Word Count: 3,237 Words
******
"How did that human from the Extreme North obtain the Ice Jade Scorpion Martial Spirit, and with the royal bloodline of the Ice Jade Scorpion King no less!"
The aura of the Domain of Ultimate Ice was too conspicuous. Within the Spiritual Sea, the Snow Empress seethed with fury. Ling Bai had previously mentioned that Huo Yuhao and Skydream planned to deceive the Ice Empress into joining them on the path to Godhood. She could surmise that the two must have stolen the royal bloodline of the Ice Jade Scorpion King through some means!
"Skydream Iceworm is an unprecedented 1,000,000-year spirit beast who gave Huo Yuhao a soulless ice-attribute second Martial Spirit."
Ling Bai revealed all of Skydream's little secrets to the Snow Empress, as the two had shared life and death. "Whatever Huo Yuhao absorbs as his first spirit ring, his ice-attribute Martial Spirit transforms into that specific Martial Spirit.
They initially hoped his second Martial Spirit would be the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress, but I casually took away the crucial shed skin over a year ago. This led to the Ice Empress unexpectedly breaking free from the spiritual prison and triggering the beast tide in the Extreme North. They didn't dare provoke the Ice Empress, so they settled for ambushing an Ice Jade Scorpion King and taking its spirit ring."
"Indeed, I should have nipped it in the bud last time!"
The Snow Empress's anger affected the Spiritual Sea as goose-feather-like snowflakes fluttered down, covering the verdant land. Once matured, an Ice Jade Scorpion King could undoubtedly break through to 100,000-year cultivation. For those with potent bloodlines, breaking through the second and third heavenly tribulations wasn't just a fantasy. The Ice Empress was living proof.
The heavenly tribulations of the three Great Beasts of the Extreme North—the Ice Empress, Ice Devil Titan, and Ice Bear King—would descend one after another within ten thousand years. Their chances of surviving the tribulations were exceedingly slim; even the strongest, the Ice Devil Titan, had only a 30% chance. If she and Ling Bai failed to achieve Godhood, the Extreme North would need top-level spirit beasts like the Ice Jade King Scorpion for protection. Skydream's actions were cutting off the Extreme North's future!
Moreover, where would Huo Yuhao obtain the other eight spirit rings needed for his Ice Jade Scorpion Martial Spirit? The answer was obvious: the foremost gathering place of ice-attribute spirit beasts, the Extreme North!
At the thought of eight more powerful spirit beasts from the Extreme North potentially dying at Huo Yuhao's hands in the future, the Snow Empress grew increasingly anxious. She said gravely:
"Ling Bai, they dared to have designs on Bing'er before, and now they've killed a 10,000-year Ice Jade Scorpion King. I am very, very, very worried about what will happen if that human named Huo Yuhao needs more Extreme North spirit beasts as stepping stones on his path to Godhood."
The Snow Empress emphasized 'very' three times before continuing, "Skydream's spiritual power is unparalleled in this era, and its threat of self-destruction when pushed to the extreme is indeed troublesome. But even if you can't kill them, you must find every possible way to weaken them. This is not just for the peace of the Extreme North, but also because you are both walking the path to Godhood. The resources of the Douluo Continent are finite. You are natural competitors. Survival of the fittest applies to humans just as it does to spirit beasts!"
The Snow Empress paused momentarily, her tone growing heavier:
"Ling Bai, two lines destined to intersect must either weave into a perfect web or form countless deadly knots...
You cannot allow them to pose even the slightest threat to our path to Godhood!"
"Snow Empress, I understand your good intentions and concerns. I know exactly what path Huo Yuhao is preparing to take. Last time, Skydream offered 100,000 years of origin power to save their lives; the energy stored in its body has already dropped to 900,000 years.
Where there's a first time, there will be a second. We'll slowly... gradually... consume them bit by bit..."
Gazing from afar at Huo Yuhao's confident performance within the Domain of Ultimate Ice, a flash of scarlet light appeared briefly in Ling Bai's eyes. He resembled a demon spider watching prey already entangled in its web yet still oblivious, silently baring cold, bloodthirsty fangs from the shadows!
In the Spirit Dueling Arena, Huo Yuhao suddenly shivered inexplicably and muttered:
"Strange, how can Ultimate Ice feel cold?"
Shaking his head to clear away distracting thoughts, Huo Yuhao focused entirely on dealing with Wu Feng and Zhu Lu. The extreme cold environment of the Domain of Ultimate Ice greatly enhanced his combat power. The formidable strength of the Ice Jade Scorpion allowed him to confront both the Red Dragon and Hell Spirit Cat simultaneously!
