A Willing Sacrifice? The Third Soul Skill, Pale Thunder Shattered Shadow!

Xue Chen felt a warm, vast power instantly envelop him. There was no sense of impact; instead, it felt incredibly comfortable.

A term that only existed in the legends of Douluo Continent flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but gasp in shock:

"Sacrifice?! You... you actually chose to sacrifice yourself for me?!"

He whipped his head around, looking at Snow Emperor in disbelief.

Snow Emperor met his gaze, her breathtakingly beautiful face carrying a trace of solemnity and affirmation as she nodded gently.

Xue Chen understood in an instant!

This Snow Domain Thunder Leopard knew its life had reached its end. Under Snow Emperor's communication and guidance, it had chosen the most thorough method—one that would also best fulfill Xue Chen: a sacrifice!

It was gifting everything it possessed to Xue Chen, without reservation!

This would not only allow him to absorb the soul ring with a hundred percent success rate, but it would also allow him to bypass cultivation limits and obtain its most primal power!

Just as the Snow Domain Thunder Leopard's soul light was about to burn out completely and merge into the gradually forming black soul ring, Snow Emperor moved.

Her jade fingers formed an extremely complex and profound seal, precisely enveloping the core of the soul ring where the last, fading spark of the Snow Domain Thunder Leopard's primal soul mark resided.

"Ice Seal Soul Mark, solidify!"

Snow Emperor's cold, clear voice carried a sense of the power of rules.

Upon contacting this force, that faint soul mark seemed to be frozen within a piece of perfectly transparent, ten-thousand-year profound ice.

It stopped dissipating instantly. Although it fell into a deep slumber, it was perfectly preserved, quietly hidden in the deepest part of that profound black soul ring.

"Chen'er, I have sealed a wisp of its primal soul mark within the soul ring.

If you have the fortune to reach the pinnacle in the future, perhaps... you will have a chance to help it regain its consciousness and be reborn."

Snow Emperor's voice echoed in Xue Chen's mind.

Xue Chen's heart trembled violently. He looked at the black soul ring slowly drifting toward him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was gratitude, shock, and a heavy sense of responsibility.

He no longer hesitated; he sat cross-legged and completely relaxed his body and mind.

The black soul ring, containing nearly twenty thousand years of cultivation and offered through a voluntary sacrifice, descended lightly, merging perfectly into his body and blending with his Thunder Dragon Emperor martial soul.

The process was smoother than he could have imagined.

There was no rejection, not a hint of pain, only a surging yet gentle energy constantly washing over him, widening his meridians, nourishing his martial soul, and elevating his soul power.

When Xue Chen opened his eyes again, a powerful aura was released involuntarily.

He had successfully broken through the level thirty bottleneck to reach level thirty-four, officially becoming a Soul Grandmaster!

Around him, three soul rings rose in sequence: one purple, two black!

Such an unconventional soul ring configuration appearing on a child who had just advanced to a Soul Grandmaster was nothing short of shocking!

Xue Chen felt the surging power within his body, and he was incredibly excited!

Snow Emperor watched Xue Chen successfully absorb the soul ring, a trace of gratification flashing in her eyes, though she quickly returned to her cold, detached demeanor and reminded him:

"Chen'er, don't just get caught up in the excitement. Hurry and test what kind of soul skill this ring has bestowed upon you."

Awakened by Snow Emperor's words, Xue Chen snapped out of his joy. He nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with a eager, restless light.

With a wave of her sleeve, Snow Emperor enveloped Xue Chen and instantly left the narrow cave, arriving on the vast, snow-covered ice plains.

The biting cold wind howled, whipping up thousands of snowdrifts—it was the perfect place to test a new soul skill.

Xue Chen took a deep breath of the freezing air, his gaze turning sharp.

With a thought, the majestic and domineering Thunder Phantom of the Thunder Dragon Emperor appeared behind him once more, its blue-purple, lightning-wreathed dragon body coiling in the void, radiating a heart-stopping dragon might.

At the same time, three soul rings rose from beneath his feet, pulsing and flickering.

His gaze locked onto an ice mound several people high in the distance.

Suddenly, the third, pitch-black soul ring on his body erupted with brilliant light!

"Third soul skill, Pale Thunder Shattered Shadow!"

As his voice fell, the majestic Thunder Dragon Emperor phantom behind him let out a low dragon roar.

A massive amount of thunder power gathered and took shape before him in an extremely ingenious way.

"Hum—"

With blue-purple lightning flickering and swirling, a figure constructed entirely of thunder rapidly solidified to his side.

This phantom was identical to Xue Chen.

Its entire body was a translucent blue-purple, with countless tiny bolts of electricity coursing through it.

It radiated the same thunderous aura as Xue Chen's true form.

It stood there silently, like a mirror forged from lightning, reflecting Xue Chen's current state.

Xue Chen shifted his gaze toward the solitary ice mound dozens of meters away.

He didn't even need to give a clear command; the thunder phantom seemed to share his thoughts, its form instantly blurring.

A piercing thunderclap erupted, instantly transforming into a jagged, leaping bolt of blue-purple lightning that shot forth.

The speed was so great that it left only a continuous trail of afterimages in the vision!

Without any flashy movements, the Thunder Phantom slammed its body directly into that ice mound!

"BOOM—!"

A violent explosion rang out, and the blue-purple lightning instantly swallowed the upper half of the ice mound.

The violent power of the thunder raged madly, and the hard ice layer was shattered to pieces in an instant before the supreme, masculine thunder.

It turned into a sky full of ice crystal powder, scattering and flying everywhere.

After the strike, that Thunder Phantom also became much dimmer, its outline beginning to blur.

Xue Chen moved his thoughts again and gave a soft shout: "Disperse."

The Thunder Phantom, which had been flickering unsteadily beside the ruins of the ice mound, responded by turning into a final, brilliant bolt of blue-purple lightning.

It instantly crossed the space, shot back in reverse, and silently merged back into Xue Chen's body.

Xue Chen felt the sensation within his body and nodded slightly.

This condensed phantom perfectly replicated his own state; it was connected to his heart and mind, moving like thunder and vanishing without a trace.

Whether used for surprise attacks, luring enemies, or distracting opponents, it could be called a divine skill.

Snow Emperor watched the third soul skill Xue Chen had demonstrated, a glimmer of approval flashing in her eyes as she nodded slightly.

"Not bad. This soul skill itself is already of a superior grade.

If it can be coordinated with your first two soul skills, especially the evolved Thunder Origin and your dragon transformation ability, the effect during the transition between offense and defense should be even better, enough to catch any opponent off guard."

Xue Chen was immersed in the joy of obtaining new power, but upon hearing this guidance from Snow Emperor, he felt as if he had been enlightened, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

"That's right! I can use this clone to confuse the opponent, while my main body takes the opportunity to unleash the Thunder Dragon Emperor's powerful offensive soul skills or launch a close-quarters Dragon Claw assault!

I could even use the clone as a fuse or coordinate for the lightning...

Brilliant! Mother, you are too clever! If you hadn't mentioned it, I really wouldn't have thought of such a combination!"

His gaze toward Snow Emperor was filled with admiration.

Upon hearing this, the corners of Snow Emperor's lips curled into a faint, light arc. Just as she was about to say something more, her expression suddenly froze on her beautiful face!

A familiar aura, extremely subtle yet carrying supreme majesty and vast dragon might, was suddenly and clearly perceived by her!

This aura was lingering in the direction of the Ice Crystal Palace, and it made no attempt to hide, as if it were announcing the arrival of some existence.