Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

The wind and snow gradually dissipated behind him, and Alduin folded his dragon wings and landed on the frozen ground at the edge of the ice field.

Blue ran from a distance, his steps heavy, each one causing the ground to tremble slightly. His body grew even taller, and the yellowish-brown patterns on his stone body were faintly visible.

Alduin did not rush into the ice field.

He crouched on a boulder, his vertical pupils gazing toward the glacier, piecing together the fragments of the entire conspiracy in his mind.

The Lion King was not the mastermind.

The old lion trapped in the altar, waiting to die, was a pawn from beginning to end.

Sending a message to the Wolf King, borrowing the power of the Riftstone Emblem, and pointing out the location of the Desolate Rift Emblem—every step was meticulously planned by Leon.

The Lion King was merely acting according to Leon's script, while Leon himself, from faking his death in prison to stealing the Crystal Emblem, and then setting up an ambush at the altar, stepped into everyone's blind spots with every step.

But one detail caught Auduin's attention.

The Lion King's death was too coincidental; it happened right after Leon obtained the Crystal Rock Emblem, but before he arrived at the altar.

Grayish-white powder, a shattered stone base, and a fragment of rock floating out from the powder...

If the Lion King is truly dead, the essence of the Rockbreaker emblem should completely dissipate, rather than leaving behind a complete fragment.

Unless, the Lion King is not dead.

Auduin's vertical pupils narrowed slightly.

The Rock Crack Emblem is bound to the Lion King's life. If the emblem shatters, the host will die, but the fragments remain, indicating that the emblem has not completely disintegrated.

The Lion King's physical body turned to ashes, but his consciousness might still remain in the fragments. Leon took that fragment not because he valued its power, but because it imprisoned the Lion King's soul.

Auduin snapped out of his reverie, leaped off the boulder, and Blue followed behind him as the two headed toward the glacier entrance.

"Boss, will that wolf help us?" Blue's voice rang out, sounding somewhat uneasy.

He could not forget how terrifying that wolf was. He hid in the wind and snow, pretending to be as still as a stone on the ground, but he was still discovered at a glance.

"He doesn't need to help us."

Alduin's voice was cold. "He only needs to help himself."

At the glacier entrance, two Ice Marrow Wolves suddenly appeared, blocking their way with hostile gazes.

They recognized Alduin and let out a low, threatening growl, but did not pounce immediately.

One of them turned and ran into the depths of the glacier, while the other stared intently at Auduin, its sharp teeth bared, its front paws scratching at the ice, emitting threatening growls.

Auduin stood still, motionless.

Blue stood behind him, the yellowish-brown patterns on the stone body subtly shifting in the gray-white sunlight.

A moment later, heavy footsteps echoed from the depths of the glacier, unhurried and slow, each step causing the entire glacier to tremble slightly.

The wolf king slowly stepped out, his silver-white mane fluttering in the wind, his icy blue pupils looking down coldly at Alduin.

His gaze first swept over Alduin, then glanced at Blue beside him, and finally returned to Alduin's face.

"What are you doing back here?" the wolf king asked in a menacing voice. "I told you, if you ever set foot on the ice plains again, you will be killed without mercy."

Alduin did not retreat, but simply took the Wilderness Emblem from the spatial rift and held it to his claws, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Upon seeing the emblem of the desolate mound, the wolf king's face twitched and turned gloomy.

His gaze swept back and forth between the emblem and Alduin's face, his icy blue pupils blazing with fury, yet he forcibly suppressed it.

"Heh, Wolf King, I never thought that someone as shrewd as you would be outmaneuvered."

"Leon." Alduin's vertical pupils showed no sign of yielding. "He's not dead. The one you killed was a fake."

Auduin, with a mocking expression, continued:

"I saw Leon at the Ancient Rock Altar. He has already obtained three stone emblems, including your Crystal Rock Emblem."

The wolf king's expression suddenly darkened, and anger surged in his icy blue pupils, but he did not interrupt Alduin.

He also obtained the Shard of the Rock. "Alduin's voice was low. "The Lion King is dead, but the Shard of the Rock Emblem is still in his possession, as is the Rock Emblem. All three emblems are with Leon."

"Three." Alduin raised three claw tips. "The Rock Emblem, the Crystal Rock Emblem, and the Fragment of the Cracked Rock. He now has three, only lacking my one, the Barren Mound Emblem."

He held up the Wilderness Emblem before the Wolf King; its black light shone brightly against the gray-white sky.

The Wolf King's gaze fell on the emblem, then returned to Alduin's face, his expression unreadable. "You came to me wanting me to kill him for you?"

"It's not about helping me, it's about helping yourself."

Auduin retrieved the barren mound emblem, his voice calm.

"With Leon having collected all three insignia, he is already halfway to the pinnacle of legend. If he were to obtain the Barrens Insignia, and all four insignia were gathered, he would become a new legend in the North. At that time, your ice plains and my territory would be in grave danger. Helping me is your way of saving yourself."

The wolf king stared at Alduin for a long time, while the Ice Marrow Wolf pack behind him lay quietly on the ground, not daring to make a sound.

What do you want?

"One promise: when Leon appears, you will take action and kill him. The Crystal Rock Emblem will still belong to you, and you can also take the Fragment of the Rift Rock Emblem. As for me, I only need the Rock Emblem."

"You certainly know how to do business." The wolf king's lips curled up slightly. "I'll risk my life to get something for nothing, and you just watch from the sidelines."

"I'll join forces with you," Alduin said coldly.

"Leon's defense relies entirely on the Rock Emblem and the Crystal Emblem. The Rock Emblem requires him to continuously infuse magic power, while the Crystal Emblem requires him to maintain his sanity. As long as we keep him occupied and exhaust him, his defense will collapse. Your Ice Emblem counters his spatial magic, and my Wilderness Emblem counters his Crystal Emblem. With the two of us working together, victory is on our side."

Auduin smiled slightly and continued:

"Besides, you're a legend. Facing Leon, who can only borrow the power of a legendary artifact, isn't victory a sure thing?"

The wolf king remained silent for a moment.

"One condition," the wolf king said. "If you lie to me, I will kill you first."

"make a deal."

The wolf king turned around and strode into the depths of the glacier.

"Meet me at the Ancient Rock Altar in an hour. I will kill him."

Auduin said nothing more and turned to walk toward the edge of the ice field, with Blue following closely behind, their heavy footsteps echoing on the ice.

Amidst the howling wind and snow, Auduin's vertical pupils gazed southward toward the ancient rock altar.

That altar must be very important, otherwise the Lion King wouldn't have stayed there all this time.

He had a premonition that Leon would reappear there. He was definitely only temporarily away. He already had three badges, only lacking the Wilderness Badge. That man was more anxious than anyone else; he would surely return.

Now, with the Wolf King's help, even if he doesn't go all out to assist, he can still intimidate the other side.

This time, he will surely suffer a crushing defeat.

The edge of the ice field was faintly visible under the sky, and Alduin, with Blue, had already left.