Chapter 223 Goodbye, Snow Queen!

Xue Zhiyu looked at Wang Feng, feeling a mix of emotions at this moment. Although it was fake, this man was still her fiancé. She bit her lip gently, "Um... can I name that rune?"

Old Wang was taken aback, remembering his impulsive words in the palace last time, calling it something like Zhiyu's blessing, which seemed too blatant, "Sure, no problem!"

"Then let's call it Queen of Snow." Xue Zhiyu suddenly said loudly.

"Alright, Queen of Snow it is!" Old Wang wrapped his arm around Karida's waist without a care and waved, "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

Karida gave the princess a half-smile, half-sneer, then squeezed her legs, and the Snow Wolf King galloped off, carrying the two of them into the distance.

"Alright, you can let go now. What, are you afraid the princess will cling to you?" Karida said lightly.

"Cough, Sister Karida, you're overthinking it. I'm just being cautious for my safety. As you know, I'm a runesmith, and my hands are very important. If I fall... " Old Wang began his smooth talk.

"Alright, keep holding if you must. Stop blabbering so much. I see you're living quite well without Rose. Look at how Princess is reluctant to part with you. Maybe you should go back and be her prince consort?"

Sister Karida's slim waist, really, it's perfect, and there's a faint fragrance, which I smelled during our last sparring session. It's really comfortable.

Prince consort? Ha, am I the type to live off others?

"Sister Karida, don't joke around. I, Wang Feng, belong to you in life and death. Ever since you whipped me with that little whip..."

"That was Blue Sky who whipped you..."

...

A sweeping news dominated the entire League of Blades. For days, no matter where the Holy Light reached, all front pages were dominated by the same headline.

The buzzing of ten thousand miles heralds the song of ice and snow!

This is the Ten Thousand Mile Ice Bee, ranked fifty-eighth among the forbidden species in *Chronicles of the Nine Heavens*. Don't think that rank fifty-eight is low; just look at the dozens of mythical creatures ranked above it, and the many dragon-level beasts ranked below it... and you'll understand just how terrifying this ranking truly is.

This is an existence that even dragon-level beasts would avoid, and for most people in the League of Blades who lack a direct concept, the dragon level is a significant dividing line in the hierarchy, a term that can stir anyone's nerves. Historically, every dragon-level beast has almost always been beyond human resistance.

Ice Spirit City faced an invasion by the ice bees, but through united efforts, it managed to avoid destruction and even successfully repelled the swarm. This was an incredibly uplifting event.

The report detailed the Winter Hand Oscar, a figure renowned across the continent two hundred years ago. He was portrayed as the hero who blocked the ice bees. At that moment, Oscar's power reached the true dragon level, the Sixth Order of Sorcery, the Age of Ice, freezing ten thousand miles with one move and repelling the swarm with another!

What kind of existence is dragon-level strength? Even the peak of human prowess, the Ghost Level, is already the pinnacle of the continent. Even someone as strong as Karida or Fu Liye only reaches the peak of the Ghost Level. Dragon Level?

It seems like just a step away, but even the greatest geniuses in history have been stuck at this threshold their entire lives.

Only by reaching the dragon level can one break the limits of the human body and master the ultimate rune secrets.

To put it simply, as long as Oscar lives, any country that dares to move against Ice Spirit must seriously consider the consequences. It's like a nuclear deterrent.

There were countless praises and accolades, both for Oscar and for Ice Spirit. The spirit of the Ice Spirit people, the determination and courage of the tens of thousands of soldiers and the ruler who vowed to defend the nation, showed the world the strength of this small duchy with less than ten million people, which ranks among the top ten of the alliance duchies. It is indeed extraordinary.

Of course, amidst the praise, there were also various criticisms. However, the Nine Gods Empire had only one response: it never happened.

The League of Blades soon quieted down. Corpses alone couldn't prove anything, and even if they did, so what?

Can fight? Dare to fight?

The most frustrating part is that this incident wouldn't even bring any tangible benefits, because the Nine Gods Empire denied everything, even claiming it was all a plot by the Dark Hall, an internal matter of the League of Blades, and dared to accuse the Nine Gods Empire. If you keep babbling, the Nine Gods will get angry.

Of course, there was one person who was genuinely furious.

One of the Nine Sons of the New World, Master of a Thousand Faces, Fu Liye!

Born with divine seeds, he is a supreme expert combining the skills of an exorcist and a wizard, excelling in puppetry and spatial arts. He was once among the top young talents in the Holy City, respected and admired by many, who believed he would surely become one of the true pillars of the Holy Sanctuary. However, unexpectedly, after being captured while pursuing the Dark Hall's master, Qian Jueqian, over a decade ago, he became a follower of Qian Jueqian.

Due to this incident, Fu Liye’s bounty increased from twenty million to fifty million lireos.

These major events, with their intricate and convoluted details, have clearly become the hottest topics in the League of Blades today, intertwined with some niche gossip that interests a smaller audience, such as the engagement ceremony of the Ice Spirit Princess...

This should have been the most prominent topic, but it seems the Ice Bee incident has overshadowed the impact of the wedding. The Ice Spirit Kingdom officially announced that the wedding was actually pre-planned to expose the conspiracy of the Dark Hall and the Nine Gods.

Moreover, Wang Feng’s ‘senior sister’ Karida happened to appear in Ice Spirit City, and her battle with Fu Liye also made sense.

However, there is one strange point: Karida, Wang Feng, senior sister and junior brother?

