The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape lay prostrate outside the Lake of Life, their enormous bodies pressed close to the shore, not even daring to breathe too heavily.
The pressure of Di Tian's dragon might had yet to dissipate completely. A trace of oppression still lingered in the air, like an invisible weight pressing down on their backs.
Di Tian gathered a group of soul beasts whose cultivation was around fifty thousand years and whose bloodlines were reasonably pure. Fire, mental, and poison attributes were all represented.
Then, taking those hundred-plus soul beasts with him, he turned and disappeared into the spatial entrance at the Lake of Life.
"Big Brother..."
Er Ming lowered his voice, wanting to ask something.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't."
The Sky Azure Bull Python's voice was low, his gaze resting reverently on the spatial entrance that had already closed.
"After that human went inside, Lord Beast God came out personally... this isn't something we should inquire about."
Er Ming scratched his head, seemingly wanting to say something more, but ultimately swallowed his words.
He understood, too, that they were merely two small fry stationed here.
If their bloodlines had not been reasonably good, and if they had not occupied this place for some time, they would never have been qualified to know that even more terrifying beings existed beneath the Lake of Life, much less learn of the Beast God's existence.
Although he was impulsive, all brawn, and had few ideas, he was no fool.
"...I wonder how Sister Xiao Wu is doing now." Er Ming's voice grew quieter, carrying a hint of longing.
"Yes."
The Sky Azure Bull Python sighed softly.
But they had been ordered to guard this place and were forbidden from leaving the Star Dou Great Forest without permission.
Otherwise, given their feelings for Xiao Wu, they would certainly have followed her and stayed by her side to protect her.
But they did not dare disobey Lord Beast God's orders.
Ultimately, they were nothing more than ants.
In another space deep beneath the Lake of Life, Di Tian had already appeared before Ye Guixu and Gu Yuena with over a hundred soul beasts.
"Lord Guixu, all the soul beasts you asked me to gather are here."
Di Tian bowed slightly, his voice respectful, then briefly introduced the types and characteristics of this group of soul beasts.
Crimson Flame Illusion Foxes, Crimson Flame Beasts, Illusion-Eyed Spirit Cats, Purple Spirit Bei, Netherflame Butterflies, Dream Butterflies, Netherworld Poison Moths-over a hundred in all, encompassing fire, mental, and poison attributes.
At that moment, these ten-thousand-year soul beasts all lay trembling on the ground, not daring to breathe heavily, much less raise their heads.
Gu Yuena studied the soul beasts curiously, her eyes shifting slightly before she tilted her head toward Ye Guixu.
"Guixu, what are you going to do? Give them Void Profound Ice directly?"
But she wanted to eat Void Profound Ice, too.
"You'll find out in a moment."
Ye Guixu raised his hand and waved.
Light and shadow swirled, and space shifted.
When all the soul beasts and ferocious beasts present opened their eyes again, they were already inside the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm.
The five great ferocious beasts shuddered all over and involuntarily stepped back.
That nightmarish experience from not long ago remained vivid in their minds.
The five great puppet ferocious beasts had just disappeared.
They feared those puppet figures would appear before them again and give them another savage beating.
That experience had thoroughly made them "question their lives."
With such a terrifying ability, who would still want to be Ye Guixu's enemy?
He could throw you into the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm, suppress half your strength, then duplicate a puppet four times stronger than you at your peak. Whoever came would get beaten until they questioned their lives.
But at that moment, they were not Ye Guixu's targets.
With a thought from him, puppet figures identical to those ten-thousand-year soul beasts immediately condensed on the spot.
They appeared one after another, their auras exactly the same as those of the originals. Even their slightest soul power fluctuations were identical.
When those soul beasts saw figures identical to themselves, they were all dumbfounded.
Even among the same species, each individual's aura had subtle differences, which allowed soul beasts to distinguish one another.
Yet these puppets before them clearly emanated origin auras exactly identical to their own.
No, they were even more terrifying than them, at least several times stronger.
For a moment, all these ten-thousand-year soul beasts bristled in fright.
Gu Yuena and the Emperor Auspicious Beast both watched with particular amazement.
The Emperor Auspicious Beast curiously approached the duplicated Netherflame Butterfly puppet, extending a paw to touch it tentatively.
Its scarlet eyes shifted slightly, frightening her into quickly retracting her paw and hiding beside Ye Guixu's leg.
"Guixu, what ability is this?"
Gu Yuena turned to Ye Guixu, her purple eyes full of unconcealed wonder and curiosity.
"This is called the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm."
