The environment around the snowy mountain might have been harsh, but the sight of snow that had remained unmelted for thousands of years possessed a unique beauty of its own.
Meanwhile, Ningguang, who had been closely monitoring their movements, fell into deep thought when she learned that the two had abandoned the easy main road and insisted on forcing their way through Dragonspine.
Combined with Beidou’s report that "Kamisato Satoru’s combat strength remains unknown," Ningguang began reassessing the danger level of the Kamisato Clan’s eldest young master.
The man possessed no Vision, yet the presence he displayed in every movement somehow reminded her of Liyue’s reclusive adepti.
"Kamisato Satoru... just who exactly are you?"
Ningguang murmured quietly beside the window of the Jade Chamber.
She did not believe anyone would risk their life merely for the sake of sightseeing.
There was only one explanation.
He possessed enough raw strength to utterly disregard Dragonspine’s deadly environment.
Had Satoru known what Teyvat’s wealthiest woman was imagining, he probably would have burst out laughing on the spot.
He really did just want to show his little sister what a true wonderland of ice and snow looked like.
That said, he was also rather curious about something himself.
If he were to truly clash with one of The Seven, just how good would his chances be?
When it came to reshaping terrain, his current power was already capable of doing so.
But if he wanted to casually alter the weather itself the way ancient gods could, he was probably still somewhat short of that level.
After several days of travel, the enormous, steep mountain perpetually shrouded in blizzards finally towered before the siblings.
"Brother... are you sure we didn’t take a wrong turn?"
Ayaka stared at the vicious environment ahead, cold enough to freeze a person solid, and the corner of her eye twitched.
The Treasure Hoarders, Hilichurls, and even Fatui who had harassed them along the way had failed to faze her.
But this altitude was honestly a little excessive.
Her brother’s approach to navigation truly left her at a loss for words.
"Inazuma doesn’t have a pristine snowy mountain like this. Missing out on it would be one of life’s greatest regrets!"
Satoru puffed out his chest and spouted nonsense with a perfectly righteous expression.
"Fine. You win."
Ayaka sighed.
The mountain might look ominous, but she knew that as long as her brother was beside her, none of it would truly be a problem.
The two stepped into the blizzard side by side.
Strangely, whenever the violent snowflakes approached within a certain distance of Satoru, they seemed to collide with some sort of repulsive force field and were thrown away in every direction.
Ayaka had seen it many times already, yet she still thought this ability was more useful than any Vision.
Whenever she asked him how it worked, Satoru would always answer with a perfectly serious face:
"This is the aura of the strong—the legendary domineering aura of a true king."
"The Ley Lines here... are tangled into an absolute mess."
Through the perception of the Six Eyes, Satoru could see the twisted, interwoven currents of energy running deep beneath the earth.
He raised his head and glanced at the fragment of the Skyfrost Nail suspended among the clouds, a trace of wariness inevitably entering his heart.
The existence known as the Heavenly Principles was still a top-tier final boss he had no intention of confronting head-on for the time being.
"Huh? Hey, look! There’s a big one over there!"
Satoru exclaimed as though he had just discovered a brand-new toy.
On a snow-covered path not far away, an enormous Frostarm Lawachurl was staring coldly at them.
The monster stood nearly twice the height of an adult man. Its entire body was covered in thick white fur that protected it from the bitter cold, while the pair of massive frost-covered horns on its head radiated an unmistakable air of death.
"ROAR—!"
Realizing that intruders had entered its territory, the Frostarm Lawachurl unleashed a furious roar that sent loose snow tumbling around it.
Its entire body instantly entered a berserk state.
Cryo energy surged wildly around it, and every heavy step caused the entire mountaintop to tremble faintly.
"Brother, be careful!"
Ayaka’s expression turned cold and focused.
She knew all too well how troublesome Cryo monsters like this could be. Ordinary attacks against that thick armor of ice would barely amount to a scratch.
"Relax. Just watch."
"Concentrate the energy... direct the output..."
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
A ruthless smile curved across Satoru’s lips as a dazzling sphere of red energy abruptly condensed at his fingertip.
The next instant—
A beam of crimson light erupted with enough force to pierce the heavens.
The terrifying shockwave exploded outward with a deafening boom, swallowing the entire field of vision.
A small stretch of mountain that had originally stood behind the Lawachurl was forcibly flattened beneath the devastating blast, vanishing without a trace.
"Urgh..."
The once-mighty Frostarm Lawachurl let out a short, feeble groan.
Its massive body crashed heavily into the ruins and never moved again.
"Huh. I might’ve used a little too much force."
Ayaka had completely frozen in place.
The sheer destructive power exceeded everything she understood.
The tall peak that had once stood there had been forcibly blasted flat by a single attack, leaving behind nothing more than a level earthen slope.
As for the Frostarm Lawachurl lying dead on the ground, it had already been completely forgotten.
Then came a soft flick.
"Stop spacing out. We still have a journey ahead of us."
Satoru extended a slender finger and lightly flicked Ayaka’s smooth forehead, finally dragging her wandering mind back to reality.