Disciple 13
Deep in the Mixed Zone of the Extreme North.
Rumble—!
A deafening series of explosions rolled like thunder, shaking snow loose across several miles.
"Roar—! Give me back my godmother!!"
"Damn humans! I'll tear you apart!!"
A gigantic white bear, as tall as a mountain, roared in a frenzy. Every time its massive paw struck the ground, it left a bottomless fissure and sent ice shards flying in every direction.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Ice Bear King, Xiao Bai.
Its eyes were bloodshot, and it had completely lost control.
Yet facing such a frenzied Ferocious Beast, the figure in the air seemed perfectly at ease—if anything, a little impatient.
Jing Hongchen wore dark red Soul Tool Battle Armor. Nine pairs of Flying Soul Tool Wings spread from his back, making him look like an iron phoenix as he traced strange zigzags through the blizzard.
"Godmother? Has this stupid bear gone mad?"
Jing Hongchen frowned, controlling dozens of Floating Cannons to suppress it with firepower while cursing inwardly.
When had he, the dignified Hall Master of Mingde Hall, become the murderer of a Soul Beast's mother?
"Beast, I don't have time to indulge your family drama."
Jing Hongchen was frantic with worry, his thoughts consumed by his missing granddaughter.
Picking a fight with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Extreme North—one with an affinity close to Extreme Ice and skin as tough as leather—was clearly madness.
End this quickly!
"Go!"
With a sweep of his hand, a gigantic metal net crackling with blue electricity dropped from the sky and expanded in the wind.
Eighth-level Soul Tool—the Sky Prisoner Net!
At the same time, the red gemstone core in his chest suddenly lit up. Dozens of specially made Fixed-Soul-Tool Cannonballs designed to disrupt its senses shot out, exploding precisely in front of the Ice Bear King.
They had no killing power, but instantly unleashed light a hundred times brighter than the sun and high-frequency noise loud enough to burst eardrums.
"Graaah—!"
Xiao Bai clutched its eyes in pain. Its enormous body stiffened for an instant.
Now!
The Sky Prisoner Net tightened at once, binding the massive bear tightly. Powerful currents numbed its nerves, crackling and popping.
Although this kind of restraint could hold a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for only a few seconds—perhaps even less—
to Jing Hongchen, those few seconds were the difference between life and death.
"Let's go!"
The Flight Soul Tool on his back blasted out a dazzling red glow. Riding the recoil, Jing Hongchen shot skyward like a red meteor and vanished into the distance.
Left behind, the Ice Bear King broke free and roared helplessly at the empty sky, then vented its fury by smashing an iceberg to pieces.
A short while later.
When Jing Hongchen hurried back to the place where he had parted with his granddaughter, his heart sank.
No one.
There wasn't even a trace of her. The blizzard had buried most of the signs of the earlier battle, leaving only a shallow crater made by the Magic Ice Flood Dragon.
"Meng'er!"
Jing Hongchen shouted. His voice echoed across the empty snowfield, but no one answered.
A thread of panic crept into the Hall Master of Mingde Hall's heart.
His granddaughter was the one he doted on most. If anything had happened to Meng Hongchen, how could he face his deceased son and daughter-in-law? Or Xiao Hongchen?
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Jing Hongchen's eyes reddened. He was about to turn the snowfield upside down at any cost—even resorting to a ninth-level Fixed Soul Tool Cannon—when his gaze fell on an unremarkable patch of ice.
There, an extremely faint fluctuation of Soul Power flickered in and out.
Jing Hongchen's eyes lit up. He quickly flew over and brushed away the snow.
A special symbol drawn with Soul Power came into view: a blooming Hongchen Flower.
It was the Hongchen Family's exclusive mark!
"Phew... Thank goodness. Thank goodness."
Jing Hongchen let out a long breath. His taut nerves finally relaxed, and he nearly collapsed.
"That girl... At least she had the sense to leave a message."
Since she had left a mark, the situation must have been under control at the time. She might even have left of her own accord.
After identifying the direction the mark pointed, a fierce glint flashed in Jing Hongchen's eyes, carrying the authority and dominance of someone in power.
"I'd like to see which bold fool dared to take my precious granddaughter away."
The outer region of the Extreme North.
Inside a sheltered ice valley.
The atmosphere was rather... harmonious.
"Brother Gu Yue, is this place really safe? Should I activate my Soul Guide Shield?"
Standing beside Gu Yuejin, Meng Hongchen held a defensive Soul Tool in her hand. Her big eyes blinked brightly, and she looked nothing like the flustered girl who had faced the Magic Ice Flood Dragon.
Her expression practically screamed, "Pay attention to me."
"No need. I'm here."
Gu Yuejin replied calmly, then casually set up a Mental Barrier around them.
Hearing those words—I'm here—Meng Hongchen's cheeks flushed a little more. She nodded obediently and sat down cross-legged.
Floating in front of her was the corpse of the unlucky Thousand Year Magic Ice Flood Dragon.
Meanwhile, not far away,
Huo Yuhao stared at the Thousand Year Ice Silkworm before him, his expression complicated.
"Master... This is my second Soul Ring?"
He knew it was Brother Sky Dream's arrangement, but the contrast was just too much.
Miss Hongchen was absorbing a Flood Dragon, brimming with imposing might.
He was absorbing a giant worm, soft and harmless-looking.
"You should be grateful."
In the Sea of Consciousness, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said with exasperation, "This is a Thousand Year Ice Silkworm! Sure, it's a worm, but it's still one of my descendants, and its spiritual attribute is extremely pure!"
"Besides, that Magic Ice Flood Dragon was going to eat this Ice Silkworm for lunch."
"And what happened? The Magic Ice Flood Dragon tried to eat Meng'er, and your master killed it."
"So now the hunter has become Meng'er's Soul Ring, and the prey has become yours."
"Those two Soul Beasts can keep each other company on the road to the underworld. What a pair of kindred spirits—Buy One Get One Free."
"Pfft..."
The newly awakened Snow Empress couldn't help laughing.
The Ice Empress was amused by Sky Dream's words too. "Buy One Get One Free? That's a fitting way to put it. This Ice Silkworm is just like you were back then."
"Hehe, as long as you like it, Bingbing..."
"Get lost!"
In the outside world,
"Quit spacing out and absorb it already," Gu Yuejin reminded him.
Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen nodded. Without further hesitation, they drew their Soul Rings into their bodies at the same time.
A faint blue-violet glow enveloped Meng Hongchen as her Vermilion Clear Ice Toad Martial Soul appeared.
The Magic Ice Flood Dragon's Soul Ring was an excellent match for her. It would greatly enhance her ice attacks, while its formidable physical strength would also help make up for the defensive weakness she had as a poison-type Soul Master.
As for Huo Yuhao, he was seeking the crucial divine skill—Simulation.
Gu Yuejin sat on a protruding ice boulder, watching the two absorb their Soul Rings as he idly toyed with a snowflake in his hand.
His duty was obvious: protect them while they absorbed their Soul Rings.
Time passed second by second.
Their auras gradually steadied. The absorption was clearly going smoothly.
Just then,
Gu Yuejin's slightly closed eyes snapped open. A golden glint flashed across them.
His immense Spiritual Power spread out in an instant, like an invisible radar net.
"They're here."
In his perception, a tremendously powerful point of Soul Power was speeding toward them from the distant horizon.
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