The clouds overhead were like water, like the meltwater of spring ice. Gazing up at them, the wind howled as it swept across the horizon.

The scenery of the Northern Kingdom seemed unchanged compared to winter; even as the great ice fields of the Northland were gradually yielding to spring, the surface of the North Sea remained utterly shrouded in white ice.

The thick ice layer upon the sea showed no signs of melting, save for a few large gashes punched through it by powerful ferocious beasts on rare occasions. Otherwise, it remained a vast, unbroken expanse of white.

However, within one specific region of the North Sea, a colossal island had abruptly appeared. Within a hundred-mile radius of this island, all the ice had melted away, exposing the churning seawater beneath.

When the island first manifested, the mighty Spirit Beasts of the North Sea had tried every means to approach it, even engaging in life-or-death battles with the despicable humans who had likely caused its appearance. Yet now, not a single Spirit Beast dared venture near this place.

Although the elemental energy of heaven and earth around the island was growing increasingly dense, even stronger than before, this energy contained a power that instilled a deep-seated terror in all sentient beings.

Under the oppressive weight of this power, any Spirit Beast possessing even a flicker of true intelligence—even those barely a century old—could clearly sense the profound difference of this location.

Every Spirit Beast that drew near was assailed by an immense pressure, a force capable of paralyzing the very spirit. Consequently, they fled outwards with desperate haste, moving farther and farther away. Only the ordinary creatures lacking true sentience continued to wander nearby, utterly unconcerned.

At this moment, a sea monster of considerable size was leisurely swimming through the water here, lazily swinging its tail.

The air here felt wonderfully comfortable to it, and many other sea creatures had gathered, while the Spirit Beasts it usually feared were nowhere in sight. Though it could not comprehend the reason, for the time being, this place felt like the most satisfying paradise imaginable.

Suddenly, its body froze. It raised its rather slender neck—relative to its massive bulk—and stared fixedly at the enormous ice island.

An inexplicable sense of dread slowly surfaced in its mind. For some unknown reason, the strange, alluring feeling it had previously yearned for now felt dreadful and terrifying.

Lowering its head, it emitted a bizarre cry; within that sound, beyond the mere growl of a beast, there was unexpectedly a trace of intelligence.

Then, it abruptly turned and, without a backward glance, departed the place it had previously considered a paradise, fleeing as far away as possible.

This scene had been repeated countless times over the past two months. Initially, such an event occurred only once every five or ten days, but as the density of the heaven-and-earth energy deepened, it began to happen with increasing frequency.

The powerful influx of elemental energy was awakening rudimentary sentience in some beasts that already stood at the apex of the mundane creatures, transforming them into new Spirit Beasts.

Though these newly awakened beings did not understand why something extra had suddenly appeared in their minds, by instinct, they instinctively fled this location. The territories they vacated were quickly occupied by other fierce beasts, until those newcomers were either annihilated by a superior enemy or attained some form of insight themselves, subsequently joining the ranks of the fleeing.

In the sky, a colossal Qilin nodded its massive head with satisfaction. "The denser the concentration of heaven-and-earth energy, the greater the potential for new Spirit Beasts to emerge. After this year concludes, the North Sea will host at least a thousand new-generation Spirit Beasts." It shook its head with self-satisfaction. "If the entire world were suffused with such energy, the count of Spirit Beasts would be truly staggering."

Not far from it, Yuan Lixun glowed with iridescent, multicolored light. She now commanded the Five-Colored Feather Robe with effortless grace, far more skillfully than she had two months prior.

Her gaze shifted back from the ice island, and she spoke softly. "These creatures are the strongest nearby. Driven by primal instinct, they naturally gravitate toward areas of dense elemental power, unable to perceive the inherent danger within that energy. Only upon achieving true sentience will they retreat." She paused briefly. "However, all the most powerful local creatures have converged here over these two months. The rate of such strong arrivals will sharply diminish from now on. A year from now, yielding five hundred newly emerged Spirit Beasts would be considered remarkable."

The Qilin pondered for a long moment. Though it was loath to admit it verbally, deep down it knew this was likely the most accurate projection, and the possibility of a thousand new Spirit Beasts was practically unattainable.

With a long sigh, the Qilin murmured, "If only the elemental energies throughout the world were this abundant."

Yuan Lixun naturally understood the sentiment behind the old Qilin's sigh. This ancient beast had been trapped in the Saint Beast realm for far too long; if the world’s pervasive energy truly matched that of another realm, it would surely have ascended to the Divine Beast rank long ago.

On the distant ice sheet, a flash of brilliant white suddenly appeared. This white silhouette moved at incredible speed; the instant it entered view, it streaked across the sea surface like lightning, letting out a long roar from beneath the ice, its thunderous sound carrying far and scattering the deep-sea creatures below into panicked flight.

