The purple thunder dragon collided with the golden ring, and a certain god-king's face revealed a proud expression.
However, just as his smile appeared, it froze.
Under the impact of the purple thunder dragon, the golden ring shattered instantly, and the dragon, moving faster than the eye could follow, struck the god-king.
The god-king let out a wail, and his hair stood on end.
"Eternal Void!"
Boom!
"No Return!"
Boom!
"Eight Spider Lances, devour it."
Boom!
"Clear Sky Hammer, crush it."
Boom!
"Blue Silver Bind!"
Boom!
Boom boom boom!
...
The god-king used all his strength, but he could not deal with the lightning.
No matter what technique he employed, it was torn apart by the lightning.
In just a few moments, his Sea God Trident was damaged, the Clear Sky Hammer shattered, the Eight Spider Lances lay in pieces on the ground, and even the Blue Silver Grass was scorched black.
He had been struck eighty-one times, nearly turning into a piece of charcoal, his appearance completely unrecognizable.
If you only looked at his face, you wouldn't be able to tell that this was the god-king.
Despite his miserable state, the god-king stubbornly clung to life, though he had suffered severe injuries.
As long as it wasn't fatal, he could eventually recover.
"Third Brother!"
"Third Brother, what happened to you?"
At this moment, Xiao Wu, who had just returned from visiting Ning Rongrong, spotted the humanoid figure. Upon seeing the Sea God Trident beside him, she barely recognized Tang San.
Her heart filled with panic.
She hurried to him, tears streaming down her face.
"Third Brother, what happened to you?"
"Are you alright?"
Xiao Wu cried out in desperation, her voice hoarse from crying.
"Xiao Wu, I was ambushed..."
Tang San said weakly.
"Who ambushed you, Third Brother?"
Xiao Wu's body radiated killing intent, the aura of the Asura God fluctuating around her.
As the sheath of the Asura Sword, Xiao Wu carried the power of the Asura God.
"It must be the God of Destruction. He must have schemed against me in secret," Tang San said, his suspicion deepening.
The intense destructive power within the lightning made him believe it was the God of Destruction.
After all, there were only a handful of powerful figures left in the Divine Realm.
Ji Dong and Lie Yan couldn't do this.
But the God of Destruction had always been at odds with him. This time, it had to be a long-planned scheme.
Of course, Tang San didn't believe the God of Destruction was stronger than him. It must have been a formation specifically targeting him.
He had been careless and fell into the God of Destruction's ambush.
"Once I recover, I will make him pay."
"The God of Destruction has seriously violated the order of the Divine Realm and needs to be punished," Tang San declared righteously.
"Third Brother, could it be a misunderstanding? The God of Destruction wouldn't do something like this, would he?"
Xiao Wu felt something was off. The God of Destruction didn't seem like the type to orchestrate this.
"The facts are right in front of us. Who else could have the power to ambush me?"
"Who else possesses such immense destructive power?"
"Xiao Wu, you're too kind. The God of Destruction has strayed from the correct path. For the safety of the Divine Realm, we must stop him," Tang San said seriously.
Although Xiao Wu still felt uneasy, she couldn't doubt Tang San's words.
Third Brother must be right. She was overthinking it.
"Let me help you up. Then we'll go find Rongrong to heal you. We need to focus on healing first."
Xiao Wu's eyes were red. Seeing him in such a miserable state broke her heart.
"Mm, you're right, Xiao Wu. I need to heal first. Once I recover, I'll reveal the God of Destruction's true nature."
Tang San took a deep breath. This time, the injuries were severe. Even with Ning Rongrong's help, it would take time to recover.
Soon, Ning Rongrong arrived and began helping Tang San heal.
Meanwhile, the story of the Sea God being struck by lightning spread like wildfire.
There's no such thing as a wall that doesn't leak. A minor god had witnessed the god-king being struck by lightning.
From one to another, the news spread, until the entire Divine Realm knew about it.
In the Temple of Destruction.
When the God of Destruction heard the news, he almost burst out laughing. The mighty Sea God had been struck by lightning.
It was hilarious.
"What did Tang San do to anger both gods and men enough to be struck by lightning?"
"I've said it before, this guy is unreliable. Entrusting the Divine Realm to him is like casting pearls before swine," the God of Destruction snorted, clearly unimpressed by Tang San.
A brat who ascended from the mortal realm—what could he possibly know?
He, a god-king who had presided over the Divine Realm since its inception, truly cared for it.
No one understood the Divine Realm better than him.
