In the underground experimental area of Mingde Hall.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged in the center of the secluded cultivation chamber, the ice-blue Snow Empress Embryo floating before him.
"Bing'er, I've made up my mind."
The Snow Empress's voice slowly rang out in the Sea of Consciousness.
"I can become his Soul Spirit."
The Ice Empress was momentarily startled, then a smile appeared on her face.
"Sister Xue'er, have you really made up your mind?"
"Mm."
The Snow Empress's voice was as cool as ever, but there was a little more resolve in it.
"I also want to see for myself just how far this path can lead."
"And I don't want to disappear just like this."
The Ice Empress nodded gently. "All right, we'll walk this path together."
"Since you've decided, let's begin."
"But the fusion process won't be easy."
"Snow Empress, your origin has been severely damaged, and my body and Sea of Consciousness will have to withstand your power. If either side loses control, it could lead to failure."
The Snow Empress said calmly, "I understand."
"Begin."
Xiao Yan hesitated no longer.
He formed seals with both hands, and the Soul Power within him suddenly began to circulate.
The next moment, ghostly white flames rose from his palms.
Bone Spirit Cold Flame!
The flames did not burn the Snow Empress Embryo directly. Instead, they formed a layer of fine flame patterns that slowly wrapped around it.
Ice-blue light spread outward.
Bone Spirit Cold Flame possessed the properties of both flame and extreme cold, giving it a special ability to suppress and regulate ice-attribute energy.
But the Snow Empress was no ordinary ice-attribute Soul Beast.
Her origin was far more complex than ordinary Ultimate Ice.
Xiao Yan therefore had to push the precision of his control to its limit.
At the same time, his Sea of Consciousness opened completely.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm released a vast amount of spiritual power, forming a gentle barrier to protect Xiao Yan's Spiritual Origin.
The Ice Empress, meanwhile, went to meet the Snow Empress.
"Sister Xue'er, don't resist."
"I know," the Snow Empress answered.
The next moment, the ice-blue light suddenly blazed.
Boom!
Terrifying cold spread outward from the Snow Empress Embryo.
The temperature throughout the secluded cultivation chamber plunged below freezing in an instant. A thick layer of frost began to form on the walls, the floor, and even the surfaces of the soul tools.
The Soul Power within Xiao Yan circulated frantically.
Yet the Snow Empress's power was simply too vast.
Even though she was willingly cooperating, a great deal of Ultimate Ice origin still poured into Xiao Yan's body during the fusion.
An ordinary Soul Master would likely have been frozen into an ice sculpture the instant they came into contact with it.
But Xiao Yan did not shrink back in the slightest.
Bone Spirit Cold Flame flowed slowly through his meridians, forming a subtle balance with the Snow Empress's origin.
At the same time, the Ice Empress's power joined in.
The two currents of Ultimate Ice, alike in origin yet each distinct, resonated with one another inside Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan, hold steady!"
The Ice Empress's voice rang out in the Sea of Consciousness.
"Sister Xue'er's origin is fusing with your Soul Power. Don't rush to absorb all of her power!"
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the Soul Power surging within him.
He knew very well that at a time like this, he could not rush for results.
Time passed bit by bit.
The ice-blue light on the surface of the Snow Empress Embryo gradually faded, and its once-solid ice crystal shell began to dissolve into countless tiny points of light.
Those points of light did not dissipate. Guided by Xiao Yan's spiritual power, they slowly merged into his body.
Suddenly.
An ice-blue ring of light formed beneath Xiao Yan.
Yellow, purple, black, black, black, black, blue... The seventh Soul Ring's color changed rapidly, until the seventh Soul Ring finally turned a deep crimson-gold!
The seven-hundred-thousand-year level!
Even in her current embryonic state, the power the Snow Empress could provide far surpassed that of an ordinary hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast!
The crimson-gold ring slowly contracted, finally fusing completely with Xiao Yan's own Soul Power.
At the same time, the Snow Empress's consciousness fully entered his Sea of Consciousness.
But because her origin had previously been damaged, she turned into a white cocoon and fell asleep in the golden Sea of Consciousness.
Meanwhile, the once-violent cold in the secluded cultivation chamber finally began to subside.
The seven Soul Rings beneath Xiao Yan slowly withdrew, finally disappearing back into his body.
