thunder power within him to its limit. A golden barrier wrapped him tightly from head to toe, yet the frigid aura still seeped in through every opening, as though countless icy needles were pricking his skin.
"Hold on," Lin Fan's voice came from ahead. "We're already more than halfway there. The outer perimeter of the place where the Thunder Emperor fell isn't far ahead."
Shen Xiu nodded, gritted his teeth, and pressed onward.
Along the way, they had suffered dozens of attacks from Fierce Beasts and vicious spirits. From the Saint Venerable Realm First Heaven Netherwolf Pack, to the Saint Venerable Realm Third Heaven Three-Headed Serpent Monster, to the Saint Venerable Realm Fourth Heaven Shadow Demon Ape, every battle had been a trial balanced between life and death.
Lin Fan rarely intervened. Most of the time, he let Shen Xiu handle things himself. Only when Shen Xiu was truly in mortal danger would he step in to help.
"Only this way can you truly grow," Lin Fan had said.
Shen Xiu understood Lin Fan's intentions, so he gave his all in every battle, bringing the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Art and the Ninefold Thunder Body Art to their utmost power.
When fighting Fierce Beasts at the Saint Venerable Realm First Heaven, he could already hold his own without falling behind. Against Saint Venerable Realm Second Heaven Fierce Beasts, he struggled but could still barely hold them off. As for those at the Saint Venerable Realm Third Heaven and above, he could only leave them to Lin Fan.
Just then, the gray mist ahead suddenly began to thin, and his vision gradually cleared.
Shen Xiu looked up—and froze.