At first, the Sun-Moon Federation did not agree when Xia Yi announced his departure from Mingdu to join the Blood God Legion.
They were still unaware that the Tang Sect's underground armory had already been backfilled.
Although the Tang Sect headquarters had been destroyed by a Rank 12 Godslayer Fixed-Mounted Soul Guidance Cannon Shell, the underground armory remained a significant threat.
Helpless, Xia Yi informed the Sun-Moon Federation that the underground armory had already been backfilled.
As for how it was done, he did not explain.
He simply provided the locations of all the Tang Sect's underground armories, allowing the Sun-Moon Federation to verify for themselves.
Upon inspection, the Federation confirmed that all the underground armories had indeed been backfilled.
This discovery shocked them greatly. They could not fathom how Xia Yi had managed to secretly fill in all of the Tang Sect's underground armories.
It was only then that the Federation recalled how, just a few days ago, an entire mountain range in the southern part of the continent had inexplicably vanished, turning into a vast plain.
Only now did they realize that the mountains had not disappeared but had been excavated by Xia Yi, and the soil was used to backfill the Tang Sect's underground armories.
Immediately, experts in soil studies conducted sampling and analysis of the backfilled soil in the Tang Sect's underground armories.
As expected, the results confirmed their suspicions—the backfilled soil was indeed from the vanished mountain range.
But how had Xia Yi managed to accomplish this?
The high-ranking officials of the Sun-Moon Federation were all baffled.
Despite their confusion, they wasted no time in announcing the news to the public.
All citywide security alerts were lifted.
The entire Federation celebrated, finally relieved of their days of anxiety and fear.
Once again, Xia Yi's name echoed throughout the Sun-Moon Federation, making him a figure of widespread admiration.
At this moment, Xia Yi had already traveled a thousand miles westward from Mingdu, entering an endless desert.
The Blood God Legion—the most mysterious army of the entire Federation. Had it not been for the previous Abyssal Outbreak causing a massive uproar, the Federation's citizens would likely never have known of its existence.
Even Xia Yi, deep within his heart, was drawn to this enigmatic force.
To reach the Blood God Legion's base in the Endless Mountains, the first step was crossing this desert. After the desert came the Blazing Basin, and only after passing through the basin could one enter the Sky's End Mountains.
In the desert, vehicles struggled to gain speed. By car, the journey across the desert would take about five days. However, with Xia Yi piloting a mecha and flying at full speed, thanks to Heart Of The Ice God's swiftness, he would arrive by noon after setting out in the morning.
"Couldn't we have left at night? I hate the desert during the day." Enduring the scorching sun, the mecha's pilot, Heart Of The Ice God, continuously complained.
Forcing an ice-attribute being to endure the relentless sunlight was indeed a bit harsh.
"With your level of cultivation, are you really afraid of a little heat? You think the sun's going to melt you?" Xia Yi scoffed, lounging inside the mecha as he contemplated his next steps.
"Master, may I ask you a question?" Heart Of The Ice God glanced at Xia Yi and couldn't help but speak up.
"What the—did you just call me 'Master' of your own accord? That's rare! Since when did you become so polite?" Xia Yi curiously eyed Heart Of The Ice God. "Just what kind of question would make the great and mighty Heart Of The Ice God humble herself like this?"
"I have always respected Master," Heart Of The Ice God replied without the slightest change in tone.
Well, that was fair—she was just a pearl, after all. She had no face to turn red and no heart to race.
"Xiao Bing, if you could reconstruct a body, I bet you'd have the thickest skin ever," Xia Yi joked.
"Master is always right. However, Master, have you considered that while the embryonic form of the Soul Beast God Realm has already taken shape, and you now wield the Earth Cauldron, your destiny is not limited to just the Soul Beast God Realm? You are bound to transcend it. Have you ever thought about who should inherit the Earth Cauldron when the day comes that you must journey beyond this world—perhaps even beyond this universe?" Heart Of The Ice God's body was merely a pearl, yet Xia Yi could almost see her eyes shining with intensity.
"Oh? So you want to take over the Earth Cauldron?" Xia Yi asked curiously.
"Whether it be the Ice Sky Snow Maiden or the Ice God, we are beings formed from the wind, snow, and spiritual energy of the heavens and earth. We are not suited to wield the Earth Cauldron" Heart Of The Ice God's Bing Shen Zhi Xin explained.
"Let me guess—you think the Titan Snow Demon King is the right choice?" Xia Yi shook his head and said seriously, "Do you really think he can command the allegiance of all land-dwelling soul beasts?"
"He has simply never been given the chance. If Master gives him an opportunity to grow, he will undoubtedly prove himself," Heart Of The Ice God assured him.
"To be honest, if Yue'er hadn't insisted that I wield the Earth Cauldon, I would have long since handed it over to the Mountain Dragon King's dragon soul," Xia Yi sighed softly. "But since I have taken responsibility for it, I will do right by it. Even if one day I leave the Soul Beast God Realm, leave this universe altogether, before I go, I will find a worthy successor—someone who can bear this responsibility."
Xia Yi gazed at Heart Of The Ice God and smiled. "So you should understand—I won't casually pass down the Earth Cauldon just because you asked. Whoever inherits it must first earn the respect of all land-dwelling soul beasts. If one day you truly believe the Titan Snow Demon King is capable of that, then you don't need to go behind Yue'er's back. You can boldly recommend him in front of her."
"I understand. Thank you, Master, for clarifying," Heart Of The Ice God said, not dwelling on the matter further. Instead, she tossed out a soul bone. "This Titan Snow Demon King's right arm bone—I have refined it to a hundred thousand years. Master can now absorb it. With your physical constitution, absorbing a hundred-thousand-year soul bone should pose no issue."
"Good!" Xia Yi accepted the soul bone. It was only now that he recalled—aside from the Titan Snow Demon King's right arm bone, he also had the Mountain Dragon King's torso bone and the Light Dragon King's skull bone.
These were all given to him by Gu Yue, who hoped he could establish deeper ties with the Dragon Clan.
However, she also understood that it was unwise for Xia Yi's entire body to be filled with dragon-attributed soul bones, so she only gave him two.
Yet even just these two were incredibly significant—torso and skull bones were the most crucial after external soul bones.
Moreover, they were both god-tier soul bones.
Had the dragon souls of the Mountain Dragon King and Light Dragon King not imbued their respective soul bones with their power to prevent rejection, even a newly ascended Soul Emperor like Xia Yi would have had no chance of absorbing them—perhaps not even a god-tier powerhouse could.
In fact, Xia Yi possessed another soul bone—the torso bone of the Demonic King Octopus.
However, since it was unsuitable for him, he had gifted both the soul bone and its accompanying soul spirit to Lan Fuzi.
A hundred-thousand-year soul spirit and soul bone were not easy to come by, even for Lan Fuzi.
"Who knows what awaits me at the Blood God Legion? I should absorb the soul bones first," Xia Yi said, glancing at Heart Of The Ice God. "Later, don't stop at the Blazing Basin—go directly to the Endless Mountains. I'll begin absorbing the soul bones. If I'm not finished by the time we arrive, just land the mecha at the foot of the mountains and wait for me to finish."
"Understood!" Heart Of The Ice God responded.
Xia Yi immediately sat cross-legged, taking out all three soul bones.
He began with the one of the lowest age—the Titan Snow Demon King's hundred-thousand-year right arm bone—and guided it into his right arm using his soul power.