Chapter 520: Demonization Crisis

Chapter 520: The Crisis of Corruption

Li Wei took a step back, emerging from the shadow of the snow bear.

Everyone behind him froze in place.

They couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

They didn't even realize that the snow bear was already dead.

Seeing the motionless beast, someone gathered courage and thrust his spear at it with all his might.

Squelch!

The tip of the spear pierced through the once incredibly tough hide as if it were paper.

The lack of resistance nearly caused the warrior to stumble forward.

Then came the sound of sand collapsing.

The massive body of the snow bear rapidly crumbled, scattering into a pile of blood-red ice shards.

All their pupils contracted sharply as they finally realized the snow bear was dead.

Yet they still had no idea how it had been killed.

Li Wei glanced at the shattered remains of the snow bear and gently massaged his temples.

He felt a significant drain on his mental energy.

By using advanced fire elemental rules, he could extract thermal energy within a certain range.

However, according to the laws of this world, while extracting heat, the energy would inevitably flow back.

In other words, his rate of extraction had to exceed the rate of return.

This meant he was essentially fighting against the fundamental rules of the world.

Naturally, opposing the entire world was impossible.

But within localized areas, with his power, such a feat was achievable.

The force required to defy natural law was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Moreover, he ultimately couldn't reach true absolute zero.

The closer one got to absolute zero, the more devastating the cost became.

Li Wei felt that casting "Thermal Extraction: Absolute Zero" was even more exhausting than launching a meteor fireball spell.

Tap, tap, tap.

Bear Two recovered and walked forward.

After glancing at the dead snow bear, he sincerely said to Li Wei, "Thank you."

"If not for you, our Snow Bear Tribe might have..."

Bear Two dared not continue the thought.

With confusion in his eyes, he looked at the deceased snow bear and asked, "Why did the snow bear's strength suddenly increase so dramatically?"

"This snow bear also looks strange—I've never seen one like this before."

Normal snow bear monsters were only at the third tier.

Even the Snow Bear King was merely peak fourth tier.

Yet the bizarre snow bear that attacked the tribe exceeded fifth tier.

Far surpassing ordinary snow bear monsters in level.

Bear Great also approached, seemingly injured, his left arm hanging limply by his side.

His expression grave, he examined the corpse of the corrupted snow bear.

"If there were only this single mutated snow bear, then perhaps we'd be fortunate. But if the others undergo similar changes, things will become dire..."

Bear Great's concern wasn't unfounded.

A single corrupted snow bear nearly destroyed the Snow Bear Tribe.

If the number of corrupted snow bears increased, the tribe's destruction would only be a matter of time.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

An old shaman wrapped in a tattered yellow fur robe stepped out, his face completely hidden beneath a thick hood.

The shaman glanced at the fallen snow bear carcass, then turned to Li Wei and asked, "Is this a corrupted monster?"

Li Wei hesitated briefly before uncertainly replying, "I'm not sure either. I've never seen a corrupted monster before."

The shaman crouched down, picked up a piece of red ice shard, and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.

To everyone's astonishment, he placed the ice fragment in his mouth and tasted it.

Standing up, the shaman turned to address everyone present, saying, "Gather your belongings. We're heading to Freld City."

Upon hearing this, both Bear Great and Bear Two were momentarily stunned, greatly surprised.

However, neither questioned the shaman's command.

When the members of the Snow Bear Tribe heard they must leave their homeland for a distant city of ice and snow, their hearts filled with reluctance.

Yet none doubted the shaman's decision.

In a low voice, Bear Great asked, "Shaman, is the situation really that serious?"

The shaman extended his claw-like hands, grabbed Bear Great's dislocated left arm, and pushed forcefully.

Bear Great grunted softly as his arm returned to normal.

The shaman replied, "It's extremely dangerous."

"The power inside this snow bear doesn't belong to the tundra. If all the beasts and creatures here are infected by this force, the tundra will become unimaginably perilous."

"Our tribe alone can no longer survive on the tundra—we must relocate to Freld City."

Having finished speaking, he turned toward Li Wei.

Bowing slightly, the shaman said, "Next, I humbly request Master Mage to escort our people safely."

Li Wei nodded and said, "Mm, no problem. I was planning to head back anyway—it happens to be along the way."

Though he said this, traveling alone would certainly be faster and safer than leading an entire tribe.

The shaman reached into his thick fur coat, rummaged around for a moment, and pulled out a scroll made of ancient, damaged animal hide which he handed to Li Wei.

"I acquired this unintentionally. It seems to contain magical script—perhaps it may prove useful to you."

Li Wei accepted the scroll with some surprise.

Unrolling it, he discovered it recorded an ancient spell.

At first glance, Li Wei couldn't identify what kind of magic it was.

He had never encountered anything like it—it must be a long-lost ancient technique.

It would require further study to understand exactly what spell was inscribed upon the scroll.

Li Wei carefully stored away the scroll; indeed, this was quite a pleasant surprise.

The Snow Bear tribe moved with remarkable efficiency; in less than an hour, its denizens had packed their wordly goods and gathered at the gates, ready for departure.

Everyone bore heavy burdens, and even the small children carried packs larger than themselves, not even leaving behind the iron cooking pots.

Several warriors from the tribe were specifically tasked with carrying the shaman's various medicinal herbs, beast-hide scrolls, and bone books.

Only a few men held weapons and were fully armed, standing ready for combat at any moment.

