Cycle of Rebirth
After receiving Snow Empress's promise, Chen Feng felt a great sense of security.
This means he now has a trump card he can truly use to fight for his life.
Since Snow Empress was willing to help him with this, Chen Feng naturally couldn't refuse.
However, for a powerful being like the Snow Empress, there weren't many areas where Chen Feng could truly be of assistance.
After much thought, he realized that the only advice he could offer was regarding breaking through cultivation barriers.
"Your Majesty, Snow Empress, what are your plans for reaching the level 70 milestone?" Chen Feng asked.
"I don't have a clear idea yet. Although your Ring Expansion Method can slightly reduce the difficulty of my breakthrough, the difference isn't very significant. I still need to prepare for the breakthrough and can't leave the Extreme North to do anything," the Snow Empress said, shaking her head.
Chen Feng thought for a moment and asked:
Are you familiar with the Sea God?
"Sea God? I know he's a god who became a deity overseas by collecting faith, but I don't know much about him," said the Snow Empress.
Chen Feng nodded and said:
"That's right. The Sea God achieved his divine status by condensing the power of faith. Originally, he was actually a Sea Spirit Master. After fighting for 1,001 years, he unified the ocean and was revered as the Sea God by the sea creatures."
"Do you mean you want me to follow the path of the Sea God? But He is human and I am Soul Beast; I cannot follow His path," Snow Empress said, shaking her head.
"Human Titled Douluo don't have a lifespan of a thousand years," Chen Feng said with a slight smile.
"You mean...?" Snow Empress's eyes narrowed.
Chen Feng slowly paced around the hall, pondering as he spoke:
"In this world, the boundary between humans and Soul Beast is not absolute. Soul Beast are limited by the inability to become gods, but Soul Beast Transformation into Human have the hope of becoming gods. What is the real difference between the two? Is it just a change in appearance?"
Snow Empress thought for a moment and said:
"After transforming into human form, Soul Beast need to enter human society and interact with humans in order to grow rapidly; otherwise, their growth rate will be extremely slow."
"Could this extremely slow growth rate be considered the growth rate of Soul Beast?"
"Perhaps."
Chen Feng nodded and said:
"In other words, simply transforming into a human is useless; it doesn't fundamentally change the Soul Beast. Only when it enters human society and absorbs enough ' Human Popularity ' can it circumvent the Rules that restrict Soul Beast."
"Human Popularity," Snow Empress murmured, seemingly understanding something.
"And after you merged your Soul Power with mine, you felt that the difficulty of breaking through was slightly reduced. Is it possible that this is also the effect of ' Human Popularity '?" Chen Feng continued.
"You mean, I can use the Ring Expansion Method as a bargaining chip to attract humans to this place, and then accumulate enough ' Human Popularity ' to circumvent the world's Rules that restrict Soul Beast?" Snow Empress asked.
Chen Feng smiled and said, "Snow Woman and humans are similar, aren't they? You can set up a few trial grounds here, and then spread the word that you can obtain the best age Soul Ring by passing the trials. When something is challenging and has a generous reward, it is much more attractive than just shouting."
"Furthermore, by doing so, the quality of the people attracted will be very high. You can then choose suitable people from among them as your followers, and the leader can simply be called the Priest. Once this develops to a certain extent, the so-called ' Human Popularity ' will probably transform into something else entirely."
What thing?
"Belief."
Snow Empress's eyes flickered; clearly, she was tempted.
Chen Feng continued his narration, "If you can condense a divine position through sufficient faith, that would be best. At the very least, you can use the Ring Expansion Method to enhance your ' Human Popularity ' and reduce the difficulty of breaking through the level."
"Even in the worst-case scenario, where you fail to break through the barrier, having enough reliable human followers will make it easy for you to transform into a human and enter the human world. I think you should have already considered this aspect."
Snow Empress paused for a moment, then said:
"The difficulty of Soul Beast Transformation into Human ten thousand years from now is extremely high."
"No matter how difficult it is, it's still a path, and I think you've already prepared for the worst," Chen Feng said with a smile.
He wasn't actually sure if the current Snow Empress had obtained the Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, but it wouldn't hurt to test the waters. Perhaps the snow lotus the Snow Empress had given him before was a companion herb of that Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus?
