Chapter 203: with translation of chapter title

North wind like a knife, it scraped over the exposed rock layers, whipping up fine snow spray that stung the face.

The farther north, the more desolate the land became; green almost vanished, leaving only gray-white rock and, in the distance, the glaring reflection of the Ice Glacier on the horizon.

Li Qingxuan

Dwarves (the term dwarf appears; also dwarves is plural but still means dwarf). Also metal boots, unnamed.

The elves, however, appeared much more composed, gliding lightly over the rugged terrain like wraiths on the Snow Plain.

The Icefield Demon Wolf Pack was scattered around the team, their eerie green eyes warily scanning any movement.

Huang Rong's figure would appear ahead at times, then melt into the shadows of the rocks; her Dark Night Stealth was somewhat limited in this open area, yet she remained the most reliable vanguard.

Chen Xiulan utilized Night Vision Reconnaissance and the continually set-up simple watch points to construct a moving early-warning line.

Li Jing's Void Shuttle was used to quickly explore the complex terrain ahead, such as bottomless ice crevasses or steep ice cliffs.

"Stop!" Xila, who was scouting ahead, suddenly raised her hand and gave a warning.

Xila crouched down, her fingers lightly touching a faint scratch on the ground; the mark carried a faint chill, out of place with the surrounding frozen earth.

"Something passed not long ago; its aura… is very cold, carrying a sense of death."

The team immediately entered a state of alert.

The Dwarves gripped their war axes and heavy hammers, the elves nocked their arrows, and the Demon Wolves lowered their bodies, emitting threatening low growls.

Li Qingxuan walked up to Xila, his Spiritual Power spreading forward like mercury poured onto the ground.

He sensed an extremely faint yet abnormally icy energy residue, similar to the aura of the "Frost Wraiths" described by Marcus, but purer and also… older.

"They are them, the 'Ice Wraiths'." Li Qingxuan said in a low voice, "Be careful; they may be nearby."

As his words fell, a faint "crack-crack" sound came from a pile of rubble ahead to the side, as if ice were shattering.

Immediately, several figures staggered out from behind the rubble.

Their appearance made everyone present draw a sharp breath of cold air.

They were not traditional skeletons or zombies.

Their bodies seemed forged from ten-thousand-year-old ice and some pallid bony substance forcibly fused together, their joints covered in rough ice crystals, and their eye sockets flickering with two points of eerie blue Soul Fire.

They held crude weapons forged from condensed ice crystals—swords, axes, and even staff-like objects.

As they moved, they emitted a piercing chill, and the frozen ground beneath their feet frosted over.

"Prepare for battle!" Jushi Shiqiao Gongchengshi roared, and the Dwarf Warriors instantly formed a tight defensive formation.

The Elf Hunters' arrows were the first to tear through the air!

However, a horrifying scene unfolded.

The enchanted arrows struck the Ice Wraiths, yet most were deflected by their rough ice-crystal armor, or merely left a shallow dent, failing to inflict effective damage!

Only a few arrows that precisely hit the joints or eye sockets caused them to stagger slightly.

"Their physical defense is extremely strong! Aim for the joints and vital spots on the head!" Xila commanded calmly.

The Ice Wraiths let out a silent roar, their eerie blue Soul Fire flaring violently, they raised their ice-crystal weapons and advanced with stiff yet determined steps, charging at the team.

Their speed was not fast, but that unstoppable, death-defying aura sent chills down one's spine.

"Boom!"

The Dwarf Warrior's heavy hammer slammed into the Ice Wraith's ice-crystal weapon, producing a dull, thunderous bang.

The Dwarf's strength could split mountains and shatter stone, but striking the Ice Wraith only sent ice chips flying, failing to crush it in one blow.

Instead, the extreme chill clinging to the Ice Wraith's weapon spread along the metal, making the Dwarves' arms feel a piercing cold and numbness.

"Watch out! Their weapons carry a strong freezing effect!" a Dwarf Warrior shouted, his battle-axe already coated with a thin layer of ice.

Huang Rong's apparition appeared like a ghost behind one Ice Wraith, a Dwarf Warrior's axe whistling fiercely as it chopped toward the joint of its neck.

"Clang!" a crisp sound rang out, ice crystals scattering; the Ice Wraith's skull was split cleanly in half, its eerie blue Soul Fire flickered once, then dimmed, its massive frame shuddered, finally collapsing and shattering into a heap of ice shards and desiccated bones.

But more Ice Wraiths surged forward. They seemed to feel no fear, no pain, knowing only to destroy every living thing before them.

Chen Xiulan stood slightly behind; her armor-piercing arrows were exhausted, so she could only use ordinary arrows, precisely shooting the Ice Wraiths' eye sockets and joints to create opportunities for the frontline warriors.

