This Time It Wasn't a Dream

The giant Icefield Demon Wolf could sense the powerful aura emanating from the human Soul Master before it.

Yet it showed no fear whatsoever. Stepping through the thick snow, it slowly moved forward.

Seeing this, the other five Icefield Demon Wolves also began to shift their paws.

The surroundings were terrifyingly silent, with only the crunching of the wolves' paws against the snow breaking the stillness.

"A fifty-thousand-year-old Icefield Wolf King, along with five companions that are each at least ten thousand years old..."

Leng Jun's heart sank.

Icefield Demon Wolves possessed formidable individual combat strength.

Moreover, they were exceptionally skilled at fighting as a pack—cunning and vicious.

These were all Soul Beasts with cultivation of over ten thousand years. Normally, they would not appear near the outskirts of the forest.

Perhaps food had been scarce recently, or perhaps their territory deep within the forest had been seized by even stronger Soul Beasts. That was why they had set their sights on human Soul Masters.

Though the Ice-Sealed Forest had a harsh environment, quite a few Soul Masters still came here in search of treasure.

Targeted by a pack of wolves proficient in ice-element attacks, incredibly fast, and perfectly coordinated, even Leng Jun, a Soul Douluo, dared not let down his guard.

If he were alone, he naturally would have nothing to fear.

But Shui Bing'er was with him. He had to protect her.

Shui Bing'er had also grasped the situation. Her little face had turned slightly pale, but her gaze remained fairly calm.

Her grandfather's martial soul was the Ice Phoenix. As long as he took flight, he could avoid the demon wolves' attacks.

So it was not truly that dangerous.

Shui Bing'er tugged at Leng Jun's sleeve and whispered, "Grandfather, these Icefield Demon Wolves are too highly cultivated to serve as my third soul ring. The Ice-Sealed Forest is so harsh; they are probably only hunting for food. We just need to get away. Don't... don't take their lives, okay?"

Hearing this, Leng Jun looked at his granddaughter with both heartache and helplessness.

"Bing'er, you are just like your mother—too soft-hearted, too kind. This has always been a world where the strong prey on the weak. Showing mercy to an enemy is being cruel to yourself. Sometimes, retreating is not an option just because you want it to be. Think about it. Today, they ran into the two of us, so naturally I have nothing to fear. But what if they encountered weaker Soul Masters? Any Soul Master below Soul Douluo without the ability to fly would inevitably become their meal!"

At the mention of Shui Bing'er's mother, a sharp pain twisted through Leng Jun's heart.

Back then, his daughter had been devoured by a powerful Soul Beast, leaving not even her bones behind.

Thus, whenever he encountered Soul Beasts that took the initiative to ambush or surround human Soul Masters, he would never easily spare them.

At that moment, Leng Jun stared at the approaching wolf pack.

Seeing the undisguised bloodlust and the coldness of a predator locking onto its prey in the giant wolf's eerie green eyes, the killing intent in his own gaze deepened further.

"Awooo—!!"

The giant wolf seemed to have lost its patience. Throwing back its head, it let out an even sharper, more piercing howl!

As though receiving an order, the five ten-thousand-year demon wolves lowered their bodies almost simultaneously. Their hind legs exploded with force as they transformed into five gray-blue blurs, carrying biting icy winds and razor-sharp ice blades as they pounced fiercely at Leng Jun and Shui Bing'er from different angles!

Their objective was clear: disrupt Leng Jun's defense and create an opening!

Leng Jun's eyes sharpened, and the chill around him surged.

His seventh soul ring lit up. He was just about to unleash a powerful soul skill to take down one or two of them first, establish his dominance, and break their encirclement.

Just at that critical moment—

"Screee—!!!"

A clear, soaring cry that seemed capable of piercing the soul rang out from the heavens without warning.

Immediately afterward, an invisible yet overwhelming spiritual pressure crashed down, instantly enveloping the entire mountain hollow!

Time seemed to freeze at that instant.

The five ten-thousand-year demon wolves that had been lunging forward were as if invisible giant hands had slammed them viciously into the ground, and they let out terrified whimpers.

Their limbs went limp as they trembled uncontrollably.

Forget attacking—they could not even raise their heads!

The giant wolf, which had just been imposing and certain of victory, was struck as though by lightning!

Its enormous body abruptly stiffened before beginning to shake violently. Its eerie green wolf eyes filled with terror born from the instincts of life itself!

It was the trembling and submission carved into its genes when facing the top of the food chain, when facing the crushing force of absolute power!

It barely managed to lift its head and look toward the source of the phoenix cry, emitting a low, rasping growl from its throat.

"Awoo~~~~"

A short howl completely unlike its previous ones came from the giant wolf's mouth, seemingly carrying submission and pleading.

That invisible pressure suddenly eased somewhat.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, the giant wolf turned its massive body around, tucked its tail between its legs, and fled wildly out of the mountain hollow without looking back.

The five ten-thousand-year demon wolves sprawled on the ground also scrambled after it, wailing as they followed the giant wolf's retreating figure. In the blink of an eye, they vanished beyond the icy slope, leaving behind a mess of claw marks and a few wisps of drifting frost energy.

The mountain hollow instantly returned to deathly silence.

Only the cold wind continued to wail.

Leng Jun maintained the stance to unleash a soul skill, but his back had long since been soaked in cold sweat.

He raised his head and looked toward the empty sky, his eyes filled with horror.

That pressure just now, that level of spiritual power—it was exactly the same as the spiritual power that had rendered him unconscious without any ability to resist last night!

And what he sensed now was even clearer, even more vast.

It was definitely not an illusion!

Deep within the Ice-Sealed Forest, there truly dwelled an ice-attribute avian soul beast so powerful it surpassed all imagination!

And it seemed to be watching them.

Why was this happening?

What exactly was its purpose?

Leng Jun suddenly recalled the things Shui Bing'er had said when she woke up that morning.

She said she had dreamed of an Ice Phoenix.

Could there be some connection?

Leng Jun's gaze slowly shifted to his granddaughter beside him.

Shui Bing'er was also looking up, her azure eyes wide open as she stared unblinkingly at the sky.

Her little hand tightly clutched the corner of her clothes, yet there was no fear or panic in her eyes—only an almost dreamlike, burning radiance.

She recognized that cry just now!

It was exactly the same as the voice of the Ice Phoenix in her dream!

That had not been a dream!

"Ice Phoenix, is that really you?"

Shui Bing'er blurted out despite herself.

From the moment she woke up that morning until now, the events of last night's dream had lingered in her mind.

Only when she heard that sound just now and sensed that familiar aura did she become even more certain that it had not been a dream.

The moment Shui Bing'er's words fell, a streak of light descended from the heavens.

That icy-blue streak unfurled in midair dozens of yards above the ground, transforming into a slender and elegant figure.

Its entire body shimmered with a dreamlike icy-blue glow. Every feather was clearly visible, their edges glinting with a faint silver-white chill.

Its tail feathers were long and flowing, trailing through the air and scattering fine specks of icy crystal light.

Its eyes were like cold moons—deep, tranquil, and carrying the indifferent aloofness of one gazing down upon all living things.

This was the very Ice Phoenix Shui Bing'er had seen in her dream!

Seeing it with her own eyes now, it felt more real than in the dream—and even more shocking.

"Is... is it really you?"

The Ice Phoenix folded its wings.

"Little Bing'er, we meet again. This time, it isn't a dream."