Dragon City! Infiltrating the Earth Dragon Gate!

Rumble!!!

As the emerald phantom of the Ice Empress fully solidified, rings of soul power rose from beneath the feet of Jiang Yi.

Two purple rings appeared, followed by a single white soul ring.

The moment that white ring emerged, its color began to deepen rapidly, shifting from white to yellow, and then to a profound, deep purple...

Simultaneously, the soul power within Jiang Yi's body climbed steadily.

"Ten thousand years is the limit..."

Tian Meng crouched to the side, resting her chin in her hands, her golden eyes fixed unblinkingly on the soul ring currently undergoing its transformation.

She was not worried.

The age of the soul ring would be determined by how much energy Jiang Yi could withstand; any excess essence would simply be sealed within the space of the Master Ball.

Compared to her original God Creation Plan, this was still a bit lacking, as it missed a high-level soul bone.

Soul bones provided a massive boost to a Soul Master's physical constitution.

However, there were gains and losses; this approach at least preserved their physical bodies, avoiding a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.

Moreover, if they encountered danger, they could release the seal at any time and unleash a "king descending from the heavens" move upon their enemies.

After a while, the aura gradually calmed.

The color of the soul ring finally settled on black—a ten-thousand-year soul ring—and Jiang Yi's soul power stopped at level thirty-seven.

"Hoo~!"

Jiang Yi opened his eyes and exhaled.

"Seven levels of soul power... truly not bad."

He felt the slight swelling in his meridians, clenched his fists, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

This soul power was not brought to him by the Ice Empress, but provided by the ten-thousand-year soul ring itself; a seven-level jump was quite impressive.

Immediately after, he focused his mind.

Wisps of cold mist overflowed from his palms, gathering between his fingers until they finally condensed into a sharp-edged ice crystal.

"Ultimate Ice!"

Jiang Yi laughed.

This was the ability the Ice Empress had brought him: Ultimate Ice, the master of ice and snow!

In his perception, the ice and snow that had previously made him shiver now felt like his subjects.

They were crowding around him, submitting to him, yearning for his favor.

Bang!

The ice crystal suddenly shattered, spraying fine ice shards all over him.

"My control is still a bit lacking... but it's enough."

Jiang Yi rose from the ground and brushed the ice debris off his body.

Xiao Lan had given him speed, Tian Meng had given him vision, and he had been missing an attack... the Ice Empress had perfectly filled that gap.

Control could be practiced over time, but he was firmly locked into the agility-attack type, and he certainly didn't want to become some "two-dagger" kid.

Swish—

A beam of emerald light flew out from Jiang Yi, landed on the ground, and transformed into a petite, green-haired loli.

"What a marvelous feeling..."

The Ice Empress stretched her waist, a look of comfort appearing on her pretty face.

After forming the contract with Jiang Yi, the sensation was far better than she had imagined; she felt refreshed and invigorated, to the point where she felt like molding an ice dragon just for fun.

"Bing'er, do you want to leave a message for your kin?"

Jiang Yi turned to look at the Ice Empress.

He thought of the Snow Empress's transformation in the original story, but since he had just broken through, it was impossible to try and subdue the Snow Empress right now.

Rather than that, it was better to let the Ice Empress leave a message, lest this Lord of the Far North get captured by Sun Moon Soul Masters just like in the original.

Otherwise, given the relationship between the Ice and Snow Empresses, he would likely have to go to the Sun Moon Empire to fish her out later.

"Mm."

The Ice Empress nodded slightly.

To keep Xue'er from worrying, she really should leave some information behind.

The next moment, a sky-piercing aura erupted from her body, surging out of the cave and hovering high above the Frozen Forest.

The Ice Jade Scorpions inhabiting the forest sensed this aura and began rushing toward the center of the forest.

Jiang Yi and Tian Meng tactfully left the cave and went to the outskirts of the Frozen Forest to wait, choosing not to join the commotion.

A moment later, the Ice Empress's aura dissipated.

A streak of emerald light cut across the horizon as a palm-sized, jade-green scorpion descended from the sky, landing on Jiang Yi's shoulder.

"Let's go!"

Ice Empress looked back at the Frozen Forest one last time before turning away without a hint of nostalgia.

"Right!"

Jiang Yi picked up Tian Meng from the side and placed her on his other shoulder.