To those who don’t know, this might just be a slightly odd piece of news, considering Karida, as the headmaster of Rose Academy, and Wang Feng, a disciple of the Holy Sanctuary, seem to be from different generations.

Could Wang Feng be a disciple of that person???

Ice Spirit City is actively rebuilding, despite the significant losses. However, the foundation of the Ice Spirit Kingdom is very strong, having accumulated considerable wealth during the Holy War. With abundant resources, each generation of monarchs, though not all wise and valiant, has never produced a wasteful ruler, allowing the relatively small Ice Spirit Kingdom to maintain a leading position within the League of Blades.

Outside the city gates, a long line of transport teams stretches endlessly, carrying the massive Cold Green Stones from the distant ice valleys. These unique stones, formed in cold iron veins, are not heavy but extremely durable and possess a significant 'adhesive' property. When two Cold Green Stones are polished smooth, they can be bonded together by simply pouring a little water on the cut surfaces, which quickly solidifies in the low temperatures of Ice Spirit City, making them inseparable.

Throughout the city walls, inside and out, people are everywhere. Large blocks of Cold Green Stone are transported to the top of the walls, where skilled craftsmen repair the damaged sections, reconstructing the ten-mile-high wall that guards Ice Spirit.

There are also many areas within the city that were damaged by the Ice Bees. When the Ice Bees entered the city, they did not just attack the city walls; many more spread into the interior of Ice Spirit City, destroying numerous houses and buildings.

Now, all these areas are being rebuilt. Out with the old, in with the new, and the wealthy royal family is funding the entire project, which the people of Ice Spirit take quite calmly.

Whether it’s the warriors who have just survived life and death or the civilians who narrowly escaped by hiding in the mines, everyone is actively participating in the reconstruction.

The fortunate survival after the disaster taught the people of Ice Spirit more. While mourning the dead, they also looked forward to a new life with greater hope.

Fu Liye was right in saying that destruction would lead to rebirth, but the rebirth of Ice Spirit was different from what he had imagined.

At this moment, on the city gate, the two most respected men of Ice Spirit Kingdom stood side by side.

The bustling scenes of reconstruction around them exuded a sense of relief and peace after the calamity.

The guards on both sides had been dismissed, and Oscar once again appeared as his usual sickly self, but Xue Cangbo knew this time it wasn't an act.

"Clan Elder, thank you for your intervention, saving Ice Spirit and Winter once again," Xue Cangbo said sincerely.

As the Holy Light reported, having an elder at home is like having a treasure.

Oscar had guarded the forbidden land of Winter for too long, and over the years, there hadn't been any major events. As a result, the current generation of Ice Spirit kings had almost forgotten the former glory of the Hand of Winter, seeing him only as a symbol of Ice Spirit and Winter.

But in times of true crisis, it became clear that the Clan Elder was still the true guardian of Ice Spirit, as recorded in the clan's genealogy.

"Your Majesty, you're too kind. It was just my duty," Oscar smiled. His hair, which used to be just white, now looked thin and sparse, with a large bald spot on his forehead: "Actually, someone else saved Ice Spirit."

"Oh, Karida?" Xue Cangbo asked. He knew about Karida's battle at the clock tower and her legends. The Death Rose was quite well-known and influential on the continent, and she was certainly well-informed, perhaps even possessing some forbidden methods.

Oscar shook his head again but didn't offer an explanation, instead smiling and changing the subject: "Your Majesty, a new era is coming. Let the children make their own choices in the future. All we can do is protect them."

Children's affairs? Does he mean Zhiyu's marriage?

Xue Cangbo smiled. He had already publicly denied the engagement between the two, attributing it to a means of exposing the conspiracy of the Nine Gods and the Dark Hall.

Zhiyu said Wang Feng had saved her, which surprised Xue Cangbo. After all, Wang Feng gave him the impression of being slick and unreliable, the kind of man every father instinctively dislikes. But...

To be honest, in his father's eyes, whether one had ability or background was not the most important thing. What mattered was that at a critical moment, Wang Feng was willing to risk his life. This was enough to change his father’s perception of him, even to the point of feeling somewhat grateful. He no longer opposed their relationship, but unfortunately, Wang Feng had already left.

Thinking about this, Xuecangbai felt a bit angry. Why? His daughter, perfect in every way, the princess of Ice Spirit Kingdom and the future queen, and this man just walked away?

"Truly, I will follow the elder's teachings," Xuecangbai said sincerely. "Xuecai told me you plan to return to Winter Chill? The swarm has calmed down now, and the forbidden area is under stricter surveillance. You would just be idle there. The conditions here are better; it would be better to stay in the capital for a while longer. I..."

"No need," Aota waved his hand, smiling as he interrupted. "I'm old, and this time, using my powers has drained my vitality. Who knows how many days I have left? I prefer to live simply. I enjoy the tranquility of the ice caves; after all, I’m used to it."

That was a two-hundred-year habit.

Xuecangbai nodded. He knew that although this move had intimidated the continent, it had cost the elder's life.

Aota waved his hand again, saying nothing more. He declined the king’s ceremonial procession and returned to Winter Chill on a wooden cart carrying cold green stones. Upon returning, he found that the oil lamp in the high, cold ice cave was gone.

It was said that on the day of the Snow Festival, after he left, Aota and those three young men had come...

Aota did not pursue the matter, instead wearing a smile of understanding.

Being young is truly wonderful, with good luck too, born in an era destined for brilliance. The future belongs to them.