It was nothing more than greed for the soul ring; talk of resurrection was just nonsense. At this point, did it still believe he would deceive it?
The Ice Feather Beast's gaze grew increasingly unfriendly. Su Yu shook his head—he had already said what he needed to say. If the Ice Feather Beast didn't believe him, so be it. Killing it posed no psychological burden; if he wanted to grow stronger, hunting soul beasts was necessary. There was no other reason—just the need to grow. He hadn't spoken out of hypocrisy but rather out of genuine intent.
The Ice Armor Beast from before had a low age and underdeveloped intelligence, so trying to talk to it would have been pointless. But the Ice Feather Beast was different—it had lived for sixty thousand years, with intelligence on par with that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. It simply couldn't speak. Whatever Su Yu said, it understood fully, which was why he had spoken more than usual. But since it didn't believe him, there was no need to continue.
"Time to go."
Su Yu retrieved the Ancient Azure Spear, leaped into the air, and hurled it with all his might. With a force exceeding fifty thousand pounds, the spear shot forward like a roaring dragon, whistling as it headed for the Ice Feather Beast.
Thud!
The spear pierced the Ice Feather Beast's head, pinning it to the ground. With a fatal blow, the Ice Feather Beast was completely defeated. A pitch-black soul ring rose from its body. Su Yu slowly landed, sitting cross-legged as he saw the scene unfold. Then, with his Ice Emperor Martial Soul possessing him, the three soul rings—black, black, and gold—glowed brightly. Over the past six months, he had raised his second soul ring's age, making it a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
Emitting an aura of extreme cold, he gently beckoned the soul ring. Under his pull, the Ice Feather Beast's soul ring floated toward him, hovering above his head. A powerful surge of energy flowed from the soul ring into Su Yu's body. The power of the sixty-thousand-year-old Ice Feather Beast was nearly overwhelming, pushing his limits.
The limit of Su Yu's fourth soul ring was around fifty-five thousand years, so this was slightly above his mark. But with the power of the Dragon God, suppressing the soul ring's lingering will was easy. Moreover, Su Yu's formidable physique and willpower gave him confidence he could endure.
As he absorbed the soul ring's energy, Su Yu's body trembled, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The ring's power was immense, placing him under considerable pressure. The remnant soul of the Ice Feather Beast surged into Su Yu's mental sea, attempting to destroy it with hatred. Su Yu summoned the Dragon God's power, instantly suppressing the remnant soul.
Simultaneously, he directed some soul power to his two soul bones: the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's right claw and the Dragon Horn Bone, easing some of the pressure. With these, Su Yu felt relief, though the strain remained. As solid as a rock, he endured it silently.
"Brother, if you can't absorb it, I can help. Just let me tap into your mental power source, and I can seal the excess energy instantly. No other requests—just let me meet Bing Bing."
In his mental sea, the Skydream Iceworm bounced around restlessly. The Ice Empress was nearby, and it had been agitated for a long time.
"Shut up!"
Su Yu yelled, using the Dragon God's Seal to silence it. He focused entirely on absorbing the soul ring's power. A sixty-thousand-year soul beast's power requiring a seal? He wouldn't let that happen. Gritting his teeth, Su Yu absorbed every trace of soul power, remaining silent despite his trembling body, bulging veins, and flushed face.
"This little fool, always so reckless," complained the Ice Empress in her loli form, holding the Snow Empress.
"If he can't handle a sixty-thousand-year soul ring, why not find a lower one?"
Young people were always too reckless.
"Yiya, yiya!"
The Snow Empress flapped her chubby hands, pointing at Su Yu and babbling. The Ice Empress was baffled. How had Su Yu understood her back then? But this wasn't the time to ponder. Sighing as she observed Su Yu's struggle, the Ice Empress murmured, "You boasted about becoming a god—don't fail here."
...
Two hours passed.
Su Yu's condition grew worse: blood seeped from his pores, and the Ice Feather Beast's power rampaged through his body. His abdomen appeared swollen, an extremely dangerous state. At any moment, he could explode. But all Su Yu had now was his willpower. If strong enough, he might survive.
In the land of eternal daylight in the Extreme North, time slipped by unnoticed. After twelve hours, the Ice Empress felt her legs stiffen from standing so long. She looked at Su Yu, her eyes carrying complex emotions. To absorb a soul ring beyond one's limits and endure so long without exploding... whether Su Yu's physique or his willpower, she couldn't help but admire him. She had come to fully recognize Su Yu. If he succeeded, she wouldn't mind becoming his soul ring.
"Yiya, yiya!"
The Snow Empress pointed again at Su Yu, babbling. The Ice Empress scratched her head.
"Snow, what are you saying?"
Suddenly, the Ice Empress gasped.
"Is he about to succeed?"
Indeed, Su Yu's condition was shifting. Covered in bloodstains, they had solidified in the cold, forming a layer stuck to his clothes. But now, cracks appeared in this layer. The previously raging soul power grew docile, and Su Yu's trembling subsided. The pitch-black soul ring slowly shrank, moving toward his Ice Emperor Martial Soul.