"It can duplicate the full strength and every ability of anyone trapped inside. Since Void Profound Ice can also be added to them, these puppets can be made three times stronger than their originals. As long as the power of Void Profound Ice remains, the puppets can endlessly recover their stamina, soul power, and injuries."
Gu Yuena's eyes widened further and further.
"That's just too absurd..."
The Emperor Auspicious Beast muttered under her breath, unable to stop herself from reaching toward that puppet again.
Gu Yuena suddenly understood where Void Profound Ice's ability to heal her injuries came from.
Moreover, Void Profound Ice could even strengthen her threefold. This was simply no soul skill.
Mortal soul skills had no effect on god-level beings, or rather, their effects were negligible. Only divine skills could affect gods.
And Void Profound Ice and the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm clearly far exceeded the scope of soul skills.
Ye Guixu waved his hand, and multiple pieces of Void Profound Ice appeared in the sky, merging precisely into the body of each soul beast puppet.
In an instant,
Dark red energy erupted from those puppets, their auras surging threefold. Powerful soul power fluctuations swept through the entire Mystic Ice Illusion Realm, making even the air tremble slightly.
Immediately afterward,
A scene unfolded that stunned everyone.
Those puppet soul beasts began moving, walking without hesitation toward their respective originals and pouring all the surging power within them into those soul beasts' bodies.
The power within those soul beasts rose wildly. Washed by power from the same source, their cultivation climbed at an unbelievable speed.
Once the puppet soul beasts had emptied themselves of power, fresh energy flowed in from the space of the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm, restoring them to their peak condition. Then they turned to the next soul beast and continued pouring power into it.
This cycle repeated several times, until those soul beasts' bodies reached the limits of what they could currently contain, the power accumulating within them, turbulent and surging.
The five great ferocious beasts watched, dumbstruck.
Judging by the total amount of power, the energy accumulated within these soul beasts had long since surpassed the threshold of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
If they converted it all, overcoming the hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation would be a breeze.
Moreover, vast reserves of residual power remained within them, enough to let them continue advancing toward two hundred thousand years.
"This... this can easily produce a batch of two-hundred-thousand-year soul beasts?"
The Scarlet King's voice carried undisguisable shock.
Gu Yuena was greatly amazed as well.
Void Profound Ice could inject power and strengthen them threefold, while the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm could duplicate puppets and endlessly replenish their energy.
Combined, the two simply defied all reason.
She finally understood Ye Guixu's plan.
By using a puppet's power, which shared exactly the same source as the original, to infuse the original, there was no need for refining or conversion. It directly enhanced their origin, allowing breakthroughs far faster than normal cultivation.
It was far more efficient than using heavenly treasures to develop soul beasts' cultivation.
"Then can you duplicate a puppet of me, too?"
Gu Yuena tilted her head, a trace of eagerness in her gaze.
Ye Guixu glanced at her.
"Of course. Duplicating someone at your level just requires a little more Void Profound Ice energy, that's all."
But now that he had Puppet Sauron serving as a nonstop assembly-line factory, he had no shortage of Void Profound Ice at all.
The next moment,
Light and shadow condensed in the dark space, and a puppet with a figure and appearance exactly identical to Gu Yuena's slowly emerged.
Except that,
Gu Yuena's long silvery-white hair had turned pitch-black as ink, her purple eyes had become scarlet, and a dense aura of darkness emanated from her entire body.
Since Gu Yuena had also been strengthened threefold by Void Profound Ice, the puppet's aura was exactly the same as the original's, except that, compared to Gu Yuena herself, it even faintly carried a fiercer, more vicious sense of oppression.
At this sight, the corners of all five great ferocious beasts' mouths twitched.
Even their lord could be duplicated?
The Silver Dragon King was, after all, the Dragon God's half, a genuine deity, yet she had been duplicated just as effortlessly?
This Mystic Ice Illusion Realm truly was powerful beyond all reason.
But at the same time, their hearts were greatly heartened.
With Ye Guixu here, the Star Dou Great Forest's strength would become unprecedentedly formidable.
This was a good thing.
"So this is my puppet?"
Gu Yuena immediately rose curiously from beside Ye Guixu, walked up to the puppet Gu Yuena, and reached out to touch her face, examining her from side to side to see just what was different.
"What are you trying to do, you weakling of an original?"
The puppet Gu Yuena suddenly spoke. Her voice was exactly the same as Gu Yuena's, but carried impatience, and her scarlet eyes narrowed slightly.
"???"
Gu Yuena's face was full of question marks.
She pointed at herself.
"Me? A weakling?"
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