While the Sea Witch was deep in thought, her beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed as she whispered with caution:
"Be alert, there's a soul master approaching."
Everyone instantly became vigilant, gripping their mining tools tightly, following behind Ye Tian and continuing to move forward.
Before long…
A middle-aged man wearing luxurious clothing approached them with his hands behind his back, eyes full of arrogance and disdain.
Ye Tian deliberately shifted his gaze away to avoid eye contact with the richly dressed man.
But unexpectedly, the man still noticed them.
"Which unit are you from?"
The man demanded coldly as he stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the Sea Witch and the others.
With a snort, he said, "There's no one in the Imperial Guards with such fair complexions!"
Upon hearing this—
Ye Tian smiled faintly.
"I didn't expect you to have such sharp eyes."
"Unfortunately, sharp eyes don't bring good luck."
With that—
His expression turned cold as he waved his hand casually.
Understanding the signal, Zhou Long swiftly stepped forward with his Tungsten Sword and slashed in one clean motion.
Before the man in luxurious robes could react—
A bloodline sprayed across his neck.
"Petty tricks!"
The man, now nearly beheaded, didn't even realize it at first.
The next moment—
He finally reacted, feeling a sudden chill around his neck.
Subconsciously touching his throat, his fingers felt warm blood.
His eyes widened in disbelief:
"How… how is this possible?!"
Then, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.
After this happened—
The once noisy cave instantly fell silent.
Countless eyes turned to stare at Ye Tian and his group.
At that moment, even the sound of a falling needle could be heard.
But the silence didn't last long.
Soon after came a burst of uproar and chaos.
"Enemy intrusion!"
"Form ranks! Prepare for battle!"
"Intercept and kill them!"
It must be said—the Imperial Guards truly lived up to their name as the elite troops of the Star Luo Empire.
Even in the face of sudden chaos—
Their shock only lasted a second.
Once they recovered, they quickly assembled into paired formations.
Five-man squads grouped into small units—
Which then rapidly merged into a large formation, completely surrounding Ye Tian and the others.
Among the crowd, a mid-ranking officer stepped forward and shouted:
"You're surrounded by the Star Luo Empire's elite forces. If you know what's good for you, leave now!"
"Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"
At this—
Ye Tian let out a faint laugh. "And what exactly do you mean by 'rude'?"
It was obvious this mid-ranking officer wasn't a fool—
He knew Ye Tian's group had someone powerful enough to instantly kill a soul master.
Trying to scare them off would be the best strategy.
But since Ye Tian was already here, how could he be easily frightened away?
He calmly raised his hand and pointed at the mid-ranking officer:
"Take my advice—have your men lay down their weapons."
"Never!" the officer snapped back without hesitation, glaring at him with gritted teeth.
Ye Tian understood.
To become Imperial Guards, absolute loyalty to the Star Luo royal family was a must.
A force like this wasn't going to surrender easily.
"What a hassle."
The Sea Witch gently patted her forehead and stepped forward. Looking at Ye Tian, she sighed softly:
"I'll be the villain this time."
"Just knock them out," Ye Tian reminded, glancing at her.
He understood well—if a Titled Douluo killed too many people, they would be shrouded in killing intent and incur divine retribution.
If not handled properly, the result could be a regression in power—or worse, a heart demon.
A serious setback for any cultivator.
Hearing this, the Sea Witch nodded silently—
Then released her illusion domain.
Though the cave was large, it was still relatively confined.
In such a narrow environment, her domain was inescapable.
Cries of pain echoed one after another.
When the noise finally faded, only Ye Tian and his group remained in the now quiet and dim cave.
Ye Tian glanced at the unconscious Star Luo soldiers lying on the ground—
He closed his eyes briefly.
If war broke out on the continent, these soldiers wouldn't just be unconscious…
The cruel reality of this world wasn't far away.
When he opened his eyes again, his mental state had steadied.
Ye Tian calmly gestured for everyone to move forward.
They walked deeper into the cave.
The temperature dropped sharply.
But it also became brighter—
Not with sunlight, but with a cold, crystalline glow.
The light came from crystals embedded in the cave walls.
Beside them, Gui Mei seemed mesmerized by the glow—
He rushed forward and touched one of the glowing crystals.
The moment he touched it, his eyes widened in disbelief:
"This is Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Essence!"
"Is it precious?" The Sea Witch tilted her head in confusion.
