Chapter 196: Turning One's Back

The area where the Frost Claw lives is very quiet.

Because a Dragon lives here, it is almost impossible to see any beasts.

The Frost sub‑dragon possesses part of the White Dragon's lineage and can only survive near the White Dragon's nest.

After crossing the Frost sub‑dragon's territory, Mu Yi led the group for about three hours, approaching the highest snow‑covered peak.

Mu Yi released Xin Ya from the barrier.

"This is it!" Xin Ya said excitedly, looking at the nearby cliff.

The cliff was extremely smooth and steep, covered with a layer of hard ice; the White Dragon had deliberately arranged it this way.

Dragons like to shape the four sides of their nest into vertical ninety‑degree cliffs, making it hard for non‑flying creatures to approach and effectively preventing their sleep from being disturbed.

After all, for a Dragon, the best way to grow is nothing but sleep, learning various abilities from the innate draconic inheritance, and upon reaching adulthood automatically becoming a Legendary creature.

White Dragons, whose abilities are slightly weaker than other Dragons, also like to spray frost with their dragon breath around their nest, adding another layer of protection.

Xin Ya clenched her teeth, trying to follow, but no matter what she did, her limbs were unusually weak; she could not even stand under the Dragon's Aura.

Fear, dread, and hesitation are natural to humans, but courage drives humanity to face all fear head‑on.

When the Dragon's Aura is visualized, one can imagine a Tyrannosaurus or a herd of wild elephants charging at you; if you hold a longsword and a shield and have the courage to charge, you can avoid the Aura's suppression effect.

Some people bent their waists, while others stood upright.

As the party approached the cliff, a wave of pressure surged toward them.

One of the most vexing problems in dragon‑slaying is the Dragon's Aura of pure‑blood Dragons, a permanent domain ability that requires no activation.

Xin Ya watched in disbelief as the sense of weakness faded, and the soldiers, gradually returning to normal, stepped with resolve, showing no sign of being shrouded by the Dragon's Aura.

When legend reaches the Legendary, Dragons become increasingly cunning; their nests are no longer simple caves but evolve into mazes, inevitably filled with traps and mechanisms.

With the Dragon‑slaying Stone, Xin Ya finally rose from the ground, and at the same time the sleeping White Dragon sensed mortal danger and instantly opened its eyes.

Because of La Ge Na, Mu Yi is relatively knowledgeable about Five‑Colored Dragons.

"Make a forced will save! …Will save succeeded! …You successfully resisted the negative effects of the Dragon's Aura! …You successfully resisted the fear effect of the Dragon's Aura! …"

Mu Yi's presence gave them courage, so they endured the discomfort caused by the Dragon's Aura and followed Mu Yi forward.

"Legend says that as long as you use the bloodline as a guide, you can forge a pact with it!"

"Press on!"

Now, appearing before Xin Ya is this spectacle, and almost everyone has the courage to challenge the Dragon.

Yet the bulk of humanity's epics consist of these ordinary people who are neither strong nor majestic.

After sensing the scent of blood from Xin Ya's sliced wrist, he climbed back down, examining Xin Ya and the Dragon‑slaying Spear in her hand.

Roar!

An angry roar sounded!

Sensing the threat, the White Dragon opened its massive jaws to unleash a breath spray.

Mu Yi did not employ any means to shield the Dragon's Aura, and without hesitation he was the first to stride forward.

This is how a Military Strategist acts: confronting death, fear, and peril, turning death into opportunity, displaying humanity's fearless face to mortality, stirring hearts.

Mu Yi sighed, looked at the nearly limp Xin Ya, took out the Dragon‑slaying Spear and placed it in her hand.

Xin Ya gasped, her limbs trembling uncontrollably, lacking any former vigor; only then did she understand why, since the death of the previous generation's Frost War Mother, no second war mother had been born for so long.

It's not just ordinary people who can't endure the Dragon's Aura; even some Supernormal Beings cannot resist its suppression and must resort to avoidance tactics.

Glancing at the Dragon inside the cave, Mu Yi signaled Xin Ya to begin her performance.

When shooting a person, aim the horse first; when killing a Dragon, aim the wings first.

This White Dragon seemed impatient; the dragon nest was not far from the cave entrance, almost visible at a glance.

