6: From Now On, the Tables Have Turned!

As the first ray of dawn tore through the night over the Star Dou Great Forest, the ice encasing the three finally cracked with a crisp crack. Layer upon layer of solid ice shattered into glittering fragments that swayed gently in the forest breeze, reflecting scattered flecks of light.

"Hiss—"

Bei Bei sharply inhaled and shuddered. Blue lightning instinctively surged around him, driving away the lingering chill on his body. The moment he moved his stiff neck, his gaze shot like a sword toward Lu Jing in the distance—the stubborn child who had still worn a defiant expression while frozen was now slowly opening his eyes.

Lu Jing's gaze had changed.

The childishness in his eyes had been replaced by a strange depth, as though a faint mist of ice had gathered within his pupils. What made Bei Bei's heart sink even further was that the World-Annihilating Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head had become as solid as a physical object. The edges of its ink-black petals gleamed with an icy luster, while a conspicuous yellow soul ring slowly rotated beneath his feet.

"A Hundred-Year Level?" Bei Bei frowned deeply, his apprehension growing. He had thought that after absorbing the power of that giant ice silkworm, this child would at least be able to bear a thousand-year soul ring. Yet it was only a hundred-year one—but even so, the energy fluctuations flowing through it far surpassed those of an ordinary hundred-year soul ring.

Lu Jing stretched his limbs, his joints popping softly. Feeling the surging power within him, he experienced a fullness unlike anything before, as if every gesture could stir up wind and waves.

He lowered his head to glance at the yellow soul ring beneath his feet, a teasing smile curling across his lips. "Don't let the hundred years fool you. It's enough."

He had no background. He had grown up in the countryside, where even food and drink had been a problem. If he had not awakened the World-Annihilating Black Lotus and encountered Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, forcibly widening his Soul Power meridians, then let alone a soul ring near the limit, he might not even have been able to bear one close to a hundred years.

Fortunately, the Innate Soul Power granted to him by the World-Annihilating Black Lotus was a full twenty levels. Every level carried the Black Lotus's unique dominance, giving him enough confidence to face everything before him.

One had to know that Douluo Continent had never seen a precedent of Innate Soul Power at level twenty.

Even Qian Renxue from ten thousand years ago had only reached level twenty through the Angel God's blessing. Lu Jing's Innate Soul Power at level twenty, however, came from the World-Annihilating Black Lotus's nature of transcending the laws of Douluo Star—this lotus throne had never belonged to this world, so it was naturally not bound by its rules.

"What? Stunned stupid?"

Lu Jing rolled his wrists and looked up at Bei Bei, a trace of mockery flashing through his eyes. "Little brother, the tables have turned. You were chasing me down to kill me just now. This time, shouldn't it be my turn?"

"You?" Bei Bei roared, blue lightning swelling around him once more. "You think you can be arrogant just because you absorbed a hundred-year soul ring? Don't forget, you're still far from good enough!"

Before his words had even faded, he moved. Lightning gathered around his right claw, transforming it into a dragon claw crackling with electricity. With a piercing shriek that tore through the air, it lunged straight for Lu Jing's face—it was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's soul skill, Lightning Dragon Claw!

Lu Jing's eyes narrowed, and the yellow soul ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up. "First soul skill, World-Annihilating Ice Shield!"

Buzz—

The World-Annihilating Black Lotus spun violently, and black mist instantly condensed into a translucent ice shield. Black patterns flowed across its surface, carrying a strange suction force.

Bang!

The Lightning Dragon Claw slammed hard into the ice shield. Blue electricity exploded, only to be tightly trapped by the black mist on the shield. It could do nothing but leave ripples across the shield's surface, unable to pierce through it at all.

"What?" Bei Bei's pupils contracted. He had not expected that seemingly flimsy ice shield to be so tough.

"There's more!" Lu Jing shouted, thrusting his left hand forward. "World-Annihilating Ice Seal!"

