Ice Bear King Xiaobai, Yan Hongchen and Yi Hongchen's Soul Rings (3000)

Snow Empress raised a brow slightly. Her figure flickered, and she appeared soundlessly before Yan Hongchen. Mild curiosity colored her voice. "Why did it take so long?"

Yan Hongchen looked up to meet her gaze, rose calmly, and gave a slight bow. His expression revealed nothing. "Thank you, Senior Snow Empress."

His tone was sincere. "Opening my spiritual sea was a little more complicated than expected. I gained some insights, so it took a bit longer. Thanks to your blessing, I succeeded."

He did not mention the Phantom Water Spirit Toad. That was a secret between him and his martial soul; even before Snow Empress, it would not be appropriate to reveal everything.

Snow Empress watched him for a moment, her gaze lingering on his face for several breaths, as though assessing him—or perhaps considering something. In the end, she did not press further and merely withdrew her gaze.

She handed the string of ice-flower bracelets in her hand to Ice Empress. Ice Empress accepted them, took something out, and passed it to her. Their movements were swift and decisive, clearly the product of long-standing understanding. No words were needed.

By then, Yan Hongchen had returned to Jing Hongchen and the others. Snow Empress put the item away and said coldly, "Come with me. I will take you to get the soul rings you need."

As soon as she spoke, she turned and strode away across the snow. Jing Hongchen and the other three did not dare delay and hurried after her.

The freezing wind cut like blades, while snowflakes swirled thickly through the sky. The group trudged through knee-deep snow toward the deeper reaches of the ice plains.

After an unknown length of time, the view ahead suddenly opened up. An enormous ice mound stretched across the snowfield like a slumbering ancient beast.

At the foot of the ice mound, several white figures lay prone on the ground. They were ice bears, massive in size. Their auras were not weak, though they could not be considered especially powerful either.

One among them was particularly eye-catching. The giant bear was snow-white from head to toe, its body as towering as a mountain. Even lying there, it resembled a moving snow peak.

The instant it saw Snow Empress, its huge body stirred. It spoke in a muffled, booming voice, "Mom, you're here..."

It called her "Mom" casually, but Jing Hongchen and the others all sucked in a sharp breath. Snow Empress, ruler of the Extreme North, had a child?

A soul beast capable of speech was at least a hundred-thousand-year existence. The Extreme North actually concealed such a powerful being!

Snow Empress's expression remained unchanged as she asked lightly, "Xiaobai, did you bring what Mother asked you to get?"

Her gaze swept over the ice bear pack. "Also, is there any soul beast here that is about to die? Mother needs it to offer itself as a sacrifice willingly."

Ice Bear King Xiaobai nodded obediently and raised a bear paw, pointing to the other side. A huge block of crystal-clear ice lay there, with several indistinct figures frozen within it.

"Mom, they're all over there," it said in a simple, honest voice. "They're frozen right now."

Snow Empress gave a slight nod, shifting her gaze away from the ice block and toward the other side.

There, a strong but aged ice bear lay on its side atop the ice. A vicious wound stretched across its abdomen. Though it had frozen over and scabbed, the brutality of the strike that had caused it was still apparent.

Snow Empress turned back the ice bear's flesh and fur, revealing the faintly darkened color beneath. Its internal organs had clearly been injured.

Xiaobai stepped forward and lowered its massive head, whispering to the aged ice bear. The old bear slowly lifted its head, its clouded gaze passing over Xiaobai before falling upon Snow Empress.

A moment later, Xiaobai backed away. It hung its head, its voice considerably lower. "Mom... it did not have much time left to begin with. It was badly injured when it fought a Titan Snow Demon before, and its internal organs were shattered. Now... it can't hold on any longer."

It paused, and a trace of hoarseness entered its voice. "It is willing to offer its soul ring."

Xiaobai usually did not concern itself much with such matters, but watching a companion about to depart still made it sad. Yet it knew that contributing its final strength to the Extreme North was also what the old bear wished for.

Snow Empress fell silent for a moment. The cold wind lifted the hem of her robes as she stood amid the snow, her gaze resting on the aged ice bear. Her voice was utterly even. "Mm. The Extreme North will be grateful for its sacrifice."

She turned to Yan Hongchen, her eyes calm. "Have your father come over and accept its sacrifice. It does not have much time left..."

Yan Hongchen's heart tightened. He hurriedly tugged Yi Hongchen's hand, signaling him to step forward. Yi Hongchen took a deep breath and strode toward the aged ice bear.

He stopped before it, solemnly clasped his fists, and bowed. His voice was deep and firm, every word clear. "Thank you for granting this to me. This junior, Yi Hongchen, will certainly not betray your trust."

The aged ice bear let out a low roar. There was a touch of desolation in its voice, but also a measure of relief. It was answering him.

Then, its enormous body crashed down onto the ice. It lay on its back, exposing its soft underbelly.

A layer of gentle light slowly seeped from its body, like the first bloom of dawn, yet also like the last fading light of dusk. The sacrifice had begun.

"Quick!" Snow Empress shouted, an unusual hint of urgency in her voice. "It cannot hold on much longer. Begin immediately!"

Yi Hongchen did not dare waste even a moment. He immediately sat cross-legged before the ice bear, closed his eyes, and circulated his soul power, linking his aura with the bear's.

In an instant, a vast force surged into his body like a tidal wave!

