The long month-long journey from Crimson Valley was less a chase and more an endurance test.
The Phantom Trio, masked and cloaked, rode into the highest, coldest regions of the continent, following trade routes that skirted the desolate peaks. The air grew thin, and the sunlight weakened, replaced by the relentless, freezing grip of the Northern climate. Chiron and Jin, hardened by their training in the Valley, faced the cold with a quiet resilience, their martial energy protecting their cores. Kai, however, thrived in the harsh environment, the raw, cold mana of the ice and wind serving as a perfect battery for his 6th Circle cultivation.
The journey pushed their horses and their new gear to the limit, but finally, the desolate mountain passes gave way to a plateau of staggering order