Using the bloodline as a guide, one can forge a pact with a Dragon, but she currently lacks the ability to utter a complete sentence.

Mu Yi calmly issued orders; the standing soldiers gritted their teeth and kept marching forward, while the bent‑over soldiers, seeing this, scrambled to straighten up and followed Mu Yi's silhouette.

But the White Dragon had no such issue, as it is born with the special talent of Icewalking.

"You form a Formation here!"

All previous calculations were crushed into fragments by the heavy Dragon's Aura at this moment, and Xin Ya's mind went blank.

The transformation of will occurs in each soldier; as the commander, Mu Yi feels this change most, the soldiers' will is sublimating, and this is not ethereal…

"Are you from the Frost tribe?"

White Dragons like to dig their nests downward; although the nest sits on a high peak, the cave entrance slopes downward.

When they, spurred by courage, take this step, the Dragon's Aura suppression gradually loses its effect on them.

Mu Yi, as expected, exempted himself from the Dragon's Aura suppression, while the soldiers behind him breathed heavily, heart rates quickened, showing obvious weakness and fatigue.

Mu Yi withdrew the barrier around Xin Ya, then began climbing the cliff; if the fight can be avoided, that is the best outcome, otherwise he will have to learn from La Ge Na.

Therefore Mu Yi does not intend to fight the White Dragon inside its nest; the ice‑covered northern realm is already under the White Dragon's temporal advantage, and if the opponent also seizes the terrain advantage, it will be hard to win.

"How will you control it?" Mu Yi asked, looking at the massive creature inside the cave, tossing the shouldered Xin Ya at the cave entrance.

This frost makes the surrounding cliffs extremely difficult to climb, and any enemy daring to challenge near the nest will suffer the negative status 'Icewalking', requiring an agility‑based reflex check during movement, or they may slip and make attack errors.

None of them are strong enough to avoid the Dragon's Aura suppression.

The White Dragon gazed at the blood flowing from Xin Ya's wrist, recalling the figure that once cared for and sheltered it.

Mu Yi's eyes flashed with a strange light; this White Dragon was not the beast‑like, unintelligent kind, but could use a common language, indicating it possessed some extraordinary traits.

A White Dragon endowed with intelligence has shed the notion of Five‑Colored Dragon shame and essentially shares the same abilities as other Five‑Colored Dragons.

Normally, White Dragons only attain relatively high intelligence in old age, and can use languages beyond draconic.

This particular White Dragon is so unique that it might even be the strongest boss in this secret realm.

"Yes! I am Avarosa Kabe Xin Ya! I have come to continue the former pact," Xin Ya pressed her wound and loudly responded to the Dragon's query.

"Avarosa…" a flicker of bewilderment passed through the White Dragon's eyes; it saw again that not tall but immensely majestic figure.

Yes, I have signed a contract with Awaro, and I promised to protect its offspring; as long as they can pass my trial, I will protect them just as Awaro protected me!

Are you ready to accept the trial?

Accompanied by the white dragon's roar, a heavy dragon might spread across the entire dragon nest; even with the protection of the dragon‑slaying stone, she was still frightened pale.

Slay a frost drake, bring back the proof, and I will sign a contract with you...

The white dragon announced in a heavy voice, but before its announcement finished, Mu Yi threw the frost drake's tail in front of the white dragon.

""

The white dragon fell silent, it raised its head to look at Mu Yi; unlike the obviously trembling Xinya, Mu Yi completely ignored the dragon's might.

Then let's sign the contract!

The white dragon withdrew its gaze, pulled a contract from the void, and let it hover in midair.

Under Mu Yi's witness, a person and a dragon signed the contract; the dragon will protect Xinya until her natural death, and after Xinya dies, the white dragon will also terminate its contract with Awaro, becoming a completely free dragon.

You will receive my power through the contract; this process will take some time, so say goodbye to your friends—you need time to digest those powers!

The white dragon said, then crawled down again and closed its eyes.

Mu Yi frowned dubiously, is that it?

Is this difficulty really worthy of 15 Epic Difficulty?

However, Mu Yi forgot that not everyone can bring a burden all the way unobstructed to face the white dragon and give that burden the ability to withstand the dragon's might.

Nor does everyone have the capability in this icy snowland to swiftly slay a frost drake.

