Teaching the Snow Empress! Who Is He?!

Yet beneath the heavenly screen, many Soul Masters still could not accept it.

"Seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, and she ranks above the Evil Emperor?"

"The Evil Emperor has nearly a million years of cultivation, and he wields the Light of Time and Space and the Light of Destruction."

"Even with Ultimate Ice, the Snow Empress shouldn't outrank him!"

"Could the Golden Ranking have made a mistake?"

Lines of golden text swept across the sky.

Every faction waited for the Golden Ranking to explain.

Deep in the Evil Demon Forest.

The Evil Emperor's single eye slowly opened.

Purple-black spiritual power spread through the mountains, and every nearby Evil Eye Tyrant dropped to the ground.

"Seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, yet she ranks ahead of me."

The Evil Emperor stared at the white figure on the heavenly screen.

"What makes her worthy?"

He could not accept this result.

"Unless the Snow Empress has some other means, she could never defeat me."

As his words fell.

The white blizzard on the Golden Ranking suddenly stopped.

Across a silent icefield, snowflakes hung motionless in midair.

The Snow Empress stood among the glaciers.

She raised her slender hand.

An azure ice crystal slowly turned in her palm.

Within it lay the reflection of an unfamiliar world.

Then.

The crystal shattered.

Space began to warp.

Time stopped flowing.

The blizzard, glaciers, and mountains all froze in place.

Even the light ceased to change.

Golden text appeared.

[The Snow Empress possesses a God-Given Soul Skill.]

[Soul Skill: Absolute Zero.]

[Can freeze space.]

[Can halt time.]

[Can seal Soul Power, the physical body, and Spiritual Origin.]

The instant the words appeared.

The entire continent fell silent.

A moment later.

Discussion erupted across the heavenly screen.

"A God-Given Soul Skill?"

"Absolute Zero can freeze time?"

"That's no ordinary Soul Skill!"

"No wonder the Snow Empress ranks ahead of the Evil Emperor!"

"If space and time are frozen, how can the Evil Emperor use the Light of Time and Space?"

At Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong looked up at the heavenly screen, her expression growing grave.

Inside the Papal Palace, frost spread over the surrounding stone pillars.

Her Soul Power circulated on its own, driving away the chill.

"A God-Given Soul Skill."

Bibi Dong spoke softly.

She had already obtained a Million-Year Soul Ring, greatly increasing her strength.

Yet the power displayed by Absolute Zero still made her feel threatened.

Qian Daoliu stood before the Worship Hall.

Tiny ice crystals formed along the edges of his golden robe.

His gaze lingered on that motionless world.

"Freezing space and halting time," Qian Daoliu said slowly. "That has already touched upon God Level laws."

Golden Crocodile Douluo looked grim.

"The Snow Empress has only seven hundred thousand years of cultivation. How can she wield a God Level Soul Skill?"

No one could answer.

A God-Given Soul Skill meant a god had personally bestowed that power.

But the divine inheritances on the Douluo Continent had always had clear origins.

Who had granted the Snow Empress this gift?

At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi stared at the heavenly screen for a long time without looking away.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin rested his hand on his sword hilt.

He watched the frozen icefield, his eyes grave.

"This isn't merely Ultimate Ice."

Chen Xin said, "It also contains the power of space and time."

Gu Rong's brows drew together.

"Is there a god behind the Snow Empress?"

Ning Fengzhi did not answer.

His gaze remained on the Golden Ranking.

Whoever could grant the Snow Empress such a Soul Skill had to be far beyond an ordinary god.

In the Star Dou Great Forest.

Gu Yuena stood upon the Lake of Life.

She watched Absolute Zero bring the world to a standstill, curiosity stirring in her violet eyes.

Time and space.

Even in the Divine Realm, these two powers belonged to the highest order of laws.

The Snow Empress had only seven hundred thousand years of cultivation.

She could not have comprehended the full power of space and time on her own.

Yet whoever had granted her that Soul Skill could weave those laws into it.

"God Level power."

Gu Yuena spoke softly.

Di Tian turned toward her.

"My lord, do you know who that god is?"

Gu Yuena did not answer.

She stared at Absolute Zero on the heavenly screen, feeling that familiar sensation once more.

It was not the Snow Empress's aura.

It came from the being behind her.

That being had concealed his power deeply.

But when Absolute Zero was unleashed, it had still left a trace.

The aura was connected to the Dragon Clan.

Yet it was older than the power of the Dragon Clan she remembered.

In the Evil Demon Forest.

The Evil Emperor's spiritual power pulsed through the air.

He watched the motionless world on the heavenly screen, the violet glow in his single eye gradually fading.

"A God-Given Soul Skill?"

At last, the Evil Emperor understood why the Snow Empress ranked ahead of him.

His Light of Time and Space could only disrupt the flow of space and time.

The Snow Empress's Absolute Zero could stop them outright.

