The snowfield stretched endless, a white shroud broken only by jagged stone fangs piercing the frost. Qin Mo's boots crunched, each step sinking into powder that hid the mountain's scars. Three nights since the Azure Flame Sect's betrayal, the wolf king's core pulsed under his ribs, its heat a restless hound clawing for release. The FFD System hummed, a faint rhythm syncing with his heartbeat, whispering of beasts to devour, strength to claim.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 62% / Cold 38%. Scan complete: Frost wolf pack, 400 meters west, threat level: Moderate.]
The wind shifted, carrying a low growl that wasn't the storm. Shadows moved in the snow curtain—frost wolves, their pelts silvered by moonlight, eyes glinting like ice shards. The lead wolf's hackles rose, its snarl splitting the silence, signaling a hunt. Qin Mo's blade slid free, steel catching the faint glow of ridge runes, their wolf shapes flickering as if alive.
The pack lunged, six beasts fanning out, claws slicing snow into clouds. Qin Mo pivoted, Flame Step igniting beneath him, boots scorching a blackened arc in the frost. His blade met the lead wolf's jaw, steel grinding against bone, sparks flaring like embers in the dark. The wolf's blood sprayed, hot and metallic, steaming as it hit the snow.
[FFD System: Frost wolf essence detected. Devour progress: 12%. Heat attunement rising: 65%.]
A second wolf flanked right, its claws raking for his ribs. Qin Mo twisted, the shard burning, guiding his dodge with instincts sharper than his own. His counter slashed its flank, frost blooming where blood should've been, the wound sealing under the pack's collective howl. These weren't mere beasts—their eyes carried the mountain's cold, tied to the same runes that marked the ridge.
From the snow's edge, a bell chimed—sharp, bone-white, the same sound that had haunted him since the sect's hall. His pouch trembled, the bells inside answering, their rhythm tugging at the shard like a leash.
[FFD System: Silent Tax resonance detected. Binding risk: 25%. Source proximity increasing.]
"Damn bells," Qin Mo muttered, breath clouding. The wolves froze, heads snapping toward the sound, their howls faltering. A new shadow moved—human, cloaked in frost-dusted robes, a jade token glinting at its waist. Azure Flame Sect. A scout, blade drawn, eyes locked on Qin Mo's chest where the shard pulsed.
"Core-bearer," the scout hissed, voice cutting through the wind. "Surrender it, and you might live."
Qin Mo's grip tightened, the shard's heat flaring defiance. "You'll have to carve it out."
The scout struck, blade weaving a net of blue fire, each arc trailing frost that hissed on contact. Qin Mo ducked, Flame Step scorching the snow, closing the gap. His blade clashed, steel singing, sparks mixing with frost dust. The wolves circled, emboldened, their claws tearing at his cloak's hem.
A flash of silver cut the air—frost threads, thin as spider silk, lashing from the snow's edge. They wrapped the nearest wolf's throat, tightening until its growl choked into silence. Yi emerged, her fingers weaving more threads, her eyes sharp with vengeance. "Move, Qin Mo!" she snapped, threads snapping another wolf's leg.
[FFD System: Ally detected: Yi. Frost Thread skill active. Devour progress: 18%.]
Qin Mo spun, blade slicing the scout's arm, blood steaming in the cold. The scout staggered, jade token pulsing red, summoning a frost array that crackled underfoot. Lines of ice snaked toward Qin Mo, seeking his veins. He stomped, Flame Step shattering the ice, heat pulsing outward. The scout's scream was brief, cut short as Qin Mo's blade found his chest.
The wolves scattered, their howls fading into the storm. Yi approached, her threads retracting, her face pale but resolute. "They're tracking the shard," she said, glancing at his pouch. "Those bells—they're not yours."
Qin Mo's fingers brushed the pouch, the bells' chime faint but heavy. "They chose me," he said, voice low, echoing the shard's pulse. The snowfield stretched silent now, but the runes on the ridge glowed brighter, watching, waiting.
Yi nodded, her frost threads glinting. "Then we make them regret it."
The wind carried a distant howl—not wolf, but human. More scouts were coming. Qin Mo's eyes narrowed, the shard burning hotter. "Let's move," he said, Yi falling in beside him, her steps matching his. The mountain's cold pressed, but the shard's heat promised power—if he could devour enough.
As they trekked, the FFD System chimed, a soft warning in his mind.
[FFD System: Frost wolf essence absorbed. Devour progress: 25%. New skill: Frost Claw (Prototype). Heat 68% / Cold 32%. Binding risk rising: 30%.]
Qin Mo flexed his hand, frost gathering at his fingertips, the new skill responding to his will. The pack's essence coursed through him, a cold edge sharpening his blade's hunger. But the binding risk—Silent Tax—loomed, the bells' chime echoing in his thoughts.
Yi glanced at him. "The system—it's changing you."
"Changing me into what I need to be," Qin Mo replied, his voice steady. The ridge runes faded behind them, but the hunt was far from over.