First, take down the Sword Demon, then save Runeterra.

Before long, Ato saw a bottomless rift valley, with a stone bridge connecting the two ends of the rift valley at intervals.

However, due to years of neglect, most of the stone bridges have suffered varying degrees of damage, with some even breaking in the middle.

"This is the Howling Abyss, truly magnificent... Follow the Howling Abyss, and you'll reach Frostguard Fortress. Hehe, it's located right across from the bridge where I often engage in chaotic battles!"

Ato rubbed his hands together. As a hardcore fan of Super Smash Bros., he had experienced more than ten thousand battles on that bridge.

Today, he will personally go to that bridge, step outside the map, enter Frostguard Fortress, and make a deal with Lissandra, the sole survivor of the Ice Sisters.

“I can sense their presence.” Even through a layer of pure ice, Aatrox could sense the existence of the void.

"If it weren't for the magical scabbard, the remaining corruption within me alone, once it resonated with them, might have driven me to madness again."

"...That serious?" Ato was a little scared. "Luckily, I had Orn forge a scabbard beforehand, otherwise, if you went berserk here, no one could stop you."

"Wait, we'll have to fight the Void sooner or later. If you encounter them, you'll trigger corruption. What should we do then?"

“Don’t worry,” Aatrox reassured him. “I’m able to regain my sanity because of the scabbard’s effect; it’s gradually eliminating the corruption within me. In time, it will all be gone.”

"At that time, apart from my body not being my original divine body, I will be no different from when I served as a general under Empress Setaka more than three thousand years ago."

"That's good." Atto breathed a sigh of relief.

"Right now, the sword sheath is still there to keep us at bay. Once we reach Frostguard Fortress, we'll try to avoid conflict with them, which means we'll try to keep you from drawing your sword. Don't provoke that old hag!"

"I won't. With the sword sheath suppressing me, reason will always prevail."

"Let's not talk about that. There's a relatively well-preserved bridge ahead, which seems to be regularly maintained. There are also buildings built in the iceberg on the other side of that bridge, which should be Frostguard Fortress."

Ato squinted and, upon seeing the bridge Aatrox had mentioned, became excited.

"Guys, we can play ARAM again!"

Ato sped up and arrived at the bridge in an instant, eagerly gazing at the details that were invisible in the game due to simplified models and limited perspective.

It is not a single bridge, but a combination of a main bridge and many smaller bridges connected by stairs, much like the overpasses that Ato often saw in the real world in his previous life.

The bridge is over a hundred meters long, with decorative pillars on both sides. At the entrance stands a huge statue that resembles a defense tower in a game, wearing a helmet and holding a giant sword, standing silently.

At the end of the bridge, the stone building built amidst the iceberg is Ato's destination—Frostguard Fortress.

Atto noticed several people standing beneath the statue, though he didn't know when they had been there.

They were in the cold Freljord, wearing only a few thin layers of clothing. Leading them was a thin, elderly man who leaned on a cane.

“They’re all of Ice Descent…” Atto said in a low voice.

Only the Iceborn can be indifferent to the cold temperature, which also aligns with what Ato saw: Lissandra always guiding the Iceborn to become her subordinates in her dreams.

As for why she was so keen on subduing the Iceborn, Ato didn't know. Perhaps it was because she still felt guilty towards her other two sisters.

Upon seeing Ato carrying a greatsword, the old man stepped forward to greet him: "Welcome, Chieftain's guest. I am Priestess Loraka Chashe. The Chieftain has been waiting for you for a long time."

After leaving Aatrox's dream last night, Lissandra didn't go into any other dreams.

As expected, for Lissandra, the void is everything. After seeing that dream, she lost all interest in shopping and just waited for my visit today...

On the surface, Ato remained calm, but he was actually thinking about what lines he should say to the game NPCs in this scene.

After a brief silence, he smiled and said to the priest, "Hello, Priestess Loraka, my name is Ato, and I come from the south."

"I apologize for being a little late, as I wasn't nearby earlier. Please take me to see the chieftain now."

"Please follow me." The old priest bowed slightly and turned to walk into the fortress.

The other young Iceborn glanced at Ato and the greatsword behind him, said nothing, and followed behind the old priest.

Ato walked on the stone bridge where he often held his chaotic brawls, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face, just like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

"Hehe, hehehe..."

The Iceborn who were leading the way turned around, their brows furrowed. Although this was a guest that the respected matriarch was to see, was he really not a fool?

“Mind your manners. You now represent ancient Shurima and are here to meet with those who also experienced the Void invasion. This is a historic meeting between two civilizations that have suffered calamity,” Aatrox’s voice echoed in Ato’s mind.

"Well, I told the old man not to provoke them, and I've already made an indelible bad impression on them right from the start..."

Ato scratched his head, realizing he had gotten carried away again, and put on a serious expression.

The area beneath the stone bridge was bottomless and shrouded in thick ice fog, obscuring the view. Ato stared at it for a moment before hearing inexplicable murmurs, which made him feel dizzy and disoriented.

“Let me give you a piece of advice, young guest,” the old priest said without turning around, “Don’t stare at the Howling Abyss for too long.”

“I know, they’re the monitors, they always want to cram something into your head,” Atto said nonchalantly.

“You…” The old priest and the Iceborn stopped abruptly and turned to look at Ator. “No wonder you were summoned by the matriarch. It seems you know a lot.”

Ato spread his hands to indicate his innocence, as if he had talked too much again... The old man's condition has improved, but his talkativeness has been transferred to me?

I was a total shut-in in my past life!

The old priest sighed and continued leading the way: "Every year we select Iceborn to venture deep into the Howling Abyss to check the state of the True Ice Seal."

"Only the Iceborn can slightly resist the Watchers' corruption, avoid turning into monsters, maintain their sanity, and climb up alive to report the situation."

So this is the real reason Lissandra sought out the Iceborn... I still thought of her as a noble person; she only seemed to be using the Iceborn.

As expected, you can only see one side of the heroes through the game screen...

The old priest added, "The chosen Iceborn must have absolute devotion to the female chieftain and a willingness to die for her cause."

In previous years, of the Iceborn who entered the Abyss to check the seal, only one or two would return alive.

“Aren’t you… afraid? The chieftain ordered you to go down and investigate. Didn’t you ever think of backing down?” Ato felt sorry for the Ice People.

“From the moment we decided to serve the matriarch, every Iceborn was prepared; it is our duty.” The old priest paused again. “We have arrived at the sacred Frostguard Fortress.”