The warm sunlight poured down from the sky, illuminating the figure of an elderly, spectral figure standing before Xiao Yan. However, strangely, his form cast no shadow, adding a hint of eeriness to the scene.
The sudden emergence of this ethereal elder, accompanied by an overwhelming aura akin to that of a Rank 99 Supreme Douluo, left the Ice Emperor stunned in place. Her gaze was filled with shock, her jade-green eyes wide as waves of disbelief churned within them.
Just as the Ice Emperor's venomous stinger was about to pierce Xiao Yan, she was abruptly halted by an immense pressure radiating from the elder before her. Her entire body froze as if locked in place, paralyzed by the sheer force of his aura.
The crushing power that Yaolao emitted pressed down upon the Ice Emperor's form, causing her joints to creak as her body strained under the immense force. No matter how she struggled, the restraining energy only intensified, leaving her completely unable to escape.
The proud scorpion pincers and vicious stinger, poised to strike, were gradually forced down by the weight of Yaolao's will. One of the three Kings of the Far North, the Ice Emperor found herself utterly overpowered by this seemingly frail old man's spirit.
"N-no… this can't be… Are you a human… or a specter?" she stammered, voice laced with dread as she stared at the spirit floating in the air before her.
Yaolao merely chuckled, declining to answer.
Xiao Yan, too, was taken aback by the scene before him. After a moment of surprise, he let out a small, relieved sigh, muttering, "Teacher, good thing you stepped in."
"Teacher?" Xiao Yan's form of address for this spectral elder sent a ripple through the Ice Emperor's heart. Her gaze shifted, softening from contempt to wary respect, her previous disdain now replaced by a look of grudging admiration.
Hovering above, Yaolao cast a calm glance at the subdued Ice Emperor, speaking firmly. "So, little scorpion, didn't you want to see if my disciple was strong enough to become a god? What's your opinion now?"
"In my view, the so-called gods of this world are no more than minor Dou Zong practitioners. If I were at my peak, a low-tier deity wouldn't last three moves before my flames turned it to ashes!"
Yaolao's words were not an exaggeration. Back on the Dou Qi continent, he had been a peak Nine-Turn Dou Zun. His formidable mastery of Dou Qi was such that eliminating a Dou Zong required little more than a single strike.
"Three moves? To obliterate a god?" The Ice Emperor's eyes narrowed, her shock lingering for a long moment before she reluctantly nodded, acceptance settling into her gaze.
In her eyes, this old spirit, even as a remnant soul, wielded a semi-divine power that was difficult to refute. She laughed bitterly, saying, "Elder, let's discuss this reasonably."
"I agree with Tian Meng's proposal," she admitted, her tone subdued. "Earlier, I only wanted to test this young man's strength. After all, he is to become my master—I had to be certain before I sacrificed myself."
"Oh? Merely testing his strength, were you?" Yaolao's voice remained steady, though his form seemed to flicker, the white flames encircling him growing fiercer, giving him a menacing, otherworldly glow.
At that, Tian Meng's expression shifted with fear. His spiritual form flitted before the Ice Emperor as he pleaded, "Elder, please spare Bing Bing. She meant no harm."
"After all, what if I was lying?" Tian Meng continued. "As soul beasts, survival always comes first, and I only sacrificed myself because the Star Dou Forest left me no other choice. Elder, allow Bing Bing one more chance; I'll convince her myself."
With those words, Tian Meng turned, looking at the Ice Emperor with a gaze of intense emotion. She returned his look coldly, but there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. She knew that if this was a trick, it would be her final mistake.
Tian Meng, sensing her hesitation, solemnly raised his voice, swearing, "By the Ice God above, I, Tian Meng, swear in the name of ice itself that if I deceive the Ice Emperor today and fail to make her a Wisdom Soul Ring after she releases her spiritual essence, then may all my powers as an ice entity be stripped away."
Though this oath sounded trivial to Xiao Yan and Yaolao, the Ice Emperor took it to heart. This was the gravest vow among the soul beasts of the Far North.
"Very well. I'll believe you and take this gamble." As one of the three Kings of the Far North, the Ice Emperor's resolve was firm. Coupled with the pressure from Yaolao, she quickly made her decision.
The jade in her eyes deepened as her scorpion tail lifted once more, emitting a serene green light. The glow pulsed, flowing down the length of her tail until it coalesced at its tip, forming a small green orb that floated freely.
This was her spiritual essence.
In that instant, the life in her eyes faded, her gaze dulling as her soul was poured into the orb.
Watching this, Xiao Yan's brows furrowed slightly. He tightened his cloak, hesitated, then stepped forward and knelt before the green orb, ready to begin the soul ring fusion.
"Don't worry; you can absorb the soul ring with confidence. I'll be here to back you up," Yaolao called after him, his tone serious.
Xiao Yan nodded resolutely, sitting cross-legged in the snow. He formed a strange seal with his hands, his soul power circulating as his spirit linked with the green orb, creating an ethereal bond.
At that moment, Tian Meng cautioned him, "Xiao Yan, this time is different from last. My energy was nearly depleted by the Star Dou Forest's beasts, leaving only my spirit. The Ice Emperor, however, has the full force of a nearly 400,000-year-old soul beast—you won't be able to absorb it all in one go. I'll seal a portion of it to prevent you from being overwhelmed."
"I understand. Besides, my teacher's here as backup." Xiao Yan nodded, glancing over his shoulder to meet Yaolao's calm gaze.
"Alright," Tian Meng replied with a mysterious smile. "Just stay still, and let me handle it."
With that, Tian Meng's form dissolved into golden light, guiding the green orb into Xiao Yan's forehead.
The lifeless body of the Ice Emperor dropped to the ground with a dull thud, carving a pit in the snow. Although her spirit was gone, a terrifying aura still emanated from her body.
