The new path from the shadow-laden chamber wound upward, its icy walls glistening with fresh cracks that hinted at the tower's weakening structure. Qin Mo pressed forward, the Frostflame Core's heat a flickering defiance against the biting cold, the bells' chime from his pouch a relentless pulse that gnawed at his chest. The FFD System buzzed, its warning a steady undercurrent in his mind.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 25% / Cold 75%.]
The tunnel opened into a wide ledge overlooking a vast chasm, its depths swallowed by swirling mist. The air grew thick with tension, and before the team could adjust, a chorus of clashing steel and shouted orders echoed from below. Figures emerged from the fog—Azure Flame Sect warriors, their azure robes tattered but their jade tokens glowing with a cold blue light, flanked by frostborn enforcers wreathed in the Silent Tax's power. At their head stood a tall figure, his frostfire blade crackling, his voice cutting through the wind. "The core ends here," he declared, his eyes locked on Qin Mo.
Ling Shou's face paled, his frost-white robes fluttering as he stepped forward. "They've allied with the Tax," he said, his voice tight. "This is a trap." Qin Mo's grip tightened on his blade, the Frostflame Dominion surging within him, a resonance of heat and cold that steadied his resolve. "Then we break it," he said, his voice firm despite the odds.
The fight erupted as the sect charged, their blades clashing with the team's defenses. Qin Mo met the leader head-on, the Frostflame Blade igniting as it parried a thrust, sparks flying in the frigid air. The cold surged, sapping his heat, but the Frostflow passive held, his movements fluid as he countered with a Frostfang Strike, the icy edge grazing the man's arm. The leader snarled, summoning a frost array, blue tendrils snaking toward Qin Mo, and he raised the Frostmirror Shield, the barrier flaring to absorb the brunt.
Yi's frost threads lashed out, coiling around a sect warrior's legs and yanking him down, her movements fueled by a simmering rage. "Not again," she muttered, her threads tightening until the ice cracked. Ren joined, his daggers flashing as he struck an enforcer's side, the blow drawing a hiss of steam, but the creature's armor reformed, forcing him back. Lian's arrows flew, each shot piercing a sect member, her relic's energy amplifying her aim, but the numbers overwhelmed, the enforcers pressing closer.
The leader swung his blade in a wide arc, the frostfire wave forcing Qin Mo to dodge, the edge grazing his shoulder. The cold burned, and the shard drank the pain, fueling his next strike. He channeled the Frostflame Surge, the wave crashing into the leader, staggering him, but the man retaliated, his token flaring as he summoned more enforcers from the mist. "You can't win," he taunted, his voice cold.
The team scattered, the ledge trembling under the assault. Yi's threads pulled an enforcer off balance, while Ren's daggers clashed with another, his grief for Wei driving each strike. Lian's arrow struck the leader's thigh, drawing a grunt, but the enforcers closed in, their spears thrusting toward Qin Mo. He parried, the Frostflame Dominion resonating, a shockwave shattering the nearest enforcer, its mist dissolving into the air.
[Binding risk: 50%.]
The leader laughed, his token pulsing as the mist thickened, more shadows emerging. Qin Mo's breath grew ragged, the cold pressing harder, but the shard flared, a defiant spark that refused to fade. Ling Shou raised his hands, frost swirling into a barrier that shielded the team, his face strained. "We need to collapse the ledge!" he shouted. Qin Mo nodded, driving the Frostflame Blade into the ice, the Dominion unleashing a surge that cracked the foundation.
The ledge groaned, the sect leader's eyes widening as the ice began to give. Yi's threads lashed out, pulling Ren clear, while Lian grabbed Ling Shou, her relic glowing as she leapt. Qin Mo rolled aside as the ledge shattered, the sect and enforcers tumbling into the chasm, their screams fading into the mist. The leader clung to the edge, his hand outstretched, but the ice gave way, and he vanished into the depths.
The team landed on a lower platform, the chamber trembling, the bells' chime softening. Qin Mo dropped to one knee, the shard stabilizing, the cold receding slightly. Yi rushed to him, her threads retracting, her face flushed. "That was too close," she said, her voice rough. Ren stared into the chasm, his hands trembling, while Lian and Ling Shou exchanged weary glances.
The mist parted, revealing a new path, its runes pulsing with a faint light. The fight had scattered them, the sect's gambit broken, but the cost weighed heavy, and the shadows ahead promised more trials.