The two powers were on entirely different levels.

"I cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years to attain the Spiritual Origin I have today."

The Evil Emperor stared at the Golden Ranking.

"And a single God-Given Soul Skill lets her surpass me?"

No one replied.

After a long silence, the Evil Emperor withdrew his spiritual power.

"If a god intervenes personally, I truly cannot compare."

"But that does not mean the Snow Empress herself is stronger than me."

He was unwilling to admit it.

Yet he had accepted the ranking.

A God-Given Soul Skill created a gap he could not close through cultivation alone.

Above, on the heavenly screen.

The image of Absolute Zero slowly faded.

The world began to move again.

Snow fell once more.

Among the glaciers, the Snow Empress stood alone.

Just then.

A figure approached from the distance.

He wore a black-and-gold robe.

Long hair fell past his shoulders.

His golden eyes were as calm as the depths of an abyss.

His beauty surpassed anything the world could imagine. He stood tall, his black-and-gold robe stirring gently in the blizzard.

Frost vanished on its own when it came within three feet of him.

He walked forward, step by step.

He left no footprints on the icefield.

Yet the whole world grew still at his arrival.

The Snow Empress turned.

Respect appeared in her pale blue eyes.

She raised a hand and bowed lightly.

"My lord."

At those two words.

Shock swept across the Douluo Continent once more.

"Her lord?"

"Who is that man?"

"Is he human or a Soul Beast?"

"What is his relationship with the Snow Empress?"

"Could he be the one who gave her Absolute Zero?"

At Skywater Academy.

Shui Bing'er looked up at the black-and-gold figure on the heavenly screen.

Her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul manifested on its own.

Icy blue wings spread, then quickly folded away.

The reverence rising from the depths of her bloodline made it impossible for her to look away.

Shui Yue'er opened her mouth.

"Who on earth is he?"

Shui Yuerou was watching the Golden Ranking too.

She had never seen anyone like him.

Simply standing on the icefield was enough to make the snow and frost retreat.

Long Yao sat on the ninth floor of the True Dragon Tower.

A pale blue screen floated before him.

The black-and-gold figure in the image was Long Yao himself.

Shui Bing'er turned around.

"Headmaster, do you know him?"

Long Yao lifted his teacup.

"Yes."

Something stirred in Shui Yuerou's heart.

"Is he a god?"

Long Yao did not answer right away.

The scene on the Golden Ranking continued to unfold.

He watched himself in the screen of light, his expression calm.

"He isn't a god."

Shui Bing'er's gaze shifted.

"But he can bestow God Level Soul Skills on the Snow Empress."

"Whatever gods can do, he can do as well."

Long Yao set down his teacup.

"He simply doesn't belong to the Divine Realm."

Shui Yuerou and Shui Bing'er exchanged a glance.

He did not belong to the Divine Realm, yet possessed power on the level of the gods.

The identity of this mysterious being grew ever harder to discern.

In the Star Dou Great Forest.

Gu Yuena looked up, staring at the black-and-gold figure.

That familiar aura of the Dragon Clan had never been clearer.

Her purple eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's him."

Di Tian lowered his head.

"My lord, do you know who he is?"

Gu Yuena did not answer.

She had sensed this power before.

It had been an aura emanating from the Far North.

Now, the Golden Ranking had displayed that person's figure for all the world to see.

Gu Yuena was finally certain.

He was connected to the Dragon Clan.

Moreover, the Dragon Clan power he commanded far exceeded her understanding.

As she gazed at the black-and-gold figure in the sky, genuine questions arose in her heart for the first time.

Just how long has this man lived?

And why would he help the Snow Empress?

More importantly...

Why does he feel familiar to me?

The scene in the sky continued to change.

On the ice field.

The Snow Empress stood before the black-and-gold figure.

She raised her slender hand.

She unleashed Absolute Zero once more.

An azure halo unfurled behind her.

Wherever the halo passed, heaven and earth froze completely.

The wind and snow stopped in midair.

The glaciers ceased to change.

Space was sealed off inch by inch.

Time, too, came to a standstill.

The entire ice field became a motionless world.

The Snow Empress stood at the center of Absolute Zero.

Her white hair and the hem of her dress hung suspended in midair.

Only her pale blue eyes remained clear.

This was the first time she had pushed Absolute Zero to its limit since receiving the God-Given Soul Skill.

Beyond the scene.

Countless Soul Masters held their breath.

They wanted to know how this mysterious being would break through Absolute Zero.

The Evil Emperor once again focused its spiritual power on the Golden Ranking.

It stared at the completely sealed ice field.

"Unless one possesses power of a higher order..."

"...there is absolutely no escaping a freeze like this."

The Evil Emperor's judgment was correct.

Even it could not easily break through Absolute Zero.

Yet within the scene...

The black-and-gold figure still stood there.

