Holy Soul Village

"Ugh..."

Ye Feng let out a muffled groan, fine sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

The energy impact of a thousand-year Soul Ring far surpassed that of a hundred-year one. Even with his current physique, he felt his meridians swelling with pain.

Yet amid the pain, his Soul Power was also rising rapidly.

Level thirteen...

Level fourteen...

[Upgrade Refund] activated!

Level fifteen!

"It worked!"

Ye Feng stood up, feeling the surging Soul Power within him.

Level fifteen, along with a thousand-year Soul Ring skill—such a tangible improvement put him in an excellent mood.

With a thought, he summoned the Nether Karma Fire Phoenix.

The air around him warped as a crimson-gold phoenix phantom soared into the sky. Its tail feathers trailed dark-purple flowing fire, illuminating the surroundings as brightly as day.

There was no noticeable change in the Martial Soul's appearance, but Ye Feng could feel that its flames seemed even more scorching.

"Let's test the first Soul Skill."

With a thought from Ye Feng, the first Soul Ring rose beneath his feet, its deep purple light flickering faintly.

"First Soul Skill—Hellfire Meteor!"

As his words fell, the phoenix phantom violently beat its wings, sending dozens of crimson-gold fireballs crashing toward the open ground ahead like meteors.

"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

The fireballs were not particularly fast, but their flight paths were erratic, carrying an eerie sense of locking onto their prey.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The fireballs struck the tree trunks one after another. Rather than exploding violently, they clung to them like viscous magma, burning and eroding them madly.

In the blink of an eye, several dead trees as thick as bowls were burned through with charred holes. They creaked miserably before crashing down.

The crimson-gold flames did not extinguish. They continued spreading through the dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground, only slowly dissipating after turning the area into scorched earth.

"Area-of-effect damage, with sustained burning and erosion... Not bad."

Rubbing his chin, Ye Feng evaluated it. "Its flight speed is a little slow, but it can track targets through spiritual power, which makes up for that weakness."

He turned and called toward the empty space beside him, "Snow Empress, what do you think of my Soul Skill?"

Snowflakes silently gathered in the air, and Snow Empress's breathtaking figure emerged.

She glanced at the scorched ground, her tone calm. "Acceptable. The nature of its flames is extremely high. An ordinary Soul Elder would find it difficult to break free once touched."

"So I can already threaten a Soul Elder?"

Ye Feng's eyes lit up.

But on second thought, he possessed Ultimate Fire. It was only natural for him to fight above his level.

Looking up at the darkening sky, Ye Feng decided to make do in the forest for the night and set off again the next morning.

"Snow Empress, is there a river or something nearby?"

"To the west. Eight li."

"Got it."

Following Snow Empress's directions, Ye Feng headed west. Before long, he saw a babbling stream.

Watching the fish shadows swimming beneath the water's surface, Ye Feng unconsciously swallowed.

He had eaten dry rations for a week. Today, he could finally have meat.

Ye Feng swiftly rolled up his pant legs and stepped into the cool stream with a splash.

The stream was shallow and crystal clear. Several plump Green-Scaled Fish leisurely swished their tails, utterly unaware of the approaching danger.

"You'll do!"

His gaze locked onto the largest one. A pebble quietly appeared in his right hand, and he flicked his wrist.

"Whoosh!"

The pebble struck the fish squarely on the head.

Water splashed across the surface, and the unlucky fish floated up belly-first.

"Hehe, extra food tonight!"

Ye Feng repeated the process. By the time he climbed ashore, he held two plump Green-Scaled Fish in each hand.

"One grilled, one steamed, and the remaining two for tomorrow."

He picked a flat stretch of riverbank and quickly built a crude stone stove.

Skilfully gutting one fish, he skewered it on a sharpened wooden branch. With a flip of his palm, crimson-gold flames burst forth with a puff, hovering above the stone stove and steadily radiating heat.

The fish quickly turned golden beneath the flames, sizzling as oil seeped out. After he sprinkled on a handful of special seasoning, the fragrance drifted with the wind.

As Ye Feng turned the grilled fish, he tilted his head toward the empty space beside him.

"Snow Empress, do you want some? It's freshly grilled and smells amazing!"

Snowflakes silently gathered in the air, and Snow Empress's cold, graceful figure appeared.

Her gaze shifted slightly, falling on the fish skewer before moving to Ye Feng's expectant face. She gently shook her head. "No need. Spirits of heaven and earth have no need to consume mortal food."

"Come on, just try it!"

Ye Feng held the skewer closer. "Think of it as experiencing human life? If it doesn't taste good, I'll never bring it up again!"

Snow Empress looked at the grilled fish before her. After a moment of silence, she finally accepted it.

She lowered her head to inspect the golden, crispy fish, then hesitantly leaned closer and took a very small bite.

Amid the crackling of the campfire, Snow Empress's movements visibly stopped.

Ye Feng pretended to focus on grilling his own portion, though he secretly glanced over from the corner of his eye.

Snow Empress stared at the fish in her hand, her sapphire eyes widening slightly. Then she silently took a second bite, then a third... Her movements remained elegant, but her speed had clearly increased.

Before long, an entire fish was reduced to nothing but a clean skeleton.

"Well? Is it good?" Ye Feng asked expectantly.

In his previous life, he had been an avid fisherman. Not only was he good at catching fish, but he was absolutely exceptional at cooking them.

Snow Empress gently placed the fish bones on a nearby stone. Her face remained as cold as snow as she merely gave a quiet "Mm."

"Hehe, I'm glad you like it."

Ye Feng handed over another fish that had just finished grilling.

"You..."

"It's fine, there are still two more."

Snow Empress narrowed her icy eyes slightly and did not refuse again.

In less than ten minutes, the four Green-Scaled Fish had been reduced to nothing but clean skeletons.

Ye Feng lay sprawled on the grass, patting his stomach contentedly. "By the way, Snow Empress, what do you usually do in the Far North? You can't possibly cultivate every day, right?"

"Watch the snow, meditate, patrol my territory."

Snow Empress answered succinctly. After a pause, she added, "Occasionally, I listen to Bing'er talk."

"Bing'er? The Ice Empress?"

Ye Feng's eyes lit up. "Is she always by your side? What's her temper... like?"

A trace of softness flashed through Snow Empress's eyes. "She talks a lot, is impatient, but... she is good."

Ye Feng imagined one mature beauty chattering endlessly around another, and a smile appeared on his face.

"If she discovers you're gone, would she leave the Far North to look for you?"

Snow Empress froze slightly.

She had not considered that much when she left. After all, even without her, the Far North still had Bing'er.

But Ye Feng's words reminded her.

Given Bing'er's temperament, once she discovered that Snow Empress was gone, she would certainly come looking for her.

Mm...

With Xiao Bai and the others there, it should be fine...

Three days later, at the entrance of Holy Soul Village.

"Ye Feng, are you certain there is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast here?"

A flawless, beautiful figure appeared in midair, with a red-haired youth standing beside her.

"I'm sure. It's near the back mountain behind this village. Snow Empress, you can investigate it with your spiritual power." Ye Feng smiled.

His original plan had been to head to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and find Dugu Bo to enter the Immortal Herb Exchange Code.

But on second thought, this should be around the time Tang San had just entered Nuoding Academy.

That drunkard Tang Hao would definitely have followed him.

In that case, wouldn't the Blue Silver Emperor and that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone be his for the taking?