Chapter 213

The appearance of Olaien Star-Eye instantly made the atmosphere of the Frozen Throne Valley turn subtle.

The Star Pupil Clan elves he brought spread out, faintly forming an encircling posture; although they maintained elegant etiquette on the surface, their scrutinizing and probing gazes made people uncomfortable.

"Star Pupil Clan?" Li Qingxuan had never heard the name, and Queen Aister had never mentioned it.

He stayed alert, calmly replying: "I am Li Qingxuan, lord of the Guangtan Alliance. I don't know why the Star Pupil Clan has come here; what brings you?"

Olaien wore an impeccable smile, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk: "We follow an ancient prophecy and the faint sensing of the Mother Tree, seeking lost power and glory. This place..."

He scanned the valley, finally fixing his burning gaze on the Ice-Sealed Throne: "It contains extremely ancient and powerful power, possibly even related to the Mother Tree's origin. And you, Lord Li Qingxuan, though the Mother Tree aura around you is faint, it is extremely pure, which piques my curiosity."

He paused, his tone carrying a barely perceptible temptation: "Perhaps we are not enemies. The Star Pupil Clan holds much lost elven knowledge, including how to guide and strengthen life force. If we cooperate, perhaps we can together unravel this place's secrets, and even... find the opportunity to let the Mother Tree return to the world."

Cooperation?

Li Qingxuan sneered inwardly.

Their target is obviously also the Ice-Sealed Throne, or whatever it suppresses, and they might even know clues about the "Primordial Rune."

Their so-called cooperation likely aims to use the faint Mother Tree aura on me as a key, then monopolize the results.

"We are investigating this place's secrets," Li Qingxuan said noncommittally, "As for cooperation, we need more sincerity and a foundation of trust. Elder Aolain should also feel that whatever is suppressed beneath the Ice Abyss is full of danger and ill omen."

Olaien's smile remained unchanged: "Danger often goes hand in hand with opportunity. Precisely because it is dangerous, we need to join forces to deal with it. My clan has considerable research on seals and purification; perhaps we can lend you a hand."

He shifted his tone, meaningfully gazing at the two Star Spirits, Yanxin and Wind Whisperer: "Just... the aura of these friends beside you seems somewhat special, not like beings of this realm."

The two Star Spirits sent by Mo Ying remained silent, but their bodies tensed slightly, clearly also wary of these elves.

As both sides probed with words and the atmosphere gradually grew tense, a sudden change occurred!

"Hum—!"

The floating Ice-Sealed Throne suddenly shook violently; its blue runes flickered madly at an unprecedented speed, light wavering unpredictably!

The valley's temperature plummeted again, and the dark-green light beneath the Ice Abyss surged, boiling and rolling forth!

A far more violent and chaotic corrupt will, mixed with piercing cold, surged out of the Ice Abyss like a bursting dam!

"Not good! The suppressing force is rapidly weakening! The core is about to erupt prematurely!" Yanxin Runesmith's face changed drastically; the needle of his energy compass spun wildly.

Almost simultaneously, the ice at the edge of the Ice Abyss cracked with "crack-crack" sounds; dozens of extremely thick tentacles, covered in heavy ice armor and dark-green fungal mats, burst through the ice like frenzied magic serpents, lashing and entangling everyone in the valley indiscriminately!

These tentacles were larger than those encountered before; their ice armor gleamed with a metallic sheen, the fungal mat pulsed, emitting a nauseating stench and strong mental pollution!

"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!" Li Qingxuan shouted sharply, his long spear appearing instantly in his hand.

Huang Rong, Li Jing, Chen Xiulan, and the Jungle Iron Guard immediately formed ranks to meet the enemy.

The two Star Spirits instantly entered combat mode; Yanxin waved both hands, and shimmering star‑light energy barriers appeared before the group, attempting to block the tentacles' attacks.

Wind Whisperer's figure flickered, condensing wind blades in hand to slice at the tentacles' joints.

Olaien Star-Eye and the elves he brought clearly did not expect this turn of events; their faces all changed.

But they reacted extremely quickly; Olaien slammed his staff to the ground, a ring of emerald light spread out, carrying a rich life aura, attempting to purify the pervasive corrupt will; meanwhile, the elves behind him nocked arrows or chanted spells, attacking the incoming tentacles.

However, these newly appeared tentacles were extremely formidable!

The star‑light barrier Yanxin set up shook violently under the tentacles' fierce blows, developing cracks.

