Luo Yun Arrived

His eyes turned bloodshot. He could die. He could fall in battle in this icy cave in the Far North. But his son—

He absolutely could not kneel before that woman.

"Dream on." Luo Shang's voice was low, like a beast's growl.

Chrysanthemum Douluo shrugged, the smile on his face unchanged.

Ghost Douluo stood at his side, his gray eyes fixed on Luo Shang.

"Enough. We've said more than enough." Chrysanthemum Douluo waved a hand behind him.

"Send His Highness King Frost Extreme on his way."

The Soul Masters behind him sprang into action.

There were more than twenty of them. The weakest was a Soul Saint, and the strongest was at the peak of the Soul Douluo rank.

Their Martial Souls lit up all at once.

Beast Martial Souls, Tool Martial Souls, Plant Martial Souls.

Lights of every color flickered through the icy cave, illuminating it as brightly as day.

Soul Rings rose from beneath their feet, layered upon one another, densely surrounding Luo Shang.

Soul Skills unleashed from every direction at the same time.

Luo Shang drew a deep breath. The Frost Cold Sword in his hand shuddered violently.

"Martial Soul Avatar, Frost Cold Sword Domain."

Luo Shang's body turned translucent, as if he had become a human-shaped sword.

Ice-blue light surged from within him, transforming the entire icy cave into a world of blue.

Beneath his feet, nine Soul Rings spun wildly. His scarlet Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring erupted with unprecedented brilliance.

"Ninth Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Swords Snow Dance."

The Frost Cold Sword flew from Luo Shang's hand. In midair, it split into two, then four, then eight.

In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of ice-blue sword projections gathered around him. Each sword radiated bone-piercing cold, its tip pointing in a different direction.

The swords shot forth as one.

The ice-blue sword projections rained outward, colliding midair with the Soul Skills unleashed by the Spirit Hall Soul Masters.

Boom!

The thunderous impact shook the cave. Icicles rained from the ceiling, shattering into countless tiny crystals when they struck the ground.

Before Luo Shang's ninth Soul Skill, all their Soul Skills were as flimsy as paper, ripped to shreds by Ten Thousand Swords Snow Dance.

Screams rose one after another.

Some of the more than twenty Soul Masters were pierced through the shoulders by ice swords, others froze in place, and still others were flung away by the shock wave, crashing into the icy walls and spitting blood.

One was caught directly by the sword projections' aftershock. Frost coated half his body, and after a few convulsions, he lay motionless on the ground.

Luo Shang stood where he was as the light of Ten Thousand Swords Snow Dance slowly faded.

His face was paler than before, his breathing more labored, and the hand gripping the Frost Cold Sword trembled slightly.

That one move had nearly exhausted the Soul Power he had left.

"Old Ghost." Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice came from deep within the icy cave.

"Understood." Ghost Douluo's gray eyes lit up.

The two moved at once.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's Martial Soul, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, blossomed behind him. Golden petals spread across the sky, spinning and slicing through the air with a shrill whistle.

Chrysanthemum Douluo pinched his Eighth Soul Ring, golden light swirling around his fingertips.

"Eighth Soul Skill, Chrysanthemum Withers Fragrance Fills the Ground."

The golden petals became a rain of flowers, sweeping toward Luo Shang.

They were far too beautiful to seem like weapons, but Luo Shang knew that each petal was imbued with Chrysanthemum Douluo's Soul Power. One touch, and it would slice him apart.

Ghost Douluo vanished.

He melted into the darkness.

In this sunless icy cave, his Martial Soul was at its most potent.

Luo Shang could sense only a faint trace of killing intent prowling through the darkness, like an invisible venomous snake waiting for the moment to strike.

"Old Ghost, combined attack."

"Got it."

Two auras locked onto Luo Shang at the same time.

One above, one below.

One was golden petals of death, the other a black, deadly shadow.

The two utterly different forces intertwined, cutting off every one of Luo Shang's escape routes.

Luo Shang gritted his teeth and held the Frost Cold Sword across his chest.

He knew he couldn't withstand this attack.

His ninth Soul Skill had drained all his Soul Power. His Martial Soul Avatar was fading, and even the light of the Frost Cold Sword had dimmed.

Luo Shang turned his head.

Shen Yinshuang leaned against the icy wall, covered by his outer robe. She was still unconscious, her breathing faint.

His son was still in Slaughter City. He didn't know Frost Ridge City had been burned to the ground, or that his parents were facing a desperate situation.

Luo Shang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again.

Even if he died, he would die on his feet.

The afterglow of Ten Thousand Swords Snow Dance slowly faded through the icy cave. The ice-blue sword projections shattered one by one, breaking into tiny specks of light like shooting stars falling to earth.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's golden petals already covered half the sky, while Ghost Douluo's killing intent crept closer through the darkness, soundless and unseen.

Luo Shang tightened his grip on the Frost Cold Sword, ready for his final stand.

Then—

Rumble.

A tremendous crash came from above the cave. It wasn't the sound of battle, but of something rushing toward them at tremendous speed.

The sound grew louder and closer, like a mighty army galloping toward them from afar.

The cave ceiling began to tremble. Shards of ice fell from above, clattering against the ground.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's attack faltered.

Ghost Douluo's killing intent also stalled.

Everyone raised their heads, looking toward the mouth of the cave.

A streak of jade-green light shot in from outside.

The jade-green light flashed into the cave, so dazzling that it was hard to keep one's eyes open.

It was too fast.

Everyone froze for an instant, their gazes snapping toward the cave entrance.

A gigantic Jade Scorpion charged in from outside. Its six slender legs carved six deep grooves into the ice, and its tail arched high overhead. The azure tip of its stinger gleamed with an eerie light in the dim cave.

The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.

The Ice Empress, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

He had read about the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion in the records of Spirit Hall.

A Ferocious Beast with three hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, one of the most terrifying beasts in the Far North, a being of legend.

How could a Ferocious Beast of this rank have appeared here?

A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, but none could explain what he was seeing.

Then he heard a voice.

It wasn't loud, but it echoed through the cave, each word perfectly clear.

"Father! Mother!"

Luo Shang's body jolted.

He thought he'd misheard.

That voice.

The voice coming from the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's back, trembling with anxiety.

It was his son's voice.

Chrysanthemum Douluo heard it too.

He followed the sound and saw a black-clad figure leap down from the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's jade-green back.

It was a child, around six or seven years old, dressed in a black robe spattered with ice and blood. His hair was dark purple, and his eyes were blood-red.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's lips slowly curled into a grin.

It wasn't fear. It was delight.

His Holiness the Pope had ordered them to hunt down King Frost Extreme—and, while they were at it, capture King Frost Extreme's son.