[Snow Empress's crisp, icy shout rang across the heavens and earth, carrying an unquestionable, supreme authority!]
[Creaaak—!]
[Titan Snow Demon King's fist stopped dead just three inches above your head, the gust it stirred ruffling your hair.]
[Ice Bear King slammed on the brakes, skidding hundreds of meters across the ice before stopping. It stared up at the phantom in the sky with a deeply aggrieved look.]
[After Snow Empress patiently explained (and spun) things, the two Ferocious Beasts finally understood the "full story."]
[So this was all for the grand plan to become gods!]
[Though they were only half-convinced by the claim that you were the "God of Time," since it was Snow Empress's choice, they had no choice but to obey.]
["Strange..."]
[Snow Empress glanced around, her delicate brows furrowing.]
["Where's Bing'er? Why isn't she here?"]
[As the second of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, Ice Empress had always been inseparable from Snow Empress. With all this commotion, how had she not shown up?]
[Titan Snow Demon King and Ice Bear King exchanged bewildered looks.]
["No idea. A while back, Ice Empress said she was going into seclusion to break through the four-hundred-thousand-year bottleneck. We haven't seen her since."]
["There's no need to look. She's already left the Far North."]
[You spoke calmly, a hint of amusement in your voice.]
["What do you mean?"]
[Snow Empress whipped around to face you, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.]
[You sighed and put on a regretful expression.]
["My 'Epitaph' showed me a scene from the past."]
["Not long ago, that missing million-year Soul Beast—the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm—came back."]
["It tricked Ice Empress with honeyed words, then lured her into sacrificing herself to a human boy with only a dozen or so levels of Soul Power, becoming his Second Martial Soul."]
["What?!!!"]
[The news struck like a bolt from the blue, making every Ferocious Beast's scalp tingle!]
[Ice Empress... had been lured away? And sacrificed herself to some weak human with barely any Soul Power?]
[This was a disgrace to the entire Far North!]
["SKY! DREAM! ICE! SILKWORM!"]
[Snow Empress's voice turned utterly frigid. The temperature plunged, and even the air froze into ice crystals.]
[Substantial flames of rage burned in her icy blue eyes!]
[She had never imagined that the useless Ice Silkworm they'd once kept around as food would dare do such a thing!]
[That was her sister! The person dearest to her in this world!]
[If someone else had told her this, Snow Empress might have doubted it.]
[But you were different.]
[You were the inheritor of the "God of Time," a chosen one who controlled the past and future!]
[Your word was divine revelation!]
[Snow Empress believed you without question, her Killing Intent boiling to its peak.]
[What was done could not be undone. No matter how furious Snow Empress was, nothing could change that.]
[She looked at the two Ferocious Beasts who were so loyal to her, and a trace of compassion flickered in her eyes.]
[What was done could not be undone. All she could do was find them a way to survive.]
["Xiao Bai."]
[Snow Empress looked at the adorable Ice Bear King, her voice gentle.]
["Your cultivation is nearing the three-hundred-thousand-year mark. Your next tribulation will be several times more powerful than the ones before it. With your current foundation, you'll have only a slim chance of survival."]
["Rather than be reduced to ashes in the tribulation, why don't you... come with me?"]
["Come with you?" Xiao Bai froze for a moment, then understood what Snow Empress meant.]
[It glanced at the seemingly weak human beside them. It wasn't thrilled, but since this was its godmother Snow Empress's command, it would obey without hesitation!]
["All right! As long as I can stay with Snow Empress, I'm willing to sacrifice myself!"]
[Standing off to the side, you grinned so hard your mouth nearly split, barely holding back a laugh.]
[What did you call this? A buy-one-get-one-free deal! Top-tier after-sales service!]
[A two-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year Ferocious Beast Soul Ring—and a Wisdom Soul Ring, at that. It was like manna from heaven!]
["Since you insist, I'll just have to accept it (I'm overjoyed)."]
[The sacrificial ritual began once more.]
[This time, a dense, violent power of ice and snow surged forth.]
[As Xiao Bai's figure gradually faded away, a blood-red Soul Ring (those older than two hundred thousand years were red with gold patterns) slowly settled over you.]
[Your Eighth Soul Ring was in place!]
[Your Soul Power surged again, breaking straight through level 85!]
[A level-85 Soul Douluo at sixteen! Even a rocket couldn't keep up with this cultivation speed!]
[A bountiful haul!]
[After saying a reluctant goodbye to Titan Snow Demon King, you left the Far North with two Ferocious Beast Soul Spirits.]
[When you returned to the Body Sect, you didn't rest. You immediately called the highest-level elders' meeting.]
