bayedsolid Chapter 800 Challenge Dungeon 55
Chapter 800 Challenge Dungeon 55
With her cool shout, the array plate suddenly burst forth with a dazzling silver-blue light!
Thirty-six array flags responded simultaneously, shooting out thick beams of light that intertwined in the air to form a huge, slowly rotating three-dimensional sealing network that enveloped the permafrost core in the center of the basin!
"Buzzing—!"
The permafrost core seemed to sense the threat. The azure vortex suddenly accelerated its rotation, and the icy blue light at its center flickered violently, unleashing even more terrifying icy energy and suction force, attempting to break free from and tear apart the enveloping sealing network.
The two forces began to clash fiercely!
The entire basin shook violently, icebergs collapsed, ice layers cracked, and a violent energy storm swept everything away!
Yun Chu was on the edge of the storm, her face pale, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
She held the hand seals tightly with both hands, and spiritual power poured out like a flood, flowing into the array plate.
With his mental energy highly concentrated, he was like walking a tightrope, meticulously adjusting every bit of power in the sealing network. He had to suppress the core's riots while guiding its violent energy into the pre-set channels of the formation, achieving "balance" rather than "head-on collision".
This is a long and arduous process, and also the ultimate test of the strategist's ability, will, and preparation.
Time passes little by little.
One hour, two hours... one day, two days...
Yun Chu was rooted to the spot, enduring both the energy backlash and mental torment. Bottles of pills were consumed one by one, and talismans were activated one by one to stabilize herself and the local formation.
The Fire Iron Flying Ant also seemed somewhat listless. It kept exhaling scorching heat to help Yun Chu counteract some of the chill, while vigilantly guarding its side.
Day three.
As the first rays of dawn struggled to pierce through the leaden-gray clouds and fall upon the icy basin.
The three-dimensional sealing network that enveloped the core finally stabilized completely, forming a delicate and dynamic balance with the permafrost core.
The rotation speed of the azure vortex slowed down significantly, and the pulsation of the icy blue light at the center became much smoother and gentler.
The violent suction and destructive energy ripples gradually subsided.
A purer, but no longer aggressive, icy energy began to slowly release and spread along the channels of the sealed network, merging into the entire Ice Abyss and even the distant heavens and earth.
It worked!
The sealing formation has been officially activated and is operating stably!
Yun Chu collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Her body was soaked in sweat and frozen, her face as pale as paper, but her eyes were filled with joy and relief.
Yun Chu meditated for a long time at the edge of the Ice Abyss Basin until her nearly depleted spiritual energy recovered by one or two tenths before she could barely stand up.
She took one last look at the frozen core, gently enveloped by the silver network and whose light had stabilized, and after confirming that the sealing array was functioning properly, she activated a directional teleportation talisman.
Target: Ice City, Ice House Hotel.
A faint light flashed, and she returned to that familiar room, filled with soundproofing and early warning arrays.
The dual exhaustion of body and mind overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
Eight days of continuous preparation without sleep, plus three days of fierce battle in the abyss and three days of setting up the seal, almost exhausted all her energy.
She didn't even have time to check the detailed prompts and reward previews for completing the mission. She only hastily set up a few warning lines before collapsing onto the ice crystal bed and falling into a deep sleep.
I slept soundly for ages.
It wasn't until noon the next day that an exceptionally bright, warm light shone through the icy window, waking her up.
When Yun Chu opened her eyes, she felt that her energy had mostly recovered and her physical fatigue had eased considerably.
She got up, washed up, changed into clean, warm clothes, removed the protective spell from the room, and went out.
However, as soon as she stepped out of the hotel, she noticed something was different.
The streets are no longer the orderly yet desolate place they used to be.
The air was filled with a... humid, restless atmosphere.
On the street, many NPC residents gathered together, pointing and whispering, their faces a mixture of confusion, unease, curiosity, and even a barely perceptible, long-suppressed desire.
Their gazes were mostly focused on the overhead lights, the eaves, and the gleaming buildings lining the streets.
Yun Chu followed their gaze, her pupils shrinking slightly.
Icicles hanging from the edge of the roof were dripping water droplets, leaving tiny, damp marks on the hard ice below.
The walls of the igloos on both sides of the street, which were originally as smooth as mirrors, were now covered with a thin layer of water mist, and in some places, extremely fine water marks could even be seen, which were slowly expanding.
The lingering, bone-chilling cold in the air seemed to have lessened by just a tiny bit.
Although it was still cold, it no longer had that chilling intensity that seemed to freeze the soul.
"It's melted...it's really melted..."
“I have lived through sixty winters and have never seen the ice of Iceheart City melt on a day other than a ‘warm day’…”
"Is there any news from the Temple? What did the elders say?"
"The patrol team said that even some of the ice bamboo forests outside the city have started dripping water from their tops..."
"Is this... a good omen, or... a harbinger of disaster?"
Whispers reached Yun Chu's ears, filled with confusion and fear.
For them, any "melting" of this eternally frozen city would be enough to overturn their understanding and cause great unease.
Yun Chu silently walked through the crowd, listening to various speculations and discussions, and understood in her heart.
The permafrost core was successfully sealed and channeled, breaking its violent and disorderly mechanism of constantly absorbing icy power to create ice tides.
The world's unbalanced, icy laws are slowly and spontaneously adjusting towards a more gentle and natural state.
The melting of ice and snow and the slight rise in temperature are just the initial signs of this long adjustment process.
This world may indeed usher in a true "spring" in the distant future.
She didn't explain it to anyone.
She calmly purchased some supplies, then strolled around the trading market, exchanging the remaining materials for some interesting trinkets, as if she were just an ordinary passerby, somewhat curious about the strange phenomena in the city.
The remaining two days were eerily calm.
The anticipated riots, which might have been triggered by drastic environmental changes, did not occur on a large scale. Perhaps the city's management system was still functioning effectively, or perhaps the NPCs' inherent reverence for the "King" and the "Temple" led them to choose to observe and pray before receiving clear instructions.
Hou Fei and Chu Ya contacted her once through a communication talisman. They had successfully joined Shang Wu's team and, due to their outstanding abilities, had gained a considerable position.
They also mentioned the strange phenomena in the city, their words filled with surprise and doubt, but Yun Chu only vaguely indicated that it might be related to changes in the dungeon mechanics, telling them to wait and see and focus on defense.
Finally, dawn arrived on the thirtieth day of the mission.
According to the prophecy, this will be the moment when the "final ice tide" arrives.
Almost all the players, along with a large number of fully armed and solemn NPC guards and residents, spontaneously gathered at the highest point of the city—the wide platform surrounding the Iceheart Temple, or climbed the city wall towers to look north.
The cold wind is still there, but it is no longer biting.