The bitter winds of the far north swirled through the enormous ice cavern, wailing like ghosts. This was the heart of Ice Island, a sacred hall built of ancient ice ten thousand years old. The cavern's walls resembled enormous blue crystals, refracting the faint daylight filtering in from outside and creating a dreamlike yet frigid atmosphere.
At the very center of the cavern, atop an ancient altar, a divine bird of graceful, noble bearing slept with its eyes closed. Its body seemed sculpted from the purest ice and moonlight, every feather giving off a soft, cold blue glow. Its sanctity transcended all worldly beauty, making anyone who set foot here hold their breath involuntarily, as though even their heartbeat had been frozen by this absolute zero.
Articuno.
Apollo and the elite members under his command, hardened criminals who lived on the edge of a blade, now looked like children seeing the ocean for the first time, utterly awed by the sight before them. The weapons in their hands seemed so crude, the murderous aura around them so out of place in this sacred domain. No one dared make a rash move. No one even dared breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing the sleeping Ice God.
Ye Li also felt that bone-deep chill and the oppressive weight bearing down on his soul. But he knew better than anyone that the calm before them was only an illusion. Against Articuno, they absolutely could not try to settle things through clever tricks or brute force, as they had on Fire Island and Lightning Island. This legendary divine bird was renowned for its pride and aloof purity. Any form of offense would bring the most merciless freezing.
He slowly took something from inside his clothes. It was the controller called the Beacon, obtained at the