[You knew you didn't have much time left. The Sun Moon Empire's war machine was about to start up, and an age of chaos was coming.]
[To establish itself in this chaotic age, the Body Sect had to grow stronger!]
[Your gaze settled on a place on the map: Sunset Forest, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!]
[It was one of the three great treasure troves—and the "back garden" Tang San had left behind ten thousand years ago.]
["So what if it's Tang San's private property? If I've got my eye on it, it's mine!"]
[A ruthless glint flashed in your eyes.]
[After hearing your plan, Du Busi rose from his seat without hesitation and slapped the table. "Let's do it! I've never liked that place. It's about time we went to see what treasures are there!"]
[With this level-98 Super Douluo escorting you, this was a sure thing!]
[A week later, deep in Sunset Forest.]
[With the guidance of your "Epitaph," you skirted countless poisonous insects and fierce beasts, finally finding the mysterious valley shrouded in poisonous miasma.]
[Du Busi casually waved a hand, tearing open a gap in the Jade Phosphorus Seven Absolute Flowers' poisonous miasma—a miasma potent enough to kill a Soul Saint.]
[You strode inside.]
[Before you lay a strange pool, one side icy blue, the other blazing crimson. The two halves were clearly divided, neither encroaching upon the other.]
[In the center of the pool, countless exotic flowers and plants vied to outshine one another.]
[Among them, a large, golden flower that gave off a rich fragrance stood out.]
[It actually spoke: "Humans? How did humans manage to get in here?!"]
[Aromatic Silk Beauty]
[...]
[The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a paradise on earth.]
[Faced with a garden full of rare treasures, you ignored the Aromatic Silk Beauty's incessant chatter and went straight into "stock-up mode."]
[With the "Epitaph" predicting every step, the Immortal Herbs—which normally required precise techniques and could be ruined by the slightest mistake—were as easy for you to pick as radishes.]
["Stop! You despicable humans! You're not welcome here!"]
[The Aromatic Silk Beauty was furious. As the garden's caretaker, it felt insulted.]
[At its command, the surrounding plant Soul Beasts awoke. Vines thrashed, poisonous fog spread, and they tried to drive you out.]
["Quiet."]
[You and Du Busi exchanged a glance and released your Martial Souls at the same time.]
[Boom!]
[Two terrifying auras swept over the entire area!]
[Du Busi, a level-98 Super Douluo, had Soul Power as deep and oppressive as an abyss!]
[You, a level-85 Soul Douluo, had a Soul Ring Configuration of two purple, two black, three red, and one red with gold patterns—enough to dazzle every plant Soul Beast!]
[The plant army, which had been advancing aggressively, froze in place.]
[The Aromatic Silk Beauty trembled so violently its petals quivered. Its formerly upright stalk bent at once, and its attitude did a complete about-face.]
["Ahem... Well, you two must be tired after traveling so far. These Immortal Herbs... take whatever you like! Don't be shy! As long as you don't damage our roots, take whatever you want!"]
[Knowing when to yield was wisdom—even for plants.]
["At least you know what's good for you."]
[You nodded in satisfaction and reined in your aura. This was a sustainable source of resources, after all; you had no intention of stripping it bare.]
[Now for the main event.]
[You activated the "Epitaph" again and began calculating the best combinations for the Immortal Herbs.]
[Before long, a perfect "Immortal Herb meal plan" appeared in your mind.]
["Teacher, take these according to this formula, and you'll break through your limits!"]
[You handed Du Busi several Immortal Herbs whose properties complemented one another.]
[Du Busi looked at the poisonous plants, each potent enough to kill a Titled Douluo, and swallowed them without a hint of hesitation!]
[That was trust! A bond forged through life and death!]
[Just one month later.]
[The skies above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well darkened and churned as a terrifying aura burst from Du Busi, as though it could split the heavens!]
[His Second Soul Core had successfully condensed!]
[Level 99! Limit Douluo!]
[Du Busi threw back his head and roared, his voice resounding for a hundred miles. The bottleneck that had plagued him for years finally broke that day! The Body Sect finally had a true Limit Douluo!]
[Watching his overjoyed teacher, you smiled faintly.]
[Next, it was your turn.]
[You sat cross-legged and began consuming your share of the opportunity, following the method the Epitaph had deduced.]
[But the instant you entered Deep Meditation...]
[A strange chill suddenly crept into your heart.]
[You felt... as though a pair of lofty eyes were watching you coldly through the endless void!]
[That gaze held scrutiny, confusion, and even a trace of... Killing Intent!]
Before you continue