The yellow soul ring lit up again, and a massive amount of black frost burst from the World-Annihilating Black Lotus. The instant it touched the ground, it solidified into countless ice spikes that spread toward Bei Bei at astonishing speed. This was no ordinary ice seal. The frost carried the corrosive power of the World-Annihilating Black Lotus, and wherever it passed, the ground froze black and cracked apart.

Thunderous Might! Bei Bei did not dare to be careless. Lightning exploded around him, forming a blue net of electricity that shattered every incoming ice spike. Yet the broken spikes turned into even finer shards, still carrying freezing air as they rushed toward him, forcing him back again and again.

"Xiaoya, help me!" Bei Bei called out.

"I'm coming!" With Wang Dong'er supporting her, Tang Ya barely managed to stand. Her face was still pale, but she gritted her teeth and activated her Blue Silver Grass. Countless blue-green vines burst from the ground and lashed toward Lu Jing like venomous snakes, trying to restrict his movements.

Lu Jing remained completely unruffled. The World-Annihilating Ice Shield continuously spun before him, blocking every light blade and vine. The moment the Blue Silver Grass touched the shield, it was frozen by the black frost and swiftly withered black.

"Useless."

Lu Jing shook his head with a smile. After absorbing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's soul ring, his Soul Power had already reached level twenty-one, and it had granted him four skills.

Besides, the World-Annihilating Black Lotus naturally restrained plant-type martial souls, and Tang Ya's martial soul was merely Blue Silver Grass, not the Blue Silver Emperor.

Bei Bei was so furious his eyes nearly split open, and the lightning around him became even more violent. "Wrath of Thunder!"

This was the state in which he pushed his Soul Power to its limit. Blue lightning swirled around his body like living dragons, every flash making the air groan in agony. Like a blue meteor, he charged toward Lu Jing once more, determined to tear this repeatedly provocative brat to pieces.

A fierce light flashed through Lu Jing's eyes. He withdrew the World-Annihilating Ice Shield, while the World-Annihilating Black Lotus floated above his head, its black petals slowly unfurling. "Good timing!"

Although Bei Bei was an advanced Soul Elder, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the World-Annihilating Black Lotus were no pushovers either. Thus, after the two had fought for a while, an almost imperceptible flash of light suddenly shot out from the dense forest to the left. The light was dark purple, fast as lightning, and silently streaked straight toward Lu Jing's back—it was clearly a sneak attack from someone hiding in the shadows!

"Watch out!" Wang Dong'er cried instinctively. Though she had hesitated over whether to attack Lu Jing, she could not stand such underhanded tactics.

Lu Jing's heart tightened. Just as he was about to turn and defend himself, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's anxious voice suddenly rang out in his mind. "Fuck! Some bastard's launching a sneak attack!"

Before the words had faded, the World-Annihilating Black Lotus above his head suddenly rotated on its own. Its ink-black petals instantly closed, completely protecting him within.

Ding!

The dark-purple light slammed into the lotus throne, producing a crisp ring. Then something bizarre happened—the hundred-year soul ring beneath Lu Jing's feet, originally yellow, visibly shed its color at an astonishing speed and transformed into a dazzling platinum white!

The platinum-white soul ring slowly rotated, radiating a terrifying aura far beyond a hundred years and even approaching ten thousand years. The black mist around the World-Annihilating Black Lotus instantly surged, knocking the dark-purple light flying back into the depths of the forest, where it vanished without a trace.

Lu Jing froze for a moment, then immediately understood. Someone was backing Bei Bei up!

"Th-this... what is going on?" Bei Bei and Tang Ya were both stunned. Could a soul ring's color suddenly change?

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's smug voice rang out in Lu Jing's mind. "Hehe, didn't expect that, did you? I'm a million-year soul beast. Even after sacrificing myself, I still have a few tricks to save my life! As for changing the soul ring's color, that's nothing!"

It had no intention of dying alongside Lu Jing right after sacrificing itself. It had not even gotten the chance to enjoy its "new life" yet—how could it die?