Despised Ice Empress

"Tian Meng, think of something, quick! At this rate, we're all finished!" Ice Empress's voice grew urgent.

The reason she had offered herself as a sacrifice was to gamble on the path to godhood.

And what happened? Was it going to end before it even began?

Honestly, it had happened so quickly that she had not even reacted at first.

"Little bug, stop thinking about that so-called Third Martial Soul of yours."

Just as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was panicking helplessly, a familiar aged voice rang throughout the entire Sea of Consciousness. "Also, do not fuse the soul bone. The Taiji Diagram and the Exquisite Pagoda believe those things are unworthy of standing alongside them."

The speaker was none other than the Grand Pure Daoist Venerable.

He had not wanted to interfere, but now that things had come to this, it would have seemed unreasonable not to offer a reminder.

"So that's it. Thank you for informing me, Senior!"

Having found the cause, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately changed direction and guided Ice Empress's Soul Ring toward the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda.

"Tian Meng, who was that person speaking just now?"

After recovering from her shock, Ice Empress asked curiously, "Why is he in Li Changsheng's mind like you are?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain it when I get the chance later. Let's handle the important matter first!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm suggested.

"Fine!"

Ice Empress also knew this was not the time to discuss it, so she directly fused the Soul Ring and gave up on fusing the soul bone and Third Martial Soul.

Li Changsheng's physique had always differed from that of ordinary people. Coupled with the sacrifice and sealed power, it did not take long before the absorption settled into a stable phase.

At that moment, Li Changsheng sat cross-legged in the snow, enveloped by a massive nine-tiered Profound Yellow treasure pagoda.

Seven days later, Li Changsheng opened his eyes and rose from the ground.

At that moment, four Soul Rings shone beneath his feet: one purple, two black, and one red.

Not only that, but his Soul Power Level had risen from level forty to level forty-six.

Looking at the snow filling the sky before him, Li Changsheng let out a breath. Then his eyes sharpened, and the World-Opening Treasure of the Grand Pure Daoist Venerable, the Taiji Diagram, appeared behind him.

With a wave of his right hand, the Taiji Diagram began spinning at high speed.

"Freeze!"

As his words fell, the ice and snow within a hundred li came to a complete standstill in midair, utterly motionless.

"Holy shit!"

Seeing this, Ice Empress, who was in the Sea of Consciousness, widened her eyes. Suspecting she had seen wrong, she could not help asking, "Tian Meng, what is going on? And what kind of Martial Soul is that?"

"I don't know."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shook his head and said seriously, "Back then, I made some indirect inquiries and learned that the true identity and origins of the Senior who reminded us just now were not inferior to the gods in the heavens at all—he might even be stronger by an unimaginable amount. As for those two Martial Souls, if I'm not mistaken, they should be his weapons."

"Seriously? Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Ice Empress was deeply shocked. She had never imagined that such a powerful and mysterious expert existed within Li Changsheng's Sea of Consciousness.

"As if you would have listened even if I had told you!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm rolled his eyes and replied, "Since that was the case, it was better to let you see it for yourself. Humans have a saying: seeing is believing!"

"That's true."

After thinking it over and realizing that it was indeed so, Ice Empress asked, "Li Changsheng, how do you feel? Is there anything wrong?"

"No. I'm fine."

Li Changsheng shook his head. After putting away the Taiji Diagram, he lowered his gaze to the torso bone before him.

Ice Empress's cultivation had originally been three hundred ninety thousand years, but after the fusion and breakthrough just now, it had directly advanced to Four Hundred Thousand Years.

Although the difference in years was not great, the gap in power and strength between the two was worlds apart.

"It's just that I didn't expect the Taiji Diagram and the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda to look down on your Martial Soul and soul bone."

Li Changsheng gave a bitter smile, looking rather helpless.

Fortunately, he had sold the Demon Breaking Light soul bone Mu En had given him to Wang Dong'er. Otherwise, if it had remained in his hands, it would probably have been useless scrap as well.

"Since that's the case, I'll take it back for Sister Nannan to absorb. She happens to lack a decent soul bone."

After placing Ice Empress's torso bone into the Soul Tool he carried with him, he turned and headed toward the outskirts.

Shrek Academy's vacation only lasted one month, so after the twenty-eighth day, students had basically begun returning one after another.

"Huh? Where is he? He still hasn't returned?"

Still dressed as a boy, Wang Dong pushed open the dormitory door. Seeing that there was no one inside, she could not help feeling puzzled.

Why did that guy return even later than I did?

Wang Dong was somewhat speechless. She then went to Mu En's side and politely asked, "Senior, has Li Changsheng returned?"

"Chang Sheng? No, this old man hasn't seen him."

Mu En opened his eyes and replied, "If you want to know about him, you should ask that girl Jiang Nannan. After all, the two of them are family."

"That's true. Thank you, Senior!"

After thanking him, Wang Dong headed toward the fifth-year area of the Outer Court.

"Chang Sheng? He hasn't returned yet?"

When she heard that Li Changsheng had not returned to Shrek Academy, Jiang Nannan's expression immediately changed. "I haven't seen him at all this past month."

"What!"

Wang Dong's eyes widened as she asked worriedly, "Nothing could have happened to him, right?"

"I don't know."

Jiang Nannan shook her head. After letting out a soft breath and forcefully suppressing the emotions rising within her, she asked quietly, "Do you think it's possible that he went off by himself to obtain a Soul Ring without telling us?"

"Probably... not, right?"

Although Wang Dong did not want to admit or accept it, that speculation was currently the most likely one.

"Sister Nannan, do you think Li Changsheng can handle a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast alone?"

Li Changsheng's Second Soul Ring and Third Soul Ring were both at the ten-thousand-year level, so his Fourth Soul Ring could not possibly be a thousand-year or even hundred-year one.

Though she did not know how he had accomplished it, the question was whether he could really kill a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast.

"I don't know much about Chang Sheng's strength. I only know that he's stronger than I am."

Jiang Nannan shook her head and said softly, "Let's wait a little longer. Logically speaking, even if he can't win, he should be able to escape. With the strength of a Soul Ancestor, the boost of one thousand-year Soul Ring and two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, plus the formidable defense of the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, there's no reason he should perish in the Star Dou Great Forest."