'So this is what being an assault-type Spirit Master feels like...'
Huo Yuhao felt an exhilarating thrill in his heart. As a man, he much preferred the sensation of close combat with fist-to-flesh contact over hiding behind and sneakily casting skills!
Wu Feng and Zhu Lu were in dire straits. The terrifying extreme cold released by the Domain of Ultimate Ice made it seem like the blood in the two girls' bodies had frozen solid. Their bodies remained in attacking postures but were unable to move.
Elder Xuan, who was spectating from the sidelines, smiled with satisfaction upon seeing this scene. It had been worth convening a special Sea God Pavilion meeting for Huo Yuhao five days ago.
Domain-type Spirit Skill, Twin Martial Spirits, Body Martial Spirit, Spiritual-type Martial Spirit, Ultimate Martial Spirit—these five major advantages stacked made Huo Yuhao no less impressive than Ling Bai's Seraphim, qualifying him to become Shrek's successor.
In Shrek's eyes, Huo Yuhao's weak background was his greatest advantage. After discussion, the Sea God Pavilion elders had decided to fully recruit him.
Huo Yuhao had been coaxed into a daze in just five days by the big cake Shrek Academy had drawn up. In contrast, Ling Bai, like a stone-faced woman, had maintained only an ordinary student-school relationship with the academy for over a year since enrollment.
Though Huo Yuhao had temporarily restrained the two girls with the Domain of Ultimate Ice, since Elder Xuan hadn't intervened, he showed no intention of stopping.
When the Ice Jade Scorpion manifested, his eyes shone with brilliant jade light. This was a natural phenomenon when beast-type Martial Spirit users fought. But now, his eyes, including the whites, had entirely transformed into an incomparably clear jade-green color, like two sparkling gemstones.
In the eyes of Wu Feng, Zhu Lu, and the hidden official Shrek Seven Monsters watching, Huo Yuhao's body suddenly underwent a bizarre transformation. A jade-green light beam as thick as an arm instantly spewed out from his right hand.
When the jade light erupted, everyone could clearly see through his clothing that Huo Yuhao's palm bones, arm bones, and entire right arm emitted a strong jade-green glow.
10,000-year Ice Jade Scorpion Right Arm Spirit Bone Skill: Ice Jade Fury!
The ultra-low temperature and impact force of Ultimate Ice slammed directly into Wu Feng and Zhu Lu. In an instant, the two girls were sent flying, deeply embedded into the ground of the Spirit Dueling Arena. A thin layer of ice condensed around them as chilling air spread wantonly.
A single strike takes out two opponents. Just as excitement filled Huo Yuhao's eyes, the ice layer began to melt, and an eye-catching blaze erupted from deep within the ground!
"A mere Ice Jade Scorpion... you're far inferior to that bastard's Angel Sword."
A red figure slowly emerged from within the flames, wearing what appeared to be armor forged from magma and flame. Her burning pupils flickered with wild scarlet light.
Wu Feng!
She had claimed a scorching zone within the Domain of Ultimate Ice!
"Dragon Transformation?!"
Huo Yuhao didn't recognize Wu Feng's transformation. In the distance, Bei Bei was first to cry out in shock. Theoretically, all dragon-type Spirit Masters could achieve Dragon Transformation, but on the Douluo Continent, only the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lineage had truly succeeded in stable Dragon Transformation and had passed down the secret technique to their descendants.
Bei Bei was astonished to discover that Wu Feng's Red Dragon Transformation differed from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's. Unlike his own transformation, which gained an additional transformed body part after breaking through each spirit ring beyond Rank 30, she directly condensed a Dragon Armor form. The Blazing Dragon Armor would become increasingly powerful as her strength gradually increased.
"Bei Bei, stop worrying about over there! I can barely hold on here!"
Xu Sanshi raised his Mystic Deep Turtle Shield, enduring five or six attacks as he roared angrily.
Under the amplification of Ning Tian's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the ten senior Spirit Elders were comparable to Spirit Ancestors. Huo Yuhao had switched to the Ice Jade Scorpion, so they lost the support of Spiritual Detection Sharing. The situation grew precarious as one side weakened and the other strengthened!
"Trump card!"
Bei Bei spat out two words and instantly ignited the Light Holy Dragon bloodline within his body!
"Let's do it!"
Xu Sanshi roared skyward as small snakes began wriggling on his Mystic Deep Turtle Shield!
Divine Beast Xuanwu bloodline, activate!
