Ice Flame Roc

After roughly ten minutes, just as the Beast Tide gradually began to subside, a clear cry carrying immense pressure suddenly echoed from deep within the gorge.

The sound pierced through the icy mist, making everyone's eardrums tremble.

Xue Tianxing hurriedly looked up—only to see a blue-golden figure spread its wings and fly out of the gorge. Its wingspan stretched a full nine meters, every feather seeming as though it had been carved from blue-golden glazed crystal. A faint icy-blue halo shimmered around their edges, and as its wings beat, fine fragments of ice flame drifted down, both frigid and dazzling.

"It's an Ice Flame Roc!"

Liu Tianfeng cried out in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief. "I never thought the Star Dou Great Forest would still have something like this... I thought they had gone extinct long ago."

He carefully studied the roc's size, his voice gaining a trace of regret as he said:

"Judging by that wingspan, it's probably over nine thousand years old, just short of ten thousand... What a pity. If it were over eight thousand years old, it would have been perfect for Tianxing's third Soul Ring."

Flender clicked his tongue in amazement, his face full of wonder.

"This thing carries Phoenix Bloodline! Its ice attribute is mixed with light-attribute energy—it's incredibly domineering! When I was young, I wanted to find one for a Soul Ring. I wandered around the edge of the Land of the Extreme North for a month without even catching a glimpse of one, yet we've run into one here today!"

Below the tree, the Ice Flame Roc had already caught up with a slow-moving Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Armor Bear. With one sharp peck, it pierced through the bear's skull. It then landed on the corpse and leisurely tore at its flesh, its blue-golden feathers gleaming coldly beneath the morning light.

Yet Xue Tianxing did not take in the word "pity." His gaze remained fixed on the roc. The ice-attribute energy around it was astonishingly pure, faintly resonating with his Ice Phoenix Spirit. In particular, the proud aura with which it looked down upon its own kind was somewhat similar to the presence he exuded when possessed by the Ice Phoenix.

Xue Tianxing clenched his fists, his fingertips turning white from the force. He had already made up his mind: It's this one.

Whether it was over nine thousand years old or over eight thousand years old, with the suppressive power of the Ice Phoenix Spirit, he might not necessarily be unable to absorb it.

Xue Tianxing stared at the blue-golden figure beneath the tree, the stubbornness in his eyes nearly overflowing. He turned, grabbed Liu Tianfeng's sleeve, and said with the earnestness unique to a youth:

"Grandpa Liu, let me try! This Ice Flame Roc is different—it has Phoenix Bloodline and can resonate with my Ice Phoenix Spirit. And its ice-attribute energy is extremely pure. I can feel it... my Martial Soul recognizes it."

Liu Tianfeng's brows twisted into knots. His large hand covered Xue Tianxing's, gripping so hard it nearly crushed his bones. His tone was urgent and grave.

"Even if it recognizes you, no! Tianxing, do you think Grandpa is joking with you? Eight thousand years is already the limit. It was only because your Ice Phoenix Spirit can suppress ice-attribute Soul Beasts that I dared let you try. But this one is over nine thousand years old, only one step away from a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring! The higher the Soul Ring's age, the more violent the Soul Power backlash becomes. If you can't endure it, when the Soul Ring backfires, the Soul Power will grind every bone in your body to pieces!"

The more Liu Tianfeng spoke, the more anxious he became, until his eyes began to redden.

"You are the root of the Xue Family, Barak Kingdom's hope, and the child Grandpa watched grow up! If something happens to you, how am I supposed to answer to your Father King, or to your late grandfather?"

Flender also chimed in from the side, so anxious that his glasses had slid to the tip of his nose.

"Your Highness, Senior Cold Sword is right! How can a Soul Master gamble on absorbing a Soul Ring? I've seen too many geniuses greedily force themselves to absorb Soul Rings beyond their limits for a bit more Soul Power strength. In the end, they either exploded and died, or had their Soul Power completely destroyed—given your talent, isn't taking things slowly better than anything?"

Xue Tianxing bit his lip without speaking, but his eyes remained firmly glued to the Ice Flame Roc.

The fierce bird was leisurely pecking at the Ice Armor Bear's remains. Its blue-golden feathers rippled beneath the sunlight, and every beat of its wings made the ice-attribute energy in the air tremble, as though greeting the Ice Phoenix Spirit within him.

Xue Tianxing knew clearly that if he missed this one, he might never encounter such a compatible Soul Beast again. The Land of the Extreme North might be cold, but an ice-attribute Soul Beast carrying Phoenix Bloodline was likely impossible to find a second time even after searching the entire continent.

As the stalemate continued, the Ice Flame Roc beneath the tree had finished its meal. It shook its wings, and the feathers around its neck bristled. Clearly, it was about to take flight.

I can't let it leave!

Xue Tianxing panicked. With quick reflexes, he gathered a thread of Soul Power. He did not dare use his full strength; he merely flicked a finger, sending a pale-blue beam of Soul Power shooting out with a whoosh and striking the Ice Flame Roc's tail feathers.

With a muffled puff, the Soul Power beam struck the feathers without even knocking one loose. It was like a pebble tossed into a lake, stirring only a small ripple.

But that single strike completely enraged the Ice Flame Roc.

It abruptly turned its head, its amber eyes sweeping toward the canopy. Upon spotting the group hidden amid the branches and leaves, it let out a low roar from its throat—how dared a mere handful of humans provoke it?!

In its fury, it beat its wings, sending several blue-golden ice flames shooting toward them with a howl. The flames shrieked sharply as they cut through the air, freezing even the air itself into ice crystals as they rushed straight at the giant tree where Xue Tianxing and the others were hiding!

"Not good!"

Liu Tianfeng's heart lurched. Before he could figure out what Xue Tianxing was trying to do, the ice flames were already crashing toward them. How could he spare any thought for anything else?

He fiercely shoved Xue Tianxing behind him, raised his right hand, and the Frosty Cold Wind Sword instantly appeared in his grasp. The blade radiated bone-piercing cold, layers of icy patterns condensed across it. As he drove his Soul Power into it, a pale-blue sword aura slashed out with a swish.

Boom!

The sword aura collided with the ice flames in midair. The ice flames were instantly cleaved apart, but most of the sword aura dispersed as well. The remaining shockwave made the giant tree sway violently, and icicles from the branches came crashing down with a clatter, shattering across the ground.

Liu Tianfeng gripped his sword, his brows furrowing even more deeply. Shielding Xue Tianxing, he retreated behind the trunk and glared at him in a low voice.

"You brat! What exactly are you trying to do?!"

But Xue Tianxing did not look at him. He only watched the thoroughly enraged Ice Flame Roc below, which was circling as it prepared to attack again, his eyes gleaming.

"Grandpa Liu, now isn't the time to talk about that—it's been provoked. Either we kill it, or it hunts us down."

No sooner had he spoken than the Ice Flame Roc launched its second attack. This time, it did not fire ice flames. Instead, it dove straight down, its enormous wings bringing a gale as they slammed toward the canopy. The blue-golden feathers at its wingtips sliced toward the branches like blades, about to snap the entire tree in half!

Seeing this, how could Liu Tianfeng still have the time to question Xue Tianxing's intentions?

Just as Xue Tianxing had expected, when Liu Tianfeng saw the Ice Flame Roc actually daring to dive at them again, his gaze sharpened. Gripping the Frosty Cold Wind Sword, he rushed forward to meet it.

Though the Ice Flame Roc possessed noble bloodline and could contend with ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts at an age of nine thousand years, it was still far inferior when facing the eighty-ninth-level Liu Tianfeng.