"However, this seems odd. A god daring to strike a god-king with lightning?"
"Or is there some unknown powerful entity?"
"No, I need to investigate further."
The God of Destruction summoned his subordinates and ordered them to look into the matter.
...
While chaos unfolded in the Divine Realm, the instigator was heading toward the extreme north.
Mu Wu, being Semi-Ultimate Douluo, was incredibly fast.
He set off with Su Yu in the morning, and by around 2 a.m. the next day, they had crossed nearly ten thousand miles and arrived at the outskirts of the Extreme Northern Ice Field.
The familiar cold air, mixed with the wind, invigorated Su Yu.
The first time he had come here, Su Yu had been only six years old. At that time, he couldn't withstand the extreme cold of the northern region.
But for the current Su Yu, the extreme north posed no threat at all.
With the martial soul of the Ice Emperor, in this icy land, he was like a fish in water, and his combat power was greatly enhanced.
The extreme north was practically a paradise for an ice-element soul master like him.
"Mmm, this feels nice!"
Su Yu took a deep breath of the icy air, feeling refreshed.
The discomfort from traveling at high speed gradually faded away.
Taking out a fruit and casually biting into it, Su Yu stepped into the Extreme Northern Region.
Upon entering, Su Yu didn't hesitate and headed straight for the core area.
The system wouldn't issue a task for no reason; there had to be a purpose.
And it must be related to him.
In the extreme north, the beings he was familiar with—no, to be precise, the soul beasts—were few.
The Snow Empress, the Ice Empress, and the Ice Bear King.
If something was happening, it had to involve one of them.
No matter which one it was, heading toward the core area was the right move.
As Su Yu entered the extreme north, his surroundings gradually turned white.
Using the Wind God Legs technique, he moved quickly.
"Huh, why do I suddenly feel this cool, refreshing aura... What did I just discover?"
"Is this the extreme north?"
In the sea of consciousness, the silly voice of the Skydream Iceworm suddenly rang out.
Heaven have mercy! It had just woken up from a nap, only to find itself in the Extreme North.
The Skydream Iceworm was momentarily stunned, but soon its face lit up with joy.
Though it wasn't familiar with many places, the Extreme North was its homeland. And even Ice Empress, the one it dreamed of day and night, was there.
As soon as it thought of the Ice Empress, the Skydream Iceworm became instantly energized, all traces of sleepiness gone.
"Brother, brother, how did we end up in the Extreme North?"
The Skydream Iceworm frantically called out to Su Yu in the sea of consciousness. Su Yu, who was traveling swiftly using his Wind God Legs technique, paused for a moment.
However, Su Yu didn't respond and continued moving forward at high speed.
The ground was covered in deep layers of snow, nearly several meters thick.
Yet, Su Yu moved like a wild goose, lightly tapping his toes as he glided swiftly over the snow, his figure barely touching the ground.
"Brother, brother, talk to me!"
The Skydream Iceworm persisted. In the sea of consciousness, Electrolux rolled over, casting a disdainful look at the big bug.
The Dragon God Seal floated in the air, its nine-colored radiance locking down the sea of consciousness. Though it restricted their movement, it also provided unique nourishment to their souls.
This sliver of Electrolux's remnant soul had greatly benefited over time.
"Brother, brother…"
"If you've got something to say, just spit it out!"
Su Yu's voice rang out, tinged with impatience.
The Skydream Iceworm was like a monk chanting endlessly, calling out non-stop, which was starting to get on his nerves.
"Brother, how did we end up in the Extreme North?"
The Skydream Iceworm wiggled its pudgy body, trying to be endearing.
"To get a soul ring. Where else would we go if not the Extreme North?"
Su Yu replied indifferently, without slowing down in the slightest.
Hearing this, the Skydream Iceworm's small golden eyes darted around as it said, "Brother, what kind of soul ring are you looking for?"
"Brother, you possess the Ultimate Ice Martial Soul, so you can't just choose any soul ring."
"In my opinion, the Ice Jade Scorpion would be perfect."
The Skydream Iceworm spoke earnestly: "The Ice Jade Scorpion has the Ultimate Ice attribute, making it an ideal match for you."
"What do you think?"
The Skydream Iceworm looked at Su Yu with hopeful eyes, waiting for him to follow this line of thought.
But Su Yu wasn't in the mood to indulge it.
"If you've got something to say, just say it. Stop beating around the bush."
How could Su Yu not know what the Skydream Iceworm was scheming?
