The Birth of a Soul Spirit

"My mind is made up. There's no need to persuade me any further." Snow Empress's voice suddenly turned cold, and the might of the Far North's ruler burst forth in an instant.

"This is my command. You need only obey. Ice Empress and I will continue to protect the Far North in another way."

Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai saw the unshakable resolve in Snow Empress's eyes. Knowing there was no use trying to persuade her, they could only bow deeply, their voices choked with emotion. "Your subordinates... will obey!"

Snow Empress looked at the two of them, a trace of warmth passing through her eyes. Then, without another word, she waved them away.

Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai took several hesitant steps before turning back again and again. They retreated to the edge of the Eternal Frozen Domain, staring fixedly at the scene, their eyes filled with worry and tension.

Once they had left, Snow Empress took a deep breath and looked at Huo Yuhao. "Little fellow, are you ready?"

Huo Yuhao nodded firmly and sat cross-legged on the ice. He calmed his mind and opened his body and Spiritual Sea completely.

This sacrifice would determine the course of his future. He had to focus all his attention on it; he couldn't afford the slightest mistake.

Seeing that he was ready, Snow Empress's eyes flashed with determination.

The next second, her figure transformed into countless ice-blue snowflakes. An immense, boundless force of Ultimate Ice swept toward Huo Yuhao like a tsunami.

The source power of a seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Soul Beast erupted without reservation. The snow and wind of the Eternal Frozen Domain ran wild, and seven-colored ice flowers even began to fall from the sky. The aura of Ultimate Ice across the entire Far North Ice Plains converged upon this place.

Behind Huo Yuhao, his Ice God Martial Soul was roused to its utmost limit, its transcendent figure shining in concert with the countless ice-blue snowflakes.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million-year source power and Ice Empress's four-hundred-thousand-year power erupted together, helping Snow Empress's source power flow into Huo Yuhao's meridians and Martial Soul.

But then, the unexpected happened.

The source power of a seven-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast was simply too vast. Even though Snow Empress was doing everything she could to control it, the moment it entered Huo Yuhao's body, it still showed signs of slipping out of control.

The power of Ultimate Ice ran wild through Huo Yuhao's meridians like an untamed horse. His meridians froze and tore apart wherever it passed, and even his internal organs began to be sealed in ice.

More frightening still, Snow Empress's divine soul source was showing signs of disintegration, burdened by her seven-hundred-thousand-year obsession and the laws binding her to the Far North Ice Plains.

If her divine soul completely disintegrated, Snow Empress wouldn't be the only one to suffer the obliteration of her soul. The out-of-control source power of seven-hundred-thousand-year-old ice would instantly blow Huo Yuhao to pieces, leaving not even a trace behind.

"Something's wrong! The source power is out of control!" Ice Empress cried out, her face deathly pale. She wanted to help, but her own source power had just merged with Huo Yuhao's. She couldn't withdraw all her strength.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm panicked as well. He released his million-year source power with all his might, trying to steady the rampaging cold. But before Snow Empress's seven-hundred-thousand-year source power, his strength was no more than a cup of water trying to put out a cartload of burning firewood.

Huo Yuhao felt the blood in his entire body freezing. His consciousness began to blur, and his meridians throbbed with tearing pain, as if the overwhelming cold were about to crush him to pieces.

At this critical moment, an aged yet imposing voice suddenly rang through the Spiritual Sea.

"Hold still!"

Electrolux flew out of the Soul-Nurturing Wood, golden holy light erupting around him without reservation.

The vast divine power of the Holy Necromancer became a tangible golden tide, enveloping Huo Yuhao's entire Spiritual Sea and wrapping around Snow Empress's divine soul source, which was on the verge of disintegrating.

A sacred, gentle force slowly calmed the agitation and disintegration of Snow Empress's divine soul, firmly stabilizing her fading consciousness.

At the same time, a golden rune shot from Electrolux's fingertip and imprinted itself upon Huo Yuhao's meridians. The rampaging cold immediately became docile, as though it had met its natural bane.

Just then, the Heart of the Ice God between Huo Yuhao's brows sensed the Ice God source power that shared its origin and burst into dazzling ice-blue light.

The vast power of the Ice God became a gentle embrace, surrounding Snow Empress's seven-hundred-thousand-year source power and guiding it along the perfect path into Huo Yuhao's Ice God Martial Soul.

The laws of inheritance within the Heart of the Ice God perfectly matched Snow Empress's source power of Ultimate Ice. A force that had been so violent it could destroy everything now flowed into the Ice God Martial Soul as gently as a stream returning to the sea.

With Electrolux and the Heart of the Ice God protecting him together, the crisis vanished in an instant.

The ice-blue snowflakes swirling through the air slowly gathered together, eventually forming a tiny, palm-sized girl. She landed in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea.

She wore a little white dress, and her long ice-blue hair fell around a delicate, doll-like face. She was Snow Empress in miniature, her large eyes lively and adorable, though she still carried the majesty of the Far North's ruler.

Not only had her divine soul survived intact, but she had also retained her full consciousness and source power. Nourished by the Heart of the Ice God, her divine soul had even become more substantial, and not a fraction of her seven-hundred-thousand-year cultivation had been lost.

Meanwhile, four Soul Rings rose slowly from Huo Yuhao's Ice God Martial Soul.

