Meanwhile, within the testing grounds for those seeking to enter the Rulers’ Clan, an entire day had passed since Amon, Leon, and Caria entered through the huge gate, which led to the once-sealed place where Kyle and Azazeal had fought to the death.
As they ventured deeper into the frozen place, surrounded by ice structures, the beautiful ice butterflies fluttered around them, as if the tiny creatures were telling them how much they had missed them.
The three slowly continued forward in silence, their footsteps echoing faintly across the frozen landscape as they carefully observed their surroundings.
At first, when they had entered through the towering gate, they could see a crowd of Celestials around them. However, after wandering through the icy terrain for so long, they gradually realized that everyone around them had, at some point, disappeared in different directions.
Now, there was not even a sign of the others—not even footprints in the ice.
It was as though the three of them had unknowingly wandered into a vast maze, with every path they took leading them farther away from the other participants.
And it was all because Leon had strongly suggested following the butterflies after they discovered that these tiny creatures were the very same ones that had silently accompanied them in the darkness when their newborn bodies were sealed due to the immense power they had been born with. They had also discovered that the butterflies were somehow linked to Kyle!
Another day passed as the three youths continued their journey, having no idea about the turmoil that had erupted in the outside world beyond the testing grounds.
Nor did they know that several powerful Rulers had already entered the cold land after sensing the presence of a powerful natural treasure that had appeared within, forgetting Yue, whom they were chasing.
Mirabel had also followed after sensing that something was amiss, entering the gate along with the remaining Rulers who had been with her outside. The moment they stepped into the cold land, the barrier surrounding the area around the towering gate vanished, allowing the Celestials who had been roaming nearby to enter as well.
The once-isolated, destroyed land where Azazeal and Kyle had once fought, leaving behind a legend that no one in the Celestial Realm could ever forget, was soon flooded with countless more people. Those at the peak of Celestial Rank were drawn by the presence of the mysterious treasure that had suddenly appeared within the frozen land, while the weaker Celestials entered simply because rumors claimed that the place was filled with countless treasures.
In the end, when Yizhe, who had vanished from the prison, appeared at the scene, he noticed complete chaos unfolding before him. His temples throbbed as he cursed before quickly entering the towering gate.
A little while later, Alec, Jian, James, Bia, and everyone else in their group, who had also left the prison not long after Yizhe’s disappearance, arrived at the same place.
They, too, rushed into the towering gate without a second thought after the device in Alec’s hand revealed that the kids were inside! And if the three youngsters were in there, it was possible that Yue was also somewhere inside the towering gate that gave off such a familiar, strong coldness!
Ares, Cassian, Draevor, and the rest of Draevor’s people also arrived at the scene, but they were a little late. By the time they had arrived, Osko and the other elders of the Golden Hall of Light were sealing off the area surrounding the towering gate.
And the elders were not alone. They had brought an army of armored giants and winged warriors with them, their imposing presence making the atmosphere tense.
Seeing Ares, Draevor, and Cassian, Osko’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, he ordered his army to attack. That was how, right in front of the towering gate, a bloody battle broke out, with Osko and the elders’ side holding a clear advantage in numbers.
The scene had descended into chaos.
Both outside and within the towering gate, many figures were engaged in battles. With so many formidable beings gathered in one place, the situation was rapidly spiraling out of control, becoming increasingly perilous.
Yet, Amon, Leon, and Caria remained completely oblivious to it all.
At the beginning of the third day, the trio finally stopped before a strange ice wall that appeared noticeably darker than the surrounding frost. Behind the translucent ice, they noticed many black ice flowers growing, their gloomy petals standing out starkly against the surrounding whiteness.
It was then that they felt something was amiss.
Some of the little butterflies surrounding them had changed. Their ice wings, which should have been glowing with a blue light like all the other butterflies in the frozen land, were glowing with an eerie dark hue.
Caria narrowed her eyes as she carefully scanned the wall behind which dark flowers were growing, feeling a sense of unease.
"Something isn’t right."
She placed a hand against the ice wall.
"Those flowers are born from the power of the Natural Law of Death. Uncle Kyle’s cold power shouldn’t be suppressed by it, right?"
Amon patted her hand away.
His expression was calm.
"He wasn’t the only one who vanished in this place. Don’t forget, Azazeal died here. Perhaps these strange dark flowers were born from the remnants of his power."
Behind them, Leon, who had wandered in another direction after seeing the flowers, suddenly exclaimed in awe and shock.
"No! You’re both wrong! These black flowers weren’t born because of the remnants of Azazeal’s power."
"Not at all!"
Hearing his words, Amon and Caria both immediately walked in Leon’s direction. He had actually walked toward the end of the towering ice wall, staring behind it. But the moment they arrived and saw what lay in that place, their eyes contracted in shock.
Before them was a sea of ice flowers.
And they were not all the same color.
Flowers of every color imaginable covered the frozen ground, their petals shimmering beneath the faint light of the icy domain.
The outermost ring was formed by countless black flowers.
After the ring of black flowers bloomed, countless others in every color that could possibly exist, forming countless circular layers of an otherworldly floral sea.
However, at the very center of it all lay a tranquil lake, its surface perfectly still and glistening with a mesmerizing silver-blue hue. The lake seemed unreal, as though a piece of the frozen sky had fallen there.
Above the sea of flowers, countless tiny butterflies of every imaginable color drifted through the cold air. Their crystalline wings shimmered with ethereal light, making the scene look like something from a dream.
As the countless small ice butterflies sensed the presence of the three youths, they seemed to freeze for a moment.
Just as they did, an indescribably heavy pressure swept through the area. The air seemed to fall silent for a brief instant.
The pressure was so terrifying that even someone at the very peak of the Celestial Rank would have been crushed beneath it.
But before it could reach Amon, Leon, and Caria, it suddenly vanished without a trace.
And then the butterflies swarmed toward the three youths and began circling them from a distance, creating a joyful sound.
They were stunned. Yet, none of the three even realized how close they had come to death. Leon slowly bent down and reached toward one of the ice flowers. The moment his fingers touched the flower’s petals, his already excited eyes widened in disbelief.
"This flower is... This flower is made entirely from the power of natural laws!"
His voice trembled with shock.
"A priceless treasure!"
His gaze swept across the endless sea of flowers, and his eyes grew even wider.
"And there are so many of them!!!"