The Icy Embrace and a Princess’s Plight

Vivid blue and white flames blazed fiercely, their light spreading across the sky. The reflected hues, however, bore no resemblance to fire; instead, they evoked the serene depths of an underwater world.

Audris, too, was unlike ordinary men. While most cultivators felt a fervent heat surge through their fighting spirit, his qi and blood remained as cold as frost.

Audris unleashed his domain, the ‘Flame and Ice World,’ in an attempt to contend with Motis. Though a legendary battle knight, his power seemed insignificant before Motis—a Heaven’s Favorite and a nascent legend, no less, backed by five Kiramei.

Within this icy expanse, an even colder realm of ice materialized, blindingly white. Motis’s domain expanded with alarming aggression into Audris’s Flame and Ice World. Despite Audris’s strenuous efforts to resist, his attempts proved futile.

Once Motis’s frigid domain stabilized, a multitude of frost giants suddenly appeared across the vast, desolate land. Wielding green spears infused with wind elements, they aggressively ravaged and destroyed the Flame and Ice domain.

The Flame-Ice Giants within Audris’s domain, despite their fearsome countenances, were utterly overwhelmed by the piercing wind-element spears.

Just as Audris seemed on the verge of collapse, a pitch-black domain abruptly unfurled. It enveloped the icy world from above, ravenously devouring the pure white light. White vengeful spirits drifted wantonly across the sky, their horrific screams piercing the otherwise tranquil space with agonizing shrillness.

“Audris, I’ve come to aid you!” The newcomer was none other than Yue’ertuotai, an ally of Lucybria and a God of Law from Arcadia. A legendary peak powerhouse of the Evil Spirit lineage, his strength was formidable, easily rivaling that of Audris, the God of War.

“Why only you?” Audris questioned, a frown deepening on his brow. “Where are the others?” By ‘others,’ Audris naturally referred to the experts from the various human empires.

Many years ago, the five great human powerhouses rose in rebellion against the rule of the divine race. They united with other races to collectively overthrow the dominion of both the divine race and the high elves.

Once humanity regained its freedom, these five powerhouses each established an empire, forming the five great empires that exist today.

The leaders of these empires had made a solemn pact: in the face of irreversible, widespread catastrophe, whether natural or man-made, they would all unite to act.

This pact was precisely why the Orc tribes, despite inhabiting the Southern Frontier Continent, could not encroach upon the Aelta Continent. It was also why races like elves, fairies, and dwarves, despite their animosity towards humans, dared not launch full-scale invasions.

“Those four are currently holding back the beast tide,” Yue’ertuotai explained. “They will join us once their task is complete. For now, we just need to buy some time. Surely, you wouldn’t wish to witness a city being massacred by the beast tide, would you?”

Audris remained silent, simply nodding in solemn agreement.

Navigating the dark, damp corridor, Locks rounded a corner and arrived before the inconspicuous door of a storage room. His lips parted, emitting a low, whispered incantation, accompanied by elaborate hand gestures. With a soft ‘click,’ the black door, enchanted by his magic, swung open. Locks glanced back briefly, then slipped inside like a phantom.

As a Destruction Dragon, Su Han naturally possessed the Turtle Breathing Technique, allowing her to stealthily follow him inside.

‘If I didn’t follow, I wouldn’t know how to open this door,’ she thought triumphantly. ‘Who could possibly hear such a faint incantation?’

The storage room was a chaotic mess, cluttered with a jumble of miscellaneous items, much like a small, disorganized warehouse.

Yet, in the very center, stood an iron cage shrouded by a black cloth, resembling those used to auction slaves in markets.

This cage, however, was considerably larger, towering three meters high, and crafted from a unique material that visibly shimmered with electrical currents.

‘It can not only bind magic and battle qi, but also electrocute people?’ Su Han mused, peering intently through an uncovered corner of the black cloth. Suddenly, a strange cackle shattered her train of thought.

“What the hell?! You scared the living daylights out of me!” Su Han exclaimed, patting her chest. It was then she realized the source was Locks, cackling maniacally.

‘What scheme is this guy cooking up?’ Su Han wondered, rubbing her chin from her hiding spot. ‘Could this iron cage be imprisoning some terrifying monster? Perhaps an abyssal demon or something similar?’

‘But that doesn’t seem likely,’ she reconsidered. ‘If it were truly a monster, even a small one would surely let out a terrifying roar. So, what exactly is inside?’

As if on cue, Locks dramatically pulled back the black curtain. What lay within… astonished Su Han even more profoundly than any abyssal demon could have!

“That’s… Akareya!” Su Han stared intently at the figure inside the cage. Akareya’s beautiful face was disheveled, her purple hair cascading down her back.

