As the north wind whipped up ice shards, whistling across the Permafrost Icefield, the footsteps of the Youth Guardian Camp sank into knee-deep snow. The Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern on the scabbard of A Mu's New Sprout Sword no longer shimmered with silver light, but instead were covered in a thin layer of white frost—the closer they got to the Mother Crystal Core, the quieter the fragments of the Child Crystal Core cores ( Star Core Fragments, Forest Heart Crystal Fragments, etc.) became, as if suppressed by some force; in A Ya's bag, the animal hide scroll originally used for recording had frozen stiff, so she could only make temporary notes on a thin piece of ice with a charcoal pencil. "The temperature of the ice field has plummeted, the energy of the Child Crystal Core has weakened, and pale blue patterns have appeared on the ground"; A Shi's record board was filled with sketches of the ice field's terrain, but there was no "energy disorder" marking—the energy here was abnormally "calm," so calm it was unsettling.
"Something's not right, it's too quiet." Loran suddenly stopped, the pale green light at her fingertips freezing into tiny ice crystals the moment it touched the air. The golden figure of the Icefield Wolf was close to A Mu's feet, its ears drooping, its nose constantly sniffing the ground—the pale blue patterns seemed alive, slowly extending with their footsteps, weaving a huge net on the snow. At the center of the net was a "crystal dome" half-buried under the ice, the faint light of the Mother Crystal Core shining through the gaps in the dome, yet carrying a cold sense of alienation.
Before they even reached the dome, several figures suddenly emerged from the ice fissures—they wore white robes woven from ice silkworm silk, their skin tinged with pale blue, and they held long staffs made of ice crystals, the tips inlaid with pale blue crystals of the same origin as the patterns on the ground. "Stop!" the leader's voice rang out like clashing ice beads, "Go any further and you'll trigger the seal!"
A Mu raised his hand in a friendly gesture. "We've come to find the Mother Crystal Core to stabilize the continent's energy." But upon hearing "stabilize energy," the other party frowned. "Stabilize? The Child Crystal Core you activated are already about to break the seal!" He was A Shuang, the guardian of the Ice Spirit Clan. As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved his ice crystal staff, pointing it at the pale blue patterns on the ground—the patterns instantly lit up, reflecting a series of flowing "ice shadows": A thousand years ago, on the Permafrost Icefield, the energy of the Child Crystal Core suddenly went out of control, causing energy chaos throughout the continent. The ancestors of the Ice Spirit Clan used their own power to seal the Mother Crystal Core under the crystal dome, thus suppressing the out-of-control energy. And the "key" to the seal was the energy balance of the Child Crystal Core.
"By activating the Child Crystal Core, you're just 'strengthening' the seal," A Shuang said with a hint of helplessness. " The Mother Crystal Core isn't for activation; it's for 'anchoring'—the seal will only slowly open when the Child Crystal Core' energy is balanced. Forcing your way in will only awaken the ' Backlash Layer ' beneath the ice plains."
The words had barely left his lips when the crystal dome suddenly trembled, and tiny cracks appeared in the pale blue patterns on the ground. A surge of icy energy seeped from these cracks, and the Star Core Fragments at A Mu's waist suddenly became hot, while the Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern on his sword scabbard began to flicker—not with the previous silver light, but with a blinding red glow. " The Backlash Layer has awakened!" A Shuang's expression changed. "It will absorb the energy of the Child Crystal Core and then feed it back to the Ice Plains, causing the seal to freeze completely!"
Forced to retreat, everyone watched as the pale blue patterns were gradually covered by red light, and the faint glow of the crystal dome grew dimmer. A Ya quickly drew the changes in the patterns on the thin ice. "The red light is devouring the blue patterns, and the light from the Mother Crystal Core is weakening!" A Shi then pulled out the previously recorded energy data of the Child Crystal Core cores. "The energy intensity of the Child Crystal Core is different; the Star Core is the strongest, and the Forestheart Crystal is the weakest. Perhaps we can adjust their energy to stop the Backlash Layer from absorbing!"
How could he adjust it? A Mu tried to suppress the burning heat of the Star Core Fragments with the power of ice and fire, but found that the more he suppressed it, the brighter the red light became— the Backlash Layer seemed to be "resisting" external interference. At this moment, an elder of the Ice Spirit Clan walked over, leaning on an ice crystal staff. Her robe was embroidered with patterns of the same origin as the Mother Crystal Core: "Don't suppress it, guide it. A thousand years ago, our ancestors used the energy of the Child Crystal Core to achieve a balance with the Backlash Layer — the Backlash Layer is not an enemy, but the 'guardian' of the Mother Crystal Core. What it fears is an imbalance of energy."
The elder spoke, then took out a transparent " Ice Memory Crystal " from his robes and handed it to A Mu: "This will allow you to see the memories of your ancestors." A Mu placed the Ice Memory Crystal on his forehead, and instantly, countless images flooded his mind: The Ice Spirit Clan of a thousand years ago wasn't "sealing" the Mother Crystal Core, but rather "establishing a balance"—they distributed the Child Crystal Core throughout the continent, allowing the energy of the Mother Crystal Core to be slowly released through the Child Crystal Core, while the Backlash Layer was responsible for absorbing excess energy, forming a "release-absorption" cycle. When the youths activated the Child Crystal Core earlier, they hadn't considered the "uniformity" of energy, resulting in excessively strong energy in the Star Core and other Child Crystal Core, breaking the cycle, which is why the Backlash Layer awakened to "correct" the error.