The icy wind howled across the Northern Peaks, and under the fading light of the sunset, the wasteland seemed even paler. The three of them crossed the final stretch of frozen white-bone earth, and before their eyes rose the legendary Cold-Bone Altar—an ancient stone platform covered in snow, surrounded by countless frozen skeletons, like screams solidified by time. The scattered bones on the ground formed irregular heaps, yet their arrangement hinted at some ancient order, as if signaling the structure slumbering within the altar. Ye Chenyu stepped forward slowly, each footfall pressing upon the cold-bone remnants of the dead, and an indescribable sense of oppression welled in his chest.
At the center of the altar, towering stone pillars were inlaid with strange runes, their inscriptions flickering with interwoven ice-blue and blood-red light, like a pulsating heartbeat. Shadows stretched and twisted across the snow with every flicker, making Ye Chenyu feel as if the surrounding space were slowly contracting. The wind whispered through the canyon, carrying low murmurs: "Sacrifice… sacrifice…" His fear magnified infinitely, every nerve in his body taut to the limit.
The moment the three stepped onto the altar, the air froze suddenly. Cold light, sharp as a blade, filtered through the snow and rune cracks, coalescing into a shadow—a six-headed, six-bodied aberration. Each head bore a different expression: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, serenity, and madness. Each body resembled ancient sculptures with dislocated joints, yet the flickering light made them appear alive. Ye Chenyu instinctively stepped back, realizing that the light was not warm but a piercing "cold radiance," burning into his eyes and bone, making him dizzy and his heart race.
Liyue Ying's long blade arced through the icy wind, her figure a black silhouette atop the altar, her cold gaze fixed on the six-headed beast. The rune shards in her hand glimmered faintly, resonating with the altar's inscriptions, seemingly suppressing the creature's power. Xuan Ye moved slightly, murmuring an ancient incantation; a faint blue light of the rune array ignited across the snow like an invisible cage, beginning to restrain the six-headed beast.
The six heads emitted a piercing, low hum, the light slicing through the air like an icy blade, striking directly at Ye Chenyu's mind. He felt his memory and sanity slowly warp, each breath like inhaling the cold void. Illusions surged before his eyes: countless souls once sacrificed on the altar now frozen in skeletal form under the cold wind, the six-headed aberration circling above as if inspecting every intruder, selecting the next to be consumed.
Ye Chenyu inhaled deeply, trying to steady himself. He focused, and the rune shard in his hand grew slightly warm, casting its cold glow across the altar's inscriptions, resonating with Xuan Ye and Liyue Ying. Xuan Ye quickened his incantation; the light of the rune array strengthened, slightly dulling the piercing chill. Yet the aura of the six-headed beast remained like a black wall pressing against the sky, making it nearly impossible for Ye Chenyu to breathe.
At that moment, Liyue Ying moved like the wind, her long blade and rune shards creating interwoven arcs. Every swing cut the refracted paths of light, causing the six-headed beast's bodies to misalign momentarily, unable to maintain stable forms. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Chenyu moved to the altar's side, pressing the rune shard into the ground to resonate with Xuan Ye's array, producing a low, ancient reverberation. This counterforce pressed the aberration back toward the altar's periphery.
The six-headed beast's hum gradually weakened; its light no longer blinding, its bodies slowly dissipating into the cold wind and drifting snow, as if they had never truly existed. Yet a lingering chill remained in Ye Chenyu's heart, his body half-frozen, consciousness not fully recovered. The altar's runes still flickered faintly, silently warning intruders: the mysteries of the Northern Peaks are far beyond what a single battle can reveal.
The three stood upon the frozen white-bone earth. The wind howled, snowflakes striking their faces as if whispering with each touch. They remained silent, each absorbing the desolation and oppression of the Northern Peaks. Ye Chenyu glanced back at the altar, his heart slightly trembling: this Cold-Bone Altar was not only the core of the Northern Peaks, but also a manifestation of the Spirit Domain's deep power. Every approach threatened to consume the mind.
Xuan Ye spoke softly, "The Cold-Bone Altar is only the beginning. The true power of the sacrifices… lies deeper still." Ye Chenyu did not respond, only gripping the rune shard in his hand. He understood that the secrets of the Northern Peaks were yet to be unveiled, and the experience of the Cold-Bone Altar would be his only means of resisting the horrors to come.
Liyue Ying's gaze swept between Ye Chenyu and Xuan Ye; she nodded slightly and said coldly, "Keep moving. Deep within the Northern Peaks, even more indescribable entities await."
The wind swept up snow once more. The three figures slowly disappeared into the northern wasteland, leaving behind the flickering runes of the Cold-Bone Altar, as if silently watching, recording every step of those daring enough to enter the Spirit Domain.