Chapter 559: Old Friends Meet Again

The female envoy couldn't help but smile, casting a meaningful glance at the guard captain. "So, you had everything planned out from the start. This is the first time I've found you so dangerous."

The guard captain shrugged indifferently. "Even a cornered rabbit will bite back! Everyone has fangs; it's just that they should be bared at rivals, not allies."

The female envoy no longer hesitated, her gaze fixed on the center of the lake. "Pleasure working with you."

Meanwhile, Xu Yang's team had ventured deep into the second level of the underground space beneath the lake's center. It appeared to be a vast, frost-covered battlefield, strewn with the corpses of ancient behemoths. Yet, there was no scent of decay in the air; instead, it was permeated by a pure aura of ice.

"Boss, this place is truly freezing, like an ice cellar. What's more, I've noticed my flames feel completely out of place here. It's not a cold of temperature, but a cold of profound stillness, originating from the very depths of my soul!"

Long Kun's statement, in fact, echoed Xu Yang's own feelings; he felt the same way. As for Ling Yao and Shi Lingyun, who were nearby, they had already begun releasing their internal energies to ward off the encroaching cold.

"Your feeling isn't wrong. The ice attribute here is no longer merely an elemental property; it's a power of stillness and annihilation. Not only fire elements, but all other elemental powers will be infinitely suppressed in this space. This, in fact, is the biggest difference between the ice attribute and the water attribute! Water's limit is the ocean, boundless, while ice's limit is annihilation!"

Xu Yang's words broke through a blind spot in Long Kun and the others' understanding, though they didn't realize it was merely a personal insight of Xu Yang's.

The group of four continued onward. This part of the area was initially desolate, surrounded by a boundless wasteland of solid ice. After three days and three nights of travel, Xu Yang and his team finally reached a plain, where they encountered a different scene.

"Aha, Boss, perseverance truly pays off! It seems this place isn't entirely deserted after all. If I'm not mistaken, that area ahead consists of buildings sculpted from ice. A race must inhabit this place."

Xu Yang didn't immediately draw any conclusions. Instead, he led everyone forward with a solemn expression.

The moment they rose into the air, a dense aura of stillness emanated from the countless ice-sculpted city below. Xu Yang quickly deduced it was a barrier formed by powerful spiritual energy. The creator of these ice sculptures had to be the same individual, as the vibrational frequency emitted by the spiritual energy was identical across every sculpture.

"Be careful, everyone. The environment here is completely different from anything we've encountered before. If I'm not mistaken, this entire level is guarded by an extremely powerful ice-attribute master."

After Xu Yang's assessment, even Long Kun's expression turned serious. They knew very well that their boss wouldn't appear so solemn if it were merely an ordinary opponent.

"You truly are audacious, daring to enter even my Frost Forest!"

It was unmistakably a woman's voice, ethereal and clear, emanating an aura of inherent authority. Before Xu Yang and the others even saw the speaker, they instinctively paused, slowly hovering above the ice-sculpted city.

"Stay on guard!"

Xu Yang uttered only these four words. Before them, an incredibly pure energy barrier had already expanded, completely enveloping the four of them, ready to anticipate any sudden changes.

Soon, an ice-blue cloud swiftly approached from above. In the center of the cloud, a woman draped in a long, ice-blue gown gradually came into view of Xu Yang and his team.

"Woah, Boss, this girl is something else!"

Long Kun instinctively gaped. He had to admit she was the most ethereal girl he had ever seen. While her beauty might not surpass that of top goddesses like Shi Lingyun, who were by Xu Yang's side, the pure, ethereal aura she exuded was incomparable to any other girl. It was as if her entire being was sculpted from a flawless block of solid ice, without a single blemish.

As the girl drew closer, Long Kun and the others instinctively grew restless. However, Xu Yang himself hadn't expected that among the four, his own reaction would be the strongest.

"Holy cow, why does this aura feel so familiar!"

The Sea Demon Lord's voice instinctively echoed in Xu Yang's mind.

"Don't tell me you know this girl."

Xu Yang chuckled in response, but the Sea Demon Lord's reply utterly astonished him.

"Know her? Much more than that. Release the Sea God's soul form, and you'll understand who this girl is."

The rogue was clearly playing coy, sporting a look of eager anticipation. After a moment of thought, Xu Yang did as he suggested. Soon, the Sea God's soul form materialized behind Xu Yang.

As expected, when the Sea God's soul form met the gaze of the ice-blue girl standing atop the cloud, the scene seemed to undergo a startling transformation.

"Master, it's been a long time."

"Master!!"

Xu Yang remained relatively calm, but the two goddesses beside him, Shi Lingyun and Ling Yao, were utterly dumbfounded, staring at each other speechless for a long moment.

"Who would've thought this old fellow had a disciple, and such a beautiful female one at that!"

Long Kun couldn't help but grumble under his breath.

"It's been hundreds of thousands of years. I never thought we would reunite. When you left the Glacier Kingdom so recklessly for the sake of the Codex, my heart left with you. Now, I just want to ask, do you regret that decision?"

The Sea God's expression was serene. "Given your understanding of me, you must know I've never regretted a decision I've made."

The girl suddenly changed the subject, her gaze falling upon Xu Yang.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the successor you found, isn't he?"

"Indeed. While he may not possess your talent from back then, this young man has unparalleled qualities. At least for me, there's no more suitable successor. Not only did I pass on the Sea God's Domain to him, but I also entrusted him with the Codex."

Upon hearing this, the girl seemed as if a raw nerve had been struck, and she instantly erupted!

Above the cloud, an incredibly frigid ice aura suddenly burst forth. Two exceptionally sharp icicles, like massive serpents, flew from the sky towards Xu Yang's position.

"Damn it, she's clearly throwing a tantrum!"

Xu Yang instinctively raised a hand, neutralizing the icy force before him. However, he hadn't expected that the moment these two serpent-like icicles melted, they would deliver a significant shock to his soul world!