Chapter 305: The Great Battle in the Desolation of Extreme Winter

Nordhill, the Overseas Archipelago, Oqi City.

Morning over the sea always brought heavy fog. The towering city walls of Oqi City loomed faintly through the mist as various creatures and carriages lined up at the massive gates. The ogre guards tossed the collected entrance tolls into a large wooden chest.

The clinking of coins falling into the chest meant another person or group had passed inspection, walking through the deep gate tunnel to step onto the broad Royal Capital Avenue.

Although the shops lining Royal Capital Avenue had yet to open, pedestrians already bustled along the street. A crowd clustered around the notice board by the city gate. It displayed the latest information issued by White Castle, bearing everything from new policies to official recruitment postings.

"The Afiaiv Kingdom and the Rosen Kingdom have officially reached a foreign trade agreement. White Castle will import silk and Crimson Fruits from the Rosen Kingdom..."

"With His Majesty's consent, the Bloody Hand Ogre Clan has decided to build a new city on Vasa Island. We are now recruiting architects and surveyors..."

"The upper command of the Royal Capital Guard has decided to recruit new members on the Day of Rejoicing..."

"..."

Clever peddlers took advantage of the massive foot traffic near the notice board to sell breakfast. The guards maintaining order turned a blind eye. As long as the peddlers left before the storefronts opened and didn't interfere with standard business, the guards were happy to let the residents enjoy a hot meal.

A noble in a carriage parted the curtains, accepted the food offered by a peddler, and casually tossed out a few coins as a tip. The curtains fell back into place, and the carriage slowly rolled away.

A gnoll in the heavy fog didn't know the peddler's exact location; he just sniffed the air with his long snout and followed the savory aroma.

Life in the Overseas Archipelago was filled with both ambition and the warmth of daily living.

Inside the tall White Tower shrouded in mist.

The White Dragon Lord read the latest information sent by the Holy Sanctuary. Ever since leaving the Rodoro Plane, the Holy Sanctuary had dispatched personnel to scout the plane once a month.

The bone monster was far more resilient than anyone had imagined. It was still wreaking havoc across the Rodoro Plane; it had already plowed through the plane's landmass, completely altering the original terrain.

Fortunately, the latest intelligence showed that the bone monster was finally exhibiting signs of collapse. In anywhere from a week to a year, the monster formed from millions of fused wraiths would fall apart. When that happened, it would be time for everyone to reap the fruits of victory.

According to the agreement, White Castle owned half the plane. However, the representatives fighting on behalf of White Castle had been the White Dragon Lord and the Cat-Woman. Following the rules of planar exploration, the White Dragon Lord gave half of his profits to the Cat-Woman, but she had transferred it to her disciple—effectively returning the share right back to White Castle.

The White Dragon Lord glanced over the information and then tossed it to the back of his mind, carrying on with his life. He spent most of his time researching magic, dedicating the rest to sleeping and gathering with his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister. Occasionally, he would take a stroll outside to inspect the ever-changing Afiaiv Kingdom.

The Afiaiv Kingdom was developing at a blistering pace. Oqi City had already grown into a continent-renowned mega-city with a permanent population exceeding two million. There were also two other mega-cities with populations over a million: White Scale City and Sokas.

There were over a dozen large cities with populations surpassing one hundred thousand, and the number of small to medium-sized cities was too great to count.

In terms of military strength, their forces continuously broke through their original tiers. Gurgalu successfully advanced, becoming a dual legend. Bucky Darkscale and the gnoll Hogger also achieved their dreams and stepped into the Legendary Rank.

While some broke through, others were left behind. Della Blood Feather and Rog Heavyfist knew their talents were limited and they had no hope of reaching the Legendary Rank. Thus, they focused on enjoying life, seeking a lifetime of comfort and happiness.

The White Dragon Lord was accommodating toward these subordinates who could not reach the Legendary Rank. If they wanted to retire and leave White Castle, he granted them a large sum of money. If they preferred to stay within the system, he assigned them a relaxing logistics post.

Rog Heavyfist returned to his birth island to live peacefully as a wealthy man, while Della Blood Feather stepped back from the center of power and joined the administrative ranks of Snowsurge City.

Meanwhile, the New Murloc population had expanded significantly; their original island could no longer accommodate their growing numbers.

After extensive surveys, the White Dragon Lord decided to utilize the undersea city left behind by the legendary murloc mage—Naspra. Located in the central waters between the three main islands, Naspra became the new home for the New Murlocs.

The New Murloc tribe moved to the ocean floor and continued their quiet development. Although the outside world knew of their existence, the location of their settlement remained a mystery.

During this period, the Nordhill Continent remained the same as always. Several small kingdoms fought skirmishes over trivial matters, but overall, the continent was stable. As long as there were no shifts among the top echelons of power, ordinary kingdoms using legendary powerhouses as their trump cards rarely made any major moves.

