Void Beetle Evolution Guide

The eerie purple light shone on her, making her feel inexplicably uncomfortable. But under this light, Sejuani was pleasantly surprised to find that all the survivors were enveloped in this stone shell.

Bristleback, Udyr, Olaf, Urkas... and Ashe are all on the list.

When Fang and Ashe met eyes, Sejuani looked away awkwardly as if she had been burned.

At this moment, she felt extremely uncomfortable, her heart filled with an indescribable emotion, and she couldn't wait to escape this seemingly safe but actually torturous "cage".

She viewed Ash's departure as a betrayal and even threatened to fight her if they met again.

Now that they were face to face, she was afraid that she might really not be able to resist taking action, but at the same time she knew that such a thought was really shameless. She was torn by inner conflict.

These complex emotions surged within her, making it difficult for her to contain them. Finally, she slammed her fist heavily onto the stone shell, attempting to vent her turbulent emotions.

With a single punch, dust billowed down. Seeing this, Kai'Sa immediately shouted a warning: "Don't move! Do you want everyone to get crushed to death?"

Sejuani then realized her recklessness, her heart tightened, she slowly lowered her arm, shut her mouth, and stopped moving.

"I'm trying to get you out of here. Until then, you all need to stay calm, otherwise there won't be enough oxygen for you to breathe."

Kaisa glanced around and, seeing that no one objected, raised her hand and tore open a rift in the void, then crawled in along the edge.

But not long after, she hurriedly crawled out of the gap again.

"How is it?" Ashe stepped forward and asked, "Are you able to get out?"

“No, the thickness of the rock layer far exceeds the limit of my teleportation.” Kasha paused, then changed the subject, “But Wild Hunt said he can get us, his own people, out first.”

Kai'Sa's portals have distance limitations, but the Wild Hunt's do not. His giant claws can appear next to any of his followers, no matter where they are.

"Really? That's great!" Ashe exclaimed excitedly, but then realized that Sejuani and the others were excluded, and her expression quickly turned somber.

To transfer through the void rift, the essential condition is that one must have protective armor on their body; otherwise, they will be swallowed up and annihilated the moment they come into contact with the void, turning into nothingness.

"You and Portil should leave first. I'll stay here." After a moment's thought, Ashe made her decision.

“Then I won’t fight you for air. Just wait a little longer, Sephiroth has already started digging outside, and she’ll be able to dig you out soon.” Kai’Sa nodded. She guessed that Ashe and Sejuani had something to say, and this was a good opportunity to give them space to settle their past grievances.

As soon as she finished speaking, a void rift opened up beside Kai'Sa, and the Wild Hunt's giant claws emerged from it.

Kaisa stepped forward, firmly placing her feet on her little finger and grabbing her index finger with both hands, letting the Wild Hunt grip her body.

The body was then slowly drawn into the crack, and the figure gradually disappeared.

Subsequently, the injured Portyl was also taken out in the same way, leaving Ashe, Sejuani, and the others alone in the darkness.

Chapter 313 In the Darkness

"How does your foot feel?" Ashe asked softly in the darkness, trying to break the oppressive silence.

Her voice was soft and concerned, like a glimmer of light in the darkness, cautiously reaching out to Sejuani, hoping to use this as a starting point to shorten the distance between the two.

However, she did not expect that her kind gesture would provoke such a strong reaction from Sejuani.

"Don't come any closer, don't force me to do it!" Sejuani's low growl suddenly rang out, and Ashe could even hear the beast-like panting.

The tone suggested that if one took another step forward, she would launch a merciless attack.

"I didn't mean to take the big vat from you, you don't need to be so wary of me."

"Then how are you going to explain your presence here?"

"Just think of it as... repaying you for taking me in when I was desperate." Ashe said with emotion, recalling the precious friendship between the two of them.

“I don’t need the enemy’s help. We are bound to have a battle.” Sejuani clenched her fists in the darkness, her knuckles creaking from the force.

At this moment, wasn't she also at her most desperate? But her dignity as the Warmother of the Winter's Claw made it impossible for her to overcome her inner hurdle and accept Ashe's help without hesitation.