Li Jing, meanwhile, used her Void Shuttle to constantly appear at various points on the battlefield, attacking the Ice Wraiths' joints and energy core (the eerie blue Soul Fire) with poisoned daggers; though unable to kill them in one strike, she could effectively disrupt their movements.

Li Qingxuan did not lightly employ the Weird Divine Realm; these Ice Wraiths were few in number, making them perfect for honing the team and familiarizing themselves with this new enemy's traits.

He wielded a newly forged Changqiang, its thrust like a dragon, precisely striking the Ice Wraiths' joints and skulls; the immense power it contained could shatter large patches of ice crystals each time, far exceeding the efficiency of others.

The battle lasted about a quarter of an hour, and the dozen or so Ice Wraiths were finally wiped out.

The ground was left littered with shattered ice crystals and desiccated bones, as well as several Soul Stones that had lost their luster, like ice beads.

"Damn, these ghostly things are really hard!" a Dwarf Warrior cursed, shaking his somewhat numb arm.

The elves began examining those ice crystal fragments and Soul Stones, attempting to analyze their composition.

"Their structure is quite peculiar," Xila said, picking up a shard of ice crystal and sensing the deathly chill within, "It is not natural ice, but rather… the product of erosion and transformation by some extreme cold and evil energy. This Soul Stone can enhance our Spiritual Power; I really wish more of them would come."

Li Qingxuan crouched and picked up a dim ice crystal. The moment his fingertip touched that ice bead, the long-dormant 【Weird Encyclopedia】 in his sea of spirit flipped open automatically, and a stream of information flowed into his mind.

【Weird Creature: Ice Wraith Guard】

【Type: Flesh Type】

【Constitution: 380】

【Spirit: 150】

【Level: C-rank】

【Ability: Extreme Cold Armor（extremely strong physical defense, low resistance to fire/light）, Ice Crystal Weapon（attack carries strong freezing effect）, Soul Drain（weak, can slowly absorb ambient wandering soul energy to sustain existence）】

【Weak points: joint connections, head Soul Fire, high-intensity energy impact】

【Description: Twisted creation sealed beneath the ancient Ice Glacier, forcibly fused from unwilling souls and extreme ice energy. They are the claws spreading the 'Corruption Root', faithfully carrying out orders of destruction and freezing; wherever they pass, life is cut off. Not a natural-born anomaly, their very existence is a manifestation of some deeper catastrophe.】

"Corruption Root……" Li Qingxuan whispered, repeating this word that had appeared again from the anonymous message and the Atlas.

It seems the "frost wraith" Marcus spoke of is this kind of Ice Wraith Guard.

They are indeed offshoots of some greater threat.

"Their weak points are the joints and head, as well as magic attacks." Li Qingxuan briefly informed everyone of the atlas information: "In subsequent battles, we can deploy targeted measures."

After clearing the battlefield, the team continued forward, becoming more cautious.

In the subsequent journey, they encountered several more small patrols of Ice Wraiths; with prior experience, they handled them much more calmly.

The Dwarves began deliberately attacking with weapons preheated in the forge, and the effect improved significantly.

The Elf Druids also tried to condense natural fire; although its power was not great, its restraining effect on the Ice Wraiths was obvious.

As they went deeper, the surrounding scenery began to become strange.

They entered a massive glacier canyon, with ice walls up to a hundred meters high on both sides; the ice walls were not pure blue or white, but displayed an ominous, vein-like dark green pattern, faintly exuding an aura similar to the Corrupted Nest Mother, yet even colder and more silent.

The air was filled with a faint mix of rotting stench and extreme cold, making one feel nauseous.

The ice underfoot also became unstable; in some places it was covered with a thin layer of sticky dark green substance, soft underfoot, as if stepping on the rotting flesh of some creature.

"This place… is contaminated." Queen Aister's voice came through the communication stone, filled with obvious disgust and solemnity: "Nature wails here; the breath of life has been almost completely frozen and twisted."

"Look over there!" Huang Rong pointed toward a direction deep in the canyon.

Everyone followed her gaze and saw, at the canyon's end, a huge cave abruptly appearing on the ice wall.

The cave's edges were covered with a thick, dark green fungal mat that pulsed faintly like a living thing, and a rich aura of decay and cold continuously poured out from the cave.

Deep within the cave, a faint, heart‑pounding dark green light could be seen flickering.

There, it seemed to be the source of this contamination vein, and also one of the nests from which Ice Wraiths continually emerged.

"North Wind Outpost must be established as soon as possible." Li Qingxuan stared at the ominous cave, his eyes icy: "We are already very close to the true threat."

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