700-Year Ice Flame Crystal Shell

Xia Yang watched in astonishment as his father froze the entire lake by himself.

He cautiously stretched out a foot onto the ice, only to discover that it was thin and brittle, incapable of bearing weight.

"Dad, the ice is too thin. No one can stand on it."

"Let me handle it."

Zhang Feng stepped forward with a smile. "Boss, with such a large lake, how long can you keep this up?"

"At most the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Hurry."

Fine beads of sweat had already seeped across Xia Shi's forehead.

"Martial Soul: Wind-Walking Cat, Body Attachment."

A nimble green cat phantom flashed behind Zhang Feng before merging into his body.

Zhang Feng's figure became lean and agile, with light currents of air swirling around him.

"Xia Yang, get on my back."

Once Xia Yang was securely clinging to his back, Zhang Feng bent his legs slightly and leaped onto the ice.

"Third Soul Skill: Spirit Cat Transformation!"

"Fourth Soul Skill: Spirit Cat Assault!"

Empowered by his soul skills, Zhang Feng raced across the ice like a true spirit cat.

The wind howled past Xia Yang's ears, forcing him to narrow his eyes as he carefully searched for traces of Spirit Beasts beneath the ice.

The lake bottom was covered in Ice Crystal Clams that gave off a faint blue glow, most of them only about a meter wide.

After searching more than half the lake, Xia Yang's eyes suddenly lit up. "There's one here."

Zhang Feng lightly tapped the ice with his toe, leaving an ice hole at the designated spot as a marker.

Then, the two people continued searching ahead.

In the final third of the lake, Xia Yang found another individual that met the requirements.

By the time they returned to shore, Xia Shi was already panting heavily.

Maintaining the frozen lake had consumed a tremendous amount of his Soul Power.

"How was it?" his father, Xia Shi, asked anxiously.

"We found dozens of Ice Flame Crystal Shells, but only two met the required age."

Xia Yang reported, "Uncle Zhang has already left markers on the ice above them."

"Good."

Xia Shi looked at Sun Chuanjun. "Old Sun, the rest is up to you."

Sun Chuanjun strode confidently to the lakeside. Golden light flickered in his hand as an ornate Golden Warblade Martial Soul slowly emerged.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Golden Prison."

The warblade erupted with dazzling light, and Sun Chuanjun fiercely drove it into the lake.

The blade pierced through the ice.

The next second, golden light flashed wildly beneath the surface.

Finally, accompanied by a loud noise, two water columns shot into the sky.

Two enormous clams, each three meters in diameter, were blasted out of the water.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Profound Ice Prison."

Xia Shi acted at once. A black Soul Ring lit up, and a streak of blue light precisely struck the two clams in midair.

The splashing water and the two Spirit Beasts instantly froze into two enormous ice balls.

"Leave it to me!"

"First Soul Skill: Spirit Cat Doppelganger!"

"Fourth Soul Skill: Spirit Cat Assault!"

Zhang Feng's body flickered, turning into two afterimages that swept over the lake.

After several leaps between the floating ice, he arrived beside the ice balls.

Zhang Feng leaped into the air and kicked, accurately sending both enormous ice balls back to shore.

The ice balls shattered upon landing, and flying ice crystals struck Xia Yang's face, carrying the coolness of the lake water.

"First Soul Skill: Black Tortoise Shield!"

"Fifth Soul Skill: Profound Ice Prison!"

Xia Shi swiftly set up double-layered protection around his son, enclosing the two of them within a hemispherical ice dome.

Then Xia Shi ordered the three crew members outside the ice dome, "You are responsible for keeping watch. I will personally stand guard over Yang'er."

"Yes, Captain."

The three replied in unison, immediately spreading out in different directions and vigilantly watching their surroundings.

Seeing that the three crew members were some distance apart, and with thick ice walls blocking the view around them, Xia Shi finally lowered his voice and asked his son, "Yang'er, about how old are these two Ice Flame Crystal Shells?"

"And have you decided which one you intend to absorb?"

Xia Yang was leaning close to the ice balls, carefully examining the two Spirit Beasts frozen within.

Hearing his father's question, he raised his head and answered, "Dad, one of these Ice Flame Crystal Shells is five hundred years old, while the other is seven hundred years old."

"I choose the seven-hundred-year one."

After saying that, he walked to the larger ice ball and looked firmly at his father.

"Yang'er, have you thought this through? That is a seven-hundred-year Soul Ring, nearly twice the limit for an ordinary person's First Soul Ring."

"Although you have consumed quite a bit of Whale Rubber before, most of it was only thousand-year quality. Only one piece was ten-thousand-year quality."

"A seven-hundred-year First Soul Ring... the risk is still too great."

Xia Shi's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and he could not conceal the worry in his voice.

"Dad, don't worry."

Xia Yang spoke calmly but confidently. "I've been consuming Whale Rubber for so long that my Physical Quality has long surpassed that of ordinary people."

"You often help me examine my body. How could you not know my condition?"

"I can withstand a seven-hundred-year Soul Ring."

"Sigh, when I examine your body normally, I can only judge the strength of your bones."

"As for deeper things—such as your true physical endurance—those simply cannot be measured."

"Are you sure you will not reconsider?"

"That five-hundred-year Ice Flame Crystal Shell is actually quite good as well..."

Xia Shi still tried to persuade him.

"Dad, I've made my decision."

"Besides, I've observed it before. My Physical Quality truly surpasses that of the Second-Ring Soul Masters who come to Spirit Hall to register by a great deal."

Xia Yang's gaze was sharp, and there was not the slightest wavering in his voice.

"You... forget it. Since you have made up your mind, I won't say any more."

"But remember this: if you feel that you cannot hold on while absorbing the Soul Ring, never force yourself."

"Give me a signal then, and I will immediately intervene to stop you."

"Even if a failed absorption leaves you seriously injured, it is still better than losing your life."

Xia Shi gave the warning solemnly.

"I understand."

"Dad, release this seven-hundred-year Ice Flame Crystal Shell first."

Xia Yang stared at the ice ball before him.

Xia Shi nodded and circulated his Soul Power. The ice ball shattered at once.

A Crystal Clam frozen stiff fell to the ground with a bang.

Its three-meter-long shell resembled an enormous millstone, and the purple patterns flowing across it added a mysterious beauty.

Xia Yang took out a longsword from his Storage Soul Tool and steadily thrust it into the slightly opened gap in the Crystal Clam's shell.

"Pfft—"

Dark purple blood slowly flowed down the blade.

Before long, the seven-hundred-year Spirit Beast completely lost its life.

Following that, a dark yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from the Ice Flame Crystal Shell's body and floated in the air, radiating dense Energy Fluctuation.

Xia Yang took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began guiding his Soul Power as he attempted to absorb the seven-hundred-year Soul Ring before him.

He focused his mind, using his Martial Soul as a guide and his Soul Power as a bridge to slowly draw the energy within the Soul Ring into his body.

The moment the Soul Power entered his body, a savage energy surged through him like an unbridled wild horse, crashing recklessly through his body.

Xia Yang felt as though his entire body were being crushed beneath a massive weight. Amid the Excruciating Pain, countless tiny beads of blood seeped from the surface of his skin.

"Yang'er..."

Watching his son become a blood-covered figure in the blink of an eye, Xia Shi's heart clenched, and he nearly intervened to stop Xia Yang's absorption.