The still air suddenly surged, as jade-green energy began seeping from Xiao Yan's body. He gritted his teeth, muscles twitching uncontrollably as the Ice Emperor's vast power coursed through him.
Thankfully, Xiao Yan's resilient physique helped him endure the pain without severe harm.
"This boy's body is decent," the Ice Emperor's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind, laced with faint disdain. "But if Tian Meng deceives me, I'll tear him to pieces."
This comment stirred a peculiar thought in Xiao Yan's mind. With Tian Meng, the Ice Emperor, Eraleous, and himself, his spiritual sea was starting to feel crowded, as if they could all sit down for a game of mahjong. He couldn't help but find the idea amusing.
Tian Meng chuckled. "Relax, Bing Bing. If you die, we all die. I wouldn't deceive you. Besides, the elder is here, so there's no risk."
"What if there is?" she snapped.
Tian Meng swore again, "If I deceive you, may I never see you again, and may you forget me forever. Xiao Yan's second martial spirit has already awakened. You're incompatible with his Eye of Insight; channel your essence into his second martial spirit instead."
"Very well." The Ice Emperor hesitated briefly before responding, "Xiao Yan, I hope you can withstand my power, or all of this will be for nothing."
Her tone softened toward him, perhaps because she would soon become part of him, or perhaps due to Yaolao's influence.
"Don't worry. I can endure this," Xiao Yan replied, voice resolute and unwavering.
The moment he spoke, an icy chill swept through his spiritual sea, making him feel as if he'd plunged into a frozen abyss.
A jade-green light exploded in his mind, his Eye of Insight turning green in sync with the Ice Emperor's spirit. Tian Meng observed in silence, giving the Ice Emperor complete control.
Two beams of jade-green light shot from Xiao Yan's eyes, connecting with the spirit form of the Ice Emperor, whose massive body trembled violently. Her shimmering jade tail glowed, her diamond-like scales radiating a dazzling light.
Xiao Yan heard the Ice Emperor's deep sigh, followed by an icy force that froze his very soul.
Yet, just as the jade energy grew dark, his Bone Spirit Cold Fire flared up, repelling the Ice Emperor's essence. The fierce white flame clashed with the incoming energy, filling his spiritual sea with the sound of a piercing scream.
Inside Xiao Yan's body, his second martial spirit—the Bone Spirit Cold Fire—began to fiercely reject the Ice Emperor's essence. The mighty white flames surged out, devouring the incoming energy, triggering a chilling scream that echoed through his spiritual sea, raising goosebumps all over.
"What's happening? Bing Bing, are you alright?" Tian Meng's face changed drastically, staring in shock at the altered state of Xiao Yan's spiritual sea, his voice quivering with alarm.
Hearing the Ice Emperor's agonized cries from within himself, Xiao Yan shuddered, feeling the pain in his body transform once more. What began as spasmodic pain soon turned into waves of alternating extremes—bone-chilling cold and searing heat. The icy chill came from the Ice Emperor, while the fiery heat radiated from the Bone Spirit Cold Fire. The two forces clashed within him, their intense conflict overwhelming him.
"What's going on? Could it be that the Bone Spirit Cold Fire isn't purely ice-attribute? Is the extreme heat within it causing this fierce rejection of the Ice Emperor's essence?"
One moment, Xiao Yan felt as if he were frozen solid, while the next, intense heat evaporated all moisture on his skin. His blood surged through his veins in waves. When the cold hit, he felt immobilized, and when the heat returned, his blood felt like it was boiling, and small beads of blood even surfaced on his skin.
The rapid shift from extreme cold to intense heat, and then back again, made it feel as though his body was being forged anew. Although his will was exceptionally strong, his mind began to slip into hallucinations under the torturous sensations. This ordeal was far more harrowing than any pain he'd previously endured, each shift akin to being thrown from a great height and crashing down repeatedly.
"Squeak... squeak…"
Under the relentless roasting of the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, the jade-green orb began to visibly shrink. Finally, a sorrowful wail reverberated throughout Xiao Yan's spiritual sea.
"Ah!"
In the snowy landscape, a hoarse, anguished roar tore from Xiao Yan's throat, echoing like a wounded wolf.
"It really went wrong…" Hearing the agony in Xiao Yan's scream, Yaolao's expression turned grave. Muttering a curse under his breath, he shot forward, transforming into a beam of white light as he entered Xiao Yan's spiritual sea.
Sensing Yaolao's arrival, Xiao Yan slowly lifted his head, his previously composed face now pale and distorted in pain, appearing almost unrecognizable. A streak of bright blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and as he gritted his teeth, blood seeped from his gums.
"Teacher, don't worry—I can still hold on. But the Ice Emperor's essence... it seems incompatible with the Bone Spirit Cold Fire…" Xiao Yan's eyes blazed with determination as he forced out the words between gritted teeth.
"That's enough! If they won't merge, stop trying to absorb it," Yaolao commanded, face darkening. He surged forward, his spirit energy gathering into his hand, which he brought down heavily on Xiao Yan's chest, immediately halting the burning Bone Spirit Cold Fire.
At that moment, a streak of ghostly white light flashed across Xiao Yan's dark eyes. The jade-green orb of the Ice Emperor's essence was forcibly expelled from his body and returned to the Ice Emperor's lifeless form.
"Did it fail?" Slowly opening his eyes, Xiao Yan looked toward the now-lifeless, icy body of the Ice Emperor on the ground, feeling a pang of disappointment as he sighed.
"Alas…" Yaolao shook his head with a similar air of regret.
Suddenly, the Ice Emperor's corpse emitted a faint cracking sound. From within, something seemed to be stirring, attempting to break free.
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