C19 Frost Dragon

Ding Yue sat on the ground, surveying his surroundings. Amidst the dense forest and towering mountains, he discovered a pond roughly three hundred feet across. Mist hovered over the water's surface, and the pond's perimeter was blanketed with fine sand, devoid of any vegetation.

At the heart of the pond, three patches of land, each the size of a table, protruded in a triangular formation. It was here that the "ice tendril grass" grew, with its white leaves and jade-like stems. The stems bore fine, red lines resembling the delicate capillaries of the human body, and the leaves were coated with a layer of frost-like fuzz.

Rising to his feet, Ding Yue approached the pond. As he neared the edge, a sudden chill hit him squarely in the face. Retreating a step, the sensation dissipated.

He found this quite curious and thought, "This must be the cold pond that Master Taoist Mu referred to in his message—the meeting place for the three sects."

"Should I go to the center of the pond and pick some 'ice tendril grass'?" Ding Yue pondered. After a moment, he decided to call forth Monkey Small from the Beastkin Pouch.

Monkey Small appeared as if he had just woken up, rubbing his bleary eyes. Then, in an instant, he became alert, his fur bristling.

Ding Yue heard the monkey's frightened voice in his mind: "Ding, what are you up to? There's something big under the water. Luckily, we haven't disturbed it."

"Don't be alarmed," Ding Yue reassured, stroking Monkey Small's fuzzy head. "I summoned you because I feared a powerful beast might be lurking beneath the surface. It looks like we'll have to wait for Robin to arrive and for the three sects to come together before we can proceed."

The Ice Carp True King's cave opened once every sixty years, granting entry to only ten members from each sect. Moreover, those who entered could not have advanced beyond the Foundation Building Stage; otherwise, they would bear the consequences.

Initially, some scoffed at the warning. Imagine the treasures left behind by a True King who had survived the first heavenly tribulation—irresistible even to those in the Nascent Infant Stage, who could only look on helplessly. And yet, she had already ascended to the heavens.

The first time, a Nascent Infant Stage practitioner brazenly forced his way into the cave. In the end, only his Nascent Soul managed to escape, prompting him to retreat to his sect and enter a period of seclusion.

On a second occasion, a Sage at the Golden Core stage ingested a pill designed to conceal his presence and infiltrated the disciples to enter the cave. The outcome was disastrous: the pill shattered and the Sage perished.

As a result of these two harsh lessons, no one has since dared to act against the explicit instructions of the Ice Carp True King. Additionally, the Spirit Weapons belonging to various sects remained within the cave.

Not far from a pond, Ding Yue found a large tree and concealed himself at its base. He released the Jade-eyed Three-Tailed Fox from the Beastkin Pouch. The fox glanced at him, then eyed the third-level pill in his hand. With a toss, Ding Yue fed the pill to the fox and declared, "We've signed a blood pact, binding our fates together from this day forth, much like the bond between a monkey and its mountain. You may address me as Ding or Young Master."

"Brother Ding suits me fine, but from now on, you can call me Gold Mountain," the voice of the monkey echoed in the Three-Tailed Fox's consciousness.

"Hey, Brother Ding, why not give her a name too? She's all red and a fox; how about Hu Xiaohong?" suggested the monkey.

"Get lost, you stinky monkey. A celestial being like me should not be saddled with such a common name," the Three-Tailed Fox retorted telepathically.

"Please, Young Master, bestow upon me a name," she implored.

The little fox nuzzled Ding Yue's palm, her gaze intoxicating, reminiscent of a lover's adoring eyes.

A wave of confusion washed over Ding Yue, and a vision of a long-missed figure in white floated through his mind. Abruptly, a resounding boom, like the striking of a gong at dawn, jolted him from his reverie.

He looked again at the Three-Tailed Fox, who was blinking her blue eyes at him, and he marveled inwardly, "It's said that foxes possess an innate allure, and indeed, our spiritual connection is proof. If she were to employ her charms on me, I would be on guard. Reflecting on the moment just passed, I realize my resolve was weak."

In that instant, Ding Yue's thoughts drifted back to the Black Water Serpent Emperor, whose every gesture exuded an infinite allure and a bewitching grace.

"Ding, what's on your mind? You seem lost in thought," Monkey roused Ding Yue from his reverie.

Ding Yue's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"What am I thinking about? I'm trying to come up with a name for the little fox," Ding Yue deflected.

"Have you decided on one?" Little Mountain inquired.

"Yes, how about calling her Naneas, the little fox?" Ding Yue proposed.

"Naneas, that's nice. Thank you for naming me, Young Master," the little fox chirped joyfully, her three tails twirling as she leapt about on the ground.