It was worth mentioning that after being rejected by White Castle, the Witches' Council had recently pulled the Raven Council in to jointly develop the Desolation of Extreme Winter.

Many major factions had been watching how the situation would unfold, but the result left everyone stunned. The Cult of the Dragon offered no resistance, simply allowing the members of the Witches' Council and the Raven Council to station themselves in the Desolation of Extreme Winter.

With the construction of a Mage Tower and the arrival of High-Tier Legends, the allied forces formed by the Witches' Council and the Raven Council officially secured a foothold in the Desolation of Extreme Winter.

Later, the White Dragon Lord received news that the Raven Council was only supporting the Witches' Council in name. They had merely dispatched five legendary powerhouses to garrison the Mage Tower alongside the Witches' Council. The actual master of the Mage Tower was none other than the second-in-command of the Witches' Council—Denise.

The White Dragon Lord felt a twinge of curiosity about what exactly lay within the Desolation of Extreme Winter to attract Lilith so deeply.

But it was only curiosity. The White Dragon Lord knew how to keep his inquisitiveness in check. The multiverse was full of entities who suffered unexpected setbacks due to excessive curiosity—like a horse stumbling on its front hooves—and he had no desire to join their ranks.

In the autumn of the eighth year of the White Tower Calendar, the White Dragon Lord was gathering with his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister at White Castle, savoring meat imported from the western part of the continent.

"Emergency notification!"

"Councilor Lilith is requesting emergency support! Location: Desolation of Extreme Winter! Coordinates: (...)"

Tower Spirit Seven's warning echoed in the White Dragon Lord's mind. He frowned. Councilors could use their Councilor's Badges to issue emergency distress calls to their peers, and those with the time and inclination would go to help.

Councilors who participated in the rescue would receive points from the Council as a reward afterward. The Council only subsidized a small fraction of these points; the bulk was deducted directly from the caller's own councilor benefits.

Because of this, Lilith would never call for outside help unless she had encountered a danger she absolutely could not overcome.

The Desolation of Extreme Winter! The Cult of the Dragon?!

The White Dragon Lord felt that the mystery behind Lilith's obsession with the Desolation of Extreme Winter was about to be unraveled.

"You two continue. Something has come up with the Guardian Council."

Leaving that brief explanation, the White Dragon Lord teleported to the White Tower. The Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister exchanged a glance before continuing their sibling gathering.

The White Dragon Lord teleported to the White Tower, intending to use its Teleportation Platform to jump straight to the coordinates in the message. A fierce battle was undoubtedly waiting, and he didn't want to waste his mana on long-distance teleportation.

The Desolation of Extreme Winter.

The White Dragon Lord appeared on the Teleportation Platform inside the Mage Tower built by the Witches' Council. A terrifying surge of energy immediately washed over him—the shockwave of a battle between High-Tier Legends.

Since he was here for a rescue, he wasted no time. He quickly shrank his massive body and flew out through one of the Mage Tower's windows, hurtling toward the direction of the fight.

High in the sky, the White Dragon Lord gazed at the distant horizon. Pitch-black necromantic energy clashed against ice-blue magic, dyeing the sky mostly black and partially white. The horrific energy fluctuations rippled far beyond the battlefield.

The ground quaked violently. The native creatures of the Great Glacier—Ice Elementals, Snow Demons, and polar ice lizards—were thrown into chaos. Icebergs on the Great Glacier that had stood frozen since ancient times shattered, and massive fissures spiderwebbed across the ice.

Based on his observations, the White Dragon Lord estimated the strength of the combatants. To his surprise, the energy readings from this battle were a fraction stronger than when the four of them had fought the Bone Tower in the Rodoro Plane.

If the fighters were utilizing a Mage Tower to generate this level of output, it was understandable. But if this was merely a sudden encounter, then the Cult of the Dragon's true power in Nordhill was utterly terrifying.

With these thoughts flashing through his mind, the White Dragon Lord pressed on toward the battlefield.

Nordhill was the Guardian Council's territory, meaning the Guardian Council would inevitably secure the final victory. Furthermore, he wasn't the only councilor rushing in for support. There was no reason to pass up such a one-sided fight.

Buffeted by the baleful winds of the Desolation of Extreme Winter, the White Dragon Lord's flight speed was hindered. He cast a Magic Shield over himself and accelerated. At his current pace, it would take him at least five minutes to reach the fray.

If this was the case for the White Dragon Lord, who excelled at flying, the other councilors were faring even worse. The two miserable melee professionals couldn't even fly in the Desolation of Extreme Winter. They relied on their staggering physical strength to bound across the glacier, shooting forward great distances with every leap, but they were still far slower than the spellcasters who simply bypassed the terrain entirely.

The White Dragon Lord soared past a High-Tier Legendary Mage in mid-air, continuing toward the battlefield.

