The crack widened as they walked. At first, they could only squeeze through sideways, but after a few dozen steps, they could walk normally. Further on, the rock walls on both sides suddenly receded, and the ground beneath their feet became flat and smooth, as if someone had deliberately polished it.
Feng Xiaotian followed behind Shui Bing'er, noticing that her steps were unwavering. She walked ahead, each step steady, as if something was guiding her deeper into the distance.
The surrounding temperature was much lower than outside, and the breath exhaled instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals that drifted into the air.
Feng Xiaotian circulated his Soul Power to resist the cold, but the chill seemed to seep from the depths of the earth, penetrating his skin and reaching his very bones.
He glanced at Shui Bing'er's retreating figure—she seemed to walk with increasing ease, the icy blue aura around her shining brightly in the darkness, as if she had blended into her surroundings.
After another incense stick's time, the crack finally came to an end.
Feng Xiaotian stood at the exit, his pupils slightly contracted.
Before us lay a vast underground glacial lake.
The lake surface was as smooth as a mirror, so smooth it didn't seem naturally formed. It reflected the countless icicles hanging from the dome, and in the interplay of light and shadow, the entire space seemed frozen in the deepest part of time.
A ball of icy blue light, about the size of a fist, floated in the center of the lake, emitting a soft and ancient glow, like the slow beating of the heart of the entire frozen lake.
Shui Bing'er stopped at the edge of the frozen lake. She stood there, looking down at the lake surface, and remained silent for a long time.
Feng Xiaotian didn't urge her. He stood a few steps behind her, waiting quietly.
Finally, Shui Bing'er lifted her foot and took her first step.
The moment the toes touched the ice, a delicate ripple spread across the surface of the frozen lake.
Ripples spread outwards from her feet, then bounced back as they touched the edge of the frozen lake, as if responding to her arrival with a life of their own.
Shui Bing'er didn't stop and continued walking forward, each step making the ripples on the frozen lake more obvious, and the blue light under the ice surface became brighter and brighter.
She could feel the icy lake beneath her feet coming to life, its power, dormant for tens of thousands of years, being awakened step by step.
She walked to the center of the lake and stopped in front of the ball of light.
The ball of light slowly rotated, as if gazing at her. After a few breaths, a vast will spread out from the ball of light, covering the entire frozen lake.
There was no malice in that thought, but rather a weariness and anticipation accumulated over many years, like someone who had waited too long and had finally met the person they were waiting for.
" The Ultimate Ice... has finally arrived."
The voice was very soft, as if it came from a very distant place, or as if it echoed directly in my mind.
Feng Xiaotian couldn't hear the voice, but he could see Shui Bing'er's body tremble slightly—she had heard it.
The ball of light slowly descended, hovering near Shui Bing'er's chest. The light dimmed considerably, revealing what it contained—
A fist-sized, ice-blue crystal core, crystal clear throughout, with fine light patterns flowing across its surface, like some kind of ancient runes slowly moving within it.
The crystal core exuded a chilling aura, the lingering essence of divinity that had not dissipated even after ten thousand years.
It is the Heart of the Ice God.
Shui Bing'er looked at it, needing no one to tell her what it was; her Ultimate Ice had already provided the answer—the ice-attribute Soul Power within her body was trembling violently, like a wanderer finally seeing his homeland.
That thought resounded once more:
"Child, this is the Heart of the Ice God —the primordial core I condensed before my fall. My legacy, my power, my divinity are all sealed within it."
" Ice God Inheritance Trial - First Trial: Use your Ultimate Ice as a guide to absorb and fuse with the Heart of the Ice God, allowing it to sink into your heart. If you succeed, the path of inheritance will begin."
If not... it will return here and continue to wait for the next destined one.
Shui Bing'er didn't hesitate for long. She sat cross-legged on the ice, placed her hands on her knees, and slowly closed her eyes.
The Ultimate Ice was circulating at full power within her body, and icy blue Soul Power surged from her, transforming into layers of halos that enveloped her and the Heart of the Ice God.
The Heart of the Ice God sensed her presence, and the light patterns on its surface began to flow faster, like a long-sealed lock finally finding its matching key.
The integration has begun.
