Is this the Second Spirit that the Ice Empress mentioned?
Snow Emperor glanced at the hundreds of Flying Swords charging toward her, then at the two glowing red Spirit Rings beneath Li Xun's feet.
Her expression remained unreadable, though the energy swirling around the ice sword in her hand intensified noticeably.
The Flying Swords moved swiftly, closing in on Snow Emperor within the blink of an eye.
Clang, clang, clang—
Though her ice sword danced lightly, its speed was extraordinary. The Flying Swords were shattered the moment they entered the area around her.
Such weak attack power?
Snow Emperor felt puzzled by the lack of force transmitted through her sword, but her confusion vanished when she noticed the Spirit Rings beneath Li Xun's feet.
Even so, she didn't halt the duel just because Li Xun's Second Spirit currently lacked sufficient Spirit Rings.
As the previously deflected Flying Swords lunged at her once more, Snow Emperor channeled energy into her ice sword. With what seemed like a casual swing, a massive sword materialized in the air before her, slashing horizontally along the trajectory of her strike.
In that single motion, the Flying Swords in front of her were sent flying in all directions.
All of this happened in mere moments.
That the Water Chill Swords failed to hinder Snow Emperor was well within Li Xun's expectations.
After all, that hadn't been his true intention.
Seeing the five giant swords and Snow Emperor closing in on him from both sides, Li Xun formed a sword-finger gesture before his chest. In an instant, his figure vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was high above and behind Snow Emperor, standing firmly atop one of the Water Chill Swords that had been knocked away earlier.
This was the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Unbeknownst to Snow Emperor, he had left a mark on the sword when he seemingly wiped its blade casually after summoning his Martial Soul.
"Gravity Swamp, Titan Sky Rift!" Li Xun threw a punch toward Snow Emperor, and the Titan Giant Ape Left Arm Spirit Bone on his arm glowed brightly.
A murky yellow energy instantly enveloped Snow Emperor, followed by an air cannon that shot toward her back.
But he wasn't finished!
Li Xun knew better than to assume such an attack could injure Snow Emperor. Dispelling his Second Spirit, he channeled Soul Power once again: "Wood Release, True Several Thousand Hands, Buddha Transformation!"
A colossal figure, no smaller than the previous Great Buddha, emerged before Li Xun, blocking the sky as it gazed down upon the earth with an expression devoid of joy or sorrow.
Thousands of fist shadows erupted from the Great Buddha's back, and its six-hundred-meter-tall frame hurtled directly toward Snow Emperor.
This was a new combination skill Li Xun had devised.
"This…"
A shadow fell over the land. Sword Douluo, Ice Empress, and Bing Xiong Wang looked up at the sky, their hearts trembling with unease.
The man and two beasts hastily retreated further into the distance.
An attack of this magnitude could no longer be measured by conventional standards. It resembled the raw power of nature itself—a massive meteor hurtling from the heavens, evoking sheer helplessness with its simplest form of impact.
Snow Emperor had sensed the impending danger the moment Li Xun launched his assault.
Though she didn't understand how he had instantly appeared behind her, it didn't stop her from reacting.
Clang—
Her Domain clashed against the murky yellow Gravity Domain. Facing the oncoming air cannon, Snow Emperor braced her ice sword vertically with her left hand, blocking the attack head-on.
Yet, the tremendous impact sent her flying backward, crashing toward the ground.
Instead of immediately righting herself, Snow Emperor calmly observed the approaching Great Buddha and the countless fist shadows blotting out the sky.
From such height and with such massive size, the impact force would be unimaginably powerful. Even with her cultivation level, being struck directly would...
No longer holding back, she unleashed the energy within her body. The terrifying aura instantly distorted the surrounding air.
The ice swords hummed, causing spatial vibrations before her. With several consecutive slashes, multiple hundred-meter-long giant swords materialized in front of her. Following her swinging trajectory, they continuously intercepted the descending Great Buddha and the shadows of fists filling the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
Fist shadows and giant swords collided, arms being torn apart one after another while new fists continuously joined the assault.
For a moment, wood splinters flew everywhere alongside scattered broken limbs.
As the Great Buddha's arms were destroyed one by one, the giant swords gradually gained the upper hand.
Yet this development didn't ease Snow Emperor's tension, for the Great Buddha continued falling with increasing speed.
The rushing wind and overwhelming force could be distinctly felt even from considerable distance.
Should she dodge?
The moment this thought flashed through Snow Emperor's mind, she felt startled inwardly.
She never expected that a human who had just reached Title Douluo could make her—a powerhouse cultivated for 680,000 years—consider evading a frontal assault.
There was another option.
That would be to shatter the ice surface to create a large hole and dive in to avoid the impact...
"Forget it," Snow Emperor sighed inwardly, turning to rapidly descend toward the ground before bursting forth at full speed to flee beyond the Great Buddha's impact zone.
BOOM!—
Moments later, the earth shook violently as the Great Buddha collided with the ice surface, sending snow waves hundreds of meters high sweeping outward like a tsunami.
Millennia-old permafrost in the Far North Land began cracking, with numerous chasms radiating from the impact center.
"My home..." Ice Empress murmured while gazing at the destroyed glacial canyon.
Li Xun continuously scanned the skies, his spiritual power probing the surroundings.
Although that last move was powerful, he didn't dare lower his guard against an opponent like Snow Emperor.
Suddenly, a snow-white figure appeared beside Ice Empress.
Ceasing hostilities?
Li Xun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Despite breaking through to Title Douluo and achieving substantial growth in Soul Power, he could only use True Several Thousand Hands at most four times.
Moreover, he couldn't exhaust all his Soul Power, needing to reserve some for emergencies. If his next attack proved ineffective, he'd have to rely on Flying Thunder God to maintain an undefeated position.
Fortunately, Snow Emperor showed no intention to continue fighting.
Slowly landing beside Sword Douluo, Li Xun cupped his hands toward Snow Emperor: "Thank you for showing mercy."
"...You're quite remarkable." Snow Emperor quietly observed Li Xun for a long while before speaking in a cool tone: "Humans truly are heaven-favored."
"Isn't this precisely why our plan can succeed?"
Li Xun released Sky Dream Iceworm from his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness: "And I keep my word—upon achieving godhood, I'll surely resurrect both Ice Empress and Skydream. The same applies to other Soul Beasts."
A kindly smile curled his lips as he added: "Would you like to take this gamble too?"
"Of course, if you're confident about surviving your next Heavenly Tribulation, forget I mentioned it. After all, each successful tribulation grants you at least tens of thousands of years of lifespan."
"..."
Snow Emperor never expected this human to already set sights on her before Ice Empress even performed the Sacrifice.
Yet compared to the Heavenly Tribulation over ten thousand years later, she felt the probability of achieving godhood might actually be even lower.
"It's still too early to say these things. Talk to me again when you can defeat me someday."
"But now I want to see this Wisdom Soul Ring you mentioned. I hope you're not deceiving the Ice Empress."
Hearing the implication in Snow Emperor's tone, Li Xun nodded solemnly: "You can rest assured."
"You agreed?" The Ice Empress gently tapped Snow Emperor's skirt hem with her massive front pincers.
"..."
Snow Emperor looked at Ice Empress without responding, her usually tranquil heart now filled with complex emotions.
Had they known each other for a hundred thousand years or two hundred thousand? Snow Emperor had already forgotten.
She had always thought one of them would fall first to the Heavenly Tribulation, never expecting it would be such a farewell.
At this moment, even the Sky Dream Iceworm, who had always feared Snow Emperor, became active.
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