The man and the two beasts departed, their figures gradually blurring into the vast, swirling snow, with only the faint sound of laughter trailing behind them.

"Bingbing! Let me tell you, the human world is so much fun! When we get back, I'll treat you to some barbecue..."

"Not interested!"

"Uh... alright! Wait, Little Jiang, where are you going? This isn't the way back, is it?"

"I'm taking you both to find an opportunity."

A few days later, in the northern territory of the Heaven Dou Empire.

"As the story goes, our Dragon City was named ten thousand years ago after the Sea God's master, the Holy Dragon Douluo, Yu Xiaogang... This place was his sanctuary in retirement..."

In the lobby of the tavern, the storyteller slapped his wooden gavel, his saliva flying as he recounted the legend with such dramatic flair that it felt vivid and lifelike.

The guests below listened with rapt attention, cheering and applauding in high spirits, creating a lively atmosphere.

On the second floor, in a private room.

"Holy Dragon Douluo..."

Jiang Yi leaned back on the sofa, cradling a little golden-haired girl in his arms. Hearing the storytelling from below, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sister Tian Meng, once I become a god, I will definitely take you both with me."

He reached out to poke Tian Meng's soft, chubby cheek and laughed softly.

In truth, God King Tang's actions were understandable, but recalling some of the parody videos from his past life, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

After all, these events were unfolding right before his eyes in reality.

"Hmph! Of course. If you dare to leave me behind, I'll bite you to death!"

Tian Meng rolled her eyes at him, her cheeks puffed out, before burying her face back into her food.

When they were at Shrek, she couldn't transform into her human form at will. Now that they were out in the world, there were no such restrictions.

This was retaliatory consumption.

Eat! Eat, eat, eat!

Little Tian Meng held a chicken in her left hand and a duck in her right, her mouth stuffed full, looking just like a hamster.

"What are we doing here?"

Compared to Tian Meng's carefree indulgence, Ice Empress sat to the side with much more elegance, her legs pressed together as she leaned against the sofa.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at Jiang Yi.

Since arriving in this city, they hadn't done anything but listen to stories, and she failed to see any sign of an opportunity.

"Just keep watching."

Jiang Yi smiled without explaining, his gaze fixed on the floor below.

The storytelling was reaching its climax.

"Ever since the time of the Holy Dragon Douluo, this Dragon City has become a gathering place for true dragons... foremost among them being the Sky Dragon Gate..."

The storyteller paused, then stroked his beard.

"Although the Earth Dragon Gate is as famous as the Sky Dragon Gate, they are, after all, outsiders. How can a dragon of the earth compare to a dragon of the sky?"

Bang!

In the corner, a young girl slammed her hand on the table and stood up, stepping onto the edge of the table and causing the bowls and dishes to clatter loudly.

"You're talking nonsense! How is the Earth Dragon Gate any worse than the Sky Dragon Gate?"

The girl rolled up her sleeves and glared fiercely at the storyteller.

She suspected this was someone from the Sky Dragon Gate spreading rumors among the commoners to tarnish the reputation of her Earth Dragon Gate—it was simply outrageous!

Today, she would make these people witness the true strength of the Earth Dragon Gate.

She snorted coldly in her heart.

A diamond-shaped pink crystal appeared between her brows, dark red dragon scales covered her arms, and two yellow soul rings rose from her body.

"M-miss, please be rational..."

The storyteller turned pale at the sight of the two bright soul rings. He waved his hands and retreated in a hurry, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He had only been spouting off for effect, but he hadn't expected that this girl, who looked no more than ten years old, would actually be a two-ring Soul Master!

"Hmph!"

The young girl clenched her fists, just about to spit out a harsh threat, when a maidservant suddenly came rushing in, flustered.

"Young Miss! The Sect Master is here—!"

The girl's expression changed drastically.

That arrogant air of hers vanished into thin air in an instant.

Without a moment's hesitation, she turned and bolted toward the window in the back courtyard of the restaurant, her movements fluid and practiced, completed in one smooth motion.

"Don't let me see you again!"

Before leaving, she didn't forget to look back and toss out one final threat.

Second floor, private room.

"Let's go."

Jiang Yi had taken in the entire scene, let out a soft chuckle, and hurried to follow.

The Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Cave of the Earth Dragon Gate was a massive tonic for the Ultimate Ice he had just mastered.