The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 433: Desperate Icefield - Breaking the Ice to Find the Trace

In the far north, the wind was howling, and the heavy snow was flying like a sharp blade. It seemed that there was only a vast expanse of white between heaven and earth, making it difficult to tell the direction. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen wrapped their cloaks tightly to keep warm and walked forward on the ice field with difficulty. Every step they took was deeply sunk into the knee-deep snow, leaving a series of deep footprints, which were quickly buried by the wind and snow.

This piece of polar ice field was bone-chillingly cold, as if it was the end of the world. The surrounding icebergs stood tall, and the huge ice ridges were as ferocious as fangs. From time to time, they made a heart-pounding sound of breaking in the strong wind, echoing on the empty ice field. Yun Yao's face had long been frozen red, and her breath instantly condensed into frost on her eyelashes. Her hands and feet gradually became numb, and every movement seemed to exhaust all her strength. But the light in her eyes never went out, and she followed Chu Mochen's footsteps closely, secretly thanking the system for giving her a tough physique that allowed her to barely hold on.

Chu Mochen walked in front, standing tall like a pine tree, shielding Yun Yao from some of the wind and snow. He turned his head from time to time, looking at Yun Yao with concern. When their eyes met, there was no need for words, only warmth and tacit understanding. Although he looked normal on the surface, he was actually worried in his heart. The environment of this ice field was too harsh. They had been searching for several days, but there was still no trace of the artifact, and Yun Yao's body was getting more and more exhausted.

"Yao'er, hold on a little longer, let's find a sheltered place to rest for a while." Chu Mochen shouted loudly, his voice a little torn by the strong wind.

Yun Yao nodded slightly, opened her mouth, but found her throat was dry and could only make a faint "hmm" sound.

The two finally found a depression under the ice wall, which could barely block some of the wind and snow. Chu Mochen quickly took out some dry firewood from his storage bag and tried to make a fire to keep warm. However, the air on the ice field was damp and cold, and the fire was blown out by the cold wind as soon as it was lit. After several attempts, it still failed. Seeing this, Yun Yao mobilized her spiritual power, condensed a warm flame in her palm, and carefully approached the firewood pile to provide it with continuous heat. Under the reflection of the flames, the faces of the two finally had some color.

"Chen, this ice field is so vast, where could the artifact be hidden? If we keep searching blindly like this, when will it end..." Yun Yao sighed lightly, with a hint of fatigue and confusion in her words.

Chu Mochen sat down next to Yun Yao, held her cold hands tightly in his palms, used his body temperature to warm her, and comforted her: "Yao'er, don't be discouraged. Although the records in the ancient books are vague, since it indicates that the artifact is here, there must be clues to follow. Perhaps, we just haven't found the key yet."

After a short rest, the two continued on their way. As they walked, Yun Yao suddenly stopped and looked at a towering iceberg in the distance with a serious look. This iceberg was different from the surrounding ones. There seemed to be a layer of halo around the mountain, which looked particularly mysterious in this icy and snowy land.

"Chen, look at that mountain, is there anything strange about it?" Yun Yao pointed at the iceberg, with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Chu Mochen looked in the direction she pointed, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded, "Let's go and take a look."

The closer they got to the iceberg, the colder the air became, and even the movement of their spiritual power became slower. The two supported each other and climbed up step by step. The mountain road was rugged and steep, and the ice was as smooth as a mirror. If they were not careful, they would slide into the abyss. Yun Yao slipped and her body fell forward. Chu Mochen was quick to grab her and hold her tightly in his arms.

"Be careful!" Chu Mochen's low voice sounded in Yun Yao's ears, full of concern.

Yun Yao leaned in Chu Mochen's arms with lingering fear. After a moment, she raised her head and said firmly: "I'm fine, let's continue."

After a difficult climb, they finally reached the top of the mountain. On the top of the mountain was a strange ice lake. The lake surface was as smooth as a mirror, but it exuded a biting cold. In the center of the lake stood a huge ice sculpture, which looked like a majestic giant with his hands raised high, as if guarding something.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen looked at each other and slowly walked towards the ice sculpture. When approaching the ice sculpture, Yun Yao sensed a familiar breath, and her heart moved. Could it be that the artifact is here? She walked around the ice sculpture and looked carefully. Suddenly, she found that the base of the ice sculpture was engraved with ancient runes. The runes flashed with a faint blue light and merged with the surrounding ice layer. If you don't observe carefully, it is difficult to detect.

"Chen, these runes... I seem to have seen some similar ones in ancient books. They seem to be a kind of sealing formation." Yun Yao squatted down, gently touched the runes with his fingers, frowned, and tried hard to recall the records in the ancient books.

Chu Mochen also leaned over to check. After a moment, he said in a deep voice, "It seems that something is sealed underneath. It is very likely related to the artifact. But it may not be easy to unlock the seal. If you are not careful, it may cause danger."

Yun Yao stood up and looked at Chu Mochen firmly: "No matter how dangerous it is, we must give it a try. This may be our only chance to find the artifact."

