Blood Feud of the Far North

Ice Soul Ghost Shadow silently stared at Meng Xuanji as he flipped through the documents, his expression growing increasingly grim.

That near-deathly silence was not broken until Meng Xuanji spoke.

"You were captured in the Far North?"

"That wasn't capture. That was abandoning darkness for the light." Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's expression darkened further.

Was there anyone who exposed another person's dirty laundry so blatantly?

"Abandoning darkness for the light... into a mirror. Heh, that's certainly novel."

"You came here looking for trouble, didn't you?"

"Don't get angry, Mr. Ghost Shadow. I just finished reading all the information you gave me. Your abilities would indeed be very helpful to me."

At those words, Ice Soul Ghost Shadow secretly began to feel hopeful.

"So?"

"So I'm afraid I can't subdue you too early. Otherwise, there's a good chance your power would possess me."

"Tch, boring. I'm leaving."

Seeing that Meng Xuanji had no intention of subduing him, Ice Soul Ghost Shadow did not press the matter and prepared to fly back into his mirror.

"Wait."

"What else is it?"

Ice Soul Ghost Shadow stopped before the mirror and looked back.

"My soul rings truly have no vacant slots at the moment, but my shadow can remain in the Mystic Ice Illusion Mirror in your place."

Ice Soul Ghost Shadow shot in front of Meng Xuanji. The two balls of ghostfire blazed like a pair of massive lightbulbs.

"Is that true?!"

"Of course. But you'll need to sign this first."

Meng Xuanji took out a Symbiotic Contract written with the Symbiotic Blood Lotus.

"As long as you agree to its terms, I am naturally willing to exchange my shadow for your freedom."

"Let me see it."

The contract in Meng Xuanji's hand flew out of thin air and slipped into the mirror that sealed Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's true body.

A moment later, a miserable curse rang out from within.

"Are you treating me like a pig to be toyed with?! Is this even a contract for a person to sign?!"

Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's true body forcibly broke free of the mirror's restraints, but before he could reach Meng Xuanji, pairs of icy hands tore him back inside.

"I'll never sign it! Whoever signs it is a dog!"

With that, the contract was thrown back out.

Meng Xuanji folded his arms across his chest and looked arrogantly at the enraged Ice Soul Ghost Shadow.

"Freedom has this price with me. I never make a losing deal. If you don't want it, I naturally won't force you."

Meng Xuanji turned around without hesitation.

"Until we meet again."

Tap, tap, tap.

Meng Xuanji's footsteps gradually faded away.

Then the Symbiotic Blood Lotus's mocking voice suddenly rang beside Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's ears.

"Hehe, I'm going outside to bask in the sun and eat delicious food, while you can stay nice and cozy in this ice coffin, old friend. Don't worry, I'll come see you often in the future. Once I make it big, bringing in a few pretty little girls to keep you company won't be a problem either. Hahaha."

After taunting him to his face, the Symbiotic Blood Lotus withdrew its spiritual power. Its true body lay on Meng Xuanji's shoulder and blissfully drifted into dreams.

Sunlight, blood, endless treasure, and a status above countless others.

Sooner or later, all of it will belong to me. As long as those few bastards don't compete with me, I'll soon return to my former wonderful life.

Just as Meng Xuanji reached the tunnel exit of the forbidden books section, a piercing cold wind whooshed before him and condensed into a thick wall of ice.

"Wait."

Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's ghostfire avatar flew over from behind.

"What? Are you trying to trap me here?"

"No, I've thought it through. I can go with you, but you must promise me one thing."

Faced with the Symbiotic Blood Lotus's merciless mockery, Ice Soul Ghost Shadow had come to a realization. Rather than remain in this sunless place and have his strength worn away day and night, he might as well decisively sell his soul.

Better short pain than long pain. He would take this losing deal!

"Fine. I knew you'd come around. What condition?"

"Once you break through to Titled Douluo, you must return to the Far North with me and kill our way back in. I want revenge."

"If those two lunatics hadn't blocked my escape route back then, how could Qian Daoliu possibly have captured me? I was only one step away from escaping!"

Meng Xuanji did not need to guess who the two lunatics Ice Soul Ghost Shadow referred to were.

Other than the two Ice and Snow Emperors, who were also hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, probably no one could have stopped him.

As for Ice Bear King Xiaobai and the other Titan Blood Demon King who had appeared in the original work, their cultivation in this era was likely not yet sufficient for a battle at the Titled Douluo level. They might still have been ninety-thousand-year soul beasts on the verge of breaking through to one hundred thousand years.

As everyone knew, a powerful soul beast might gain more than one year of cultivation in a single year.

"No problem." Meng Xuanji immediately agreed.

The Ice and Snow Emperors' combat power in the Far North was indeed absurdly strong, but that was a long time in the future. Meng Xuanji felt it was better to stabilize Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's emotions first.

"Then change the contents of the contract. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll go back on your word."

However, Ice Soul Ghost Shadow was no fool. He would not trust Meng Xuanji's words alone.

"That, I can't do." Meng Xuanji spread his hands. "I don't even know who your enemies are. The fact that I'm willing to promise to help you take revenge is already more than generous enough. What if, on the day I break through to Titled Douluo, you tell me your enemies are two million-year soul beasts? Wouldn't you be screwing me over?"

"Unless you can guarantee that your enemies won't reach the level of Super Douluo before I break through to Titled Douluo, agreeing to you now would be a complete loss for me."

"This..." Ice Soul Ghost Shadow hesitated.

With those two women's talent, how could their cultivation possibly stop rising? If one of them devoured the other, she might even reach six hundred thousand years of cultivation.

He truly could not make that promise to Meng Xuanji.

"I can't guarantee that," Ice Soul Ghost Shadow admitted honestly.

Anything written into the contract carried immense binding force. Lying now would only be like lifting a rock to smash his own foot.

"But I truly need revenge. No matter how powerful those two become in the future, I must kill them with my own hands! It is the only obsession keeping me alive."

"As long as you promise me, I'm willing to do anything for you. I'll even be your dog if I have to."

"That won't be necessary. I'm not as dark as you think. How about this? As long as you provide enough value during my path of growth, I'll agree to help you take revenge. What do you say?"

"Enough value? How much is enough?"

Meng Xuanji chuckled. "Enough that you believe it would be worth making me act against your enemies to repay the karma I owe you."

"Fine, it's a deal!"

In Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's view, there truly was no more effective plan than this.

After all, the Symbiotic Contract had been written by Meng Xuanji. To be honest, he did not truly trust the promises Meng Xuanji had written into it.

Since that was the case, he could only gamble on Meng Xuanji's conscience and judgment.

Ice Soul Ghost Shadow believed that his abilities were beyond reproach across the continent.

As long as Meng Xuanji was not an idiot, he would surely help him take revenge in order to obtain those abilities. Of that, he was absolutely convinced.

"Then please replace my shadow, Mr. Ghost Shadow. I believe our cooperation will be most pleasant."

That old fox's smile appeared on Meng Xuanji's face once more.

He loved Ice Soul Ghost Shadow's abilities from the bottom of his heart and needed them desperately.

But correspondingly, countless risks hid behind those abilities. If not for the Symbiotic Contract as his trump card, Meng Xuanji truly would not have dared take Ice Soul Ghost Shadow out.

"Two of the Eight Supreme Dark Evils are now mine. My grand ambition is not far away."