Encounter with "Snow Empress"

No sooner had the words fallen than a rapid rustling came from the bushes.

The next moment, an ice-blue figure suddenly shot out, swift as lightning, pouncing straight at Ling Tianchen in the center of the group.

"A seven-hundred-year Ice Swift Bird!"

Ling An recognized the soul beast at once, but he did not rush to act.

With him present, a soul beast of this level could not possibly cause any trouble.

"What a pity."

Ling Luochan sighed softly.

"According to the records in the books, the maximum absorption limit for a first soul ring is only four hundred and twenty-three years. If this Ice Swift Bird had two hundred fewer years of cultivation, it would have been perfect for my little brother."

Ling Tianchen secretly shook his head.

Yu Xiaogang's theories might apply to ordinary soul masters.

But how could he, who possessed the bloodline of the Phoenix God King, be lumped together with ordinary people?

When he had the chance later, he would have to slowly correct his sister's thinking.

Looking at the Ice Swift Bird swooping in to kill him, Ling Tianchen's lips curved slightly.

"A mere ice bird dares to challenge a phoenix? Let me deal with this insolent little bird."

The Ice Phoenix martial soul possessed him.

Ice-blue wings abruptly unfurled, and a pressure originating from the deepest depths of his bloodline descended with a roar.

The previously ferocious Ice Swift Bird suddenly stiffened, leaving nothing but terror in its birdlike eyes.

The absolute suppression of their bloodline levels made it feel as though it were facing the king of all birds.

Forget attacking—even flying became incomparably difficult.

Bang!

The Ice Swift Bird fell straight from the air, trembling all over, unable to wield even a tenth of its strength.

Ling Tianchen lightly flapped his wings, sending an ice-blue frigid current howling forth.

In the blink of an eye, the Ice Swift Bird was completely frozen into a crystalline ice sculpture.

The entire process took only a few breaths.

Ling Luochan watched the scene, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.

"It was... that easy?"

A seven-hundred-year Ice Swift Bird possessed strength already comparable to that of an ordinary Great Soul Master.

Yet when faced with Ling Tianchen, who had only just awakened his martial soul, it could not even resist.

A trace of unease surfaced in her heart. If he could so easily kill an Ice Swift Bird in seconds, then after absorbing his first soul ring, would she no longer be a match for him either?

After all, she was only a rank thirty-four Soul Elder.

"Just luck."

Ling Tianchen gave a crooked smile, but upon noticing Ling Luochan's increasingly unfriendly gaze, he hurriedly added,

"It's only because my bloodline and attribute gave me an advantage. If it had another attribute, or if it weren't an avian soul beast, I wouldn't have won so easily."

As he spoke, he walked toward the ice sculpture and slowly raised his right hand, preparing to end the Ice Swift Bird's life.

"Wait."

Ling An reached out and stopped him.

"Tianchen, this is a soul beast more than seven hundred years old. Although you subdued it easily just now, that doesn't mean you can absorb its soul ring. We can't risk your life."

Ling Tianchen scratched his head helplessly.

"Dad, I know my own body best. A seven-hundred-year soul ring won't be a problem for me."

He knew Ling An meant well, but if he were really made to absorb a four-hundred-year soul ring, what difference would there be between that and crippling him?

Just as Ling An was still hesitating, Shui Wuyue gently took her husband's hand.

"Let Tianchen try. You and I both witnessed the phenomenon when he awakened his martial soul. He... probably can no longer be measured by the standards of an ordinary soul master."

Ling An fell silent for a moment before finally nodding slowly.

"Fine. If anything goes wrong, I'll immediately interrupt the absorption."

Having received permission, Ling Tianchen smiled faintly and was about to undo the ice seal and kill the Ice Swift Bird.

But at that very moment, the space ahead began to tremble violently without warning.

Dark cracks rapidly spread, widening more and more as dazzling blue light shone through them.

A snow-white figure slowly stepped out of the rift.

She wore a pristine snow-white gown, and her silver-white hair cascaded like a waterfall to her ankles. Her ice-blue eyes were so indifferent that they held not a trace of emotion. Merely by standing there, she caused the surrounding temperature to plummet once more.

A terrifying pressure comparable to that of an Ultimate Douluo swept over them.

"Humans, you came to the Far North to hunt soul beasts. You deserve to die!"

Ling An and Shui Wuyue's expressions changed almost simultaneously.

"Snow... Snow Empress!"

The name nearly blurted itself out.

As soul masters from the north, how could they not know the Snow Empress, foremost among the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North?

She was an existence that even human Ultimate Douluo were unwilling to provoke lightly.

Without hesitation, Ling An stepped in front of the two children. Eight soul rings rose instantly as he interlocked fingers with Shui Wuyue, their soul power rapidly merging.

But before they could unleash their martial soul fusion skill—

The Snow Empress merely lifted her eyes slightly, and an invisible spiritual ripple quietly spread outward.

In an instant, Ling An, Shui Wuyue, and Ling Luochan's gazes all turned vacant. Like puppets, they stood silently in place, completely motionless.

Only Ling Tianchen remained conscious.

The remnant divine sense of the Phoenix God King trembled slightly within his sea of consciousness, and the illusion that could have bewildered even a Titled Douluo dissolved like cream.

Ling Tianchen was inwardly shocked. What terrifying spiritual power! With just a glance, she made it impossible for my parents to even use their martial soul fusion skill.

Is this the true strength of the ruler of the Far North?

"Your Majesty Snow Empress, we never entered the Far North, and this Ice Swift Bird was not killed by us."

He still wanted to struggle. Though he could use Phoenix Rebirth to put on a fake-death act for Tianchen, his parents and sister could not. So long as there was even the slightest possibility of negotiation, he would not give up.

"Oh? You actually weren't controlled by my illusion? Interesting."

The Snow Empress slowly walked over to Ling Tianchen and examined him from head to toe.

Then, as though she had discovered something, her previously calm eyes abruptly filled with wild delight.

"It's actually the purest true phoenix bloodline! No, that's not all! It also carries the power of creation. This is practically a little Phoenix God! Hahahaha! Heaven truly favors me!"

She burst into loud laughter, no longer carrying her earlier aloof and lofty demeanor. All that remained was madness and greed.

"Who would have thought that I would encounter such an opportunity while merely coming out to evade a pursuit? Little one, I'll be taking this body of yours!"

As her words fell, the Snow Empress's figure slowly dissipated like a bubble.

A golden mist suddenly flew out from within the Snow Empress and entered Ling Tianchen's sea of consciousness directly through his forehead.

What remained behind was an unusual beast body the size of a palm.

A pair of white-jade dragon horns grew from its head, while its round nose resembled that of a little pig. Cunning light flickered in its golden vertical pupils. Its entire body was covered in pale golden fur, and a long, slender dragon tail swayed gently, with a crystalline jade pendant hanging from its tip.

At the same time, within Ling Tianchen's sea of consciousness, the golden mist swept in like a flood, covering the entire spiritual space in an instant.

It did not rush to erase Ling Tianchen's consciousness. Instead, it continuously merged its origin into the sea of consciousness, which began expanding wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In only a short while, the sea of consciousness had expanded by more than tenfold.

To it, this body would soon belong to it.

The larger it expanded the sea of consciousness, the greater the power it could bear in the future. Naturally, it would not begrudge spending this small amount of origin.