CHAPTER 242: GUARDIAN OF THE FROSTPIRE

The moment Lucas collapsed, the winds that had been raging across the frozen slopes fell eerily still. The shrill howls of the beasts faded into a haunting silence, broken only by the faint crackle of melting frost where his spatial energy had torn through reality moments before. The snow, which had been whipped into a storm of white chaos, now drifted down lazily as if the entire mountain itself had drawn a long, cold breath.

One by one, the beasts that had encircled the group froze in place. The mountain lions lowered their heads, their silver-glowing eyes dimming to faint flickers of light. The white-furred wolves stopped snarling and backed away, tails lowering in a strange display of submission. Even the monstrous gorillas, with their massive frames and battle-ready stances, stood unmoving, the wild fury in their eyes replaced by something akin to reverence...or fear.

Lira clutched at Nyx’s arm, whispering shakily, "They’ve stopped... they’re not attacking anymore."

Nyx nodded slowly, her gaze shifting from the beasts to the deep shadows cast by the cliffs above. "Whatever is controlling them just told them to stand down."

The old guide’s face had gone pale, his breath forming shallow clouds in the freezing air. "No," he muttered under his breath, "not whoever... whatever. This is not the work of mortal hands." He turned to the Empress, bowing his head slightly, his voice almost trembling. "Your Majesty... the guardian of the mountain. It’s coming."

The words struck the camp like thunder.

Selene took an involuntary step back, her hands trembling as she looked around. "The guardian? You mean... the legend?"

The guide didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the mountain’s towering face, his expression a mix of awe and dread. "A creature born from the mountain itself. It commands all other beasts, and nothing that lives dares to challenge its will."

The ground began to tremble beneath them. A low, resonant rumble echoed through the snow, spreading out from deep within the mountain. The beasts, even the ascendant-ranked ones, began to retreat. They bowed their heads, some even collapsing flat against the ice in submission, their bodies trembling violently.

Lucas, still on one knee, clenched his jaw and forced himself to rise despite the throbbing pain in his body. His breath came out ragged, white mist swirling from his lips. "So this is it," he said softly, his eyes narrowing at the towering cliffs ahead. "The real fight."

The air grew impossibly heavy. It was as if the very world itself was pressing down on them, forcing even cultivators of their level to struggle to breathe. Lira staggered, clutching her chest. "What is this... this pressure?"

The Empress stood perfectly still, her veil fluttering gently despite the air having turned still and thick. Her eyes gleamed faintly beneath the fabric, and for once, even she looked solemn. "That," she said in a calm, almost reverent voice, "is not the aura of any beast. It is the will of a guardian."

A deep, guttural sound rolled through the valley like an ancient growl, low but filled with an age-old authority that shook their bones. The mountain itself seemed to respond, shedding layers of ice and snow from its cliffs as though awakening from slumber.

The Empress lifted her gaze, her tone quieter now but laced with anticipation. "Brace yourselves," she murmured. "The guardian of the Frostspire has awakened... and it is coming."

And then, from the fog-drenched distance, two enormous silver eyes ignited in the darkness...watching them, powerful and unblinking.

From within the rolling mist that swallowed the upper ridges of the Frostspire, a piercing brilliance erupted...white and pure as lightning but colder than the void itself. The entire mountain seemed to scream beneath the sudden release of power. The glare was so intense that even the Empress, in all her majesty and composure, raised an arm across her face, her veil whipping violently in the blizzard that followed. The snow on the ground melted and refroze in the same breath, forming jagged shards of ice that cut through the air like glass.

Lucas’s instincts flared instantly...his vision turned white, and his senses screamed danger. He barely had time to throw up a barrier of spatial Qi before two flashes of light, swift and silent, tore through the mist. The sound was not a roar or a crack but a hum...clean, sharp, and final.

Aeoloria turned her head, sensing something, but before she could even react, her body stiffened mid-motion. Her face froze in shock, eyes wide open as frost raced up her limbs faster than the blink of an eye. The same light enveloped the old guide beside her....his aura flared for a brief second, as though his spirit fought to break free...but it was useless.

In a single heartbeat, both their bodies turned pale blue, encased in crystalline ice so clear that their expressions could still be seen...surprise, fear, disbelief. Then, without a sound, they shattered into glittering dust, scattered by the cold wind.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Lira gasped audibly and stumbled backward, clutching Nyx’s arm. Selene’s lips trembled, her face pale as her eyes darted to the fading mist where the two had stood moments ago. Even Mirielle, who had been clutching her dagger for courage, dropped it, the blade falling uselessly into the snow.

Lucas’s mind was blank for a moment. His body trembled...not from the cold, but from the sheer enormity of what he had just witnessed. Two Ascendant cultivators... gone without resistance. He looked around and realized that even the beasts that had surrounded them earlier were gone. The wolves, the gorillas, even the mountain lions had retreated into the fog, their loyalty vanishing before the will of something far greater.

Only the Empress stood unmoved. Her presence radiated calm, though her eyes had narrowed slightly beneath the veil. She lowered her hand from her face and looked toward the heart of the fog, her voice carrying clearly despite the heavy air.

"So," she said quietly, almost as if addressing an equal. "You’ve awakened at last."

The fog began to shift, spiraling as if alive, forming a massive corridor of swirling frost and light. The pressure in the air thickened to the point of suffocation, making it difficult even for cultivators to breathe. The snow beneath their feet crystallized into solid sheets of ice, humming faintly with resonance.

Lucas swallowed hard, his gaze locked on the glowing vortex ahead. "Is that..." His words caught in his throat, the chill biting through his lungs. "Is that the guardian?"

The Empress didn’t answer. Her silence was answer enough.

Then, from within the heart of the light, a shadow began to take form...a towering, regal silhouette with an aura that seemed to merge with the storm itself. Its eyes, twin orbs of blinding silver, cut through the fog like blades.

The Empress’s voice came again, soft but carrying the weight of centuries. "The Guardian of the Frostspire... the sentinel of the old world." She turned slightly toward Lucas and the trembling girls. "Do not move. Do not speak. It can smell fear... and pride."

Lucas’s breath hitched, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. The guardian’s presence alone was enough to make his Qi tremble uncontrollably within him. He could feel its power....ancient, unbridled, and absolute.