The Hell of Ice, 10th layer of Diyu.
The land of everlasting winter, the hell of ice is quite a fantastic and exquisite place. If not for the color of the scarlet sky and moon, the land within it would be pure white instead of red.
This place is covered in thick and soft snow with some icicles forming due to the cold temperature. Forming in small and white hills made of snow, it is quite a scenery of serenity and pureness. But the beauty of this land isn't simple, a temperature lower than zero degrees doesn't allow any living beings to stay in this land alive.
This gorgeous land is crueler than it looks. The snow might be a wonder to look at or to play with but it is still cold. For humans who are warm-blooded living beings, too much cold could kill them. Plus there is a random series of blizzards and hails. There wouldn't be a problem if soft snow fell from the sky but if ice fell instead many living creatures would suffer from it. Ice is after all a solid thing.
There is no living thing that could live in the hell of ice. If someone did they would either suffer from frostbites or much more would end up becoming human-shaped ice pops in this Ice Sanctuary.
But Hei Anjing is not an ordinary person. He is a God. Not only a simple God but one that governs all the elements and essence of Ice. He is like a Winter God that isn't afraid of coldness. To him, this Ice Hell is his sanctuary. A land filled with the essence of Ice is capable of healing his weakened soul. At the very least sleeping enough in this place would allow him to keep awake as this place is full of energy that is for him.
Though things weren't right from the beginning and he had lost his temper as soon as he opened his eyes, a short nap was able to energize him. Within the Ice Mansion he created from his power to control the Ice element, he peacefully enjoyed his nap as he woke up naturally.
Slowly opening his eyes revealing that hidden sapphire within, Hei Anjing woke up in a good mood for the first time. He was in a bedroom he made for himself. The interior of the Ice Mansion is simple. Hei Anjing brought out a few of his furniture from his dimensional storage. For his bedroom, a huge bed was enough for him.
System Yang, who had been waiting for his master to wake up, hovered around Hei Anjing when he saw him open his eyes.
[Did you sleep well, Master?]
NODS
Yawn s~
Yawning for a moment, Hei Anjing dazedly looked in some direction. When he heard System Yang's question he nodded his head in agreement.
Hei Anjing said, "I'm going to take a bath. Please prepare some ingredients for the kitchen. I'm going to make some lunch boxes and look for my husband."
[I will make the preparations.]
Hei Anjing languidly stands up from his bed and heads to the bathroom to clean himself.
"Un. Go ahead, Yang. I won't take long to refresh myself."
[Master, a demon would be coming over to give you a stamp for the completion of the mission in this layer.]
Hei Anjing said, "Just lead him to the receiving area when he comes. I'll meet him afterward." As he heads to the bathroom connected to his bedroom to clean himself up.
Meanwhile, System Yang had gone to the kitchen and prepared various ingredients as his master ordered. There are many kinds of meat, whether it is pork, beef, chicken, lamb, turkey and more. Everything was placed on the kitchen table.
A huge basket of vegetables is placed on it as well as another basket of all kinds of fruits. There is also a small aquarium in the kitchen. Full of alive fish of many types and some seashell and soft-born sea creatures inside. Luxury cannot be hidden under this kind of sight.
On the other hand, Fa Yue and his two demon followers were dumbfounded when they arrived in the Hell of Ice. As soon as they arrived in this 10th layer they were welcomed with absurdity they had never expected to witness. Few demonic beasts who aren't afraid of cold lives in this land but for some reason they were all running away from the center of the layer with fear imprinted on their whole being.
Some demonic ice wolves whose size is five times normal wolves were running away in packs. Side by side with a towering ice bear who had a huge claw mark on his back. Because of the cold temperature his wound and blood were instantly frozen in ice. Not even a drop of crimson fell on the soft snow under their feet. Some more demonic creatures are running away from the core of the land. This is regardless of their sizes and might.
Fa Yue was astonished by this scene. What left him bewildered is that even his superior was ignored directly upon sight. This shows how much fear was gnawing in these demonic beasts' whole being.
"What the hell is happening in this layer?" mumbled Fa Yue.
"My Lord, do you think something is happening at the center of this land?"
"Wait! The center? Isn't that the location where the cave prisons exist!? Don't tell me that the one who caused this huge commotion is because of a human?"
"That… It is impossible, right? I mean this hell. No ordinary human can overlord such a place. Unless…"
Fa Yue asked, "Unless what…?"
"Unless the culprit is not a human but instead something much more powerful than anything…"
Fa Yue looked towards the direction of the center of this land. But for some reason, something is blocking away his sight with white mist hiding whatever is in there from his sight. He knew that the situation in this layer is different from the other layers.
According to the reports from above. More than 100 human players had been transferred to this place but suddenly a few hours ago a huge explosion took place in this layer. Taking the other players and demonic creatures in this land to perish in a few seconds. The heavenly consciousness of this world was frightened by that power.
