Yan Jingchuan was drenched in sweat, his features nearly twisted together.
The Soul Ring absorption was still at a critical stage. Jing Hongchen kept watch over the approaching Ice Jade Scorpions, caught in a difficult situation.
He deployed Soul Tools that concealed their figures and auras, hoping the Ice Jade Scorpion swarm would fail to notice anything unusual and leave quickly.
"Those are Ice Jade Scorpions!?"
Meng Hongchen spotted them once they came within a hundred meters.
"Ice Jade Scorpions? Is there anything special about them?"
Xiao Hongchen did not know much about this type of Soul Beast. He did not need Soul Rings from ice-attributed Soul Beasts, and spent his days either researching Soul Tools or cultivating, leaving his knowledge of many Soul Beasts rather superficial.
"They are one of the strongest Soul Beast races in the Extreme North. They possess the Ultimate Ice attribute."
As she watched the exquisitely beautiful Ice Jade Scorpions, a strange light flickered repeatedly in Meng Hongchen's eyes.
As a girl, she loved these beautiful creatures. At the same time, as an ice-attributed Soul Master, Ultimate Ice was also a direction she pursued.
Though Xiao Hongchen did not understand Ice Jade Scorpions, as a Soul Master, he knew very well what an ultimate attribute signified.
Once an ultimate attribute matured, it meant invincibility among those of the same rank. Challenging opponents above one's rank would not be difficult either.
The siblings chatted idly, but Jing Hongchen's expression remained grave throughout.
From time to time, he looked at Yan Jingchuan's condition, praying that he would finish absorbing the Soul Ring soon. If this dragged on any longer, something would truly happen.
Yet reality never went as one wished.
Before long, the Ice Jade Scorpion swarm slowly arrived beside the four of them. Though they did not immediately discover them, they completely surrounded them.
An Ice Jade Scorpion over sixty thousand years old seemed to sense that something was wrong. Its pincer, as large as a human head, touched the isolation barrier Jing Hongchen had set up.
Ripples suddenly spread through the air. The aura of humans flashed for an instant, and the Ice Jade Scorpion immediately let out a shriek.
Jing Hongchen's expression darkened completely. He decisively withdrew the concealing Soul Tools, and the pressure of his Soul Power surged forth, firmly restraining every Ice Jade Scorpion.
Yan Jingchuan could not be disturbed right now, and Jing Hongchen did not want to truly provoke that ruler of the Extreme North. He could only temporarily control these scorpions and make them behave for a while.
Once Yan Jingchuan completed the absorption, he would immediately flee the Extreme North with the three children.
Pain tormented Yan Jingchuan for a full three hours before the Soul Ring finally stabilized.
"Did he make it?"
Xiao Hongchen was still uncertain, while Meng Hongchen stared at Yan Jingchuan without blinking.
Jing Hongchen, who had relaxed slightly at those words, placed a hand on Yan Jingchuan's shoulder. After examining him, he made no effort to hide the astonishment in his eyes.
"He succeeded. He truly absorbed this thousand-year Soul Ring perfectly. He should be stabilizing his Soul Power now."
What astonished Jing Hongchen most was not that Yan Jingchuan had truly absorbed a Soul Ring beyond his level, but his Soul Power Level.
Yan Jingchuan had jumped four levels at once and was now a level twenty-four Soul Grandmaster. Once he completely stabilized his Soul Power, he would likely rise another level.
Yan Jingchuan had practically skipped half the journey of becoming a Soul Grandmaster. Most of it came from the Soul Power he had continuously accumulated before obtaining his Soul Ring, which had now emerged.
When Soul Masters reached a bottleneck, they needed to absorb a Soul Ring to advance to the next realm. If they continued cultivating without acquiring one, their Soul Power would not disappear. Instead, it would continue accumulating and emerge all at once after they absorbed the Soul Ring.
Shrek had actually called someone like this an Evil Soul Master and even wanted to cripple him. They truly had no eye for talent.
That was what Jing Hongchen thought. If Yan Jingchuan knew, he would probably find it hard to keep a straight face.
