When You Jie and the others reached the foot of the steps leading to the Divine Temple, they could feel more and more clearly the immense quantity of ice-attributed energy hidden within it.
Relying on his Limit Douluo cultivation, Mu En cautiously drew a trace of energy from his surroundings to examine it, only to find that while it was incredibly pure, it was also extremely violent.
Even Soul Masters or Soul Beasts with Extreme Ice attributes couldn't absorb it to improve their cultivation.
Mu En immediately grew wary and moved to shield You Jie and Zhang Lexuan behind him.
If even the energy around the Divine Temple was so violent and dangerous, then what terrifying beings might be inside?
You Jie again felt warmth radiating from the Dragon Marks on his arms. Looking at the mirror carved above the entrance, he thought he might have seen it somewhere before.
Could this temple be connected to the background lore of certain Yu-Gi-Oh! cards?
"Dragon of Ice Barrier: Gun Dragon... Could this temple have something to do with Ice Barrier? But I don't know the lore behind Ice Barrier. I only remember that three Ice Barrier dragons seemed to have been sealed away..."
Thinking of the spare cards he had casually added to his Extra Deck while playing the game, You Jie felt he had grasped a clue, but it wasn't enough to tell him much.
At the same time, Mu En sent another Light Avatar speeding toward the depths of the temple.
A Light Avatar wasn't just useful for showing off in front of people. It was also excellent for gathering information.
Who said the power of light had to make you sparkle and shine, kirakira?
After a while, when the Light Avatar returned, Mu En's expression visibly relaxed.
"Come on. This seems to be a place where something powerful was once sealed, but the beings that were sealed here appear to be gone."
As he spoke, Mu En enveloped You Jie and Zhang Lexuan in Soul Power, and the three of them flew straight up the steps into the Divine Temple.
The interior was very spacious. Four enormous magic circles covered the floor. Three of them were arranged in a triangle, and many ice crystals remained atop them. Judging from the marks on the crystals, the beings once sealed there had clearly been enormous—and incredibly powerful.
Zhang Lexuan didn't feel anything particularly profound, but Mu En was different.
As a human expert who had personally fought Beast God Di Tian, he knew just how powerful Di Tian was. Even Mu En at his current, healthy best would have to team up with the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult and draw on the power of the Golden Ancient Tree, pushing his own light power and Xuan Zi's Taotie power to their limits, just to contend with an enraged Di Tian.
As for his old friend Long Xiaoyao... managing not to wet his pants in front of Di Tian would count as a success.
Yet Mu En could sense that the beings once sealed here had been three enormous dragons, and any one of them had possessed enough strength to pin Di Tian to the ground and rub his face in it.
The gap between Di Tian and those dragons was as vast as the gap between Yan Shaozhe and Di Tian.
"Could this have once been the Ice Dragon King's domain? But why were there three of them? And why are there so many patterns here that look like snowflakes, as if they were the emblem of some human organization?"
Mu En carefully studied the patterns repeated throughout the building. He picked up a badge that had fallen to the floor and pondered it intently.
"This is where my old companions and I sealed the three dragons split off from the great dragon known as the Ice Spirit Mountain Dragon Clan: Spear Gun Dragon..."
A deep, resonant voice rang out. In the center of the temple, above the central magic circle, an old man in blue robes hovered in the air. On his head was a woolen cap bearing the exact same snowflake pattern Mu En had seen. In a calm voice, he recounted the events that had taken place in Ice Barrier.
To fight the Worms and the Steelswarm, they had successively undone the seals on the Dragon of Ice Barrier: Gun Dragon and the Dragon of Ice Barrier: Sky Spear Dragon.
Even so, they couldn't gain a decisive advantage against the Worms and the Steelswarm. After heated arguments—and even an internal schism—they finally released the last dragon, the Dragon of Ice Barrier: Trident Dragon.
Then the entire world was thrown into chaos by the rampaging trio of dragons, along with the Worms and the Steelswarm. In the end, it took a joint effort from the Dragon Rider Corps, and a terrible price, to seal the dragons away once more.
As soon as the old man finished his tale, the Dragon Marks on You Jie's arms shone again. Their light even pierced through his clothes, forming the dragon-shaped marks on the fabric.
As if responding to the Dragon Marks, the four enormous magic circles lit up. Their light gathered in the air, forming a cluster that looked like a mirror before flowing into You Jie's body.
The four Soul Rings on You Jie's arms—yellow, purple, purple, and black—appeared at once. The only yellow Soul Ring immediately lit up, then turned purple before the astonished eyes of Mu En and Zhang Lexuan.
"Bearer of the Red Dragon's power, take the strength that remains here and continue on your way."
A flicker of surprise crossed the old man's phantom in the air. After leaving them those words, he vanished.
You Jie closed his eyes and looked at the few cards that had been added to his deck. His mood lifted a little.
"Although they're not very versatile, I never expected to get a few cards that could strengthen my deck this way. They'll surely come in handy in certain situations.
"On top of that, my First Soul Ring's age has increased. That seems to mean that maintaining the monsters I summon will cost less Soul Power from now on.
"That gives me a lot more room to work with. Even against an enemy whose Soul Power Level far exceeds mine, I'll be able to counterattack more effectively..."
After taking stock of what he had gained, You Jie opened his eyes. The first people he saw were Zhang Lexuan and Mu En, both looking at him with concern.
"Sister Lexuan, Mu En, I'm fine. Actually, I gained quite a few benefits," You Jie quickly explained.
"I know. But can you summon those dragons now?"
Mu En had already examined You Jie's body with the spiritual power of a Limit Douluo. If anything had really gone wrong, he wouldn't be this calm.
"I can summon them, but only as faint projections. They don't have anything close to their original power."
You Jie shook his head and spread his hands, answering with some helplessness.
"All right. Still, I never expected your Martial Soul to bring you such an unexpected boon. You may be the only person on the entire continent with such incredible luck..."
Mu En realized that his concern had gotten the better of him and sighed.
Before you continue