Seven Spirit Rings slowly rotated, dazzling to the eye. The two red Spirit Rings, in particular, carried an intense sense of pressure.
Through the fluctuations they emitted, the Ice Emperor Scorpion could roughly determine the cultivation level of the two Spirit Rings' original owners before their deaths.
This situation made her heart shudder. Among Soul Beasts, aside from their own kin, they didn't care about the life or death of other Soul Beasts, but that didn't mean they didn't understand that if one falls, the next is in danger.
Since humans had the ability to hunt other 100,000 Year Soul Beasts, they also had the ability to hunt her.
"Ice Empress, I didn't come here to threaten you. If we can avoid a fight through negotiation, it would be the best choice for both of us." The Water Chill Sword appeared in Li Xun's left hand. The seven Spirit Rings at his feet dissipated, replaced by two red Spirit Rings.
Seeing this, the Ice Empress felt as if a storm was raging in her heart. "Four 100,000 Year Spirit Rings!"
"It's five." Li Xun pointed at the Titan Snow Devil King a thousand meters away. "And I will continue to increase the number of my Spirit Rings until I ascend to Godhood."
"You've seen Skydream's state. Although he no longer has a body, his soul remains, and he can clearly maintain his self-awareness. If possible, I would be very happy to have you join us."
Li Xun retracted his Martial Soul and looked calmly at the Ice Empress. "Even if I don't come to hunt you in the future, you won't be able to survive your next Heavenly Tribulation. Why not take a gamble?"
The Ice Empress fell silent, finding it somewhat hard to believe. "What happens if you don't succeed?"
"We'll die together!" Li Xun spread his hands and said with a smile, "But I won't let that happen."
"I want to think about it." The Ice Empress was tempted, but her desire for life prevented her from making an immediate decision. "I have another question. Can I really maintain my consciousness like the Golden-striped Ice Silkworm?"
When it came to such a technical question, Skydream immediately became animated. "I'll answer that for you. And I'm not called the Golden-striped Ice Silkworm anymore. You can call me the Sky Dream Iceworm."
As the Ice Empress listened to Skydream's explanation of the principles behind this method that transcended Spirit Beast Sacrifice, her eyes flickered incessantly. "I never thought your fear of death would lead you to come up with such a method. But although it's very tempting, I still need to think it over carefully. This concerns my life, after all."
"I had no other choice." Hearing the Ice Empress's taunt, Skydream quickly began to pour out his grievances, recounting his tragic experience of constantly fleeing and then being trapped in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"I never imagined such a powerful Soul Beast faction existed on the continent," the Ice Empress said, stunned.
Afterward, the two sides had another brief exchange. As he was about to leave, Li Xun thought for a moment and called out to the Ice Empress, "If you can, you could also talk to the Snow Emperor about this."
Hearing this, the Ice Empress spun around abruptly and looked at Li Xun in disbelief. "I didn't realize your ambition was so great. Do you have any idea of the Snow Emperor's cultivation level?"
"Of course. But isn't it better the stronger we are?" Li Xun smiled.
"How did it go?" Seeing Li Xun and the Ice Empress parting amicably on the ice peak, Dugu Bo's curiosity was greatly piqued.
"The talk went quite smoothly, but she needs some time to consider it," Li Xun said with a smile, seeing the three of them looking at him curiously.
"A Soul Beast of over 300,000 years just agreed to Sacrifice like that?" Dugu Bo could hardly believe his ears.
Previously, when they sensed the Ice Empress's aura, they were going to drive her away. After all, with such a powerful Soul Beast watching nearby, it would be easy for an accident to occur while Li Xun was absorbing the Spirit Ring.
Who would have thought that Li Xun would say he wanted to chat with the Ice Empress? That was a 300,000-year-old Soul Beast! Among them, only Sword Douluo could contend with her; even he and Bone Douluo combined might not be her match.
"Anything is possible before we have a result. Besides, by that time, I should have the strength to face such a situation. At worst, it'll just take some extra effort," Li Xun said, not speaking in absolutes.
"That's true," Dugu Bo nodded.
If a Spirit Ring was not absorbed for a long time, it would slowly dissipate. Li Xun walked over to the Titan Snow Devil King's side and sat down cross-legged.
In truth, watching Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo fight the Titan Snow Devil King had given him a new idea, mainly concerning the quality of his Spirit Avatar.
Compared to the hundred-meter-tall Titan Snow Devil King, Li Xun's True Several Thousand Hands was larger and had a faster attack frequency, but its quality was not as durable as the Titan Snow Devil King's. As for flexibility, there was no comparison at all.
Controlling a five-hundred-meter-tall giant wooden golem consumed a massive amount of energy. Li Xun simply couldn't afford the Soul Power drain required to pursue an enemy, and the wooden golem lacked that kind of agility.
Li Xun couldn't expect all his enemies to face him head-on in a direct clash. Once a few of the stubborn ones died, he believed others would flee the moment they saw the wooden golem. If a cleverer opponent used kiting tactics, it would also be a troublesome matter for him.
He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket. It seemed he still needed to diligently hone his swordsmanship.
As the red Spirit Ring was drawn toward him, Li Xun suddenly felt a sharp pain. For him, the age of a Spirit Ring from a Soul Beast over 200,000 years old was still a bit high.
However, he had endured this kind of suffering far too many times. Gritting his teeth, he could still accept it.
Time passed, drop by drop. Li Xun was in a miserable state, but the absorption was proceeding in an orderly fashion. As the last trace of energy was absorbed by his body, the aura around him suddenly soared.
The transition around the eightieth level was the beginning of a qualitative change for a Soul Master. From this realm onward, a Soul Master would step into the ranks of the top tier. In the early stages, physical techniques and external forces might still be somewhat useful in battle, but at this point, they were often less practical than an eighth Soul Skill.
Of course, a Soul Master's body was frail. Even one who could absorb a Spirit Ring from a Soul Beast hundreds of thousands of years old could still be killed by a Hidden Weapon if they were not careful.
Level eighty-three.
Li Xun slowly opened his eyes and assessed his body's condition. Compared to when he was at the seventieth level, the energy granted by the Spirit Ring had diminished once again. "It seems that if I want to advance quickly after level ninety, I'll have to rely completely on my second Martial Soul."
This was the advantage of Twin Spirits. Compared to the age limit of Spirit Rings, the ability to continue advancing rapidly on the path ahead was where this talent's true power lay.
Dismissing these thoughts, Li Xun began to study his newly acquired abilities.
The two skills the Titan Snow Devil King had brought him were Strength Amplification and Ice Manipulation. Both of these were the Titan Snow Devil King's innate abilities.
Strength Amplification could double the user's strength, while Ice Manipulation was more like a Domain skill. Li Xun wasn't particularly satisfied or dissatisfied with this. He was already nearly invincible in a frontal assault; there was no difference between a twofold and a hundredfold increase.
What Li Xun and Skydream had said greatly impacted the Ice Empress, causing her to toss and turn for many days without a peaceful night's sleep. Her heart was filled with both a desire to become a god and the fear of being deceived.
Of course, what she feared most was failure.
The Ice Empress struggled for a long time. Finally, after some thought, she quickly headed towards the Snow Emperor's territory.
If there was still a Soul Beast in this world she could trust, it would undoubtedly be the Snow Emperor.
As for the Sky Dream Iceworm who was madly professing his love for her, she only felt disgusted.
(End of Chapter)