With the dragon and phoenix calling in harmony, Xiao Yun's and Shui Bing'er's auras rose rapidly.
Xiao Yun's rose especially quickly. Having just obtained her fourth Soul Ring, she overtook Shui Bing'er's soul power level in only half an hour.
Just then, the System Sprite suddenly spoke. "Oh no! The disparity between the Ice Phoenix and Flame Sacred Dragon martial souls is preventing them from absorbing the ice-fire origin aura at the same rate. If this continues, Shui Bing'er will be in danger! Once Shui Bing'er can no longer hold on, the ice dragon origin will backlash against Xiao Yun too!"
"Then what do we do?" Ning Chuan immediately grew worried.
He could clearly see that Shui Bing'er's body had begun trembling, and her aura had become somewhat unstable.
The system said, "Unless someone can share the burden of the ice dragon origin with Shui Bing'er!"
At those words, Ning Chuan immediately said, "If I wield the ice element through Elemental Flow, I should be able to share her burden, right?"
"No!" The system immediately rejected the idea. "To share her burden, you must resonate with her martial soul. Otherwise, you'll only make things worse!"
"Then I'll use the Creation Exquisite Pagoda to cut them off from the ice-fire origin, and use the Origin Restoration soul skill to restore their bodies afterward. Surely that will work!" Ning Chuan said.
The system said, "That won't work either. The Creation Exquisite Pagoda can indeed block the origin auras of the ice dragon and fire dragon, but you're too weak to open the Creation Exquisite Realm. Forcing a barrier will not only harm them, but also cause you to suffer a backlash!"
"This won't work, that won't work-then come up with something that will!" Ning Chuan said anxiously. He didn't even have time to ask what the Creation Exquisite Realm was!
The system said, "There's nothing we can do. Their fate is in their own hands now. Don't worry too much, host. They both bear Creation Spirit Seals. Even if something goes wrong, their souls will be preserved!"
Ning Chuan froze at those words. In his anxiety, he had completely forgotten about that.
Still, the thought of the two of them actually dying filled him with regret.
"System, after I form new bodies and revive them, will they still have their martial souls and cultivation?" Ning Chuan asked.
The system immediately answered, "Martial souls share the same origin as souls, so of course they will remain. Their cultivation will depend on the quality of the bodies you form!"
"All right!" Ning Chuan sighed. Once he was certain that their souls would not dissipate, he breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Xiao Yun was almost unaffected, but Shui Bing'er's condition was growing worse and worse.
Just then, Ning Chuan suddenly heard someone shout behind him, "Xue Wu, what's wrong?"
Ning Chuan turned toward the voice and saw Xue Wu running over.
Realization dawned on Ning Chuan. Only then did he remember that Xue Wu and Shui Bing'er could perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
"System, Xue Wu's martial soul is also ice-attributed, and it can resonate with Shui Bing'er's martial soul. She should be able to share Shui Bing'er's burden, right?" Ning Chuan immediately asked.
"That would indeed work!" The System Sprite nodded. "With luck, the three of them might even achieve resonance between all three martial souls. However, there is still a risk. If they fail, Xue Wu will most likely lose her life too!"
While Ning Chuan spoke with the system, Xue Wu had already reached the edge of the ice spring.
Sword Douluo hurriedly stopped Xue Wu, afraid she might interfere with Xiao Yun and Shui Bing'er.
"Seniors, I can feel that Bing'er is in terrible pain. She needs my help!" Xue Wu said urgently.
Sword Douluo and the others could naturally see that Shui Bing'er was in a dire state, but the dragon and phoenix martial souls had formed a field with the ice-fire origin aura surging from the spring. Ordinary Soul Masters could not approach it at all.
"Xue Wu, don't rush!" Ning Chuan spoke up at the right moment, then explained, "There is a certain disparity between Shui Bing'er's martial soul and Xiao Yun's, so they can't maintain a balance between the ice and fire origin auras. Joining them would indeed relieve Shui Bing'er's pressure and improve their chances of successfully absorbing the ice-fire origin aura. But on the other hand, if they fail, your life could be in danger!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Xue Wu replied, "As long as I can help them, I have nothing to fear!"
She looked straight at Ning Chuan. "Ning Chuan, do you know how to help Bing'er? Tell me, quickly!"
"All right!" Ning Chuan nodded. Xue Wu and Shui Bing'er shared a deep friendship, so he naturally had no reason to stop her. Besides, with the Creation Spirit Seals as a safeguard, everything could be undone even if they failed.
"Release your martial soul first and see whether you can resonate with the Ice Phoenix martial soul in this state!" Ning Chuan said.
Before Ning Chuan had finished speaking, Xue Wu released her martial soul.
Her martial soul was the Ice Snow Flower, neither a Tool Martial Soul nor a beast martial soul. It was an exceptionally pure ice-element martial soul.
The moment she released it, the Ice Phoenix in the air let out a cry.
Immediately afterward, the Ice Snow Flower was drawn over and settled atop the Ice Phoenix's head like a crown of ice and snow.
Then the ice dragon origin aura pouring into Shui Bing'er's body began to split, drifting toward Xue Wu on the shore.
As the ice dragon origin entered her body, Xue Wu was also drawn above the ice spring, where she floated beside Shui Bing'er.
Once Xue Wu joined them, Shui Bing'er's condition immediately improved.
"Wonderful, it's working!" Sword Douluo's expression instantly relaxed. Bone Douluo, Dugu Bo, and Ning Fengzhi all breathed sighs of relief as well.
With Xue Wu sharing the burden, the ice and fire origin energies finally approached a state of balance.
Now, all that remained was to see how long they could hold on.
Time passed, second by second. Seven days later, two motes of light suddenly flew out of the Ice-Fire Spring Eye, following the ice and fire origin energies into Shui Bing'er's and Xiao Yun's brows.
The instant the motes entered, the Creation Spirit Seals on Xiao Yun's and Shui Bing'er's brows began to flicker.
Sensing something, Ning Chuan immediately sent his consciousness into the Creation Exquisite Pagoda.
Then Ning Chuan discovered that the Spirit Seals belonging exclusively to Xiao Yun and Shui Bing'er seemed to be getting erased by some sort of power.
"System, what's going on?" Ning Chuan immediately asked.
The system said, "Remnant souls have entered their consciousnesses. The Creation Spirit Seals are protecting them!"
"What? The Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King aren't completely dead!" Ning Chuan's expression changed. He knew very well that the Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King had both died in the great war in the Divine Realm. Their hatred for human deities must have run deep. Now that they had entered Xiao Yun's and Shui Bing'er's consciousnesses, they most likely intended to seize their bodies.
"Can the Creation Spirit Seals protect them?" Ning Chuan asked.
The system said, "Of course. Those two remnant souls are far too weak. Their original consciousnesses are long gone; all that remains is instinct!"
Only upon hearing that did Ning Chuan relax.
"Do we just watch, then?" Ning Chuan asked.
The system said, "Of course not. Activate the Spirit Seals immediately and draw those two remnant souls into the Creation Exquisite Pagoda. Though their auras are extremely weak, they still possess a trace of divine essence. Xiao Yun and Shui Bing'er cannot absorb it now, but once they become Titled Douluos, these two kinds of divine essence will be of great use!"
"All right!" Ning Chuan nodded and activated the Spirit Seals. Before long, two motes of light, one red and one blue, appeared inside the Creation Exquisite Pagoda.
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