Countless stars dotted the sky. Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the eaves, restraining the last trace of True Qi within his body. The fourth star on his spinal column began to faintly sparkle. The threshold of the next realm was already within reach. He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.
"The connection of the fourth aperture will only require a very short period of time."
Lin Feng said to himself. In his perception, as the method of the nine orifices and nine veins continued to deepen, for every orifice he connected, not only would his strength advance by leaps and bounds, but his comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth would also become more profound. When he was opening the next orifice, the speed was on the contrary even faster.
Just as he was thinking, a faint sound of footsteps came from afar, interrupting his thoughts. He raised his head and saw the Snow Empress's figure slowly step into the courtyard. Her steps were light, as if she were treading on snow without a trace. A long, ice-blue dress swayed gently in the night wind, emitting a faint cold intent and nobility.
"Snow Empress, it's so late. Is there anything?" Lin Feng asked with a smile, but in his heart, he was a little curious about the Snow Empress's late-night visit.
The Snow Empress walked before Lin Feng, gave him a deep look, and said softly, "I have come to talk with you about the matter of Bo Saixi."
Hearing this, Lin Feng's brow raised slightly, and an inexplicable premonition welled up in his heart. "Bo Saixi? What's wrong with her?"
The corner of the Snow Empress's mouth hooked up. She, on her own, flew to Lin Feng's side and sat down. A pair of long, slender, jade-like legs were lightly crossed. Her beautiful eyes flowed. "She has been a little vexed recently. It seems her mind is a little uneasy. I guess it may be related to you."
"Me?"
"She said her master's teaching was irresponsible, and also said a certain someone was just a shameless liar, who had tricked her into coming here, yet had only given her one skill book and had then disappeared without a trace," speaking of this, the Snow Empress couldn't help but chuckle lightly. She supported her pretty head with one hand and looked at Lin Feng. "You tell me, who is that 'certain someone'?"
"She's slandering me! She's slandering me!"
Lin Feng coughed lightly. "Don't talk nonsense. I have clearly helped her to shape her first six Soul Veins. It's just that her seventh Soul Vein is a little special. Among a martial soul's soul rings, if there is a most important one, it is not the ninth soul ring but the seventh soul ring, which represents the Martial Soul True Body."
"Her martial soul is now the Sea God. Within it is the divine power bestowed by the Sea God. If we are to continue to shape it, we naturally have to reconstruct her martial soul and trace it back to its origin. Because there is some trouble, that's why I have been delayed. How can she say I am irresponsible?"
The Snow Empress blinked her eyes and looked at Lin Feng with a half-smile. "Oh? Is that so? Then when do you plan to help her complete this reconstruction of her martial soul?"
Lin Feng pondered for a moment and said with a straight face, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will begin to prepare and help her to complete this final step. After all, the improvement of her strength is also very important for our subsequent plan. Before, I had not yet fully comprehended the origin of that ball of energy from the Sea God. This is also one of the reasons."
Speaking of this, Lin Feng paused for a moment and then lightly tapped in the space. Accompanied by a flash of a cold light, the divine weapon Hanguang had appeared in his hand. The crystal clear sword's body emitted a faint, cold qi, as if it could freeze everything.
"The foundation of the Ice God's god-seat, I have already comprehended most of it. This sword, at present, besides slaughter, there is no more comprehension I can obtain from it. It had originally belonged to the Far North's ice plains. Perhaps it is more suitable for you to be in charge of it," as Lin Feng spoke, he gently handed the Hanguang sword towards the Snow Empress.
The Snow Empress did not immediately reply. Looking at Hanguang, she suddenly smiled. "Then can you now condense a god-seat?"
"I'm short of some inspiration. After all, to find the universality in the uniqueness, and then to transform it into my characteristic—this matter is not so easy."
Her pupils flowed. She reached out and took it. "But, what about the Emperor's Wind Divine Grace Sword? You wouldn't abandon me, would you? My speed of understanding the Ice God's god-seat is far from being comparable to yours. I need you to hold Hanguang, and for me to gather the Emperor's Sword to fuse them."
"Naturally, I won't. I can condense a Hanguang projection at any time. If you want to comprehend, you can just come and find me at any time."
"Then, let's do it now."
Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright."
The night was as dark as ink. In the courtyard, however, a sheet of a soft light lit up. Lin Feng and the Snow Empress sat opposite each other. Between the two of them, Hanguang and the Emperor's Sword lightly clanged, as if they were preparing for the upcoming fusion.
Lin Feng closed his eyes and concentrated. The True Qi in his body surged. He slowly raised his right hand, his palm facing upwards. A wisp of a brilliant light appeared from the sword pattern on his hand. It was the unique mark of Hanguang.
With a thought from him, this light gradually condensed and took shape, turning into a light sword that was identical to Hanguang.
"Let's begin," Lin Feng said softly. The moment his voice fell, the light sword in his hand had already transformed into a stream of light, flying towards the Emperor's Sword in the Snow Empress's hand. The two swords met in the air. The space faintly trembled. Immediately after, they began to slowly fuse. The light on the swords' bodies became brighter and brighter, until in the end, they had transformed into a brand new longsword that emitted an ultimate cold intent.
