Luo Yun Arrives

His eyes turned blood-red. He could die; he could die in battle within this ice cave in the Far North, but his son!

Must never kneel before that woman.

"In your dreams." Luo Shang's voice was low, like the growl of a beast.

Chrysanthemum Douluo shrugged, the smile on his face unchanging.

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

"Alright, enough nonsense." Chrysanthemum Douluo waved a hand behind him.

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

The spirit masters behind him moved in unison.

Over twenty people, the lowest at Spirit Saint cultivation, the highest at the peak of Spirit Douluo.

Their spirits ignited at the same time.

Beast spirits, tool spirits, plant spirits.

Lights of various colors flickered in the ice cave, illuminating the entire cavern as bright as day.

Spirit rings rose from beneath their feet, layered and dense, surrounding Luo Shang completely.

Spirit skills were unleashed from different directions simultaneously.

Luo Shang took a deep breath, and the Frost Cold Sword in his hand shuddered violently.

"Spirit Avatar, Frost Cold Sword Domain."

Luo Shang's body became translucent, as if he had transformed into a human-shaped sword.

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

Beneath his feet, nine spirit rings spun frantically, and that bright red hundred-thousand-year spirit ring erupted with unprecedented radiance at this moment.

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

The Frost Cold Sword flew from Luo Shang's hand, splitting into two in mid-air, then four, then eight.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of ice-blue sword shadows condensed around him, each blade radiating a bone-chilling cold, their tips pointing in every direction.

Ten thousand swords fired at once.

The ice-blue sword shadows shot outward like a torrential rain, colliding with the spirit skills of the Spirit Hall masters in mid-air.

BOOM!

The deafening roar made the ice cave tremble; icicles from the ceiling fell with a rustle, shattering into countless tiny ice crystals upon hitting the ground.

All the spirit skills were like paper before Luo Shang's ninth spirit skill, torn to shreds by the unstoppable force of the Ten Thousand Swords Snow Dance.

Screams rose one after another.

Of the twenty-plus spirit masters, some were pierced through the shoulder by ice swords, some were frozen in place, and others were sent flying by the shockwave, crashing into the ice walls and vomiting blood.

Some were struck directly by the aftermath of the sword shadows, half their bodies covered in frost as they collapsed to the ground, twitching a few times before going still.

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

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

That move had nearly exhausted his remaining spirit power.

"Old Ghost," Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice came from the depths of the ice cave.

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

Two figures moved at the same time.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's spirit, Celestial Chrysanthemum, bloomed behind him; golden petals filled the sky, rotating and slicing through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle.

Chrysanthemum Douluo pinched his eighth spirit ring, golden light swirling at his fingertips.

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

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

Those petals were too beautiful to be lethal weapons, but Luo Shang knew that each one was imbued with Chrysanthemum Douluo's spirit power; to be touched by one was to be shredded.

Ghost Douluo's figure vanished.

He merged entirely into the darkness.

In this sunless ice cave, his spirit was pushed to its absolute limit.

Luo Shang could only sense a faint, lingering killing intent prowling through the shadows, like an invisible viper ready to strike at any moment.

"Old Ghost, joint attack."

"Received."

Two auras locked onto Luo Shang simultaneously.

One from above, one from below.

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

Two diametrically opposed forces intertwined, sealing off every path of retreat for Luo Shang.

Luo Shang gritted his teeth, holding the Frost Cold Sword horizontally before him.

He knew he could not block this strike.

His ninth soul skill had exhausted his soul power, his Avatar of the Martial Soul was fading, and even the radiance of the Frost Cold Sword was dimming.

Luo Shang turned his head.

Shen Yinshuang leaned against the ice wall, covered by his outer robe; she was still unconscious, her breathing faint.

His son was still in Slaughter City, unaware that Frost Ridge City had been razed to the ground, unaware that his parents were facing a desperate situation.

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

Even if he were to die, he would die standing.

The aftermath of the Ten Thousand Swords Snow Dance slowly dissipated within the ice cavern, the ice-blue sword shadows shattering one by one, turning into fine specks of light like meteors falling to the mortal realm.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's golden petals had already blanketed half the sky, and Ghost Douluo's killing intent approached silently in the darkness.

Luo Shang gripped the Frost Cold Sword tightly, making his final preparations.

Then.

BOOM.

A thunderous roar erupted from above the ice cavern—not the sound of battle, but the sound of something approaching at high speed.

The sound grew louder and closer, like a thousand galloping horses charging from afar.

The ceiling of the ice cavern began to tremble, and shards of ice fell from above, clattering against the ground.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's attack faltered.

Ghost Douluo's killing intent also stalled.

Everyone looked up, turning their gaze toward the entrance of the ice cavern.

A beam of emerald-green light shot in from outside.

The emerald-green light pierced through the entrance, so blinding that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.

The light was too fast.

Everyone froze in that instant, their gazes fixed squarely on the cavern entrance.

A massive Jade Scorpion charged in from outside, its six slender legs carving six deep furrows into the ice, its tail hook raised high, the blue-green tip gleaming with an eerie light in the dimness of the cavern.

Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.

One of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, Ice Emperor.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.

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

Three hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, one of the most terrifying beasts in the Far North, a legendary existence.

How could a beast of this caliber appear here?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but none could explain the scene before him.

Then, he heard a voice.

It was not loud, but it echoed through the ice cavern, every word clear and distinct.

"Father! Mother!"

Luo Shang's body shuddered violently.

He thought he had misheard.

That voice.

The voice coming from the back of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, filled with anxiety and trembling.

It was his son's voice.

Chrysanthemum Douluo heard it too.

He followed the sound, and on the back of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, a black figure was leaping down from the emerald-green carapace.

It was a child, about six or seven years old, wearing a black robe stained with ice shards and blood, his hair dark purple and his eyes as crimson as blood.

The corners of Chrysanthemum Douluo's mouth slowly curled upward.

It was not fear, but surprise.

The Pope had ordered them to hunt down King Frost Extreme and, incidentally, capture the son of King Frost Extreme.