Suddenly, he sensed a massive energy source hurtling up from behind. Just as he turned his head to look, a dazzling sphere of multi-colored magical energy zipped past him with a sharp swoosh.

The Speaker?!

Merlin Heavenly Principle had come personally. It seemed there was nothing left for him to do.

Every councilor had the same thought. Some immediately turned back around, but the White Dragon Lord kept flying toward the battlefield. He was truly curious about why Lilith had suddenly gone to war with the Cult of the Dragon.

The White Dragon Lord kept flying. About a minute later, the distant sky was completely engulfed by terrifying magic, and the sprawling necromantic energy was compressed into a tiny sphere.

Another minute passed. The sky calmed, and the earth ceased its trembling.

Is this the power of the Abomination Rank?!

The corners of the White Dragon Lord's mouth twitched as he continued his approach toward the battlefield.

Soon, he arrived at the site. A massive ten-kilometer stretch of the glacier had been riddled with holes by the apocalyptic magical energy, its surface distinctly lower than the surrounding ice.

Lilith, Denise, and a black-robed mage were sitting on the ground, resting. The black-robed mage was Hegel Samo from the Raven Council, also a High-Tier Legend; the White Dragon Lord had seen him during the battle to defend Sky City.

Right now, Hegel Samo sat panting opposite the two High-Tier Legends of the Witches' Council, staring at the two witches expressionlessly. However, anyone could feel the seething rage radiating from his body.

A sudden realization hit the White Dragon Lord. If he hadn't rejected the Witches' Council's invitation back then, he would be the miserable victim sitting across from the two witches right now.

"What happened here, you three?"

"Hmph! Just ask them about their brilliant schemes, and you'll find out!"

It was hard not to be furious after being set up. The White Dragon Lord turned his gaze to the two witches.

At this moment, both witches looked entirely wretched. Their auras were weak, and their robes were torn to shreds. Denise had even lost the lower half of her calf, the wound wreathed in black necromantic energy. Lilith was holding a golden necklace, desperately trying to heal the pale-faced Denise's leg injury.

Neither witch looked like they were in the mood to answer questions.

After a brief thought, the White Dragon Lord decided to do an easy favor. He cast a Master-tier Water Moistening Spell onto Hegel, then took out a potion and tossed it to Lilith.

Lilith caught the golden potion. Feeling the rich holy aura radiating from it, she shot the White Dragon Lord a look of gratitude and shame. After recognizing the type of potion, she popped the cork and poured the liquid directly over Denise's wound.

The moment the golden potion and the necromantic energy met, it sizzled loudly and emitted plumes of white smoke. Denise gritted her teeth against the pain. Soon, the necromantic energy clinging to the wound was cleansed by the potion. The blackened, rotting flesh sloughed off, giving way to a flow of bright red blood, but the severed stump remained deathly pale.

This paleness wasn't just caused by excessive blood loss; it also carried a bizarre aura of decay.

A Curse?!

The White Dragon Lord's heart tightened. High-tier undead were among the most skilled casters of curses. If the curse on the wound wasn't purged, even divine spells for limb regeneration would be useless.

In other words, Denise might be missing half her leg for the rest of her life.

But that was none of the White Dragon Lord's business. He had only given them the Holy Purification Potion as a favor in return for Denise helping him cover up the matter with the Flame Demon.

Seeing that Denise's wound was no longer deteriorating, the White Dragon Lord surveyed his surroundings. There was nothing but some bone dust scattered across the heavily cracked ice.

He used Mage Hand to scoop up a handful of bone dust, bringing it before his eyes. Judging by the lingering magical traces on the dust, these remains belonged to an undead at the Legendary Rank Level.

"Where did the enemy go?"

Having received the healing benefits of the Water Moistening Spell, a hint of color returned to Hegel's dark face, and his attitude improved significantly.

"They were heavily injured by the Speaker and teleported away to escape."

The White Dragon Lord guessed that Merlin Heavenly Principle had let them escape on purpose. Even someone like Merlin Heavenly Principle wouldn't want to offend the Cult of the Dragon to the point of no return.

At this moment, Merlin Heavenly Principle wasn't on the surface. Feeling Merlin Heavenly Principle's magical signature deep within an ice fissure, the White Dragon Lord immediately flew down into it.

Deep inside the massive ice fissure, the White Dragon Lord saw Merlin Heavenly Principle standing before an ancient Altar.

Floating in mid-air above the Altar was an exquisite, arm-length staff. It rotated slowly, its ice-crystal-like body carved with beautiful blue vines bearing several blooming white flowers.

At the tip of the staff, the vines wove together into the shape of a bird's nest. What made it feel unsettling, however, was that the nest was completely empty.

"What is this?"

Merlin Heavenly Principle's tone was distant.

"As you can see, a broken Divine Artifact."