Time had stopped.

Space had solidified.

Yet his robes remained entirely unaffected.

He raised his right hand.

He extended a single finger forward.

The movement was slow.

Yet it passed through the motionless space.

His fingertip touched the ice crystal before him.

There was no violent collision.

Nor was there any overwhelming display of might.

Only a crisp cracking sound rang across the ice field.

Crack!

From the point beneath his fingertip...

A tiny fissure spread outward.

In the next instant...

The entire frozen world shattered at once.

Space resumed its flow.

Time moved forward again.

The windblown snow fell from midair.

Absolute Zero dissipated in an instant.

The Snow Empress stood where she was.

She looked at the black-and-gold figure before her, her pale blue eyes filled with reverence.

This was not the first time she had seen her lord break through her power.

Yet every time she witnessed it, she was still shaken.

Beneath the sky.

The Douluo Continent fell utterly silent.

A moment later, a tide of discussion erupted.

"He broke through Absolute Zero with one finger?"

"A God-Given Soul Skill that freezes space and time was broken just like that?"

"Just how powerful is he?"

"That was a God Level Soul Skill!"

"Is this man really human?"

At Spirit Hall.

For the first time, Bibi Dong's expression changed visibly.

She knew what Absolute Zero meant.

Even she might not have been able to move within that frozen space and time.

Yet that black-and-gold figure had shattered Absolute Zero with a single finger.

"God Level strength."

Bibi Dong spoke slowly.

"And no ordinary God Level strength, either."

Qian Daoliu gazed at the sky, silent for a long while.

As the Angel God's inheritor, he was very familiar with God Level power.

The black-and-gold figure in the scene had released no divine power.

Nor had he revealed any Soul Rings.

Yet that was precisely what made him all the more terrifying.

With his own power alone, he had overcome the confinement of Absolute Zero.

"His power has already surpassed that of ordinary deities."

Qian Daoliu spoke.

Bibi Dong looked at him.

"Can you tell where he comes from?"

Qian Daoliu shook his head.

"There is no such deity in the Divine Realm's legacy."

At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin stared at the finger that had broken through space and time, saying nothing for a long while.

His mastery of the sword had already reached an extremely high level.

Yet that finger strike had contained no sword energy, no cutting edge, and no intricate variations.

It had been nothing more than the simplest finger strike.

Yet it had struck directly at the core of Absolute Zero's power.

"Breaking through the whole at a single point."

Chen Xin spoke quietly.

"His control over power has reached a realm beyond my comprehension."

Ning Fengzhi looked up at the Golden Ranking.

He finally understood why the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress respected this man so deeply.

He could bestow God Level Soul Skills.

He could shatter frozen space and time with a single finger.

Such a being could never be merely an ordinary powerhouse.

Beside the Lake of Life.

Gu Yuena watched the black-and-gold figure, more thoughts stirring in her purple eyes.

She was now certain that he possessed God Level strength.

And no ordinary God Level strength, either.

He had not drawn upon a divine seat.

He had not used divine rings.

Nor had he revealed any legacy from the Divine Realm.

He had broken through Absolute Zero purely with his own power.

A conjecture arose in Gu Yuena's heart.

Could he have already surpassed the God King level?

No sooner had the thought emerged than she set it aside for the moment.

The God King realm was not one that could be surpassed easily.

Yet that finger strike in the scene had indeed touched a level she could not assess.

Gu Yuena looked at the black-and-gold figure again.

"Who exactly are you?"

She murmured to herself.

In the Far North.

The Ice Empress watched the scene in the sky, lifting her pincers slightly.

She had personally unleashed the Pride of the Ice and Snow Emperors before.

She also knew exactly what kind of power Absolute Zero possessed.

But with a single finger, their master shattered the frozen spacetime completely.

The Ice Empress's eyes shone with reverence.

"Our master really is the strongest."

The Snow Empress stood beside her.

She watched Long Yao in the vision overhead, her eyes filled with the same respect.

"Can our master make it onto the Golden Ranking?"

The Ice Empress looked up at that figure.

"With his strength, he's sure to rank among the top few."

The Snow Empress nodded gently.

"He should be first."

The Ice Empress did not argue.

She thought so too.

In the vision,

Long Yao stood before the Snow Empress.

He withdrew his finger.

"You've grasped the basics of Absolute Zero."

"Keep training."

The Snow Empress bowed her head.

"Yes, Master."

Seeing this, the Ice Empress hurried to Long Yao's side.

She retracted her pincers and said earnestly, "Master, I want to learn a God-Given Soul Skill too."

Long Yao looked at her.

"You haven't even fully mastered your ice power yet."

The Ice Empress nodded at once.

"I'll train hard."

"When you can fully integrate your own power, I'll teach you a Soul Skill suited to you."

The Ice Empress could no longer hide the joy in her eyes.

"Thank you, Master."