Jiang Nannan: You two are powering up without me?!
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao stared intently at Wu Feng, who was exhibiting peculiar changes. In the past, whenever he saw Wu Feng, she always exuded an explosive, fiery aura, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. But after the Dragon Transformation, she seemed like a completely different person. She had become calmer. Her tall and voluptuous figure appeared exceptionally stunning under the red glow of the Blazing Dragon Armor, as if capable of igniting everyone's heart.
Wu Feng exhaled scorching breath like a volcano. Her first and second spirit rings flickered simultaneously. A massive pillar of fire shot skyward, waves of intense heat bombarding Huo Yuhao!
Red Dragon's First Spirit Skill: Dragonfire. Second Spirit Skill: Dragonfury!
Combination Spirit Skill: Dragon's Wrath Flame!
BOOM—
The explosion echoed endlessly throughout the Spirit Dueling Arena. Huo Yuhao barely managed to crawl up, his face covered in soot. Thankfully, Ultimate Ice endowed him with ice and fire resistance far surpassing others. Otherwise, taking Wu Feng's Dragon's Wrath Flame head-on, he might have directly ascended to heaven to see his great-grandmother.
Surveying the various battlefields, Huo Yuhao's heart suddenly tightened. On the side with the three Spirit Ancestors, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had used their trump cards but hadn't gained absolute advantage. Eliminating each senior Spirit Elder required expending a significant amount of spirit power. Even if they won, both sides would suffer.
He Caitou's Spirit Fortress Formation had fierce firepower but extremely poor agility, and it was trapped within the Lan sisters' Inescapable Net. Xie Huanyue relied on his thick skin to continuously approach He Caitou. Ning Tian had taken out two Class 3 Spirit Guidance Devices from behind, which also caused He Caitou immense trouble.
Class 3 Spirit Guidance Device: Spirit Power Depletion Ray. Upon hitting, the target's spirit power consumption rate doubled, directly striking at the Spirit Fortress Formation's weakness.
Class 3 Spirit Guidance Device: Illusionary Mist. It released a seven-colored mist that interfered with vision and spiritual power, greatly reducing the accuracy of He Caitou's Spirit Guidance Devices.
Having studied in the Spirit Guidance Department for several months, Ning Tian had heard that He Caitou was nicknamed 'Mobile Powder Keg' and loved the Spirit Fortress Formation the most. Considering that he was Huo Yuhao's senior brother, she had specially prepared these two Spirit Guidance Devices for him.
The effects were remarkable!
The four Spirit Ancestors were deeply mired and had no time to care about others. Turning his head, Huo Yuhao saw Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao fiercely battling Dai Huabin and Huang Chutian. Zhu Lu gradually recovered and joined Wu Feng in flanking him from both sides. The heart that Huo Yuhao had been holding up finally sank.
"Wang Dong, Golden Road!"
Huo Yuhao shouted. This was their only chance to turn the tide!
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's call, Wang Dong used the 'Light of the Butterfly Goddess' to block the White Tiger's 'Intense Light Wave', then immediately soared into the air. He accelerated with all his might to tightly embrace Huo Yuhao before Wu Feng and Zhu Lu could reach them!
The Bright Goddess Butterfly and the Spirit Eyes—two enormous light shadows—completed their fusion. An illusory ray of light that was a mixture of blue, purple, and gold colors streaked forth. The places touched by this light experienced a fleeting moment of radiance that seemed to last for eternity, leaving behind a kind of illusory distortion and dazzling splendor!
All the spirit power within their bodies ignited completely, unleashing a force drawn from their potential and infusing it into the attack, launching an all-out, most powerful strike!
The Golden Road Amidst Withering Resplendence!
Their target was not Wu Feng and Zhu Lu but the senior Spirit Elders. Huo Yuhao had found the perfect angle—a straight line where exactly six Spirit Elders stood!
He knew that as long as Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi could free up their hands, dealing with the others would be as easy as taking candy from a baby!
"The Golden Road is exactly what we've been waiting for!"
Dai Huabin's tiger eyes gleamed. Back in the freshman tournament finals, he and Zhu Lu's Hell White Tiger had been declared defeated by Du Weilun without directly clashing with the Golden Road. The two had always felt unconvinced. The Hell White Tiger had been renowned for ten thousand years, so how could it be weaker than the Golden Road?!
"ROAR!!!"
A tiger's roar shook the sky as fierce winds rose suddenly. Clouds follow dragons, winds follow tigers. The Hell White Tiger boldly charged toward the Golden Road, and then...