“You don’t actually need to regard me as the War Mother of Avarossa. I did not bring any of Avarossa’s people with me this time; I came purely in my personal capacity.”

"How utterly childish! Our identities are like an indelible brand, do you think you can hide in this darkness and pretend you don't see it?!" Sejuani was extremely agitated, her voice trembling slightly with anger. She subconsciously dug her fingers deep into the bristles of her steel bristles, mechanically combing them, trying to alleviate the surging pressure within her.

She used this as a way to release stress. Brushing the beast always calmed Sejuani down and reminded her of the simpler times when everything was simple, although she vaguely knew that life was never simple and that simplicity was just an illusion.

Sejuani took a deep breath and said, "Years ago, I found you, a lone exile on the icy sea, and brought you back to Winter's Claw. At that time, you mistook me for a bear-man and we almost got into a fight. Together we stole meat from the bear-men and escaped the territory of the Lost. Back then, I knew you were my best sister, and we even cut our palms and swore a blood oath."

"But in the blink of an eye, you turned around and betrayed and abandoned me for a group of warm-blooded people! From that moment on, I was certain that there could never be peace between the Claws of Winter and Avarosan!"

Sejuani's methods of venting her stress seemed to be failing, and her increasingly forceful movements made Steelmane grumble impatiently and stomp his feet a few times.

At the same time, the Warmother of Winter's Claw could no longer contain her emotions and shouted out the resentment that had been building up over the years.

"Aish, you have not only betrayed me, but also the Frostblood!" she cried out hoarsely. "Even if you don't act this time, I will not hesitate to smash any obstacle in my way next time. Even if you don't think of yourself, you should think of your people. Kill me now; it would be the best outcome for all of us!"

Even a clay figure like Ashe was somewhat angered by Sejuani's accusations. However, Ashe tried her best to remain calm and replied, "Who told you that the Frostbloods have to live by plundering? If Ornn's Great Jar were in your hands, would you still choose to risk your life to fight?"

"Hunting in the North is certainly a thankless task, but the warm-blooded people are not livestock to be slaughtered. Even without my guidance, do you think they wouldn't fight back?"

Ashe paused briefly before continuing, "Doesn't Lissandra's Frostguard fortress also house a horde of Frostbloods, exceeding the combined numbers of all the tribes outside? But have you ever seen them live by raiding? No! Although we don't know how they do it, they are indeed self-sufficient. The so-called scarcity of resources in the North is nothing but a carefully crafted lie by Lissandra, designed to incite our tribes to fight and kill each other."

"Don't believe those useless Frost Priests anymore. They're all spies sent by Lissandra. They can't say a word except sow discord."

Ashe's words immediately reminded Sejuani of the prophet in the tribe who wore a cloak of raven feathers—Wieljam.

Every time he learned that her hunting party hadn't brought back enough raw meat, the old man would jump out and predict a major disaster, then tell the assembled leaders of the various Claws that this winter would bring them unprecedented harshness.

This is so obvious, everyone knows it without him saying it. His nonsense serves no purpose other than inciting division within the tribe and making her management even more difficult.

Sejuani had long disliked him; his existence only disturbed those who were prone to superstition, disrupted their goals, and even threatened her authority.

However, he has Frostguard Fortress as his backing. In Freljord, even the most powerful matriarch must know how to respect the old faith.

If she wanted to kick this person out, many superstitious members of her tribe would surely oppose her, and some would even be willing to go against her.

Sejuani somewhat agreed with Ashe's statement, but with her own people listening nearby, she couldn't back down immediately after making those harsh words, even if it was for the sake of her pride.

“I don’t need you to teach me how to manage the tribe!” Sejuani said through gritted teeth. If she were to acknowledge him here, it would be tantamount to being outdone.

She thought sadly that if she gave her subordinates a chance to choose again, most of them would probably choose to follow Ashe. Only a battle maniac like Olaf would remain steadfastly loyal to her.

