"I'll settle my people first before leaving with you. Let me out for now."
After reaching an agreement with Yao Shi, the Ice Empress had him send her out of the Pure Land.
"Wait a moment."
With a thought from Yao Shi, the two of them instantly returned to the snowy field from before. Seeing the low-year Ice Jade Scorpions sprawled all over the ground, the Ice Empress shot Yao Shi a resentful glare.
Yao Shi was too embarrassed to say much. He awkwardly scratched his head, then raised his hand and cast a healing spell on them.
Under the emerald radiance, the scorpions slowly awoke. Upon seeing the Ice Empress, they all prostrated themselves before her.
The Ice Empress merely said indifferently, "Follow me back to the valley. Once I've arranged a few things, I'll leave the Far North."
After saying that, she grabbed Yao Shi and leaped into the air, carrying him toward her territory. The dozens of Ice Jade Scorpions scuttled swiftly over the snow after them.
Heaven Dou City, within the Ironblood Sect.
Blue-black vines danced through the sky like enormous pythons, endlessly devouring the life force of the Ironblood Sect's two-ring and three-ring disciples.
"Heh heh heh, kill! Kill! Kill!"
Amid a sea of blood, Tang Ya's sickly smiling face appeared before the Ironblood Sect's disciples and elders. Her laughter sounded especially eerie at that moment.
"E-Evil Soul Master!"
"That person is an Evil Soul Master!"
A five-ring elder of the Ironblood Sect stared at Tang Ya in shock.
The other disciples were terrified upon hearing the elder's words. Their faces twisted with fear, and some had even wet themselves.
"Evil Soul Master?"
Tang Ya raised her fingers to stroke her cheeks, her voice filled with infatuation.
I'm no Evil Soul Master. This—
This is the supreme opportunity my master bestowed upon me!
This is Abundance. I am granting you eternal life on my master's behalf!
Come, let all things assimilate and become one with me!
As Tang Ya spoke, Dark Blue Silver Grass lashed out at the elders and disciples.
"Don't, don't kill me!"
When one disciple saw a strand of Blue Silver Grass extending toward him, his legs gave out beneath him. He collapsed and desperately crawled backward.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Plunder Assimilation." Tang Ya's icy voice rang out.
The Dark Blue Silver Grass bound several disciples, continuously drawing out their life force to strengthen Tang Ya and replenish her losses.
Yet those disciples whose life force had been drained did not die immediately. Instead, they collapsed to the ground, then—
Their bodies slowly twisted into the shape of branches and trunks before gathering together, one, two...
No one knew how many bodies, drained of life force and warped into branches, continued to join together until they finally formed a tree over four meters tall. Several fruits hung from its branches.
The number... perfectly matched the number of disciples Tang Ya had killed.
"Monster! You're nothing but a monster!"
Witnessing this, the elder who was still stubbornly resisting was consumed by rage and kept cursing Tang Ya.
Tang Ya ignored him and shouted coldly, "Tie Li, Tie Tang, get out here!"
Her voice echoed through the now somewhat empty sect grounds. The Ironblood Sect had originally possessed over two hundred disciples and elders, but half had now been killed by Tang Ya. Her Soul Power had also reached level 45.
At that moment, an angry shout rang out.
"Hmph, a mere four-ring little girl dares slaughter so many disciples of my Ironblood Sect? You have chosen death!"
Looking up, they saw a middle-aged man descending from the air while carrying someone in one hand. He was Tie Li, the Ironblood Sect's master, a six-ring Soul Emperor. The person he held was naturally his son, Tie Tang, also a four-ring Soul Ancestor. He had taken his son out that day to hunt for his fourth soul ring, only to return and find a remnant of the Tang Sect attacking their sect.
"Sect Master, Young Sect Master, you've returned."
The Soul King elder was thrilled upon seeing the two appear.
Tie Li carried Tie Tang over to the elder and asked, "Elder Wang, tell me what happened."
The elder pointed at Tang Ya, his voice agitated. "Sect Master, an Evil Soul Master! This person is an Evil Soul Master! Before you returned, she had already killed more than a hundred of our sect's disciples!"
"Oh? An Evil Soul Master? Perfect. Let me test out my fourth soul skill."
Young Sect Master Tie Tang immediately grew interested, cracking his knuckles.
Elder Wang's tone became anxious. "Young Sect Master, you absolutely must not! Without the Sect Master taking action, how can we possibly contend with such a terrifying Evil Soul Master?"
Tie Tang gave a disdainful laugh. "Simple. She's just a trash Evil Soul Master with Blue Silver Grass. I'll handle her myself."
After saying that, his aura surged. His Iron Arm Bear Martial Soul instantly possessed him, and he charged toward Tang Ya in a single stride.
Elder Wang was still anxious. "Sect Master, is this really all right? She's an Evil Soul Master!"
Tie Li answered blandly, "It's fine. Evil Soul Masters vary in strength. Mere Blue Silver Grass is nothing worth mentioning."
Tang Ya remained unmoved as Tie Tang charged toward her. Just as he came within two steps of her—
Tang Ya suddenly sprang forward. Seizing the moment, she grabbed Tie Tang by the head and refined him in an instant!
The soul skill Plunder Assimilation, granted to Tang Ya by the fourth soul ring Yao Shi had given her, allowed her to drain all life force from living beings without relying on Blue Silver Grass and permanently solidify her opponents as fruits on a tree trunk.
The instant Tie Tang touched Tang Ya, he lost all ability to move and could only let her drain away his vitality.
"S-Sorry... please... let... me..."
He stammered out a plea for mercy, but Tang Ya ignored him.
Within mere seconds, his body twisted into branches like those disciples before him. Tang Ya then casually tossed him aside, and he became part of the tree that had formed earlier.
After absorbing a four-ring soul master, Tang Ya's Soul Power rose to level 46.
"My son!!"
Watching his son's life force be drained away before his very eyes, the Ironblood Sect Master erupted in fury. Six soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—appeared instantly as he roared in rage.
"Demoness, die! Give me back my son's life!!"
His son's Martial Soul was the Iron Arm Bear, so naturally, his was as well.
Tang Ya was still only at Four Rings. Facing the Soul Emperor-level Ironblood Sect Master, she was naturally too slow to react. A single palm strike sent her flying dozens of meters before she slammed heavily into a wall.
At that moment, a palm-sized chunk of flesh was missing from Tang Ya's shoulder, bright red blood streaming from the wound. The impact against the wall had also injured her internal organs, and she violently spat out a mouthful of blood.
Her blood continued to flow, staining the ground around her into a pool of crimson.
What was unbelievable was that the missing flesh on Tang Ya's shoulder was visibly regenerating on its own.
Watching her body constantly repair itself, Tang Ya burst into frenzied laughter. "Hahahahahaha!" It was laughter born from genuine joy, but to the Ironblood Sect Master and elders, it sounded exceptionally chilling.
Coldness and sickness intertwined. Tie Li felt that the four-ring girl before him was making even him, a Soul Emperor, feel a chill in his heart.
As expected of the power bestowed by my master.
Offer the body as sacrifice, receive eternal life in return.
The Power of Abundance truly was a divine miracle!
Before you continue