The number of demonized humans was large, but Zhou Yan, wielding the Heavenly Soul Sword, possessed immense strength and unparalleled combat power. With a single sword, he could slay demons, cleave mountains and rivers, and vanquish gods and devils.
Zhou Yan, holding the Heavenly Soul Sword, slew the charging demonized humans one by one, turning them all into nothingness.
Cai Yan also purified the dark energies, and everything was progressing for the better.
The demonized princess also launched an attack on Zhou Yan. She brandished her black staff, unleashing wave after wave of dark magic.
Zhen Mi had been closely watching the demonized princess. Upon seeing the latter launch an attack, she too retaliated, releasing an ice storm from her hands that slammed directly into the dark magic.
"Boom!"
The two spells erupted with immense explosive energy.
Zhen Mi glared at the demonized princess and declared, "Your opponent is me!"
The demonized princess glared back at Zhen Mi, raising her staff again and unleashing more dark magic attacks against Zhen Mi. However, Zhen Mi's strength was not to be underestimated. After several exchanges, Zhen Mi successfully knocked the princess to the ground.
Zhou Yan had also successfully exterminated all the demonized humans surrounding them. He then produced a rope and directly bound the demonized princess.
Zhou Yan looked at the demonized princess and said to Cai Yan, "Purify her."
"Mm."
Cai Yan sighed and strummed her Jiaowei Qin. Notes of music emanated from the instrument, and Cai Yan's unique power began to cleanse the dark demonic energy from the demonized princess.
The demonized princess howled and struggled like a wild beast. As the dark magic was purified, she transformed into a beam of light and vanished into the heavens and earth.
"Thank you." A voice echoed from the heavens and earth.
"She's thanking us," Diao Chan said in surprise.
"This Ice Princess was also a pitiable soul."
"Those people are truly detestable, to have demonized all the kind Ice Tribe people."
"The entire Ice Tribe was either captured or demonized, with not a single one surviving."
Zhou Yan led his companions into the Ice Castle. A thorough search revealed no other enemies.
They entered a section of the castle and discovered a crystal ball that connected to the castle's entire defensive shield.
When Zhou Yan removed the item from its pedestal, the castle's defensive shield vanished.
"This is a good thing," Zhou Yan observed, examining the item.
[Item: Mana Orb]
[Quality: R]
[Description: Can form a massive mana shield.]
"Allow the soldiers to enter. Have them search thoroughly and see if there's anything of value here."
Zhou Yan activated his communicator and spoke to Si Hu, who was outside the castle.
"Yes, Lord." Si Hu replied from the other end.
"Tell them to be careful and inform me immediately of any developments," Zhou Yan added.
Zhou Yan and Diao Chan's group began to search the royal castle again. The castle was vast, and they hoped to find what they needed.
However, the castle was not entirely intact. They observed signs of violent destruction in many areas, and anything of value had been plundered.
"Those demons are truly abominable. Not only did they abduct people, but they also looted treasures. I suspect all the wealth of the entire Ice Kingdom has been emptied."
Sun Shangxiang saw the desolate emptiness, finding no items of value.
"Let's keep looking. If there's nothing, then so be it."
Zhou Yan was unconcerned, having anticipated this situation.
Indeed, all valuable possessions in the Ice Kingdom had been taken.
They proceeded to the rear of the castle and suddenly spotted an interesting structure. This building was undamaged and well-preserved, though it appeared to serve no apparent purpose.
[Building: Windmill]
[Level: 60]
[Quality: D]
This building held little direct use for him, but any gain was still a positive one.
Furthermore, this building had already been upgraded, eliminating the need for further development. He collected this building.
The discovery of a building here indicated that other collectible structures might also be present.
Unfortunately, the castle wasn't constructed from buildings; otherwise, its relatively good preservation would have made it a prime candidate for collection.
The entire castle held no other valuable items besides the R-grade [Mana Orb] and this [Windmill]. They departed the castle.
They moved towards another area and discovered what appeared to be an armory. However, all the weapons had been removed, leaving only fragmented remnants.
"Just a pile of junk."
"There are some ores outside and a derelict [Blacksmith Shop], but unfortunately, that building has been destroyed."
However, they noticed that the place where the weapons were stored was itself a building.
It was called the [Armory], and Zhou Yan collected it.
Afterward, they searched the surrounding areas but found no other buildings of significant value.
"Forget it. It seems everything valuable here has been taken," Zhou Yan said finally, leaving the area.
As they were leaving, he heard Si Hu's voice through the communicator: "Lord, a building has been discovered here."
"Oh, I'll come take a look."
They proceeded in Si Hu's direction and indeed found a large building, well-preserved and collectible.
It was a C-grade [Tavern], already upgraded to level 50. He collected this tavern and instructed them, "Continue searching for anything else. If there's nothing, we'll leave this place."
Descending into the Lord's Continent, not every expedition yielded significant rewards.
Their failure to acquire much of value this time was within the realm of normal circumstances.
Several hours later, the soldiers also discovered some [Wells]. After collecting them, they departed.
The harvest this time was minimal, with the only valuable item being the R-grade [Mana Orb].
It could potentially be used to strengthen the territory's defenses.
The value of this item alone was considerable, as high-quality items always commanded a high price.
The reconnaissance drones explored an area of about ten kilometers around. Nearby, there were over a dozen damaged villages, now reduced to ruins.
The demons must have captured all the Ice Tribe people in this region. Even those who, like the demonized princess, were fortunate enough to hide, would have been demonized.
They headed towards a monster-infested area. Since they hadn't gained much, defeating more monsters for treasure chests was also a worthwhile endeavor.
However, reconnaissance detected a peculiar location about twenty kilometers away, marked by a stone tablet, seemingly called the Ice and Snow Sacred Land.
"Let's go there and see."