Su Yu had succeeded. He'd passed the most challenging point through sheer willpower. For over ten hours, Su Yu had been on the brink of explosion, his soul power threatening to spiral out of control. But he had made it.
Su Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the pain and holding on to each second. His mind remained tense throughout. No matter how painful it was, he never backed down.
Finally, Su Yu succeeded—he had absorbed the sixty-thousand-year soul ring of the Ice Feather Beast. The pitch-black ring settled onto his Ice Emperor Martial Soul, completing the sequence of his four soul rings: black, black, gold, and black.
A truly unique combination.
"Back to consciousness, are we? That wasn't easy. Impressive, you little rascal."
Seeing Su Yu's soul power gradually calm down, the Ice Empress knew he had fully absorbed the soul ring. He had managed to absorb a sixty-thousand-year soul ring through sheer force of will, setting a record in the world of soul masters. To absorb such a high-level ring as his fourth soul ring, purely with his strength—he was likely the only one in the world.
"Ugh," Su Yu groaned softly and slowly opened his eyes. A glint of sharp, cold fierceness flashed in his ice-blue gaze. He took in his surroundings, noticing Hai Bodong, the Ice Empress, the Snow Empress, and the Ice Bear King nearby.
Su Yu smiled faintly and was about to speak when he heard a cracking sound coming from his body. The bloodstains that had clung to him began to break apart, and along with them, his clothes shattered and fell to the ground, leaving his muscular physique exposed.
"Ah!"
The Ice Empress let out a startled cry, her cheeks flushing red as she quickly turned away. The Snow Empress, in her arms, kicked her legs playfully, peeking over the Ice Empress's shoulder with big, curious eyes. So much for the Snow Empress's innocent nature, Su Yu thought, amused.
"Uh..."
Su Yu was a bit surprised too; he hadn't expected such an embarrassing moment. His clothes were typically durable, so he hadn't anticipated this. It seemed he would need low-temperature-resistant clothing in the future—maybe made from ice silkworm silk. He could even catch a few more of Skydream Iceworm's kin to spin the silk and make several sets.
Standing up, Su Yu calmly put on a new set of clothes. As a man, he wasn't too bothered, but he was amused to notice the Snow Empress's big, ice-blue eyes watching him from behind the Ice Empress's shoulder as if she wasn't even trying to hide her interest.
After changing, Su Yu stretched, feeling extremely comfortable. Despite the pain of absorbing a soul ring beyond his limits, the rewards were immense. His spiritual power had grown significantly, and even his mental sea had expanded. He estimated he had reached the spiritual realm of Spirit Sea Realm. His continued absorption of the Skydream Iceworm's essence and his intense mental endurance had likely propelled him to this stage. His soul power had also advanced, breaking through to the forty-fifth level and reaching the Soul Ancestor rank. Advancing two levels in six months at this rank was near the limit, especially considering the difficulty of advancement within the Soul Ancestor rank. Yet, Su Yu had directly reached level forty-five, thanks to the Ice Feather Beast's soul ring. Absorbing beyond his limits had proven worthwhile.
"It wasn't for nothing, after all," Su Yu said with a slight smile, reflecting on the experience. He had actively chosen this extreme absorption as both a way to challenge and temper himself. Studying at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had made him feel slightly complacent, so he was pleased to have pushed himself beyond his limits this time.
Su Yu chuckled lightly as he walked over to the Ice Empress. Under her reluctant gaze, he gently took the Snow Empress from her arms.
"Did you enjoy the view?" he teased, pinching the Snow Empress's nose and gazing into her big, ice-blue eyes with a half-smile.
"Yiya, yiya yiya!"
(No, not at all. It wasn't good-looking.)
The Snow Empress gestured animatedly.
"Not good-looking, yet you watched so intently? You little rascal."
Su Yu pinched her chubby cheeks, smiling as he spoke.
"Yiyiya, yiyayiya…"
(I was just looking critically, checking for flaws.)
The Snow Empress's response made Su Yu laugh.
"Plenty of excuses, but that doesn't change that you're a rascal at heart. Even in a smaller form, still up to no good."
The Snow Empress babbled back, arguing that critical observation was not the same as peeking, which only made Su Yu laugh harder. The Snow Empress was truly one of a kind.
"Wait, Su Yu, how can you understand what Snow was saying?"
The Ice Empress asked, baffled as she watched them converse freely. "The Snow Empress's babbling is just gibberish, yet you can understand her?"
"I just understand her. It's not that hard to figure out."
Su Yu replied, still smiling.
"Then why can't I understand her?" the Ice Empress asked, perplexed.
"Maybe you don't know the Snow Empress well enough," Su Yu teased.
"How could that be? I've known Snow for over ten thousand years."
The Ice Empress replied, unwilling to accept it. How could he understand the Snow Empress better than she did?
But Su Yu had little time to indulge her frustration. Having just completed the challenging absorption, he was in high spirits, continuing to play with the Snow Empress. The Ice Empress sulked for a while, but then her expression turned serious.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get down to business."