The seven cultivators stood in a loose, tense formation before the shimmering wall of ancient ice. The air in the Glacial Heart Wastes was sharp, cutting, each breath a sliver of frost in the lungs. Before them, the massive ice barrier hummed with contained power, and from within, the oppressive auras of the three Frost-Maw Devourers pulsed like angry, slumbering hearts.
Chen Ying stood at the forefront, her beautiful face a mask of cold determination. In her hands, the nine exquisite, cone-shaped artifacts—the Nine Heavens Formation-Breaker Cones—began to glow with a faint, disruptive light.
"Our positions are set," she announced, her voice crisp and authoritative, leaving no room for argument. "My sect sisters and I will form the primary offensive line. Your group," she said, her cool gaze sweeping over Wang Jian, Yue Lingshan, and Liu Ruyan, "will provide support and guard our flanks. Your main duty is to ensure nothing interrupts me for one hour. Do not fail."
