The bitter wind howled as a blizzard swept across the land.
In a world ruled by ice and snow, a glimmer of gold appeared. The faint, suppressed traces of gold elements in the air began to gather toward Jing Hongchen.
The first, third, and sixth Soul Rings on the Three-Legged Golden Toad, which stood over twenty meters tall, lit up. More than a thousand metal spheres swirled around Jing Hongchen, and now they were growing and changing shape.
That was right—they were growing. His Martial Soul, the Three-Legged Golden Toad, gave him powerful control over metal. Combined with his status as a Soul Engineer, this let him unleash tremendous strength and earn a place among the Rank Nine Soul Masters.
In a short time, the thousand-plus metal spheres grew into individual Soul Tools. Three enormous devices linked together in a triangle, each with a muzzle over two meters wide. The air filled with the murderous chill of steel.
Then his second, fourth, and ninth Soul Rings lit up. The metal protrusions on his back began to swell, and the gold elements boiled. Every Soul Tool muzzle aimed at The Strong Man as golden light gathered.
The Strong Man paused in the middle of his fierce assault on Zheng Zhan. He glanced at the Soul Tools, especially the three enormous muzzles linked together. They made him feel as if thorns were prickling his back.
He abandoned Zheng Zhan and charged at Jing Hongchen. He would take him down first.
Seeing this, Zheng Zhan activated his eighth Soul Skill. Light shimmered, and he appeared directly in front of The Strong Man, blocking his way. The Strong Man sent him flying with a single punch, but the next moment Zheng Zhan appeared in front of him again, clinging to him like a piece of stubborn glue that wouldn't come off.
The Strong Man finally lost his temper. White light blazed across his body, and a colossal figure suddenly appeared between heaven and earth. One foot came down, and the whole snowy plain trembled.
It was a gigantic white figure shaped like a man, magnified countless times. It stood a full 120 meters tall, its body covered in white fur. Huge eyes glared at Zheng Zhan from its ape-like face.
The weakest of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North: the Titan Snow Demon King.
White light flashed across the Titan Snow Demon King's right arm as his enormous fist slammed toward Zheng Zhan. Fine black cracks split through the air.
Zheng Zhan's face flushed red, and his body felt as if it were about to burst. The air around him compressed with explosive cracks, leaving him unable to move.
He could no longer afford to worry about the cost. He poured every last piece of rare metal into his giant shield and brought out everything he had that could defend him: his ninth Soul Skill, a Rank Nine Soul Guidance Shield, and the Invincible Barrier...
"Rumble!"
Layer upon layer of snow and wind crashed into Zheng Zhan along with the fist. His barrier shattered instantly, and the fist struck him, sending him flying into the wall of snow behind him. The giant shield in his hands broke into pieces under the strain, and his body was drenched in blood.
He crashed down beside Xu Lanqing. Several times, he tried to push himself up with his hands and feet, but failed. He looked utterly wretched.
Xu Lanqing hurried to support him, took more than a dozen jade bottles from his Storage Ring, poured out the pills, and shoved them all into Zheng Zhan's mouth. Seeing how he was barely breathing, Xu Lanqing had no idea if he would pull through.
Just then, Jing Hongchen finished charging his attack. Taking advantage of the brief moment of weakness after the Titan Snow Demon King's outburst, he unleashed all his Soul Tools at once.
First came three golden beams that spiraled together in a crisscrossing pattern. Then round after round of Soul Tool beams fired out in quick succession—five volleys in all, with nearly five thousand beams following right behind.
The attack exhausted all of Jing Hongchen's Soul Power. He had already dismissed his Martial Soul Avatar and returned to his human form.
The Titan Snow Demon King crossed his arms to block the three golden beams. A layer of icy-blue crystals appeared on his snowy white fur.
The golden beams struck his arms, spinning as they tore through his defenses. The other Soul Tool beams hammered into him without pause, their thunderous blasts ringing out one after another.
His body was simply too huge for the Soul Tool beams to miss. One beam might not have meant much, but when five thousand struck at once, even the Titan Snow Demon King's thick hide and fur couldn't withstand them. His fur was torn open, and blood poured out, only to freeze when it touched the frigid air.
Jing Hongchen furrowed his short, thick brows. The Soul Beast's hide was too tough. Though the wounds looked bloody, they didn't even count as light injuries. They'd done nothing but anger him.
He clenched his right hand toward the Titan Snow Demon King. The three golden beams suddenly plunged downward. The moment they reached the Titan Snow Demon King's abdomen, they expanded in an explosion of dazzling golden light.
The Titan Snow Demon King was blasted backward. His breathing turned ragged, and he staggered back several steps, leaving enormous footprints in the snow.
His white fur was stained gold, and a gaping wound had been torn in his abdomen. Ice crystals quickly covered it, and the wound began to heal slowly.
"Tsk, this Soul Beast is way too monstrous. Even that didn't seriously injure him. Why hasn't Old Ye finished yet? Once this beast has recovered, we're all dead."
Jing Hongchen cursed under his breath. He had lost every trace of composure. This really was the unluckiest day of his life.
The wall of snow sealed them in, and the blizzard constantly drained his Soul Power. Add in a Soul Beast so powerful it drove them to despair, and there was a chance they'd die here today.
Suddenly, an orange-red light shone in from behind them. Wherever it fell, the ice and snow melted, and warmth spread through the air. To Xu Lanqing and the other two, who had suffered so much, it felt like soaking in a hot spring in the middle of a frozen wasteland. It was pure bliss.
Xu Lanqing turned around in delight. Ye Yulin had opened a gap in the wall of snow. Above his head floated the orange-red Sun God Needle, and more than a thousand white-glowing Soul Tools hovered beside him.
They were finally safe. That was the only thought in Xu Lanqing's mind.
Seeing the pitiful state of Jing Hongchen and Zheng Zhan, Ye Yulin was stunned. Then he looked at the terrifying Titan Snow Demon King and Ice Bear King. Not daring to delay, he immediately led Xu Lanqing and the others away.
The Titan Snow Demon King watched them leave without moving. Two more Rank Nine Soul Masters had arrived, and now they were out of the wall of snow. It would be difficult to hold them here.
Though he and the Ice Bear King had joined forces to create the wall of snow, all it could do was separate the two sides as it did now. They couldn't expand or shrink it any further. In the end, they simply weren't strong enough. If the Snow Empress and Ice Empress had been here, they would have killed everyone already.
After weighing his options, he vented his rage on Nangong Wan and the other two. At the very least, he couldn't let the humans who had killed his kin escape.
"All right! All right!"
Ming Lei Douluo shouted excitedly.
Tianwu Douluo was sent flying again. Not a single part of his body remained uninjured. Seeing the gap in the wall of snow, he let out a sigh of relief. He stopped fighting the Ice Bear King, returned to human form, and rushed through the gap with Youming Douluo.
The hope of escape was right before Ming Lei Douluo, only to be cruelly snatched away. He stared in despair at the Titan Snow Demon King, who had suddenly blocked his path.
He had kept his distance earlier to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Now the Titan Snow Demon King had cut him off.
Ming Lei Douluo glanced at the fleeing Xu Lanqing, then ran his fingers over his Storage Soul Tool. His expression hardened, and a frenzied, feverish smile spread across his face.
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