Death Train: SSS-level talent right from the start!

The Ice Queen raised her right hand, gently extended her index finger, and precisely pressed it against the tip of the arrow, which was carrying a swirling current of air, just before it was about to touch her body.

"Click—!"

A very soft, crisp sound. The arrow was covered in a layer of icy blue the instant it touched her fingertip, freezing into a complete ice crystal at a speed visible to the naked eye, from tip to fletching.

Then she flicked her finger, and the ice arrow shattered in mid-air into countless tiny ice crystals, which scattered onto the ground.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Chen Ye and the others quickly retreated and regrouped.

Lu Qingchuan exhaled a puff of white breath, his gaze falling on the six ice mirrors that still stood in place: "Our attacks can't break those ice mirrors. Is this Extreme Cold Ice Lord really a three-and-a-half-star BOSS? How are we supposed to fight this?"

Shi Jian stood beside him and raised his fists: "This is no longer a matter of defense. It will reflect our attacks. The more we attack with all our might, the more deadly the reflected force will be, unless we can shatter that mirror in one blow, so that it doesn't have time to reflect."

Zhong Xiu's golden wings retracted slightly, and the golden light on his right fist completely dissipated.

She didn't speak, but her expression darkened slightly, and her eyes were fixed on the six ice mirrors surrounding the Ice Lord, as if searching for their weaknesses.

Chen Ye did not join their discussion. His gaze fell on the ice mirror that he had cracked. The crack on the mirror remained on that small spiderweb-like mark, neither expanding nor healing.

The Yellow Springs Transference was already his highest burst skill. That one strike failed to shatter the mirror, but two more strikes would be enough to shatter it, though he would also suffer the backlash.

The other five ice mirrors didn't even leave a mark. Among the seven people who can still move, he might be the only one who can break through the defense of the extreme cold ice master.

He glanced behind him; Zhao Hai, Wen Ning, Qin Zhaoyang, and Zhou Yating remained frozen in place.

Their bodies were encased in ice, and through the translucent ice surface, one could see the frozen expressions on their faces and the barely perceptible rise and fall of their chests.

Zhao Hai was in slightly better condition. His fully metallic right arm had created several slight cracks in the ice, indicating that the power within him was still trying to break free of its restraints.

However, Wen Ning, Qin Zhaoyang, and Zhou Yating were already pale, their cheeks inside the ice layer appearing almost transparently pale.

Chen Ye's gaze lingered on them for a short time before he looked away and turned back to the six ice mirrors that still stood in place in front of him.

Cao Bing also turned his head to look behind him.

Cao Yan was frozen in his frozen state about twenty meters away from him. The longbow was still fully drawn, his fingers on the bowstring, his face showing a kind of fear and anxiety that was not yet fully unfurled, and his face was also deathly pale.

Cao Bing withdrew his gaze and looked back at the Ice Lord in front of him. His fingers, which were hanging at his sides, gripped the black greatsword and slowly tightened. Then he straightened up again: "There is no way out. If we drag this out any longer, the people frozen in the ice will only die faster. I will break through that mirror as a breakthrough."

As he finished speaking, the previously suppressed crimson flames around him suddenly receded inward.

Then his bones emitted a series of fine "clacking" sounds, as if some structure was reorganizing internally.

His body was expanding; his shoulders were almost half again as wide as before, and he had grown nearly two feet taller.

Dark red veins, resembling magma, appeared on his skin, spreading along his neck, arms, and torso like heated wires embedded beneath his skin.

Two crimson flames ignited in his eyes, completely obscuring the outline of his pupils.

Cao Bing's talent is SS-level [Lava Monarch]. In Crimson Flame form, he improves his physical constitution, while in Lava form, he sacrifices defense in exchange for an ultimate burst of power.

He couldn't let his brother die like that; he had to fight to the death.

The ice beneath Cao Bing's feet began to melt, and magma-like heat emanated from his body, forming a slowly spreading pool of water around his feet. This water then refreezed upon contact with the ice layers further away.

When Cao Yan, standing twenty meters behind him, saw this scene through the ice, his frozen pupils twitched slightly.

He had only seen his brother use this form twice, and each time it was only used in dire situations.

Cao Bing didn't turn around. His right foot had already pushed off the ground, and the ice beneath his feet shattered into countless fragments the moment he stepped on it. His entire body transformed into a dark red shockwave, crashing head-on into the center of the six ice mirrors.

It was faster than ever before.

The dark red figure left a scorching crimson trail in the dimly lit hall.

The lava-like veins continuously emitted high temperatures as he moved, melting the ice surfaces he passed through into a winding water trail, which was then re-frozen by the extreme cold.

He crashed head-on into the ice mirror.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar erupted in the hall. The moment the ice mirror touched his body, dense cracks appeared on its surface, spreading rapidly from the center outwards, sending fine ice shards flying to both sides.

The integrity of the mirror was completely shattered in that instant; the entire ice mirror broke in the middle, and the fragments flew in mid-air, refracting tiny sparks of light.

Cao Bing was also suffering; the backlash caused blood to spill from the corner of his mouth, but he did not stop.

For the first time, the defenses of the Ice Lord were breached.

The moment the ice mirror shattered, the figure of the Ice Lord swayed slightly.

The ice-blue skirt swayed gently on the ground, and a very faint ripple flickered in her ever-calm eyes.

"Exploding Flame Slash!"

Cao Bing did not pause. After his body passed through the broken ice, his charging trajectory remained unchanged, and the black giant sword was already raised high.

The crimson flames on the sword surged dramatically under the enhancement of the lava form, and the high temperature at the edges distorted the surrounding air.

The sword blade tore through the air with a deep, resonant boom as it slashed down from above the Ice Lord.

The blade was less than two meters from her head, and the edge of the flames had already touched her long, icy blue hair.

The Ice Queen finally moved. She raised her right hand, extended her index finger, and precisely tapped Cao Bing's forehead at the very last moment before the giant fiery blade touched her head.

The moment the Ice Lord's fingertips touched Cao Bing's forehead, a fine layer of ice crystals instantly condensed, then spread along Cao Bing's brow, cheeks, and neck, quickly covering his entire body.