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...

The dark mountain cave resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast.

Seronie gripped the chain warhammer in her hand firmly, stepped over the snowdrift formed at the cave's entrance, and slowly entered the cavern.

The cave floor was covered with a thick layer of ice, each step producing a dull cracking sound.

The walls were covered with fragile frost flowers, and the cold seeped through the stone crevices.

But without the raging wind and snow outside, this cold was still bearable for the Ice and Snow Race.

Finding no danger, Seronie found a clean stone platform free of ice, laid down a fur mat to sit and rest, and pulled out some jerky from her pack.

The vegetation in the Icefield Mountain Range was scarce, making a fire impossible, so Seronie could only gnaw on the cold jerky.

"Grrraarrr—"

Just as Seronie leaned against the wall, planning to rest with her eyes closed, Bai Xue suddenly began to grunt.

Seronie opened her eyes, "Oh, I forgot to feed you."

Seronie took out a piece of meat the size of a grapefruit from her pack and tossed it to Bai Xue,

"This is all there is, there's no more."

However, Bai Xue ignored the piece of meat thrown by its master and continued to grunt, headbutting a large rock inside the cave.

"Is your body itching?"

Seronie walked forward, watched Bai Xue's actions, and thought,

"Do you want to break this rock?"

Bai Xue's pig head nodded up and down, and understanding, Seronie moved forward to help push the boulder.

As the leader of the Ice and Snow Race, Seronie's strength was unmatched, and the boulder was easily moved aside.

"Alright, tell me what you want to do..."

As Seronie spoke, she saw a cluster of faint blue light beneath the ice layer.

The brightness in the darkness was unusually clear. Seronie pressed her face against the ice to examine it closely, her expression changing immediately,

"Is this the legendary shrine's rune?"

Seronie hurriedly picked up the chain warhammer and began striking the ice layer with vigor.

The warhammer's spikes sent ice flowers flying, and the rune-engraved rock wall quickly came into view.

Without hesitation, Seronie's fingers pressed hard against the edge of the ice block, creating a cut, letting her blood drip upon it.

"Buzz!"

A faint vibrating sound resonated from her shoulders, and the frost-covered rock wall suddenly lit up with countless lights.

"These, these are the shrine runes!"

The ancient ice-blue runes, covered in thin frost, emitted a chilling cold.

An ear-piercing scraping sound echoed within the cave.

By the light blue glow, Seronie clearly saw a staircase entirely composed of ice blocks.

Seronie raised her warhammer and entered without hesitation.

Ice beneath her feet emitted a subtle crackling sound, the blue light becoming brighter, the cave more illuminated.

It was a vast palace entirely shrouded in ice and snow.

Broken stone pillars leaned on either side, encased in the thick ice.

The floor was paved with smooth blue stones, each slab covered in frost.

As Seronie approached, the previously dim runes on the wall began to light up, as if welcoming her.

Seronie proceeded cautiously, the biting cold making her wrap her cloak tighter.

Even someone like her, from the Ice and Snow Race, could not endure the cold here.

But soon, Seronie forgot the cold, staring dumbfounded ahead.

At the deepest part of the palace, a statue of a goddess stood silently.

The statue was as tall as three people and was entirely carved from ice-blue crystal.

The goddess's visage was breathtakingly beautiful.

A high-bridged nose, lips curled in a faint smile, and eyes that seemed to see through everything.

In one hand, she held an oak branch representing nature, and in the other, a crystal magic staff symbolizing ice and snow.

Her snow-white hair cascaded like a waterfall, each strand meticulously carved to life-like detail.

The robe on her body was light and flowing, as if it would sway with the next gust of wind.

If seronie were to come to life in the next moment, no one would doubt it.

Seronie withdrew her gaze and involuntarily knelt, her knees colliding with the cold stone floor with a "thud."

Yet Seronie didn't care, placing her hands on her chest and lowering her head in devotion.

"Great and benevolent Goddess of Nature and Frost."

Her voice echoed in the vast shrine,

"You are the ruler of the eternal winter."

"The creator of life and the arbiter of death."

Seronie's voice grew more fervent,

"Your majesty is like the peak of the snow-capped mountains, unassailable."

"Your compassion is like the spring rain, nourishing all."

"Your wisdom is like the depths of the ocean, immeasurable."

"Your power, like a snowstorm, sweeps across the land."

She paused, clenching her fists tightly.

"The ferocious lizardmen recklessly slaughter your loyal followers, trample on your majesty, scorn your greatness."

Seronie's voice began to tremble with restrained anger.

"The aged, women, children, none are spared. They attempt to destroy us, erase your presence from this world."

"Your humble follower, Seronie Frost, implores you with her blood, grant a trace of your formidable power, let those cold-blooded reptiles pay the price."

"Let them shiver in the ice and snow, their blood solidifying in the extreme cold."

"Let them feel the despair of being slaughtered."

Seronie lowered her head and crawled to the front of the ice-carved statue, picking up a sharp ice shard and without hesitation, slashed open her palm.

"With my blood, I offer sacrifice to you!"

Blood dripped, crimson spreading on the ice, seeping into the cracks of the base, reaching towards the statue.

Suddenly, a blue light lit up, and Seronie felt a violent pull from the ground, her blood turning into a stream flowing toward the statue!

The intense pain emanating from the palm brought no panic to Seronie; instead, her face revealed joy,

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