# Chapter 1272: Raging Flames
When Zhang Ruochen walked out of the Water Star Gourd, the Mad Drunkard had already steered the iceberg to a rather unfamiliar sea area.
"Whoosh, whoosh."
The Profound Yin Wind in the sky was even fiercer, some of it condensing into humanoid forms and crashing into the sea, causing the Abandoned Deep Sea to churn with monstrous waves.
The temperature in the air was terrifyingly low. Based on Zhang Ruochen's estimation, even a Half-Saint could freeze to death here.
Half-Saints and Saints possessed extremely high life levels. In the Kunlun Realm, they could split mountains and crack the earth, commanding respect across vast territories. But here, they became quite fragile, like ordinary humans unable to withstand the harsh cold.
"Is this a place for people? Even if a Saint accidentally falls into the sea, they'll freeze to death. This is truly terrifying."
Although Zhang Ruochen possessed the Purifying Divine Flame and was not afraid of the cold, he still felt a sense of shock.
The Mad Drunkard's hair and beard were covered in white ice crystals. Drinking the Dragon Flame Wine, he said, "We're already approaching the central region of the Abandoned Deep Sea. This place is called the Yin Eye of the Yin-Yang Sea, and it's considered one of the coldest places in the Kunlun Realm."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Have you received any news about Huang Yanchen and Ao Xinyan?"
"Not long ago, I captured a Saint from the Imperial Court. According to him, he personally saw those girls and that cat enter the center of the Abandoned Deep Sea," the Mad Drunkard said.
In the distance, a silver-white coastline appeared, stretching endlessly like the boundary of a continent.
Zhang Ruochen climbed to the top of the iceberg, gazing toward the coastline with some surprise. "How could there be a frozen continent in the central region of the Abandoned Deep Sea? The seawater here doesn't naturally freeze. What's going on?"
The Mad Drunkard also showed a strange expression, then his eyes revealed a look of shock. "That's not a continent—it's an iceberg. But because the iceberg is so enormous, it looks like a frozen continent."
"There's no land at all?"
"Exactly."
Zhang Ruochen drew in a sharp breath of cold air and muttered to himself, "How could this be?"
The Mad Drunkard said, "There are only two possibilities. First, countless living beings died here, and each one became an iceberg. All those icebergs connected together, forming this glacial continent."
Zhang Ruochen was visibly shaken. "How many living beings would have to die to condense such a massive glacial continent?"
"The second possibility is even more terrifying."
"What possibility?"
The Mad Drunkard's expression became extremely grave. After a long silence, he said, "The more powerful a living being, the larger the iceberg formed after death. What if beneath this glacial continent lies only a single corpse? That would be the truly horrifying thing."
Zhang Ruochen was stunned speechless. "A single corpse forming an entire glacial continent..."
The Mad Drunkard nodded. "Either possibility indicates that this place is extremely dangerous and not to be entered recklessly. Based on my years of escape experience, you must never set foot on this glacial continent. I absolutely refuse to go in."
The iceberg reached the edge of the continent and stopped.
The Mad Drunkard chickened out, stubbornly refusing to step onto the glacial continent, and even urged Zhang Ruochen to turn back with him.
"Fine. If you won't go, I won't force you. But I must go in."
Zhang Ruochen pressed his toes against the iceberg and leaped up like a great bird, landing steadily on the glacial continent.
Standing on the iceberg, the Mad Drunkard called out, "Zhang Ruochen, since you're going to die in there anyway, why not hand over the Water Star Gourd to me? Consider it your final contribution to the rise of humanity."
"Crow's mouth."
Zhang Ruochen really wanted to slap the Mad Drunkard's mouth. He hadn't even truly entered the glacial continent, and the old man had already pronounced his death sentence.
The Mad Drunkard was very reluctant, staring at Zhang Ruochen's retreating back, and called out again, "Let me keep the Water Star Gourd safe for you. When you come out alive, I'll return it to you. Such a peerless treasure—if it were to be lost with you on this glacial continent, what a pity that would be."
Zhang Ruochen ignored him, quickening his pace and disappearing into the biting wind.
The glacial continent was an endless wilderness, with no living creatures in sight. Occasionally, some uniquely steep peaks appeared, standing firm against the Profound Yin Wind, which was a sight to behold.
Zhang Ruochen suspected that Xiao Hei, Huang Yanchen, and the others might have truly entered this place, or perhaps they had been sealed here.
Upon entering the glacial continent, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power was further suppressed, making his eyes and ears more reliable than his spiritual perception.
Zhang Ruochen used his movement technique to rush to the top of an iceberg, activating his Saint Eye to search for traces of Xiao Hei, Huang Yanchen, and the others.
"Boom."
A silver streak of light flew across the sky, carrying a figure within it. It crashed through an iceberg and fell onto the ice plain with a loud noise, sending up a cloud of ice crystal fragments like white mist.
"That's... Ao Xinyan's aura..."
Zhang Ruochen showed a hint of joy and used the Great Space Teleportation, rushing at top speed toward where the silver light had fallen.
On the ice plain, a ravine several miles long had formed. At the end of the ravine, a deep crater had been created, with ice layers shattered all around.
Ao Xinyan climbed out from the bottom of the crater, her whole body trembling. Blood flowed from the gaps in her Divine Dragon Silver Armor, showing how severely she was injured. She couldn't even stand up.
"Pfft."
