She couldn't help but smile, murmuring.
"Foolish!"
Protected by immortal artifacts, fearless of death!
For past and present lives, she arrived for her!
Perhaps sensing her owner's weakness, Zhan Hun grew anxious, unleashing its full pressure and aura. The power erupted, directly scattering the surrounding cold. It unhesitatingly charged towards Jin Bao'er, even though she lacked the strength to grip the hilt...
The long sword hooked the vine with its hilt, and with a forceful pull, it rushed outwards! Fortunately, they weren't far from the exit. One person, one sword, and one box, after who knew how long of renewed effort, finally broke free of the storm zone and plunged into the ice cave.
"Clang..."
A crisp sound echoed as a long sword, covered in frost, slammed onto the icy ground. The faint light gradually vanished. Under the extreme cold, frost quickly solidified, encasing the sword.
Behind the hilt, past the black rectangular box formed by vines, the woman's eyes were tightly shut, frost crystals clearly visible on her eyelashes, her hair and clothes frozen stiff!
The white mist storm, after a moment of pause, resumed its rotation. A torrent of biting cold wind, infused with suction, swept in! It intended to draw her in again...
The woman lying on the ground showed no sign of waking. A faint, pale pink light slowly emanated, carrying a gentle warmth that seemed to protect her! But it couldn't withstand the powerful suction of the storm!
At this critical moment...
A shadowy black mass rapidly expanded, directly pouncing towards the ice cave entrance, sealing it with its body. Even in the face of the surging storm, the black metal shell showed no fear!
It was of the iron element; it feared heat, not cold!
The suction vanished...
The little sprite, seeing the iron sphere transform, breathed a sigh of relief. Sensing Jin Bao'er's gradually recovering temperature and the surrounding elemental power, it also slightly opened the box's lid, releasing a sliver of warmth from the Ten Thousand Ancient Skyflow Fire...
Before, it dared not open it even a crack for fear of extinguishing the flame, as the storm that could trap the most yang fire could also extinguish it! It didn't dare act on its own.
A moment later, the pale complexion on the woman's face slowly regained its rosy hue, and her body quickly returned to normal temperature. Only then did she open her eyes, the moisture on her eyelashes already evaporated...
The instant she woke, her expression tensed! She immediately scanned her surroundings, her gaze quickly falling on the gasping long sword beside her. She hastily picked it up, observing it with her contractual power. After a long while, she finally relaxed.
Zhan Hun's spirit was safe, merely exhausted and resting temporarily!
Regaining her composure, she looked at the warm, rectangular black vine box in her arms. The reddish-purple flames subtly glowing within still maintained their fiery intensity, clearly well-protected by the little sprite! She lowered her gaze...
"Thank you!"
Then she looked at the black iron shell at the ice cave entrance, knowing without a doubt who had blocked the suction force from the storm!
Recalling the bone-chilling cold, she unhesitatingly stepped back and spoke to the iron shell.
"Iron Ball, revert to your original form and smash the wall directly for leverage to come over here. I'll catch you!"
That white storm was too bizarre; even unleashing all her strength within it had been useless!
The black iron ball obediently transformed back, and the instant it did, it slammed into the ice wall, creating a large hole. It then rapidly spun its body and leaped...
Its heavy form landed directly in Jin Bao'er's hands!
A few minutes later, they returned the way they came! As for the ice-sealed cave entrance, it was no problem for Iron Ball.
Arriving at a familiar spot, she instinctively glanced back at the elder frozen for who knew how many years, only to discover... he was gone!
When she noticed the scant remnants of rotten mud on the ground, a flicker of surprise and solemnity crossed her eyes! It was the little sprite, with its vast knowledge, who offered an explanation.
"A demigod's body disintegrates like this after death. We should leave quickly."
Jin Bao'er didn't overthink it. As she turned, she failed to notice a faint, pale golden shimmer drifting from the rotten mud. As if drawn by something, it softly flew over and burrowed into her body...
She felt nothing unusual, only a sudden warmth.
Reappearing on the ice surface, she decisively reactivated her barrier. Her power had recovered less than half, and she was still weak! But a barrier was still possible. She hadn't expected a storm to require so much effort!
The barrier quickly developed a thick layer of frost, and due to the extreme cold, it continued to freeze!
Jin Bao'er lifted the black iron ball and flew upwards. The massive ice ball, tinged with a faint pink glow, shot towards the sky. As it approached the edge of the world's atmosphere, the ice began to melt slowly...
She controlled the barrier, her expression calm! Just as she was about to retrieve the teleportation block to leave, she paused! Her expression suddenly turned grave as she looked up at the sky... Immense presences lay just beyond the atmosphere!!
Even at a distance, those presences had been restrained and suppressed, yet they couldn't escape her divine sense imbued with the power of the Great Dao! Moreover, their numbers were vast, encircling nearly half the outer edge of the world!
She stopped, letting the barrier hover in mid-air, her mind racing. Who could be outside?
She had deactivated the teleportation block's tracking function. She hadn't encountered anyone on her way in, and the divine envoys hadn't pursued her at all. As for people from other smaller worlds, they wouldn't even know about her actions...
So, who were the people outside? Their auras indicated significant power, and there were so many of them, at least tens of thousands!
Considering this, she couldn't help but wonder, when had she offended so many people?!
Even if they weren't here for her, this desolate world was so frigid that no creature could survive. Even she, an ice elemental, couldn't endure it for long! Only the guardian beast could withstand the cold! Anyone else would have to be suicidal to come here!
The little sprite, not thinking much, couldn't help but urge her on when she remained still for so long.
"Why aren't we moving? I'm freezing, hurry up..."
Iron Ball wriggled out of her hand and hovered beside her... Its movements were hesitant as it spun, clearly puzzled by her inaction.
Jin Bao'er looked down at the two, shaking her head with a somber expression.
"There are people outside, many people! They're likely not here with good intentions! If we go out directly, I'll be trapped immediately!"
Upon hearing this, the two were stunned into silence.
At this moment, separated by the atmosphere of the desolate world, the two sides presented a starkly different scene...
Tens of thousands of powerhouses from various small worlds stood on their own magical artifacts, floating in the void, waiting in silence!