The ravine gave way to a frozen hamlet, its ruins buried in frost, wooden beams cracked under ice, roofs collapsed into snowdrifts. Qin Mo, Yi, and Ren stepped cautiously, the shard's heat a faint pulse against the oppressive cold. The FFD System scanned, detecting faint runes on the hamlet's walls—bell shapes, glowing faintly blue, tied to the Silent Tax.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 47% / Cold 53%. Scan: Frostflame array trap detected, threat level: High.]
Yi's threads hovered, sensing the air. "This place—it's like my village," she whispered, her voice tight. "Burned, then frozen. The sect did this."
Ren's daggers were drawn, his eyes scanning the ruins. "Or something worse."
The ground trembled, frost cracking as an array activated, blue lines flaring across the hamlet's center. Ice spikes erupted, forcing Qin Mo to dodge, Flame Step scorching a path through the snow. The spikes formed a cage, their tips etched with bell runes, pulsing in sync with his pouch.
[FFD System: Frostflame trap active. Siphon strength: 20%. Balance shifting: Heat 45% / Cold 55%.]
From the ruins, a guardian rose—an ice construct, humanoid but faceless, its body shimmering with frost runes. Its fists slammed the ground, sending ice shards flying. Qin Mo's blade met its arm, steel sparking but barely denting the ice.
Yi's threads lashed out, wrapping the construct's legs, but the frost hardened them, cracking one. "It's tied to the array!" she shouted, weaving more threads. Ren darted in, daggers striking joints, but the ice reformed, relentless.
Qin Mo unleashed Frost Claw, talons raking the construct's chest, frost blooming but not breaking it. The shard burned, demanding devour. He focused, Wolf Howl Shock roaring out, the sound cracking the construct's core, ice shards scattering.
[FFD System: Ice construct essence detected. Devour progress: 15%. New skill: Ice Veil (Prototype). Balance: Heat 44% / Cold 56%.]
The array faltered, spikes retreating, but the bells in Qin Mo's pouch chimed louder, their rhythm pulling at his shard. Yi's eyes widened, her threads trembling. "The trap—it's linked to your bells!"
A shadow moved—a sect scout, cloaked in azure, blade drawn. "Core-bearer," he sneered, jade token pulsing. "The Silent Tax thanks you for opening the way."
Qin Mo's blade flashed, Flame Step closing the gap, steel clashing with frostfire. Yi's threads bound the scout's arms, while Ren's daggers struck his token, shattering it. The scout fell, a bell fragment dropping, glowing blue.
[FFD System: Bell fragment acquired. Silent Tax chain: 3/9. Binding risk: 40%.]
Yi knelt by the ruins, her fingers tracing a burned beam. "My village… they took everything for these fragments."
Qin Mo gripped the fragment, the shard stabilizing. "We'll take it back."
Ren nodded, daggers ready. "For my brother, too."
The hamlet's runes dimmed, but the bells' chime lingered, a summons to deeper dangers.
[FFD System: Next fragment trace: Ice cave, 500 meters north. Silent Tax resonance: 42%.]
The group moved, the frost heavier, the mountain's secrets closing in.