A Demon's Journey

Nearly a week had passed since Azaroth, and Tiana split up from Noah, Laura, and Ralph.  The two had finally reached the base of 'The Arctic Summit.'

The surroundings were quite cold, and the area was filled with Ice.

Before landing on the ground, Azaroth realized that some things were not mentioned on the map.

Like a small human settlement near the base of 'The Arctic Summit.'

Azaroth immediately lowered his altitude to meet these people.

Before taking any action, he had to first analyze them. Just what were they doing here? This question appeared in his mind.

Azaroth told Tiana, "Don't say anything that reveals information about us. Just follow my lead while I am talking to them."

Tiana nodded her head and spoke, "Alright."

The two landed some distance away from this encampment. Azaroth didn't want to inform them that they could fly. This would indicate that one of them was a 5 Star Warrior.

He wanted to conceal this information from them for some time.

This settlement had three 5 Star Warriors, ten 4 Star Warriors, and thirty or so 3 Star Warriors.

There were no 2 Star Warriors or 1 Star Warriors because they wouldn't be able to survive in this temperature for long.

As a result, bringing warriors weaker than 3-Star Rank would be detrimental instead of being helpful.

The fact that the surroundings were so chilly delighted Azaroth even more. He was now certain that this was the ideal site for the Sacred Ice Aurora Valley Sect to establish themselves.

Even if the warriors Tiana brought were weaker than 3 Star Warriors, Azaroth had his methods for making this a location they could live.

Soon, the two reached the encampment.

The guards outside the encampment were only 3 Star Warriors. They showed surprised expressions when they noticed Azaroth moving towards them.

However, before they asked anything, their eyes twinkled as they gazed at Tiana, who was accompanying Azaroth.

One of them regained his composure and asked the two, "Who are you, and what are you doing near the Black Lake Sect's Camp?"

Azaroth halted as he heard this information and processed it quickly.

'The disciples of the Black Lake Sect, huh?'

This sect had no restraints regarding their disciples' elements. Any warrior could join the Black Lake Sect after passing their tests.

However, the Black Lake Sect's cultivation techniques focused on calming the mind. The greater the control over his emotions, the greater is his hold over his cultivation technique, and the greater are the results.

Thus, the cultivators possessing the Flame Element would rarely join the Black Lake Sect.

These Black Lake Sect's disciples had come to the base of the Arctic Summit Hill to complete a mission launched by their sect.

The mission was to kill the Frozen Spirit Fox.

These foxes, like wolves, lived in packs. They were aware that their strength was inferior to that of other creatures and that they needed to join together to have a chance against their foes.

Azaroth talked to these disciples of the Black Lake Sect and spoke, "Greetings. I am Azaroth, and this is my sister Tiana. We are looking for Icy Spirit Flower."

The Black Lake Sect's disciples were quite relieved when they heard that Azaroth and Tiana were looking for Icy Spirit Flower.

This flower was quite rare in the Glerian Kingdom and could only be found on the Arctic Summit.

The Icy Spirit Flower was generally used by warriors to break through to the 4 Star Rank. Their control over the Ice Element would become smoother. Thus, the Icy Spirit Flower was quite valuable for cultivators.

Although it was rare, it wasn't to the point that it wasn't available in the sects. As long as one had sufficient points, they could exchange for an Icy Spirit Flower.

However, the fact that Azaroth and Tiana came to the Arctic Summit to look for an Icy Spirit Flower indicated that they didn't belong to a sect. Or maybe they were extremely poor. Both of these possibilities might be true.

"This is a very dangerous place. You should have brought more people."

There was a distressed look on Azaroth's face as he replied, "We don't possess the wealth to hire warriors to accompany us to this place. It was even more difficult to buy an Icy Spirit Flower. So, we could only risk our lives and come here."

"Even if you possess 3 Star Rank, it means little to nothing. There are many 4 Star Beasts, including a couple of 5 Star Beasts on this hill." A disciple spoke with a serious tone.

Azaroth's face turned pale as he heard those words.

He spoke, "We had no idea that such dangerous beasts lived here. Oh no! What should we do now?! If we don't break through to the 4 Star Rank, how can we save our mother?!"

In his anxiousness, Azaroth 'accidentally' revealed some information.

The disciples discreetly smiled as a result of this. They received the impression that Azaroth had unintentionally exposed personal information. They might be able to utilize this knowledge and talk to Tiana under the pretext of helping her.

A disciple soon said to Azaroth, "Why don't you join us and stay in our camp? We are here for a few days, and we also know quite a bit about the surroundings. We can help you in searching for an Icy Spirit Flower. In return, you assist us with our tasks."

Azaroth's expression showed he was excited to receive this offer. He immediately spoke, "Really?! Thank you."

One of these disciples took Azaroth and Tiana inside the encampment. They showed the entire encampment to the two of them.

While a disciple was showing off the encampment to the two, another disciple had immediately run towards the head of their group and informed him of the situation.

The leader of this group was Andreas Kondelis. He was a talented disciple of the Black Lake Sect under the age of 20.

His cultivation was at the 4 Star Rank, and he possessed the Ice Element. He was quite proficient in controlling his Ardor.

When he heard the entire situation, he smiled slightly. According to the description he heard from his junior brother, the woman was quite beautiful. And she was at the most a 3 Star Warrior.

"Give them different dwelling. Kick out someone who lives in the hut next to mine and give it to the woman." Andreas immediately gave his order with a smile.

The disciple immediately left as he heard the orders.

Andreas then thought 'These two came so far for just an Icy Spirit Flower, or is that just an excuse?'

'Well, their motives don't matter as long as they aren't here to look for that Moonlit Snow Lotus within the territory of Frozen Spirit Foxes.'

This was the real reason why Andreas's group had come here. They had even brought three elders who possessed 5 Star Cultivation.

Only Andreas and these three elders were told the true purpose of this trip. The other disciples thought they were here to kill Frozen Spirit Foxes and bring their pelt along with their blood to the sect. The Frozen Spirit Foxes' Pelt and their blood were quite useful.

Their pelt could be used to enforce an ice resistance to the armor and the weapon, while their blood could be used to enhance the ice properties of the weapon and even be used as the main ingredient while making Frozen Ice Pill.