From this perspective, she might be a good warrior, but not a good leader. Otherwise, the Winter's Claws would have been forced to split into several branches due to hunger and hardship, instead of the thousand-strong force they had been a few winters ago.

However, she has never regretted her choice.

Because going south meant being imprisoned in farmland, in stone houses, and among livestock herds.

That's not the way of survival for the Winter's Claws, and it will never be their way of survival.

Sejuani would rather die fighting with her sword while she is still full of passion than break her back and lose her edge in the fields.

On the other side, Ashe also remained silent.

She knew the Northerners' dullness and stubbornness, and that getting them to change overnight wouldn't be easy. She'd leave that at that for now, giving Sejuani more time to think things through. She just needed to act with a clear conscience and leave the rest to time.

Neither of them spoke again, and the darkness fell silent, broken only by the soft sound of breathing.

Sephiroth unearthed a stone shell amidst the mountain of ruins. The remaining shells were then left to Talia to handle, otherwise, given her enormous size, she might accidentally crush someone to death.

"All you do is order people around, you never even know how to reward them." She shrunk back into human form, rubbing her aching shoulders as she grumbled, watching Talia cast a spell to lift the stone shell and rescue everyone inside.

"Cough cough cough cough, finally out!" Urkas fanned away the dust with his palm, then eagerly took a deep breath of the biting north wind.

The icy air filled his lungs, making him shiver. Suddenly, he realized that being in the ruins wasn't so bad after all. Although it was dark, it was at least much warmer.

He looked up and saw several people standing above the ruins like gods. He was immediately intimidated by their powerful aura and fell silent.

Faced with these powerful strangers, he was first filled with awe, and then with gratitude.

In his view, good intentions are good intentions.

Regardless of whose charity it was, their War Mother Sejuani is still too awkward.

Knowing that she and Avarosa's Warmother were once sisters, why didn't she take advantage of that relationship to befriend her? With just a little help from the Avarosa tribe, Winter's Claw could easily get through this winter, so why bother coming here to steal the Great Jar?

A true man can bend and stretch; he should think of his people before he acts. No matter what, survival comes first.

If you die, you have nothing left.

Chapter 314 The Large Urn

"..."

Kaisa lowered her head, her sharp gaze sweeping across the faces of the two hostile Warmothers. Seeing that the atmosphere between them remained as stiff as iron, she knew that Ashe had not reached an agreement.

So she cleared her throat and spoke in a firm and unquestionable tone: "Winter's Claws, I've heard you intend to steal Ornn's Great Urn from Volibear. We can escort you for a while, but you must promise that after obtaining the Great Urn, you will refrain from further acts of arson, murder, and looting. Otherwise, we will keep the Great Urn ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Sejuani felt a surge of intense resentment and bitterness. She bit her lower lip so hard that her nails almost dug into her palm.

Although the conditions were in line with their original expectations, hearing them so forcefully from someone else's mouth always left them feeling coerced and manipulated.

But at this moment, the situation is beyond her control. If she doesn't agree, she might not even be able to climb out of this pit.

After much deliberation, Sejuani finally managed to say with difficulty, "I... I can agree."

“Very well, let’s go then.” Kasha nodded and said, “Talia, get them out.”

The two teams were thus temporarily assembled and embarked on their journey anew.

The mountain stream is the final obstacle on the way to the destination. After passing through the mountain stream, the destination is not far away.

In less than an hour, they arrived at the foot of the mountain emitting the red beam of light. Without hesitation, they immediately began to climb.

Looking up, the mountaintop was shrouded in a red halo, mysterious and majestic. The closer one got to the summit, the more breathtaking the sky, dyed red by divine power, became.

Up close, each cloud looked as if it were soaked in blood, its edges shimmering with an eerie light. Lightning flashed through them, seemingly trying to mend the holes pierced by the beams of light; every second was a sight one could never witness in a lifetime.

Strangely enough, as the group made their way toward their destination and were about to reach the pillar of light, they didn't see a single bear-man along the way.

This raises the question: Is Volibear too confident, convinced that they simply cannot reach this place?

