As the first ray of dawn tore through the night over the Star Dou Great Forest, the ice covering the three of them finally let out a crisp crack. Layer upon layer of solid ice shattered into glittering crystals that swayed gently in the forest breeze, reflecting specks of light.
"Brr—"
Beibei sharply sucked in a breath of cold air and shuddered. Blue lightning instinctively surged around him, driving away the lingering chill on his body. He had barely moved his stiff neck when his gaze shot like a sword toward Lu Jing in the distance—the stubborn child who had been frozen in ice 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The childishness in his eyes had been replaced by a strange depth, as though a faint mist of ice had condensed within his pupils. What made Beibei's heart sink even further was that the World-Destroying Black Lotus above his head had become as solid as a real object. The edges of its ink-black petals gleamed with a cold luster, while a striking yellow Soul Ring slowly rotated beneath his feet.
"A hundred-year level?" Beibei frowned deeply, and the heaviness in his heart grew. He had thought that after absorbing the power of that giant ice silkworm, the 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 body, his joints letting out soft cracks. 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 look at the yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet, a teasing smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Don't judge it just because it's a hundred-year one. 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-Destroying Black Lotus and encountered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, which forcefully broadened his Soul Power meridians, then forget about a Soul Ring age close to the limit—he might not even have been able to handle one nearing a hundred years.
Fortunately, the Innate Soul Power granted to him by the World-Destroying Black Lotus was a full twenty levels. Every level carried the Black Lotus's unique tyranny, giving him enough confidence to face everything before him.
One had to know that Douluo Continent had never seen a precedent of Innate Level 20 Soul Power.
Even Qian Renxue from ten thousand years ago had only reached Level 20 through the Angel God's blessing. Lu Jing's Innate Level 20, however, came from the World-Destroying Black Lotus's nature, which transcended the laws of Douluo Star—this lotus platform had never belonged to this world in the first place, so it was naturally not bound by its rules.
"What? Stunned stupid?"
Lu Jing rolled his wrists and looked up at Beibei, a trace of mockery flashing through his eyes. "Little brother, the roles of attack and defense have reversed now. You were chasing me down to kill me earlier. This time, it should be my turn, right?"
"Just you?" Beibei roared, and blue lightning swelled around him once more. "You think you can be arrogant after absorbing a hundred-year Soul Ring? Don't forget, you're still far from enough!"
Before he finished speaking, his body moved. Lightning gathered around his right claw, transforming into a dragon claw flashing with electric light. With a sharp whistle that seemed to tear the air, it lunged straight at 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-Destroying Ice Shield!"
Buzz—
The World-Destroying Black Lotus spun fiercely, 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 viciously into the ice shield. Blue electricity exploded, only to be firmly trapped by the black mist on the shield's surface. It could do nothing but leave ripples across the shield, utterly unable to break through.
"What?" Beibei's pupils shrank. He had not expected such a seemingly thin ice shield to be so hard.
"There's more!" Lu Jing shouted, thrusting his left hand forward. "World-Destroying Ice Seal!"
The yellow Soul Ring lit up again. A massive amount of black cold air erupted from the World-Destroying Black Lotus. The moment it touched the ground, it condensed into countless ice spikes that spread toward Beibei at an astonishing speed. This was no ordinary Ice Seal. The cold air carried the corrosive force of the World-Destroying Black Lotus, and wherever it passed, the ground froze black and cracked apart.
"Thunderous Might!" Beibei did not dare slack off. Lightning exploded around him, forming a blue electrical net that shattered all the incoming ice spikes. Yet the broken spikes turned into even finer shards of ice, still carrying their chill as they rushed toward him, forcing him to retreat again and again.
"Tang Ya, help me!" Beibei shouted.
"I'm coming!" Supported by Wang Dong'er, 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 drilled out of the ground and coiled toward Lu Jing like venomous snakes, trying to restrict his movements.
Lu Jing remained completely calm. The World-Destroying Ice Shield spun continuously before him, blocking all the light blades and vines. The moment the Blue Silver Grass touched the shield, it was frozen by the black cold air and rapidly withered black.
"It's useless."
Lu Jing smiled and shook his head. After absorbing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Soul Ring, his Soul Power had already reached Level 21, and it had granted him four skills.
Not to mention that the World-Destroying Black Lotus inherently restrained plant-type martial souls, while Tang Ya's martial soul was merely Blue Silver Grass, not the Blue Silver Emperor.
Beibei was so furious that his eyes nearly split apart. The lightning around him grew increasingly violent. "Wrath of Lightning!"
This was the state in which he pushed his Soul Power to its limit. Blue lightning curled around his body like living dragons, and every flash made the air groan in agony. Like a blue meteor, he crashed toward Lu Jing again, determined to tear this repeatedly provoking brat apart.
A fierce glint flashed through Lu Jing's eyes. He withdrew the World-Destroying Ice Shield, and the World-Destroying Black Lotus floated above his head as its black petals slowly opened. "Good timing!"
Although Beibei was a high-level Soul Elder, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the World-Destroying Black Lotus were no pushovers either. Thus, after the two had fought for some time, an almost imperceptible ray of light suddenly shot out from deep within the dense forest on the left. It was dark purple, fast as lightning, and silently streaked toward Lu Jing's back—someone was clearly launching a sneak attack from the shadows!
"Watch out!" Wang Dong'er cried instinctively. Though she 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, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's anxious voice suddenly rang out in his mind. "Damn it! Some bastard's launching a sneak attack!"
Before the words had faded, the World-Destroying Black Lotus above his head suddenly began turning on its own. Its ink-black petals instantly closed, completely protecting him within.
Clang!
The dark purple light crashed viciously into the lotus platform, producing a crisp sound. Then something strange happened—Lu Jing's Hundred-Year Soul Ring, which had originally been yellow, shed its yellow color at a speed visible to the eye, transforming into a dazzling platinum white!
The platinum-white Soul Ring slowly revolved, giving off a terrifying aura far beyond a hundred years, even approaching that of ten thousand years. The black mist around the World-Destroying Black Lotus instantly surged, blasting the dark purple light back into the dense forest, where it vanished without a trace.
Lu Jing froze for a moment, then immediately understood. Someone was guarding Beibei from behind!
"Th-this... what's going on?" Beibei and Tang Ya were both dumbfounded. Could a Soul Ring's color suddenly change?
Inside Lu Jing's mind, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's smug voice rang out. "Hehe, didn't expect that, did you? I'm a Million-Year Soul Beast. Even after sacrificing myself, I still have some tricks to keep myself alive! As for the Soul Ring's color, that's just a small matter!"
It had no intention of perishing together with Lu Jing right after its sacrifice. It had not even had the chance to enjoy its "new life" yet—how could it die?
Before you continue