Chapter 287 – Frost Lord, Snow Country Fortress

Beneath the reception building, a transport vehicle resembling a giant coffin had its top split open like doors on both sides, releasing a vast and terrifying aura.

A chilling cold surged from within. In the blink of an eye, frost began to form on nearby vehicles and buildings.

A few unintelligent rock beasts used as tool animals nearby nearly fainted on the spot, their legs giving way.

And this was merely the residual influence of a corpse that had been dead for many years—and an incomplete one at that.

Dolai wiped the corner of its mouth. Though it was tempted, it suppressed its inner glutton, only shifting its gaze between the Epic Ingredients and its own lord.

Mu Yuan looked over.

The space solidified by the special transport vehicle was about the size of a basketball court, yet it barely accommodated the remains inside.

To be precise, it accommodated the remains, which had been severed into several segments.

One could vaguely make out a massive four-legged beast. The giant beast seemed to be composed of ice crystals, but its enormous head was missing.

“Is this the epic lifeform ‘Frigid Crystal Beast’?”

Moreover, it wasn’t a juvenile or growing epic lifeform but a powerful epic that had reached its complete form.

In simple terms, this was the corpse of a legendary monster.

Though both were epic lifeforms of the same rank, the nutritional value of Epic Ingredients from a Legendary Realm far surpassed that of non-legendary ingredients.

This was a grand ingredient, a great tonic!

According to Town Chief Cui’s account, this ingredient… no, this legendary monster’s corpse was obtained over half a year ago. At that time, powerful members of the Pioneer Group were stationed in Stone Ridge Town, using it as a temporary command center and supply transit point to sweep and clear out powerful monsters threatening the Taixuan Alliance from the Deep Wilderness.

The Legendary Realm epic lifeform ‘Frigid Crystal Beast’ was one of them.

The Pioneer Group expended considerable effort and sacrificed some elites to hunt down and slay this terrifying monster.

Similar experiences had occurred several times throughout Town Chief Cui’s career as a lord.

As the administrator of an official key town, he frequently had to host powerful figures passing through and had assisted the strong members of the Pioneer Group multiple times in hunting and clearing out formidable monsters, gaining many benefits in the process.

This was one of the implicit advantages available to administrators of official key towns.

Cui Long had personally seen the corpses of legendary monsters, even exceeding double digits.

“At the time, the Pioneer Group lord took the Frigid Crystal Beast’s head and claws. The remaining body, however, was difficult for us to utilize. If Lord Mu can make use of these materials and transform them into tangible power, it would be a great boon and joy for our Taixuan Alliance.

“Lord Mu, please do not refuse.”

Town Chief Cui said.

Indeed.

Even among legendary monsters, the value of their corpses varies.

Epic lifeforms like Dragons are treasures from head to tail. Even a subpar Dragon that hasn’t entered the Legendary Realm can yield many high-value materials when skinned and dismembered—though the value of corpses like Bone Dragons or Frost Dragons is considerably lower.

For instance, a few days ago, after the Moon Sword Immortal slew the Verdant Wood Dragon with his Sword, he cleaned the Battlefield so thoroughly that barely a drop of Dragon blood remained.Mu Yuan had originally intended to take Dolai along to scavenge some remains, but ended up finding nothing at all.

Compared to a dragon, the remains of the Extreme Cold Crystal Beast were far less valuable. However, as an Epic-tier creature, its worth, no matter how low, still far surpassed that of some green-skinned creatures.

This was a precious gift.

Aside from the remains of the Extreme Cold Crystal Beast, another rune transport vehicle was loaded with over a dozen monster ingredients of Excellent grade.

Although there were none like the Earth Rock Dragon, which boasted exceptionally high nutritional value, the selection still included species such as the Rampaging Savage Bull and the Shadow-Chasing Fox—all with considerable nutritional worth.

This, too, was a generous gift.

Mu Yuan pondered, “These materials are indeed highly useful for my Tianyuan Territory. In that case, I’ll accept them.”

He did not refuse.

Beside him, Dolai was practically drooling uncontrollably.

Mu Yuan wasn’t particularly fond of accepting gifts, but there were times when reciprocity was necessary. In both the eradication of the Foul Nest and the defense of Stone Ridge Town, his Tianyuan Territory had played a crucial role in securing victory, so accepting these gifts was not inappropriate.

Of course, whether it was the subjugation of the Foul Nest or the support for Stone Ridge Town, these actions were ultimately for his own benefit as well.

He knew what Town Chief Cui Long wanted—the Town Chief hoped to be able to call upon strong reinforcements in critical moments. Even if Chief Cui didn’t say it outright, Mu Yuan would have done so regardless.

