Deep within the northern peaks, the wilderness grew even more desolate. Snow-laden winds howled, and the ice beneath their feet groaned faintly. The three of them stepped onto an open snowfield. In the vast white expanse, a distant ancient ridge emerged, its surface covered in thick frost, resembling a backbone frozen by time. The air carried an indescribable sense of menace, as if the entire Northern Mountains were holding their breath, watching.
Ye Chenyu gripped his ice staff tightly, moving cautiously and steadily. He sensed a deep, rhythmic pulse in the surrounding wind, almost like a breath. Li Yueying and Xuan Ye flanked him, their eyes sharp and watchful. Somewhere deep within the northern peaks, an ancient power stirred in secret, making each step fraught with danger.
Suddenly, a faint hum rose from the mist, like thousands of whispers murmuring at once. Ye Chenyu raised his eyes and saw a massive figure gradually materializing from the fog. Its body was covered in silvery-white fur, and the ridge of its spine resembled an ancient mountain. Its limbs were long and powerful, hooves moving silently over the ice. The most unsettling feature was its head—an uncanny fusion of human and beast, eyes deep and luminous, as if they could pierce one's very soul. Its lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"…Who are you?" Ye Chenyu muttered under his breath, his voice dissolving into the wind.
The figure stepped forward deliberately, as if not touching the ground, yet the air trembled with each step. It made no aggressive moves, but every glance it cast sent an indescribable weight pressing on Ye Chenyu's mind, as though every living thing in the Northern Mountains had fallen silent, leaving only it to silently assess the intruders.
With its presence, the air began to warp. Snow patterns on the ground seemed to animate, forming countless tiny illusions—like miniature creatures crawling beneath his feet. His heart raced as he realized that what he saw was not purely physical but a projection of consciousness, tugging at his mind.
"You… have entered the depths of the Northern Mountains." A voice arose, not entirely from the wind nor wholly from the ears. Ye Chenyu realized the massive figure itself was speaking, its words fragmented like illusions—part human language, part indescribable melody.
Ye Chenyu frowned, alert. He sensed this creature was not truly an enemy but a trial. Every phrase was a probe, attempting to pry open their minds, testing their beliefs and fears.
"The Northern Mountains… are not the end. The altar truly lies… in the Eastern Mountains." Its whisper drifted like wind, each word frozen by frost and then instantly dissolving into the air. Ye Chenyu's chest tightened; he understood that these words were both guidance and warning.
Yet beneath the speech lingered a subtle malice. His grip on the ice staff instinctively tightened. Within the illusions, he saw their own fears take shape, contorting and stretching across the snow. Li Yueying's eyes flickered with vigilance, Xuan Ye's brow furrowed—they endured the illusions in silence yet maintained composure.
The snow beneath Ye Chenyu's feet trembled slightly as the colossal figure rotated, its limbs seemingly treading on nothing yet stirring the air. The illusions sharpened, as if what he saw was not the Northern Mountains before him but another world filled with unknown horrors.
He held his breath, struggling to steady his mind. His intuition told him this creature harbored no pure hostility; hidden within its trial was information—the Northern Mountains were part of the Spirit Realm, while the Eastern Mountains contained the altar's core. Yet the malice within the illusions weighed heavily, reminding him that every step deeper could encounter forces beyond endurance.
The creature slowly retreated into the mist. Its silvery-white fur shimmered in the wind and snow, refracting a ghostly light like ice crystals. The whispers dissipated, leaving only cold silence. Ye Chenyu watched the figure vanish, feeling both relief and an unshakable caution.
Li Yueying spoke softly: "Be careful. Every trial may carry unforeseen consequences."
Xuan Ye only nodded, his gaze lingering on the mist, as if observing the lingering presence of the colossal figure.
Complex emotions swelled within Ye Chenyu—reverence, fear, and confusion intertwined. He realized the Northern Mountains' secrets were far deeper than he had imagined. Every trial here carried both information and threat. He would have to continue forward under the oppressive weight of wind, snow, and illusion to uncover the deeper truth hidden within the northern peaks.