Unlike the exaggerated depictions in knight novels, the attacks of legendary powerhouses are purely destructive, leaving no so-called opportunities or insights.
Punk had already come to understand this deeply.
In this gorge, carved out by a legendary warrior centuries ago, Punk attempted to calm himself and search for traces of the laws being shaken. But this effort was doomed to failure. Whether legendary beings leave traces or not was irrelevant—at his current level, Punk had no means of perceiving the existence of laws.
No matter how much he let go of his thoughts, all he could sense was the boundless cold.
Though slightly disappointed, he realized this outcome was to be expected. If legendary power were so easily comprehended, it wouldn't be so distant and unreachable.
The biting wind made all three official-level powerhouses shiver, yet it still couldn't freeze the dwarf's incessant chatter.
Descending the rock wall at the fastest speed possible, the trio remained vigilant. Whether through Punk's magic or Bahanger and Kang Kai's battle aura, their energy was being drained at an alarming rate in this canyon.
"Damn it… Old man Bahanger, how could Tishachar be hiding in a place like this? Isn't she afraid of the cold?"
Bahanger's body was wrapped in dense earth-attributed battle aura, a defense that should have kept him warm even in temperatures of negative one or two hundred degrees. Yet, in the face of this unknown force, even at a mere negative forty or fifty, he still found himself shivering.
"Mr. Bahanger, if you don't even complain about Kang Kai, can't you at least keep quiet for a moment? If the natives of this rift catch wind of us, we'll be in serious trouble."
Punk spoke helplessly. The dwarf was a useful meat shield, but he was far too noisy.
But this time, Kang Kai didn't remain silent as he usually did. His frozen, purple lips trembled slightly as he forced himself to speak:
"Apologies… I can barely talk through the cold, but I must remind you—if we don't find Tishachar's lair within the hour, our battle aura won't last much longer."
"Don't worry. Tishachar is only an official-level professional. If we can't endure the cold for long, neither can she. I believe that after five minutes of descent, we'll reach the depth where she's hiding. Once there, with the aid of prophecy spells, finding her should take less than twenty minutes."
Punk was confident.
Though he wasn't specialized in prophecy, he had acquired a powerful divination spell from the High Priest—Filthy Foresight. In preparation for this mission, he had specifically prepared the necessary materials.
With this spell, locating Tishachar wouldn't be an issue.
Yes, finding her wasn't the problem…
But—
Upon hearing Punk's response, Kang Kai's expression did not ease. Instead, he stared blankly into the abyss below, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
"Mr. Punk, forgive me for asking… but have you considered what we should do if we encounter the 'locals'?"
"What else? Smash them."
Bahanger wiped the snow off his hammer, his voice filled with fearless bravado.
"That's your decision, Mr. Bahanger."
Kang Kai sighed, brushing frost off his dagger, tearing off his cumbersome robes, and narrowing his eyes at the depths below.
Unlike Bahanger and Kang Kai, who were still in the mood for banter, Punk was frozen stiff—not from the cold, but from sheer shock.
The turmoil in his heart could only be summed up in one thought:
What a fucking nightmare.
Just beneath them, an enormous head loomed in the darkness.
Blood-red eyes the size of searchlights stared directly at the three intruders.
The rest of the monster's body was still embedded in the rock wall, but even the portion that was visible was as large as a double-decker carriage. Its white-scaled head was lined with rows of jagged teeth, each resembling a blade of ice.
An official-level creature—
the Icefield Rockworm.
"How is this possible?"
Punk's mind reeled.
Though the lingering legendary energy had rendered their perception abilities useless, a creature like this should have long gone berserk under its influence. If it had been here all along, why did it wait until they were so close to reveal itself?
Unless…
A terrifying thought surfaced in Punk's mind—
Could this thing be Tishachar's pet?
Even though this beast lacked intelligence and couldn't spread her twisted faith, it made for an exceptional guardian.
If Tishachar and her pet attacked together…
A chill ran down Punk's spine, though whether from the cold or from the realization, he couldn't tell.
Bahanger and Kang Kai had also reached the same conclusion.
This monstrous creature alone could stall two of them, leaving the last to face Tishachar alone.
Their chances of victory had plummeted to less than thirty percent.
The grim expressions on Bahanger and Kang Kai's faces said it all.
In this frigid canyon, the Icefield Rockworm was at its peak strength—while they, balancing on icy rock, were at a severe disadvantage.
Just as they desperately searched for any sign of Tishachar, a projection flickered into existence beside the rockworm's massive head.
"Ahahaha! You little worms actually crawled all the way here from the land of the dead! Tell me—are you ready to face my adorable little pet?"
The filthy energy swirling around the projection left no doubt—
it was Tishachar.
She patted the rockworm's head, convulsing with laughter. The miasma of corruption clung to her form, making her look every bit the deranged villain.
"Bah! Who wins and who dies is yet to be decided! Once I smash your skull in, you'll know how strong I am!"
Bahanger slammed his hammer into the ground, his beard whipping in the wind as he spat at the projection.
"No matter how powerful the evil before me, I shall never retreat! This is the teaching of the great Oubai!"
Kang Kai's eyes burned with determination as wind-attributed battle aura surged through his body.
Unlike his two companions, Punk did not react with defiance or bravado.
Instead, he looked at Tishachar with amusement.
Not only was he unshaken by her threats—
he was relieved.
He smirked at the cackling figure, speaking with casual mockery:
"Hello again, Ms. Tishachar. We meet once more. As I said before—even if we cross paths again, you still won't be able to do a thing to me."
"What?! Nothing I can do? Hah! Just wait until my little pet tears you apart! I can't wait to see you on your knees, begging for mercy! Hahahaha!"
Tishachar howled with laughter.
But Punk remained unimpressed.
His gaze sharpened as he spoke in a slow, deliberate tone:
"No, no, Ms. Tishachar. Projecting yourself here was a critical mistake. I can tell your intelligence is already failing. Just look at your actions—you've exposed your own weakness just for a threat with less than a ten percent chance of success."
Punk's smirk deepened.
"Now, piecing together all the clues we've gathered along the way… I've reached a conclusion—you can't leave your lair, can you? You can only rely on your little pet to stop us. Am I right?"
Tishachar's laughter died abruptly.
For a moment, she was completely silent, as if she had been choked.
Then realization struck.
Overwhelmed by fury, she screamed hysterically:
"So what if I can't move?! My little pet will tear you to pieces! Now, kill them, my dear Robert!"