At the planar rift, the cold wind remained biting, but the spatial fluctuations in the surrounding area had clearly stabilized considerably.
Emerald green magical radiance flowed around Eserin's fingertips as she slowly withdrew them from the last runic node on the ground.
The complex lines of the magic formation glowed faintly beneath her feet before vanishing into the ice and snow, leaving only a faint residual aura of mana.
"Done."
Eserin let out a soft breath, the white vapor instantly crystallizing into ice in the frigid air.
The formation was complete. This rift, at least until the next mana tide cycle, wouldn't suddenly close or go out of control.
She shook the frost that had accumulated on her clothes and was just about to inform Chen Yu when Little Ka beside her suddenly flapped its wings, turned its head eastward, and without hesitation began heading back towards the Eastern Swamp.
A knot of tension formed in Eserin's heart. She immediately looked at Chen Yu, who was sprawled on Peachy's broad back.
She saw the round, green gel wobble slightly. The small eyes that had been tightly shut slowly opened, clearly indicating his consciousness had just returned.
Peachy also sensed the change in atmosphere, pawing the ground uneasily with her hooves and snorting out two jets of white steam mixed with ice chips.
Chen Yu's gel body swayed, and his voice sounded directly in Eserin's mind: "An uninvited guest has arrived at the territory. A vampire calling himself Casimir, says he's representing the Dark Realm to negotiate peace."
"Casimir?"
Eserin slightly furrowed her brows. The elf's exceptional memory quickly retrieved relevant information from her mental library.
"He seems to be a rather well-known Viscount in the Dark Realm, famous for... well, for being a philanderer and unpredictable. The vampire clan sending him likely has intentions that aren't simple."
She looked at Chen Yu, her tone serious. "Do you need to return immediately? If needed, the dryad domain can provide necessary support..."
To her surprise, Chen Yu just leisurely bounced down from Peachy's back, hopping a couple of times on the snowy ground.
"Not urgent. Little Ka has gone back first to keep an eye on things. Anvil and the little earth elementals are also on their way back to the fortress."
"He came alone, with no one following behind. So, we'll just let him cool his heels outside for now."
"Cool his heels?"
"Mhm, cool his heels." Chen Yu confirmed, his tone matter-of-fact.
"We have more important things to do right now."
"More important things?" Eserin instinctively pressed, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the planar rift emanating a biting chill.
Could there be something inside more pressing than dealing with a vampire envoy?
Right then, a low, dense buzzing sound approached from the distance, breaking the deathly silence of the icy plain.
At the edge of the vast white blizzard, a small moving patch of dark cloud appeared—it was a patrol of Poison-stinger Wasps flying in formation.
Following closely behind were rows of Beetle engineers and several Metal Slimes, carrying the dismantled battery array.
Unlike before, these Poison-stinger Wasps were almost all third-generation descendants. Except for the Assassin Wasp Soldiers, they were all equipped with Lv.4 "Resilient Carapace," sacrificing some agility in exchange for thick armor plating, greatly enhancing their survivability.
The army swiftly assembled before Chen Yu.
The Metal Slimes rolled up to Chen Yu, each one straining to puff out their shiny metal bellies, their small eyes full of seriousness, like soldiers undergoing inspection.
After the inspection was complete, Chen Yu then explained the situation inside the rift to Eserin.
"So, you're saying you encountered believers inside, and this area might only have one Ice Elemental left?" Eserin grasped the key information.
Chen Yu bobbed up and down, indicating affirmation. "Correct. So the plan is simple: first beat it into submission, then ask questions."
"Beat a native Ice Elemental from an elemental plane into submission? That doesn't sound like a simple plan..." Eserin mused.
Her gaze swept over the wasp swarm standing ready.
Could these little ones really adapt to this extreme environment?
As if confirming her worries, Viola suddenly drifted out from her, eyeing the assembling army with keen interest.
