I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 712 - 515: Divine Beasts and the Demon King Appear (Part 2)

Within the mirror, the brutal conflict between the Empire's prodigy and the monstrous creatures played out with tragic intensity.

Inside the icy reflection, Qin Tian had just violently split open a magical creature's chest. Before the lingering purple lightning could fade, Lan's finger brushed the frosty surface, momentarily halting the scene.

He tilted his head, his gaze drifting over the four majestic Guardian Beasts, his voice cutting through the silence, "Are preparations complete?"

"Young Master, we have been poised for this very moment across millennia," replied the Ice Crystal Phoenix, spreading its wings and emitting a resonant cry. Its voice, like the chime of precious jade, resonated as its ice-blue wings shimmered with countless tiny sparkles. "From the instant we accepted the legacy of guardianship, our fated path was clear."

"You shall perish," Lan stated with an unshakeable conviction that caused the very air within the secret chamber to grow heavy and still.

"Death could perhaps be a release for us," murmured White Xiong, slowly turning its head. Its gaze pierced through the imposing ice wall, softening with a hint of longing. "I yearn for my mother."

Memories flooded his consciousness like an unstoppable tide.

Eons ago, he was but a tender cub, the youngest in the lineage of the Guardian Divine Beasts. His father's immense frame had once been his shield against tempests, his mother's gentle licks had soothed his fur while she hummed ancient melodies, and his brother had chased the spectral dance of auroras with him across frozen plains – those were days of unfettered bliss. Then, disaster struck. The ominous shadow of Malgaga threatened the Ice God Race's ancestral lands, and every Guardian Divine Beast was drawn into the cataclysmic fray. His father's powerful paws became fouled with dark ichor, his mother shielded him with her very being in a final, defiant stand, and his brother's anguished roar echoed across the heavens...

When the brutal war finally ceased, the Guardian God Race had been decimated, leaving only a handful of survivors, like himself and the Ice Crystal Phoenix, mere youths at the time. They received a powerful, enervating baptism at the sacred altar of the Ice God Race, absorbing the ancestral guardianship power. Subsequently, they found themselves immured within this treasure vault, compelled to utilize their inherited might to sustain the seal of the Ice Throne, thereby suppressing Malgaga's malevolent heart.

The arduous vigil of a thousand years felt much like an endless incarceration. The visages of his beloved kin gradually faded from his memory, leaving him with naught but profound solitude and the crushing weight of his duty.

While their powers had steadily amplified through the ages, Malgaga's heart had also been insidiously drawing sustenance from the treasure trove's abundant energy, causing the fissures in the Ice Throne to deepen ominously. Within another century, the seal would inevitably fracture and collapse entirely.

At that impending juncture, Malgaga would awaken, rendering the Ice God Race's ultimate sacrifice utterly futile – a consequence they could not bear to contemplate.

"Therefore, victory is our only recourse," declared the Spirit Deer with a delicate cry, the luminescence radiating from its antlers growing ever more brilliant. "With our very lives, we shall fortify this seal, ensuring that the Young Master can secure the Ice Seal Order—this is our sworn mission."

Upon hearing this solemn vow, Lan let out a soft sigh from deep within his heart. A swirl of complex emotions flickered across his ice-crystal-like eyes. He then tightened his grip on his magic staff, his fingertips delicately channeling Spiritual Energy. The ice crystal crowning the staff suddenly blazed with light, and a shimmering, pale-blue spatial rift tore open before him. In the very next instant, his form vanished from the hidden ice cavern.

...

Perched atop the ancient Ice Spirit Tree, a biting wind swirled with motes of crystalline ice flowers. A towering silhouette materialized from the void.

Lan raised his magic staff, extending it gently towards the apex of the ancient tree's main trunk.

The very moment the ice crystal atop his staff met the arboreal surface, a resplendent tide of ice-blue light surged forth, flowing with astonishing rapidity along the intrinsic texture of the colossal trunk.

The ancient tree emitted a low, resonant tremor, akin to a slumbering behemoth being roused. Its extensive branches unfurled on either side, revealing a hollow carved into its core—within this recess, a gentle, azure luminescence was slowly coalescing.

The blue light intensified, eventually solidifying into a token no larger than a human palm. This artifact was meticulously crafted from pure ice crystal, its facade adorned with ancient runes that shared an intrinsic connection with the very essence of the Ice Throne, radiating an aura of profound purity and majesty. It slowly ascended from its icy cradle, hovering in mid-air before Lan, as if awaiting the touch of its destined master.

Lan extended his left hand, and the token settled with unwavering stability into his waiting palm.

He began to slowly infuse the token with his Spiritual Energy; the inscribed runes instantly flared to life, and a colossal torrent of data flooded his consciousness—the core administrative permissions for the Ice Throne, the precise coordinates detailing the location of the slumbering clansmen of the Ice God Race, and the arcane ritual necessary for the reawakening of their bloodline... All the profound secrets pertaining to the Ice God Race's grand resurgence were enveloped within this singular Ice Seal Order.

