Chapter 143: The Frozen Domain

A valley, covered in frost and snow all year round, swept by ceaseless gales and blizzards, was known as the Frozen Domain. Here resided one of the two beast kings ruling over the Myriad Beast Spirit Valley: the Ice Soaring Serpent.

The large black wolf led Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun here, overlooking the entire valley from the cliffs above.

"This is the Frozen Domain. I can only take you this far," the large black wolf said, pointing down into the valley.

"You're not coming in?" Feng Chuxun asked.

"No," the large black wolf shook its head. "If I go in there, I'll die a miserable death." Who knew how crazy the Ice Soaring Serpent would go if it saw one of its subordinates defecting to humans.

"If you don't go, I guarantee your death will be even more miserable," Shen Qingyun said suddenly, startling the large black wolf into a violent shudder.

"I'll go, I'll go, how could I not go? The boss has spoken!" the large black wolf quickly corrected itself.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, the cold wind surged, and heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

This sudden change caused the two humans and the dog to pull back. The large black wolf lowered its voice: "The Ice Soaring Serpent King has come out."

Hearing this, Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun looked down.

In the valley, the wind and snow were raging even more fiercely. Amidst the blizzard was a massive shadow, resembling a giant python, with a pair of colossal wings seemingly unfurled across its back.

"Is that the Ice Soaring Serpent King?" Feng Chuxun murmured softly.

"Not bad at all," Shen Qingyun chuckled lightly, feeling not the slightest bit of pressure from it.

"Boss, Second Brother, the Ice Soaring Serpent King is in the Marquis Realm. Are you really going to make a move against it?" the large black wolf asked worriedly. Along the way, it had already learned the purpose of the two men's trip.

"Since we've come all this way, is any explanation still needed?" Shen Qingyun said with a faint smile.

The large black wolf lowered its head and sighed, raising it again a moment after. "Fine! Who asked Lord Wolf to board a pirate ship? Even if it's a sea of dragons and a den of tigers ahead, Lord Wolf will brave it with you. At worst, I'll just die!"

A trace of surprise flashed in Feng Chuxun's eyes. Was the large black wolf actually this courageous?

"Will dying hurt? Lord Wolf is terribly afraid of pain." In the blink of an eye, the large black wolf wilted completely.

Feng Chuxun's face darkened. This wolf had definitely been driven out of its pack for being too cowardly.

"All right, stop chattering," Shen Qingyun said. Having planted the Beast Control Seal, he knew exactly what the large black wolf was thinking.

"Boss, are you really doing this?"

Glancing sideways at the large black wolf, Shen Qingyun stood up and answered with his actions.

Facing the wind and snow, Shen Qingyun leaped directly off the cliff into the valley. Seeing this, Feng Chuxun did not hesitate and jumped after him. The large black wolf's eyes widened. "They're crazy, completely crazy!"

"There's a path, yet they jump straight down instead. Truly insane," the large black wolf spat out, turning around to trot down the mountain trail.

Landing in the valley, Shen Qingyun immediately felt a trace of spiritual pressure. Feng Chuxun felt it too; the formidable spiritual pressure made his pupils constrict. The Marquis Realm was indeed powerful.

Hiss...

As if sensing intruders in its territory, the blizzard enveloping the Ice Soaring Serpent exploded directly, turning into crystalline ice crystals filling the sky, creating an extraordinarily beautiful sight.

The Ice Soaring Serpent revealed its true form, and a look of stunned admiration flashed in Feng Chuxun's eyes. This ferocious beast was breathtakingly gorgeous.

Its body coiled like a horned dragon, covered in crystalline ice-blue scales that looked like a layer of icy armor. From its ferocious jaws, it spewed pure white freezing mist, and the pair of wings unfurled on its back as its ice-blue serpent pupils locked onto the two figures still falling through the air.

"Humans?"

The Ice Soaring Serpent spat out cold, articulate human speech. "What are humans doing coming to my territory?"

"Don't be so guarded."

Shen Qingyun smiled faintly. "I've come here to ask the Beast King for something."

"What thing?" The Ice Soaring Serpent stared intently at Shen Qingyun.

Shen Qingyun slowly uttered three words: "The Beast Soul Pill."