"Just sending these little ones in won't do. The cold here is enough to freeze their blood and solidify their thoughts within minutes. You'll need something that can resist this extreme cold."
As she spoke, her gaze turned to Eserin, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, right, Eserin. I recall the territory warehouse still has quite a few of those cold-resistance potions prepared during the last Winter Year. If we don't use them soon, they'll probably expire, won't they?"
"Lady Viola, are you thinking of clearing out inventory?"
Viola waved a hand grandly. "Ah, calling it clearing inventory sounds so unpleasant. We and Sir Slime are firm allies now. We'll just gift them."
After hearing this, the corner of Eserin's mouth twitched slightly, and she sighed helplessly.
Her lord had many good qualities, but she was a bit too careless about the territory's finances.
Chen Yu chimed in appropriately, "I'm willing to exchange them for magic scrolls of equivalent value."
He remembered the warehouse still had quite a few scrolls seized from the mercenary group.
The territory didn't need them, so they were perfect for trade.
Hearing there was an equivalent exchange, Eserin's expression improved a bit. She nodded, "Good. I'll send a message for a patrol to bring them over. But we'll only charge half price this time."
The wait wasn't long.
An elf ranger riding a swift land-strider arrived quickly, bringing a wooden crate. Inside were neatly arranged crystal vials, containing an icy blue liquid that emitted a strange warmth.
After opening the vials, under Chen Yu's command, the Poison-stinger Wasps landed one by one, using their tiny mouthparts to sip a small amount of the potion. The Beetle engineers and Metal Slimes also received their respective shares.
Soon, a faint layer of icy blue luminescence covered their bodies, effectively resisting the surrounding bitter cold.
The Metal Slimes bounced around, curiously looking at their glowing bodies, emitting pleased hums.
"Alright, let's move out!" Chen Yu jumped back onto Peachy's back, and Eserin also landed lightly upon it.
Peachy let out a grunt, took heavy steps, and was the first to step into the planar rift.
The icy energy fluctuations swept over her skin but were blocked by the glow of the cold-resistance potion and her own thick fur and fat.
The great army followed closely behind, crossing through the planar rift in a grand procession, officially entering this pure white, deathly silent world.
...
Inside the Ice Elemental Plane.
Sekashi's spirit body walked nimbly through the snow that could reach her knees. Strangely, her footsteps didn't sink in much, as if she carried little weight.
This was her fourth deep meditation session.
If she weren't worried her sister would fret, she could probably maintain this state indefinitely without emerging.
After finding the fiery red light cluster again, she carefully cradled Chen Yu in her arms, only then feeling a sense of relief.
Then she hid behind an ice pillar, sneakily peeking out with half her head to observe the Ice Elemental giant in the distance, moving slowly like a small hill.
Chen Yu nestled in Sekashi's embrace, curiously asking with his thoughts, "If you can successfully form a contract with this big guy, do you think you could gain its brute strength?"
He was already imagining the scene of this little one, Sekashi, punching an orc flying with one fist.
Sekashi hesitated for a moment before responding softly, "In... in principle, shaman contracts are more about gaining an elemental creature's magic, like frost spells or control over cold. Directly gaining physical strength... is rarely seen in records."
After all, she had never heard of any lizardfolk shaman successfully contracting such a massive creature.
"Envoy, should we retreat a bit more? It seems to be wandering this way." Sekashi nervously poked the slime in her arms.
Chen Yu seemed to ignore her reminder, instead suddenly twisting his body to face another direction.
"They're here. My reinforcements."
Sekashi instinctively followed his gaze.
In the vast white blizzard, a dense cluster of multicolored light points suddenly lit up.
What made her heart pound even more was that ahead of those light points was an enormous light cluster, its volume not much smaller than that Ice Elemental.
Her tongue almost tied in shock. "So... so many light clusters! And one so huge!"
If the Envoy weren't right beside her, she would have fled long ago at the sight of this formation.
