Chapter 962 Danger in the Blizzard
'You have my claws?' Leon mused with a smile, finding it amusing.
He heard of swords and shields being used to swear one's loyalty, but it was the first time he heard of claws being used, which also makes sense.
After all, Duke Blizzardpaw was a cat, and he had been talking to this cat.
If it were another ordinary person in his shoes, they would have thought that they were high. After all, an ordinary person wouldn't ever have a chance to meet a talking cat personally.
Beasts adept in the human tongue would have to be part of a race gifted with high intelligence or have opened their Wisdom Gate.
"Isn't it too easy to buy your loyalty, Duke Blizzardpaw?" Leon casually asked with a light smile.
"I might not know alchemy, but I don't lack awareness, Lord Leon. A Tier-5 Healing Pill shouldn't be something easy to come by. It should be extremely valuable," Duke Blizzardpaw stated.
Furthermore, Duke Blizzardpaw was already indebted to Leon and his associates for helping out the Winter Cat Tribe in a time of need.
"It's bad to follow such a powerful lord to whom I also come to respect," Duke Blizzardpaw said.
"Is that something the Lord of Blizzardpaw Dukedom should be saying? Don't tell me you've already grown tired of being a lord and want to be a lackey?" Leon softly chuckled with amusement.
However, Duke Blizzardpaw seriously considered it and said, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."
"Let's put that aside," Leon shook his head before seriously saying, "We should take the frozen Winter Cats back first. I'm getting a bad feeling about this blizzard storm region."
"Mm, me too. I feel like something is secretly watching from within the depths of the blizzard," Faelyn mentioned with an unsettling look.
After hearing that, Leon peered into the distance with Spirit Eyes.
However, the heavy blizzard obscured his vision. But despite seeing nothing, he could also sense an overwhelming presence lurking in the depths of the heavy blizzard.
"The Celestial Ice Spark had the Half-step Divine Beast-level Ice Phoenix guarding it. There's a high chance that the blizzard storm region's Celestial Spark also has a guardian, and not a weak one either," Leon speculated with a grave look.
"It wouldn't be another Half-step Divine Beast, right?" Faelyn asked.
"I don't know. We lack information. But we might as well assume that it is one and retreat for the sake of caution. We'll gather the frozen Winter Cats first and then move them out together," Leon instructed.
"Wouldn't it be more convenient to put them in our interspatial rings?" Faelyn wondered.
"It would be, but the storage space isn't a place for living beings. The frozen Winter Cats aren't dead yet. But they will be for real if we store them in our interspatial storage rings," Leon stated.
"Please don't do that," Duke Blizzardpaw said wryly.
The frozen Winter Cats were all Winter Cats from Duke Blizzardpaw's generation. Some of them were even his friends.
"Don't worry about it, Duke Blizzardpaw. It won't happen," Leon assured.
Nevertheless, they quickly located all sixty frozen Winter Cats before gathering them in one location, where Leon made an ice sleigh to contain them all.
However, the moment the sixty frozen Winter Cats were gathered, the overwhelming presence lurking deep in the blizzard also became stronger.
"I feel like something's about to emerge from the blizzard. We better leave now," Leon urged.
After getting Faelyn and Duke Blizzardpaw's response, Leon controlled the ice sleigh to them all out of the blizzard storm region.
In that instance, the aura of the being lurking in the blizzard intensified, causing everyone to feel a strong sense of threat.
"I remember now, Lord Leon! It was this feeling! I sensed this exact feeling when I tried to pull one of my frozen kin out of the blizzard storm region!" Duke Blizzardpaw quickly informed him.
Swish!
A powerful breeze carrying the frosty power of the blizzard rushed their way. It swirled chaotically yet controlled and directed at the same time.
It was an attack aimed at them from the depths of the blizzard!
"A frost breath!" Leon glanced back at their rear with narrowed eyes.
Without further thought, Leon immediately summoned all the power of nihility he could muster in an instant, forming a cone-shape nihility barrier directed at the incoming frost breath.
Vroosh!
The frost breath collided with the cone-shaped nihility barrier in the next instance. The cone-shaped nihility barrier quickly worked its magic and scattered the frost breath like a drill.
But at the same time, the frost breath quickly diminished the power in the cone-shaped nihility barrier. Even so, Leon's cone-shaped nihility barrier contained just enough power to negate the frost breath completely.
True Grandmist Energy scattered in all directions, but Leon didn't have the luxury to absorb them all. He could only focus on escaping.
His ice sleigh brought everyone out of the blizzard storm region in the next breath.
However, the overwhelming presence lurking in the blizzard was infuriated by its failed attack. It partially emerged from the blizzard to give chase.
But at that point, Leon's group was already out of the blizzard storm region.
Roar!
The blizzard lurker gave an earth-shaking roar that stunned everyone and shook their souls.
Without a doubt, everyone confirmed the unknown creature's strength to be at the Half-step Divine Beast level.
The Half-step Divine Beast could have easily caught during everyone's momentarily stunned state.
However, the Half-step Divine Beast did not seem keen on leaving the territory of the blizzard storm region. Or rather, it wasn't keen on leaving the blizzard itself.
Even so, Leon managed to catch a glimpse of Half-step Divine Beast's shadow in the blizzard.
"What was that thing?! It was so powerful and scary!" Faelyn exclaimed with dread sometime after the Half-step Divine Beast's presence disappeared back in the depths of the blizzard.
"Judging by its dragon-like roar and the form of its enormous shadow, I will guess it was a Flood Dragon!"
Leon's eyes flickered sharply.