Hearing their banter, Lin Mu chuckled softly. "Good to see you're learning something useful in daily life, Meng Bai. Though I suppose this lesson might save your life one day."

Daoist Chu gave a wise nod. "Indeed. I have taught him many principles, but this one is the most sacred of them all-never, under any circumstance, ask a woman her age."

The laughter that followed rolled through the air, echoing faintly in the high winds. Even Cattaleya's laughter joined theirs, bright and full of amusement. Meng Bai rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, but he was smiling too.

As they flew further south, they passed over the vermillion fields before the air gradually grew colder, and the rich colors of autumn began to fade.

Frost began to appear on the tips of the trees below, and thin mists rolled over the rivers. The faint silver outline of distant mountains rose against the horizon, the Glacial Ranges were not far now.

Meng Bai took a deep breath, feeling the chill in the wind. His heart beat faster with excitement. "So that's where the Ice Drakes live," he murmured.

Lin Mu nodded, his gaze fixed ahead. "Yes. Prepare yourself, Meng Bai. The lands of the Ice Drakes are not kind to the unready. But this time, we go not as enemies, but as messengers of truth."

Little Shrubby growled in agreement, his fiery mane crackling against the cold wind as they surged forward. The golden world of autumn fell away behind them, and before them stretched the white veil of winter, glittering with promise and danger alike.

The journey through the skies had been long, but when the horizon finally began to shimmer with faint bluish hues, Lin Mu knew they had arrived.

The South Western Glacial Ranges stretched before them, a boundless expanse of white and frost that gleamed under the muted sunlight. The world seemed silent here, as though sound itself was frozen in the air.

There was no blizzard nor strong chilly winds that could shear one's skin like one might expect.

Little Shrubby slowed his flight and descended toward a broad plateau blanketed in snow. The moment they crossed into the region, the temperature dropped sharply. The crisp air that had followed them before now turned biting, each breath frosting in the air before their faces.

Elyon's ears twitched as he pulled his fur cloak tighter around himself. "By the heavens... this cold is ridiculous," he muttered, his teeth chattering despite his Dark wolfkin bloodline.

Daoist Chu gave a shiver too, exhaling a misty sigh. "The air itself seems to pierce the meridians," he said. "Even circulating my Qi barely holds it back."

Monk Hushu pressed his palms together, a faint golden light flickering around him as he channeled warmth through his body. "Indeed. This place bears a leyline of pure Ice Qi. It seeps into everything, freezing even the spiritual energy around us. Maintaining balance here is difficult."

Meng Bai had his arms wrapped tightly around himself, his nose and ears already pink. He hurriedly took out a talisman from his sleeve and activated it.

A soft orange glow enveloped him, forming a thin film of heat.

"M-master, this cold... it's worse than the blizzard we faced with that Ice Elemental! My bones are freezing!"

Lin Mu looked calm, though a thin layer of frost was forming on his hair and shoulders. His breath came out in faint clouds, but his body didn't tremble.

"It's colder," he said simply, his eyes scanning the endless expanse of white ahead. "The Ice Elemental we fought was young and incomplete. We restrained it before it reached its true strength. If it had grown unchecked, its cold might have been comparable to this."

Cattaleya stood beside him, seemingly unfazed.

She flicked a strand of snow from her shoulder with an amused smirk. "Honestly, I've been through worse. There was a frost plain in a world located in the Northern Immortal Court's territory that could freeze even an Fifth Tribulation Stage Immortal beast solid in an instant. This is at least tolerable." Elyon shot her a look of disbelief. "Tolerable? My fur is freezing into icicles." Monk Hushu nodded thoughtfully. "The Glacial Ranges draw their cold from deep beneath the earth. The leyline that flows here gathers Ice Qi in such vast amounts that it births natural treasures of frost.

Ice Lotus, Glacial Spirit Pearls, even Snowheart Crystals can be found here. The environment itself has been shaped by those treasures over countless years. And then, when the Ice Drakes made their home here, the cold only intensified." Daoist Chu rubbed his hands together, conjuring faint wisps of flame from his fingertips to keep warm. "That explains why the spiritual energy here feels so thick with frost. The entire range is like a living organism of ice."

Meng Bai looked around in wonder.

Despite the harsh cold, the land was not barren as he had imagined. The slopes were dotted with tall conifers that reached upward like green lances piercing through the snow. Pines, spruces, and firs blanketed the lower ridges, their needles tipped with frost. The branches bore shimmering icicles that clinked softly in the wind, creating a delicate crystalline melody.

And between the trees were shrubs and herbs adapted to the endless winter.

Meng Bai pointed to a bush with tiny red fruits peeking through the snow. "Master, look! Those berries-are they Immortal Snow Berries?"

Lin Mu nodded, stepping closer to observe. "Indeed. And those over there are Bell Juniper Berries." He then glanced farther up the slope, spotting a cluster of pale, pearl-like fruits glinting under the frost. "And those are Rimed Pearl

Berries."

At the mention of the last name, Lin Mu paused.

His expression softened, his gaze lingering on the fruit longer than necessary. The memory of Mei Nienzhen surfaced in his mind, the cool composure she always held, the faint warmth that had shown through when she had given him

the Rimed Pearl Berries as a token of gratitude.

The image of her quiet smile flickered through his thoughts like a spark in the

cold wind.

He turned away a moment later, forcing his focus back to the present.