Chapter 46 The Far North
After five days of searching, most areas of the Frozen Forest had been scouted.
As for a pure-blooded sub-Dragon species Ice Dragon — not a single one.
However, beneath an ice cliff deep in the forest, Jiang Bai discovered a Frost Earth Dragon with a cultivation age of over eight thousand years.
It was a powerful Spirit Beast with a dragon’s head and a lizard’s body, capable of burrowing through the earth. Its Bloodline purity was higher than any he had encountered before, nearly approaching that of a pure-blood.
But an Earth Dragon, after all, was not a flying dragon; it was not the Ice Dragon of his ideals that could soar through the sky and command ice.
He would keep this Frost Earth Dragon as a backup option.
On the evening of the fifth day, Jiang Bai recalled his three Dragon beasts to rest in a sheltered ice cave.
The campfire burned brightly, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the ice cave.
Jiang Bai turned the hunted Snow Soft Bones Rabbit over the fire while organizing the gains from these past few days.
"Master, there are too few high-level Spirit Beasts in this forest," the Fire Dragon said, lying to the side with a hint of frustration. "We’ve scoured almost every corner, and as for pure-bloods — not a single one."
The Earth Dragon remarked, "The Frozen Forest isn’t very large to begin with, and after being hunted by humans for so many years, it’s normal for high-level Spirit Beasts to be scarce."
The Wind Dragon nodded, "Perhaps a true Ice Dragon would prefer the even colder and more expansive environment of the Far North."
Jiang Bai listened in silence, distributing the roasted rabbit meat to the three Dragons before tearing off a piece for himself and chewing slowly.
He actually had a premonition of this.
Although the Frozen Forest was named for "ice," it was ultimately just a transitional zone on the edge of the Far North. A true Ice Dragon would likely prefer to inhabit the ice and snow kingdom further north, a place difficult for humans to reach.
"Tomorrow, we head to the Far North," he said calmly after swallowing the last bite of rabbit meat.
The three Dragons all lifted their heads, their eyes showing a mix of excitement and vigilance.
The Far North was a death zone ten or a hundred times more dangerous than the Frozen Forest.
Going there to search for an Ice Dragon meant a true adventure, and it also meant — a true test of life and death.
The three Dragons exchanged glances and said no more.
They trusted their master’s judgment.
Early on the sixth morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Jiang Bai packed his belongings and mounted the Fire Dragon.
In such an extremely cold environment, the Fire Dragon could provide constant warmth and protection.
"Let’s go."
The Fire Dragon spread its crimson wings and soared into the sky, flying toward the north, toward that true kingdom of ice and snow.
The Frozen Forest receded rapidly beneath them, turning into a silver-white patch of color.
Ahead, at the edge of the horizon, it seemed as though nothing remained in the world but a pure, heart-stopping white.
The cold wind was like a blade, and the ice and snow were like a curtain.
The Far North was right before his eyes.
But the moment he truly stepped into the Far North, Jiang Bai finally understood the meaning of the word "death zone."
This place was completely different from the Frozen Forest.
If the Frozen Forest was a cold frontier, then the Far North was a kingdom ruled by ice and snow.
The air was so cold it felt frozen solid. The mist from his breath would instantly freeze into fine ice shards the moment it left his mouth and nose, clattering onto the ground or turning into sharp ice powder in the gale, slamming into his face.
The sun was merely a blurry, pale spot of light hanging in the low-hanging sky, stingily casting down rays that held almost no warmth.
The snowflakes did not fall gently; instead, they were swept up by the raging wind, attacking endlessly from all directions.
The snow on the ground was knee-deep, and in some low-lying areas, it could even bury a person completely.
The surface of the snow had a hard crust that would make a "crack" sound when stepped on, but beneath it was soft, powdery snow that one would sink into if not careful.
In such an environment, even the Earth Dragon and the Wind Dragon were not suited for prolonged activity outside.
Jiang Bai had no choice but to ride the Fire Dragon alone, struggling to move forward through this white Hell.
The Fire Dragon was not doing well either.