Became a golden statue!
Joking aside, a 100% Martial Spirit fusion compatibility was no laughing matter!
He Caitou's spirit power was nearly exhausted. The combination of Ning Tian, Xie Huanyue, and the Lan sisters' Inescapable Net restrained him too well. Using his last bit of spirit power, he fired a Class 4 Spirit Guidance Cannon Shell at Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, who were unable to resist after their Spirit Fusion was dissolved.
In the next second, Elder Xuan rescued He Caitou, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu, signifying their elimination.
The Golden Road had been delayed by the Hell White Tiger for only one second, but in that one second, intense spirit power fluctuations emanated from Ning Tian, frantically converging toward the center of her forehead. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda rose before her, and the three spirit rings on her body lit up and merged into one.
Secret Technique: Rings Fusion!
An illusory figure instantly appeared behind her. The figure appeared in a faint, eerie green color; the upper body resembled that of a human woman with a head of strange and unpredictable snake hair, while the lower body was a thick, coiled tail.
Human upper body and snake lower body—the Snake Queen, Medusa!
Ning Tian's azure pupils turned into a terrifying white; a layer of white halo suffused her eyes. Two ghastly white beams suddenly shot out, heading straight for the Golden Road!
10,000-year Medusa Skull Spirit Bone Skill: Medusa's Gaze!
Medusa's Gaze collided with the Golden Road from the side in mid-air. The golden light was dyed a ghastly white, and then an even more astonishing scene occurred. The altered Golden Road underwent a qualitative change; the originally intangible energy transformed into a tangible entity, and a ghastly white stone road came crashing down onto the ground with a thunderous boom!
The Spirit Fusion was dissolved. Wu Feng gave both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong a severe beating until Elder Xuan couldn't bear to watch anymore and snatched the two away.
The other battlefields gradually concluded. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan managed to eliminate the ten senior Spirit Elders, but it was a Pyrrhic victory with both sides suffering. Bei Bei's spirit power was exhausted, and Xu Sanshi fell into a weakened state after his Xuanwu bloodline eruption. Jiang Nannan was in a slightly better condition, but she was still gasping for breath, clearly at the end of her tether.
Huang Chutian lost to Xiao Xiao, who was then eliminated by Wu Feng and Xie Huanyue, resulting in both being eliminated.
There were eight people remaining in the Spirit Dueling Arena: Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue, and the Lan sisters. The outcome was about to be revealed.
Ning Tian's spirit power was exhausted from the Ring Fusion. She was currently gulping from her Milk Bottle to recover spirit power. The Lan sisters' Spirit Fusion, Inescapable Net, had ended, reducing their combat strength to less than one-tenth. However, Xie Huanyue, who still had nearly full strength, and Wu Feng, who was at 30% capacity, were too much for Jiang Nannan to handle now.
"Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, what should we do?" she asked with a grim expression.
The oppressive aura from the two Martial Spirits—the Rubber Elephant and the Red Dragon—bore down upon them. The others were like wolves and tigers ready to pounce.
"Well..."
Bei Bei gave a bitter smile. They had reached the end of their rope.
"Elder Xuan, I concede!"
A loud voice suddenly rang out.
"Sanshi/Xu Sanshi!"
Facing his companions' astonished gazes, Xu Sanshi shrugged and said, "I can't bear to let Nannan risk her life, so I'm conceding."
The outcome was decided: Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, Xie Huanyue, Wu Feng, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo!
"Hahaha, Ling Bai, Ling Luochen, and I won!" Yao Haoxuan cheered. "You guys all had to watch us dominate the show-off match!"
"That little Red Dragon girl isn't bad. She'll definitely become the Inner Courtyard's third 'Active Volcano' in the future," Ma Xiaotao praised.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Gongyang Mo and Yao Haoxuan felt cold sweat dripping down their faces.
Big Sis, having two 'Active Volcanoes' already puts immense pressure on us. If there's another one, how will the male students in the Inner Courtyard survive!
"Ling Bai, why aren't you saying anything? We're going to dominate that show-off match, cheer up!" Yao Haoxuan noticed something off about Ling Bai.
"Do you guys feel that Elder Xuan's expression seems a bit gloomy?"
The Shrek Seven Monsters all looked over, and sure enough, Elder Xuan's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression extremely grim like a storm brewing.
"You've won."
Elder Xuan left these words, then transformed into a blur and headed toward the Ancient Golden Tree on Sea God Island. His vast spiritual power transmitted to the various elders:
"Everyone, I am convening a Sea God Pavilion meeting!"