The topic of soul rings would lead to the Ice Jade Scorpion. If Su Yu agreed that the Ice Jade Scorpion was a good choice, the Skydream would then bring up the Ice Empress.
And then it would start pushing its agenda.
Sure enough, Su Yu's guess was right.
The Skydream Iceworm put on a fawning expression, licking its lips as it said, "Hehe, brother, you're so smart—you know exactly what I'm thinking."
"By the way, brother, do you want a martial soul?"
"No."
Su Yu replied flatly.
"I knew you'd... Wait, what? No?"
The Skydream Iceworm started confidently but then froze halfway through. Su Yu said no.
"Brother, this is an opportunity to gain another martial soul, and you don't want it?"
"Do you even know what martial soul is? I want to find one for you."
"I want to give you the Ice Empress!"
"The Ice Empress, one of the Ten Great Beasts—the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion."
"If you make her the first soul ring of the blank ice martial soul I gave you, that empty ice martial soul will become the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul."
"This would be the Ultimate Ice martial soul."
"And with your own Ice Emperor, you would possess twin Ultimate Ice martial souls. Isn't that amazing?"
The Skydream Iceworm looked at him in disbelief.
Although Su Yu already had twin martial souls, wouldn't it be even better to go a step further?
Having twin Ultimate Ice martial souls would sound so prestigious!
The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul—how cool and powerful would that be?
Back when the Skydream Iceworm became Su Yu's soul ring, it had mentioned this idea. At the time, Su Yu didn't seem interested, and the Skydream Iceworm thought he was just joking.
But now, Su Yu was still refusing. Did he look down on the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul?
Wouldn't having three martial souls be better than just two?
The Skydream Iceworm couldn't understand!
From its perspective, Su Yu was wasting his potential!
"Brother, do you look down on the Ice Empress?"
"Brother, the Ice Empress is probably going to face her tribulation in a few years. Can't you give her a chance? I'm begging you."
"If you agree, I'll do whatever you say from now on."
For the sake of his goddess's safety and future, the Skydream Iceworm was willing to do anything.
Su Yu rubbed his temples and said, "It's not that I look down on the Ice Empress. But that martial soul slot is going to be far more useful in the future."
Su Yu had a gut feeling that the empty slot for an ice-type martial soul would be very important.
At the very least, it would be much more significant than having an Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul.
Su Yu already had twin martial souls, so he wasn't obsessed with acquiring a third one.
Moreover, he trusted his instincts, especially since he was the Child of Destiny. His instincts were never wrong.
In the future, that martial soul slot would come in handy.
Even in the worst-case scenario, if he had to pursue another Ultimate Ice martial soul, wouldn't the Ice Dragon King at the bottom of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well be a better option?
Could the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul even compare to the Ice Dragon King martial soul?
Whether from instinct or practicality, making the Ice Empress his second Ultimate Ice martial soul wasn't a high-value choice.
"Brother!"
Hearing Su Yu's continued refusal, the Skydream Iceworm was dejected.
Moreover, Su Yu's reasoning was something it couldn't accept.
"You're dumb, aren't you? Couldn't this little guy just add another soul ring to his first martial soul?"
"Why are you so fixated on the second martial soul?"
"Are you an idiot?"
Electrolux's voice echoed from afar. This big bug had a low IQ.
Even he could see what Su Yu was planning, but this big bug couldn't grasp it at all.
Calling it stupid wasn't even an insult at this point.
"Huh, is it possible to do that?"
The Skydream Iceworm suddenly realized. Yeah, if it couldn't be the second martial soul, it could become a wisdom soul ring for the first martial soul, as it did.
Why hadn't it thought of that?
No wonder Su Yu looked so impatient.
Was it so dumb that Su Yu didn't even bother to explain?
"Brother, my bad, my bad! It's my fault."
The Skydream Iceworm quickly apologized, admitting it had been too stupid.
Su Yu simply responded, "As long as you understand."
Of course, Su Yu wasn't dismissing the Ice Empress's soul ring.
Aside from the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress was the best-known ice-type soul ring.
Su Yu deliberately didn't explain earlier to make Skydream anxious. When the time came, it would be much better for the Skydream to convince the Ice Empress than for him to do it himself.
If Su Yu asked directly, it could easily lead to misunderstandings.
Misunderstandings that he only wanted the Ice Empress for her soult ring, which could strain their relationship.
Moreover, it could also lead to misunderstandings with the Snow Empress.
Whether the Ice Empress misunderstood didn't matter much, but Su Yu cared a lot about the Snow Empress's opinion.