After discussing for a while, the two decided to work together to break the seal. They stood on both sides of the ice sculpture, mobilized the spiritual power in their bodies, and slowly injected it into the rune. As the spiritual power was injected, the blue light of the rune became more and more dazzling, and the ice sculpture began to tremble slightly, making muffled sounds. However, the power of the seal was extremely strong, and the spiritual power of the two was consumed quickly. After a while, Yun Yao felt a little powerless, with beads of sweat on her forehead and her body shaky.

"Yao'er, hold on!" Chu Mochen noticed Yun Yao's abnormality and shouted loudly. He increased his spiritual power output to try to share Yun Yao's pressure.

Just when the two were almost exhausted of their spiritual power, the seal suddenly emitted a strong light, followed by a loud bang, and the ice sculpture shattered, turning into countless ice chips that splashed. A strong cold air rushed over, mixed with a mysterious power. After the ice chips dissipated, a divine sword emitting a blue light slowly emerged in the air. The sword body was crystal clear, as if it was carved from ten thousand years of black ice. The hilt was engraved with ancient patterns, revealing a vicissitudes and mysterious atmosphere.

"This is the divine weapon!" Yun Yao's eyes were full of surprise, and she stretched out her hand to grasp the divine sword. However, the moment her fingertips touched the divine sword, a bone-chilling force flowed into her body along her arm. She couldn't help but scream, and her body was instantly covered with a layer of frost.

Seeing this, Chu Mochen hurried forward, hugged Yun Yao, and continuously injected his spiritual power into her body, trying to dispel the frost power. With the help of Chu Mochen, the frost power in Yun Yao's body was gradually suppressed. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled weakly: "I'm fine, it's just that the power of this artifact is too strong, and I was careless for a moment."

Chu Mochen looked at her distressedly and gently scratched her nose: "You are always so impatient. This artifact has just been unsealed and its power has not yet been tamed. It is naturally dangerous."

After a short rest, Yun Yao stood up again. This time, she carefully stretched out her hands, wrapped her hands with spiritual power, and slowly grasped the magic sword. A vast force instantly poured into her sea of consciousness and blended with her spiritual power. Yun Yao closed her eyes tightly, feeling the power of the artifact with her heart, trying to establish a connection with it. After a moment, she opened her eyes, her eyes gleaming brightly, and turned to look at Chu Mochen: "I can feel that this artifact is connected to my mind. With it, we will have more hope of finding other artifacts."

Chu Mochen smiled and nodded: "That's great, Yao'er. However, this ice field is full of dangers. Let's leave here first and make plans later."

The two of them carried the artifact and slowly walked down the mountain. However, before they reached the foot of the mountain, something unexpected happened. The originally peaceful ice field suddenly trembled violently, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, lightning and thunder. Huge ice cracks quickly spread under their feet, as if they were about to tear the entire ice field apart.

"Oh no, it's an ice field riot! It must be that we unsealed the artifact and broke the balance here." Chu Mochen's face changed, he hugged Yun Yao tightly, flew on his sword, trying to find a safe place to land.

However, the violent snowstorm and chaotic spiritual power fluctuations made their flight extremely difficult. Chu Mochen's spiritual power was consumed greatly and his speed was getting slower and slower. Just when they were exhausted, a huge icicle suddenly broke out from below and rushed straight into the sky, about to hit them head-on.

Seeing this, Yun Yao hugged the artifact tightly, mobilized the spiritual power in her body to merge with the power of the artifact, and shouted: "Break!" A blue light shot out from her hand, instantly shattering the ice pillar. However, this action also exhausted her last spiritual power, and the bodies of the two fell towards the ice crack below like a kite with a broken string.

At this critical moment, Chu Mochen hugged Yun Yao tightly and protected her in his arms. At the same time, he used the remaining spiritual power in his body to try to slow down the speed of falling before landing. With a "bang", the two fell heavily at the bottom of the ice crack, splashing a snowflake. Chu Mochen felt a sharp pain all over his body, and a mouthful of blood rushed to his throat. He swallowed it and looked down at Yun Yao in his arms. Yun Yao's face was as pale as paper, unconscious, and her breath was weak.

"Yao'er, wake up!" Chu Mochen was extremely anxious, and gently shook Yun Yao's body, his voice trembling. He quickly took out the healing pill from the storage bag and fed it to Yun Yao's mouth. At the same time, he put his hands on her back to transfer spiritual power to her and help her heal.

After a long time, Yun Yao slowly woke up, opened her eyes, and saw Chu Mochen's face full of worry. Her heart warmed, and she said weakly: "Chen, I'm fine, don't worry."

Chu Mochen hugged her tightly in his arms, his voice choking with sobs: "It's all my fault. I failed to protect you."

Yun Yao leaned in his arms and comforted him softly, "This is not your fault. We underestimated the danger of the ice field. Now, we have to find a way to get out."

