Ice Queen

Cackle, cackle—

The Evil Soul Emperor let out a shrill, strange laugh. A pair of hideous blood-red wings suddenly unfurled behind him.

His wings beat fiercely, and he became a scarlet blur, moving so fast that he drew a piercing shriek from the air.

His target was Wang Dong, whose aura of light was the purest and most dazzling in the cave—and whose cultivation was the weakest.

That utterly pure power of light was lethal to an evil creature like him.

"Watch out!"

Lin Feng's pupils contracted. Even with Spiritual Detection fully extended, he could barely catch a streak of blood-red.

Brilliant Bright Phoenix Fire erupted from within him, forming a solid shield around Wang Dong.

Wang Dong also poured all her power of light into Lin Feng.

"We can't keep playing defense!"

Several streaks of blood-red claw strikes tore viciously into the shield.

Lin Feng grunted. The ground cracked beneath his feet, and the immense force drove him back half a step.

With every collision, the frigid, corroding power within the blood-red light sent his blood surging and left his arms numb.

Chen Zifeng hurried over, his Soul-Chasing Sword drawing several interwoven nets of blood-red sword light, but every slash struck empty air.

"He's... too fast!" Xixi called from the flank, her voice tinged with gravity.

Even with the extreme speed of her Lightning Leopard Martial Soul, she could barely keep up with the Evil Soul Emperor's ghostly movements. She circled the outskirts, searching for a fleeting opening.

Evil Soul Masters were already difficult opponents for ordinary Soul Masters of the same rank, thanks to their bizarre cultivation techniques. This one was a speed-focused Battle Soul Emperor of the agility attack type.

"Sorry I'm late."

A clear, icy voice rang out. Ling Luochеn entered at a measured pace, holding an Ice Crystal Staff, the visible, bone-white chill coiling around her.

With her arrival, the temperature in the cave plummeted.

"Senior, be careful. He devoured his younger brother's soul to forcibly raise himself to the Soul Emperor realm," Lin Feng reminded her.

"Don't worry. Evil spirit, reveal yourself!"

Ling Luochеn gave a sharp cry and struck the ground with her Ice Staff. A terrifying force of frigid Soul Power erupted from her, spreading outward.

"Crack, crack-crack—!"

The grating sound of freezing rang out in quick succession.

The cave walls, the floor, even the rock above their heads were instantly covered in a thick, smooth layer of dark blue ice.

Almost the moment the ice mirrors were complete, Lin Feng understood. The Bright Phoenix Fire he had been using to defend them surged, its flames suddenly several times brighter.

Wang Dong understood, too, and released all her power of light.

The power of light reflected repeatedly between the countless smooth sheets of ice, growing stronger until it filled every corner.

The cave blazed like daylight. No shadow remained in which to hide.

"Ugh—aaah!"

A shrill, agonized howl rang out from a corner of the cave.

Under the strong light, which left no blind spots, the Evil Soul Emperor's position was exposed.

Worse, the power of light suppressed him. It sizzled against his body, raising wisps of black smoke. His speed plummeted, and he was forced to appear, writhing in pain.

"Die!"

His mind on the verge of collapse from the scorching light, the Evil Soul Emperor fixed his blood-red eyes on Lin Feng, the core of the light, and unleashed a murderous frenzy.

He endured the agony, beat his blood-red wings furiously, and pushed his speed to its limit, becoming a streaking blood-red meteor.

He ignored Chen Zifeng and Xixi's attacks as he charged. Even as more wounds opened across his body, he kept rushing straight at Lin Feng.

"Not a chance!"

Ling Luochеn's gaze turned icy as she raised her Ice Staff again.

This time, her third and fifth Soul Rings lit up in succession. She unleashed every bit of her Soul Power.

"Ice Prison! Ice Radiance Ring! Lin Feng, follow my lead!"

Five heavy booms rang out in succession as five enormous Ice Prisons, each as massive as a mountain, crashed down from the cave ceiling, blocking the Evil Soul Emperor's path.

One after another, they piled up into an imposing wall of ice that seemed impossible to overcome.