As soon as she crawled out of the crater, she only managed to rise halfway before spitting out a mouthful of blood and falling to one knee.
"Run! Where do you think you're going? Haha!"
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord strode forward with heavy steps, letting out arrogant laughter. He charged to Ao Xinyan's front and slapped her with a massive palm, sending her flying back into the crater.
A crimson python-dragon over eight hundred meters long caught up, its body wreathed in flames, melting the glaciers into rivers wherever it passed.
It was a descendant of a divine beast from the Ancestral Dragon Mountain, known as the Python Dragon King.
The Python Dragon King said, "Don't kill her. She has cultivated her True Dragon Body to great perfection, and her dragon blood is extremely precious."
"With so many of us attacking together, we almost let her escape. That silver armor on her seems to be an extraordinary treasure. When activated, the speed it unleashes is truly frightening."
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord dragged Ao Xinyan out of the crater's bottom. With a bang, he threw her to the ground, then began groping at her armor, trying to remove it.
"Not bad at all. She truly is the number one beauty of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan. Not only is her face beautiful, but her figure is also graceful and alluring. There aren't many dragon maidens in the Ancestral Dragon Mountain who can compare to her. Once I take this armor, I'll have my way with her first."
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord examined Ao Xinyan up close, his lust stirring, making him even more eager to remove the silver armor.
Ao Xinyan's face was pale, her heart filled with sorrow. "You're forcing me to self-detonate my Qi Sea and Saint Source. We'll all die together."
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord laughed. "Do you think I hadn't considered that? Right now, the one standing before you is merely a Saint Soul Doppelganger of mine. Even if you self-detonate your Qi Sea and Saint Source, you won't harm my true body."
Ao Xinyan clenched her fingers tightly, trying to push herself up and continue fighting the Barbaric Dragon Young Lord. But she had been too severely wounded in the earlier siege. Her whole body felt as if it were falling apart, and she couldn't stand up.
"You'll all die horribly. Zhang Ruochen will definitely... kill every single one of you..." Ao Xinyan said through gritted teeth.
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord laughed even louder. "Zhang Ruochen? Zhang Ruochen has only just reached the Saint Realm. Even if he comes, he'd only be delivering himself to death. I could suppress him with one hand."
In the distance, the Python Dragon King transformed into human form and sneered mockingly, "Zhang Ruochen's fiancée has probably already been captured. The Devouring Demon Dragon Lord has specifically requested to marry her, to humiliate Zhang Ruochen. I, for one, am quite looking forward to Zhang Ruochen coming. That brat is far too arrogant. It's time he learned what utter despair feels like."
Zhang Ruochen had performed five consecutive Great Space Teleportations and finally arrived nearby, just in time to hear the words of the Barbaric Dragon Young Lord and the Python Dragon King. When he saw Ao Xinyan lying in a pool of blood, rage surged within him.
"Such big talk. You want to make me suffer utter despair? The two of you are far from enough."
Zhang Ruochen let out a cold shout, transforming into a ghostly shadow, bursting forth at his maximum speed, and charging at the Barbaric Dragon Young Lord.
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord was not alarmed but delighted. He laughed, "Zhang Ruochen, you've finally shown yourself!"
"Die."
Zhang Ruochen struck out with a palm, and a golden dragon shadow flew from his palm, radiating dazzling brilliance.
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord's hands transformed into dragon claws, pressing forward to clash with the golden dragon shadow.
"Crack."
The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord's dragon claws and body shattered in an instant, breaking into pieces. Those fragments split further, turning into clusters of dragon-shaped Saint Qi.
"Just a Saint Soul Doppelganger."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed. He quickly bent down to check Ao Xinyan's injuries.
Ao Xinyan was severely wounded, her body battered and broken. Fortunately, the True Dragon Qi was still connecting her shattered flesh, and mysterious power flowed from the Divine Dragon Silver Armor, infusing her with life force, preventing her from dying.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen arrive, Ao Xinyan felt an indescribable joy and gratitude, tears streaming from her eyes.
Every time she encountered danger, Zhang Ruochen appeared like a guardian in her life, rescuing her from peril. Unconsciously, she had come to rely on him.
As long as Zhang Ruochen was there, she felt a sense of security.
Of course, at this moment, Ao Xinyan was also very worried about Zhang Ruochen's safety. Enduring the pain from her injuries, she said, "The Python Dragon King's cultivation has reached the Xuanhuang Realm, and as a descendant of a divine beast, his combat power is comparable to a half-step Che Di Realm Saint. The Barbaric Dragon Young Lord's true body is also nearby... Clan Leader, you must be careful."
"Don't speak. Focus on healing. Leave this to me. I'll make them pay back double."
Zhang Ruochen took out a Spring Revival Pill and fed it to her.
The Python Dragon King saw Zhang Ruochen suddenly appear and did not retreat. Instead, he showed a delighted expression, thinking to himself, "Zhang Ruochen seems to be burning with rage. This is the perfect opportunity to cripple him."
The Python Dragon King had seen Zhang Ruochen fight before and knew his strength. Just a lower-level Saint—what could he possibly do? So he was not afraid at all. He laughed, "Zhang Ruochen, you've come at just the right time. Today, I'll suppress you and present you as a grand gift to the Devouring Demon Dragon Lord."
Zhang Ruochen glanced sideways, stood up, and said coldly, "Perfect. I was just thinking of beheading you and presenting you as a grand gift to the Devouring Demon Dragon as well."