Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1508 1508: Frost Ridge (Part 1)

Adam stayed at the Citadel for a considerable duration, a period he used not only to recover and settle his affairs but also to gain unexpected knowledge—the existence of the Detached Mountains had come as a total shock to him.

By now, Adam had learned the secret of how the elite Phantoms reached their remote destinations. Previously, the prospect of trekking across vast territories every time he left the Forgotten Mills seemed like an arduous and problematic burden.

However, believing that the spires were the only available path, he had refrained from complaining. That remained his mindset until this very moment.

Step.

Adam and Alexia moved forward together, their eyes fixed on the shimmering spatial anomaly hovering above.

A single leap was all that separated them from being transported dozens of kilometers away.

"Hey, before we go." Adam glanced back at Damien. "Do you actually think we'll find what we're searching for over there?"

Damien gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Who can say? The outcome rests entirely on your shoulders. If your energy is guiding you there, then by conquering the trials, you will surely obtain something valuable and increase your strength. It never fails. Both of you should understand that truth better than anyone."

Alexia gave a solemn nod. Her demeanor had turned grave the instant they reached the spatial anomaly. Inwardly, the upcoming trial was making her quite anxious.

Their journey wasn't merely about fulfilling the requirements for their Third Grand Stars. More significantly, they were venturing into the Primal Lands.

"Alright, Adam, it’s time. The sooner we depart, the sooner our return will be, right?"

Adam arched an eyebrow in surprise. Such words were unexpected coming from Alexia.

"Well, well, it looks like you're actually feeling some nerves, aren't you?"

Before Alexia could offer a retort, Adam seized her hand, and the two of them leaped high into the air.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The fabric of space quivered as the spatial anomaly surged, expanding several times its original size in an instant.

The rift attempted to swallow Damien as well, given he was standing only a few meters away, but his aura shielded him. Even a spatial anomaly lacked the power to affect Damien against his will.

"What’s your take?" Damien inquired, watching as the rift slowly began to stabilize.

Beth’s voice echoed within his mind:

"What is there to say? They simply utilized a spatial anomaly. It isn't a new experience for either of them. They have been through teleports and caught in similar anomalies multiple times during previous missions."

Damien dismissed her point with a wave of his hand, indicating he was referring to something else.

"No, I mean their odds of success. Even though every trial is unique, you can guess what’s coming based on the conditions they were given, can't you?"

After a brief silence, Beth nodded slowly.

When Beth had explained the nature of the Third Grand Star conditions to Adam and Alexia, she hadn't been dishonest.

However, a person with her level of expertise could typically gauge the lethality of a trial just by the name of the condition.

"I’m not concerned about Alexia—the Ancient Frost? To be honest, that doesn't sound particularly threatening, especially since her entire path revolves around the use of ice and frost in combat. But Adam’s condition... that is a different matter entirely."

"Blood of God. Is there anyone at Frost Ridge who fits such a title?"

Beth shook her head in uncertainty.

"I’m not sure. Perhaps it refers to some prehistoric beast. Regardless, I suggest you or someone else monitor their progress. Losing those two right now would be a massive setback."

For a fleeting second, Damien’s gaze turned heavy and dark. He understood Beth's meaning perfectly. Even so, Adam and Alexia remained too weak to sit at the same table as Damien and his peers.

"Hmph, out of all the new K4-Phantoms, they are among the few with the potential to go further. Seeing them make such strides right as the World Wipe concludes gives me a reason to be optimistic."

It was important to note that to Damien and Beth, "new" K4-Phantoms didn't just mean youths like Adam and Alexia, who hadn't even reached thirty. To them, any K4-Phantom that emerged since the start of the current World Wipe was considered part of that group.

Both had survived long enough to measure time not in years, but in centuries or the 250-year cycles of the World Wipes.

Every cycle, the same patterns repeated, and almost nothing ever changed... or did it?

...

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Hundreds of kilometers away from the Detached Mountains, high above a frozen landscape of peaks and ancient forests, the sky began to warp.

A biting, icy gale slapped against the faces of Adam and Alexia, who were left disoriented and startled.

Damien had certainly warned them about the sensation. They grasped the theory and the process, but there was a vast difference between hearing about it and actually experiencing it firsthand.

Adam and Alexia traded looks as clouds whipped past them, their bodies plummeting toward the earth at a terrifying velocity.

Through the Winding Fragments, they could discern the jagged mountain range and the blue abyss, though the anomaly had dropped them a bit away from the Frost Ridge. This was par for the course with spatial anomalies.

While the exact exit point of an anomaly was unpredictable, they usually stayed within their designated zones.

"Look!" Alexia shouted, pointing toward the horizon.

Visible a few kilometers away were snow-dusted peaks and a massive spine-like structure that draped over the mountains.

There was no doubt—this was the location they had glimpsed through the blue portal. The anomaly had delivered them to their goal.

A grin started to form on Adam’s face, but it vanished instantly.

"What the..."

A massive shadow loomed in the sky as a pair of azure wings unfurled, accompanied by the cold stare of two vertical pupils.

A titanic ice wyvern was soaring straight toward them, eyeing the two interlopers who were still trying to find their bearings.

They were in the Primal Lands now. To survive, they needed to stop thinking like warriors or Phantoms.

They had to adopt the mindset of hunters.