Amid the vast snowfall, Peachy's massive figure broke through the snow curtain like a moving fortress, leading the way.
Chen Yu's main body sat at the very front, his round form carrying the dignity of a commanding general. Beside him, Eserin in her elven light armor, though a mage, looked exceptionally heroic against the pure white backdrop.
"Halt advance, deploy positions!" Chen Yu's command was silently issued through the gel network.
The army moved efficiently. The Beetle engineers quickly unloaded and assembled the battery array components. The Poison-stinger Wasp swarm circled in the air, forming a patrol formation.
She walked up to Sekashi, a friendly and curious smile on her face, elegantly extending a hand.
"Miss Sekashi, hello. I am Eserin Moonlight, patrol captain of the dryad domain. I'm here at Sir Slime's invitation to assist."
Chen Yu introduced, "This is an elf. They also revere nature. You two might get along."
"H-hello! Miss Eserin!" Sekashi hurriedly extended her hand, appearing somewhat flustered.
"I am Sekashi, from the Rotten Moss Tribe. Ve-very pleased to meet you!"
She had only heard of elves in ancient legends and stories told by tribal shamans, knowing them to be a noble, elegant, and ancient race.
She was terrified of doing something wrong, losing proper etiquette, and shaming the lizardfolk.
Eserin smiled gently, but before she could speak, Viola's spirit form emerged from her again, circling Sekashi once.
"Another little lizardfolk running off to the snowy mountains for trials. That ancestor of your tribe who pioneered the Snow Eagle Trial, Kukara, was quite interesting. Unique ideas, remarkable courage. A pity, a pity..."
Sekashi was stunned, staring at this suddenly appearing light form, asking blankly, "Y-you know my ancestor, Lord Kukara?"
"Of course."
Viola's spirit form flashed proudly, her chin tilting up.
"That youngster ran to the mountain peak back then, nearly froze into an icicle. Everyone thought he was going to his death, but he came back riding a snow eagle."
"He later complained to me, saying the magical creature he contracted during the third life trial was agile but lacked strength, failing to compensate for his race's inherent physical weakness. He always felt just short of a breath when facing powerful enemies."
"I later heard he indeed died at the hands of a demon during a skirmish because of this shortcoming. A pity, such an interesting little fellow."
Her tone carried regret. "For a lizardfolk to reach his level was already quite remarkable."
Sekashi felt her heart and spirit stirred. She never imagined this mysterious lady was an acquaintance of her revered ancestor and knew tribal secrets that had long become blurred.
Viola and Eserin, hearing this, turned their gazes to the massive Ice Elemental wandering ahead.
"Oh? It really is a big guy." Viola sounded somewhat surprised.
During their conversation, the battery array in the rear had been installed. The Metal Slimes adjusted the artillery array, aiming at the distant massive target.
[Flame Affinity]
Chen Yu's body emitted a red glow, as if a small sun had been ignited within him, becoming extremely dazzling.
Blazing flames instantly dispelled large patches of darkness and cold around him. In this eternally frozen, pure white world, he cast a zone of warm light, becoming the most eye-catching presence.
"ROAR!!!"
The Ice Elemental giant was immediately attracted by this sudden heat source.
It let out an ear-splitting roar. Its massive ice-crystal head turned towards the light source. It raised an arm of ice, plunged it into the ground, and forcefully pried up a gigantic block of ice, hurling it towards Chen Yu.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
No command from Chen Yu was needed. The experienced Slime Artillery had already opened fire. Five silver beams of light tore through the frigid air, accurately intercepting the path of the giant ice block, exploding violently.
Amidst the thunderous roar, the giant ice was blasted into countless scattered, flying fragments, like a hailstorm.
The Metal Slimes didn't stop. They chose to continue bombarding the Ice Elemental giant, blasting its body with flying ice shards, leaving charred, blackened craters.
