Dan Dong widened his eyes as the other party instantly recognized his intentions, causing a significant impact on Dan Dong's heart. His voice trembling, he brandished his huge sword and roared angrily, "Who... who is afraid of whom? Don't underestimate me! Today, I'm going to smash you into pieces!"

Consumed by fear and impulsiveness, Dan Dong swung his sword, cutting through the figure of Juxi, and proudly cursed at him.

"Haha, let you yap, now you know how powerful the number one mercenary is..."

Before the words even finished, the figure that was cut through by Dan Dong turned out to be... a tree branch?

Turning his head, Dan Dong's eighteen subordinates, except for the brownnosers who could do nothing but flatter, were all slashed down by him!

"This is turning into a pig farm, kill every year!"

Enraged by the illusions, Dan Dong roared even louder.

"You bastard Yin, come out and compensate me for my losses!"

"Compensate? Fine, but if you dare lay a hand on Juxi, I'll make you suffer a thousand deaths."

A warning from the hovering black shadow in the air rang out like the tolling of the death knell.

"Do you understand?"

The black liquid stained the snow, the deadly venom immobilizing Dan Dong with its fumes. The black shadow quietly extended a palm, emitting a lethal aura towards his surroundings.

This is bad, this monster at least has boundless abilities, looks like today I, Dan Dong, may not escape this end after all?

With this thought, every muscle in his body tensed up.

"Come on, today I'm not afraid to die. I've never been afraid of death in the past, and I won't be in the future!"

(Northern City)

In the forbidden area of the main city in the north, Iron Ridge Pass, which had been silent for many days, finally received its first good news.

"Duke! Just received news from the front line. The army of Bai Guofu has been defeated, wiped out completely by an unknown team of a few individuals."

"What?"

Ye Chuba, who had been unable to sleep for days, had just laid down to rest in the military camp when the guard who rushed in suddenly woke him up in a frenzy.

He quickly got up and stood firmly, ignoring the soldier kneeling on the ground, and looked towards Iron Ridge Pass from outside the military tent.

The sky there was covered by dark clouds, and Ye Chuba remained silent, the old patriarch, unable to avoid a hint of worry on his face.

The victory on the front line did not bring any excitement to the Duke. The guard who delivered the news couldn't understand and respectfully asked.

"The front line has won a great victory, why is the Lord not in a more joyous mood?"

Ye Chuba, with a face full of wrinkles and two small eyes squinting, glanced at the guard, slowly turned his head to the west in contemplation, this evil Chi, it is definitely not! It is also impossible that it belongs to my old friend!

At the time of space opening, there must be the existence of initial spirits, and the presence of spirits will enable the birth of creatures that can dominate the world.

Driven by spiritual power, all things continue to change and eventually transform into human spiritual bodies, commonly known as humanization.

The existence of Lan has brought about miracles of life on this vast land of Shenzhou, and the creator's spiritual power belongs to those managers. However, there are some beings unwilling to enjoy that limited lifespan and coexist with nature!

From the first Chi reflection of the initial stone and the triggering of reversionary elements, there are everywhere names of compulsory courses on the road of strong. When the Chi becomes dense to a certain extent, it needs to evolve into another form to create space for the spiritual body to advance to a new level.

In this world, only fools would not seek the right to judge all things, to the extent that some greedy and presumptuous individuals try by all means to seize the power of the natural spirits... like the current empire that everyone is familiar with.

The Crystal Empire, established by nine powerful individuals with nine hearts and a handful of boundary-maintaining godly envoys, is considered a formidable power even in the eyes of the Bai Nation's Hundred Kingdoms.

However, from the perspective of the desolate Wasteland Continent, this so-called formidable nation appears as a poverty-stricken region the size of a sesame seed in the eyes of the former.

That should be enough. At least, those four people in this world wouldn't pose a threat to them.

Peace often dwells only in these impoverished small mountainous nations, where towering palaces merely conceal prosperity behind a corner of the eternal, untamed icebergs, which has deterred foreign armies from disturbing the residents' tranquility for centuries in the Empire.

After the news of the defeat of the Ice City Lord spread, this once war-torn great Empire finally began its long slumber, allowing the spirit beasts to slowly become active once more.

Nightfall and snowstorms finally shrouded the entire valley, with a few ice-based spirit beasts venturing out to hunt, for during the day, the Frost Beasts reigned supreme here!

In the strict hierarchical chain of command, the authority and dignity of the Frost Beasts were more than enough to make all other spirit beasts here tremble.

The pre-dawn hours were also the darkest moments in the Frosty Valley.

At this time, in another corner of the Frosty Cave, a humanoid creature, silent and trapped in a perilous situation where no other creatures dared to approach.

Crack! In the cave, amidst the greenish light, white stalactites were revealed, showing signs of accumulation over the years. Some loosened and fell to the ground as Juxi shifted his body and accidentally touched them.

This action coincided with the snoring emanating from the pitch-black cave, which startled Juxi, freezing him in place, trembling from head to toe. It was only when the snoring thundered that he finally sighed in relief, muttering quietly to Dragon Ling, who followed behind him.

"No gate guards around. It seems that humans can rule the continent because the spirit beasts aren't smart enough!"

Juxi covered his mouth and added a touch of humor to his own joke.

"Shh, be quiet. If the Frost Beast awakens, you will surely be served as breakfast on a platter."

While giving the warning, Juxi felt a slight breeze pass by, and Dragon Ling's hand had already tightly covered his mouth, her slender white arms wrapped around Juxi's waist, keeping him steady in front of those two spherical objects.

