Amidst the wind and frost, a squad was hunting a Frost Earth Dragon.

The Earth Dragon was soon at a disadvantage. Just as it was about to be slain, a roar echoed from afar. In the distance, snow billowed like waves as a figure charged toward them. It was another imposing Frost Earth Dragon.

"Not good, the male Frost Earth Dragon is back!" The squad captain’s expression faltered slightly before he roared, "We still have time! Finish off this female!"

Although Frost Earth Dragons had wings, they couldn’t fly. It would take the male over a dozen breaths to reach them. If they could finish off the female within that time, they could avoid being pincered by the pair.

"Hurry, we have six breaths left!"

"We’re not going to make it!"

"Damn it!" the squad captain roared. He raised his massive blade high and unleashed a powerful blast of Flame Saber Qi. It carried an incredibly strong Fire’s Great Trend, annihilating all frost in its path.

The female Earth Dragon saw through the squad’s plan. Knowing it was at a disadvantage, it refused to fight head-on. Instead, it opened its massive maw to spit a blast of icy breath, then kicked off with all four hooves and retreated rapidly. With a thunderous explosion, the icy breath and the Flame Saber Qi collided. Frost surged backward and wild Qi Force erupted, knocking everyone back several steps.

Suddenly, the squad captain felt a chill and shot backward in retreat.

The moment he moved, a huge crater appeared where he had just been standing. At its edge, the savage male Frost Earth Dragon stared at him, its eyes a cold, crimson red.

"Now we’re in trouble."

The squad members’ faces grew grim as they stared at the male, whose presence was noticeably stronger than the female’s. One of them spoke up, "Captain, taking on two Frost Earth Dragons is too much. What say we retreat?"

The squad captain mulled it over for a moment before saying reluctantly, "I suppose we have no choice."

"I’ll hold off the male. You all find a chance to escape!"

"ROAR!"

The Frost Earth Dragon let out a furious roar and spat a blast of icy breath.

Not to be outdone, the squad captain slashed out with his Flame Saber Qi. After the initial Energy Shock, he charged forward and engaged the Earth Dragon in close combat.

The other squad members also unleashed their own techniques.

A battle to the death erupted in an instant.

Neither of the warring parties noticed a figure slowly approaching through the wind and frost. It was a handsome, graceful youth, clad only in a single, form-fitting white robe as he walked alone through the snowy landscape.

What was strange was that, despite his slender build, the youth showed no sign of feeling the cold. His expression was placid, his pace unhurried. Suddenly, his gaze shifted. He looked toward the distant battle, the corners of his lips curling slightly as he murmured, "Disciples from Cold Heaven Island of the Vast Sea Divine Palace."

Recalling the warm hospitality he received from the Cold Heaven Island Master upon arriving on the island, Qin Ya thought to himself, ’Oh, well. I might as well lend them a hand.’

His figure flickered, and he appeared before the group. "Do you all need a hand?"

Hearing this, the squad captain’s face lit up. But when he turned and saw only a youth of sixteen or seventeen smiling at him, his joy vanished instantly. ’This junior brother must be a new Disciple who just joined Cold Heaven Island,’ he thought. ’He probably has no idea how terrifying a Frost Earth Dragon is.’

’What help could he be? It’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t just get in the way.’

"I appreciate the offer, junior brother, but you should leave, and quickly." Seeing that Qin Ya meant well, the captain didn’t speak harshly and simply urged him to go.

’Junior brother?!’

Qin Ya gave a cool smile. ’It seems they’ve mistaken me for a new Disciple.’

"It looks like you’re having trouble holding on," Qin Ya continued.

"When you’re told to leave, you leave! Stop spouting nonsense!" a hot-tempered female member of the squad roared. "Now piss off!"

Qin Ya rubbed his nose, not the least bit annoyed.

Suddenly, a Frost Earth Dragon’s massive tail lashed out like an Iron Whip, striking at one of the young men. He had the weakest Cultivation of the group, having only just entered the Celestial Essence Realm. Faced with a blow powerful enough to shatter mountains, his pupils shrank. He hastily raised his greatsword to block. CRACK!

The greatsword was sent flying, and the young man was flung dozens of yards through the air.

Seeing its chance, the Earth Dragon roared and unleashed a jet of Frost Qi.

"Ah Jie!"

"Damn it, move!"

Everyone cried out in alarm. The squad captain roared, desperate to help, but he was entangled with the male Frost Earth Dragon and couldn’t break away. Just as the young man was about to perish, a figure moved as fast as the wind. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the dozens of yards, appeared before the youth, and calmly raised his right hand.

WHOOSH... A purple flame suddenly flared to life in Qin Ya’s palm.

In this Ice and Snow World, the heat radiating from the flame was palpable. The surrounding temperature soared, and within a radius of dozens of feet, the frost instantly melted into slush that dripped to the ground.

The flame shot into the air, forming a wall of fire.

The moment the bone-chilling Frost Qi touched the wall of fire, it made a SIZZLING sound and was instantly vaporized by the searing heat.

And Qin Ya, steady as a rock, hadn’t moved an inch.

As white steam filled the air, everyone stared, dumbfounded.

’This junior brother... He’s so strong!’

’He blocked the Frost Earth Dragon’s attack so easily... It’s unbelievable!’ Joy spread across the squad members’ faces. ’This is great! With his help, our chances of survival have just shot way up!’

The steam dissipated, and Qin Ya retracted his hand. He glanced at the young man on the ground, who was staring back with a complex mix of disbelief and the joy of having survived. "Are you all right, brother?" Qin Ya asked indifferently.

"I... I’m okay," the young man stammered, collecting himself.

Qin Ya gave an indifferent nod and began walking slowly toward the Frost Earth Dragons.

The other members of the squad watched Qin Ya approach, momentarily forgetting the two Earth Dragons right beside them. Fortunately, the beasts didn’t take advantage of the opening. It wasn’t out of some sense of honor; their attention was now completely fixed on Qin Ya, and they had tuned out everyone else.

"ROAR..." The two Earth Dragons roared uneasily, their eyes filled with dread as they watched Qin Ya. Their instincts as Fierce Beasts screamed at them: this seemingly fragile human... was absolutely terrifying!

The two Earth Dragons exchanged a look, then spat out several jets of Frost Qi.

But Qin Ya didn’t even pause. He kept walking forward, not even lifting a hand, and simply allowed the Frost Qi to wash over him. The sight made the other squad members jump, their hearts leaping into their throats.

He was their only hope, after all.

Their pupils contracted as they broke out in a cold sweat.

The blizzard of frost receded, revealing Qin Ya walking out slowly, completely unscathed.

Only then did the squad members breathe a sigh of relief, too stunned to even wonder how Qin Ya had resisted the Frost Qi without a scratch. The two Frost Earth Dragons, however, began to back away, step by step, their eyes filled with terror.

They spat out blast after blast of Frost Qi, but Qin Ya remained completely unharmed.

Soon, Qin Ya was less than ten zhang away from them. He spoke coolly, "Leave now, and I will spare your lives."

The two Earth Dragons were not unintelligent. Upon hearing his words, they exchanged a glance and frantically scrambled away, terrified of being even a second too slow.

’Two Earth Dragons at Celestial Essence Realm Perfection... scared away just like that?’