Melee

"Boom--"

Snowflakes swirled as five massive claw prints were stamped into the snow, reaching depths of several dozen meters; there was no telling what state Nangong Wan had been reduced to.

The snow curtain parted, and a particularly massive Ice Bear came into view.

Its enormous body was like a small hill; even while walking on all fours, it stood over fifteen meters tall, its massive frame covered in thick fur that emitted a faint, silvery luster.

Xu Lanqing watched the Ice Bear and clicked his tongue in secret. This must be the Ice Bear King, Xiaobai, though calling such a massive creature "Xiaobai" always felt incredibly incongruous.

Suddenly, a figure over fifty meters long lunged out from the snow, followed by two others.

It was a centipede with a thousand legs, its long body coiled up and wreathed in toxic mist. Drops of viscous liquid dripped from it, instantly melting a large patch of snow and emitting a "hissing" sound.

It was none other than Tianwu Douluo, Nangong Wan, and beside him were naturally Youming Douluo and Ming Lei Douluo.

Youming Douluo held the Youming Sword, a long, ethereal blade wreathed in gray mist that gave off an unreal sensation.

As for Ming Lei Douluo, fine purple lightning crackled around his body, and various Soul Tools unfolded around him. The purple lightning linked to the Soul Tools like chains, and their muzzles began to charge.

He was not only an Evil Soul Master but also a Rank Nine Soul Master.

"Old Four, hold him off with me with everything you've got! Old Three, go break the snow curtain!"

This area had been sealed off by the combined ice and snow powers of the Ice Bear King and the Strong Man; it would take time for them to break through.

But with the Ice Bear King here, they needed someone to keep him occupied.

The centipede form of Nangong Wan lunged forward directly, attempting to coil his body around the Ice Bear King.

Youming Douluo raised his sword, his eighth Soul Ring flashing. A gray sword beam shot out; it was only ten meters long, but it was coated in gray mist and emitted a shrill, piercing sound, as if thousands of vengeful spirits were wailing within it.

The Ice Bear King stood up on his hind legs, instantly matching the height of Tianwu Douluo, but his bear frame was sturdier, and beneath his white fur lay incomparable physical strength.

His white fur bristled like steel needles as he swung a bear paw toward Tianwu Douluo. This time, it didn't grow to a hundred meters in size as before, but the power condensed within the paw was even more terrifying. His other paw swiped at the incoming sword beam.

Facing the bear paw, Tianwu Douluo's eighth Soul Ring flashed, and his entire carapace instantly thickened, its color deepening.

Yet, the very next moment, the carapace was shattered, and a horrific wound tore through half his body, spilling black blood.

On the other side, the sword beam shattered, leaving only a white mark on the bear paw.

However, the clinging gray mist crept up the Ice Bear King's arm, heading straight for his brain. Sensing something was wrong, the Ice Bear King let out a roar, a wave of ice and snow crashing into the gray mist, only for the mist to pass right through it.

This was a spiritual attack mixed with vengeful spirits. While the Ice Bear King possessed a powerful physical body, his soul was not particularly outstanding.

He was struck directly, though it didn't cause much damage. He shook his bear head and recovered within a single breath, his lantern-like eyes turning blood-red. The needle-like pain in his mind filled him with rage, and the surrounding wind and snow converged, scraping ruthlessly toward Youming Douluo.

A centipede tail whipped toward the Ice Bear King, as Tianwu Douluo had coiled around him once more. His ninth Soul Ring flashed, and his previous injuries had actually recovered as if they were never there.

Over a hundred centipede legs dug into the Ice Bear King, twisting with force and disrupting his ability to gather the wind and snow, allowing Youming Douluo to immediately dodge to the side.

One focused on tanking, his injuries constantly healing under his ninth soul skill, while the other focused on attacking, launching constant spiritual assaults to harass him. For a moment, they barely held on, but it was clear they couldn't last long.

The Ice Bear King felt increasingly stifled and irritable. If he hadn't been expending so much mental energy to maintain the snow curtain, how could a mere two humans have entangled him for so long?

As for the Third Elder, Ming Lei Douluo, he was attacking the snow curtain with all his might, thousands of Soul Tools continuously firing purple lightning bolts that hammered against the barrier.

The Soul Tool at the very center had a muzzle three meters in diameter; every time it charged and fired, the entire snow curtain trembled.

In less than a minute, they would be able to blast an opening.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.

Xu Lanqing and his two companions were still in a standoff with the Strong Man.

Honestly, if someone offended you, go find them to settle the score; what was the point of wasting time with them here?

"Sir, can you really not let us go?" Jing Hongchen asked, still unwilling to give up.

The Strong Man gave a ferocious grin and said nothing, simply throwing a punch. He used his actions to tell them the answer; the punch carried the surrounding wind and snow with it, its momentum astonishing.

Zheng Zhan immediately moved forward, not daring to be careless. He activated his ninth soul skill, and his silver-white giant shield was instantly covered in an earthy-yellow rock layer. A Rank Nine Soul Barrier unfolded, and shards of silver-white metal began to rotate around him.

"Bang!"

The Strong Man's fist collided with the shield, emitting a dull, thunderous boom.

The Rank Nine Soul Barrier shattered instantly, and the earthy-yellow rock layer on the shield cracked in an instant, with fissures appearing on the silver-white giant shield inside.

Zheng Zhan felt an irresistible force strike him. With just that one blow, he was sent flying backward, spitting blood that stained the snow.

The silver-white metal that had been circling him now flowed like liquid into the shield, repairing the cracks.

He looked at the fissures being repaired on the silver-white shield, his heart bleeding—this was all money.

This giant shield was unique; it was both a Rank Nine Soul Tool and his Martial Soul Avatar. The two were fused into one, and any damage required rare metals to repair—the kind that was exceptionally expensive.

"Oh? The turtle shell is quite hard." The Strong Man was slightly surprised. His punch had combined the power of heaven and earth; anyone else wouldn't have taken it so easily.

He threw another punch, even stronger than the last.

Seeing this, Zheng Zhan gritted his teeth and braced himself. The silver-white giant shield blocked all of his attacks; the shield kept shattering, only to be constantly repaired by the silver-white metal, like a rock standing firm amidst a raging sea.

Just then, the snow curtain behind Xu Lanqing suddenly shook, and faint cracks began to appear on its surface.

Xu Lanqing's face lit up with joy. It must be Ye Yulin breaking the barrier from the outside. As long as they held on a little longer, they would be able to get out.

The Strong Man narrowed his eyes, his aura growing even more formidable: "It seems I need to pick up the pace."

"That is only if you have the ability to do so!"

Jing Hongchen retorted.

Two yellow, two purple, and five black Soul Rings emerged around him, and his seventh Soul Ring began to flicker.

With a burst of brilliant golden light, he transformed into a golden toad over twenty meters tall, its back covered in golden bumps. Unlike an ordinary toad, there was actually a third golden leg protruding from its rear.

A top-tier assault-type Martial Soul, the Three-Legged Golden Toad.