Her fingers were charred black, clearly from electric shocks, and with no trace of magic left in her body, tears streamed from her eyes, betraying utter despair. Had her hands and feet not been shackled, she might have chosen to end her own life; given her temperament, she would never yield.

“My dearest Princess Akareya, have you considered my proposal?” Locks asked, a gentle smile gracing his lips, his eyes filled with a doting tenderness. “If you agree to marry into my Lucybria Empire and become my queen, I promise to set you free and cherish you dearly!” He opened the iron cage, then gently lifted Akareya’s chin, gazing at her with feigned devotion.

“You… dream on!” Akareya’s voice, in that moment, sounded utterly desolate and helpless.

Locks extended his tongue and licked Akareya’s face, then erupted into a fit of deranged laughter. “Think about it carefully, my patience is limited! I fear that one day, I might not be able to resist simply ravishing you! Hahahaha!”

Seeing the spittle marring Akareya’s delicate face, Su Han felt a shiver of disgust. Though she yearned to intervene, this ‘s*ave market’ was unfathomably dangerous. While she might be able to defeat Locks, the strength of Ziyao, whom she had just witnessed, was utterly beyond her comprehension. Moreover, she had overheard that Ziyao was Locks’s close friend.

If she were to act rashly, not only might she fail to rescue Akareya, but she would also endanger herself. In such a scenario, both Akareya and Su Han herself would be in grave peril.

‘My aspirations remain unfulfilled; I cannot let my journey end here. I’ve been foolish once, but I won’t be foolish again!’ Though Su Han felt immense gratitude and affection for Akareya, surely her own life held more importance? ‘Hmm, I can only wait for an opportunity to rescue her!’

Just as Locks began to reach for Akareya again, his brow suddenly furrowed. “What? The beast tide has already breached the inner city?!”

Su Han cautiously extended her divine sense to eavesdrop:

[Motis is holding off the experts of the five great empires. Come quickly to resist the beast tide, or your imperial capital will be finished!]

“Alright, wait for me, I’m coming immediately!”

Before departing, Locks sneered one last time: “Take care of yourself, my Princess.”

Akareya, who had fiercely held back her tears until they merely brimmed in her eyes, finally shattered. The moment Locks departed, pearl-sized drops began to fall, and she wept uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears like a pear blossom drenched in rain.

Who could truly know the depth of her solitary pain?

A flash of cold light, and the shackles snapped instantly. Akareya’s arms fell limply to her sides, and she slumped to the ground, her gaze sweeping around in a daze of confusion and helplessness.

“Who’s there?” she whispered, her voice choked with sobs.

“It’s me…” Su Han now stood before Akareya.

“It’s you?!” Akareya exclaimed, her voice laced with fervent emotion. Yet, she quickly reeled from her excitement, a profound disorientation clouding her features. “How… how could you be here? Is this perhaps an illusion? But… why do I keep thinking of her?”

“How laughable,” Su Han stated coldly, raising her hand to deliver a sharp slap. “A dignified princess, reduced to this state. Where is your pride? You need to wake up!”

With a swift sweep of his sword, Locks cut down two charging demonic beasts before glancing at Ziyao, who was battling fiercely nearby. Ziyao’s purple robes were already drenched in blood, resembling a blooming crimson lotus.

‘That guy…’ Locks mused, a slight smile touching his lips before he plunged back into the beast horde with renewed ferocity.

Meanwhile, the experts from the five great empires were engaged in battle within a separate barrier space. Had Locks and his allies not arrived to hold back the beast tide, the casualties would have been catastrophic.

Behind Ziyao, demonic corpses lay piled like mountains, his purple robes now crimson with blood. Even his pale face was splattered, yet he merely smiled. He then extended his tongue to lick the blood from the corner of his mouth, savoring it with an air of profound enjoyment—though it was clearly not his own.

His mesmerizing purple eyes radiated a chilling gaze, seemingly contemptuous of everything. As Ziyao slaughtered the demonic beasts, he casually turned to Locks with a faint smile. “Locks, I’m not saying this to be harsh, but you’re quite slow, aren’t you? Is that all you’ve managed to kill?”

Locks simply rolled his eyes at him, offering no verbal retort, but redoubled his efforts. Internally, however, he seethed with indignant frustration: ‘You goddamn freak! How can I compare to you? Three years missing, and you come back this powerful? What the hell!’ Such words, of course, were best left unsaid.

Finding Locks’s renewed effort amusing, Ziyao chuckled softly. “My Queen of the Mountain Stronghold, I wonder if you like the succubus I sent you?”

On Su Han’s shoulder, the miniature succubus Yudao Shen Shihan’s eyes gleamed. As if sensing something, she smiled slyly, then nestled obediently against Su Han’s shoulder, rubbing herself against her.

“Three years, Ye Yuan,” Ziyao murmured, his smile deepening, “I am finally free!”