Ding Yue had been waiting for four days. As he emerged from beneath the tree roots, growing restless, he was suddenly greeted by the sound of rushing wind drawing near.

In an instant, a procession of Taoist disciples clad in white arrived, led by Lorbin.

Lorbin made a beeline for Ding Yue and, standing before him, examined him closely before speaking, "I must admit, I was a tad disappointed not to see you at the recruitment in Setting Sun City. To my surprise, you've been taken in as a guest elder by our esteemed Senior Liu. Congratulations are in order."

"Senior Brother Lorbin, you flatter me. I've yet to express my gratitude for your life-saving assistance," Ding Yue responded with a bow.

Lorbin, seeing the genuine expression on Ding Yue's face, felt a sense of kinship. "There's no need to mention it again, Brother Ding. We are here under the Sect Master's orders to escort you to the True King of Ice Carp's cave abode. I trust you will find the experience rewarding."

"Thank you for the kind words, Senior Brother Lorbin. When do we set out?"

"Just a bit longer. We're waiting for the others to arrive," Lorbin replied, then gestured for the other eight disciples of the Heavenly Cloth Sect to come over and introduced them to Ding Yue one by one.

Within the time it took to sip a cup of tea, the two parties had convened.

The leader of the Grand Mystery Sect was a Foundation Building Stage cultivator named Xuan Yuan, who bore a cold yet handsome countenance. He offered a curt nod to Lorbin and the red-clad woman leading the Ten Thousand Sword Sect as a form of greeting.

The red-clad woman, with her delicate features and a warm smile, approached Lorbin and said with a light laugh, "Junior Brother Lorbin, it's been too long."

"Senior Sister Yao, all is well," Luo Bin responded with an unchanging expression and polite tone.

Turning her attention, Senior Sister Yao noticed Ding Yue and couldn't resist inquiring, "Junior Brother, your attire doesn't seem characteristic of a Heavenly Cloth Sect disciple?"

Before Luo Bin or Ding Yue could respond, a clear voice called out from a distance.

"Brother Ding Yue, you've come as well."

Everyone looked up to see a woman in white gracefully approaching. Her beauty was cold and striking, her gaze fixed intently on Ding Yue, her eyes brimming with excitement.

She swiftly moved to Ding Yue's side, brushing the dust from his shoulder with a flick of her hand. Her lips curled into a fleeting, dazzling smile.

"Junior Sister, do you know this Junior Brother?" Senior Sister Yao asked, her face a picture of incredulity.

At her arrival, Ding Yue's heart skipped a beat. He quickly steadied his emotions and calmed his slightly accelerated breathing, replying with a dry throat, "Lingzhu, you..."

He trailed off, his gaze locked on her face.

Zhu Lingzhu's ears flushed red as she let out a playful huff.

Ding Yue collected himself and asked earnestly, "Are you also here to challenge the True King's cave this time?"

"Ah, I just didn't expect Brother Ding Yue to be here as well," Lingzhu replied, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Then, just as quickly, her expression shifted back to her usual aloof demeanor.

Senior Sister Yao's bright eyes sparkled with curiosity. Turning to Xuan Yuan and Lorbin, she suggested, "Junior Brothers, let's begin."

Lorbin nodded in agreement, and the three of them flew to the elevated island above the icy pond. They positioned themselves at three points, and within a single breath, they each produced a fish-shaped object from their palms and tossed it into the air. The three items merged mid-flight and descended into the water, sinking beneath the surface.

After a brief moment, the water churned violently.

A serpentine Fellbeast emerged, distinguished by a solitary horn atop its head, white eyes with white pupils, and a mouth adorned with long whiskers. Its body was covered in fine scales.

Observing the creature in the water, Ding Yue felt a surge of alarm: "A Wyrm Dragon, an ice-attributed Wyrm Dragon. Its aura and might suggest it's of the sixth level."

Upon witnessing the Ice Wyrm Dragon's emergence, the trio promptly bowed in respect. "We, the younger generation, pay our respects to the Ice Dragon God."

"Haha, a God Dragon, that's the dream. But for now, I'm merely a guardian akin to a watchdog," the dragon quipped.

The remark left the three momentarily speechless, and even the usually stoic and handsome Xuan Yuan couldn't hide his embarrassment.

"Alright then, proceed inside. Remember to follow the usual rules; fail to do so, and you'll face the consequences," the Ice Dragon warned.

With that, the Ice Dragon soared out of the water, its massive form, dozens of meters long, spiraling in the sky before gradually shrinking to a mere few meters in length and as thick as an arm. It then dove back into the pond, vanishing from sight.

The group collectively exhaled, their Transcending-level powers barely holding up against the oppressive aura of the sixth-level Flood Dragon.