The frozen lake's edge thawed into a jagged trail, where frost vines draped the cliffs like a shroud, their tips glinting with faint, wolf-shaped runes. Qin Mo led Yi and Ren through the narrowing pass, the wolf king's core pulsing under his ribs, its heat a restless spark against the mountain's chill. The FFD System scanned the vines, their runes glowing like those on the ridge, whispering of ancient bindings.
[FFD System: Frostflame array legacy detected. Entrance sealed. Balance: Heat 62% / Cold 38%. Binding risk: 28%.]
Yi's frost threads probed the vines, testing their strength, but they hardened, resisting like iron cords. "This is old," she said, fingers tracing a rune that pulsed blue. "Tied to the bells, like the wraiths."
Ren's daggers flashed, slicing a vine, but it regenerated, ice creeping up his blade. "Not by steel," he muttered, stepping back, eyes narrowing.
Qin Mo stepped forward, the shard burning in his chest. Flame Step ignited beneath his boots, heat searing the vines, their frost melting into hissing steam. The array countered, a cold pulse siphoning his fire, the runes flaring brighter.
[FFD System: Array siphon active. Heat loss: 18%. Balance shifting: Heat 59% / Cold 41%.]
The vines parted slightly, revealing a narrow path lined with monoliths, their surfaces carved with wolf and bell motifs, glowing faintly under the snow's caress. A low chime echoed from Qin Mo's pouch, the bone-white bells vibrating, their rhythm tugging at the shard like a leash.
Ren tensed, daggers ready. "They're calling something—something big."
From the shadows, guardians emerged—stone golems, their bodies etched with frostflame runes, eyes glowing blue like the wraiths' gaze. The lead golem's fist slammed the ground, ice spikes erupting in a jagged arc. Qin Mo dodged, Flame Step scorching a path, his blade clashing with stone, sparks flying like embers in the dark.
Yi's threads lashed out, wrapping a golem's arm, pulling it off balance with a groan of stone. Ren darted in, daggers stabbing at joints, cracking the rock with precise strikes. The golem roared, its frost breath freezing the air, numbing Qin Mo's fingers on his blade.
[FFD System: Stone guardian essence detected. Devour progress: 10%. Balance: Heat 57% / Cold 43%.]
Qin Mo unleashed Wolf Howl Shock, the roar from the wraith's essence reverberating through the pass, cracking the lead golem's core. Stone shattered, the essence flowing into him, cold and heavy, the FFD System humming in response.
[FFD System: Stone guardian essence absorbed. Devour progress: 20%. New skill: Frost Armor (Prototype). Balance: Heat 56% / Cold 44%.]
The remaining golems staggered, their runes dimming as the array faltered. Yi's threads bound another's legs, toppling it, while Ren's daggers found its core, splitting stone. Qin Mo's blade finished the last, frost armor forming on his arm, a faint shimmer of ice deflecting a stray spike.
The pass cleared, the monoliths' glow fading, the array's hum silenced. Ren wiped his daggers, his eyes on the runes. "These aren't just sect traps. My brother—he mentioned carvings like these before he vanished."
Yi nodded, her threads retracting. "The bells bind them. The sect's working for something older."
Qin Mo's hand glowed, frost armor shimmering faintly. "Then we'll break those binds," he said, voice steady despite the bells' persistent chime. The shard pulsed, urging him deeper into the pass, where the runes seemed to watch, their shapes shifting in the shadows.
The group advanced, the path narrowing, the air growing colder. Yi glanced at Qin Mo. "The shard—it's leading us somewhere."
"To answers," Qin Mo replied, gripping his blade. The bells' chime faded but lingered in his mind, a warning of debts yet unpaid.
[FFD System: Frostflame array disrupted. Silent Tax resonance: 30%. Path opened.]
The pass stretched ahead, its secrets waiting in the frost.