Yang Wudi's Soul-Breaking Spear appeared in his hand, wreathed in black flames as he thrust it at the Ice Jade Scorpion.
The Ice Jade Scorpion sensed the danger and reacted swiftly.
A Ten-Thousand-Year soul beast already possessed considerable intelligence. Naturally, it would not sit still and await death.
Countless ice spikes condensed and shot toward Yang Wudi.
These were no ordinary ice spikes. They had been formed from Ultimate Ice, making them extremely difficult to destroy and immensely powerful.
Yang Wudi did not defend at all.
The Soul-Breaking Spear emphasized offense without defense, an unstoppable advance.
He did not need to defend, because Dugu Bo had his back.
With a sweep of Dugu Bo's hand, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's tail lashed out and sent every ice spike flying.
Yang Wudi reached the Ice Jade Scorpion and thrust his spear forward.
The spear tip collided with the Ice Jade Scorpion's massive pincer, erupting in a shower of sparks.
Enhanced by the Black Jade Divine Bamboo, Yang Wudi's Soul-Breaking Spear had become even sharper. One thrust pierced through the Ice Jade Scorpion's massive pincer.
The Ice Jade Scorpion howled in pain and flew into a furious rage.
It swung its two pincers, relentlessly attacking Yang Wudi.
Yang Wudi did not indulge it either, swinging the Soul-Breaking Spear in counterattack.
Basic attacks interspersed with regular strikes—one focused on high damage from the first thrust, then even greater damage from the second.
As a man capable of facing a Titled Douluo head-on, how could Yang Wudi possibly lose to a mere twenty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion?
The Ice Jade Scorpion race indeed possessed formidable combat talent, but it could not bridge such a vast gap in strength.
An ordinary twenty-thousand-year soul beast was merely comparable to an average Soul Emperor.
But defeating an overpowered Soul Douluo like Yang Wudi was nothing more than a fantasy, pure wishful thinking.
Thus, the Ice Jade Scorpion was beaten back again and again in the very first exchange.
Unlike the Ice Jade Scorpion, which was steadily losing ground, Yang Wudi grew more fired up the longer he fought. The Soul-Breaking Spear in his hand moved so fast that it left afterimages.
More than a dozen wounds of varying sizes had appeared across the Ice Jade Scorpion's body, blood flowing from them.
To keep the heavy scent of blood from attracting other soul beasts, Dugu Bo simply released a cloud of poisonous mist that enveloped the area.
He stood beside Bing Yekong, ensuring that Bing Yekong would not be affected by the poison mist. This was not a game—area attacks did not distinguish friend from foe.
Yang Wudi did not need to worry about being poisoned. He had the Aromatic Silk Beauty on him, rendering all poisons ineffective.
The Ice Jade Scorpion before them, however, had not cultivated enough. Under Dugu Bo's full-force poison, it was inevitably affected, and its combat strength declined.
Harassed by Dugu Bo, the Ice Jade Scorpion began to struggle in its fight against Yang Wudi.
Already at a disadvantage in cultivation, the Ice Jade Scorpion now found itself in an even more miserable state.
With Yang Wudi's frontal offense and Dugu Bo's poison disrupting it from the side, the Ice Jade Scorpion's defeat was certain.
"Come on, Yekong!"
At Yang Wudi's loud shout, Bing Yekong raised the Tianshuang Sword and charged forward.
"Third Soul Skill, Tianshuang Slash!"
The third purple Soul Ring beneath Bing Yekong's feet lit up, and a massive sword aura slashed toward the Ice Jade Scorpion.
Its physical penetration allowed him to easily sever the creature's head, ending the Ice Jade Scorpion's life.
As the Ice Jade Scorpion's vitality faded away, an ink-black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring slowly formed above its corpse.
The instant the Soul Ring took shape, endless pressure swept in alongside a howling icy wind.
Bing Yekong was completely unafraid. Sword aura surged around him, carrying sword intent as it shattered all the pressure.