The two looked around and found that the bottom of the ice crack was like a huge ice cave, with smooth walls like mirrors and towering to the top. The cold air rushed in from all directions, making people shiver. The only exit was the narrow gap above their heads, but in their current state, it was not easy to fly up.

"Chen, it's too cold here, and our spiritual power recovers slowly. We must find a place to warm up and recover some strength." Yun Yao said, observing the surrounding environment.

Chu Mochen nodded, supported Yun Yao, and walked slowly along the bottom of the ice cave. After walking for a while, they found a cave, and there seemed to be hot air coming out of the cave. The two of them were delighted and quickened their pace to walk into the cave. There was a faint smell of sulfur in the cave, and there was a natural hot spring on the ground, the hot spring water was steaming and bubbling.

"It's really a blessing in disguise that there is a hot spring here." Yun Yao said happily.

The two came to the hot spring and tested the water temperature first. After confirming that it was safe, they slowly stepped into the water. The warm spring water instantly enveloped their bodies, dispelling the chill and relaxing their tense nerves. Under the nourishment of the hot spring, the two's spiritual power began to slowly recover, and the pain in their bodies was also alleviated a lot.

"Yao'er, let's take this opportunity to recover. After our spiritual power is restored, we will find a way to go out and look for other artifacts." Chu Mochen looked at Yun Yao, his eyes full of determination.

Yun Yao nodded, leaned in Chu Mochen's arms, and said softly: "Okay, as long as we are together, no difficulties can stump us."

The two of them soaked quietly in the hot spring, enjoying the tranquility and warmth of the moment. However, they both knew that the crisis on the ice field was far from over and greater challenges were waiting for them. But at this moment, with each other's company, their hearts were full of courage and strength, and they were not afraid of the difficulties in the future.

As her spiritual power gradually recovered, Yun Yao began to think about ways to get out. She looked up at the stalactites on the top of the cave. Some stalactites were hanging down. She said to Chu Mochen, "Chen, look at those stalactites. Can we use them to build a passage and climb up?"

Chu Mochen followed her gaze, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "You can give it a try, but it will take a lot of time and energy."

They got up from the hot spring, put on their clothes, and began to collect the scattered stones and vines in the cave. They stacked the stones and tied them with vines to make a simple climbing tool. Then, Chu Mochen used his spiritual power to break the stalactites one by one and fixed them on the wall of the ice cave at a certain distance to form a temporary "staircase".

Yun Yao assisted him, handing him tools from time to time and using her spiritual power to reinforce the loose parts. The two worked together and worked for a long time before finally building a passage leading to the cave entrance. Although it looked a bit crude, it was their only hope at the moment.

"Yao'er, I'll go up and explore the way first. You follow me and be careful." Chu Mochen looked at Yun Yao and reminded her.

Yun Yao nodded: "Okay, you have to be careful too."

Chu Mochen took a deep breath, grabbed the homemade climbing tools, and began to slowly climb up the "ladder". He took every step carefully, fearing that he would fall down if he was not careful. Yun Yao followed closely behind him, staring at Chu Mochen's back, praying silently in her heart.

Just as they were about to approach the cave entrance, suddenly, a huge icefield snow beast poked its head in from outside the cave. This snow beast was huge, covered with snow-white fur, with exposed fangs and a fierce light flashing in its eyes. It was obviously attracted by the movement in the cave. When it saw Yun Yao and Chu Mochen, it roared, opened its bloody mouth, and pounced on them.

Chu Mochen reacted quickly, immediately drawing his sword from his waist and facing the snow beast. He displayed his sharp sword skills, and his sword moves were as fast as lightning, and he fought fiercely with the snow beast. Yun Yao was not to be outdone, and mobilized the spiritual power and the power of the artifact in her body to assist. However, the snow beast had thick skin and amazing strength, and the two of them could only fight it to a draw.

"Yao'er, we have to fight quickly and not let it destroy the passage!" Chu Mochen shouted.

Yun Yao nodded, her eyes fixed, and the divine weapon in her hand shone brightly. She raised the divine sword high, gathered all her spiritual power, and shouted: "Break the ice field!" A powerful ice-blue sword energy whistled out and pierced the snow beast's vitals. The snow beast was unable to dodge and was hit by the sword energy. It let out a scream and fell backwards, hitting the wall of the ice cave, creating a big hole.

Taking this opportunity, Chu Mochen and Yun Yao sped up and quickly climbed out of the cave. As soon as they came out, they were swept by the strong wind on the ice field. The two did not dare to stay, holding the artifact tightly, facing the wind and snow, and ran towards the edge of the ice field. They knew that only by leaving this dangerous ice field could they be truly safe.

After going through countless hardships and dangers, the two finally saw the edge of the ice field. In the distance, there was a rolling mountain range. Behind the mountains, perhaps, was their journey to find the next artifact. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen supported each other, took firm steps, and walked towards the unknown future. They believed that as long as they worked together, nothing could stop them. One day, they would gather the three artifacts and save the sect from danger.