"Break, you bastards!"

The Evil Soul Emperor roared and charged without dodging. With brute force, he smashed through three ice prisons, each sturdy enough to trap a Soul King.

Yet with every prison he shattered, the blood-red light around him dimmed, and his charge weakened. Inevitably, he faltered for a split second to catch his breath.

Now!

The Burning Technique within Lin Feng erupted into furious motion, circulating with unprecedented violence.

Mystic Ice Spirit Flame, rise!

Bone-white flames gushed from his palm, racing along the smooth surface of the ice prison and seeping into it.

Wherever they passed, the ice did not melt. Instead, it crystallized into denser, dark blue Mystic Ice, and the cold intensified.

Suddenly, Lin Feng lost control of the Mystic Ice Spirit Flame.

Ling Luochеn had taken control of it. She had actually fused the Mystic Ice Spirit Flame Lin Feng released perfectly with the Ice Prison of her fifth Soul Skill.

"Crackle—!"

Bolstered by Ling Luochеn's Soul Power, the Mystic Ice Spirit Flame surged in strength, freezing the Evil Soul Emperor's fifth and sixth Soul Rings.

In theory, the Mystic Ice Spirit Flame could freeze a Soul Master's Sea of Consciousness and soul, but Lin Feng still couldn't accomplish that at his current level.

At that moment, Ling Luochеn pushed her ability to control ice to its utmost limit.

The Mystic Ice Spirit Flame froze the two Soul Rings, which had been condensed from souls.

"No—!!!"

The Evil Soul Emperor finally sensed the mortal threat and let out a scream of utter terror.

He could clearly feel that he had lost his connection to the two soul-based Soul Rings. Their light dimmed rapidly as the blood-red patterns on their surfaces froze and shattered, inch by inch.

"Explode."

Ling Luochеn parted her red lips and spoke a single icy word.

The two Soul Rings that had forcibly raised the Evil Soul Emperor to the Soul Emperor realm exploded.

There was no burst of Soul Power. Only a torrent of filthy soul fragments mixed with blood-red energy scattered in every direction.

"Pfft—!"

The Evil Soul Emperor spat out a mouthful of blood. The destruction of the power he had forcibly gained brought such a severe backlash that he nearly lost the ability to fight on the spot.

The opening lasted only an instant. No one needed to say a word.

Chen Zifeng's Soul-Chasing Sword became a blood-red thread, condensed to the utmost, and pierced the Evil Soul Emperor's heart.

Almost simultaneously, Xixi's figure flashed behind him and vanished.

A faint spark of lightning swept across his neck.

The Evil Soul Emperor's twisted expression froze. He clutched his bleeding neck with both hands.

He opened his mouth, as if he still wanted to spit out a curse, but the crazed blood-red light in his eyes quickly gave way to the lifeless gray of death.

"Thud—"

His corpse crashed to the ground, scattering a little ice dust and blood.

Lin Feng stepped forward and unleashed Bright Phoenix Fire, burning every filthy remnant on the ground to ash in case the corpse rose again.

Only then did Ling Luochеn lower her Ice Staff. A faint pallor from her spent Soul Power showed on her exquisite face. Her long lashes drooped, concealing a fleeting trace of fatigue in her eyes.

"Your ice flame saved us just now," Ling Luochеn said, turning to Lin Feng with a pleased smile. "Without it, my power over ice alone could never have frozen those two Soul Rings condensed from souls and knocked him back down to the Soul Ancestor realm."

"You give me too much credit, Senior Ling," Lin Feng said sincerely, shaking his head slightly. "I couldn't have done that on my own. Your control over ice was the key. You truly live up to your title as the Ice Queen of the Inner Court."

"You certainly know how to flatter a senior, Junior. That ice flame of yours is quite remarkable. We should have a proper discussion about it sometime," Ling Luochеn said with a smile.

"Sure." Lin Feng nodded.

"Mission accomplished. It's getting late, so we should go get a Soul Ring for Junior Wang Dong," Chen Zifeng cut in.

"Then let's not waste time. We should set off," Ling Luochеn replied.