If a Soul Master with the Dark Sacred Dragon martial soul alone was considered an Evil Soul Master, then Shrek could indeed be said to have something wrong with its head. But with his second martial soul, the Hell Demon Puppet, reinforced by stereotypes, even Yan Jingchuan's own first thought had been that he was an Evil Soul Master.
People said that an evil martial soul did not necessarily mean the Soul Master was an Evil Soul Master, but who would delve deeply into what another person was truly like inside, or what they had actually done?
An evil martial soul gave people a terrifying first impression. They naturally branded its possessor an Evil Soul Master before anything else.
Especially under Shrek's unreasonable pressure to condemn everyone with a single blow, even those who were not Evil Soul Masters had to become them. The resulting vicious cycle only grew worse and worse.
Yan Jingchuan did not take long during the final stage of Soul Ring absorption. It was remarkably swift, as though he knew how dire their current situation was.
Soon, Yan Jingchuan opened his eyes, then froze.
An ice-blue scorpion as large as a person? An emerald-green tail hook... Ice Jade Scorpions!
When he turned and saw the Ice Jade Scorpion swarm surrounding them, Yan Jingchuan felt his scalp go numb.
"Finally..."
Sensing that Yan Jingchuan was done, Jing Hongchen did not hesitate in the slightest. His Soul Power erupted, knocking back all the Ice Jade Scorpions as he swept up the three children and rushed toward the outskirts of the Extreme North.
The Ice Jade Scorpion swarm watched Jing Hongchen's retreating figure and let out furious shrieks. The unique aura of the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan spread outward.
Every Ice Jade Scorpion in the Extreme North sensed it.
They were relaying information and summoning their companions.
Jing Hongchen flew at full speed, while Yan Jingchuan released a batch of Mental Interference Soul Tools in his place.
"Grandfather, is this really necessary? Aren't we being a little too hasty?"
Looking down at the snowfield flashing past beneath them, Xiao Hongchen could not understand.
Meng Hongchen was far sharper than Xiao Hongchen and had some understanding of the strength of the three rulers of the Extreme North. She had already guessed why her grandfather was in such a hurry.
"Grandfather, it's the Ice Empress, isn't it?"
Jing Hongchen had no mind to answer them. While flying at extreme speed, he spread his spiritual power as far as possible and remained highly alert.
After scattering the last few interference Soul Tools, Yan Jingchuan answered for him.
"That's right. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion—the one ranked second among the three rulers of the Extreme North. It has cultivation of three hundred and ninety thousand years, nearly four hundred thousand. If we don't want to become its food, we must leave as quickly as possible."
"Three hundred and ninety thousand years!"
Xiao Hongchen was stunned. As someone from the Sun Moon Empire, he already held immense reverence for the power of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. He did not dare imagine how terrifying a beast close to four hundred thousand years could be.
Yan Jingchuan shook his head inwardly. The Ice Empress was not even that outrageous. The Evil Forest of the Sun Moon Empire housed the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler, the Evil Emperor—ranked second among the ten great fierce beasts and possessing seven hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation.
Jing Hongchen carried the three of them out of the mixed region and into the outer region. At that moment, a terrifying aura entered the range of his spiritual perception from behind.
In a single instant, Jing Hongchen broke out in a cold sweat.
There was no doubt that it was the Ice Empress. It was approaching them.
Jing Hongchen, who had wanted to accelerate once more, abruptly stopped. The sudden halt sent the three of them swaying.
"What is it, Grandfather?"
"Dean, why did you stop?"
Jing Hongchen ignored their questions, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Following his gaze, Yan Jingchuan saw several colossal figures tear through the blizzard.
The Titan Snow Demon King!
"ROAR!!!"
The earth-shaking roar turned Jing Hongchen's heart ice-cold.
The Titan Snow Demon King stood ahead, and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion pursued from behind. Two of the three rulers of the Extreme North had blocked them in...
An unprecedented despair engulfed him.
Yan Jingchuan's expression froze. Before he could recover and think of a way out, the sky changed abruptly!
Emerald-green light filled the entire sky, while the suffocating chill surged wildly and the aura of Ultimate Ice permeated the air.
The Ice Empress, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, had arrived right behind them.
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