Extreme Ice Divine Phoenix Armor!

"The defense is average, and its abdomen is especially vulnerable. But its sensing range is wide. Once we get close, it will become alert."

Ye Feng paused, then turned to Shui Bing'er with a grin. "So we need to catch it off guard."

"How?"

"I'll fly us up and dive down from above. You handle the attacks, and I'll light the fire."

As Ye Feng spoke, a thought stirred in his mind, and crimson-gold flames burst forth around him.

Martial Soul Possession!

The phantom of a Fire Phoenix spread its wings behind him. Crimson-gold flames coiled around him like living creatures, enveloping his entire body.

Ye Feng's body visibly grew taller, his shoulders broader and his legs longer, his frame sharp and well-defined.

Then, a pair of Phoenix Wings formed entirely from crimson-gold flames unfurled behind him. Their span stretched nearly three meters, dark-gold light flowing along their edges.

"Let's go."

Ye Feng stepped forward and naturally wrapped an arm around Shui Bing'er's slender waist.

Shui Bing'er's body suddenly stiffened.

She felt the scorching heat from the hand at her waist. Even through her clothes, she could sense that burning power.

For no reason at all, her heartbeat skipped.

Over the years, she had had a few physical encounters with Ye Feng, but they had all been limited to touching hands.

This was the first time they had been this intimate.

Ye Feng's arm around Shui Bing'er's waist unconsciously tightened.

This waist is really slender.

He hastily suppressed that stray thought and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Focus. Prepare for battle."

The tips of Shui Bing'er's ears reddened. She gave a soft "Mm," but did not dare look up at him.

Ye Feng took a deep breath, beat his Phoenix Wings, and the two of them shot into the air.

Crimson-gold flames dragged a long tail behind them. The wind howled, and the icy mountain gale swept across their faces, blowing away some of that subtle awkwardness.

"In a moment, I'll dive to directly above it. Throw ice spikes downward and force it to dodge toward me."

Ye Feng's voice drifted through the wind. "Once it exposes an opening, I'll finish it with a Hellfire Meteor."

"Understood."

Shui Bing'er finally raised her head. The fighting spirit had returned to her ice-blue eyes.

The two circled halfway through the clouds, locking onto the unsuspecting Mystic Ice Cold Kite below.

"Go!"

Ye Feng suddenly folded his wings, plunging down like a meteor!

The crimson-gold flames stretched into a streamlined pillar of light during the high-speed descent, and the air let out a piercing boom.

The Mystic Ice Cold Kite abruptly looked up. Its ice-blue pupils shrank as it let out a sharp cry and spread its wings, preparing to take off.

"Third Soul Skill, Extreme Cold Storm!"

Shui Bing'er shouted, and her third Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

In an instant, the air within a hundred meters seemed to have been stripped of all warmth. Ice crystals poured down like a waterfall, blanketing the Mystic Ice Cold Kite from above!

"Caw—!"

The Mystic Ice Cold Kite let out a mournful cry, frantically beating its wings as it tried to break free from the ice crystals.

But the range of the Extreme Cold Storm was simply too vast. Layer after layer of ice crystals covered it, and in the blink of an eye, a thick shell of ice formed over its wings.

"Beautiful!"

Ye Feng's eyes lit up. Seizing that fleeting chance, his second Soul Ring flashed.

"Second Soul Skill, Phoenix Wings Soaring!"

Crimson-gold flames exploded behind him, propelling him into a streak of light as he charged directly at the Mystic Ice Cold Kite's abdomen!

The giant bird's pupils contracted. It tried to dodge, but the ice crystals had slowed it down. It could only watch helplessly as that crimson-gold figure drew closer and closer.

"First Soul Skill, Hellfire Meteor!"

Ye Feng clenched his right fist. Crimson-gold flames gathered in his palm into a basketball-sized fireball, dark-gold patterns flowing across its surface as he viciously smashed it into the Mystic Ice Cold Kite's soft abdomen.

Boom—!

Blazing flames erupted, instantly vaporizing the surrounding snow into white mist.

The Mystic Ice Cold Kite let out a sorrowful cry, its enormous body blasted backward by the punch.

It snapped three ice trees before crashing heavily into the snow. Its abdomen was charred black, wisps of smoke rising from it.

Shui Bing'er landed and watched the giant bird struggle twice before falling still. Her ice-blue eyes widened slightly.

"That's... taken care of?"

"What else?"

Ye Feng dispersed the flames, looking relaxed. "Did you think I was going to fight it for three hundred rounds?"

The corner of Shui Bing'er's mouth twitched. "...I just think you're too violent."

"That's called efficiency."

Ye Feng walked to the Mystic Ice Cold Kite's corpse and crouched to inspect it. "Eight thousand years of cultivation. The Soul Ring is good quality. It suits you."

He stood and gestured toward Shui Bing'er with his chin. "Come on. Put it out of its misery."

Shui Bing'er nodded, condensed an ice spike in her palm, and decisively stabbed it into the Mystic Ice Cold Kite's heart.

The giant bird gave one final twitch and completely lost its breath.

Then, a purple Soul Ring slowly rose from the corpse.

Shui Bing'er took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and circulated her Soul Power to draw in the Soul Ring.

The purple ring slowly settled around her. Ice-blue Soul Power intertwined and merged with the Soul Ring's energy, producing a faint hum.

Two hours later, the Soul Ring had completely fused into Shui Bing'er's body.

Shui Bing'er slowly opened her eyes. A sharp gleam flowed through her ice-blue eyes, and a satisfied curve unconsciously lifted her lips.

"Well?"

Ye Feng crouched nearby, resting his chin on one hand as he studied her curiously. "What's your fourth Soul Skill? Attack type or control type?"

Shui Bing'er rose to her feet and brushed the ice chips from her skirt. A trace of undisguised pride colored her tone. "It's a buff-type Soul Skill. Its name is—Extreme Ice Divine Phoenix Armor."

"Oh?"

Ye Feng's eyes brightened with interest. "That sounds impressive. Let me see it?"

Shui Bing'er did not hesitate. With a thought, her fourth Soul Ring abruptly lit up.

The ice-blue Soul Power around her suddenly surged, like cold flames being ignited, instantly condensing into a suit of Ice Crystal Battle Armor that clung closely to her curves.

The armor was entirely ice-blue and translucent, gleaming with flowing light. Two ice wings as thin as cicada wings extended from the shoulder armor, their edges glowing with frosty white chill.

Breastplate, bracers, and leg armor—every piece was present. Fine phoenix feather patterns were engraved across each plate, flickering faintly with her breathing as if alive.

Most eye-catching of all was the pair of translucent ice crystal Phoenix Wings on her back. With the slightest flutter, fine ice crystals drifted down in a soft shower.

Ye Feng: "..."

He looked her over from head to toe, then slowly raised a thumb. "Beautiful."

At Ye Feng's praise, the area around Shui Bing'er's ears turned slightly red. She continued, "After Extreme Ice Divine Phoenix Armor is activated, my defense, attack power, and speed will all greatly increase. The exact strength of the boost depends on how much Soul Power I consume."

"At the same time, while the Soul Skill lasts, the power of every ice-element Soul Skill I unleash will receive an additional thirty percent increase."

"And..."

She paused, lightly brushing her fingers over the phoenix pattern on her breastplate. "It can also make me immune to all fire-element attacks below my own Soul Power Level."