Chapter 18: The 400,000-Year Spirit Ring
To prevent the Snow Empress from going berserk again, the Ice Empress quickly explained the situation.
"I can't survive the 400,000-year tribulation, even with your help. I will likely perish. This opportunity has presented itself, and I want to take a gamble!"
The Ice Empress smiled bitterly, gazing at the Snow Empress with deep affection. At this moment, the Ice Empress did not know that soon, she would feel the pain of desolation...
"Sigh, Ice Empress... you..." The Snow Empress was at a loss for words. After all, it was the Ice Empress's choice. She couldn't stop her dear friend from seeking survival.
"In fact, I am also close to death, likely within these next few years." The Snow Empress's eyes reflected her desolation, her beautiful face full of helplessness. "When I failed to break through 700,000 years last time, my soul core started to collapse. It's irreversible. With my current state, how could I possibly survive the next 700,000-year tribulation?"
Du Qianjue had been silent, watching the tall, beautifully sculpted Snow Empress, whose imposing presence and striking features moved him...
What a celestial being!
He had thought that after ten years in the Douluo Continent, his heart would be as cold as the knife used to gut fish in a supermarket. But this icy empress had struck his heart deeply.
"Snow Empress, why not join me and also sacrifice to Qianjue? He will surely bring you to godhood!" The Ice Empress glanced at Du Qianjue with pleading eyes.
The Snow Empress hesitated, briefly considering it, but quickly dismissed the idea.
"I found a 100,000-year-old snow lotus, a celestial herb that can seal my essence and transform me into a human. I want to try to cultivate and become a god myself!" The Snow Empress shook her head firmly.
"Then you might be disappointed. Soul beasts can't become gods, even if they transform into humans," Du Qianjue finally spoke, dropping a bombshell that shook the Snow Empress to her core.
"What do you mean by that, human?" The Snow Empress's tone turned icy.
"When I finish merging with the Ice Empress's spirit ring, I'll explain everything. But you should prepare yourself mentally," Du Qianjue said, closing his eyes to focus on the merger.
Although merging with the Ice Empress's spirit ring wouldn't be as agonizing as it was for Huo Yuhao, it was still an uncomfortable process.
The Snow Empress took a deep breath, trying to calm her agitation, but when she glanced at Du Bushi's amused smirk, she couldn't help but feel irritated.
"What's so funny?"
"Uh, nothing, just recalling something amusing," Du Bushi said, trying to stifle his laughter and look away, but his twitching mouth betrayed his amusement.
Du Qianjue, whom Du Bushi had watched grow up, always had this cryptic demeanor whenever he was about to trick someone. And this time, it was the Snow Empress, the ruler of the Extreme North, who was the target.
"You've been laughing the whole time!"
"Snow Empress, trust me. As an Ultimate Douluo, I don't laugh easily. And even if I do, I try to hold it in!"
The Snow Empress clenched her fists, resisting the urge to fight Du Bushi. She turned away, only to hear a burst of hearty laughter behind her.
"Hahaha...!"
The Snow Empress whirled around, only to see Du Bushi looking at her innocently. She took another deep breath and turned away again.
"Hahaha...!"
"I've had enough!!" The Snow Empress couldn't take it anymore and lashed out, sending Du Bushi flying...
(Du Qianjue: "Uncle, let me tell you a joke. Soul beasts can't become gods." Du Bushi: "Hahaha...!")
Du Qianjue and the Ice Empress continued their merger.
As most of the Ice Empress's spirit power merged into Du Qianjue, her body trembled, and her icy, jade-like stinger pierced into Du Qianjue's right arm.
Du Qianjue felt a sharp pain in his right arm, which then went numb.
His entire right arm had been encased in ice, naturally losing all sensation.
As the stinger embedded in his arm, the Ice Empress transferred her essence, including the power of her spirit bone, into Du Qianjue. Streams of emerald light flowed into his right arm, enhancing his god-level Ice Dragon King right arm bone.
With each surge of the Ice Empress's essence, her glow dimmed.
Time passed slowly...
After a long while, the blood-red flames on the Ice Empress's body gradually extinguished, leaving behind her lifeless form. Du Qianjue now bore two spirit rings: a godly ring with golden-red and blue-gold patterns, and a blood-red ring with four golden stripes, a 400,000-year spirit ring!
Success!
Du Qianjue's aura skyrocketed, his spirit power breaking through from level twenty to thirty, with a large reserve of spirit power still remaining.
By Du Qianjue's estimate, he could absorb two more spirit rings and reach the Spirit Elder level in one go!
And he had just turned ten!
Besides the striking colors of his spirit rings, his right arm emitted a soft green glow, a sign of the 400,000-year spirit bone he had integrated with his Ice Dragon King arm bone.
Originally, the Ice and Fire Dragon King bones had no spirit abilities, but now, the Ice Dragon King bone had gained two powerful abilities from the Ice Empress:
Domain Ability: Eternal Freeze. The Ice Empress's strongest single-target attack: Ice Emperor's Fury!
"Ahhh...!"
Du Qianjue let out a roar, his shirt bursting to reveal his muscular torso, with a red and blue dragon coiling around each arm.
"His aura is already at the Spirit Emperor level..." Du Bushi marveled.
Having watched Du Qianjue grow stronger step by step, Du Bushi was still baffled by his numerous fortuitous encounters.
Could there really be such a thing as a 'child of destiny'?
Du Bushi couldn't fathom it.
The Snow Empress, however, focused on other matters. Once Du Qianjue's surge of energy calmed, she quickly asked.
"Human, what do you mean by 'soul beasts can't become gods'?"
"Just what it sounds like: soul beasts can't become gods." Seeing the Snow Empress's anxious expression, Du Qianjue couldn't resist teasing this ancient empress of the Extreme North.
"..."
A tic mark appeared on the Snow Empress's forehead, her patience wearing thin.
"Qianjue, stop teasing Snow Empress. Explain it to us. I want to know, too." The Ice Empress's weak voice chimed in, determined to stay awake to understand why soul beasts couldn't become gods.
"Yes, please explain," Skydream Iceworm agreed.
"Me too!" Du Bushi added, peeking out from the side.
Facing the eager eyes of the four, Du Qianjue finally relented, realizing that continuing to be cryptic might get him into trouble...
(End of Chapter)
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