The cold wind howled.
The North Pole had been snowing all night.
The next day.
The heavy, goose-feather-like snowfall gradually weakened, and the gentle sunlight shone upon the land. A cool breeze swept across the ground, lifting the accumulated snow and forming a mist of ice in the air—a harmonious natural spectacle.
"Finally, it stopped. I nearly froze to death last night." Shui Yue'er, ever the optimist, chattered away as she shoveled the snow blocking the door.
Dugu Yan carried Ning Rongrong, who was still asleep. With the strength of a Soul King, Ning Rongrong's weight was nothing to her.
Dugu Yan let out a sigh of relief in her heart.
As long as they left the North Pole, they would be safe.
"I hope nothing terrible happens."
As the group chatted, they slowly made their way toward Tian Shui City.
In the safe zone, powerful spirit beasts rarely appeared, so everyone was at ease.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold descended from the sky, and the surrounding temperature dropped sharply by several degrees.
"Be careful!"
As the dean of Tian Shui Academy, the old woman possessed an 85th-ranked soul power. Her deep-set eyes gazed upward.
"That is…"
A woman with long, dark green hair and a light green dress stood suspended in the sky, her skirt fluttering gently in the breeze. Her cold eyes looked down imperiously.
"Humans… I've found you." The woman slowly descended from the sky until her feet touched the ground. However, as she approached, the temperature around them plummeted rapidly.
"Y-you… who are you?"
The old woman swallowed hard, her body trembling instinctively. Her Dolphin Martial Soul was inexplicably suppressed.
She was the dean of Tian Shui Academy, the grandmother of Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er—she couldn't retreat.
"Martial Soul, Possess!"
The old woman let out a sharp shout.
Two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings rose from beneath her feet.
As a Soul Douluo, she wasn't necessarily famous across the continent, but she was no weakling either. Yet, she couldn't even bring herself to meet the other party's gaze.
How terrifying…
"Who are you?" When the woman didn't answer, the old woman pressed again.
"Human, you are unworthy of knowing my name."
"Die."
With a mere wave of her hand, countless ice arrows materialized around her and shot toward everyone present.
"S-such terrifying cold!" The old woman's instincts screamed in alarm.
This aura… a Title Douluo?!
No… a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast! Damn it…
Can hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts take human form?
And be this strong?!
"Eighth Soul Skill—Water Splash!"
Layers of freezing energy enveloped everyone, forming a massive circular barrier.
"Pathetic." The woman didn't even bat an eyelid, muttering to herself.
The ice arrows pierced through the barrier effortlessly.
"Hm?" The woman frowned slightly.
Within the icy barrier, a surge of green soul power erupted. This energy gave her a faint sense of danger.
Bang!
The ice shattered, and the old woman staggered before falling to one knee, panting heavily.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Dugu Yan, her voice weak.
"Thank you…"
The bone-piercing ice arrows had torn through her barrier, yet they corroded bit by bit in the green poisonous mist, vanishing completely before they could strike anyone.
Corroding a Title Douluo's attack—how could a Soul King accomplish such a feat?
Honestly, the old woman couldn't think of any way to escape from a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast that seemed even stronger than Dugu Bo, whom she had once encountered in the Heaven Dou Empire.
It was said that hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts were comparable to 95th-ranked Title Douluos.
Yet, an attack like this—even if it was just a casual strike—had been neutralized by Dugu Bo's granddaughter.
"The student has surpassed the master!"
"Are you the Ice Empress… or the Snow Empress?" Dugu Yan appeared calm on the surface, but inside, she was panicking.
She needed to buy more time, even if she wasn't sure it would help.
"Human, you are special." The Ice Empress's voice was indifferent. "You are worthy of knowing my name. I am the 390,000-year spirit beast, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion—also known as the Ice Empress."
"By your human standards, I am roughly equivalent to a 97th-ranked Title Douluo."
"N-ninety-seventh rank?!"
Shui Bing'er and the other two gasped.
It was over. Completely over.
Among Title Douluos, each rank was a world of difference. A 97th-ranked powerhouse—what hope did they have of escaping?
Rely on Dugu Yan, who was only a Soul King?
Even if Dugu Yan was special, she couldn't possibly match a 97th-ranked existence!
Dugu Yan took a deep breath.
"Lady Ice Empress, why do you harbor such hostility toward us the moment we meet?"
"Can't we talk things over?"
"Human, your constitution is similar to that man's—interesting. But… you are too weak." The Ice Empress's tone was icy. "No matter what achievements you might reach in the future, today is your last day. Blame your misfortune on stepping into the North Pole."
With the Ice Empress at the center, waves of freezing energy spread outward.
Then, she condensed an ice spear in her hand.
Whoosh!
The spear shot forth, aiming straight for Dugu Yan and the others.
The terrifying pressure it carried was incomparable to her earlier casual attack.
This was power capable of erasing a Title Douluo.
"I can't block this." Dugu Yan had already activated her Martial Soul, but there was nothing she could do.
The reason she had blocked the previous attack was because the Ice Empress's strike had been scattered and casual, while her poison had strong corrosive properties.
"I'll fight to the end!" Compared to the despair on Shui Bing'er's and the others' faces, Dugu Yan still believed in resisting—what if a miracle happened?
"Fifth Soul Skill—"
"Ara ara~ If you die, Master will be sad, you know?" A slender, pale hand rested on her shoulder.
The space in front of them suddenly split open, revealing a pitch-black void.
The ice spear, brimming with terrifying cold energy, was swallowed by the rift without even causing a ripple.
Once the spear vanished, the space slowly closed.
"Is it done over there?" Dugu Yan finally relaxed. The hand on her shoulder made her tense heart settle.
"Mm~ Master still needs a bit more time. But against just the Ice Empress… I'm enough." Tokisaki Kurumi, dressed in a gothic lolita outfit, twirled two handguns in her hands.
"Who is she?" Shui Bing'er and the others exchanged bewildered glances. The old woman, in particular, was stunned—someone who could casually tear open space was likely a Title Douluo.
Was this the guardian Dugu Yan had mentioned, the one protecting her and Ning Rongrong? But she seemed to refer to Ning Rongrong as "Master."
They suddenly felt like they had stumbled upon something they shouldn't have known.
Would they be silenced next?!
"So it was you!" The Ice Empress's expression darkened. "Back at the Blizzard Valley, I detected traces of a familiar aura. As I thought—it was you, the Dark Devilgod Tiger."
"Hehe~ Dark Devilgod Tiger… what a nostalgic name." Tokisaki Kurumi chuckled. "Unfortunately, I've long discarded that outdated title. You may now call me Tokisaki Kurumi."
"Hmph, an insignificant name change. To think you would help humans… or did you sacrifice yourself?" The Ice Empress remained cautious, sensing an unusual pressure from Tokisaki Kurumi. This wasn't something an ordinary spirit beast could possess. And…
Her condition was strange—she didn't seem like a spirit beast at all.
"Sacrifice? Who do you take me for? I would never do something so pointless."
"I've simply found my purpose in life—unlike you lot, who hide away in the North Pole all day."
"Enough! Today, I'll have my revenge for last time!" The Ice Empress conjured a white sword from ice and thrust it fiercely toward Tokisaki Kurumi.
"Take this!"