His Soul Power finally stabilized at level seventy-three!
Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, and an ice-blue light flashed deep within his pupils.
"It worked..."
He gently let out a breath.
The Snow Empress's origin had also brought about an extremely apparent transformation in his body.
Just then, a special power suddenly came from his head.
The translucent phantom of an ice-blue bone slowly appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
A Head Soul Bone!
Unlike an ordinary Soul Bone, this one did not take on a distinct skeletal form, but instead became an exquisite ice crystal crown.
The crown was ice-blue throughout, with fine snowflake patterns inlaid along its edges. At its center was a translucent ice crystal that radiated an extremely pure chill.
It slowly descended and fused with Xiao Yan's head.
In an instant, a vast surge of spiritual power poured into his mind.
Xiao Yan's consciousness trembled slightly.
His spiritual power, which had already reached the peak of the Soul Saint level, climbed even higher.
Not only that, but this spiritual power also carried a special icy attribute.
It was neither an ordinary spiritual attack nor simply Ultimate Ice.
It was a special power formed by combining spiritual power with the origin of Ultimate Ice.
Xiao Yan closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes brought about by the Head Soul Bone.
This Head Soul Bone was called the Snow Empress's Crown!
It had been formed from the Snow Empress's origin.
And the Soul Skill it came with was-Extreme Cold Snow Domain!
"Snow Empress's Crown, Extreme Cold Snow Domain."
"Extreme Cold Snow Domain is a domain constructed from the origin power of Ultimate Ice. Once activated, it covers a certain area in ice and snow, and the temperature drops sharply. Targets who enter it will not only be suppressed by Ultimate Ice; if their spiritual power is insufficient, their consciousness will be sealed in ice outright."
However, with Xiao Yan's current strength, he could not yet bring out its full power.
Everything was within his expectations.
This was the result of his earlier discussion with the Ice Empress: he needed a Head Soul Bone to protect his mind.
Xiao Yan could now rival a Soul Douluo in spiritual power.
There was also his Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar.
When he activated Martial Soul Avatar, his Heavy Xuan Ruler and Nine Fire Heavenly Plate could fuse directly into a new form.
The Eternal Ancient Ruler!
With a thought from Xiao Yan, seven Soul Rings appeared behind him in succession.
Yellow, purple, black, black, black, black, crimson-gold!
The seven Soul Rings slowly rotated!
The ancient, unadorned patterns on the pitch-black, heavy ruler gradually lit up. At the same time, the Nine Fire Heavenly Plate appeared on the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
Nine flame patterns emerged, one of them a particularly striking ghostly white: Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
Hum!
Nine flame patterns of different colors appeared on the Heavy Xuan Ruler's pitch-black body.
The ruler's form also changed subtly, becoming longer and slimmer, while its edges acquired an ancient, sharp metallic sheen.
At the end of the hilt, a flame wheel slowly formed, as though all the Nine Fire Heavenly Plate's power had been fused into it.
The two great Martial Souls had become one!
Xiao Yan gripped the Eternal Ancient Ruler and could clearly feel the power contained within it.
Compared with using the Heavy Xuan Ruler or the Nine Fire Heavenly Plate separately, the Eternal Ancient Ruler did not simply stack the power of the two Martial Souls together.
Instead, it joined the two more closely.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler had originally excelled at suppressing opponents with its weight and power and at close-range attacks, while the Nine Fire Heavenly Plate controlled Heavenly Flames, providing energy attacks of different attributes.
Now that the two had fused, the Heavy Xuan Ruler's weight and power could bear the Heavenly Flames, and the Nine Fire Heavenly Plate's flames could be released more directly through the ruler.
This meant he no longer needed to switch between his two Martial Souls!
Whether fighting at close quarters or launching flame attacks from a distance, he could do it all through the Eternal Ancient Ruler.
Moreover, after the two Martial Souls fused, their previously separate Soul Skills could be combined more flexibly.
Of course, this did not mean that all his Soul Skills could be used simultaneously without restriction.
Soul Power consumption in the fused state was also far higher than when using either Martial Soul separately.
With his current level seventy-three Soul Power, maintaining the Eternal Ancient Ruler for a long time would still come at a considerable cost.
Even so, this was enough to satisfy Xiao Yan.