Beneath the endless starry sky, countless souls circled above Hals and the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad, seemingly following some kind of pattern.
Hals raised his head and gazed up at the many souls. They, in turn, stared back at him, their eyes revealing a range of emotions: hatred, indifference, and gratitude.
The Dew-Condensing Ice Toad, which had been breathing intently nearby, seemed to sense that something was wrong. It tensed every muscle in its body and stared in terror at the souls dancing across the sky, croaking, "Ribbit, ribbit." As its muscles contracted and relaxed, a thick layer of ice formed over its skin, encasing it.
Hals let out a disdainful sneer. Ice was tangible, while souls were intangible. How could something tangible possibly stop something intangible?
Everything had its limits, even souls. But his soul was not among them.
Hals spread his arms. Green Flame ignited in his hands and gradually spread across his entire body.
"Everything has a soul, and souls shape everything. Master the soul, master the self. Offer the soul as a sacrifice, elevate you and me, and become one."
His hoarse, sinister yet grand voice rang across the snowy ground, darkened beneath the shroud of souls.
The dancing souls finally came to a halt. They looked at the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad before them, their eyes filled with fervor and relief.
The countless souls of every kind howled and shrieked as their bodies began to burn. Vast quantities of soul essence dispersed through the air, only to be absorbed by the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad in an instant.
Countless souls transformed into wisps of mist and poured through the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad's seven orifices, forcefully strengthening the flame of its soul.
The Dew-Condensing Ice Toad shuddered in pain, trying to drive out the intruders inside it, but to no avail. Before their eyes, the once enormous ice toad began to shrink and wither. Its body grew somewhat transparent, like a jelly, revealing its bones within—an iridescent green!
As the last of the souls entered the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad's body, the flames around Hals grew ever more intense. At the same time, a shimmering green fire ignited on the toad.
Flames sprang up beneath Hals's feet as he walked toward the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad, one step at a time. His right hand, stripped of flesh and skin, slowly reached out and gently pressed against its head.
As if sensing the Green Flame on Hals, the green flames on the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad spread toward him.
His right hand slowly tightened, his five fingers drawing together bit by bit. The five hard, sharp bones of his fingers slowly but surely pierced into the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad's brain.
The Dew-Condensing Ice Toad's body continued to tremble, but it was useless. The instant his five fingers made contact, the toad finally stopped moving.
The Green Flame on the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad gradually dwindled and disappeared, but the flames around Hals remained fierce.
Before long, a black Soul Ring edged in red emerged from the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad's corpse. Strangely, as time passed, the ring visibly grew redder.
"Heh."
A low chuckle came from Hals's throat. Just as he had expected, the soul essence produced by burning souls could merge with the Soul Beast's soul, causing the resulting Soul Ring to ascend and transform as well.
Hals sat down where he was and watched the Soul Ring before him with anticipation, the Green Flame in his eyes growing ever more intense.
The Dew-Condensing Ice Toad's Soul Ring gradually turned red, while the soul's power dwindled away. In the end, it still failed to form a second pattern on the ring.
Hals was already quite satisfied. He reached out and drew the Soul Ring toward himself. It floated over, settled around him, and began revolving.
All the flesh and skin on Hals's body had disappeared. He could not close his eyes, so he could only enter meditation with the blazing Green Flame in his eye sockets staring wide open.
The flames on Hals's body contracted. A tiny tongue of fire leaped onto the Soul Ring, then slowly spread, devouring and assimilating the Dew-Condensing Ice Toad's Soul Ring like a maggot burrowing into bone.
At some point, the storm had stopped, but snowflakes still drifted down. The sky and earth were one, pure white and tranquil.
It rarely stopped snowing in the Extreme North, and now was one of those rare occasions. The peaceful snowfield had a special feeling of harmony and warmth.
At some point, a mound of snow had appeared in the Ice Pillar Forest. Suddenly, it shook. A scarred hand struggled out, groping about and brushing away the snow around it.
After finally clearing away the snow, Hals escaped the conditions that had nearly left him suffocated from lack of oxygen.
"Hah... hah..."
Hals slumped to the ground without a shred of dignity, drawing great gulps of fresh air. Only after a long while did he look down at his hands, his expression complicated.
The scars on his right hand had faded, but its skin had grown paler and paler. Meanwhile, his once smooth, fair left hand was now covered in numerous symbols of varying sizes.
"Runes..." Hals murmured.
"Ah." Hals sighed helplessly. The Green Flame in his eyes flickered. "Looks like my skin will never go back to the way it was."
Hals reached for the Lantern at his waist and took a little green soul from it.
His martial soul appeared, and eight Soul Rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red—materialized behind him in an orderly formation. The final blood-red ring was especially dazzling.
"Two Soul Skills..."
Hals raised his hand. His Eighth Soul Ring flashed, drawing in a little Soul Power and a large amount of water elements. They merged with the soul in his hand, and it took on the form it had in life: a slender leopard-like Soul Beast.
Watching the corporeal soul gradually take shape, Hals felt a little worried. Leopard-type Soul Beasts were known for their speed and flexibility, while ice crystals were known for their hardness. Could it really regain the agility it had possessed in life?
With that thought, Hals rasped, "Come on. Attack me."
The leopard soul did not hesitate. Without the slightest pause, it pounced at Hals.
Hals easily sidestepped it, then swung his hand and hooked it across the leopard soul's waist, sending it flying into a massive ice pillar.
A huge gash appeared in the corporeal soul's waist where Hals had struck it, but it healed again in a short time.
Hals's stiff face showed delight. "Its speed is slightly reduced, its strength greatly increased, and its recovery is astonishing. Excellent."
"Again."
With a howl, the leopard soul pounced at him once more.
Looking at the pile of ice shards in the distance, Hals contentedly brushed the ice fragments off his robe.
After testing it, Hals discovered that as long as the soul had not exhausted its power and vanished, the construct could not die. Even if you smashed it into powder, it could recover as long as its soul had enough power.
Hals was quite satisfied with his first Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill, but one Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring could provide two Soul Skills.
"Then let's see what the second Soul Skill is."
Before you continue