Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Although they were still under Little Fairy’s protection, as they traveled deeper into the forest, the chill of the cold began to return, ever so slightly. Even Little Fairy was struggling to withstand the pressure of the freezing force.
Most of the cold air was held back, but some gusts managed to break through. Fortunately, Han Sen’s fitness was of high enough to resist it doing any harm.
Han Sen continued to look around as he went. He had his Dongxuan Aura firing on all cylinders as he tried to find out what was watching him.
The Frozen Forest was very strange. It was no wonder the area was a part of God’s Ruin. Despite giving it his all, Han Sen’s Dongxuan Aura could only cover a hundred-meter radius. He couldn’t see anything beyond that. And furthermore, he was unable to see where something might have been watching from.
As they traveled deeper into the forest, the sensation of being watched continued to increase. Han Sen kept a permanent frown on his face. It wasn’t a good thing to know you were being watched in such a perilous place as God’s Ruin.
“This area’s security is high, but surely nothing can stay here for very long,” Han Sen was thinking.
Soon, Little Fairy quietly shouted, “Be careful! Something is up ahead.”
Han Sen, Little Silver, and Starsea Beast looked over in the direction she was referring to. Something was moving through the Frozen Forest.
The Dongxuan Aura wasn’t very helpful there, so Han Sen had to resort to his basic, no-frills eyesight. Now, he was seeing things like Little Silver did.
Since they were already there, it wasn’t as if there was a point in heading back, either. So, Han Sen looked at Little Fairy and continued walking. Unsure of what lay ahead, and wishing to find out, they exercised more caution as they moved forward.
Not long after, the shadow in the woods became clearer to them. It was a one-meter tall seahorse. Its body looked to be completely made of ice, and it wriggled as it floated by, as if it was swimming through the air. It was silent in its passing.
The Ice Seahorse saw the group, but it did not appear to be hostile. It just continued floating by, on its way to wherever it was going.
“Daddy, look. Many seahorses. So beautiful.” Bao’er was pointing at the other side of the forest with a happy expression.
Han Sen looked over to where Bao’er was pointing, and he noticed there were twenty or thirty seahorses floating around in the same manner. The smallest one was only a meter tall, but there were others amidst them of various sizes. The tallest one they could see was four meters high. As the creatures bobbed forward, they looked almost funny.
The seahorses looked very tame, and they all seemed to want to keep to themselves. Han Sen was curious about them, but his Dongxuan Aura had been stifled by God’s Ruin, so he couldn’t tell what power resided inside the seahorses.
Bao’er laughed and jumped onto the back of one of the Ice Seahorses. She held onto its neck like it was an average mare.
Han Sen was shocked by her actions, and he wished to call her back immediately. They did look tame, yes, but who knew if they would remain so docile after being provoked?
Little Fairy made a hushed call. Han Sen turned to look at her, and he noticed she was staring at something that was behind the Ice Seahorse. The expression on her face made it look as if she had seen a ghost.
Han Sen looked over there and was shocked, as well. Behind the Ice Seahorse was another bunch of seahorses.
The heads of these seahorses were bigger, and they were all at least four meters tall. Their bodies looked to have been made of black diamonds, and they looked hardier than steel. They were different from the other Ice Seahorses that the group had previously observed.
Strangely, there was a chain as thick as a human’s arm wrapped around the Black Seahorse’s bodies. It looked like a steel chain, and there were many symbols engraved into the metal.
There weren’t many Black Seahorses, and Han Sen was able to count eleven of them. They all looked the same. They floated in the air, but they weren’t doing so as randomly as the other Ice Seahorses were. They were all aligned, traveling in perfect tandem with each other.
Behind the Black Seahorses, their chains all seemed to connect to something. It was a big, black chimenea that was eight meters tall. It looked like a tall black furnace. The chute had blue flames coming out of it, which were burning fiercely inside it.
But strangely, Han Sen couldn’t feel any warmth coming from it. And when the chimenea came closer, they actually felt colder. It was as if it was releasing cold instead of heat.
The strong, icy force was getting stronger, and even with the shielding provided by Little Fairy, Han Sen felt extremely cold. Not even her control of the ice element was able to protect them from that abhorrent force.
Everyone was trying their best to resist the cold with the power they had, but it didn’t seem to be working very well. Slowly, they were all beginning to freeze.
“We should run and wait until the chimenea has passed! We can come back later,” Han Sen said.
Little Fairy agreed, as did the others. They were all of the mind to vacate the area at once. But unfortunately, their bodies weren’t listening. Their legs were sheathed in a layer of ice.
Quickly, that ice was spreading across their bodies. None of them were able to move. They felt as if they were robots, only able to move a tiny amount.
Only Bao’er, who was sitting upon the back of an Ice Seahorse, was okay.
Everyone was shocked by what was going on, so Han Sen summoned his God geno core. It spawned ruby wings behind him, and his whole being began to glow red.
That power pushed the cold back outside of him and kept the icy force from affecting him.
Han Sen wanted to bring his companions away, too, in case something even worse was about to happen. But suddenly, they saw the Black Seahorses stop pulling the chimenea. Then, they all looked at Han Sen.
Han Sen’s heart jumped, and he said, “Oh, no! Has my performance made them hostile to me?”
It was then that Han Sen realized they weren’t looking at him; they were looking at Bao’er, who was back on his shoulder.
Bao’er was not affected by the cold at all, and she sat on Han Sen’s shoulder, dangling her legs. She was checking out the Black Seahorses and their black chimenea.