And so the only order Fa Yue had received is to appease whatever or whoever is the cause of such a huge disturbance that affected the whole place of Diyu.
Fa Yue told his minions, "Check the vicinity of the whole layer. I'm going to the center."
"Yes, My Lord!" replied the two demon followers before disappearing into the white land.
The fallen on the other hand brought out a fire pill to keep his body temperature and avoid his wings from turning ice as he flew around the Icy Hell. Spreading his black feather wings he flew to the sky towards the core of the whole layer. He was observing the whole place from above when he noticed a weird-looking ice mansion at the center of the blizzard.
It is unaffected by hail and blizzards. It stood at the center of red snow and was immovable and unique. He had only seen the structure of the mansion in the modern world. It is something they didn't make and something which isn't supposed to exist in this place.
The ice mansion wasn't the only thing that surprised him. He also noticed a round-looking dome with a single entrance standing not far from the main door of the mansion. When he tried to look through the Igloo-shaped thing, he saw something that could only be seen in the Hell of Beast.
Two huge Tibetan mastiffs are looking in his direction. They had longed to notice his arrival even before he had landed near the mansion. These two humongous dogs are Snowie and Blackie. They are divine beasts who had immortality on them. They can be considered Beast God at this moment as their intelligence had increased when their master gave them Divine Energy and cultivate inside the dimensional world inside their Master's dimensional storage. They could also speak but rarely do so.
Thoughts of Fa Yue upon seeing Snowy and Blacky: 'Two huge beasts? These are both Boss grade monsters!!! I don't remember the Icy Hell housing this kind of beast!?'
Seeing a fallen with at least Demigod level of strength these two Beast Gods knew that this must be an original resident of this world.
Blackie pokes his head out of the temporary dog house System Yang created for them. The interior of the igloo is big enough for them to move freely plus fire stones and water stones were placed inside to keep their water and hydrated.
So none of these two beasts are willing to go out from such a warm home, Blackie only poked his head out and roared at the fallen.
RRROOOAAARRR!!
{Get down now!} said Blackie as he roared towards the sudden outsider coming over to their territory.
'Sound waves!!??? Urgh~'
Fa Yue was stunned as a sudden sound wave attacked him. He wanted to avoid it but there is a difference between their strength. Between a God and a Demigod, the difference is heaven and earth. After all, the latter had no full control over the divine energy in this world while Blacky and Snowy can wield it as natural as air.
As a result, Fa Yue felt pressure pressing him from above and fell on the snow directly face first. He is like a bird who loses his wings and plunges his head into a small snow hill under him.
Puwah!
He let out a loud gasp and coughed the snow that entered his mouth in his fall unprepared.
Cough. Cough!
But when Fa Yue raised his head he saw two huge dog faces glowering at him. He stiffened in shock and fear. These two Tibetan Mastiffs are a level stronger than he is. Someone on the level of the undead general at least.
Snowy spoke, {Who are you? Why did you approach the territory of our Lord?}
Fa Yue was even more terrified as he learned that he wasn't hearing things just now. His face was suddenly drained of blood. These two beasts indeed could speak. Though they converse through the mind, this is enough to show their intelligence. This kind of intelligence, Fa Yue had only seen it with Mythical Beast like Dragons and such.
The fallen unlucky demon had no other choice but to sit on the top of the snow as if kneeling.
"I… I am Fa Yue. My role is to give stamps to players who completed the side missions in each layer. I… I…" stuttering in fear of getting killed Fa Yue's words started to get broken at the end.
"Stamps? Ah, you are the one System Yang is waiting for. If it's you then it is okay to enter the mansion. Don't forget to clean yourself up. The owner hates unclean things the most." said Blacky as he gestured to his wife to come back inside their temporary house leaving alone the freaked out fallen outside to knock on the doors alone.
Since Fa Yue is an appointed guest, the two guardian beasts no longer wasted their time on him. Fa Yue on the other hand could only watch as this Beast God left him alone in the cold and snowy land. He also looks at the door not far from him. The dimmed entrance light was enough to show the warmness of the mansion.
Obviously, the interior of the Ice Mansion was heated. Even outside the place, the translucent ice walls of the mansion allowed him to see what is inside the house. He could at least see the living room with a cozy fireplace, a pair of couches, and a table at the center.
He did as he was told stood up slowly from the ground sweeping away the snow accumulating on his clothes and hair. He even used a cleansing talisman he bought in their abyssal store to make sure he looks well presented and dignified.
"What is this thing? How could something like this exist in the tenth layer of Hell? There's pure ice essence circulating around this mansion. Just what kind of being lives in this kind of place~"
He walks towards the door and hesitates for a moment before knocking at the ice door before him. As for what would happen afterward when he went inside no one knew. But Fa Yue needs to do his duty. One to give a stamp and Second, to investigate what happened in this Hell of Ice which caused the whole Diyu to shake beyond their control.
Knock. Knock.. Knock.
