Ice crystal dragon egg (hatched), a gift from the dragon.

Then, from the darkness deep within the lair, a pair of eyes emitting a deep blue glow slowly emerged.

Their gaze was profound and icy, as if it could pierce through everyone's hearts and freeze their souls!

"Krr—krr—!"

As those eyes drew closer, the temperature throughout the cave dropped by another dozen degrees, reaching a staggering -90°C!

The chill permeating the air almost condensed into frost, as if even space itself had been frozen by this extreme cold.

"Hoo… hoo…"

Everyone's breath turned into clouds of white mist in the freezing air, quickly condensing into ice crystals and falling to the ground.

The aura of this unknown dragon was truly terrifying; before it even approached, it already exerted an invisible pressure on Cao Xing and his group!

Its strength was not even inferior to the Legendary-level Lizardman Chieftain!

"What a powerful dragon!"

Cao Xing sighed inwardly: "Everyone, prepare for battle!"

As he spoke, everyone gripped their weapons, readying themselves.

Just then, a low and ancient voice suddenly echoed in their ears.

"You have come—"

Upon hearing this voice, everyone on the scene was stunned for a moment.

Cao Xing quickly regained his composure.

He furrowed his brows slightly and asked: "Were you waiting for me?"

"That is correct—"

The voice sounded again, carrying an indescribable sense of majesty and mystery.

"Oruen said that the chosen one would arrive at my dragon lair one day."

"So she told me to wait for you here—"

After hearing the name "Oruen," a flash of surprise crossed Cao Xing's eyes again.

So far, he and Oruen had only had one brief encounter during the Battle of the Oracle.

Yet she seemed to know everything, not only using another dragon to have Bing Lan pass a message to him.

She even foresaw that Cao Xing would come to the Diyesha Mountains to search for other dragons.

Could this Dragon of Fate really be so miraculous?

This was practically equivalent to the ability to foresee the future!

Cao Xing took a deep breath, pushed the thoughts out of his mind, and asked: "Then, did Oruen tell you why I came here?"

"She told me—"

Those deep blue eyes flickered slightly, and a massive figure emerged from the darkness.

Its body was massive and elegant, its scales covered in a layer of faint white frost, and the dragon wings on its back were slightly unfurled, as if it were a dragon carved from ice and snow!

Its thick dragon claws stepped across the ice, walking toward them step by step.

Its height of several dozen meters gave people a strong sense of oppression.

At this moment, everyone's gaze fell upon it.

[Ice Crystal Magic Dragon: ???] [Level: ???] [Attributes: ???] [Skills: ???] [Talents: ???]

As expected, everything was question marks.

This dragon's level was definitely above 130, possibly even 150, which was the maximum level for Legendary!

And from the limited information, he learned that this was a Magic Dragon.

It is worth noting that the "Magic" in Magic Dragon here does not mean it is some evil creature. It refers to magic.

Compared to those dragons that rely more on physical strength, Magic Dragons are better at using various powerful dragon magic!

However, Cao Xing sensed an unusual aura from this powerful Magic Dragon.

This aura was extremely similar to that of the Lizardman Chieftain.

It was a feeling that was chaotic despite being in a calm state, as if it were about to lose control and erupt at any moment!

Before he could continue observing, the dragon slowly spoke: "Oruen said that you would come to my lair and take away my only child."

"And I have hope in you to find a destiny that avoids death."

Cao Xing furrowed his brows again, "A destiny that avoids death—what does that mean?"

"Are you dying?" he couldn't help but ask.

The dragon nodded slowly, its massive head covered in frost, as if it were its crown.

"Yes."

"You should be able to see that the power within me has reached a critical point."

"All these years, I have tried my best to avoid fighting, using all my strength to suppress it so it wouldn't erupt."

"However, now, I am nearing my limit."

"I probably won't last much longer before I explode and die."

Its tone was calm, as if it were narrating something unrelated to itself.

The people listening to all this, however, had looks of extreme shock in their eyes.

A dragon this powerful was actually about to face death?

And the aura it emitted still seemed extremely young.

According to the long lifespan of dragons, it should still be able to live for at least several thousand, or even ten thousand years!

Cao Xing asked: "Can you tell me what happened?"

The dragon was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "I can."

It seemed to be reminiscing in its mind.

After a moment, it began to narrate.

"Many years ago, I was a Legendary-level Ice Magic Dragon, mastering many dragon magics."

"Because I inherited my parents' power, as long as I stayed in places rich in ice elements and continuously absorbed divine power, I could keep getting stronger."

"After a long period of slumber, I awoke on that day and successfully ignited the Divine Fire, breaking through to the Demigod-level."

Hearing this, Cao Xing couldn't help but interrupt: "Wait a second, do you mean that your strength was once at the Demigod-level?"

The dragon nodded slightly.

And at this moment, Cao Xing seemed to have realized something.

An unprecedented gravity appeared in his eyes.

The Magic Dragon continued to narrate: "However, not long after I broke through to the Demigod-level, I encountered a terrifying existence."

"It was a man!"

Speaking of this, its tone had its first emotional fluctuation. This emotion was called fear.

