Chapter 359

The mountains lay right before them, and clouds hovered right beside them.

A phenomenon that theoretically required climbing to great heights to witness was encountered clearly not long after entering the Klo Canyon region.

When Li En saw the dense lightning on the dark clouds nearby, his scalp prickled—he suspected that even he would die instantly if he stepped into such clouds.

“I now understand why those dark elves never come here.”

Ten minutes ago, the sky was clear and blue; the next moment, dark clouds and lightning appeared within sight.

“What is this?!”

The sudden cold made Li En shiver.

The next instant, hailstones and blizzards crashed down, giving the squad a taste of environmental diversity.

“What kind of hellish place is this?”

Just entering, it had been a mildly warm autumn day; the next instant, freezing cold arrived with shocking suddenness.

Within just a few kilometers, shattered ice crystals, heavy snowflakes, hail, and ice storms made Li En’s party feel as if they had stumbled into an ice plane.

More bizarre still, when Li En turned back, the direction they came from remained bathed in autumn skies, as if nothing had changed.

“Put on your winter gear immediately.”

Li En took a deep breath; flames boiled around him, and within the black dragon’s armor, the bloodline’s magic gradually brought warmth.

The others were not so lucky—the warriors from Huicheng shivered from the cold.

For ease of movement, they wore only a single layer of tight-fitting clothing or thin wool beneath their armor.

Metal armor in this environment did not retain heat—it became frozen chunks stuck to their bodies.

In combat, extreme heat or cold could turn cheap metal armor into metal coffins.

Those who had already learned of the local conditions hurriedly switched to their backup winter gear, but inevitably, the group’s progress would be severely hindered.

“This damn place—how do locals even survive?” Alekne rubbed her frozen hands and exhaled.

Dark elves were not a cold-resistant race; their famed racial traits were moderate magic resistance and spellcasting talent. Their Changnian mild underground climate left them with abysmal resistance to extreme weather.

“I’ll handle it.” The Valkyrie Alekne glanced at her sister, then gripped her hand again—the two merged into one.

As a holy knight apprentice bearing divine flame, she naturally ignored the natural cold before her.

“Locals? They don’t exist—there are no locals here.”

In truth, if druids weren’t so skilled at regulating climate and forcibly creating a “natural zone” amid extreme weather and environments, that cult could never have survived here.

Li En glanced at his “apprentice”—to be honest, her performance exceeded expectations.

Dark elves were never known for physical strength or stamina; a holy knight lacking physical endurance was something Li En had never seen.

She had persisted, diligently training her stamina and resistance—far exceeding expectations.

“It’s real—the rumors are true!”

Most excited of all was Ma Dun, the archmage who had joined as a mercenary.

“I’ve detected two elemental sources—these must be the origin of this bizarre environment. Afterward, let’s investigate that direction. The parameters are unbelievable—at least 200% above current elemental concentration. No wonder those from the Mage Kingdom came here.”

Ma Dun, holding his compass-like instrument, told Li En with a beaming face.

As a mage—especially an evoker—how could one resist the chance to approach elemental secrets?

“Two elemental sources? Which two?”

“Uh, one is definitely an ice elemental plane, the other seems to be… fire. Ice and fire? Why hasn’t it exploded yet?”

Li En fell silent, looked up at the drifting snow, then turned toward the slowly boiling volcano in the distance—he suddenly felt incredibly lucky that this place hadn’t blown sky-high.

“Go—whenever there’s time, check it out. But we’re short-handed; go as far as you can, don’t get yourselves killed.”

Evokers often studied conjuration as well, because many evocation spells aren’t merely about controlling or transforming elements—their earliest foundations lie in the conjuration system known as “elemental summoning.”

As previously mentioned, that system uses “magic” as currency to summon “elements” via spatial arts.

And the origin of these elements? The so-called elemental planes.