The sword's body had fused the gentle blue of the dawn and the cold silver of the night's curtain, intertwining into a dreamlike pale blue-purple, both mysterious and noble.
Fine runes were engraved on the hilt. Every stroke contained an ancient power and wisdom, as if it could communicate with heaven and earth. The tip of the sword, on the other hand, had condensed an ultimate cold intent, sparkling with a heart-palpitating light, as if a light stroke could tear space apart and touch another dimension.
It quietly hung in the air, slowly rotating between the two who were sitting opposite each other, releasing one after another of a cold and pure energy fluctuation.
The Snow Empress gazed at this Emperor's Wind Divine Grace Sword, which had fused Hanguang and the Emperor's Sword. Even though she had already fused them many times before, a trace of amazement still flashed in her eyes, just because this sword was simply too beautiful.
She gently stretched out her hand, and the new sword was as if it had a spirit. It slowly fell into her palm, perfectly fusing with her aura.
The Snow Empress held the Emperor's Wind Divine Grace Sword and waved it lightly. Wherever the tip of the sword had passed, the air was as if it had been frozen, leaving one after another of crystal clear ice marks.
Immediately after, the foundation of the Ice God's god-seat that Lin Feng had comprehended from the Ice God's sword, Hanguang, was as if it had transformed into a gushing, scorching torrent and had appeared in the Snow Empress's mind. This new and strange experience was as if a long-drought-stricken soil had suddenly been nourished by a timely rain, causing the Snow Empress's understanding of the Ice God's god-seat to rapidly deepen.
"Mmph~"
She couldn't help but let out a light moan. Her delicate body swayed a little, her cheeks becoming a little rosy. Her slightly closed pupils trembled a little.
The comprehension that Lin Feng had accumulated during this period of time was simply too much. And he had been away for so long. The first time the Emperor's Wind Divine Grace Sword had been fused after his return, the fundamental concept of the god-seat contained within had directly filled the Snow Empress.
Lin Feng looked at the Snow Empress before him, a strange feeling in his heart.
Under the night, the Snow Empress's face was dyed a touch of a crimson. Her pupils sparkled with a hazy brilliance, as if they were gently covered by a thin mist, adding a few points of a hazy beauty. She was slightly biting her lower lip, as if she were trying hard to endure something. But the alluring aura that was emanating from within and without was something that could not be ignored.
A jolt in Lin Feng's heart. He clearly felt the change that had come from within the Snow Empress's body. It was a kind of an indescribable charm, as if a flame were blooming in the ice and snow, both cold and scorching.
"Ahem ahem," he coughed lightly.
The Snow Empress's body trembled slightly. As if waking from a great dream, she opened her two eyes, a trace of clarity returning to her gaze. She glanced at Lin Feng, turned to the side, and a shy blush appeared on her cheeks. She said softly, "I... I may need some time to digest these comprehensions."
"Mmm. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
"Lin Feng," the Snow Empress suddenly turned around.
"Hmm?" Lin Feng replied, his gaze gentle as he looked at the Snow Empress.
The Snow Empress bit her lip, seeming a little hesitant. But in the end, she still summoned her courage and said, "In the future, can I call you Xiao Feng?"
She did not face Lin Feng but just turned her head to the side, sizing up his reaction with her peripheral vision. The calmness and confidence she had had when she had been teasing Bo Saixi in the daytime had at this moment disappeared without a trace, replaced by a trace of an imperceptible nervousness and expectation.
"Of course you can."
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Taking a deep breath, her proud chest gently rose and fell. The Snow Empress seemed to have made some kind of a decision. She once again turned to face Lin Feng. "Xiao Feng, I want to dance a sword for you."
Lin Feng looked at the Snow Empress's pair of clear, ice-blue pupils. The pair of pupils seemed to contain an endless deep affection and firmness, making it impossible for him to refuse. He nodded lightly and sat down cross-legged. A light cup appeared in his hand.
"A beauty has an intention, a sword dance to captivate a city," Lin Feng smiled, raised the light cup, and remotely toasted the Snow Empress, drinking it all in one go, quietly waiting for her sword dance.
The Snow Empress smiled faintly. Her figure lightly stretched and slowly floated down in the night sky.
Her tiptoes lightly tapped, and her figure had already gracefully risen, like an ice lotus blooming in the night sky.
She was holding the Emperor's Wind Divine Grace Sword. The tip of the sword lightly tapped the ground. In an instant, a sharp and cold sword qi burst out from the sword's body, condensing the surrounding air into one after another of a crystal clear ice crystal.
With the dancing of the Snow Empress's posture, the Emperor's Wind Divine Grace Sword drew one after another of a brilliant sword track in the air. Every sword strike contained an ultimate cold intent and sharpness, as if it could cut down all the obstacles in the world.
Her sword technique was both elegant and sharp. Every movement was just right. Softness and strength were perfectly fused in her sword dance, showing a beauty that was shocking.
