In an instant,
The crimson sword light collided head-on with the filthy spiritual power torrent.
There was no earth-shaking explosion—
Only the anguished wail of space being torn apart by power at its absolute limit.
Where the crimson sword light passed,
The spiritual power torrent dissolved inch by inch, like boiling water poured onto snow.
The overflowing energy tore countless bottomless ravines into the eternal-frozen land, and the falling snow was instantly vaporized into nothingness.
The Evil Emperor let out a piercing, mournful screech.
Its mountain-like body writhed violently, desperately trying to avoid the strike of annihilation.
But—
The sword light was too fast, too sharp.
It was still half a breath too slow.
Chiii—!
A scalp-numbing sound of tearing rang out.
Half of the Evil Emperor's body was severed cleanly.
Foul, dark-red viscous fluid sprayed out like a broken dam, corroding vast stretches of ice in an instant, sending up clouds of acrid white smoke.
Severely wounded,
The Evil Emperor lost all will to fight.
Within its giant eye, besides ferocity, a trace of distinctly human-like fear finally surfaced.
It forced its remaining power into motion, spraying great streams of bodily fluid as it crashed wildly toward the icy barrier sealing the edge of the domain.
BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM—!
Heavy thuds rang out as cracks spread across the ice wall—but it never shattered.
"It's over…"
Li Zhexian and the Snow Empress shared a single thought.
He abruptly transformed into a world-piercing sword light, illuminating the snowy world as bright as day.
The Snow Empress followed like a shadow, azure cold radiance streaming from the sword edge.
Their auras merged completely.
The moment their twin sword tips touched—
Ultimate annihilation and ultimate ice converged with a thunderous crash.
Like a falling star, the force condensed into a single point and plunged downward.
The Evil Emperor raised its head and wailed.
Its massive eye surged with terrifying spiritual power—
But the torrent failed to erupt in time.
The peerless sword light containing the combined might of Li Zhexian and the Snow Empress had already pierced straight through its body.
The mountain-like creature went rigid,
Then shattered inch by inch in a series of deafening explosions.
A blood-red Spirit Ring engraved with seven golden lines—
And a peculiar Spirit Bone shaped like an eye—
Floated in the air, radiating light that illuminated half the sky.
"Brother Zhexian!"
"Sister Xue!"
Skydream Ice Worm and Ice Empress rushed over.
The former stared at the floating Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone, voice trembling with excitement: "Brother Zhexian—did you really kill the Evil Emperor, second on the rankings?!"
Li Zhexian let out a long breath, suppressing the violent surge of Spirit {ower inside him.
Even he couldn't help the flicker of burning desire in his eyes as he looked at the Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone.
Rumble—!
The ice plains shook.
The Titan Snow Demon King, still guarding little Yazi, approached with heavy steps.
"Li Zhexian, you should absorb the Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone first."
The Snow Empress looked at him with a faint, gentle smile on her flawless face.
"As for my situation, I will speak with the Ice Empress."
Li Zhexian nodded slightly and said no more.
He sat cross-legged in midair.
In front of him hovered the Evil Emperor's Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone.
A violent aura surged like a storm, lifting mountains of snow and engulfing him in the howling blizzard.
Skydream Ice Worm gave the Ice Empress an expectant glance, then its figure blurred and dove into Li Zhexian's spiritual sea.
This battle
Had nearly exhausted it to the point of soul dissolution. It needed a long period of rest.
...
"Sister Xue, you..."
The Ice Empress' expression suddenly changed drastically.
She grasped the Snow Empress' hand tightly.
What had once been a perfectly solid body had turned faintly transparent.
"It's nothing," she said gently. "Come. Not here—we'll speak below. Let's not disturb Li Zhexian's absorption."
The two descended lightly, landing on the ravaged ice fields.
The Titan Snow Demon King had already begun gathering the Spirit Beasts of the Extreme North, preparing to repair the devastated battlefield.
Snow Empress stooped to pick up Little Yazi, who was hopping irritably with barbed teeth bared—still furious about being tossed about during the earlier chaos.
After fussing for a bit,
It lifted its head, staring toward the faint silhouette of Li Zhexian amid the drifting snow, and squirmed restlessly in the Snow Empress' arms.
"That's enough, that's enough," Snow Empress tapped its head lightly. "He's cultivating. Sit still, little one."
"A little lady like you—your cultivation grows higher, yet your temperament only grows more mischievous."
Once the little Yazi was soothed,
The Snow Empress raised a slender finger.
The swirling snow instantly condensed, forming a set of crystal-like tables and chairs, complete with tea utensils carved from ice.
She sat gracefully.
The Ice Empress took the seat opposite her.
With a casual sweep of her claw, delicate petals of ice crystal drifted into the tea cups.
Snow turned into water,
And in an instant, a clear, refreshing fragrance spread through the air.
This was the Extreme North's unique Frost Tea.
The Ice Empress herself disliked drinking such things—
But because the Snow Empress loved it, she had carried it with her for tens of thousands of years.
"Li Zhexian's talent is extraordinary. The Spirit Soul method he holds is completely different from the current Spiritt Ring system…"
The Snow Empress sipped the tea lightly and explained everything to the Ice Empress, her gentle voice drifting with the wind and snow.
As she spoke,
The Ice Empress' expression shifted repeatedly.
"…In short, this Spirit Soul method is extremely profound. It may not eradicate the ancient enmity between humans and Spirit Beasts, but it can ease the conflict between them."
Shock lingered on the Ice Empress' face.
"Another path for Spirit Masters?"
"If this method spreads across the world, Li Zhexian will be the one who established a new Dao—both Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts will owe him a great debt!"
At this point,
The Ice Empress suddenly stood, trembling in disbelief:
"Sister Xue —you… you've become Li Zhexian's Spirit Soul, haven't you?!"
Seeing the Snow Empress' slight nod,
A brief daze crossed her enchanting features.
The Spirit Soul method claimed to forge an equal pact between Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts—
But the true control ultimately lay with the human.
With the Snow Empress' unbending, proud nature, how could she possibly accept placing herself under someone else?
"At that moment, there was no other choice."
The Snow Empress spoke softly, a faint, subtle smile at her lips.
"To be honest, becoming Li Zhexian's Spirit Soul may actually be an opportunity for me."
"With his talent, his chances of becoming a God are not small. When the time comes, I too may ascend to the Divine Realm with him."
"Ice Empress..."
"I'm telling you this today because I intend to entrust the Extreme North to you."
"To guard this land, and to protect little Yazi until she grows safely—this is your responsibility."
The Ice Empress pressed her lips tightly together.
Her icy pincers clenched so hard they made a grinding crrk sound.
She had countless words—
But when she met the Snow Empress' solemn gaze,
Not a single one came out.
Up in the air,
Li Zhexian was completely wrapped in the raging storm.
The red-gold Spirit Ring and the eye-shaped Spirit Bone radiated streams of pure energy, endlessly pouring into his body.
The energy tore through his meridians and flesh—
But each time his body broke,
The lightning tribulation force stored in his blood surged forth, instantly repairing every wound, leaving his physique even more flawless, like unblemished glass.
Again and again this cycle repeated.
The Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone gradually dimmed, turning faint and translucent.
...
Three days passed.
With the Titan Snow Demon King and the soul beasts of the Extreme North repairing the battlefield, the once-ruined ice plains had almost been restored.
Auroras painted the vast world in dreamlike colors.
And then—
The blizzard raging over a hundred kilometers abruptly froze in place.
An indescribable wave of energy spread from the youth in the storm, rippling outward as if distorting space-time itself.