It was the rich energy the ice bear had accumulated over its entire life, carrying biting cold and wild strength. Like a burst dam, it came rushing in.

Yi Hongchen's body shook violently. A thin layer of frost instantly formed over his skin, and even the breath from his nose and mouth turned into thick icy mist.

Behind him, the phantom of the Riftblade Giant Toad silently emerged. The giant toad opened its enormous mouth and greedily devoured the soul power pouring into Yi Hongchen's body. Metallic gleams flickered across its blue-gray form.

The Riftblade Giant Toad's sharpness of metal and strength attributes clashed fiercely with the ice bear's sharpness of ice and strength attributes within Yi Hongchen's body. Bit by bit, he guided the two powers into slowly merging.

Two yellow, two purple, and three black—seven soul rings spun around him, their light flowing as an eighth soul ring gradually condensed into shape.

The soul ring was black as ink, deep as an abyss, radiating a terrifying pressure. Its age was around eighty-five thousand years.

Snow Empress withdrew her gaze from Yi Hongchen, believing he would have no problem, then turned to Yan Hongchen and raised a hand toward the massive block of ice containing several frozen soul beasts.

"The soul beasts you need are over there. Which one do you want? I will make it willingly offer itself as a sacrifice. You need not worry about its age."

Yan Hongchen nodded and summoned his martial soul. The Phantom Water Spirit Toad silently appeared and landed on his shoulder.

The Glazed Rainbow Eyes abruptly lit up. As their light flowed, the figures of the soul beasts frozen within the transparent ice block came into view—deep-blue hermit crabs, silver-glinting fish...

Just as he examined them one by one, a clear ripple suddenly came from his spiritual sea.

It was the Phantom Water Spirit Toad's thought, carrying a rare hint of excitement. "Master, choose that crab with the conch shell."

Yan Hongchen instinctively asked in his mind, "Why?"

"It is very special." There was a certain conviction in the Phantom Water Spirit Toad's voice. "I can sense that this soul beast is highly compatible with me, and it has other treasures as well. Choose it. It will give you a surprise."

A thought stirred in Yan Hongchen's heart. He did not ask further, instead turning his gaze to the soul beast. It was a hermit crab of deep azure all over, its translucent body seemingly formed from the purest seawater, with tiny motes of light faintly visible flowing within.

It carried a gradient-colored spiral conch upon its back. The shell transitioned ring by ring from a profound inky blue at its base to a pure sky blue at its opening.

Yan Hongchen stepped forward and pointed at it. "Senior Snow Empress, I choose it."

Snow Empress glanced at him without asking anything or attempting to stop him. She raised her hand and placed it back upon the enormous block of ice.

Her palm pressed against the ice, and without any visible exertion, the hard frozen mass melted away soundlessly.

The ice layer receded like an ebbing tide, freeing the hermit crab soul beast within. It fell to the ground.

It seemed not to have realized what had happened. Its translucent body emerged, and its pair of deep-blue eyes looked around blankly.

Snow Empress lowered her gaze to it. Her voice rang out, cold and commanding, each word carrying an unquestionable pressure:

"Gathering Source Crystal Crab."

The soul beast's body jolted violently.

"By the authority of the lord of the Extreme North Icefield, I command you—"

Snow Empress's voice was not loud, yet it seemed to resound from every direction at once. Every word contained supreme pressure, freezing even the air around them.

"Sacrifice yourself to him!"

The Gathering Source Crystal Crab began to tremble violently. This was submission from deep within its bloodline, from the origin of its soul. No soul beast could defy the decree of the Heavenly King of the Extreme North.

Its deep-blue eyes slowly turned toward Yan Hongchen. There was no anger or unwillingness in its gaze, only the calm acceptance of fate. It knew its destiny had already been decided.

Yan Hongchen took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged. The Phantom Water Spirit Toad crawled down from his body and silently stared at the Gathering Source Crystal Crab across from it.

The Phantom Water Spirit Toad let out a soft call. The Gathering Source Crystal Crab's body trembled slightly, and a brilliant radiance suddenly erupted from within it. The sacrificial formation—opened!

The light spread in all directions like a tide, enveloping Yan Hongchen and the Gathering Source Crystal Crab at once. Wherever it passed, countless intricate patterns appeared upon the ice, crisscrossing and slowly flowing over the snow and frost.

Yan Hongchen only felt a vast, warm energy pouring into his body from all directions. It was incomparably pure, carrying the depth of flowing water and the liveliness of vital essence. Like an invisible river, it seeped in through every pore of his body, rushing and flowing through his meridians.

The energy split into three portions. One flowed into the Phantom Water Spirit Toad, becoming nourishment for its growth.

One merged into his sea of consciousness, making that newly opened ocean even broader and deeper.

The remaining portion circulated through his meridians and throughout his entire body, nourishing his flesh and bones. Wherever the warm current passed, every cell rejoiced, greedily absorbing this gift.

Time slowly passed. One hour... three hours... five hours!

Wind and snow howled and swirled outside the sacrificial formation, yet they could never breach the domain enveloped in light.

Then, at a certain moment, the dazzling halo covering dozens of yards around them slowly converged toward the center like receding seawater, bit by bit pouring entirely into Yan Hongchen's body.

He opened his eyes. Beneath him was a pitch-black soul ring, dark as ink and deep as an abyss—a ten-thousand-year soul ring!

His first soul ring had just surpassed ten thousand years. Level twenty—achieved!