The moment I stepped into the Northern Territory Ice Soul Flower Valley, a biting wind carrying fine ice particles assaulted my face. Unlike the scorching heat of the Western Territory Sand Sea, every inch of air here felt like a frozen blade; my breath instantly condensed into white mist. The ice beneath my feet shimmered with a pale blue light, reflecting the leaden sky above—this was the "Polluted Land of Turbid Energy" indicated by the Sand Soul Tree, but the scene before me was far more devastating than I had imagined.
The " Ice Soul Flower," which should have bloomed across the mountains and plains, were now reduced to a few scattered blooms that still retained a pale blue glow. Most of the flowers had lost their luster, and the edges of the petals were tinged with an eerie black, as if they had been soaked in ink. Beneath the ice surface, black cracks could be vaguely seen, from which seeped cold, turbid energy, turning the once pure ice spirit veins grayish-black. Further away on the ice slope, several "puppets" made of ice blocks stood, their joints wrapped in turbid energy, their eye sockets empty black holes. They wandered aimlessly, occasionally touching an unwithered Ice Soul Flower, and would reach out to tear off a petal, letting the black turbid energy spread along their fingertips.
"Those are ' Turbid Energy Ice Golem '!" A Mu quickly held his New Sprout Sword horizontally in front of him, the Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern on the scabbard glowing with an orange light brighter than usual, attempting to ward off the surrounding chill. "They're formed by turbid energy attaching to ice, and they actively destroy the growth environment of Ice Soul Flower." As soon as he finished speaking, an ice puppet sensed the movement, abruptly turning its head, its empty eye sockets aimed at the group, and with heavy icy legs, it lunged towards A Shi — A Shi was squatting on the ice drawing, and didn't react in time, about to be slapped by the ice puppet's hand.
"Watch out!" Lei Lin's voice had barely faded when the golden figure darted out like lightning. He didn't transform into human form, but remained in wolf form, making movement on the ice more agile. He leaped forward, his claws gleaming with Golden Crystal Power, and slammed them hard into the ice golem's joint. With a crisp "crack," the ice golem's right arm snapped off, black, turbid energy gushing from the break, but it was blocked by the Golden Crystal Power surrounding Lei Lin. Before he could retreat, another ice golem attacked from the side, its icy fist carrying a chilling wind as it slammed into his back.
" Lei Lin!" Loran's heart tightened. She immediately raised the Origin Key, and pale blue light surged from her fingertips, condensing into a light shield behind Lei Lin. The ice fist slammed into the light shield, sending up a shower of ice shards. Although the light shield developed a slight crack, it forcefully blocked the attack. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lei Lin turned around, and the Golden Crystal Power gathered above his head, transforming into a golden light blade that instantly cleaved the torso of the second ice golem—the turbid energy, having lost its carrier, turned into a wisp of black smoke and dissipated in the cold wind.
"Clear the outer ice golems first, then find the Ice Soul Flower mother plant!" Loran quickly walked to Lei Lin's side, reaching out to stroke the golden velvet on his earlobe. The Origin Key on her fingertips glowed faintly, helping to dispel the chill clinging to his fur. "It's too cold here; your spirit core power will be consumed faster. Don't rush forward alone." Lei Lin rubbed against her palm, his golden eyes reflecting her image, a low, soft purring sound emanating from his throat—a wolf-like habit he retained even after transforming, only revealed in front of Loran.
The team quickly divided the tasks: A Mu was responsible for containing the ice golems head-on. He adjusted the ice and fire power of the New Sprout Sword to "fire primary, ice secondary," and the pale orange flames spewed from the sword tip could melt ice and scorch turbid energy. Each strike left a scorching mark on the ice surface; A Ya laid "spiritual ice silk" on the ice surface—she soaked Symbiotic Fiber in the melted juice of the Ice Soul Flower and wove them into a net as fine as hair. The ice silk glowed with a pale blue light, and once the ice golem stepped on it, its joints would be entangled, making it unable to move; A Shi lay in a safe area and quickly drew an " Ice Soul Flower distribution map," marking the possible directions of the Ice Soul Flower mother plant based on the location of the remaining flowers; Loran and Lei Lin formed a "mobile team" to clear out any ice golems that slipped through the net, while sensing the spiritual vein fluctuations under the ice surface to find the traces of the mother plant.