The surface temperature of Pluto hovered around minus 220 degrees Celsius. Wang Wang jumped from the landing craft, the moisture clinging to his specialized "Pluto-Type" combat suit instantly freezing into delicate ice shards. The Special Affairs Bureau soldiers beside him shivered, the cold, though technically blocked by their suits, seemed to rise from the depths of their very hearts, causing an uncontrollable tremor to run through them.

Beneath their feet lay a layer of semi-translucent, kilometer-thick ice crust. Right where Gu Xiechen stood, several twisted-faced Romans and dismembered Terrans were frozen solid within the thick ice. Their eyes were wide open, their dull gazes filled with a mixture of despair and terror. The energy armor on the Romans was shredded into fragments, while the Terran bodies were riddled with fist-sized holes, clear evidence of a fierce battle preceding their demise.

Not long after moving forward, dozens more frozen bodies appeared beneath the ice crust. Beside these corpses lay the shattered remains of a pale-yellow Crystalline being. Its chest was blown open in a spray pattern, and the head of a Roman soldier next to it had also exploded. It was apparent that the Crystalline, in its final moments, had ejected its core crystal and forcibly possessed the Roman's body. However, the Roman host could not withstand the sheer energy surge, and its head was pulverized.

"What a godforsaken place!"

Peng Hua stayed close to Gu Xiechen, gazing at the corpses trapped in the ice, remarking, "I love this godforsaken place!"

Two days prior, Wang Wang had absorbed the full medicinal power of the Blazing Orchid Nectar. When Aredia emerged from her seclusion, she frowned deeply, leaning heavily against Siren. "I hate this godforsaken place! Damn Fire Jiao inner core, this damned place—I just want to hibernate!"

The extreme cold of Pluto was in direct opposition to Aredia’s elemental affinity. Having merged with the Fire Jiao inner core, Aredia was gradually developing some of the Jiao's characteristics, and she let out a genuine yawn.

Mu Ren waved a hand, and several girls with exceptionally generous busts cheered as they leaped out of a silver light. Utterly unfazed by the external low temperatures, they frolicked excitedly around Siren.

"Boss, the Boundary Puppets are semi-energy constructs; their power isn't affected at all here," Siren chirped happily.

A flash of red light illuminated the area, and Aredia summoned a Lava Rhino. The fiery Rhino, blazing intensely, emerged from the crimson glow, but the flames quickly vanished without a trace. The thick-headed Rhino stared blankly at Aredia, shook its head, snorted, and then shot back into Aredia’s body as a streak of red light.

"My Boundary Puppets are useless here; the elemental clash is too strong!" Aredia grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Gu Xiechen raised his right hand. "Alright, everyone be careful. Peng Hua and I will take point; Siren, Aredia, Banruo, and Mohe will cover the rear. Little Daoist Zhang and the others proceed in the center, ready to support the left and right flanks at any moment."

Nearly a thousand Special Affairs Bureau elite soldiers spread out in skirmish lines along the flanks, their high-energy ray guns held ready. The long line stretched out for over ten kilometers. Daoist Zhang and the other Dao Alliance disciples advanced cautiously along with the skirmish line, prepared for any contingency. Little Monk Feili was trembling with excitement—this was the first time these Dao Alliance disciples had participated in a high-risk hunt on Pluto.

Gu Xiechen walked with extreme caution at the very front of the formation.

The Crystalline beings mostly resided in vast underground cavern networks on Pluto, but a small minority wandered aimlessly across the icy plains. After centuries of being hunted by both the Terran Federation and the Roman Kingdom, the Crystalline beings brave enough to roam the ice fields were not only exceptionally powerful but also cunning and treacherous; a moment's inattention could result in massive casualties among the accompanying soldiers, something Gu Xiechen was determined to avoid.

Ahead, an ice cliff, spanning dozens of kilometers and reaching over two hundred meters high, loomed. Gu Xiechen issued commands via the battlefield command system: the flank forces were to bypass the cliff, while he and his core group would scale it directly.

As the order went out, a Crystalline being, deep blue bordering on violet, suddenly emerged from a deep fissure in the ice cliff.

"Everyone take cover immediately! Hunting Vessels One, Two, and Three, prepare to deploy the tractor beams!" Seeing this Crystalline, Gu Xiechen instantly issued new orders. Dozens of kilometers above in space, three hunting vessels slowly adjusted their aft orientations. A heavy armor plate slid open, revealing the ships' massive cannon barrels.

The skirmish lines on both sides rapidly converged, the soldiers cautiously forming attack formations, their high-energy weapons already beginning to charge.

Gu Xiechen crouched behind a large chunk of ice, quietly observing the approximately two-meter-tall Crystalline ahead.

The deep-blue Crystalline slowly emerged from the fissure. It looked up at the sky, then turned and began climbing the ice cliff. The sheer, smooth ice surface offered no obvious handholds, yet the being’s hands seemed glued to the surface, adhering perfectly. It scaled the two hundred meters rapidly and stood atop the cliff edge.

The Crystalline vigorously swung its arms, then turned toward the direction of the distant sun and bowed deeply. Its movements were peculiar, a strange series of bows, standing up with extraordinary reverence, only to kneel again in devout prayer. After repeating this nine times, it slowly stood up. The entire sequence was flawless, imbued with a sacred, austere atmosphere of primal religion.

"What is it worshipping? The sun?" Peng Hua looked up at the sun, barely visible to the naked eye, and chuckled softly. "Are they like those legendary primitive natives, believing the sun granted them life? Hmm, the sun is so far away, and it’s so cold here; their lives surely have nothing to do with the sun, right?"

"Who knows?" Gu Xiechen smiled lightly, watching the Crystalline. "Regardless, a deep-blue Crystalline is a rare find. Brothers, prepare! Once the tractor beams lock it down, attack immediately. Shatter its limbs, and use the deep-freeze ray to lock down its upper torso. Just around minus 260 degrees Celsius, and the Crystalline will lose all motor function!"

The main cannons of the three hunting vessels in orbit began to charge, intense light converging at the muzzles. Energy was rapidly drawn from the engine banks, causing ninety-five percent of the lights on the warships to extinguish simultaneously.

The blue Crystalline standing on the cliff edge straightened up. It began to pace back and forth, left and right, in a strange, measured gait, yet never straying from a small, square area of the cliff top.

Daoist Zhang let out a startled hum. On the secure channel, he gasped, "That movement—it’s the Yu Stride, and a perfect one at that!"

The Yu Stride? Gu Xiechen, pressed against the ice mound, nearly cracked his head on the block. A Crystalline being performing the Yu Stride? He immediately patched through to the grizzled Colonel stationed on the flagship. "Uncle Hu Zi, check the database—in previous hunts, have we ever encountered this strange movement from the Crystalline beings?"

Colonel Hu Zi’s reply came back swiftly: "Absolutely not!"