The Silver Forest enveloped us, its trees shimmering with ice qi, their leaves whispering secrets in the frost-laden air. I followed Ark, Tia, and Aina, my sword at my hip, my body thrumming with Song of Pure Flame's warmth. The realm's crisp qi soothed my battered meridians, the Spiritual Rebirth pills working their alchemy. Pain lingered, but daily meditation and So Yun's gifts dulled its edge. I felt alive, ready for whatever this mission held.
Ark led with quiet focus, his eyes half-closed, sensing the tree's location. Tia's hand rested in his, her golden eyes scanning the forest, her phantom butterflies flitting ahead, their qi a faint shimmer. Aina strode beside me, her spear ready, her ice formations primed. No beasts had attacked, likely due to Tia's butterflies, but I kept my guard up, my spiritual sense stretched thin in the dense ice qi.
"Let's share our abilities," Ark said, breaking the silence.
"We're a team."
"Good idea," I said, cursing my distraction.
"I'm a fire cultivator. Song of Pure Flame boosts my strength and speed—peak Meridian Tempering level, physically. I can match most here."
They eyed me skeptically, my claim sounding like bravado. So Yun had confirmed it—my physical prowess rivaled high Meridian Tempering, though I lacked specialized body techniques. Against someone like Huo with his cheat talisman, I'd need more, but raw power was my edge.
"Ice Dao, protective formations," Aina said, her palms glowing with icy runes.
"Ten minutes, and no enemy gets through."
"Dao partners," Ark said, nodding to Tia.
"She wields pure qi, versatile combat techniques. I cultivate ice and wood, focusing on the Bloodfrost Maple. It demands all my concentration, so I rely on you in battle."
"Two elements?" I asked, stunned. Could I wield ice alongside fire? The thought tantalized, a solution to my limitations, but I shelved it for later.
"I won't let you down," I said, gripping my sword.
Two hours later, Ark stopped.
"Here. The Bloodfrost Maple."
The tree loomed, its trunk encased in thick, murky ice, veined with blood-red streaks. It pulsed with qi, exuding a spiritual pressure like a powerful cultivator. Sentient? I wouldn't be surprised. Around it, a barren clearing stretched, dotted with twisted, stunted plants—the Maple tolerated no rivals.
"Prepare your formations, Aina," Ark said.
"I'll meditate to control the tree. Its bark's too tough to cut; only persuasion draws its sap. Once I start, kerberoi—symbiotic guardians—will attack. The Maple feeds on blood and life force, its roots drinking intruders. I'm holding them back now, but when I threaten it, the kerberoi come."
"It eats people?" I said, eyeing the ground warily.
"Exactly," Ark said.
"Get ready."
Aina worked, her hands weaving intricate runes. Symbols flared and faded, forming a barrier around the clearing. Thirty minutes later—not ten—she signaled completion.
"Done!"
I watched, fascinated, wishing I could afford formation texts. Two hundred points a day for basics was robbery.
"How long did you study formations?" I asked.
"Secret," Aina teased, sticking out her tongue.
"Twenty years, since joining the Frost Ridge."
Twenty years, and she looked my age. Cultivators' appearances lied, a fact I still struggled with. The original Kai Shen, nearing Core Formation in sixteen years, must've been a monster. No wonder he was hated—geniuses breed envy.
"Starting," Ark said, his body glowing, encased in a cocoon of roots and grass, alien in this icy realm.
"Rar!" A growl echoed. Shadows darted among the trees. Dance of Embers surged, my vision sharpening. The kerberoi were horse-sized, dog-like, with ice growths mirroring the Maple's bark. The tree had grown into them, a grotesque symbiosis. My spiritual sense screamed confirmation.
Tia struck first, her butterflies swarming a kerberus. They pierced it, drawing a piercing screech, but it didn't fall, charging Aina's barrier with ice-clawed fury. Cracks spiderwebbed the runes. The beast's resilience was terrifying—could the Maple enhance me like that?
I charged, my sword whistling, striking the kerberus's neck between ice plates.
+46 Qi
The influx eased my pain, Devourer's effect more than energy. Was it healing my spiritual wounds? The technique's Heavenly rank hinted at hidden depths, but I needed more data.
Three kerberoi rushed me, their ice armor thicker, deflecting Tia's butterflies. She snarled, summoning phantom hands that pinned them to the ground.
"Strike!" she barked.
Three slashes, three qi surges. More shadows charged, their roars shaking the air. This would be a long day.
The kerberoi attacked in waves, their coordination eerie, like the frost worms but fiercer. I danced through them, my sword a blur, targeting gaps in their armor. Devourer fed me qi, each kill dulling my pain, confirming its healing. Aina's barrier held, but cracks widened with each assault. Tia's butterflies and hands controlled the battlefield, pinning or slowing beasts, but their numbers grew.
I used the clearing's terrain, luring kerberoi into stunted shrubs to tangle their legs, striking from angles. One leaped, claws grazing my shoulder. Flame of Life sealed the wound, pain searing but effective. I countered, my sword cleaving its skull, qi flooding me.
"Aina, reinforce the barrier!" I shouted, dodging another beast.
"Working on it!" she yelled, runes flaring brighter.
Tia's hands crushed a kerberus, but two more broke through, charging Ark's cocoon. I intercepted, my sword wreathed in fire, slicing through one. The other lunged, and I rolled, striking its flank.
+52 Qi
The pain faded further, my meridians humming. Devourer was a miracle, but the fight was relentless. A larger kerberus emerged, its qi pulsing, ice armor near-impenetrable. A leader? I targeted it, weaving through lesser beasts, my sword seeking weak points. Tia's butterflies distracted it, and Aina's barrier slowed its charge. I struck, my blade finding a seam, qi surging as it fell.
The tide slowed, but Aina's barrier flickered.
"Can't hold much longer!" she warned.
"Ark, how long?" I shouted, parrying a claw.
"Almost!" he rasped, voice strained.
A new roar echoed, deeper, shaking the ground. Something bigger was coming. Could we hold until Ark succeeded, or would this mission end in blood?