"That man broke into my dragon lair, fixed me in place, and then slowly walked over."

"He reached out a pair of cold, emotionless hands and just like that, directly took away my Divine Fire."

"After that, he left directly."

Hearing this, Cao Xing was already certain. This Magic Dragon had encountered the same thing as the Lizardman Chieftain!

After they became Demigod-level powerhouses, they both had their Divine Fire taken away by one person.

And based on this inference, this person definitely did not just target these two Demigods; many other Demigods had also had their Divine Fire taken away by him!

What did the other party want to do? Why steal so much Divine Fire? And what exactly was his identity?

A pile of questions popped up in his mind.

The dragon's voice interrupted Cao Xing's thoughts.

"Because my Divine Fire was taken away, my divine power was in a state of loss of control, and I almost exploded and died."

"Fortunately, I am an Ice-attribute Magic Dragon, so I used the ice power within me to seal all the divine power in my body."

"But even so, this is not a long-term solution."

"Before long, the divine power in my body will break through the seal, causing me to explode and die on the spot."

Hearing this, everyone's gaze couldn't help but look at this massive Legendary Magic Dragon.

Looking closely, they did indeed discover some abnormalities. In its abdominal area and the area under its dragon wings, fine cracks had appeared on its ice-crystal-like body, with a faint tendency to spread.

As the Magic Dragon said, it was almost unable to suppress it anymore.

Cao Xing had a serious expression and continued to ask: "Then what happened?"

"Later—" the Magic Dragon said slowly: "I received a revelation from Oruen."

"She told me to return to the dragon lair, leave behind an offspring, and then wait for the arrival of the chosen one, which is you."

"So many years ago, I came here and laid a dragon egg."

"After many years of nurturing, it has matured and can hatch at any time."

"It is also my only child, and I know your purpose is also for it."

"Now, please take my child away."

As it finished speaking, a tremor came from deep within the cave again.

Under everyone's gaze, a giant egg that was entirely frost-white flew out directly.

"Hoo…" The dragon egg flew in mid-air, leaving a trail of ice crystals.

Then it hovered directly in front of Cao Xing.

Intense cold air kept rushing toward them.

Even though it hadn't hatched yet, one could still feel how intense the chill contained within this dragon egg was!

The Magic Dragon's deep voice sounded again.

"the chosen one, please take my offspring away."

The scene before them was somewhat strange.

After all, which of these dragons did not regard their offspring as the most important existence?

Any existence that wanted to touch a dragon egg would be met with destructive blows from these dragons!

Who knows how many egg thieves had been buried under dragon claws.

Even Cao Xing had been prepared for a great battle at the very beginning.

Yet now, this dragon had actually taken the initiative to gift its dragon egg to Cao Xing, as if it were afraid he wouldn't accept it.

Cao Xing did not take the dragon egg immediately, but instead asked: "I would like to know, Oruen said that you could find a destiny to avoid death through me."

"What exactly does that mean?"

Hearing this question, the dragon closed its eyes and pondered for a moment.

Then it slowly shook its massive head: "I do not know; she did not tell me explicitly."

"But I believe Oruen has no need to deceive me, and I also trust her power."

Cao Xing nodded and said: "Understood."

"Then, I will take your offspring."

After speaking, Cao Xing touched the frost-white dragon egg with both hands.

A biting chill traveled from his palms through his entire body, as if it wanted to freeze him solid!

Within this dragon egg, there was even power contained that could freeze a Master-level powerhouse!

However, Cao Xing felt a very comfortable energy within this bone-chilling aura.

It was as if two identical powers were merging.

[Due to unknown reasons, your Ice Elemental Affinity has increased]

Seeing this prompt, Cao Xing was stunned for a moment.

But he quickly understood, a smile appeared on his face, and then he stored it into his backpack.

[Obtained: Ice Crystal Demon Dragon Egg (Hatchable)]

Watching Cao Xing put the dragon egg away, it said: "Thank you."

The Ice Crystal Demon Dragon nodded in gratification.

Its gaze carried a hint of tenderness and expectation, as if it were also looking forward to its child embarking on a new journey.

"I have poured a great amount of my bloodline power into this child, establishing an incredibly solid foundation for it."

"Its potential has already completely surpassed mine; even among the dragon race, it is a top-tier existence."

"As long as it can continue to grow, its future achievements will be no less than Demigod-level."

Upon hearing this, a look of astonishment appeared on Cao Xing's face once again.

Poured with the heart's blood of an Ice Crystal Demon Dragon, its future achievements would be at least Demigod-level!

Just from these two points, one could see how astonishing the potential of the dragon inside this egg was!

He had truly scored a huge bargain this time!

Cao Xing said solemnly: "Thank you. I will treat your offspring well and let it become a powerful dragon."

After saying this, he prepared to take his people and leave.

Just at this moment, the Ice Crystal Demon Dragon's voice sounded once again.

"the chosen one, wait a moment. I have another gift to give you here."

Hearing this, Cao Xing stopped his steps and turned to look at the dragon.

At the same time, the Ice Crystal Demon Dragon lightly flapped its wings.

An object flew out once again from the darkness behind it.