Injured, the Ice Elemental became even more frenzied. It took heavy steps, rumbling towards the army formation like a moving iceberg, each step making the ground tremble.
"GRUNT!"
Peachy let out a battle-eager snort, lowered her head, bared her ferocious fangs, muscles bulging all over her body, charging towards the Ice Elemental like a heavy tank.
The two massive creatures collided violently, producing a dull, thunderous impact.
Relying on terrifying impact force and weight, Peachy actually managed to jolt the Ice Elemental off-balance, causing it to stagger back half a step.
They became entangled, tusks and ice fists pummeling each other, claws and frost colliding, producing teeth-grating scraping and shattering sounds. For a moment, it was hard to tell who had the upper hand.
He spat out a mana pea seed from his gel.
[All Plants as Soldiers]
[Promote Growth]
The mana pea landed on the snowy ground, instantly absorbing the life energy transmitted from within Chen Yu's body. It visibly cracked open, sprouted, and sent out tender green stems and leaves.
[Hixiulong Part One]
A surge of immense vital force suddenly spread out from the pea sprout as the center. The ice layer beneath its feet seemed to instantly transform into the most fertile spiritual soil.
Under the astonished gazes of Eserin and Viola, the pea sprout violently broke through the previous limits of "Promote Growth," wildly shooting up, thickening, and spreading.
In the blink of an eye, a pea vine comparable to a small war-magic plant shot up from the ground. Thick vines writhed like giant pythons, enormous leaves like shields, and at the top, huge pea pods formed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Giant mana peas, each with a diameter comparable to a millstone, shot out like boulders launched from a ballista, tracing heavy parabolic arcs as they smashed into the Ice Elemental giant.
The destructive power of these giant peas was extremely high. Each impact was like a heavy hammer striking a drum, jolting the Ice Elemental's body violently, shattering and blasting away large chunks of ice crystals and body structure.
CRACK!
A clear shattering sound rang out. The Ice Elemental giant's massive body lost balance, crashing to the ground on one knee with a thunderous boom, kicking up a cloud of snow dust.
By then, the already prepared Poison-stinger Wasp swarm, like sharks smelling blood, formed a dense attack formation, whistling as they dove down.
Their stingers lit up with red light, pouring down like a torrential rain onto the kneeling Ice Elemental's body.
The sounds of stinger explosions were continuous, constantly weakening the Ice Elemental's power and body.
In Sekashi's spiritual vision, this pure white world seemed to erupt with dazzling fireworks, blasting the Ice Elemental's light sphere until it kept shrinking.
"So... so powerful."
Under the army's encirclement and attack, the Ice Elemental giant soon became battered and broken, with only half its body relatively intact.
Finally, it ceased all resisting movements, its massive head lowering slightly as if in submission.
"Seems this big guy's intelligence isn't that low. It knows to yield when it can't win."
He encouragingly nudged Sekashi. "Go on, give it a try. It should be more reasonable now."
Sekashi took a deep breath of the icy air, nodded firmly, her face a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
Chen Yu waited several minutes before the motionless Sekashi and Ice Elemental giant showed any change.
The Ice Elemental giant's battered body suddenly erupted with dazzlingly brilliant ice-blue light, like the purest heart of a glacier pulsating.
Simultaneously, Sekashi's spirit body also seemed to ignite, bursting forth with emerald green natural radiance.
The entire process lasted about ten seconds before the light gradually subsided and withdrew.
Sekashi slowly opened her eyes. Deep within her pupils, an ice-blue stream of light seemed to flash and fade.
Feeling the unfamiliar power surging within her body and the wondrous link established deep within her soul with the big guy, her face instantly blossomed into an exceptionally brilliant and joyful smile. She turned her head to look at Chen Yu, excitedly shouting:
Before she could finish her sentence, in her excitement, she accidentally slapped a nearby ice crystal taller than herself, sending it flying.
Chen Yu: "..."