Chapter 502: Rescue of the Ancient Tree

"Oh?"

Viserys was momentarily stunned by the fleeting image before him, but he soon felt the urgent emotions emanating from the specks of light on the other side.

"The Night King is laying siege to the Three-Eyed Raven?"

Viserys suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen this scene before. It seemed that the Night King harbored a deep-seated hatred for 'Bloodraven' Brynden Rivers, or more accurately, the old gods' power behind him, and was determined to kill him.

"No wonder he was so eager to summon me here. It seems he had already foreseen this scene."

The old gods possessed the ability to traverse the past and glimpse a bit of the future.

Perhaps they had already calculated that the White Walkers would find him, or even that Viserys, upon receiving the plea for help, would not set out immediately. Instead, he would arrive outside the Wall at the precise moment when the situation was most perilous.

The urgency in the Three-Eyed Raven's voice was because Viserys, while traversing future timelines, had countless possible arrival points, all too delicate. If he was even a moment late, he might meet an untimely death.

"How mysterious the abilities of the old gods are."

But one thing he had calculated was that Viserys would not stand by and watch him die. Although he was somewhat wary of the old gods' power, his first impressions of the Three-Eyed Raven were not that of a villain but rather someone who actively embraced justice.

Of course, in this world, heroes and villains, justice and evil, are all relative. Some fight for ideals, others for ambition, and some merely wish to protect their families.

Riding atop his dragon, the silver-haired youth received the Three-Eyed Raven's call for help and pondered for a moment but did not hesitate.

"Let's go."

"Balerion."

He touched the saddle ring on the dragon's back and, guided by the Three-Eyed Raven, directed Balerion to fly him over.

Whoosh~

The howling gale roared in his ears, and goose-feather-like snow continually drifted down from the sky.

The location of the heart tree seemed to be a very peculiar special domain, difficult for ordinary people to explore, and it connected to this vast land, constantly shifting, its position not fixed.

It was precisely because of this that the Night King had expended much effort in finding the Three-Eyed Raven, finally locating him through some mysterious connection.

Viserys rode the massive dragon, flying over the ghostly forest filled with cold-resistant plants. He faintly remembered a wildling named Craster who had built a 'fortress' here, but it was too small for Viserys to recognize from the sky.

Next, the black dragon carried him over the Fist of the First Men. Since crossing the Wall, Balerion had become somewhat cautious.

Dragons were extremely sensitive to the presence of magic. Crossing the Wall into the lands beyond, Balerion seemed to sense an inexplicable threat, forcing this sky-dominating creature to become more careful.

The world beyond the Wall concealed astonishing secrets. According to ancient Valyrian prophecies, Westeros harbored a crisis that could destroy the world. This had prevented the Dragon Kings from venturing into this land, stopping only at Dragonstone.

But after Balerion crossed the Fist of the First Men, the world before them suddenly opened up.

This towering mountain range stood tall and majestic, covered with unmelting snow for years on end. This was the Frostfangs, leading to the Frozen Shore, and even the legendary Land of Always Winter, where no one could tread.

But now, the mountains were swarming with an army of the dead. These wights, who had twice battled human forces at the banks of the Green Fork and been repelled, had retreated north of the Neck. Unexpectedly, they were all gathered here.

They were besieging a towering, golden, radiant ancient tree. The tree's branches shook, scattering golden sparks that prevented the wight army from approaching easily.

And Viserys, in the sky, saw this heart tree at a glance, despite the blinding snowflakes.

"It's there."

Logically, such a dazzling heart tree, growing atop a snow-covered mountain ridge, should have been extremely conspicuous, visible from miles away.

Yet, the wildlings who lived here year-round had rarely seen this sacred tree. The Night King, leading tens of thousands of wights, had searched the lands beyond the Wall far and wide before reluctantly finding its trace.

And on the ground,

The Night King, wearing an icy crown, seemed to hear the roar of the dragon in the sky.

He suddenly looked south, his eyes burning with ice-blue flames.

His ice crown had been damaged in the last battle with Viserys but had been repaired beyond the Wall. However, upon closer inspection, it still bore numerous tiny cracks. It seemed the Night King had not fully repaired it yet.

"Roar—"

Then, a roar that resounded through the heavens came from the white snow.

Balerion's eyes glowed a fiery red, and its massive black body emerged from the clouds and snow. Its scales reflected the light, and it opened its mouth wide. A dazzling light ignited in its throat, and dragonfire poured down.

Balerion still held a grudge. It immediately fixed its gaze on its old adversary.

This was the only creature that could remain unscathed under its dragonfire, and its abilities made the dragon wary.

Boom—

The surging dragonfire engulfed the ground, instantly reducing the wights attacking the heart tree to ash.

The golden heart tree continued to sway its branches, shedding golden sparks to protect itself, seemingly trembling in fear that Balerion might accidentally set it aflame.

After all, no wood was unafraid of fire, no matter how mystical the ancient heart tree might be.

"Thank goodness!"

"We're saved!"

Beneath the golden ancient heart tree, a petite girl with large ears, deer-like deep brown skin, and wrapped in leafy clothing, cheered and jumped with joy.

Her voice was sweet and high-pitched, with a special rhythm. Her extraordinary eyes, a fusion of gold and green, were long and narrow like a cat's.

Her brown, red, and golden hair was tangled, filled with grapevines, small branches, and withered flowers.

Her companion, another girl who resembled her, looked bewildered at her words but turned her eyes to the dragon in the sky, her eyes filled with terror.

Like the fish fears the hook, she feared the fire, afraid that it might burn their home.