Chapter 35: The Warden of the Ice Prison (II)

Under the influence of the "Water Bead," a single drop of essence blood separated from the Ice Warden’s brain region.

The Ice Warden was struck as if by lightning; his entire body froze for a moment, then he clutched his head in agony and roared at the heavens. The drop of essence blood snaked its way out through his nasal passage, landed silently on the ground, and crawled toward the edge of Shuisheng’s shoe.

Everyone present was baffled as to why this behemoth had suddenly begun bleeding from his nose and howling in pain. However, this provided them with a crucial window for a rescue.

The Wood-type ability users quickly reached through the gaps between the Earth-type ability users to pull back their comrades who had been frozen into ice sculptures. Then, the Metal, Fire, and Strength-type users struck simultaneously, landing a barrage of diverse weapons and abilities heavily upon the Ice Warden.

The attacks from You Fengtian, Zhu Qingtong, and Lu Xingzhou were particularly devastating. You Fengtian landed a series of heavy punches on the creature's chest, Zhu Qingtong smashed a heavy staff as thick as a bowl into its back, and Lu Xingzhou drove a horizontal blade into its face. These were all grievous wounds.

A normal powerhouse of the same rank would have long since lost the ability to fight, but the Ice Warden seemed oblivious to the pain of these continuous, heavy blows. Instead, he roared at the sky, seemingly unleashing a final, frantic burst of strength.

"ROAR!"

With his massive cry, the temperature at the scene, already at minus forty or fifty degrees, plummeted further. Frost coated everyone nearby. A large number of ability users—regardless of their distance—except for the Fire-types, began to turn into ice sculptures one by one, from the weakest to the strongest.

Yet, the Ice Warden’s aura was fading rapidly.

Yan Ruobing’s body was aglow with the brilliant radiance of her Fire-type ability, burning away the newly formed frost like a raging blaze. She felt this was the perfect opportunity to slay the beast! While Water-type abilities might counter Fire, Fire possessed a natural, strong resistance against Water-type attacks. Using flame to melt ice was a law of nature, and it was her advantage in killing this monster.

Since graduating from university, Yan Ruobing had been devoted to her family business. Balancing graduate studies with managing the industries assigned to her, she thrived on the sense of accomplishment her work brought and loved challenging herself to reach ever-higher peaks. She was a woman who cherished the glory and brilliance of a successful career. If she could land the final blow to kill a Level 9 otherworld powerhouse, it would be a first in her life and would redefine her entire experience.

Now was the best moment.

Wen Fengxian sensed the young mistress's intent and quickly moved to cover her. She, too, judged that the Ice Warden had no counter-attack left. Therefore, her task was not to stop the young mistress, but to protect her so she could fulfill her wish—the proper duty of a capable subordinate.

"WHOOSH!"

As the flames Yan Ruobing unleashed landed on the Ice Warden, he began to burn with the fire formed by her ability. It was the young mistress’s strongest strike, the "Flame of the Phoenix." Ordinarily, with her Level 5 strength, her flames could not have been this potent; it was a testament to the fact that the Ice Warden was truly at the end of his rope.

The temperature at the site began to rise, the frost gradually vanished, and those who had been frozen began to thaw.

The Ice Warden, engulfed in flames, brandished his greatsword with the madness of a creature who had lost his reason, charging at those around him. His frantic movements caught several ability users off guard, leading to their tragic deaths under his blade.

Seeing Yan Ruobing ahead, her hands still wreathed in flame, the Ice Warden charged like a maddened bull, intent on impaling the woman who had set him ablaze.

Ni Ximei, freed from the ice, brandished her thorny vines and, as if forgetting the previous tactical arrangements, charged forward to shield Yan Ruobing. She threw two packets of prepared poison powder directly onto the sword wound on the Ice Warden’s face.

In the next instant, she was run through the chest by the greatsword. The blade sank in to the hilt, its long length protruding from her back, stained with blood.