"Mmm... Master..."

Being held in the embrace of such a beautiful woman for someone healthy in body and mind like Juxi, how could he resist the fragrance?

Instead of suppressing the feeling from earlier, it vanished without a trace, but it only made Juxi feel more terrified, as one wrong move could cost him his life!

With reluctant hesitation, Dragon Ling, with her azure eyes filled with affection, locked Juxi struggling in her arms, a mischievous smile playing on her cheeks.

"I look forward to you becoming an excellent knight, but if an eagle wishes to soar in the sky, then..."

Before finishing her sentence, Dragon Ling forcefully pushed Juxi, throwing him into the cave. Coincidentally, he bumped into the Frost Beast, and both were knocked back against the wall together.

The tremendous impact disoriented the Frost Beast to the extent its nose crooked – it wouldn't wake up for a while!

"Haha, if you can't even discipline this cutie, the Imperial Academy won't even issue the entrance permit."

The master taunted gleefully, referring to the renowned Star Dragon Academy that echoed throughout the Four Nations and Nine Provinces.

The admission criteria required attainment of reversal before turning eighteen, granting eligibility to participate in further studies.

Once enrolled, students could enjoy top-tier medicinal herbs and cultivation equipment. The funds for purchasing medicinal herbs came from mission contracts, with each tier increase multiplying the value by fivefold, a common structure in academies on the mainland today, except for those in remote regions like Clearwater Mountain, which offer more humanistic and lenient education.

"By the way, the Golden Tier missions can only be accepted by nine-hearted martial artists with a team of five or more!"

Roar! Though the Ice Cold Beast's roar was piercing, it lacked confidence, not displaying the regal demeanor expected of a lord-level spiritual beast, more reminiscent of a bold but inexperienced rookie.

"Huh?"

The Ice Cold Beast's aura didn't reach the nine-hearted level, not even close to the initial stone level, barely half a meter tall, squeaking and provoking Juxi in a similar fashion.

"Ha, could this be the Ice Cold Beast that strikes fear into the heart of the Ice Crystal Empire? The ruler of the Ice Cold Valley?"

Juxi pointed and mocked while looking at Dragon Ling hiding in the distance.

"Haha… this little thing? Scaring off so many people from the Ice Crystal Empire? Ha!"

Juxi almost burst out laughing, reaching down after a while to pat the little Ice Cold Beast's head, resembling more a lizard-shaped crystal sculpture.

"We might make a good profit selling it."

Juxi lifted the Ice Cold Beast with excitement, turning to Dragon Ling for approval.

"No... no!"

The latter pushed away the Ice Cold Beast, laughing bitterly.

"This little thing is worth at least fifty thousand gold coins, indeed a good catch."

Fifty thousand?!

Juxi was surprised, looking down at the small Ice Cold Beast, which seemed like a treasure bestowed by a celestial maiden, now howling in its arms, feeling deeply moved.

"Really? This little thing is worth fifty thousand? Haha, we're going to be rich!"

"Well…"

"Then you must have the luck to take away the son of this emperor, greedy human!"

Before Dragon Ling could stop him, a powerful roar echoed from deep within the cave. In the next moment, the gravity in the cave increased exponentially by Juxi's spiritual power, causing Dragon Ling to stagger and nearly fall.

"Humph! A mere human of trash level, dares to stir trouble in this emperor's cave, tired of living, isn't it?"

A giant Ice Cold Beast several meters tall appeared in Juxi's sight deep inside the cave.

"Attack!"

Preemptive strike, to subdue the wild beast!

Juxi did a backflip to release the pressure on himself, relying on Chi to walk on the wall to get closer to the Ice Cold Beast for a fierce attack.

"Overconfident, but you're the naive one!"

The Ice Cold Beast took a deep breath, absorbing all the Chi in the surrounding space.

Bang! Without Chi supply, Juxi's body was slammed back to the ground, wiping off the ashes on his face, muttering.

"Damn, this beast is not to be underestimated! Looks like I'll have to resort to my ultimate move to taste blood on you."

Juxi straightened up, muttering under his breath, his right hand graceful and enchanting like a seasoned calligrapher creating a masterpiece.

"Human, if this is your true killer move, this emperor will surely be disappointed!"

The fierce-looking Ice Cold Beast didn't launch the stormy attack Juxi predicted, but instead used Chi to crush him.

"Not bad, beast! No brains, but full of confidence."

A few sparks emerged weakly from under Juxi's feet, moving back and forth on the ground like a painting. The Ice Cold Beast's level was far beyond the boundaries, rendering such an attack ineffective against it. The formation took shape, becoming so dazzling that even the Ice Cold Beast King was shocked, though it didn't intimidate it.

"Fair enough," sighed the Ice Tyrant Beast, effortlessly dispersing the conspicuously prominent array on the ground with a mere breath.

"It's a pity that the timing was so off, and the cohesion so unstable. Still, managing to set up an array that can seriously harm a quasi-silver level opponent is no mean feat."

"Indeed," Juxi replied with a self-deprecating smile. "If only I could reach the level of a silver to easily slay a beast like you..."

"Haha, perhaps!" the Ice Tyrant Beast chuckled in response to Juxi's words, then growled menacingly.

"Unfortunately, you won't get the chance!"

Finally succumbing to the urge to eliminate Juxi, the Ice Tyrant Beast, weary of the game, now had the upper hand to ensure Juxi had no means of escape.

"Simple-minded with strong limbs... really living up to your reputation," Juxi remarked casually, showing no intention of fleeing but instead standing motionless in place.

"...beast!"