Though she had served as an offering on Seagod Island for many years, her knowledge of rare resources was still quite limited.
Gui Mei exclaimed in excitement:
"Precious? It's beyond rare—it's a once-in-a-lifetime treasure!"
"This Cold Essence is one of the top heavenly materials on the continent!"
"As long as one can withstand the frost energy it emits—even someone with poor talent could see their strength skyrocket!"
"So powerful?" The Sea Witch blinked and looked around at the Cold Essence embedded in the walls.
"…Judging by the volume here, there must be over a hundred pounds. Doesn't that mean we could forcefully create a Super Douluo?"
"Not just one—two would be no problem!" Gui Mei was both shocked and slightly fearful.
A Super Douluo was a strategic-level powerhouse in any faction.
Adding even two more would dramatically alter the balance of power on the continent.
But Ye Tian only smiled faintly and spoke to temper Gui Mei's excitement:
"Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Essence is indeed top-tier, but it's extremely picky about who can use it."
"Only those with ice-attributed martial spirits can even hope to succeed."
"Others who try it will die."
This statement was like a bucket of cold water over Gui Mei's head.
His expression fell. "I didn't expect such a limitation… what a shame."
Just then—
Xiao Bai suddenly became alert. "Everyone be careful—something's coming."
No sooner had she spoken than a deep, echoing voice rang from all around:
"Who dares disturb my divine cultivation?"
With those words—
An overwhelming spiritual pressure swept over the group.
Even the Titled Douluo-level Sea Witch and others stiffened in place—
They could clearly feel this spiritual pressure was at least ten times greater than their own.
Even when the Sea Witch had faced Qian Daoliu, it hadn't been this terrifying.
This was beyond the limit of what humans could achieve.
Realizing this, the Sea Witch' beautiful eyes sharpened—
She respectfully bowed and asked:
"Could Your Excellency be… a god?"
There was a moment of silence before the mysterious voice replied with a hint of smugness:
"Indeed, I am the Heavenly Dream Ice God."
"Consider yourselves fortunate to meet me today."
"Take some Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Essence and leave."
"Thank you, Your Majesty Ice God!"
Overwhelmed by the pressure, the Sea Witch believed it fully and responded with utmost reverence.
Zhou Long, Gui Mei, and the others exchanged glances—
Then followed suit and bowed respectfully toward the cave wall.
In their eyes, there was no way this so-called Ice God was fake.
After all, strength speaks for itself.
This kind of terrifying pressure was not something they could resist.
Since His Majesty the Ice God was willing to grant them some Ten Thousand-Year Cold Essence, that was already more than enough.
Among those present, the only one who didn't bow was Ye Tian.
Upon hearing the word "God"—
He couldn't help but let out a sneer.
Before the "Heavenly Dream Ice God" claimed to be a deity, Ye Tian merely suspected.
But the moment the "Heavenly Dream Ice God" spoke, Ye Tian was completely certain of the other party's identity.
This guy was most likely the Child of Destiny of the soul beast world in Douluo Continent—the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm.
One had to admit, the guy had freakishly good luck.
Wherever he went, he stumbled upon Ten Thousand-Year Cold Essence ore veins.
The hundreds of catties of Cold Essence here might be enough to feed him for over a thousand years.
Unfortunately for him, he ran into Ye Tian.
Facing the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's pretentious god act, Ye Tian stepped forward and feigned a respectful tone:
"Your Majesty the Ice God, upon hearing your name just now, I was suddenly reminded of something."
"I wonder if Your Majesty is familiar with a soul beast known as the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm?"
Upon hearing this, the mysterious voice immediately became a little more alert:
"As a deity, I naturally know of that powerful and peerless genius among soul beasts."
"Why do you know his name?"
Seeing the "Ice God" take the bait, Ye Tian feigned a bitter smile:
"Actually, at first, I didn't know either."
"It's just that, years ago, I mistakenly entered the Extreme North and was entrusted by a powerful soul beast named the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor(Ice Empress)."
"She told me that if I ever met the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, I must tell him this—she likes him."
Ye Tian said calmly and naturally, without any change in expression.
In truth, it was all made up.
He had never been to the Extreme North.
But being familiar with the plot, he knew that the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm had a huge crush on the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor.
Using her to manipulate the Ice Silkworm was the perfect move.
"She really said that?" The mysterious voice's tone suddenly became animated, a hint of eagerness slipping through.
