Chapter 67: Extreme Cold
Two days later, Su Xiao rode on Bubu Wang's back, with Amu following behind at a brisk trot.
A biting cold wind blew, whipping up a blizzard of snow. Su Xiao had now arrived in the Northern Border, on a snowfield called Nitani. On this snowfield, the happiest one was Bubu Wang.
"Nitani Snowfield, not much further."
Su Xiao put away the map in his hand. According to the information extracted from Moy Nora before her death, the Death Ground was located on an iceberg deep within the Northern Border.
In truth, once he reached the Nitani Snowfield, he no longer saw any commoners from the Northern Border. The Northern Border's area was three times that of the Central Plains and twice that of the Southern Region, with over 70% of its territory uninhabitable.
Upon arriving at the Nitani Snowfield, Su Xiao discovered that the daytime temperature here could reach minus 52 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, a mouthful of spit would freeze into ice before hitting the ground.
Bubu Wang and Amu were completely unfazed by the temperature here, even wanting to lie down and sleep in the snow. Su Xiao, on the other hand, relied on his powerful physique to endure.
The sky was a hazy white, with no sun in sight. The Nitani Snowfield was in a polar day zone, where night lasted only two to three hours.
The environment here was harsh enough, but Su Xiao had to venture deeper into the snowfield to reach the Eternal Frozen Sea, a place even the Northern Border people wouldn't go.
At the edge of the Nitani Snowfield, the wind howled. Zang Ge trudged heavily through the snow, one step after another. This little brother no longer looked as fierce as before. His face was covered in grayish-white charcoal, his beast-hide clothes were tattered and torn, and anyone would believe he was a scavenger.
Zang Ge casually grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into his mouth, crunching and chewing. His current appearance was far from that of a Void assassin.
Deep in the snowfield, Su Xiao took some fresh water from his storage space. He had only taken two sips when the water in the bottle froze into a solid chunk.
The temperature had reached a terrifying minus 67 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, it hadn't reached the point where Su Xiao couldn't maintain his body heat.
By now, Su Xiao understood why the Moy family's heirloom was used for cold protection. The Moy family's strength was clearly related to the Death Ground. With the Nitani Snowfield's temperature, they didn't need to guard the Death Ground, nor could they actually guard it.
If the Nitani Snowfield was this cold, the Eternal Frozen Sea would be cold enough to freeze witches to death.
While the snowfield's low temperature was dangerous, there were basically no living creatures here. Apart from the pursuers from behind, Su Xiao had an unimpeded journey.
As the temperature rapidly dropped, Bubu Wang carried Su Xiao to the end of the snowfield. To the naked eye, it still looked like a snowfield ahead, but if you dug through the snow, you'd find the frozen sea surface below.
The Eternal Frozen Sea had arrived. As soon as he stepped into the Eternal Frozen Sea area, Bubu Wang shivered. Even Bubu Wang felt cold here, while Amu remained steadfast.
Su Xiao pulled out the temperature measuring device from his bosom. The bright red minus 79 degrees Celsius on it told him just how cold the Eternal Frozen Sea was.
"Almost there, hold on."
Su Xiao patted Bubu Wang's back. Bubu Wang seemed to feel embarrassed about being a snowfield king who feared the cold. He shook his head, indicating he wasn't cold at all.
Two hours later, a staggering figure stepped into the Eternal Frozen Sea area. Zang Ge's lips were trembling. The Bajing clan could adapt to most harsh environments, even surviving in oxygen-free conditions. Flames of over a thousand degrees were just a way for them to keep warm. But living on a high-temperature planet, their resistance to low temperatures seemed poor.
"I-I am a-a warrior. J-just low temperature..."
Zang Ge hugged his shoulders, his teeth chattering at a rate of over ten times per second.
"Ah, ah, ah-choo!"
Zang Ge sneezed loudly, the surrounding snow blasted away. He sniffled hard and continued forward. Though reckless, though a bit of a fool, his persistence was admirable.
...
The cold wind howled like a ghost's wail. Su Xiao wore a cold-resistant suit. The surrounding temperature of minus 105 degrees Celsius was no joke. At this temperature, steel would transform from "austenite" to "martensite." Simply put, steel would become as brittle as glass at this temperature.
