Snow Empress vs. Di Tian

"Lang Lei, how does this absorption feel?" Xue Di was still a little worried about Lang Lei's condition, after all, this absorption was a historic leap.

No Soul Master had ever done this before; it was unprecedented.

Of course, there were Soul Masters with Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings as their third Soul Ring, but they usually had the blessing of a God Trial or Twin Martial Souls. They couldn't be compared to Lang Lei, who directly absorbed a Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

"I feel fine, actually a bit too easy..." Lang Lei recalled his absorption process and felt it wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.

Plus, some special things happened in the middle, and his absorption ability seemed to be able to take another big leap.

Hmm... I can't just absorb a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring next time, can I?

Xue Di and Bing Di exchanged a glance. They had lost count of how many times they had been surprised over this period, and were now almost numb to it.

But if it was still too easy...

"Lang Lei, do you think you'd have trouble directly absorbing an Eighty-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring next time?" Xue Di asked directly.

"What special circumstances?" Xue Di's tone carried a hint of nervousness.

Lang Lei was their precious treasure now, and they couldn't afford the slightest mishap.

"When the God of Destruction came earlier, he saw that I had exceeded the mission requirements and decided to give me some extra rewards, directly improving my physical fitness. I should be able to withstand Spirit Rings of higher ages now."

"!!!"

So Lang Lei suddenly "grew up" not because absorbing the Spirit Ring catalyzed his growth, but because he directly received a Divine Blessing that caused his body to change?

Thinking about it, absorbing Spirit Rings could indeed cause physical changes, but not to such an extent. They had been so shocked and numbed by Lang Lei's exceptional nature that they had subconsciously ignored it.

If that's the case...

Just then, a sound of breaking through the air suddenly came from the sky. A figure in a black robe suddenly appeared above them, exuding a terrifying aura.

Fortunately, Xue Di and Bing Di were not weak, so the impact was not significant, but their expressions turned serious.

The thing they feared most had happened: Di Tian actually appeared!

Although Xue Di had advanced recently, Di Tian was an established powerhouse and absolutely not to be underestimated. Furthermore, Xue Di and Bing Di were bringing Lang Lei, this "burden," and would need to spare one person to protect him, putting them at an inherent disadvantage.

Before Xue Di could speak, Di Tian let out a cold snort and attacked ferociously.

Xue Di was stunned. After leaving the instruction to "protect Lang Lei," she met the attack head-on.

Ice crystal fragments and Dragon Flame sparks intertwined in the sky above the Star Dou Great Forest, forming a brilliant yet deadly curtain of light. Xue Di floated at the peak of an ancient tree, her white and blue hair fluttering wildly in the extreme cold wind. At the top of the Extreme Cold Scepter she condensed in her hand, three Ice Soul Cores emitted a faint glow that could freeze the soul. Di Tian had already reverted to his true form, coiled on a giant rock on the other side. His dark golden Dragon Scales refracted a cold, hard luster under the light filtering through the gaps in the forest. Each time his Dragon Claws struck the ground, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the earth. His golden Dragon Eyes were locked onto the Extreme Cold Master before him.

He hadn't expected Xue Di to reach her current level after not seeing her for thousands of years. Upon seeing the "inheritor of the God of Destruction" beside Xue Di, Di Tian understood, and a trace of anger appeared in his pupils.

Regardless of what the Lord's intentions were, Di Tian viewed this action as a betrayal of the Soul Beasts!

"Xue Di, if you insist on protecting that human, you will be an enemy to the entire Star Dou." Di Tian's Dragon Roar shook the surrounding ancient trees, causing leaves to fall. Golden Dragon Breath churned in his throat, and the air temperature instantly soared, causing the dead branches on the ground to begin to smoke slightly. Before he finished speaking, his massive body suddenly transformed into a golden lightning bolt. His Dragon Claws, carrying a gale force capable of tearing space, lunged straight at Xue Di. Wherever he passed, the air friction produced a piercing shriek.

Xue Di's gaze remained unchanged. She tapped the void with her scepter, and nine layers of Ice Crystal Shields instantly appeared before her. Each shield flowed with complex Ice Patterns.

"If you want to scheme against Lang Lei, you're making an enemy of the Extreme North!" Xue Di retorted, equally resolute and tough.

The moment her words fell, the Dragon Claws heavily struck the Ice Crystal Shields. The instant the golden energy and extreme cold power collided, a terrifying shockwave spread outwards from the two of them. All ancient trees within a hundred-meter radius were snapped in half. Snow and dust surged into the sky, obscuring the sun and moon.

The nine shields shattered layer by layer under the immense force of the Dragon Claws. Ice crystal fragments rained down like a torrential downpour, but the moment they touched Di Tian's Dragon Scales, they transformed into fine ice spikes, attempting to penetrate the gaps between the scales. Di Tian grunted, and his Dragon Tail swept out like a steel whip, carrying scorching Dragon Power and striking towards Xue Di's chest. Xue Di's toes touched a piece of ice crystal debris, and her body drifted backward like a catkin. Simultaneously, she waved her scepter, and the falling ice crystal fragments suddenly condensed, forming thousands of Ice Arrows that shot towards Di Tian's vital points with sharp whistling sounds.

Di Tian tilted his head back and let out a heaven-shattering Dragon roar. Golden Dragon Flame erupted from his mouth, forming a massive Flame Barrier. The Ice Arrows plunged into the flames, instantly melting into steam. However, within the space filled with steam, they rapidly condensed again, forming a finer Ice Mist that quietly enveloped Di Tian's body. "A mere trick." Di Tian snorted disdainfully. Brilliant golden light erupted from his Dragon Scales, attempting to shatter the Ice Mist. But the moment the Ice Mist touched the golden light, it transformed into extreme cold, seeping into Di Tian's body through the gaps in his Dragon Scales, causing his massive body to stiffen slightly.

It was in this moment of stiffness that Xue Di's figure appeared above Di Tian. The Ice Soul Core at the tip of her scepter erupted with ultimate coldness. A pillar of ice, tens of meters thick, descended from the sky, striking directly at Di Tian's head. A fierce glint flashed in Di Tian's eyes. Ignoring the erosion of the cold within his body, he crossed his claws to block above his head, unleashing his Dragon Power without reservation. The two collided with a thunderous roar.

"BOOM—!"

After the massive explosion, the energy storm formed by extreme cold and Dragon Power raged in the center of the Star Dou Great Forest. The ground was frozen into an ice layer tens of meters deep, and beneath the ice layer, scorched marks were burned by the Dragon Power. Xue Di was sent flying back dozens of meters by the shockwave, a trickle of pale blue, ice-crystal-like blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. Di Tian, on the other hand, knelt on one knee, his Dragon Claws deeply embedded in the ice layer. A thin layer of ice had formed on his dark golden scales, and a faint crack appeared on the Dragon Scales on his chest.

The two met each other's gaze, neither showing any sign of retreat. Xue Di raised her hand and wiped away the ice crystals from her mouth. The extreme cold power around her surged again, and the moisture in the air rapidly condensed into a sky full of ice blades. Di Tian slowly stood up, his golden Dragon Flame once again enveloping his entire body. His Dragon Might descended like Mount Tai, pressing down on Xue Di. The peak duel in the Star Dou Great Forest had only just begun