บท 440: Chapter 440: Wind and Snow Ceremony

The shop attendant smiled brightly as he explained, "and our small shop is responsible for removing the ineffective routes and adding new, viable routes to sell, making us an honest and trustworthy shop."

Xiao Ming nodded in acknowledgment but quickly shifted the conversation, inquiring further, "You must have grown up in Ice Crystal City, right?"

"Haha, you have a keen eye, sir!" The shop attendant replied with a flattering smile.

"In truth, this is my first time in Ice Crystal City. Could you please introduce me to the powerful races in the Fallen Spirit Ice Source and any precautions I should take?" Xiao Ming took out a bag of gold coins from his storage ring and handed it to the shop attendant, smiling.

Feeling the weight of the bag of gold coins in his arms, the shop attendant felt overjoyed. He had put in so much effort just for this.

"Of course, of course! Please come inside, and I'll explain everything in detail," the shop attendant eagerly said.

Once inside, the shop attendant eagerly began sharing his knowledge.

"In the Fallen Spirit Ice Source, apart from our Ice Crystal City, there are five other powerful forces: the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple, the Ice Dragon Scorpion Tribe, the Ice Snow Tyrant Bear Tribe, the Fire Toad Palace, and the Glass Serpent Clan."

"The Wind and Snow Sacred Temple is located in the north of the Fallen Spirit Ice Source, right in the heart of the Wind and Snow Plains. It's not composed of a single race but represents a coalition of all the races in the Wind and Snow Plains. Therefore, it is the most powerful force among all."

"The Ice Snow Tyrant Bear Tribe resides near our eastern region and possesses exceptional individual combat strength. They have a strong sense of territory. It's said that a Dou Venerate powerhouse once witnessed two Half-Saint Ice Snow Tyrant Bears fighting each other, though I'm not entirely sure if it's true."

"However, what's certain is that there are internal conflicts within the Ice Snow Tyrant Bear Tribe, which doesn't have much impact on our Ice Crystal City."

"The Fire Toad Palace resides beneath the Fallen Spirit Abyss, where lava and poisonous fire are prevalent."

"The Ice Dragon Scorpion Tribe lives on the periphery of the Fallen Spirit Abyss and is a mortal enemy of the Fire Toad Palace."

"The Glass Serpent Clan resides in the Ice Pole Sea."

"They spend most of their time in hibernation, accumulating ice attribute power within their bodies. Unless there's a significant event, they rarely appear in the extreme north."

"My grandfather said that these forces all have Dou Saint-level powerhouses, but I can't be sure since my grandfather is only a Dou King-level expert. These might be just hearsay."

'This is not mere hearsay. Some of these races are indeed rumored to have Dou Saint-level powerhouses,' Xiao Ming thought. He had done his research before arriving here, and he didn't wander aimlessly without any prior knowledge.

From the limited information Xiao Ming obtained from the Pill Tower, he could see that the Fallen Spirit Ice Source, despite being a bitterly cold land, gave birth to extremely formidable magical beasts.

Having the shop attendant repeat the information was merely to verify its accuracy.

Moreover, when the twin Ancestors of Sound Valley came to the Fallen Spirit Ice Source in search of the Endless Spirit Ice, they were injured by a high-level Half-Saint Ice Dragon Scorpion. So, was it really rare to have a Dou Saint-level expert here? Not rare at all.

As the shop attendant spoke, his throat grew dry, and he hurriedly poured himself a glass of water.

"If we talk about things people avoid on the Fallen Spirit Ice Source, apart from the central dead zone, it would be anything related to those powerful forces."

"The most prominent event would be the upcoming 'Wind and Snow Ceremony.'"

'Wind and Snow Ceremony?' Xiao Ming showed some interest.

"Please elaborate."

"Hehe, the 'Wind and Snow Ceremony' is organized by the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple and is exclusively for its members. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but it seems to be held for a certain item," the shop attendant sheepishly scratched his head.

He had taken Xiao Ming's money, but he still couldn't provide all the answers, leaving him feeling a bit embarrassed.

Xiao Ming wasn't too disappointed by the lack of detailed information.

After all, the shop attendant was merely a Dou Spirit, and expecting him to know all the internal affairs of the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple, supposedly the number one force in the Fallen Spirit Ice Source, would be unrealistic.

'If it's held for some kind of item, could it be a heavenly treasure?' Xiao Ming speculated based on his past experiences.

It was quite possible, but he didn't want to get sidetracked investigating the internal events of the Wind and Snow Sacred Temple. His main objective was to find the Endless Spirit Ice, so it was best not to get entangled in unnecessary matters.

"In addition to these powerful races, the Fallen Spirit Ice Source is also home to many magical beasts that can put people in deadly situations…"

"..."

After conversing with the shop attendant for a while, Xiao Ming stood up and headed directly outside. He had no intention of staying in Ice Crystal City for long. So, he soared into the sky and flew westward.

Ice Crystal City was located in the eastern part of the Fallen Spirit Ice Source, but based on the vague information given to Xiao Ming by the Yi Sisters, the general location of the Endless Spirit Ice was at the border between the Fallen Spirit Abyss and the Wind and Snow Plains.

Therefore, Xiao Ming had quite a journey ahead.

He had three route options:

Passing through the central dead zone.

Crossing the Wind and Snow Plains.

Taking a detour from the southern Ice Pole Sea.

Among the three options, the distance increased from top to bottom, while the level of safety was reversed.

Xiao Ming wasn't keen on traversing the dead zone to test if it was truly uninhabited, even though he knew that Yao Lao had found the Bone Chilling Flame from within it.

He also didn't want to take the longer route from the Ice Pole Sea; it would be too much of a detour.

Therefore, Xiao Ming chose to go through the Wind and Snow Plains.

...

Half an hour after Xiao Ming had left the city, a black fog suddenly appeared in the sky above Ice Crystal City. From within the void, a sinister-looking, emaciated old man emerged, his sunken eye sockets glowing with two eerie ghost fires.

This appearance needed no introduction; it was clear that this person belonged to the Hun Clan. Only members of the Hun Clan would dress in such a ghastly manner.

Hun Shang coldly gazed down below as his powerful soul power swept through Ice Crystal City, a place not much smaller than Holy Pill City. Instantly, all the city's secrets were exposed before his eyes.

Whether it was the enticing sounds from the places of pleasure or the disciples training in the underground barriers of the most powerful force in Ice Crystal City, the Ice Crystal Mansion, everything was vividly reflected in his mind.

"That Xiao Clan remnant is not here? I'm once again a step too late." His hoarse voice sounded, and Hun Shang's gaze turned icy.

"The Fallen Spirit Ice Source is vast. Searching for one person here, even the old me would find it challenging to do anything if the other party intends to hide. I need to know his purpose before proceeding."

"It appears that I can only resort to slaughtering the city and conducting a wide soul search."

At this moment, Hun Shang's flamboyant actions attracted the attention of the ruling power in Ice Crystal City, the Ice Crystal Mansion.

Feeling the immense and overwhelming aura of Hun Shang, a white-robed old man with a python pattern on his clothes flew up into the sky, trembling with fear, and respectfully bowed.

"Junior Bing Lingzi greets the Senior, may I inquire what brings Senior here? Is there anything I can assist you with?"