"What!" The Ice Soaring Serpent flew into a sudden rage. When a beast king raged, the entire valley trembled.

"Insignificant human, you want my Beast Soul Pill?" The Ice Soaring Serpent's tone was filled with utter coldness and disdain.

"Yes," Shen Qingyun nodded.

"Hahaha..." The Ice Soaring Serpent burst into unbridled laughter, full of mockery, its laughter even carrying destructive force that made the valley lightly tremble and forced Feng Chuxun to cover his ears. Only Shen Qingyun remained entirely unaffected, a smile lingering at the corner of his lips as he quietly watched the Ice Soaring Serpent laugh wantonly.

"Human, if not for the decree of Lord Beast King allowing you to enter this Myriad Beast Spirit Valley, the moment you set foot inside, you would have been surrounded and torn to pieces by numerous ferocious beasts. Do you believe me?" The Ice Soaring Serpent said with contempt after it finished laughing.

"I believe you," Shen Qingyun smiled slightly.

"Then you still dare to come looking for me!" The Ice Soaring Serpent glared at Shen Qingyun. "Humans really are greedy, insatiable creatures who push their luck!"

"Can't help it. Who asked the Beast King's Beast Soul Pill to be so tempting?" Shen Qingyun spread his hands.

"Human, do not attempt to challenge my bottom line!"

Shen Qingyun said, "As long as the Beast King gives us the Beast Soul Pill, we will leave immediately and never disturb you again."

"Roar!"

The Ice Soaring Serpent let out an angry roar toward the heavens, then lowered its head to sneer down at the two men. "Very well, don't blame me for not giving you a chance. I will only use forty percent of my strength. As long as you can walk right up to me, my Beast Soul Pill is yours!"

"Does the Beast King's word hold?" Shen Qingyun smiled calmly.

The Ice Soaring Serpent sneered, "I am not like you humans."

"Good," Shen Qingyun nodded. "Then please begin, Beast King!"

"Human, you better hold on tight, otherwise this won't be fun at all." With that, the Ice Soaring Serpent opened its mouth and spewed a white blizzard.

As the blizzard swept past, Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun's robes snapped loudly in the wind, yet neither of them was affected in the slightest. Shen Qingyun laughed softly, "This Beast King is quite full of hot air."

"Pfft."

Feng Chuxun, who was concentrating fully on resisting the blizzard, almost burst out laughing upon hearing Shen Qingyun's remark.

However, simply resisting the blizzard wasn't enough; the condition was to reach the Ice Soaring Serpent.

Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun began to move forward, taking steady, deliberate steps.

"You have some skill, but that was only one percent of my strength. Now, it's going to intensify," the Ice Soaring Serpent's slightly surprised voice rang out, and instantly, Shen Qingyun felt the force of the blizzard escalate abruptly.

Feng Chuxun suddenly accelerated, taking the lead to clear the path for Shen Qingyun by using his own body to shield against the blizzard.

Though Feng Chuxun's cultivation realm was higher than Shen Qingyun's, Shen Qingyun was not necessarily incapable of withstanding the blizzard. However, Feng Chuxun's action made Shen Qingyun understand immediately: he was trying to let him conserve his strength. It seemed Feng Chuxun, like him, hadn't believed a single word the Ice Soaring Serpent had said.

Yet under this kind of pressure, even Feng Chuxun wouldn't be able to hold out until the end.

Next came the Ice Soaring Serpent continuously increasing the blizzard's power, even mixing sharp ice granules into the howling wind.

Consequently, Feng Chuxun had to employ his sword intent; any ice granules coming within a certain radius of him were instantly pulverized by the sword intent.

In the blink of an eye, they had halved the distance between them.

Reaching this point, the Ice Soaring Serpent surprisingly stopped releasing the blizzard and praised, "I didn't expect mere humans to possess a bit of skill."

"Thanks for the compliment," Shen Qingyun replied.

"I wasn't talking to you." The Ice Soaring Serpent shot a sidelong glare at Shen Qingyun. This human was too narcissistic; hiding behind someone else the whole time and still having the nerve to say such things.

Shen Qingyun had a thick skin and felt not a shred of embarrassment.

"Next, I will make my move personally."

