Chapter 25: The Isle of the Frozen Prison

Shuisheng looked up and scanned his surroundings. He found himself on a stretch of beach covered in thick, frigid snow. Not far away, the ocean was turbulent, with countless ice floes of varying sizes drifting on the surface.

He had not been transported near the nexus point. There was no sign of the Yan family or the Ice Prison Bears. A few psychics in different colored uniforms were scattered nearby, looking around as lost and confused as he was.

He had read in books that a nexus point was essentially an intersection between two different space-times created by a fracture in the fabric of reality. It followed certain patterns but also possessed a degree of disorder. As long as one was within the range of its energy, being transported to any point was possible, though generally, one would not stray too far from the nexus itself.

A cold wind blew, causing him to shrink his neck. Judging by the temperature, it had to be at least forty degrees below zero. While this might be unbearable for ordinary people or psychics of other attributes, for him—a Water-attribute psychic—it was just manageable. Water-attribute cultivation had many branches, with the Flow and Frost branches being the most prominent. This frigid environment was actually an ideal training ground for Frost-attribute psychics.

Shuisheng had never undergone systematic training; everything he knew he had figured out on his own, without focusing on a specific path.

In this space, he felt incredibly comfortable. The cold was piercing, refreshing, and deep. The psychic energy within him, which had just ascended to Level 2, seemed to be constantly solidifying. The books were right: practicing in an otherworldly realm rich in psychic factors was far more efficient than on Blue Star.

He walked toward the group of people nearby. In an uncertain situation, sticking together was the best strategy.

"Get lost!" The group was clearly a clique and did not welcome outsiders. Most importantly, this outsider was a seemingly frail youth who couldn't offer them any help. They had no need for dead weight.

"Fine, keep your distance then. It's not like you're so great," Shuisheng muttered to himself. Looking into the distance, he saw another group of people and began trekking along the frost-laden beach toward them.

This was the island's coastal region. Beyond the beach lay a stretch of uneven, frost-covered shore rocks, and further inland stood the mountainous body of the island. Both the rocky areas and the mountains were blanketed in thick ice and snow, with only a few spots revealing the stone beneath.

Between the rocks ahead, a patch of crimson caught his eye. Closer inspection revealed a man lying there, his flesh mangled and his insides seemingly hollowed out—a gruesome sight. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Shuisheng scanned his surroundings vigilantly. There were others nearby, yet no one paid any mind to the corpse. He looked closer; none of the dead man's weapons, equipment, or belongings remained. One of his pockets had been turned inside out, as if he had been looted.

A thought flickered through the young man's mind: In an alien world, you should be more wary of your own kind than the local creatures.

He didn't know who had said that, but it had left a deep impression.

***

After passing through the nexus, Miss Yan Ruobing was transported into a crowd that included several Yan family guards. She led them to search the area and soon found Yan Tong and the majority of the task force. A short while later, Wen Fengxian arrived. A Level 7 psychic, she took to the air immediately upon arrival, gliding like a bird to search for the young mistress.

Ice Prison Island was not large, and it took only two minutes to locate her.

"Miss, are you alright?" she asked with concern, as if something catastrophic could have happened in the two minutes she was out of sight.

"I'm fine. Did you see that boy?" Yan Ruobing asked.

"No," Wen Fengxian shook her head. "I was flying in the air and covered about a third of the island's perimeter. I didn't see him." She really didn't care much about Shuisheng's condition. As long as the young mistress was safe, that was all that mattered to her.

"I didn't expect him to be randomly transported so far. I don't know where he ended up. He's only a Level 2 Water-attribute with no weapons; I'm afraid he won't be able to protect himself if he runs into the island's magical beasts," Yan Tong said with a hint of regret. The implication was clear: with Shuisheng’s current strength, if he landed near any beasts, his survival was impossible.

"It was my oversight," Yan Ruobing said, her cold, stern face devoid of emotion. "I didn't consider his strength before bringing him along."

"Miss, don't worry," Yan Tong added suddenly. "Based on what we've gathered over the last two days, the number of psychics entering Ice Prison Island through the nexus far exceeds the number of beasts here. Whenever a beast is discovered, everyone swarms it to make a kill for profit. That boy seemed sharp enough; if his luck isn't too terrible, he might just survive."

"Let's go. We need to regroup with the missing team members," Yan Ruobing said.

***

Shuisheng crunched through the ice and snow, continuing along the beach.

The island wasn't large. He had seen with his own eyes hundreds, if not nearly a thousand, people who had already passed through the nexus or were about to. And that didn't even include those who had arrived in previous days... With so many people, he was bound to run into a larger group eventually.

Among the drift ice along the shore lay the carcasses of several large fish. It was unclear what had gnawed on them, leaving only the heads, tails, and central skeletons. The ice shelves nearby were stained with blood—the scent was still fresh, suggesting they had died only moments ago.

***

He suddenly realized that this area was strangely quiet. Not only was the air thick with the smell of blood, but there was no sign of anyone else. Even the group he had encountered earlier was hundreds of meters away. He grew vigilant, picking up a stone from the beach to use as a makeshift weapon.

Suddenly, a gust of wind seemed to stir in the air, and the light dimmed. The sound of wind rushed from afar, growing so close it felt right beside his ears.

Shuisheng didn't dare hesitate; he lunged forward!

Less than a second after he moved, a massive white eagle-vulture landed exactly where he had been standing. Its giant, iron-like talons slammed into the sand, sending shards of ice and gravel flying.

"Damn it!" Shuisheng threw the stone at the beast and bolted. He didn't even bother to get a clear look at what it was; survival was his only priority.

He fled toward the mountains. He knew that in front of a magical beast of such immense size, running across open ground was equivalent to suicide. The island’s mountains had large boulders and steep terrain that could provide him with a tactical advantage.

Climbing mountains was second nature to a boy from a fishing village. He had been to Fengmen Island countless times and had climbed its peaks just as often. The terrain, shape, and mountains of Ice Prison Island were fundamentally the same as Fengmen, giving him a sense of familiarity.

The white eagle-vulture missed its strike. Seeing the youth sprint past the rocky shore and toward the mountain, it let out a shrill cry, spread its wings—which spanned over ten meters—and took to the air. It adjusted its angle and dove again. Just as it descended, Shuisheng darted to the side and dove into a narrow crevice between two giant boulders.

He had spotted this spot earlier. It was a perfect place to hide.

The white eagle-vulture landed on the giant rock, glaring into the crevice and letting out another shrill cry. Its two attacks had been dodged by this mere boy. Its cry was filled with rage.