"Inspector Ni!" Shuisheng shouted, never imagining such an outcome.

Yan Ruobing was stunned, never expecting Ni Ximei to die right before her eyes.

Pinned on the sword, Ni Ximei’s face showed no pain. Instead, it bore an expression of serenity and release. With the last glimmer of her fading vision, she seemed to look at Shuisheng—a gaze filled with endless, complex meaning—before all her strength ebbed away.

Wen Fengxian seized the opportunity to pull the young mistress away, retreating to a safe distance.

The Ice Warden dropped his greatsword, clutched his face with both hands, and let out a final, agonizing roar that faded into silence.

You Fengtian delivered a final palm strike to the creature's forehead. The blow was so heavy it knocked off his helmet, revealing a pale, blue-tinged head that looked like a demon's. It was a face that could never have belonged to a human.

The Ice Warden collapsed to his knees, then pitched forward, his life extinguished.

Ten seconds later, his body began to melt. A few seconds after that, he had dissolved into a thick, small pool of bloody water. All that remained were his clothes, his battered armor, and the greatsword, still sharp, still skewering the body of the woman.

It was finally over.

This was the shared thought of everyone present. The various factions began to rest, treat the wounded, and settle the dead.

You Fengtian pulled the greatsword from Ni Ximei’s corpse and handed it to Lu Xingzhou. According to the agreement between the factions, the Ice Warden's belongings were to be managed by the "Heavenly Court" organization's Fuling City detachment, to be auctioned off and divided equally among the parties.

Ni Ximei’s body was carried by Yan Tong and his men to the area where the Yan family was resting. The temperature remained low, and with her internal energy gone, her body could not resist the chill, quickly turning into an ice sculpture once more.

Had she really just died?

She had saved his life and could be considered his first mentor in the basics of combat. Though they had only known each other for half a day, Shuisheng felt a profound sorrow and grief.

He stared blankly at her frozen face. Her features were blurred, but her expression truly looked like one of release.

Before you died, were you thinking that you finally wouldn't have to carry the burden of your painful family life anymore?

Not far away, Yan Ruobing and Wen Fengxian stood in silence.

"Her charge was rather inexplicable," Wen Fengxian said. "The Ice Warden's attack was already very weak at that point. I was right beside you, ready to intercept. With me there, he couldn't have hurt you."

Yan Ruobing remained noncommittal.

During the rest period, those who had gone through the cave to the depths of the Ice Prison returned one by one. They had come back essentially empty-handed. According to them, the interior was just a pool of water and a large cavern, with nothing else—not even any signs of daily life or living supplies.

They were undead beings, so naturally, there were no traces of a life.

The Ice Prison Eagles and Ice Prison Bears on the periphery were living magical beasts, capable of hunting fish in the sea. Seeing the Ice Warden taken down at such a heavy cost, they stood dazed, their expressions unreadable—was it relief, or regret?

Many from the six factions, including Shuisheng, went in to take a look. It was a giant, sunless cavern containing only a deep, blue-green pool. It had originally connected to a waterway, and once the water in the channel was drained, the pool's level had dropped to match the bottom, though a significant amount of water remained.

"When we first came in, it seemed like there were a dozen white shadows swimming in the pool..." said the captain of the Yan family squad who had been sent in first. "But suddenly, it seemed that at the very moment you killed the Ice Warden, those white shadows vanished."

"I heard the Ice Warden mention something about 'ghost prisoners.' I wonder if those were them," Lu Xingzhou said.

The group searched thoroughly but found nothing. They continued to scour the island’s shores and mountains. About two hours later, the light on the island began to dim.

"The portal is closing," You Fengtian said to the Yan family members. "Let's head back."

Everyone gathered their things and climbed to the mountaintop to find the portal. Their positions upon arrival through the portal had been random, but the location of the portal itself remained fixed. Whatever terrain it occupied on the other side, it would occupy the same here.