The sword light was like a weaving, a silver brilliance flowing. The Snow Empress's posture was faintly discernible in the sword light, like a goddess of the waves, treading on the waves, and also like Chang'e of the moon palace, dancing gracefully.
Lin Feng watched quietly, his eyes full of admiration and praise. He had never seen such a wonderful sword dance. Every movement, every sword light, was as if it contained some deep meaning, making one intoxicated in it, unable to extricate oneself.
When the sword dance had reached its climax, the Snow Empress's figure suddenly paused. The tip of her sword pointed straight at the blue sky. A majestic sword intent surged out from within her body, shooting straight up to the clouds. At that moment, the entire night sky was as if illuminated by this sword intent. The stars had lost their color for it, and the moonlight had dimmed for it.
"Good!" Lin Feng couldn't help but shout his praise. "In the north, there is a beauty, peerless and independent. One glance, and she captivates a city. A second glance, and she captivates a country."
Hearing this, the blush on the Snow Empress's cheeks was even stronger. The person her heart was set on was right by her side, and she had received such a praise. This joy and satisfaction had made her dance even more unrestrainedly. The sword light was like a dragon, tumbling and leaping.
Gradually, Lin Feng was also intoxicated. While sensing the Snow Empress's sword intent, his own mood was also being influenced.
He was by no means a person who did not understand sword techniques. Although he had not comprehended sword intent, if one were to talk about the cultivation of the way of the sword, on this Douluo Continent, besides that Sword Dao Chen Xin, I'm afraid there were not many who could surpass him.
Without his own sword intent, he could on the contrary feel the Snow Empress's current state of mind and the feelings she wanted to express. What was contained in the sword dance was not just the Snow Empress's understanding of the sword path, but also her attachment to Lin Feng.
When the Snow Empress's sword dance had reached its peak, and the majestic sword intent had shot straight up to the clouds, an indescribable wave had also welled up in Lin Feng's heart. He seemed to have seen the tenacity and tenderness in the depths of the Snow Empress's heart and had felt her deep love for him.
"Snow Empress..." Lin Feng murmured softly. Although his voice was soft, it was as if it had passed through the night sky and had gone straight to the bottom of the Snow Empress's heart.
Finally, the sword dance ended. The Snow Empress gently sheathed her sword. Her figure slowly landed before Lin Feng.
The silver moon was bright and clear, and the starlight was sprinkled down. The Snow Empress bent down and gave a kiss on Lin Feng's forehead. The slightly cold lips touched Lin Feng's skin, yet they brought an indescribable warmth and tenderness.
"Do you understand?" The Snow Empress squatted down, her earlobes burning hot. She smiled faintly at the somewhat dazed Lin Feng. "This time, I'm ahead, Xiao Feng."
The moment her voice fell, the Snow Empress's figure had disappeared from her original spot. A mixture of cold pride and tenderness, she, who was sometimes bold, at this moment also appeared so shy and bashful, and had fled as if flying.
Lin Feng gazed at the direction the Snow Empress had left in. After being in a daze for a long time, his lips opened and closed a few times. After a long while, as if he had heard some reply, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded.
He took out another cup of fruit wine, remotely toasted the bright moon, and drank it all in one go.
The night grew deeper, but Lin Feng was not at all sleepy. He sat cross-legged on the eaves, continuing to cultivate the method of the nine orifices and nine veins, thinking about the matter of Bo Saixi, as well as how to help her complete the reconstruction of her martial soul tomorrow.
His heart was full of expectation, and at the same time, a little bit of nervousness. After all, to reconstruct a god-bestowed martial soul was a complex and dangerous process. A single careless move, and Bo Saixi herself could be safe, but it was very likely that it would expose his own existence to the Sea God.
A gentle night breeze blew. Lin Feng closed his eyes and concentrated, continuing to be immersed in his cultivation. In his body, his True Qi was like a dragon, circulating along his spinal column, continuously nourishing his physical body and soul. And the fourth star, which was faintly sparkling, also seemed to be pre-announcing his impending breakthrough in his realm.
"Why haven't you returned to the Pope's Hall?" A pair of lotus-like arms gently wrapped around Lin Feng from behind. At some unknown time, Bibi Dong had quietly arrived. Her voice carried a hint of teasing and gentleness, and it gently sounded in Lin Feng's ear.
Lin Feng was slightly stunned for a moment, the corner of his mouth hooking into a faint smile. "Dong'er, you're here. That little fox, that girl, has been pulled by you to handle affairs again?"
Bibi Dong chuckled lightly, rested her head on Lin Feng's shoulder, and said softly, "To handle affairs is certainly important, but to accompany you is also equally important. To have her handle them is to cultivate her ability."
"Besides, I didn't just come now. The Snow Empress seems to have just been here and has even danced a sword for you. It's really enviable, isn't it?"
Lin Feng heard the teasing meaning in her words and turned around, saying with a smile, "Are you jealous?"
"Can't I be?" She snorted, her fair hand pinching the soft flesh on Lin Feng's waist. "Speak! Where did she kiss you?"
Lin Feng pointed at his forehead. Bibi Dong sneered. "She has the guts, but that's about it."
"She... mmmph..."