Rattle, rattle, rattle...
A strange sound came. Su Xiao leaned down to look at Bubu Wang in front of him.
"Bubu, if you're cold, put on the cold-resistant suit."
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang barked, indicating he wasn't cold at all, but the "rattle, rattle, rattle" sound was clearly his teeth chattering.
Bubu Wang quietly sniffled. He was almost frozen into a dog.
The further they went, the lower the temperature. After venturing deep into the Eternal Frozen Sea, the temperature dropped from minus 105 degrees to minus 178 degrees.
With a crisp crack, Su Xiao felt a gust of cold wind seep in from his shoulder. The Hina microbial cold-resistant suit had cracked!
Low temperatures below zero were different from flame temperatures. Once the temperature dropped below minus 150 degrees, it became increasingly terrifying. Staying in such temperatures for a short time was manageable, but prolonged exposure required a very strong physique.
When the temperature reached minus 273.15 degrees, that was a qualitative change. Minus 273.15 degrees was called absolute zero. At this temperature, the thermal motion of internal molecules would completely stop, entering a static state.
Given the current trend, continuing deeper into the Eternal Frozen Sea would see the temperature drop below minus 200 degrees in no time.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang in front of Su Xiao let out a low bark, meaning: "Master, give me the cold-resistant suit quickly. It's too cold. This dog won't show off anymore."
"Too late."
Su Xiao tapped the cold-resistant suit on his arm. With a crisp crack, the entire suit shattered. At minus 197 degrees, the cold-resistant suit had sacrificed itself.
Bubu Wang's mouth still made a rattling sound. Before long, Su Xiao clenched his teeth. If he didn't, he wouldn't be far from rattling himself.
Beside Su Xiao and Bubu Wang, Amu's scene changed. This guy was gnawing on an animal leg. At this point, the meat's texture was similar to soda crackers—very crispy. Judging by Amu's appearance, he seemed to be on vacation in the extreme cold zone...
"Amu, don't you feel cold?"
Su Xiao tightened his collar. Amu looked at him blankly.
"I ain't cold. What's cold?"
"..."
"..."
Su Xiao and Bubu Wang said nothing, continuing forward against the cold wind and flying snow. By now, he could no longer ride Bubu Wang. Exertion would cause a drop in body temperature, which could kill him.
After three more hours of travel, the temperature reached minus 225 degrees. Su Xiao, moving forward, began to feel a bone-chilling cold. Bubu Wang was running in circles to generate body heat.
Boom!
An alchemy bomb exploded. Su Xiao and Bubu Wang quickly approached the explosion's flames, but... it had little effect.
"It's around here."
Su Xiao patted the snow off his head. According to Moy Nora, the Death Ground was on top of an iceberg, and that iceberg was nearby.
Su Xiao didn't search for long. Amid the flying snow, he spotted the iceberg. In fact, it was hard to miss. This iceberg was too tall—conservatively estimated at several thousand meters high, with a length stretching endlessly.
Arriving at the base of the iceberg, Su Xiao glanced at the temperature measuring device in his hand, then tossed it away. It had maxed out, fixed at minus 235 degrees.
Looking up at the iceberg, Su Xiao's veins bulged on the back of his hand. With a crisp crack, his five fingers pierced into the solid ice.
Just after climbing a dozen meters, Su Xiao felt the temperature plummet. A layer of ice crystals formed on his body surface.
"Bubu, wait here. Keep moving. If that guy chases us, try to lure him away."
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang barked shakily. Beside him, Amu grabbed the rope hanging from Su Xiao's waist and climbed upward. Here, Amu's combat power was at its peak; he wasn't affected by the low temperature.
Crack, crack...
Su Xiao gradually climbed up the iceberg, exhaling white mist. The stinging sensation of his fingers touching the solid ice was especially clear. He couldn't climb too fast. The higher he went, the lower the temperature. Rapidly gaining altitude here could easily cause frostbite from the sudden drop in temperature, or even freeze him into an ice block, causing him to fall off the iceberg and shatter.