Rise of the Otherworld.

Everyone stared at the icy lake, lost in thought. The air around them seemed frozen, so quiet that only the sound of each other's slightly rapid breathing could be heard. Everyone's mind was racing, thinking of a way to cross the icy lake. Ling Yu was the first to break the silence, his brow furrowed, his eyes revealing worry. "The ice is so smooth that it's easy to slip if you walk directly across it. And we don't know how thick it is. Stepping on it rashly could be dangerous." His voice was particularly clear in the silent passage, as if tying another knot on everyone's already tense nerves.

The mysterious man nodded in agreement. He slowly crouched down, his eyes fixed on the ice, a look of concentration and caution. He reached out and gently touched the ice. In that instant, a piercing chill ran down his arm and through his body, and he shuddered. "This ice is incredibly cold. Ordinary fire wouldn't be able to melt it and carve a path through it." He stood up, gently rubbing his numb fingers as he spoke.

The old man stroked his beard, a gleam of light flashed in his deep eyes. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Perhaps we can use wind and earth spells to build a passage on the ice." Although his voice was calm, it carried a kind of sophistication and wisdom, as if giving everyone a direction in the darkness.

Zhang Hao's eyes lit up upon hearing this, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope amidst despair. "That's a good idea. Lingyu, use your wind power to create friction on the ice so we don't slip. Mysterious man, use your earth magic to create a passable path through the ice." He made a quick decision, his tone firm and forceful, leaving no room for doubt.

Everyone sprang into action. Ling Yu waved his hands rapidly, and wind energy flowed from his fingertips like ethereal threads, wrapping around the ice. Under the influence of the wind energy, the originally mirror-smooth ice gradually became roughened, as if covered with a layer of fine sandpaper. The mysterious man pressed his hands firmly against the ice, muttering something under his breath. Accompanied by a low incantation, a large amount of soil poured out from the ground, piling up on the ice, gradually forming a winding earthen bridge, like a giant brown dragon lying across the icy lake.

However, just as the earthen bridge was nearing completion, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted from the depths of the icy lake, as if a giant beast, slumbering for millennia, had awakened and unleashed a furious roar. The sound echoed through the narrow passage, jarring everyone's eardrums. Then, a gigantic ice beast suddenly leaped from the lake. Resembling a unicorn, its body was covered in a shimmering, translucent ice armor, each plate gleaming with a cold light, like finely crafted armor. It exuded a chilling aura, seemingly freezing the entire passage in an instant. Its eyes shone with a faint blue light, like two will-o'-the-wisp flames, glaring angrily at the group, as if warning them of any intrusion into its territory.

"Oh no, this ice beast may be guarding the key!" Zhang Hao shouted, with a hint of tension and alertness in his voice, "Everyone prepare for battle!" As he spoke, he quickly gripped the long sword in his hand. The sword flashed with cold light, and under the reflection of the dim blue light, it looked particularly cold and stern.

The mysterious man quickly reinforced the earthen bridge, his hands forming seals as he channeled spiritual energy into it. He knew this bridge was not only their only hope of crossing the frozen lake, but also crucial to their stability during the battle; it must not collapse under the onslaught of battle. The old man swung his staff, its tip radiating a brilliant light. A powerful lightning spell, like a dragon emerging from the sea, blasted towards the ice beast. The lightning snaked through the air, crackling and threatening to rend the very air. However, when it struck the ice beast, it only caused a slight tremor. The ice beast seemed unfazed by the lightning, its ice armor seeming to possess a formidable defensive capability.

The ice beast roared, its voice as resounding as a bell, shaking the surrounding air. Then, it unleashed a storm of icy cones from its mouth. Countless sharp cones rained down upon the crowd. The cones gleamed with a cold light, and in the dim light, they resembled the Grim Reaper's scythe, emitting a deadly aura.

Zhang Hao quickly formed a spiritual shield in front of him. It was like a solid blue shield, emitting a soft yet firm light. At the same time, he shouted, "Woman, use ice magic to counter its icy storm! Lingyu, control wind spiritual power and blow the icy cones away!" His voice was firm and powerful, pointing the way for everyone in the chaos.

The woman immediately cast an ice spell, her hands dancing as a shimmering blue light flickered around her. A massive ice shield appeared before them, thick and solid, like a towering iceberg. The shield collided with the storm of ice cones with a deafening roar, sending shards of ice flying everywhere like a sleet rain. Ling Yu concentrated all his energy on controlling his wind energy. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, but his gaze remained resolute. Wind energy converged frantically, forming a powerful gust of wind, like an invisible hand attempting to deflect the ice cones' trajectory. However, the ice cones were numerous and powerful, and some still managed to break through the defenses and blast towards the group.

The mysterious man manipulated the earth wall, erecting a barrier in front of the ice shield. The earth wall, carrying the weight of the earth, attempted to block the impact of the ice cone. However, the impact of the ice cone was so great that cracks began to appear in the earth wall under the continuous impact. The cracks spread like a spider web, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Zhang Hao knew he couldn't passively defend himself. He grasped his longsword and channeled his spiritual energy, which surged through his body like a surging tide. With a roar, he charged at the ice beast, his form like a flash of black lightning, leaving a trail of shadow on the ice. Seeing Zhang Hao approach, the ice beast kicked with its front hooves, instantly shattering the ice. It lunged at Zhang Hao like a cannonball. Zhang Hao dodged the ice beast's attack with a flick of his wrist, deftly avoiding it and swinging his sword at its legs. However, the ice beast's legs were incredibly hard, and the longsword's blow left only a shallow mark, as if it were striking steel.

"This ice beast has extremely strong defenses!" Zhang Hao shouted, a hint of anxiety in his voice, "We must find its weakness!"

Everyone dodged the ice beast's attacks while searching for its weaknesses. Just then, Lingyu noticed that before each powerful attack, a tiny crack appeared in the ice armor on its chest. Although the crack was extremely subtle, he keenly noticed it in the tense battle. He quickly shouted, "Attack its chest; that might be its weak spot!"

Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attacks on the ice beast's chest. The old man unleashed a powerful fire spell, the flames like a dancing fire dragon, carrying a billowing heat wave, rushing towards the ice beast's chest. The woman condensed a huge ice spear, which flashed with cold light and launched with powerful impact into the ice beast's chest. Zhang Hao seized the opportunity and rushed towards the ice beast again, pouring all his spiritual power into the long sword, stabbing fiercely at the crack in the ice beast's chest...