The Ice Soaring Serpent hovered mid-air as ice-blue spiritual energy bloomed across its body, and a bone-chilling frost raged outward. A yelp echoed from behind—without turning around, Shen Qingyun knew the large black wolf had caught the brunt of it, as he sensed the wolf mentally cursing a blue streak.

The wings on its back beat slowly, stirring up a tempest of wind and snow, though what fell now was sharp hail. Ice-blue rays of light converged, forming a curtain of light out of thin air that covered the valley like an inverted bowl, sealing off the valley's exit as well.

At the valley exit, the large black wolf stared in utter bewilderment, rushing forward to pound on the light barrier. "Lord Wolf hasn't gone in yet!"

All of this was naturally the handiwork of the Ice Soaring Serpent, cutting off the connection between the valley and the outside world.

"Bang!"

Feng Chuxun swung his sword to shatter a piece of hail. The environment grew even colder; Feng Chuxun even experienced the terrifying illusion that if the Ice Soaring Serpent so desired, his hands, feet, and blood would freeze solid instantly. This was the absolute crushing disparity of power!

Yet, instead of despairing, Feng Chuxun felt a faint surge of excitement, a fighting spirit bursting forth from within him. Standing before him was a true beast king, a Marquis Realm powerhouse!

In the past, Feng Chuxun wouldn't even have dared to imagine this, because in his sect, a Marquis Realm expert was at the level of a presiding elder.

The battle intent and sword intent swirling around him urged Feng Chuxun to charge forward and wage a fierce battle against the Ice Soaring Serpent. Even if he was beaten to a pulp, it would be worth it!

The Marquis Realm—it must be overwhelmingly powerful, surely.

He wasn't afraid of losing either; he still had the boss.

"Hum."

Thinking of the safety net that was Shen Qingyun, the red snow sword in his hand seemed unable to restrain itself either, emitting wave after wave of clear ringing sounds. Gripping his sword, he charged directly toward the Ice Soaring Serpent.

Watching Feng Chuxun act like a born-and-bred battle junkie, Shen Qingyun couldn't help but shake his head. Having such a subordinate was truly a helpless affair. Still, he didn't stop him; just as Feng Chuxun thought, if he lost, he still had him.

The Ice Soaring Serpent's cold, slit pupils fixed upon Feng Chuxun. "Commendable courage! Within my Frozen Domain, my abilities are doubled straight across the board. Even at forty percent power, it is eight times stronger than before!"

"What!"

Feng Chuxun's heart skipped a beat. A domain that amplified one's abilities?

Shen Qingyun regretfully slapped his own forehead. How could he have forgotten about this? Upon reaching the Marquis Realm, one gained an additional capability known as a domain, which generally correlated with one's spirit phase.

Feng Chuxun's defensive capabilities were quite formidable, but the Ice Soaring Serpent moved with terrifying speed, its tail-swipe flashing like lightning. Striking Feng Chuxun dead-on, his body was instantly sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the ground with a thunderous crash as ice shards scattered in all directions.

The Ice Soaring Serpent hovered regally in mid-air, its posture majestic and peerless. The gaze it cast down upon Feng Chuxun was filled with contempt and disdain, as if looking at a mere ant—an ant that merely knew how to jump around a bit.

Feng Chuxun scrambled up in a somewhat disheveled state and walked back to Shen Qingyun's side. It was rather embarrassing, defeated by a single tail strike.

Shen Qingyun's expression remained calm as he smiled faintly. "Now do you understand the gap between yourself and a powerhouse? Possessing the ability to fight across realms is not capital for arrogance. Learn to use it properly, and let it become your stepping stone on the path to becoming a supreme being."

"Understood," Feng Chuxun lowered his head and replied softly.

Right at that moment, the Ice Soaring Serpent's voice rang out once more, dripping with mockery. "It seems making it to my presence is out of the question for you two. As for the Beast Soul Pill, you can banish the thought."

The corners of Shen Qingyun's lips curved upward into a calm smile. "Beast King, could it be that you've forgotten about me?"

"You?" The Ice Soaring Serpent's derisive laughter was gratingly harsh. "What can a mere initial-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator do?"

"You'll know in a moment."

Shen Qingyun gave a soft shout: "Suppressive Heaven Halberd!"