As a fire-attribute Dragon beast, the extreme cold was a natural suppression for it.
The process of searching was even more difficult than imagined.
The vastness of the Far North far exceeded that of the Frozen Forest.
As far as the eye could see, there were only endless snowfields, continuous ice peaks, and bottomless ice crevasses.
Blizzards swept through from time to time, reducing visibility to less than ten meters.
Searching for a specific Spirit Beast in such an environment was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Over these two and a half days, Jiang Bai saw the true inhabitants of the Far North.
A group of snow-white Tai Tan Snow Demons, over five meters tall, migrated across the snowfield, their heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble.
These behemoths possessed terrifying physical strength, capable of smashing solid ice to pieces with a casual strike.
Jiang Bai avoided them from afar, not disturbing them.
There were also several crystal-clear Ice Jade Scorpions, looking as if they were carved from jade, hunting on the ice.
Snow Wolves, Frost Pythons, Frost Mammoths, Frost Griffins, Ice Bears —
But the Ice Dragon remained nowhere to be seen.
On the afternoon of the third day, a sudden blizzard forced Jiang Bai to find shelter.
He rode the Fire Dragon, weaving between ice peaks, and eventually found a naturally formed ice cave beneath a sheltered small ice hill.
The ice cave was not large, but it was enough to accommodate one man and one Dragon.
Jiang Bai managed to light a small campfire that could burn.
The orange-red flames flickered, finally bringing a trace of long-lost warmth.
The Fire Dragon collapsed beside the fire, the whole Dragon looking somewhat "depressed."
Its crimson scales had lost their usual luster, its eyelids were drooping, and its breathing was much heavier than usual.
As a fire-attribute Spirit Beast, staying in this environment for a long time was a form of torture for it.
Jiang Bai stroked its head, and the Fire Dragon let out a low whimper.
"Hold on a little longer," Jiang Bai said softly. "Once we find the Ice Dragon, we’ll leave this place."
He was actually a bit puzzled; was his luck really this bad these past few days?
By common logic, as a top predator of the Far North, the Ice Dragon’s activity range should be quite large.
Moreover, Dragon-type Spirit Beasts usually had a strong sense of territory and would leave behind obvious scent markings.
Yet for these three days, he hadn’t sensed even a trace of a pure-blooded Dragon Clan.
Could it be that all the Ice Dragons lived in the deeper core zone?
But the core zone was the territory of the three Great Kings of the Far North; rushing in blindly would be too risky —
After resting for an hour, the blizzard outside gradually subsided.
Jiang Bai extinguished the campfire and mounted the Fire Dragon’s back again.
"Let’s go, we’ll check the east. We haven’t searched that area carefully yet."
The Fire Dragon perked up, spread its wings, and rushed out of the ice cave.
The terrain to the east was even more complex.
Continuous ice peaks were like the spines of giant beasts, winding and undulating.
Ice crevasses crisscrossed, bottomless and deep, with heart-stopping, wailing winds occasionally echoing from the valley floor, sounding as if the earth were groaning.
Light ice mist floated in the air, and visibility remained low.
Two and a half hours of flight searching, and still nothing to show for it.
Jiang Bai’s heart gradually sank.
Did he really have to risk entering the core zone?
Just when he was about to give up and prepare to turn to another area.
A wave, extremely faint yet incredibly clear, pierced through the biting cold wind and the blizzard-filled sky, entering his perception.
That was — Dragon Might!
Pure, biting, the pressure belonging to an ice-attribute Dragon Clan!
Jiang Bai’s spirits lifted: "Boss, did you sense that?"
The Fire Dragon also raised its head, a flash of vigilance appearing in its crimson-gold dragon eyes: "It’s the aura of a Dragon-type Spirit Beast — and it’s a very strong ice attribute!"
"Follow the aura!"
The Fire Dragon turned in the direction and flew rapidly toward the location where the aura came from.
The further they flew forward, the more obvious that Dragon Might became.
Rounding a steep, knife-like ice peak, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
It was an ice lake hidden deep in the folds of the ice peaks.