Wind Whisperer's wind blades could only leave faint white marks on the ice armor.

The elves' arrows and spells had little effect unless Olaien himself cast high‑level natural magic.

An exceptionally thick tentacle, like a giant hammer, smashed toward Li Qingxuan's position!

Li Qingxuan's eyes turned cold; he did not dodge or evade, and the Weird Divine Realm instantly unfolded centered on him!

A fifty‑meter radius gray‑mist domain enveloped that tentacle!

Fear Aura and Spatial Shackles exerted double suppression!

That violent tentacle's movement jerked to a halt; the glow of its fungal mat dimmed, and its swinging speed and power dropped sharply!

"Break!"

Li Qingxuan's spear thrust like a dragon, his inner power surging; he stabbed out, the spear tip condensing the power of the divine realm and his own mighty qi and blood, precisely striking the weak point where the tentacle's ice armor met its fungal mat!

"Boom!"

With a tremendous roar, that thick tentacle was blown apart mid‑section by his single spear thrust!

Dark‑green foul juices and shattered ice crystals sprayed everywhere!

The severed tentacle fell to the ground, still writhing wildly, but was soon split apart by Huang Rong's supplementary war axe.

Li Qingxuan's earth‑shaking blow instantly drew everyone's attention!

Olaien Star‑Eye's eyes flashed with barely concealed shock and... greed?

He evidently recognized the extraordinariness of that gray‑mist domain.

But at this moment no one had the leisure to attend to him.

The entity beneath the Ice Abyss seemed enraged; more tentacles surged forth, while the dark‑green light in the depths of the Ice Abyss condensed into a green pillar brimming with destructive energy, shooting violently toward the floating Ice‑Sealed Throne!

"Stop it! Don't let it destroy the throne!" Yanxin Runesmith shouted anxiously.

The throne is the core of the seal; if it is destroyed, the core will completely lose its restraint!

Olaien Star‑Eye also realized the gravity of the problem; he raised his staff, chanting a lengthy ancient incantation, as vast natural energy gathered into a huge shield made of countless emerald leaves, placed before the green light pillar!

"Boom——!!!"

The green light pillar slammed hard into the leaf shield, erupting in a earth‑shaking roar!

Natural and corrupt energies, two extremes, wildly collided and annihilated; Olaien grunted, his face paling, clearly straining to hold it back.

Seeing this, Li Qingxuan knew he could hold back no longer.

He drew a deep breath, pushing his spiritual power to the limit; the Weird Divine Realm's range suddenly expanded to a hundred meters, enveloping most of the valley!

He locked onto the source of that green light pillar—the densest dark‑green energy mass deep in the Ice Abyss—and focused the power of the divine realm to suppress it!

At the same time, he shouted to Olaien: "Join forces! Attack the source of the light pillar!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Olaien's eyes, but was instantly replaced by resolve.

He bit his fingertip, a drop of blood shimmering with gold‑green light fell onto the staff, the leaf shield's brilliance flared, firmly holding back the light pillar.

At the same time, his other hand quickly formed seals, a beam of cyan‑green light condensed to the extreme, cooperating with Li Qingxuan's Divine Domain suppression, shot toward the energy mass deep in the Ice Abyss!

The attack combining the strength of the two powerful warriors finally took effect!

"Pfft!"

As if something had been pierced, a sound came from beneath the Ice Abyss; the dark‑green energy mass twisted violently, and the emitted light pillar suddenly weakened and dissipated.

Having lost their energy support, the frantically writhing tentacles, as if their strength had been sucked away, became sluggish and powerless, and were quickly cleared away by everyone working together.

Within the Glacial Valley, peace was temporarily restored, but the place was left in utter disarray.

The light of the Ice Sealed Throne grew even dimmer, and even a fine crack appeared on its surface.

The dark‑green light beneath the Ice Abyss, though weakened, still pulsed stubbornly.

A sudden crisis was temporarily resolved.

But everyone knew this was only the beginning.

The Core's counterattacks grew fiercer each time, and the throne's power was declining at an accelerating pace.

Li Qingxuan drew a slight breath, his gaze turning toward the pallid Olaien Star‑Eye.

After fighting side by side just now, the atmosphere between them seemed to ease a little, but trust remained out of reach.

Aolain wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at Li Qingxuan, his eyes complex: "It seems we do have a basis for cooperation—at least until we deal with that trouble below."

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