As expected, after hearing Chen Feng's words, Snow Empress did not refute anything further, which was tantamount to acquiescing.
In other words, she may have already obtained the Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, intending to use it as her last trump card.
"Of course, if the worst-case scenario occurs, you will become extremely vulnerable after transforming into human form, so you must carefully consider your choice of followers," Chen Feng added as a final reminder.
Human nature is very complex, containing both great and noble saints and shameless and despicable villains. If the selection of personnel is flawed, a magnificent betrayal will inevitably occur.
Who knows, maybe another painting will leak out someday, something like "The Last Supper".
"I understand, your suggestion is very comprehensive," Snow Empress said earnestly.
Chen Feng had considered everything for her, from the best-case scenario to the worst-case scenario, essentially feeding her.
If she still can't get any, then she can't blame anyone but herself.
"This is also to thank you for your help." Chen Feng clasped his hands in a respectful bow again.
He had no regrets about the fact that the Snow Empress could not leave the Extreme North.
Indeed, if Snow Empress could move freely, it would be much easier for Chen Feng to implement the Ring Expansion Method.
However, this raises a big question mark about who is the primary and who is the secondary partner in the cooperation between humans and Soul Beast.
Chen Feng does want to improve the living environment of Soul Beast and change the relationship between humans and Soul Beast, but that doesn't mean he wants Soul Beast to ride roughshod over humans.
Moreover, the large-scale activity of Ferocious Beast would attract the attention of the Divine Realm, bringing unnecessary trouble.
This is good as it is. The Ferocious Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest are not very mobile, and the Snow Empress in the Extreme North cannot come out for the time being. Although the difficulty of Chen Feng's operation will be much greater as a result, the room for maneuver will also be much wider.
Back in the side hall, Chen Xin saw his disciple enter and asked:
"Xiao Feng, what does Snow Empress want with you?"
"We talked about some things related to Soul Beast, and I also asked her for help with my Martial Soul," Chen Feng replied.
"About your Martial Soul?" Chen Xin's expression changed. "Your Martial Soul... could it be that it's already..."
"That's right, my Martial Soul has awakened the Yin Sword, a sword that is entirely black," Chen Feng said, summoning his Martial Soul.
He wanted to ask his master about the situation. When Chen Xin told him the story of their Ancestors, he focused on the experiences of the Ancestor Chen Yang, and didn't go into much detail about the Demonic Sword.
"Where's the entirely black Sword Guard?" Chen Xin asked hurriedly.
"It's a black gemstone," Chen Feng said.
Chen Xin breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Did you see anything strange?"
"For example?"
"For example, the moon?"
"I saw it."
Chen Xin immediately tensed up, but Chen Feng continued:
"Master, don't worry. I know there's something wrong with that red moon, but the Red Moon I saw eventually turned into Silver Moon."
"It turned into Silver Moon?" Chen Xin was stunned for a moment; this was a situation he was completely unaware of.
"Master, what do you know about the Demonic Sword? Tell me everything," Chen Feng said.
"Actually, I don't know much either. It's all from what my parents told me. All I know is that the Red Moon can bring out the darkness in people's hearts, and that devouring souls can drive people crazy. By the way, Xiao Feng, you haven't devoured any souls, have you?" Chen Xin asked seriously.
"Of course not, I haven't killed many living beings yet, let alone devour souls," Chen Feng said with a smile.
"That's good. Xiao Feng, your Yin Sword is a little different from the Demonic Sword recorded in the family. I can't quite explain why, but it seems to be a bit better than the Demonic Sword. You must pay attention to your mental state in the future," Chen Xin earnestly advised.
He's the only son in the Chen Clan, so he absolutely cannot have any problems.
"I know, Master. That's why I want to acquire the Snow Woman's Soul Skill," Chen Feng said.
Thinking of his disciple's Fourth Soul Skill, Chen Xin felt a little more at ease. Since it was an ability of a legendary race, it should be reliable.
In the following days, Chen Feng tried using the Yin Sword again.
He discovered that when using the Yin Sword, he could actively and forcibly pull a living target into that special scene, and this pulling was independent of cultivation level.
