The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Yin Chen's chest heaved violently, and his breathing became rapid. He forced himself to break free from that invisible intimidation.

He surveyed his surroundings, the pungent smell of blood making his throat tighten.

The solid ice beneath our feet was stained a deep, dark red.

He crouched down and began collecting the demon cores scattered on the ice. If he killed a bunch of monsters but failed because he didn't collect the demon cores, he would have nowhere to cry.

These demon cores varied in size and shape, and on the surface there seemed to be nothing wrong with them, but when he touched them with his fingertips, a strange sensation spread.

They are no longer crystal clear, their exteriors are covered with a layer of grayish color, and their interiors are chaotic and disordered, devoid of any vitality. Such demon cores are at best decorations, utterly useless.

This was completely different from the demon cores he knew. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought it was some kind of counterfeit or shoddy craft.

Yin Chen's brows were furrowed.

He picked up a demon core, a gentle breeze swirling around his fingertips, trying to decipher its unusual nature.

The more he investigated, the deeper his fear grew.

His earlier judgment was completely correct; these demon cores were clearly exhausted, all life force had been instantly drained away, leaving only empty shells.

It remains an empty shell, yet it is shrouded in an eerie and ominous aura.

Such a demon core is something that ordinary demon beasts could not leave behind after their death. The demon beast was real, and he personally retrieved the demon core. So, the problem is self-evident.

Yin Chen's gaze fell once again on Chen Guan's retreating figure.

He recalled the fear he felt when the mentally-type human-faced bat was on the verge of death in the Tower of Ten Thousand Demons.

He put the demon core into his pocket, his mind racing.

Chen Guan's battle was less a battle and more a one-sided reaping.

Wherever the scythe passed, the life of the monster was instantly taken away.

There was no struggle, no wailing, only the coldness of death.

Then, thinking about these strange demon cores...

Is it some kind of toxin?

No, there are no signs of poisoning whatsoever.

A bold and absurd idea began to grow uncontrollably in his mind.

Summoning type.

Yin Chen's breathing became heavy and rapid.

In the public eye, the summoning system is mostly about summoning elemental creatures and contracting monsters.

But Yin Chen knew that this was only the majority. Summoning was sometimes quite strange. In terms of the upper limit, if the mythology system was the eldest brother of all superpowers, then the summoning system was the second eldest.

The aura of death permeating the icy plains and the anomaly of the demon core are undoubtedly key factors.

Could this be an extraordinary summoning ability?

Could it be that he is not summoning ordinary living beings, but rather... the embodiment of death?

He thought of a legendary superpower called the Descent of Death, which was said to have last appeared hundreds of years ago.

It is said that such superhumans can connect with the underworld, draw upon the power of death, and even alter the very essence of life.

The appearance of Chen Guan, his scythe, the coffin behind him, and the sudden death of the demon beasts.

All the clues point to the most unbelievable, yet most explainable, conclusion.

Yin Chen's expression was complex and difficult to discern.

He realized he might have stumbled upon a secret powerful enough to shake common sense.

If Chen Guan is indeed that kind of superhuman, his strength and his future will surpass the vast majority of students at Huaqing Academy.

No, he has surpassed, and may even be above, the academy's instructors.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and chose to remain silent.

The weight of this secret is alarming.

Some people keep their superpowers a secret for fear of being targeted. Put yourself in their shoes; if someone knew their secret, they probably wouldn't let that person off easily.

Shutting up is what he should do now. This is a powerful figure, and also his most powerful backer right now. Offending him? Absolutely not.

Yin Chen's mind was racing.

Red Kite finally started to move.

She walked to Chen Guan's side, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something to express her gratitude.

But when the words came out, they felt they didn't express the meaning and only made him a laughingstock.

Her usual pride in her bravery paled in comparison to the bloody, one-sided slaughter.

"Um..." Hongyuan carefully chose her words, "Were you... always this powerful?"

Her expression looked somewhat distorted.

There was embarrassment, confusion, but more than anything, there was a sense of awe.

She always thought of herself as the sharpest weapon in the team and the best in the academy. The only ones who could rival her were well-known prodigies like Yin Chen and An Changqing.

Looking back now, she was nothing more than a child wielding an axe in the face of a true genius.

Chen Guan ignored Hong Yuan's embarrassment and urged her on in a flat tone.

"No, let's go."

His gaze swept across the depths of the icy plains; Instructor Jing couldn't have sent them here without a reason.

In any case, this place should be a cradle for nurturing geniuses, not a graveyard for stifling them.

Even if there's something strange about it, it shouldn't be done so openly.

Yin Chen composed himself and followed Chen Guan's steps.

He glanced at Hong Yuan and gestured for her to follow. Knowing Hong Yuan as he did, he was sure she wouldn't think of the "truth" like he did. However, she always respected the strong, especially those of her own generation.

Hong Yuan then hoisted the giant axe onto her shoulder, took large strides, and followed closely behind.

The arrogance on her face vanished completely, replaced by an honest and unassuming appearance.

The three continued deeper into the ice field.

The further you go, the more biting the cold becomes.

The ice beneath our feet was no longer murky, but began to show wisps of deep blue.

That was light refracted from deep ice crystals, so cold it had no temperature whatsoever.

A low hum swirls in the wind, initially faint, almost swallowed up by the howling.

But it stubbornly pierced through the wind, its volume steadily increasing.

The entire ice field undulated with this sound, undergoing a slow, rhythmic breathing.

"What is it?"

Hongyuan gripped the axe handle tightly with her five fingers.

Her back muscles tensed instantly, assuming a posture ready to exert force at any moment. She had already sensed the danger, as if the ground beneath her feet had come alive.

Yin Chen made a gesture.

Hongyuan understood immediately, held her breath, and followed the source of the buzzing sound.

After passing through a jagged, icy forest, the landscape suddenly changed, and the view vanished.

A deep abyss lay before us, tearing apart the intact ice surface.

The abyss is a bottomless darkness.

Only a faint blue halo emanated from the depths, flickering uncertainly.

The heavy hum came from here, and each pulsation made the ice beneath our feet resonate.

The buzzing sound reached its peak, and a faint light shone brightly from the depths of the crack.

A massive black shadow rose from the darkness, its outline gradually becoming clearer.

Its size filled the entire field of vision.

The carapace's curves resemble mountains, and it is engraved with ancient and obscure runes.

When its head was completely lifted off the ice.

Those calm, unwavering eyes swept over the three of them.

Even if only part of it is visible, it is still recognizable as a giant tortoise.