Dawn and Dusk: Eternal Frost Deposition

"Snap!"

Before Su Ming could even fully grasp the situation, the sound of an invisible barrier shattering rang out. The world became incredibly clear at that moment; even the oppressive force emanating from the universe behind the thick clouds in the sky seemed within reach!

Su Ming suppressed his inner shock and tried his best to calm himself down: He must not be afraid, he must not back down, and he must not lose himself in this sudden power!

Although Zijin had warned him not to deliberately pursue upgrades, Su Ming had no choice but to accept the breakthrough that came naturally.

Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. Su Ming calmed himself down and, after a while, gradually adapted to this new level of power, his condition slowly stabilizing.

"Are you sure you can keep up, newly Magister!" Qiluo flicked her tail, the starlight on her mane shimmering. "If you keep dawdling, those artificial birdmen will catch up!"

Su Ming focused his mind and mentally reviewed the tactics: use "Shadow Jump" to quickly close the distance to Aideluzi, then use "Deathly Word: Elemental Fade" to dispel his defenses, followed by "Deathly Word: Arcane Collapse his buffs, and finally unleash " Dark Element Torrent " at close range.

This was the strongest combo he could unleash at this stage. But the success rate was still slim— Aideluzi had extremely high resistance and was definitely carrying High Rank magical items.

But Su Ming was truly unwilling to give up without giving it his all!

Just as he was about to cast the spell, the "Dawn and Dusk" bracelet suddenly appeared on its own and wrapped around his wrist. Of this mysterious twelve-section bracelet, two sections had now solidified, while the remaining ten sections remained in a phantom state.

A rhythmic flow, like Stars, emanates from the bracelet, scattering dreamlike stardust.

Aideluzi, who was ahead, glanced back and saw this scene. The light on his alchemical wings shone even brighter, and his flight speed increased once again!

"Could it be that they've set their sights on this guy's corpse again?" Su Ming sighed helplessly. "We haven't even killed him yet!"

But the light of "Dawn and Dusk" grew even brighter. Through the feedback of his mental energy, Su Ming suddenly understood: with his advancement, coupled with the amplification of the "Meteor" set and the blessing of "Moon's Offering", he had finally reached the threshold for using the power of the bracelet segments!

Since that's the case, Su Ming decided to give it a try. In any case, the original tactics were unlikely to work.

Abigai's abilities were clearly unsuitable for the current situation, Su Ming chose to activate the segment composed of the corpse and soul of Yexiya, the Ice-type Saint Rank powerhouse who was destroyed on Snail Island.

Su Ming established a connection and focused all his energy on sensing the first segment of the bracelet.

"One of the Dawn and Dusk," Su Ming murmured, "Is it called— Eternal Frost Deposition?"

He concentrated all his energy and poured all his strength into it.

"Dawn and Dusk and Dusk, Eternal Frost Deposition!"

In an instant, a blue halo burst forth from "Dawn and Dusk," spreading rapidly like ripples, enveloping Aideluzi in front and the Azure Sky Battle Puppet behind in a pale blue domain.

"What is this?" Qiluo blinked in confusion.

Apart from a barely visible blue halo around the perimeter, nothing seemed to have happened.

However, the next second, a plume of frost suddenly rose from the ground in front of Aideluzi. Sharp icicles burst from the ground and shot straight toward Aideluzi!

The fleeing Fate Manipulator smashed the ice pillar, but then a second, a third... In the blink of an eye, the entire area was like a boiling ice spring, with countless ice pillars shooting continuously from the ground! Aideluzi was hurtling towards the sky.

"It's an offensive domain!" Qiluo exclaimed in surprise, "Frost is actively attacking him!"

An offensive domain? This was the first time Su Ming had ever witnessed such power.

He turned to look behind him, and the same scene was unfolding. However, these cyborgs were far weaker than Aideluzi. After dodging several attacks, they were struck by ice pillars and fell to the ground like birds with broken wings.

This is practically like... a magical version of an anti-aircraft minefield!

Was Yexiya's ice-type domain really that powerful back then? Su Ming glanced suspiciously at the "Dawn and Dusk" light shimmering on his wrist.

****

In the chilly winds of the Sheltered Valley, the figure of the Fate Manipulator Aideluzi flitted through the rain of icicles, like a nimble Butterfly struggling in the snowstorm.

However, prolonged defense inevitably leads to defeat, and he was eventually struck on one side of his alchemical wing by a sharp icicle.

Her wings were instantly frozen by the frost that covered them, and Aideluzi's figure visibly froze.

This attack seemed to open a floodgate, and more ice shards swarmed towards him like sharks smelling blood. The crystalline ice crystals rapidly layered and spread over his body, instantly enveloping this powerful figure.

Finally, Aideluzi transformed into a giant block of ice, crashing to the ground with a dull thud, stirring up a cloud of snow mist.

Su Ming let out a long sigh of relief, finally able to put away the "Dawn and Dusk" bracelet. His hands trembled slightly from the exhaustion of Magic Power, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

This weapon, of unknown grade, even if it's just a section, is still far too much for him in his current state!