He came before the Ice Jade Scorpion's corpse, sat down cross-legged, and began absorbing its Soul Ring.
As the first Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring of his life, Bing Yekong was exceptionally excited.
Circulating his Soul Power, he guided the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring as it slowly settled around his body.
The instant the Soul Ring enveloped him, terrifying Ultimate Ice-attributed Soul Power surged into his meridians like seawater rushing in after a tsunami.
The Soul Power rampaged through his meridians, bringing no small amount of strain to Bing Yekong's body.
But Bing Yekong could no longer be judged by the standards of an ordinary Quasi-Soul Ancestor.
Even a Soul Emperor could not compare to the strength of his body.
That was why he dared to absorb the Soul Ring of a twenty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion.
Especially with the support of his two Ultimate Ice origins, the Ice Jade Scorpion's little bit of Ultimate Ice was simply insignificant.
At the same time, within Bing Yekong's Sea of Spirit.
A phantom of an Ice Jade Scorpion slowly condensed, its eyes glaring at Bing Yekong with rage.
It was this human before it who had taken its life. It hated this human deeply.
Resentment surged around the Ice Jade Scorpion's phantom as it charged at Bing Yekong's spiritual body.
In the Ice Jade Scorpion's view, Bing Yekong had only managed to kill it with his elders' protection. His spiritual power surely could not compare with its remnant soul.
Bing Yekong smiled faintly. "Come on. Who's afraid of who?!"
Behind Bing Yekong's spiritual body, the phantom of the Ice Dragon King slowly emerged.
An impassioned dragon roar resounded throughout the entire Sea of Spirit.
Upon hearing that dragon roar, the Ice Jade Scorpion's remnant soul nearly failed to maintain its form and almost dispersed.
It no longer dared to advance, instead trembling all over as it stared at the Ice Dragon King's phantom.
This Ice Jade Scorpion had naturally never seen the Ice Dragon King, but the suppression originating from deep within its bloodline filled it with fear.
Forget it—even if the Ice Empress herself came, upon seeing the Ice Dragon King in a soul state, she would have to kneel.
That was the difference in rank, an unavoidable suppression.
All ice-attributed soul beasts, including the Snow Empress, had to kneel upon seeing the Ice Dragon King.
Just like that, under the Ice Dragon King's pressure, Bing Yekong wielded the Tianshuang Sword and erased the Ice Jade Scorpion's remnant soul with a single slash.
With the threat of spiritual backlash gone, Bing Yekong only needed his body to withstand this Soul Ring.
An hour later, Bing Yekong's absorption of the Soul Ring was nearing its end.
His Soul Power also began soaring along with the absorbed Soul Ring and the remaining medicinal power he had yet to fully refine.
Level forty-one.
Level forty-two.
Level forty-three.
He stopped only after rising all the way to level forty-seven.
If not for his two ultimate-attributed martial souls, an ordinary Soul Master who absorbed it like this could already set off to seek a fifth Soul Ring.
Bing Yekong opened his eyes, stood, and stretched his limbs.
After absorbing the Soul Ring and the immortal herb, Bing Yekong's body had developed considerably. He was now nearly as tall as Yang Wudi.
"How was it, Yekong? How much did your Soul Power increase, and what's your Soul Skill?"
Yang Wudi and Dugu Bo asked in unison.
Bing Yekong looked at the two of them, a mysterious smile curling across his lips.
The Tianshuang Sword appeared in Bing Yekong's hand.
Then four Soul Rings appeared: yellow, purple, purple, and black.
"Bing Yekong, martial soul Tianshuang Sword, level forty-seven Assault-type Battle Soul Ancestor!"
"Level forty-seven?!"
Yang Wudi exclaimed.
Dugu Bo's expression also turned astonished.
He had broken through seven levels in one go. Was he really still human?
"As for my fourth Soul Skill, I'll demonstrate it for you."
Then Bing Yekong walked over to Dugu Bo.
Before you continue