Several days later, the three of them finally entered the core region of the Far North, braving the biting wind and snow that filled the sky.
As far as the eye could see, nothing remained between heaven and earth but a boundless expanse of white. The eternal permafrost radiated a deathly stillness and majesty that held all visitors a thousand miles at bay.
They did not rashly venture deeper to search for traces of the Abyssal Ice Prison Tiger.
The Snow Empress had already solemnly warned them that this mysterious, powerful ancient race very likely still had a patriarch whose strength was unfathomable. So terrifying was that strength that, even when the Far North had been at its peak, she alone could have firmly held the upper hand against that patriarch.
With their current lineup, recklessly disturbing such an existence would be no different from seeking their own deaths.
Fortunately, the Snow Empress had already devised a countermeasure: call in reinforcements!
The three first arrived at the Ice Crystal Castle, where the Snow Empress had once lived. Towering and magnificent, the castle had been carved entirely from profound ice that would not melt for ten thousand years. Yet its interior was empty and cold, as though even the passage of time had slowed here.
They settled there temporarily, waiting quietly for that important hired muscle to return.
According to the Snow Empress, she had instructed Ice Bear King Xiaobai to return to the castle and check on it periodically, in case she had urgent matters that required his assistance.
Yet their wait lasted more than a full month. What infuriated the Snow Empress even more was that, judging by the extreme cold accumulated inside the castle, no living creature had been active here for at least four or five months.