The procession embarked upon the road leading toward the City of Ice and Snow.

After walking for a time, Levi glanced at his map and spoke to Xiong Er beside him: "At our current pace, if all goes well, we should reach the City of Ferred by nightfall."

Xiong Er replied with a touch of anxiety: "Let us hope everything goes smoothly."

He cast a glance backward, where the shaman sat upon the back of an old yak, head bowed as he fiddled with several fractured pieces of tortoise shell.

Within his heart, Xiong Er prayed, hoping the totem of the Snow Bear tribe would bless this journey with safety.

Two and a half hours later, the company arrived near the territory of the Snow Wolf tribe.

Xiong Wei intended to allow everyone to rest and recuperate for a short while outside the Snow Wolf tribe.

After all, there were still women and children within the ranks.

Trekking through the snow was an immense drain on physical strength, and the endurance of the women and children was visibly inferior to that of the men.

Their physical limitations had to be accommodated.

"We are almost there; the Snow Wolf tribe lies just ahead. We will rest there for a moment,"

Xiong Wei shouted across the crowd, rallying the weary spirits of the people.

Yet, after walking a short distance further, he sensed something amiss.

A thick scent of blood hung in the wind.

Xiong Wei’s countenance shifted, a dark presentiment gripping his heart.

Levi's brow furrowed slightly as he, too, detected the anomaly.

He quickened his pace forward, simultaneously releasing his spiritual perception to sweep across the Snow Wolf tribe ahead.

As he perceived the situation within the Snow Wolf tribe, his expression turned solemn.

No longer caring whether the others would be astonished, Levi leaped into the air and flew directly toward the Snow Wolf tribe.

Arriving above the Snow Wolf tribe and looking down at the settlement that had already been reduced to ruins, Levi’s expression became rather grim.

His spiritual perception swept through the ruins below, yet discovered not a single survivor.

Every soul of the Snow Wolf tribe was dead, and not even their corpses remained.

Nothing was left but a wasteland of ruins and stains of blood.

By all appearances, the destruction of the Snow Wolf tribe had occurred not long ago; the bloodstains had not yet been blanketed by the wind and snow.

Levi worried that the demonized creatures responsible for destroying the Snow Wolf tribe had not yet departed.

He circled the perimeter, discovering only a few footprints to the south, with no sign of the demonized creatures themselves.

By the time he returned to the settlement, Xiong Er and the others had already reached the gates of the Snow Wolf tribe.

Everyone stared in horror at the devastated ruins of the annihilated tribe.

Xiong Er's face was exceedingly pale; had Levi not chanced to be present at the Snow Bear tribe, the fate of the Snow Wolf tribe would surely have been their own.

Witnessing this, Xiong Wei dared not halt for a rest any longer.

He arranged for the women and children to take turns resting aboard the cart pulled by the old yak, encouraging everyone to exert their strength and persevere.

With hurried steps, the crowd pressed on toward the City of Ice and Snow.

A roar resounded!

The howling of magical beasts echoed from not far away, striking terror into the hearts of the travelers.

Xiong Wei gazed into the distance and saw several figures standing upon the hillside.

He comforted the crowd, saying: "Do not fear, it is merely a few snow wolves; they dare not attack a large group."

Just as Xiong Wei had said, the snow wolves watched from afar for a moment before turning to depart.

The next leg of the journey passed without any further incidents.

Hurrying along their way, the company finally arrived outside the City of Ice and Snow just before the sun slipped entirely below the horizon.

Beholding the scene outside the City of Ice and Snow, Levi’s eyes grew solemn.

Upon the snow outside the city walls lay numerous traces of battle, with bloodstains still uncovered by the drifting snow.

Evidently, the City of Ice and Snow had also come under attack by demonized creatures.

Levi was uncertain just how many demonic seeds Aguru had scattered across the snowfields.

Or rather, how many demonic seeds Bassam, the Apostle of the Demon God, had sown.

He had ridden the Emperor of Ice from the abyssal extremes tens of thousands of miles away to reach this City of Ice and Snow.

Along the way, he had passed through countless habitats of magical beasts.

If Bassam had sown demonic seeds all along his path, then the entire Far North Ice Plain was likely in grave peril.

Though magical beasts were scarce across the Far North Ice Plain, given the vastness of the territory, their total numbers would not be small.

Moreover, the magical beasts capable of surviving in the Far North Ice Plain were all formidable creatures.

Should these beasts be demonized and their strength further enhanced, it would deal a fatal blow to all the indigenous tribes upon the ice plain.

Levi bade farewell to Xiong Er.

Xiong Wei was occupied with settling his clansmen, so his figure was absent at the time of parting.

Levi told Xiong Er that if there arose any need, he could come find him at the Ice Jade Palace at any time.

He returned to the Ice Jade Palace.

While enjoying the evening banquet, Gusevie brought up the day's events to Levi.

"This afternoon, a pack of maddened magical beasts appeared outside the city and attacked Ferred City. Fortunately, the gates were closed in time, so no casualties were incurred."

Levi informed Gusevie of how the demonic seeds caused living creatures to become demonized.

Gusevie showed a look of shock, asking with concern: "Is it not just humans? Even magical beasts are affected by the demonic seeds."

"Then Monis, surely she wouldn't also..."

Levi said: "Aside from her and those members of the rebel army, we must remain vigilant against the possibility of others within the city having been planted with demonic seeds."

Gusevie’s expression froze as she thought of the worst possible outcome.