Read Novel Full Chapter 277 277: Ice Ancestor
Chapter 277 277: Ice Ancestor
Within the flames, Richard was not without advantages. His detection range was far wider.
Faintly, he sensed a cold power in the distance—deep within the abyss, yet still far from its bottom.
He believed it to be the Ice Ancestor.
Without hesitation, he dove downward.
However, as he descended further, he began to encounter resistance. A powerful upward force pushed against him, making it difficult to continue.
Even in void mode, the force could still reach him, which surprised him greatly, because if it were merely the power of an Ancient Sovereign, it wouldn't have been able to reach him at all.
This force was likely far stronger in the middle of the abyss, though he had no intention of going that far.
Before long, he saw a spherical ice barrier, perfectly enclosing both above and below.
It radiated an extremely cold aura, resisting the surrounding flames without melting.
Because it was transparent, Richard could clearly see the figure inside—a slightly plump old man with light blue hair and pale, wrinkled skin.
His eyes were tightly shut, his expression grim and uneasy.
Although no visible wounds could be seen, his chaotic aura revealed the truth—he was indeed injured. It was likely damage to the foundation of his power and soul, while any physical injuries could easily be restored.
Unfortunately, within such intense flames, there was no Aether for him to absorb to recover those unseen injuries.
All Aether was burned away before it could even form.
Richard did not enter the ice barrier. Instead, he appeared outside it, directly controlling the surrounding flames to move away from him.
The flames still affected him—they belonged to a Grand Sovereign. However, in the upper layers of the abyss, they were only mixed with a small amount of World Magic Aether. Richard could still control them.
Naturally, his actions were sensed by the Ice Ancestor.
The old man opened his eyes in shock—and became even more shocked when he saw Richard.
"You?" he said instinctively.
"Your descendant, Elise Holysnow, asked me to help you escape. However, I require payment first. Not much—just the Heavenly Wind Spirit in your possession," Richard said casually.
The old man's expression grew even more astonished.
"Are you Richard from the Holy Star Kingdom?" he asked.
It wasn't as if he had never seen Richard's image. After all, he had once contacted Sophia Whitewater, offering something that could increase a person's Wind Element affinity.
What he wanted in return… was Richard's seed.
He had hoped his bloodline could strengthen his clan's descendants.
Unfortunately, despite the tempting offer, Richard had refused.
"Yes," Richard replied briefly.
"How can you control the flames here?" the old man asked.
This puzzled him even more.
He had his suspicions—but found them difficult to believe.
Even with 91% Fire Element affinity, one's flames could become extremely powerful, but it did not necessarily mean they could control the flames here.
That would only be possible above 91%—92% or even 93%.
"You don't need to know that. If you want me to take you out, hand over the Heavenly Wind Spirit first," Richard replied calmly.
The old man's expression shifted repeatedly as he hesitated, clearly weighing his options.
"D-do you not like Elise?" he suddenly asked.
Richard rolled his eyes.
He had already expected Elise to be offered to him.
This old man was clearly still hoping to bind him to the clan through her.
"The point is, I'm not interested in that kind of transaction," Richard replied.
"But what if your relationship is genuine? Don't you want to take another lover? We, the Holy Snow Clan, would gladly welcome you as our son-in-law."
Richard: "…"
"Alright, old man. I'm here to take you out. Do you want it or not? If you do, hand over the Heavenly Wind Spirit now—or I'll leave," Richard said indifferently.
He even made a move to leave, causing the Ice Ancestor to panic.
"Wait! Take me out—I'll die here if I don't leave," he said, taking out an object—a sphere of swirling wind, radiating pure and mysterious energy.
"This must not be exposed—it could be destroyed instantly."
Richard vanished, passed through the ice barrier, took the Heavenly Wind Spirit from the old man's hand, and stored it in his ring.
"Enter my hall," Richard said.
He wasn't too wary of the old man—his strength had already weakened.
He needed time to recover before he could pose any threat.
After the Ice Ancestor entered the Dragon Hall, Richard immediately flew upward.
He was somewhat interested in exploring deeper to uncover the treasure left behind by the Demon Flame Grand Sovereign, but for now, he would return the Ice Ancestor first.
He flew back to the city atop the mountains, returning to where Elise was.
The woman was quite surprised to see him return so quickly. With a wave of his hand, the Ice Ancestor appeared.
"Ancestor…" Elise greeted him joyfully.
With the Ice Ancestor's return, the Snow Ancestor would no longer be able to act arbitrarily.
"Elise, are you alright? What happened to the clan while I was gone?" the Ice Ancestor asked.
"Ancestor, the Snow Ancestor has been acting tyrannically," Elise replied.
"What do you mean?" the Ice Ancestor asked, confused.
"He sold me to Gray for his own benefit."
"What? How dare he!" the Ice Ancestor's eyes widened in fury.
"Alright, now that you've reunited, I'll be leaving," Richard interrupted, uninterested in listening further.
Hearing that Richard was about to leave, the Ice Ancestor seemed to forget everything else.
"Richard…" he called out, hesitating.
"I have other matters to attend to," Richard replied, not waiting for him to continue, and left swiftly.
He returned to Void Mode and went back to the fire-filled abyss, leaping downward.
At the spot where the Ice Ancestor had previously been, he stopped and revealed himself.
Going any deeper was truly dangerous.
Even Richard lacked confidence—he was simply testing his luck.
Buzz!
He descended further, pushing the surrounding flames aside.
Compared to the flames, he found it even harder to resist the upward force pushing from below.
BANG! BANG!
The deeper he went, explosive sounds echoed as he forced his way through the opposing force.
It was as if something was refusing to let him pass. Even the flames within the abyss began to resist his control, turning against him.
Richard could see that the flames radiated a majesty so overwhelming that one could be forced to kneel just by looking at them.