The Yuan Lixun and the Old Qilin flashed downward simultaneously, arriving before the White Thunder Horse in moments.

Her gaze swept over the horse's back, finding no sign of the Treasure Pig that usually accompanied it. Yuan Lixun's expression tightened slightly. "Thunder, you didn't bring the Dragon Serpent? And where is the Treasure Pig?"

The White Thunder Horse let out another powerful neigh, yet exhibited no signs of panic.

The Old Qilin reassured her. "Relax, they succeeded in persuading the Dragon Serpent." It slowly lifted its head. "I have met that fellow twice. As long as we show it the chance to advance to Divine Beast status, it will not refuse. As for the Treasure Pig, it is accompanying the Dragon Serpent, guiding the way. Thunder found them too slow, so it rushed ahead."

Yuan Lixun felt a measure of calm hearing the old beast's words, which were tinged with a touch of wistfulness. Yet, she inexplicably understood the mindset of these supreme Saint Beasts, those possessing Divine Beast lineage: they would never forgo even the slightest possibility of ascending to the Divine Path. To be born in this era was, in a sense, their sorrow.

A day later, the Old Qilin suddenly unleashed a heaven-shaking roar, a series of explosive cracks like thunder that actually caused the distant ice sheets to fracture.

Yuan Lixun watched it in confusion, unable to fathom what madness had suddenly seized the old creature.

But in the very next instant, her face changed drastically, for a formidable presence was rapidly approaching from the distance at an unparalleled speed.

This presence, however, did not emanate from the ice surface but surged up from the depths of the sea, possessing a strange, almost amphibious comfort within the gloomy, icy waters of the North Sea.

The White Thunder Horse also neighed loudly, its sound brimming with excitement. Yuan Lixun immediately understood: this was the legendary Lord Dragon Serpent, dwelling in Ghost Cry Ridge.

Moments later, the sea surface churned violently. The surrounding creatures, having sensed the incoming aura, had already fled in terrified disarray, daring not obstruct the terrifying creature's path.

A massive serpentine head abruptly breached the ocean, causing Yuan Lixun—seeing such a gargantuan being for the first time—to gasp in shock.

The Dragon Serpent's enormous eyes swept around, and then it slowly lowered its head. A disproportionately small white shadow leaped down from one of its dragon horns, which resembled a great tree—it was the Little Treasure Pig, accompanying the Dragon Serpent.

The Qilin approached and exchanged roars with the Dragon Serpent for a good while. Though they were not of the same species, it did not impede their communication.

After some time, the Qilin turned back. "We have all arrived on schedule. I trust Hundred-and-Eight will not break his promise."

Yuan Lixun affirmed confidently. "Rest assured, Brother Bai will not disappoint you."

She had previously witnessed the extraordinary capabilities of Hundred-and-Eight and had even resided within that strange cavern; thus, her confidence in him was absolute.

The Qilin nodded its huge head slowly. "One can only hope."

As if to confirm his words, a band of multicolored radiance suddenly appeared in the distant sky. Upon seeing this auspicious glow, the Treasure Pig jumped up joyfully, and a smile of profound relief bloomed on Yuan Lixun's face.

Moments later, the awaited Hundred-and-Eight finally arrived. He descended slowly from the sky, but the focus of everyone’s gaze was fixed upon the large box carried above his head.

It was a crate much larger than the man himself, forged from some exotic metal. Since Hundred-and-Eight could not utilize spatial items, he had to carry the box aloft, flying with it overhead the entire way.

Setting the crate down onto the ice, Hundred-and-Eight swept his gaze around, finally resting it on the Dragon Serpent. "The Treasure Pig should have told you, but I must add this: my method of advancement has an eighty-plus percent chance of success, but the process will be agonizingly painful. Furthermore, should you succeed in advancing, you must help us seal this passage."

The Dragon Serpent's terrifying great eyes blinked, and its head slowly nodded up and down, offering its commitment.

Hundred-and-Eight turned. "Did you bring the items?"

Yuan Lixun responded softly, patting her belt. A peculiar spatial rift instantly materialized before her. With a shimmer like disturbed water, a massive, white stone suddenly appeared suspended in mid-air.

The moment this stone manifested, the Dragon Serpent and the Old Qilin both erupted with powerful auras. Though they could not identify the object, their instincts screamed that this thing would confer immense benefits upon their bodies.

Hundred-and-Eight regarded the giant stone impassively. A strange light flickered in his eyes—eyes that seemed perpetually devoid of emotion. It was a light that did not belong to machinery, yet it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

He reached out and struck the side of the large box. He pressed some unseen mechanism, and the lid sprang open with a hiss, emitting a cloud of white, frozen vapor.