The object looked like a grey scale, covered with mottled patterns.

Cao Xing subconsciously reached out and caught it.

[Obtained: Relic · Ancient Dragon Scale]

At this moment, his pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of shock appeared on his face!

"This is a Relic!?" Cao Xing asked, holding the scale, feeling both surprised and suspicious.

The dragon nodded slowly, its voice low and distant: "Yes, I accidentally obtained this Relic at the place where a dragon died many years ago."

"The power remaining on it can allow our dragon race to break through to Legendary."

"However, because I found a Relic more suitable for myself at the time, I just kept it in my nest."

"I think this scale might be useful to you—"

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing was already extremely excited!

Not just useful?

With this Relic, after he returned, he could let Bing Lan's dragon, Seraphis, break through to Legendary!

By then, he would possess a Legendary-level dragon!

This was a quite valuable gift!

This dragon had just met him, and it was already gifting him a dragon egg and a Legendary Relic, making Cao Xing feel a bit embarrassed. He thought to himself whether he should find a way in the future to help this Demon Dragon suppress the power within its body and let it escape danger.

And when this thought appeared in his mind, Cao Xing suddenly realized something.

"Holy crap! What Oruen said, about this dragon finding a way to avoid the fate of death through me, could it be because of this?"

"Now that it has gifted me so many benefits, in the future, I will think about reciprocating, which is equivalent to investing in my future self!"

"Damn—"

A storm raged in Cao Xing's heart, and he once again marveled at the terror of that Fate Dragon!

It had almost reached the level of foreknowing the future.

But he also knew that Oruen would not screw him over.

After all, he had inherited the power of Krakatoa.

Now, he was essentially in the same boat as Oruen.

Shaking his head, Cao Xing stopped overthinking.

He put the scale into his backpack solemnly, then said: "Thank you!"

"Then, we won't disturb you any further."

The dragon nodded slowly, a trace of unfathomable light flashing in its deep blue eyes.

At this moment, Cao Xing seemed to remember something and asked: "By the way, I still don't know your name."

The dragon's low voice echoed in the cave: "Cristalia."

"Cristalia—"

Cao Xing repeated the name in his mind.

A moment later, he nodded and said: "Alright, I understand."

After speaking, he turned around and led the others to walk out of the cave.

The dragon's gaze remained fixed on their backs, its eyes seemingly containing complex emotions.

Until their figures completely disappeared at the end of the cave, it slowly lowered its head and retreated backward.

Its massive body gradually hid into the darkness, and the dragon nest returned to tranquility.

A dozen seconds later, the group had crawled out of the dragon nest.

"Whoosh!"

As soon as they came out, the violent wind and snow rushed at them, as if wanting to swallow everything.

The snow filling the sky was like white blades, falling overwhelmingly while being carried by the wind!

Everywhere the eye could see was a vast expanse of white.

"What a heavy snowfall," Renice said in surprise.

Cao Xing nodded slightly, "It seems the blizzard has arrived, and the intensity this time looks even more terrifying than the blizzard from a few months ago."

Standing at the ten-thousand-meter peak, feeling the violent airflow around them, they also knew that the intensity of this blizzard was somewhat beyond imagination.

Their gazes gradually became serious.

Cao Xing said quickly: "Everyone, jump onto Old Wang's back again. Braum, protect us."

"Old Wang, start moving at full speed according to my instructions now."

The group heard this and quickly jumped on.

The Griffin King's wings suddenly spread out, and then with a powerful flap, it carried the people into the snow-filled sky.

Even in such bad weather, its flying speed was still very fast.

In the blink of an eye, it had flown several kilometers.

The snow filling the sky was pushed away by the airflow raised by its wings, but even more snowflakes surged in like a tide.

It almost made it impossible for people to open their eyes!

Cao Xing squinted his eyes, discerning the direction while checking the mini-map in the top left corner.

"Old Wang, adjust your direction, veer to the left."

The Griffin King heard this and quickly adjusted its orientation.

In such an extreme environment, the visibility was almost zero.

Besides the vast white snow, nothing could be seen around them.

But fortunately, Cao Xing had the system's built-in mini-map function.

Under his guidance, Old Wang constantly adjusted its orientation, like a giant ship traveling through a blizzard, fast and stable!

"Whoosh—whoosh—!"

Old Wang's speed became faster and faster, and the whistling wind in their ears became increasingly terrifying!

Cao Xing could barely see anything ten meters away, as if the whole world had been cut off.

It must be said that flying in such an environment, and at a height of ten thousand meters, always gave people an indescribable sense of oppression.

Every flap of Old Wang's wings made people feel like they might hit something at any moment, or perhaps get completely lost in this vast white world.

But with Braum's 'Genesis Protection', it still brought a sense of peace of mind.

On the Griffin's back, the four people remained silent, struggling to resist the blizzard's assault.

Old Wang was also burying its head and hurrying on its way.

Time passed in a hurry; in the blink of an eye, five hours had passed.

They didn't know how many kilometers they had traveled.

And just at this moment, a system prompt suddenly appeared in front of Cao Xing.

[You have returned to: Half-Snowy Plains]