For others, merely bringing Xinya, this burden, to evade the frost drake's attacks is already an insurmountable threshold.

If it weren't for the dragon‑slaying spear, Mu Yi would have to resort to some tactics to deal with the sky‑flying frost drake.

"Zongwang Prompt: Longed‑for Freedom 2 — The Winter Treasure is complete!"

Only after seeing the system prompt did Mu Yi accept the reality that the quest was completed.

Our deal is done; tell me where the treasure is!

Mu Yi looked at Xinya, whose cheeks faintly showed a dragon‑scale mark, and frowned; Xinya had never told him about these things.

But Mu Yi didn't care; he only wanted his reward now.

"The treasure lies in the Winter Tribe's vault; as long as you help me become the Winter Tribe's war mother, I will grant you everything you desire!" Xinya said in a condescending tone.

"Accept quest: Longed‑for Freedom 3 — Winter Sovereignty!"

Quest: Longed‑for Freedom 3 — Winter Sovereignty

Quest Recommended Level: 15

Quest Difficulty: Hard

Quest Reward: Wild Secret Treasures (quantity unknown)

Quest Requirement: Assist Xinya in gathering the Winter Tribe and become its war mother.

"No thanks; I'll get what I need with my own hands!"

Mu Yi glanced at the quest and decisively chose to refuse.

He didn't want to have any further ties with Xinya; besides, he'd already wasted enough time, he had no time to keep playing with Xinya, and her attitude annoyed him a bit.

"You actually refused me?" Xinya narrowed her eyes, as if Mu Yi's refusal were some huge unreasonableness.

"I've already signed a contract with Jigu and possess the greatest power in the world, yet you still refuse me?"

Xinya's pupils gradually narrowed into vertical slits, eventually resembling a true dragon's eyes, radiating an irresistible fury.

Feeling Xinya's fury, the white dragon that had closed its eyes rose from the cave, exuding a vicious aura.

"Submit to me, kneel and beg for my forgiveness, or today will be your death!"

"Getting a little power and you get conceited! Do you think the world revolves around you? You really keep giving me surprises!" Mu Yi's face grew colder bit by bit, his killing intent rising steadily.

Lacking the will to bear such power, his mind was blinded by blind strength, directly brainwashed by the dragonkind's style of supreme supremacy, causing all his inner darkness to burst out at once; the malice emanating from him made Mu Yi feel nauseated.

"Kill him, Jigu!"

——Frost Dragon Breath!

Accompanied by Xinya's command, a blast of cold dragon breath spewed from the white dragon's massive maw; under this bone‑chilling breath the ground froze at a visible speed, and anyone hit by it would almost instantly turn into an ice sculpture.

A light push would shatter it on the ground into pieces.

Mu Yi activated Time Acceleration to escape the frost dragon breath's range, rushed out of the dragon nest, and then leapt directly from a height of over a hundred meters.

Still, a bit of cold clung to him; a layer of frost appeared on his clothes, and the chill penetrated the fabric, directly giving Mu Yi frostbite.

"Really gave me a lesson in the farmer and the snake!"

Mu Yi used Blazing Inferno Fire to dispel the frostbite, staring at the white dragon appearing on the cliff edge with an utterly cold expression.

"A mere white dragon—I'll slaughter you today as a side dish."

"Roar!"

Glancing at Mu Yi sliding down the ice to the ground, the white dragon almost without thought lunged downward.

"By Awaro's command, go die!"

Hum!

With a muffled dragon‑wing flap, the white dragon, just before swooping close to the ground, violently shook its wings to stabilize its body; this dive closed the distance considerably, and immediately it opened its mouth to spew another dragon breath that enveloped Mu Yi's silhouette.

"Cloud Energy rise!" Mu Yi shouted loudly.

A scarlet cloud energy instantly enveloped the white dragon's head; the originally thick and long frost dragon breath suddenly shrank by half and dissipated completely in midair.

Cloud Energy strongly suppresses Transcendent power, able to greatly reduce the potency of any spell.

However, this suppression does not affect the user's own innate abilities; Cloud Energy can restrain those who fly by relying on Transcendent power, causing them to lose flight ability.

Yet for creatures that can fly by nature, Cloud Energy's suppression loses effect—this is merely the most basic Cloud Energy suppression.

To deal with such flying foes, the Military Strategist has studied many secret arts.