There are two conditions that can be determined now: either Chen Feng's own spirit is completely exhausted, or his Martial Soul is released from his hand.
So even if it's possible to pull people out regardless of their cultivation level, those powerful individuals, like Chen Xin and Snow Empress, can still come out whenever they want.
Furthermore, when Chen Feng uses the Yin Sword alone, his mental energy is rapidly depleted.
However, once he brings in a target, his mental exertion will decrease significantly, and the duration of the scene can be extended by about twice, reaching approximately ten minutes.
According to Chen Xin and Snow Empress's observations, their spirits began to gradually deplete after entering that scene.
In other words, after Chen Feng brings people in, the damage to this scene will be shared by the two of them.
Upon discovering this, Chen Feng immediately began trying to pull more targets, but he failed; he could only pull one target each time he used the Yin Sword.
This means that the special scene became a gladiatorial arena where those who entered had to engage in a one-on-one battle, and only those who remained standing could leave early.
However, since the enemies who are pulled in need to suffer mental damage, while Chen Feng can rely on the power of the possessed Soul Beast, it is obviously difficult for any enemy whose strength is not a level above Chen Feng to defeat Chen Feng and get out early.
Based on these characteristics, Chen Feng specially named this special scene "The Cycle of Rebirth".
After dealing with the matter of the Martial Soul, Chen Feng and Chen Xin bid farewell to the Snow Empress Snow Empress then sent people to escort them all the way to the outskirts of the Extreme North.
With Chen Xin's strength, he can easily lead Chen Feng out of here; nothing unexpected will happen.
The two arrived in Winter City and found Tang Hao and his group, who had been waiting for them, at the hotel where they had stayed previously.
"Why did it take you so long? I was about to go in and check on them." Tang Hao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the master and disciple were both unharmed.
"We met the Snow Empress this time and stayed with her for a few days," Chen Xin began to recount the events of the past few days, from his perspective, of course.
Ning Rongrong stepped forward to check on Chen Feng's condition, and only after confirming that he was alright did she feel relieved.
"You haven't come back for several days. I thought something had happened to you," she said, her eyes slightly red.
"Don't worry, I'm not that easy to get into trouble with." Chen Feng smiled and ruffled her hair.
After Chen Xin recounted his experience, everyone learned about the master and disciple's adventures over the past few days, and they were all very surprised.
"You actually encountered the Snow Empress, a ruler even more terrifying than the Titan Snow Demon King!" Dugu Bo couldn't help but exclaim.
"Actually, in terms of appearance, the Titan Snow Demon King is more intimidating, while the Snow Empress looks not much different from a human woman," Chen Xin said. "Speaking of which, how are things on your side?"
"Things are going smoothly on our side too. This kid successfully obtained his Fourth Soul Ring, and the effect is excellent," Tang Hao said, patting Oscar on the shoulder.
"So, Bro Feng, would you like to see my new Soul Skill?" Oscar said with a smile.
"Alright, let me see what your Fourth Soul Ring is like, and whether it tastes good?" Chen Feng said with some anticipation.
This is a Soul Skill that does not belong to either the Original Work Manga, because the map of the Extreme North in the Douluo Dalu 1 Continent era was not yet available, so Oscar naturally could not obtain Soul Ring from there.
Therefore, Chen Feng was very curious about this, as it was a very obvious effect caused by his butterfly wings.
"Hehe, just you wait and see." Oscar made his signature gesture as usual, then recited the incantation for his Fourth Soul Skill:
"Refreshingly cool, my heart soars!"
As the incantation was uttered, a short, pale blue icicle appeared in Oscar's hand.
"This is my Fourth Soul Skill, the Refreshing Ice Pop. Its effect is to immediately restore half of your Mental Power and 30% of your Soul Power after eating it, but you will feel extremely tired after half an hour, and you can only eat one a day."
Chen Feng licked his lips. "It can restore Mental Power? And only half of it?"
"That's right." Oscar nodded.
"That's impressive, Xiao Ao," Chen Feng said sincerely.
His Cycle of Rebirth consumes Mental Power; if he has a Popsicle in hand, the duration of the Cycle of Rebirth can be extended by fifty percent.
Even with a half-hour limit, this can drastically change the course of the battle.