This immediately confirmed Ye Tian's suspicions—
The other party was the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm!
Ye Tian chuckled lightly. "Of course not. That proud Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor? Like you? No way."
With that said—
Ye Tian's expression turned ice-cold.
"A paper tiger… and yet you dare to impersonate a god?"
Hearing Ye Tian's words, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was utterly shocked.
"Impossible! How did you see through my disguise?!"
This revelation caused the Sea Witch and the others to look at each other in surprise.
They never expected that this so-called deity… was a fraud.
Even more unexpected was that Ye Tian could expose such a deception.
Among them, Xiao Bai was the first to react.
"He's hiding behind the Cold Essence on the left!"
Upon hearing this—
Zhou Long stepped forward with the Sky Tungsten Sword in hand, shouting coldly:
"Do I have to drag you out, or are you coming out on your own?"
"Hmph! A mere Titled Douluo dares to act arrogant in front of a million-year-old soul beast?"
"So what if I'm not a god?"
"I am the only million-year-old soul beast on Douluo Continent!"
"Today, I'll show you the power that belongs to a million-year-old soul beast!"
Hidden behind the Cold Essence, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was furious.
He boldly crawled out from behind it, glaring coldly at Zhou Long.
He couldn't beat the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor from the Extreme North, but surely he could handle a human Titled Douluo?
At this moment, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was filled with confidence.
With a deep shout, he roared: "Soul Shock!"
In an instant—
A storm of spiritual power surged inside the cave, sweeping toward Zhou Long.
Yet Zhou Long remained calm, stepping sideways with his right leg and raising the Sky Tungsten Sword toward the Ice Silkworm.
"Decapitation Slash!"
The Sky Tungsten Sword came crashing down—
And directly broke through the Ice Silkworm's Soul Shock!
Seeing this, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was stunned.
He murmured in disbelief, "Impossible…"
"I'm a million-year-old soul beast!"
"How can I not even defeat a human Titled Douluo?!"
He rubbed his eyes, confirming that he wasn't dreaming.
Which only filled him with even more dread.
But Zhou Long gave him no time to react.
The Sky Tungsten Sword slashed down again, aimed directly at the Ice Silkworm's head!
Just as he recovered from the shock and saw the blade—
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm panicked.
He immediately curled up, wrapping himself in silkworm threads.
In the next moment—
Clang!
The Sky Tungsten Sword was repelled.
Now Zhou Long was the one surprised.
Young Master Ye Tian had once said that the Sky Tungsten Sword was strong enough to be considered a divine weapon.
Yet even such a powerful weapon couldn't harm the Ice Silkworm?
"I'll give it a try."
Xiao Bai stepped forward and took a deep breath—
And in an instant, transformed into her true form: a great white shark.
With her sharp teeth bared, she lunged at the Ice Silkworm.
Crunch crunch!
A horrible tooth-grinding noise echoed.
In the end—
Even Xiao Bai couldn't break through the Ice Silkworm's defenses.
"No good," she shook her head after returning to human form.
"Heh! I may not be able to beat you, but don't think you can hurt me either!"
Inside the silkworm threads, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm mocked mercilessly.
And added smugly—
"This is the foundation of a million-year-old soul beast!"
Seeing that both Zhou Long and Xiao Bai's attacks had failed—
Ye Tian frowned slightly.
Though the Ice Silkworm lacked strong offensive power, his overwhelming defense was indeed a problem.
While pondering—
Ye Tian suddenly felt Gu Yuena tug at his sleeve.
She blinked her big, watery eyes and pointed at the Ice Silkworm with a finger:
"Big Brother… that guy looks delicious."
Ye Tian chuckled, "Indeed… very delicious."
Seeing her expression, he was reminded of an alternate timeline—
Where the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena had relied on the Ice Silkworm as a major source of nourishment to recover from her wounds.
And now, with the Ice Silkworm in his hands—
Ye Tian naturally wouldn't waste such a precious tonic.
However, the current cave wasn't the best place to deal with the Ice Silkworm.
After all, this was right under Star Luo City—the Star Luo Empire's reinforcements could arrive at any time.
Ye Tian raised his head and swept his gaze across the group.
"Xiao Bai, you keep watch on the Ice Silkworm. Don't let him escape."
"The rest of you, quickly gather the surrounding Ten Thousand-Year Cold Essence."
"It's time for us to leave."
(End of chapter)