Moreover, in the hands of other lords, these ingredients could only yield moderate value, whereas in his hands—or more precisely, in Dolai’s mouth—they could be transformed into revered power, forever remaining by his side.

If not for Town Chief Cui’s gift, acquiring such a large quantity of high-tier ingredients would have been both difficult and time-consuming. As for Epic-tier ingredients, which surpassed rare goods, there was a high probability they couldn’t be purchased in a short time.

…

Town Chief Cui Long spent half a day as a guest in Stone Ridge Town before leaving with a smile.

To have the legendary Tianyuan Territory located near his own territory—what incredible luck!

With such a future powerhouse nearby, how could Cui Long lack achievements?

He would become the most dazzling rising star among the official lords.

“Once Blue Star’s fusion is complete, I can begin the process of upgrading Stone Ridge Town to Stone Ridge City.”

…

Not long after Town Chief Cui’s departure, Lord Zhou Ye also took his leave.

After all, he was a lord as well, and his territory was still in the midst of rapid development, making it unsuitable for him to stay away for too long. Otherwise, he would definitely have tried to find a way to strengthen his relationship with Lord Mu.

Before coming, he had even considered revisiting the idea of a ‘small regional alliance,’ this time willingly offering the position of alliance leader to Lord Mu.

Unfortunately, after testing the waters with a few remarks, he found that Lord Mu had no interest in forming an alliance, even if he were to lead it.

“After all, he’s someone even Town Chief Cui values highly. His standing is just too elevated.”

“Regardless, having a powerful territory nearby offers far more benefits than drawbacks.”

“The only thing that piques my curiosity is just how strong the generals under Lord Mu’s command are.”

Lord Zhou Ye murmured to himself.

During his tour of the territory today, while passing by a self-constructed training ground, he had witnessed the power displayed by Lieutenant General Robert. It was at least two levels stronger than his own most powerful general.

So, what about General Lu Liu, whom even Lieutenant General Robert held in such high esteem?

He was likely a Third-Order Warlord Tier powerhouse.

“In the future, once we’re more familiar, I must find an opportunity for my own officers to spar with experts like Robert and General Lu. That would surely aid in their growth.”He glanced at the two moderately intelligent generals beside him and thought to himself.

……

Once the visitors had left, Dolai eagerly rubbed its little hands together.

“Wow! These are all such great treasures~!”

It looked at Mu Yuan and said, “Hey, how about we hold a feast tonight?”

Dolai always thought of others and never considered keeping everything for itself.

Of course, the other generals would mainly get to taste the flavors, while Dolai intended to absorb all these ingredients entirely, building a ‘tower to the heavens’ upon its already ‘peak-like’ rank and realm.

The super talent Devour not only helped General Dolai reach Perfection at a faster rate but also continuously raised its upper limit of Perfection.

Like Heaven Rewards Diligence, Devour was theoretically a bug-level talent with no limits.

“Of course, Dolai is already an Epic two-star life form. Devouring Outstanding-grade ingredients would only slightly and unnoticeably increase its upper limit. But devouring Epic ingredients…”

would significantly raise its limits, greatly tap into its potential, and even awaken some relatively Advanced talents and skills.

Such a relatively niche Epic material might only yield 10%–20% of its value in others’ hands, but in Dolai’s mouth, not even 1% of its value would be wasted.

However, before Dolai devoured it…

the corpse of the Extreme Cold Crystal Beast had other uses.

Northwest of Tianyuan Territory, Mu Yuan and Dolai stepped into the area.

As soon as they crossed the boundary of the white ground, it was as if they had entered the kingdom of deep winter. Snowflakes drifted through the sky, the cold was bone-chilling, and the entire world before their eyes had turned snow-white, with only a few exceptions dotted here and there.

A blue shadow drifted leisurely toward them.

“Good day, esteemed Lord~”

An ethereal voice came from a slender, delicate… dragon silhouette.

It was Tiff, the Water Mirror Dragon.

Thinking back, it used to possess the pride characteristic of the dragon race. Now, it could only say… ah, praise the Lord, the Lord is the greatest.

It had personally witnessed Uta, the Dragon Power Warrior next door, go from being beaten up by Sario to beating up Sario.

It was said that Uta was now one of the top-ranked powerhouses in the entire territory.

And all of this was thanks to the Lord’s supreme power.

Of course, no matter how strong Uta was, he was still a crude brute. If it could evolve, it would undoubtedly become more beautiful and elegant.

Mu Yuan stroked the scales of the Water Mirror Dragon.

