A Great Escape Through the Extreme North, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Appears

Yan Jingchuan was drenched in sweat, his features nearly twisted together.

The soul ring absorption was still at a critical stage. Jing Hongchen kept a close watch on the approaching Ice Jade Scorpions, caught in a difficult position.

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 noticed 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 had no need for soul rings from ice-attributed soul beasts, and he spent his days either researching soul tools or cultivating. His understanding of many soul beasts was only superficial.

"One of the strongest soul beast races in the Extreme North. They possess the Ultimate Ice attribute."

Looking at the exquisitely beautiful Ice Jade Scorpions, Meng Hongchen's eyes shone brightly.

As a girl, she liked these beautiful creatures very much. At the same time, as an ice-attributed Soul Master, Ultimate Ice was also the direction she pursued.

Xiao Hongchen might not have understood Ice Jade Scorpions, but as a Soul Master, he knew very well what an ultimate attribute meant.

Once an ultimate attribute had fully developed, it meant invincibility among those of the same rank. Even fighting opponents above one's level would not be difficult.

The siblings were chatting casually, but Jing Hongchen's expression remained grave.

He kept checking Yan Jingchuan's condition, praying inwardly that he would finish absorbing the soul ring soon. If this dragged on any longer, something truly would happen.

Yet reality never went as one wished.

Before long, the Ice Jade Scorpion swarm gradually arrived around the four of them. Though they did not immediately discover them, they surrounded the group completely.

An Ice Jade Scorpion with more than sixty thousand years of cultivation seemed to notice something wrong. Its pincer, as large as a human head, touched the isolation barrier Jing Hongchen had set up.

Ripples appeared out of thin air. A trace of human aura flashed for an instant, and the Ice Jade Scorpion immediately let out a shrill hiss.

Jing Hongchen's expression darkened completely. He decisively removed the concealing soul tool, releasing a pressure of soul power that firmly restrained every Ice Jade Scorpion.

Yan Jingchuan could not be disturbed right now, and Jing Hongchen did not wish to truly provoke one of the rulers of the Extreme North. He could only control these scorpions for the time being and make them behave.

Once Yan Jingchuan finished absorbing the soul ring, he would immediately take the three children and flee the Extreme North.

The 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, the amazement in his eyes was impossible to conceal.

"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 rank.

Yan Jingchuan had leaped four levels in one go. He was now a level-twenty-four Grand Soul Master. Once he completely stabilized his soul power, he would probably rise another level.

Yan Jingchuan had effectively skipped half the journey of being a Grand Soul Master. Much of this came from the soul power he had continuously accumulated before obtaining his soul ring, which had now revealed itself.

When Soul Masters reached a bottleneck, they needed to absorb a soul ring to reach the next realm. If they continued cultivating without obtaining a soul ring, their soul power would not disappear. Instead, it would keep accumulating and emerge all at once after they absorbed the soul ring.

Yet Shrek had called someone like him 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 was considered an Evil Soul Master, then Shrek could indeed be said to have rocks for brains. But with his second martial soul, the Hell Demon Puppet, reinforced by stereotypes, even Yan Jingchuan's first thought had been that he was an Evil Soul Master.

People said that an evil martial soul did not mean the Soul Master was necessarily an Evil Soul Master, but who would truly investigate what someone was like inside or what they had actually done?

The first impression given by an evil martial soul was terrifying. People naturally labeled its wielder an Evil Soul Master before forming any other judgment.

Especially under Shrek's unreasonable policy of condemning everyone with a single stroke, even those who were not Evil Soul Masters had to become one. The vicious cycle formed this way only worsened.

Yan Jingchuan did not take long during the final stage of absorbing the soul ring. He was extremely fast, as though he knew how dire their current situation was.

Soon, Yan Jingchuan opened his eyes, then froze.

Ice-blue scorpions as large as people? Emerald-green tail hooks... Ice Jade Scorpions!

When he turned and saw the swarm of Ice Jade Scorpions surrounding them, Yan Jingchuan's scalp went numb.

"Finally..."

The instant he sensed that Yan Jingchuan was finished, Jing Hongchen did not hesitate. His soul power burst forth, knocking back all the Ice Jade Scorpions as he swept up the three children and shot toward the outskirts of the Extreme North.

The Ice Jade Scorpion swarm watched Jing Hongchen's retreating figure and let out furious hisses. The aura unique to the Ice Jade Scorpion race spread outward.

Every Ice Jade Scorpion in the Extreme North sensed it.

They were transmitting information and summoning their companions.

Jing Hongchen flew at full speed, while Yan Jingchuan released a batch of spiritual interference soul tools in his place.

"Grandfather, is this really necessary? Aren't you being a little too anxious?"

Xiao Hongchen looked down at the snowfield flashing past beneath them, unable to understand.

Meng Hongchen was far sharper than Xiao Hongchen and had some understanding of the strength of the three great rulers of the Extreme North. She had already guessed why her grandfather was in such a hurry.

"Grandfather, it's the Ice Emperor, isn't it?"

Jing Hongchen had no mind to respond. As he flew at extreme speed, his spiritual power spread out to its greatest range, keeping him on high alert.

After scattering the last few interference soul tools, Yan Jingchuan answered for him.

"That's right. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, ranked second among the three great rulers of the Extreme North. It has three hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, 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 an almost reverent impression of the power of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. He could not imagine how terrifying a ferocious beast nearing four hundred thousand years would be.

Yan Jingchuan shook his head inwardly. The Ice Emperor was not even that outrageous. The Sun Moon Empire's Evil Forest was home to the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler, the Evil Emperor, ranked second among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts and possessing seven hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation.

Jing Hongchen carried the three of them out of the mixed zone and into the outskirts. At that moment, a terrifying aura entered the range of his spiritual perception from behind.

In an instant, Jing Hongchen broke out in a cold sweat.

There was no doubt about it. It was the Ice Emperor, approaching them.

Just as Jing Hongchen tried to accelerate again, he abruptly stopped. The sudden halt sent the three children swaying.

"What is it, Grandfather?"

"Dean, why did you stop?"

Jing Hongchen ignored their questions, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Yan Jingchuan followed his gaze and saw several colossal figures crash through the wind and snow.

The Titan Snow Demon King!

"ROAR!!!"

The earth-shaking roar turned Jing Hongchen's heart ice-cold.

The Titan Snow Demon King was ahead, and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion was behind. Two of the three great rulers of the Extreme North had them trapped...

An unprecedented despair engulfed him.

Yan Jingchuan's expression stiffened. Before he could recover and think of a way to break the deadlock, the sky suddenly changed!

Emerald-green light blanketed the entire sky, and the suffocating chill surged wildly. The aura of Ultimate Ice filled the air.

The Ice Emperor, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, had arrived close behind.