The lead-gray clouds had barely lifted from the sails of the Raging Wave when shards of floating ice, carried by the waves, smashed against the hull with sharp “creak-creak” sounds.
Li Guanglong gripped the rail, chilled by the sea wind, and looked ahead. The sudden outline of an island appeared before him, and a flash of ecstasy crossed his eyes.
After enduring the attack of the giant crab fiend and braving the fog belt, they had finally caught sight of Penglai Island.
But as the Raging Wave slowly approached the shore, everyone froze in shock.
Unlike the ancient texts that described it as “a land of eternal spring, with jade blossoms blooming year-round”, the island before them was buried under a thick sheet of ice. The world was pure white; even the sea wind carried a bone-piercing chill, slashing across their faces like knives.
Jagged ice clung to the reefs along the shore. Waves struck them only to freeze instantly into crystalline blossoms of ice, piling up on the tidal flats, forming an endless frozen expanse.
“Your Highness, th-this… is this really Penglai Island?”
The old helmsman beside him pulled his thin cotton coat tight, his teeth chattering violently. “This cold—it’s ten times worse than the harshest winters up north!”
Li Guanglong frowned. Frost had already gathered on his black battle robe. He pulled his cloak higher to shield half his face. “The map marks are clear. This must be it. But why it looks like this—I cannot say.”
He turned to glance at the soldiers behind him. Their armor was coated with a layer of ice. The breath from their mouths condensed into mist before their eyes. Many rubbed their crimson hands together, desperate for warmth.
“Pass the order—find a place shielded from the wind and set up camp. Build fires for warmth!” Li Guanglong’s voice cut through the cold with undeniable authority.
The soldiers dared not delay. They leapt from the ship, trudging knee-deep through snow that made every step exhausting. Boots scraped against the frozen surface with loud crunches, and anyone careless risked slipping.
Carrying tent poles and bundles of firewood, they stopped at a hollow near the edge of the island—a spot backed against a towering wall of ice that could block some of the wind.
Erecting the tents was grueling. The frozen ropes refused to knot. Soldiers had to breathe on the ice-crusted cords, and their hands, cut red and raw, froze again almost instantly.
Wan Qian, wrapped in a thick cloak, leaned on his blade with his single arm, directing from the side. His back wound was still unhealed, and the icy gusts made sweat bead on his forehead from the pain. Yet he clenched his teeth and endured.
“The fire striker! Quickly, bring the fire striker!” A soldier clutching dry wood shouted urgently.
But in this freezing wind, the strikers failed again and again. Sparks flared weakly only to be blown out at once.
Seeing this, Li Guanglong pulled a fire crystal from his robes. Infusing it with true qi, the crystal burst into a bright orange flame.
He held it to the dry wood, and the fire spread rapidly, crackling loudly—its sound piercing the silence of the frozen land.
The soldiers crowded close to the flames, stiff hands extended, and finally, warmth brought relief to their faces.
Just then, a soldier pointed toward the distant ice field, his voice trembling with excitement. “Your Highness! Look—over there!”
All eyes turned. A snow-white figure was moving slowly across the ice.
It was a spirit deer, its body pure as snow, its antlers crystalline as though sculpted from ice. Each step it took on the snow left behind a delicate snowflake that appeared out of thin air beside its hooves, only to vanish moments later.
Its eyes glowed like pale blue gems, radiating a soft light, and its movements were as graceful as an elf of the frozen world.
“Auspice! This must be the auspice of Penglai Island!” A fiery gleam blazed in Li Guanglong’s eyes. He leapt to his feet and drew the sword at his waist. “Capture it! If I can present this spirit deer to the Emperor Father, it will surely prove the glory of my discovery of the Immortal Isle!”
The soldiers roared with excitement, weapons raised as they spread out to encircle the deer.
The spirit deer seemed aware of the danger. It halted, turned its head, and gazed calmly at the advancing men with its pale-blue eyes, showing not the slightest panic.
“Don’t harm it! Alive—we must take it alive!” Li Guanglong shouted, charging toward it first.
The ice beneath his boots cracked with each step. He channeled his true qi, trying to weave a barrier to trap the deer.
But just as they drew near, the deer suddenly raised its head and opened its mouth. A surge of icy breath gushed forth.
The cold mist spread instantly, surging like a tide over the soldiers. The foremost men, caught off guard, were swallowed by the frost. Their bodies froze solid in an instant.
Li Guanglong’s heart jolted. He leapt back, but the edge of the frost still swept over his arm.
The chill shot through him at once, numbing his arm as though it had turned into solid ice.
He looked down. Those soldiers who had been directly engulfed by the frost had already become lifelike ice statues. Their faces still bore the expressions of charging forward, preserved in thick ice, even their hair strands clearly visible.
“W-what… what kind of monster is this?!” one soldier screamed, dropping his weapon with a clatter.
Everyone was frozen in terror. None dared to approach the deer again.
Li Guanglong stared at the statues, cold sweat soaking his back. His earlier joy was utterly gone.
Only now did he realize—this spirit deer, appearing so gentle and serene, possessed power utterly terrifying.
The deer cast one final glance at the trembling humans, then turned away. Its hooves pressed into the snow as it walked deeper into the icy expanse, leaving behind a trail of snowflake-shaped hoofprints that soon vanished into the endless blizzard. - Marinien
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