The scales shimmered under the sunlight, much like the highly motivated blue dragon itself.

The Water Mirror Dragon hadn’t participated in many major battles, but that didn’t mean its contributions were insignificant. There were many roles in Tianyuan Territory where it could shine.

For instance, half a month ago, it had assisted Isloria in developing a large-scale Spell suitable for Tianyuan Territory.

—Thousand-Prism Mirror Reflection.

This Spell replaced the previous defensive large-scale Spell solidification within the Spell Furnace.

Later, based on this method, Isloria developed some city defense components.

The latter were still not fully mature, and Isloria and Tiff were currently researching them.

Most of Tiff’s skills and talents were focused on Spell defense. In certain strategic applications, it was unique.

Too bad it was just a dragon.Yet it wasn’t completely hopeless. Though Lord Mu’s understanding of evolutionary energy remained shallow, he had vaguely discerned that this power would evolve alongside his own advancement and that of his territory.

A considerable time had passed since the last evolution of this energy.

The next evolution was likely not far off.

Further ahead, snow maidens could be seen flitting through the ice and snow, tending to precious materials specifically cultivated in such frigid environments.

In the distance, where the blizzards grew fiercer, snow maidens appeared to be engaged in fervent construction.

They were building… snow-white fortresses.

At the edge of the Icy Spirit Cold Pool region, adjacent to the towering city walls, stood two magnificent white fortresses. Had a Legendary Realm expert been present, they would have detected the surrounding world’s ley lines and elemental particles flowing like water toward these two structures from all directions.

The snow-colored fortresses were gradually being constructed and strengthened.

Because these were not ordinary buildings, nor were they Miracle Buildings, but rather…

Skills!

At this moment, the surging tide of worldly particles ceased. The great gates of both fortresses swung open, and women clad in plain white dresses, surrounded by swirling snowflakes, emerged from within.

Their complexions were pale—not the pallor of illness, but rather the stark whiteness of the deceased.

After all, they were not human.

They were elemental lifeforms, epic-tier elemental beings born from the repeated evolution and metamorphosis of ice spirits!

「Azure Frost / Cold Frost」

「Rank: Frost Lord (Epic 1-Star)」

「Talents: Winter’s Might, Frozen Heart」

「Level: Third-Order Level 1」

「Skills: Ice Shard, Blizzard, Frost Tide Funeral, Snowscape, …, Snow Kingdom Fortress」

「Concept: Nascent」

Both had recently ascended to epic lifeforms and subsequently broke through to the Third-Order Warlord Tier.

Among the commanders, they weren’t exceptionally outstanding, merely moderately remarkable—roughly on par with Bone Two and Bone Three. Of course, these two Frost Lords had relatively little experience, but it wasn’t impossible for them to reach the caliber of Seventeen and Lu Liu in the future.

They were designated as the commanders of the fourth main force, the Snow Legion.

This legion currently remained unusable, as did its two main commanders, Azure Frost and Cold Frost. Only through careful cultivation could they one day become pillars of the Tianyuan Territory.

Azure Frost and Cold Frost weren’t particularly unique, but the epic skills they awakened intrigued Mu Yuan.

「Snow Kingdom Fortress (Epic Skill)」

「Description: Wielding the authority of a Frost Lord, harness the power of ice and snow to construct indestructible eternal fortresses. Snow Kingdom Fortresses can root themselves in the world’s Yuan veins, absorbing worldly ice elemental particles to solidify the structure. They can also convert worldly energy into special attacks to confront powerful enemies. Simultaneously…」

A single Snow Kingdom Fortress functioned like a specialized structure combining defense, offense, and even mobility.

Moreover, it possessed growth potential!

“This is a management-type skill, but it differs from the Undead Holy Mountain…”

The essence of the Skeleton Lord lay in strengthening the Undead Territory before channeling that territorial power back to empower itself or project the entire territory to suppress enemies.

The focus of Snow Kingdom Fortress, however, was external construction.It requires consuming more Materials. Meanwhile, although the fortress can move, it’s best to root and fix it in one location. For the Frost Lord, the Snow Kingdom Fortress is more like an external super equipment.

Within the fortress, the Frost Lord can borrow the power of heaven and earth, making them virtually invincible.

But if they step outside, under the same Rank and conditions, the Frost Lord might not even be a match for a Bone Dragon.

“Lord…”

“…We have constructed the first phase of the Snow Kingdom Fortress up to…”

“It’s almost completed~”

Like a comedy duo, the two took turns speaking, yet seamlessly connected their words to narrate the progress of the project.

(End of Chapter)