The first was Ice Empress's deep crimson, four-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. The second, third, and fourth were unlike the colors of ordinary Soul Rings: they were dazzling orange-gold, and the aura they gave off was terrifying. Snow Empress had become three Soul Rings.

The three Soul Rings were a perfect match for the Ice God Martial Soul. They divided Snow Empress's seven-hundred-thousand-year source power perfectly into three portions, without wasting a single bit. It was a perfection beyond imagination.

More importantly, Snow Empress had become one with Huo Yuhao in a completely new form. She had retained all her consciousness and strength, and could appear at any time to fight alongside him.

"This... this is..." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stared at the scene before him, eyes wide. He was so astonished he could barely speak.

"A Soul Spirit." Electrolux smiled, his aged voice filled with relief. "With the divine soul as its guide and source power as its foundation, it coexists with its host, is undying and imperishable, and shares its cultivation. This is a brand-new path I have opened for Soul Beasts and human Soul Masters. Snow Empress is the first Soul Spirit on the Douluo Continent."

Ice Empress looked at Snow Empress in miniature, sensing her intact divine soul and cultivation. Her eyes were filled with shock and joy.

Huo Yuhao slowly awoke at that moment.

He opened his eyes, and two beams of ice-blue light flashed in their depths. The cold around him immediately drew in, and his control over Ultimate Ice had reached an unprecedented level.

He could clearly feel that he now commanded all the ice and snow in the Eternal Frozen Domain. With a single thought, he could freeze a thousand miles.

Looking within himself, he was delighted to find three perfect Soul Rings added to his Ice God Martial Soul. His second, third, and fourth Soul Rings were now complete! A ten-year-old boy had crossed the threshold of level forty and become a Soul Ancestor. His Soul Power had settled firmly at level forty. He only needed to acquire the third and fourth Soul Rings for his Spirit Eye Martial Soul to become a true Soul Ancestor!

Even more astonishingly, although Snow Empress hadn't provided him with a Soul Bone, her seven-hundred-thousand-year source power had tempered his body in a complete rebirth.

Nourished by the power of Ice God and the extreme cold, his physical strength had multiplied several times. Even without activating his Soul Power, he could withstand a king-class Soul Skill head-on.

His meridians had widened and grown stronger. In the future, even absorbing a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring on his own would pose no risk. His understanding of Ultimate Ice had even reached the threshold of the divine level.

Even the Ice Empress torso Soul Bone from the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion embedded in his spine had undergone a tremendous evolution, nourished by both Snow Empress's source power and the Heart of the Ice God.

"Thank you, Senior Snow Empress! Thank you, Senior Electrolux!" Huo Yuhao rose to his feet and bowed deeply toward those in his Spiritual Sea. His voice brimmed with excitement and gratitude.

He had never imagined that this trip to the Far North would bring him such an enormous opportunity.

Not only had he awakened the Ice God Martial Soul and gained Ice Empress's four-hundred-thousand-year source power, he had also unexpectedly gained the support of Snow Empress, a seven-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast, and completed three Soul Rings.

It all felt like a dream.

Snow Empress stood gracefully in the Spiritual Sea, a gentle smile on her face. "You don't need to thank me. Since I chose you, Yuhao, you must cultivate diligently. Don't let down the source power of Ice Empress and me, or the inheritance of the Heart of the Ice God."

Electrolux smiled and waved a hand. "It was nothing. Consider it rent for staying at your place, Yuhao."

Huo Yuhao nodded firmly, his eyes shining with excitement.

He, Huo Yuhao, had caught up with Brother Yuan and the others. He had become a Soul Ancestor too. He wondered if they'd be startled when they saw him.

He didn't linger in the Eternal Frozen Domain. After composing himself, he left the Far North's core region and headed south.

His Ice God Martial Soul's Soul Rings were now complete, but his Spirit Eye Martial Soul still lacked two. On his way back, he absorbed a six-thousand-five-hundred-year-old Ice Silkworm in the Far North and obtained the Simulation Soul Skill.

That was right—the show-off divine skill that could make a ten-year Soul Ring look like a hundred-thousand-year one.

Afterward, he made a special trip to the Star Dou Forest. With his Ultimate Mental Attribute, aided by Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, he found a Purple Spirit Wolf with a ten-thousand-year cultivation in less than half a day. It was an excellent match for his Mental Attribute.

There had been a few twists along the way. Fighting a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast alone was no easy feat. An ordinary Soul Ancestor would never dare hunt one.

But Huo Yuhao was no ordinary Soul Ancestor. He was a level-forty-one Soul Ancestor carrying the Ice God's inheritance, with a million-year first Soul Ring and two Ferocious Beasts within him.

After a bit of effort, the Purple Spirit Wolf lost its life to a single Wrath of the Ice God. When Huo Yuhao absorbed his fourth Soul Ring, Electrolux casually dealt with the interference of the Purple Spirit Wolf's remnant soul.

A black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring descended. He gained the Spirit Eye Martial Soul's fourth Soul Skill, Mental Confusion, and his Soul Power stabilized at level forty-three.

After absorbing the Soul Ring, Huo Yuhao didn't stop for a moment. He immediately activated Wings of the Ice God, turning into a streak of ice-blue light as he raced toward Shrek Academy.

The wind howled past his ears, and the mountains and rivers below raced backward.

Huo Yuhao looked toward the southern horizon, his eyes full of joy.

Brother Yuan, Sister Na, Qiu'er—I'm back!