The Heart of the Ice God slowly approached Shui Bing'er's chest, and with each inch it advanced, a new layer of ice crystals condensed in the surrounding air.
The ice crystals hovered motionless in mid-air, as if time had been frozen at that moment.
The moment the Heart of the Ice God touched Shui Bing'er's chest, an extremely cold aura erupted from the point of contact, spreading along her meridians to her limbs and bones.
That was no ordinary chill; it was divine power, carrying the will left behind when the Ice God fell ten thousand years ago.
Shui Bing'er's body tensed abruptly, her brows furrowing.
The Ultimate Ice was suppressing the power of the Heart of the Ice God with all its might, guiding it to gradually merge into the heart. Everything was still under her control.
Then--
Deep within the Heart of the Ice God, an aura not belonging to the Ice God suddenly exploded.
It was a dark purple light, like a venomous snake that had been dormant for ten thousand years, suddenly bursting out from the core of the crystal and heading straight for Shui Bing'er's heart.
The aura was cold, violent, and filled with destructive intent—it arrived at an extremely precise moment, right when Shui Bing'er was at her weakest and most vulnerable.
This is not the power of the Heart of the Ice God!
This is the last line of defense left by the person who caused the Ice God 'Heart of the Ice God downfall—he didn't want the Ice God to have any successor.
Shui Bing'er's body jolted violently, and a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, instantly freezing into a red ice bead in the low temperature, which rolled onto the ice surface.
Feng Xiaotian tensed up. He instinctively took a step forward, then stopped abruptly. He knew he couldn't interfere—
Divine fusion can only be accomplished by the inheritor; external intervention will only cause the Heart of the Ice God to reject the host and shatter directly.
He gritted his teeth and retreated to his original spot, his clenched fists turning white at the knuckles.
Shui Bing'er was not defeated by the impact. She steadied herself at the most dangerous moment.
The Ultimate Ice was operating at full power, layer upon layer enveloping the raging torrent of divine energy, like a small ice shell covering an entire volcano about to erupt.
Her Soul Power was being consumed frantically, every breath a struggle against, erosion against, and transformation of divinity, gradually turning that power that did not belong to her into her own.
The dark purple light struggled for a long time before being completely crushed and devoured by the Ultimate Ice, turning into nothingness.
This process lasted a long time.
Feng Xiaotian didn't know how much time had passed. He stood at the edge of the frozen lake, watching the icy blue light flicker on and off, and watching Shui Bing'er's figure appear and disappear in the light. His palms were sweaty, but his back was chilled to the bone.
The ice crystals floating on the frozen lake began to shatter one by one, as if the seal of time was being broken.
The ice cones on the dome refracted changing light, and the entire space pulsed in sync with Shui Bing'er's heartbeat.
Finally, Shui Bing'er's body stopped trembling.
The light began to converge, slowly gathering back to her chest from its explosive state.
The blue light patterns on the Heart of the Ice God gradually stabilized, perfectly synchronized with the beating of her heart—thump, thump, thump, steady and powerful.
On Shui Bing'er's forehead, an ice-blue rune mark slowly emerged, shaped like a solidified ice flower, radiating a soft and constant glow.
Feng Xiaotian saw the mark on her forehead and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't know when he had stopped breathing; his chest felt tight and suffocated until this moment when he slowly exhaled.
Shui Bing'er sat cross-legged on the ice, her eyes closed, but her breathing was steady. Her aura was undergoing a transformation—the feeling was subtle, not an increase in Soul Power Level, but something deeper.
Her demeanor possessed a purity akin to ice, as if she and the glacier had become one.
The frozen lake has returned to calm.
The blue light beneath the ice slowly faded, and the lake surface returned to its mirror-like clarity. The ice cones on the dome remained still, and the entire space returned to its initial tranquility.
Feng Xiaotian stood by the frozen lake, his gaze never leaving Shui Bing'er. He looked at the icy blue mark on her forehead, steady, clear, and carrying a divine aura.
He waited a long time.
Above the frozen lake, where the Heart of the Ice God once hovered, is now completely empty.
Shui Bing'er hadn't opened her eyes yet, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly—not from pain, nor from exhaustion, but a very faint smile.
The light completely faded.
Silence fell.