He rode his unicorn and landed in front of Aideluzi, who had become an ice sculpture. When Qiluo landed, she stumbled, her forelegs buckling slightly, and she almost fell.

The all-out pursuit had already been incredibly taxing, and with Su Ming having drained a large amount of her Magic Power, Qiluo, who had never shown any signs of fatigue in this regard, was now finding herself somewhat overwhelmed.

Su Ming slid off her back, bracing himself with his hands, and tugged at her mane to steady himself.

The unicorn pushed Su Ming's hand away in dissatisfaction, but when it saw the crystal-clear "trophy" in front of it, its eyes sparkled with joy, and it paced back and forth around Aideluzi.

"Great! Great! It's still alive!" Qiluo exclaimed, jumping up and down.

The meteor ornaments on Su Ming's body were covered in cracks, and they shattered completely the moment he landed, turning into fragments that fell onto the snow.

But it was all worth it. Through the translucent ice, you could see Aideluzi still struggling, but unable to break free of the icy cage.

The biting cold of the Northern Lands significantly amplified the power of "Eternal Frost Deposition".

However, this technique is still far more powerful than when Yexiya used it. In her memory, Ice Beauty Yexiya's "Frost Zero" only caused the cold air to invade and produce a slowing effect.

Why is a replica made from Yexiya's corpse and soul more powerful than the original? Su Ming was utterly perplexed.

"Speaking of which, why are you so eager to catch him?" Su Ming turned to ask Qiluo.

Thinking back carefully, ever since she met Aideluzi, Qiluo had been working extra hard, especially during the chase, where she didn't hesitate to use up all her Magic Power, just like Su Ming!

Qiluo glanced slyly to the side, "This is a girl's secret!"

"... Aren't you a unicorn?" Su Ming said helplessly.

"So that's the girl's secret!" Qiluo was clearly in a great mood. She winked playfully, but refused to reveal another word.

Su Ming crouched down, smiled at Aideluzi who was lying on the ground inside the ice sculpture, and said, "We meet again, Fate Manipulator!"

The prisoner in the ice was speechless, only able to stare at Su Ming with venomous eyes, his gaze seeming to want to tear him to pieces.

"I initially thought the Divine Might Prison was too small, only cramming in one Radiant Chanter," Su Ming chuckled. "But I never expected you to be so kind, insisting on a buy-one-get-one-free deal!"

"Thank you for the gift!" Su Ming extended his finger, flicking it across the ice with a crisp sound. "Your Temple of Light certainly knows how to be particular!"

****

The ground battlefield of Divine Might Prison.

A flash of azure light appeared, and an arm flew high into the air, drawing a blood-red arc.

With a sharp glance, Katharine noticed that strange runic light flowed across the cross-section of the severed arm.

"Human modification?" Katharine's expression was mocking, her voice filled with undisguised contempt. "The haughty Miss Sabina has actually stooped to using such methods to enhance her strength?"

Human alchemy can indeed enhance strength in the short term, but the price is the permanent loss of one's potential for improvement, completely severing any hope of breaking through to higher levels. This self-destructive approach has always been despised by true powerhouses.

Blood gushed out of Sabina's severed arm like a fountain. The warden gritted her teeth and, with the help of her intact left hand, tore off a piece of her clothing, roughly bandaging the wound to stop the bleeding. Large beads of sweat rolled down her pale forehead.

"How could you gifted people understand our pain!" Sabina's face was contorted with pain and rage, blood and sweat mingling and leaving streaks of dirt on her skin. "Do you understand the despair of being unable to break through a bottleneck? You lucky ones can always easily surpass one level after another!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Katharine provided assistance to several Star Sand members who were struggling in the vicinity, helping them out of their predicament.

Only after they were out of danger did she turn back to the warden. Dozens of ice blades materialized out of thin air, slashing out in succession with a chilling aura, forcing Sabina, who only had one hand left, to retreat repeatedly.

"Where were you when we were practicing our doctrines?" Katharine pressed on. "Where were you when we were tempering our character? Where were you when we were enduring hardships and pushing our limits?"

"I... I tried too..." Sabina struggled to block the ice blades, her voice filled with resentment, "Nirvana Modification isn't something only I've used—even the Saint Rank Radiant Chanter forcibly upgraded himself by absorbing the Magic Power of the Choir's synchronized members!"

"You rose to the pinnacle of power because of your noble birth, suppressing dissent and persecuting your colleagues," Katharine continued, tearing at her last shred of self-respect. "You were born with a higher starting point, enjoying vast resources. In the end, you could only resort to opportunism and these dirty tricks to gain power!"

"Sacred transformation... where, it's filthy!" Sabina retorted hysterically, but tripped and fell to the ground while backing away, landing awkwardly in a pool of blood.

"Where did you get the money for those expensive materials you used for the modifications, and for hiring the Fate Manipulator?" Katharine questioned condescendingly. "How many innocent girls have perished here because of your greed? And can you honestly say that this is the only heinous thing you've done?"

The final ice blade precisely struck Sabina's last remaining weapon, knocking it away. Katharine stepped forward, her Magic Power conjured blade aimed directly at her throat, a cold glint flashing in her terrified eyes. "Surrender, and I might spare your life!"