Or perhaps Nera successfully tied down Volibear? Or even defeated him, preventing him from escaping?

Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why Volibear has not shown up until now.

This seemingly smooth situation was exactly what they had been hoping for. But for some reason, the easier it was to obtain, the more uneasy they felt. It was as if an invisible hand was subtly tugging at their taut nerves.

Despite their doubts, the group continued climbing and, unusually, reached the summit.

The mountaintop is a huge, abrupt plateau, as if the mountaintop had been struck by lightning, revealing a circular basin resembling a volcano crater.

Around the basin, many huge bonfires roared, their flames as high as three people, and even the relentless north wind could not extinguish them.

The firewood for the campfire was arranged in a knotted pattern to form interlocking triangles, and the stacked firewood formed burning spires.

Around the campfire stood tall, ancient iron poles. Each pole was cast with the mark of the bear-men, and beneath them lay piles of weapons and bones, like dry tinder waiting to be lit.

If Udyr were still awake, he would recognize this as the blood prayer ritual required to summon Volibear.

Orn's large urn was placed right in the middle of the campfires, very conspicuous, and there wasn't a single bearman guarding it, making it look like a trap.

However, the lightning raging here was no less intense than that in the previous mountain stream.

Bolts of lightning, like raging silver serpents, relentlessly struck the large urn, each impact sending up blinding sparks. They tried to destroy it completely, but failed to damage it in the slightest.

On the other hand, the ground next to the large urn suffered greatly. It was frequently bombarded by lightning, and the rocks were melted by the high temperature, turning it into a pitted and uneven terrain full of scalding lava.

The churning lava emitted suffocating heat, deterring people from approaching and inspiring fear.

But since we're already here, there's no reason to leave empty-handed. Even knowing there's a trap ahead, we have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Sejuani's gaze was fixed on the large urn in front of her, and she felt her heart suddenly race, pounding wildly in her chest as if it were about to burst out of her chest.

The legendary Great Urn of Ornn truly exists! It's right there, placed in Volibear's territory, radiating a mysterious red glow!

Sejuani heard about the Great Jar from an old blind man who wasn't even one of Winter's Claws' own, but rather someone Urkas had brought back from a small tribe he had wiped out.

Urkas stole their herds, furs, ironware, and salt blocks, but inexplicably brought back an old blind man who couldn't walk without legs, without realizing anything was wrong with it.

When asked why he brought back an old, crazy man who only ate and didn't work, Urkas said he had been entrusted by the mountains in a dream to bring back this blind man, but he couldn't explain why.

Sejuani had ordered that he not be fed and that the prophet be abandoned in Freljord. But months later, the old blind man was not only alive and well, but was still with Winter's Claw.

His skin was ruddy, and his full belly even had a layer of soft fat clinging to it. In contrast, Sejuani's skin was waxy white, her wrists were slender, her skin and flesh clung to her bones, and her body craved large amounts of meat and oil.

Sejuani couldn't accept it. She thought someone was secretly feeding the old blind man with his precious rations, and she was so angry that she wanted to find that person and kill him.

But after some inquiry, the old blind man said that Orn fed him. He only drank a mouthful of meat broth from the large urn, and he was able to go a whole year without going hungry.

Although Sejuani didn't believe it wholeheartedly, whenever she was about to give up, the old blind man's words would echo in her ears, as if she were possessed.

To verify whether the large urn was truly as magical as the old blind man had claimed, while the others hesitated and stood by watching, Sejuani, dragging her injured leg, limped toward the urn.

The sky was furious, the thunder was deafening, and lightning struck overhead, seemingly within reach.

Every step she took was incredibly difficult; her injured foot waded through the semi-solidified lava, and scorching flames instantly licked at her boots.

If it weren't for the armor inlaid with pure ice, the chilling aura it emitted temporarily suppressed the hellish heat, she would have been engulfed by the flames in an instant.

Sejuani walked slowly but firmly to the large urn. Only when she got close did she realize that the urn had an ancient and grand shape, like an antique unearthed thousands of years ago, rather than an object forged in just a few years.