The outpost was still active, but the people were anxious.

Loggers and merchants huddled inside their wooden houses, peeking out through shuttered windows. When they saw Lin Mu’s group, many came out to greet them, relief on their faces.

"Are you the Wandering Righteous Blades?" one of the foremen asked, bowing deeply. "We were told the empire might send someone to investigate, but you arrived even faster than the patrols."

Daoist Chu had already sent word ahead of their arrival, to make things easier.

Lin Mu gave a calm nod. "We are here to investigate the cause of this cold. For now, stop all logging activity and tell everyone to remain indoors. This weather is not natural."

The man hesitated for a moment but then quickly nodded. "Understood! I will spread the word immediately."

With their growing reputation, Lin Mu and his companions did not need to explain much. Within minutes, messengers were sent out, and the entire outpost fell into quiet lockdown.

Once that was done, Lin Mu gestured for the others to spread out. "Look for any traces of the ’Shade Mass’. Even faint signs could lead us to the source."

’Shade Mass’ was what they had begun to call the malevolent masses that they had discovered before.

The group fanned out across the frozen forest.

Elyon slipped into the shadows, vanishing entirely as he blended with the dim light. Monk Hushu’s Immortal Sense extended through the Qi of the land, while Cattaleya moved swiftly across the snow-covered fields, her sharp senses searching for any disturbance.

The twin snakes slithered through the underbrush, their tongues flicking out to sense Yin and Yang fluctuations.

Lin Mu himself walked calmly through the heart of the settlement, his eyes glowing faintly as he shifted between his Immortal Sense and Spatial perception. He could feel the energy in the air, thin and fragmented, almost like threads of cold malice drifting in the wind.

It was faint... too faint.

’There’s definitely something different about this wind... but it’s not totally Malevolent either.’ To him, it felt more like the anger of nature itself.

After hours of searching, they regrouped at sunset.

"Nothing," Daoist Chu said, frowning. "I checked under the frozen rivers and the sawmills. There are no signs of Shade Mass formation."

Elyon appeared silently behind him, his dark cloak fluttering. "Same here. There are faint remnants of Yin Qi, but it feels diffuse, like it hasn’t yet condensed. Though it could very well be Yin Qi naturally appearing due to the cold."

Lin Mu crossed his arms, deep in thought. "That could mean the mass has not yet been born. If that is the case, it will form soon. The Qi density is already rising."

He turned to the others. "We will wait here. Keep watch through the night. Ensure everyone stays indoors and away from the forest."

They followed his command without question.

The night passed uneventfully, though the cold continued to deepen.

Frost spread across the ground like a living thing, climbing over rooftops and turning the forest silver. Even cultivators at the Core Condensation realm would find this uncomfortable. By dawn, the temperature had dropped well below zero.

And then it began.

WHOOSH

HUALA

The sky darkened without warning, clouds gathering so fast it seemed the heavens themselves were being consumed. A deep rumble echoed through the air, followed by the shrieking howl of wind. Within minutes, snow began to fall... thick, heavy flakes that danced wildly in the storm.

The blizzard arrived like a beast unleashed.

Winds roared through the forest, snapping branches and hurling debris. The snow piled up in moments, covering the landscape in a sheet of white. Visibility dropped to mere meters, forcing the cultivators to rely on their senses rather than sight.

Lin Mu’s voice cut through the storm. "Spread out! Find the center of the storm!"

The group moved through the blizzard, their spiritual energy flaring faintly to resist the cold. The temperature was so low that even Daoist Chu’s breath froze midair before falling as tiny crystals.

As Lin Mu advanced, his perception suddenly caught something massive ahead. His pupils contracted. "There!"

Through the swirling snow, a colossal shadow took shape.

It towered above the trees, over a hundred meters tall. At first, it seemed like a moving iceberg, a translucent form of pure ice and frost. But then two points of light ignited deep within it, glowing an eerie shade of blue. They were eyes.

RUMBLE

The creature let out a sound that was not a roar but a deep vibration that made the ground tremble. The air around it shimmered with frost energy so intense that the very snow froze mid-fall, hanging in the air like suspended dust.

"That thing... it is not alive, is it?" Cattaleya stepped forward, summoning flames around her fists, but her expression hardened. "I can’t feel any vitality from it." She added.

Lin Mu did not answer immediately. His gaze was locked onto the towering being as his mind raced through everything he knew. He could feel the energy radiating from it; a condensed and refined manifestation of the Ice element.

Just as he was about to speak, a familiar voice resonated within his mind, distant yet clear.

"It’s an Ice Elemental , a Greater one." the Saintess’s calm voice echoed through his mind. "A spirit born of elemental imbalance. Be careful. Such beings have no will or emotion. They exist only to maintain equilibrium by freezing all that disrupts it."

Lin Mu’s expression hardened. ’An Ice Elemental.’

That explained the unnaturally cold air and the sudden blizzard. It was not a natural creature nor a beast. It was a spirit formed from pure elemental energy, given form by environmental corruption or unnatural concentration of a single element.

"A Greater Ice Elemental," Lin Mu said aloud, his voice steady despite the storm. "But this is not natural. Something or someone has forced it into existence."

Daoist Chu’s eyes widened. "The Shade Mass?"

"Maybe, but it could also be a precursor of some kind" Lin Mu replied. "If a catalyst condensed enough Yin and Ice Qi, it could have birthed this creature. It must be destroyed before it spreads the frost further."