Soul Ancestor

Snow Empress made her move.

An ice-blue sword gleam shot from her fingertips, slashing toward the grey phantom.

But the sword gleam passed straight through the phantom without causing any damage.

The phantom did not even sway.

Snow Empress's expression finally changed.

"Whoosh—"

The grey phantom turned into a streak of light and shot directly into Lin Yaoyang's body, vanishing without a trace.

Snow Empress: "!!!"

Snow Empress's face instantly turned deathly pale.

She wanted to intercept it, but it was already too late. More importantly, Lin Yaoyang was at a critical moment in absorbing the Ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring. If she forcibly interrupted him, the best-case scenario would be the absorption failing; the worst-case scenario would be a Soul Power backlash.

Snow Empress's hand hung in midair, leaving her trapped between advancing and retreating.

She could only watch helplessly as the grey phantom entered Lin Yaoyang's body, fretting anxiously.

"Yao Yang..." Her voice trembled slightly. "You mustn't let anything happen to you..."

Deep within the forest, the wind stopped.

The birdsong vanished as well.

Everything sank into an eerie silence.

Meanwhile, within Lin Yaoyang's Spirit Sea, an unexpected meeting quietly began.

Inside Lin Yaoyang's Spirit Sea.

After entering this space, the first thing the grey current saw was an enormous sun.

The sun hung at the center of the Spirit Sea, radiant gold from top to bottom and giving off warm, blazing light. It was not still, but slowly rotating. With every turn, it radiated endless light and heat, illuminating the entire Spirit Sea as brightly as day.

The grey current halted before that sun.

Its domineering aura, which seemed to look down upon the world, actually drew in slightly at this moment.

Electrolux's remnant soul stared at the sun in silence for a long while.

Who was he?

He was the Holy Necromancer. Even with only a wisp of his remnant soul left, his vision and knowledge far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Yet at this moment, he found himself unable to see through this youth.

He had originally been a Son of Light. His fall into necromancy had been an extreme choice born of betrayal, and deep within his soul was an instinctive resonance with pure light.

That sun was not a martial soul, nor was it a phantom formed from Soul Power. It was an existence on a higher level, a source power that transcended all ordinary things.

"The sun..." he murmured, his voice carrying a trace of unconcealed shock. "True Sun Power... Just what is this youth's background?"

After the brief shock, a low sigh came from the grey current.

That voice held complicated emotions—regret, relief, and a barely perceptible... anticipation.

"Since I have encountered you, it must be fate."

As his words fell, the grey current abruptly contracted, condensing into a grey bead no bigger than a soybean.

The bead was perfectly round, with a faint halo flowing across its surface. Like a sleeping seed, it quietly floated above the Spirit Sea and fell silent.

Within the Spirit Sea, Lin Yaoyang witnessed everything, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

This was... Electrolux?!

Electrolux, the Undead Demigod—the peerless powerhouse who said, "With sun and moon in hand, I pluck the stars; none in this world can compare to me!"

Before coming to the Star Dou Forest, he had deliberately asked around in a city.

Shrek Academy's admissions had only just begun, so there was still plenty of time.

Therefore, he had planned to absorb his Spirit Ring first, then wait around in the Star Dou Forest to see whether he could lure Electrolux over.

Electrolux's remnant soul should have appeared together with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

He had never expected Electrolux to deliver himself right to his doorstep!

Lin Yaoyang was overjoyed.

The grey bead floated quietly in his Spirit Sea, completely still.

But Lin Yaoyang could sense that it was there, sleeping and waiting.

Since Electrolux was here...

Could Huo Yuhao and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm also be nearby?

Lin Yaoyang rapidly calculated in his mind.

According to the original timeline, Huo Yuhao had encountered Sky Dream Ice Silkworm on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest. They should have already begun the sacrifice by now.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm...

To be honest, Lin Yaoyang had little interest in that million-year-old giant silkworm.

It was yellow, fat, and terribly chatty.

Although its cultivation was impressive, its combat power was practically zero. Its greatest value lay in its million years of spiritual power and Soul Power, as well as the unique trait of the "Wisdom Spirit Ring."

But for him now, those things were not necessities.

His martial soul was Apollo, and his path was one of Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's ice and spiritual attributes did not completely suit his path.

In comparison, Electrolux was far more valuable.

The inheritance of an Undead Demigod, mastery over Life-and-Death Power, and wisdom and perspective far beyond this era—those were the truly precious things.

Moreover, Electrolux had chosen him of his own accord.

What did that mean? It meant that his Light Power—or rather, his Sun Power—held a natural attraction for Electrolux.

Never mind.

Lin Yaoyang steadied his mind and refocused on absorbing the Spirit Ring.

He could deal with the grey bead after he finished absorbing the Spirit Ring.

An hour later.

Lin Yaoyang slowly opened his eyes.

A flash of golden light passed through his eyes before sinking deep into his pupils.

His aura was more than a level stronger than before. A warm current flowed across the surface of his body, scorching the surrounding air until it faintly distorted.

He lowered his head and looked at his hand.

With a thought, a circle of Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Purple, purple, purple, black.

Three purple and one black.

Twelve years old, level 42, a four-ringed Soul Ancestor.

Even in the entire history of the Douluo Continent, this was an achievement enough to eclipse any genius.

"Yao Yang, how do you feel?" Snow Empress's voice came from beside him, carrying undisguised concern.

Lin Yaoyang stood, stretched his limbs, and felt the surging power within him. Smiling, he said, "Great. I feel like I'm full of strength!"

He turned toward Snow Empress, only to find that something seemed off about her expression. Her beautiful face was slightly furrowed, and her sky-blue eyes were filled with worry.

"What's wrong, Sister Xue'er?"

Snow Empress hesitated before telling him what had happened. "While you were absorbing the Spirit Ring, a grey current suddenly appeared and entered your body. I tried to stop it, but it did not seem to have a physical form. My attacks had no effect on it at all..."

A trace of self-reproach colored her voice.

With cultivation approaching seven hundred thousand years, as the foremost of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, she had been unable to stop even a remnant soul. Snow Empress felt somewhat frustrated.

"A grey current?" Lin Yaoyang pretended to think, then shook his head. "I didn't feel anything unusual. Sister Xue'er, don't worry. I'm fine."

Snow Empress stared at him for a long while, seemingly trying to find some clue in his expression.

In the end, she chose to believe him.

"All right." She sighed softly. "Be more careful yourself. If anything unusual happens, make sure to tell me immediately."

"Okay."

"Let's go. I'll take you to Shrek City first."

After saying that, Snow Empress wrapped an arm around Lin Yaoyang's waist. With a flash, the two soared into the sky and flew westward.