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With the system's reward of a 5000-year spirit ring enhancement, Meng Bei's fourth spirit ring transformed from deep purple to a profound black. A new spirit skill emerged in his mind:

*Frost Ice Armor!*

This skill forms an ice armor around the user by channeling the power of snow and frost, providing formidable defense. Unless the armor is completely penetrated, it can regenerate damage by consuming spirit power.

Meng Bei was delighted with the acquisition of this powerful defensive skill. "Frost Ice Armor" significantly addressed his vulnerability. His first three spirit skills were all offensive, and combined with the secondary spirit, the Heaven Measuring Ruler, he had no shortcomings in attack. At this stage, gaining a defensive ability offered a substantial advantage.

Just imagine: when enemies assumed he was a fragile mage and focused all efforts to reach him, they'd encounter a shield tougher than any warrior's. The despair on their faces would be priceless.

Meng Bei couldn't wait to see it in action.

"Alright, it's time to rescue Aunt Erlong!" Meng Bei brushed off the snow on him, stood up, and walked out.

Tang Hao quickly followed.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Abyss

The Ice Abyss was a natural ice pit, hundreds of meters deep, surrounded by ancient ice on all sides, with only a small exit at the top. However, Tang Hao had sealed the only exit with an icy boulder dragged from elsewhere.

Inside, Liu Erlong huddled in a corner, clutching her body for warmth. The relentless, piercing cold assaulted her. Even as a formidable Spirit Sage, she struggled to endure such extreme chill.

Frost covered her hair, and her breath turned into frozen crystals the moment it escaped her lips. She had draped multiple layers of clothing over herself from her storage spirit tool, but they proved futile; the relentless cold hardened them into stiff blocks of ice.

She minimized her activity, conserving her rapidly depleting spirit power to maintain a sliver of warmth in her body. Yet, even with careful rationing, her spirit power was dwindling.

Liu Erlong had tried to break through the icy exit above, but her efforts only drained her power further.

"Little Gang... I may never see you again..." Liu Erlong whispered, despairing.

She regretted everything: ignoring Meng Bei's warnings, underestimating her enemy, and falling into the ambush that trapped her here. Now, escape seemed impossible.

And Meng Bei...

She feared the black-cloaked man would not spare him either. Her recklessness had dragged that child into this dire situation.

Liu Erlong's beautiful eyes welled with tears, freezing instantly as they fell

Suddenly, a noise came from the top of the ice abyss.

"You two can freeze to death together!" A mocking voice called out, followed by a faint movement at the sealed exit. A figure was thrown down into the abyss before the opening was quickly closed again.

Thud. The figure landed directly in front of Liu Erlong.

"Xiao Bei!" Liu Erlong exclaimed in shock.

Meng Bei groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head. Despite his ice armor, the impact from a fall of hundreds of meters was not negligible.

After shaking off the dizziness, Meng Bei's eyes brightened when he saw Liu Erlong. "Aunt Erlong! You're here too!"

"I went to find you when you didn't return," Meng Bei explained quickly. "But I was ambushed by a black-robed man and thrown down here. I didn't expect to find you here as well!"

In just a few sentences, Meng Bei recounted his predicament.

Liu Erlong, overwhelmed with guilt, lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Xiao Bei. I ignored your warnings and ended up dragging you into this."

Meng Bei waved it off. "Don't say that, Aunt Erlong. You ended up in danger while helping me hunt for a spirit ring. How could I blame you? Achoo!"

The chill of the ice abyss was indeed extreme. Even with his ice-resistant spirit, Meng Bei couldn't help but feel a slight shiver.

"This place is freezing!" he exclaimed, curling up like Liu Erlong to conserve warmth.

The cold didn't bother him much; it was akin to a crisp autumn breeze for an ordinary person wearing short sleeves. Still, sustained exposure would lead to discomfort. Once he activated his spirit, however, the chill vanished completely. In fact, his spirit seemed to thrive here, doubling his cultivation speed.

Liu Erlong's condition, in contrast, was dire. Her spirit power recovery had slowed drastically in the ice abyss, and she could barely keep up with the energy she was expending to resist the cold. Unaware of Meng Bei's advantage, she kindly reminded him to conserve his strength.

A day passed.

Meng Bei ate Liu Erlong's provisions since his storage tool had been stolen. They discussed ways to escape, but all attempts proved futile.

Two days passed.

Meng Bei's condition remained stable, but Liu Erlong deteriorated. She grew visibly weaker, her spirit fire dimming until she extinguished it entirely to preserve power.

Darkness engulfed the abyss.

Three more days passed.

Liu Erlong's food supplies dwindled. As a Spirit Sage, she had only packed minimal provisions, relying on her spirit power to sustain her energy. But under these circumstances, she realized her grave mistake.

Meng Bei continued cultivating at an accelerated pace, advancing from level 43 to level 44. Meanwhile, Liu Erlong's vitality waned rapidly. Each passing moment chipped away at her hope. The last embers of her fire flickered faintly in the shadows of despair.

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