He clutched the token firmly, and a subtle glimmer finally illuminated his normally cold eyes. The thousand-year wait, the arduous guardianship, had finally heralded the dawn of a new era.

The instant Lan materialized, every combatant, every magical creature on the battlefield, froze dead in their tracks.

Having just dispatched a magical beast with a spear thrust, Ji Taiyan's awareness immediately expanded. Upon 'perceiving' a figure perched atop the ancient tree, his gaze was irresistibly drawn.

The individual's visage seemed chiseled from ice and snow, a flawless countenance framed by regal crown and robes, exuding an aura akin to a snow elf. A peculiar sensation began to stir within his heart.

"Who could that be?"

Other prodigies scattered across the battlefield also extended their senses, their attention converging on the summit of the ancient tree.

Some were taken aback by Lan's sudden appearance, nearly caught off guard by the magical creatures. Others knitted their brows in bewilderment – when had such an enigmatic power manifested within this treasure trove?

"Lan has finally made an appearance."

Qin Tian cleaved the head of a magical creature with his blade. Upon spotting that familiar silhouette, the perpetual anxiety he had harbored finally began to dissipate, a subtle smile unconsciously gracing the corners of his lips.

Ever since their entry into the relic, Lan had vanished mysteriously. Though unspoken, the thought of Lan had preoccupied him. Now, seeing Lan safe and sound, a profound sense of relief washed over him.

However, with a more discerning look, Qin Tian noticed that the Lan before him seemed somewhat altered.

His features remained largely unchanged, yet the addition of the crown and robes dramatically shifted his bearing. Previously possessing an ethereal and detached quality, he now exuded the majesty of a sovereign commanding the very essence of ice and snow, an imposing presence that deterred direct gazes.

His attention shifted to the magic staff held in Lan's grasp, a fleeting, uncommon glint entering his eyes.

He recollected how, when he and Zhuge Yu had first breached the initial treasure trove, the final trial featured a Divine Statue. Its hands appeared to be holding an object, but back then, they were empty.

Yet, the magic staff now in Lan's possession, from the intricate ice patterns adorning it to the crystalline capstone, precisely mirrored the silhouette of the Divine Statue's grasp.

Could it be that, in addition to the magic staff, the crown, robes, and necklace were also the 'treasures' from each respective trove?

If this speculation held true...

A startling realization dawned in his mind: Was it possible that every action taken since their immersion into the relic had been orchestrated by Lan?

Their battles against magical creatures, their efforts to break seals, and even their fierce competition for resources – was all of it merely a prelude, paving the way for Lan to claim the Divine Artifact and inheritances from these treasuries?

If this narrative was accurate, then these prodigies of the Empire had unwittingly served as Lan's 'instruments' from beginning to end.

"Indeed, Lan is no longer the same," Qin Tian mused. He recalled Lan's earlier state – an 'amnesiac' upon awakening, bewildered and lacking fundamental knowledge, unable to even communicate, let alone devise intricate plans.

But now, Lan appeared to have regained lost memories upon entering the relic, transforming into the 'grand strategist,' manipulating both the Holy Blood lineage and other cultivators, mortal and heavenly alike, as pawns upon his board.

As for his own role as a seemingly manipulated participant, Qin Tian harbored no resentment.

After all, he and Lan shared a bond of friendship. Assisting Lan in recovering his past and reclaiming what rightfully belonged to him was the conduct expected of allies.

Furthermore, the benefits he had reaped from Lan were substantial.

The axe and the Zhan Shou saber, which seemed tailor-made for him, alongside the ten-thousand-year Ice Heart Lotus Seed, a perfect counter to the Heart Demon Tribulation – it now seemed evident that these were gifts orchestrated by Lan.

Just as he was preparing to call out to Lan, the fabric of space diagonally above the ice-blue ancient tree began to ripple and distort, much like crumpled paper.

A figure emerged slowly, suspended in mid-air.

His build matched Lan's in height, and his features bore a seven-tenths resemblance, though lacking Lan's refined elegance. Instead, his contours were sharper, bolder, with high cheekbones, deep-set eye sockets, and a pair of crimson eyes, like burning blood jade, fixated upon Lan at the apex of the ancient tree.

What followed was an even more terrifying spectacle.

The instant the man materialized, all magical creatures within the battlefield froze, their ferocious roars abruptly silenced.

In the subsequent second, a rapid succession of 'boom! boom! boom!' explosions reverberated. Hundreds of Rank Seven magical creatures detonated spontaneously, their dark green ichor, fragmented bones, and mangled flesh cascading onto the ground, forming torrents that surged with frantic speed towards the man hovering in the air.

Witnessing this horrifying display, the expressions of all present shifted dramatically.