Chapter 557: Abnormal Snake Valley
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
They initially believed that Han Sen might have wings and was planning to fly into the valley to draw the snake king out.
It was nearly impossible for someone to walk down there. The depth of the snow was greater than any man, and if you were to sink into it when trying to walk on top of it, you’d be sinking into a white grave occupied by unwelcoming snakes. It would be certain death.
If Han Sen could fly, he would fare better, but not by much. The ice snakes also possessed the ability to fly, and so an unbalanced dogfight would quickly ensue. Although they couldn’t fly too high, for as long as he would be in the ice valley, it would be impossible for him to escape their pursuit.
That’s why they thought Han Sen’s decision to go in, alone, was a suicidal move.
But there he went, walking into the valley. Without wings.
Han Sen had learnt the talent Ice Skin, however, and so was unafraid of being frostbitten. That’s not to say he planned on getting bitten by the snakes, though.
As he stepped into the Ice Valley, Han Sen leapt into a sprint. As he ran, his footsteps were so slight that they only left a shallow indent in the snow, and you could only trace them by paying close attention.
Treading Cloud, aside from borrowing strength from the air itself, allowed a person to be as light as the cloud the skill was named after. If perfected by its user, the ability to traverse across fields of snow without leaving a trace was wholly possible.
The evolvers that remained watched Han Sen go, motionlessly. The skill they observed unnerved them, making them believe that Han Sen was greater than what could be defined as an "evolver".
Although Han Sen’s body was really light, it still drew the attention of the ice snakes. He noticed two ice snakes leaping out from their white, powdery crypts to attack him.
The silver-scaled creatures glistened in blinding white, beneath the sun of that day. They stretched their bodies and spread their wings like giant cicadas. They divebombed towards Han Sen but missed, and so twirled in the air to try again.
Han Seen had read the profiles of the snakes before, and knew that the ice snakes had wings. Although they could not fly high, they had incredibly strong gliding abilities. Because of this, he knew he could not risk slowing down, so he pushed forward, dodging the snakes that lashed towards him.
He didn’t kill the two ice snakes because he only wanted to draw the ire of the snake king and lead it out. If he killed the two ice snakes, the scent of their blood would rally every other snake in the valley. And if that happened, he would be in big trouble.
He ignored the two chasing snakes and continued to push onward. A few other snakes occasionally joined the fray, but they did not pose much of a threat to Han Sen. As he glided along the snow, he continued to dodge every attack as he pushed into the canyon.
The evolvers watching on the outside looked at each other, observing how they all looked shocked. It was extremely rare to witness an evolver possess so much skill.
"Do you think he can actually draw out the king?" One evolver posed the question with a strange look, as he watched the fleeting humanoid shadow dance across the valley.
"I’m not sure. You can’t really tell with this person," an evolver responded.
"The boss wants us to collect as much information about him as we can, but if we report everything we see, do you think the boss will believe us?"
"I hope the boss doesn’t end up making us go against him. This man is too scary. If we were enemies, I’d feel terrified every waking moment. Although we have a lot of protection, I would still fear Han Sen decapitating me. The level of his skill is frightening."
"I hope not, too. Following him isn’t too bad. He’s not as cruel and conceited as Blackgod was, for one thing. You can actually reason with Han Sen."
Before long, Han Sen was gone from their sight. The Snowy Mountain was a hundred miles long, and all Han Sen knew was that the snake king was in some sort of icy cave in the middle of the valley. So he made sure to go in that direction.
After Hen Sen had travelled for ten miles, 300 ice snakes were in hot pursuit of him. Surprisingly, that was a good result. If he had killed just one ice snake, tens of thousands of ice snakes would be nipping at his heels.
"Weird. Shouldn’t the ice cave be around the 30-mile mark? I’ve already been running for 40 miles. Why haven’t I seen it yet?" Han Sen was puzzled. By now, 1000 ice snakes were chasing him. He was lucky that he was skilled enough to outpace and dodge every snake that attacked him.
But as time went on, he reached a narrow gulf where steep icy slopes tunneled him forward. Yet he still couldn’t see an ice cave.
The legends say that the silver-eyed ice snake king’s body was absolutely huge, at least 100 meters long. You would need an ice cave 200 meters wide for it to fit, and the entrance to such a subterranean abode would be hard to miss.
Han Sen ran on for another 20 miles, but still saw no sign of the ice cave or its supposed inhabitant. In his heart, he started wondering whether he had been played. Was it incorrect intelligence? Was it by chance? Or was it purposely incorrect?
After thinking it through, he realized that it wasn’t possible. The information was quite dated, and they had no idea Han Sen was planning to kill the snake king. It would have been impossible for them to do something like this in such a short window of opportunity.
"Hmm, I suppose I’ll have to venture even further." Han Sen continued to push, but something strange caught his eye.
The group of ice snakes that had been giving him chase was now significantly smaller. As he travelled further, more and more snakes abandoned the chase, until a few miles later, they were all gone.
A chill took Han Sen’s heart, and he said, "Is this the snake king’s territory? Do they not dare venture near it?" But that didn’t feel right, either. If he had truly arrived where the snake king was, the ice snakes should have been protecting their king. They shouldn’t have been running away.
Han Sen thought there was something wrong with the Ice Valley. Something must have happened that had changed it. He looked around, but was unable to see what was outside the Ice Valley. Because of the snow around him, he couldn’t detect the presence of further ice snakes. What’s more, a deafening silence now permeated the atmosphere of the valley.
The sun was choked by clouds, and more snow began to fall. Although it wasn’t particularly rough, a depressed, frigid feeling overtook him. There was no wind to carry the snow, it just fell straight down on the snow that already blanketed the valley. It felt desolate and lonely.
"I’ve already come this far, I can’t turn back now." Han Sen didn’t want to give up just yet, so he gritted his teeth and pushed on.
He had a Berserk sacred-blood wing, so he could always fly away. The ice snakes, if they decided to resume their chase, wouldn’t be able to catch him that way. As such, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Han Sen walked another 20 miles without finding a single snake. After his arduous trek, he reached an ice wall in front of him. It was smooth, but to his right and left, an array of lethal glaciers boxed him in. He had now reached the end of the canyon.
Suddenly, Han Sen was able to make out the presence of an ice cave in the wall of ice in front of him. It wasn’t what he expected, however, as it was three meters tall and only one meter wide. It looked strange, being so tall and so thin.
He didn’t see anything from the entrance, so he summoned his golden armor and glyph. After doing so, he ventured inside.