"Ah—"
The Ice Empress let out a startled cry, but it was already too late. She tumbled straight into Ye Feng's arms.
"Sister Ice Empress , are you alright?"
Ye Feng held her delicate hand tightly with one hand while the other wrapped around her slender, boneless waist—cool to the touch.
Only then did Ye Feng realize that the Ice Empress 's outfit wasn't a one-piece. Her top and skirt were separate, and his hand had accidentally slipped between them, landing on the smooth, icy skin of her waist…
"Ah, what are you doing… let go…"
The Ice Empress 's mind was in a daze, her entire body feeling weak and sluggish. Even her voice lacked strength.
To Soul Beasts, Source Power was akin to the Essence Blood of Soul Masters—only far more difficult to condense than that of humans.
It was the essence of a Soul Beast's hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation.
What Ye Feng had drawn from her wasn't just her Source Power—it was her very cultivation!
A drastic drop in cultivation in such a short time had a massive impact on her, leaving her unable to recover immediately, as if she had suffered a severe injury.
"Stop struggling. You're in this state—I'll absorb it more slowly…"
Instead of releasing her, Ye Feng pulled the Ice Empress even tighter into his embrace, simultaneously slowing the rate at which he drew her Source Power.
At his previous speed, he had been draining 500 years of her cultivation every second—30,000 years of Source Power in just a minute. Clearly, that had been too much strain for her.
But for Ye Feng, it had only been a slight pressure.
Now that he had reduced the speed by tenfold, the Ice Empress 's expression visibly relaxed.
"Mmm… let me go, you jerk…"
Though she was still struggling, both her strength and voice had noticeably weakened.
At this moment, the Ice Empress 's face was pressed tightly against Ye Feng's chest. She could distinctly sense the scorching heat radiating from his body.
Logically, as an ice-attribute Soul Beast, she disliked heat and preferred cold.
Yet, for some reason, the warmth emanating from Ye Feng inexplicably brought her a sense of calm.
Not only that, she could also clearly feel the terrifying bloodline power contained within Ye Feng's body.
The pressure from that bloodline was like a slumbering dragon—even the faintest traces of its aura made her tremble slightly!
Now, she finally understood why Bi Ji's bloodline had evolved…
With a human possessing such an extraordinary dragon bloodline by her side, any bloodline would inevitably be influenced by it.
If she could also undergo Shape-shifting…
Lost in thought, the Ice Empress 's body gradually relaxed, pressing even closer against Ye Feng.
Strangely, she found the scent on him unusually pleasant… unconsciously nestling deeper into his embrace…
This wasn't voluntary—her bloodline instinctively sought to draw nearer to Ye Feng, as if doing so would bring her greater benefits…
...
...
...
As Ye Feng slowed his absorption, the Ice Empress finally had a chance to catch her breath. The pallor of her face gradually gave way to a faint flush.
"As expected of the Young Master—truly exceptional. Charming both humans and beasts alike~"
Bi Ji watched the scene with amusement from the side, silently marveling in her heart.
If it had been at the beginning, she might have felt a bit jealous, but after being with Ye Feng for so long, she had long since let it go.
After all, she already had so many sisters—what was one more like the Ice Empress ?
Besides, the Ice Empress wasn't as strong as her, so there was no way she could threaten her position.
As for Ye Feng, he wasn't overthinking things at the moment. Instead, he was somewhat excited.
Because with the intake of Source Power, his Bloodline Unsealing was accelerating at a frenzied pace.
Source Power inherently had the effect of strengthening the physical body.
Ye Feng remembered that Huo Yuhao had absorbed the Ice Empress 's Source Power, which had led to a massive boost in all his attributes.
Moreover, Huo Yuhao had only absorbed a tiny fraction of the Source Power back then.
Yet even that small amount had increased Huo Yuhao's combat power by dozens of times.
He went from being a support-type to an all-round warrior, becoming ridiculously strong!
But Ye Feng was now absorbing the vast majority of the Ice Empress 's Source Power—the benefits he gained were naturally immense!
In less than half an hour...
Previously, Ye Feng hadn't cultivated much, and his Bloodline Unsealing had remained at 86.8%.
Yet in just half an hour, the unsealing progress had reached 1.4%—an absolutely terrifying rate!
Now, Ye Feng's Bloodline Unsealing was only at 85.4%.
But the Ice Empress 's Source Power had already reached 150,000 years...
"Stop... stop! No more absorbing!"
The Ice Empress felt it was about time and hurriedly called for a halt.
Although it would be easier to undergo Shape-shifting once her Source Power exceeded 100,000 years, doing so would reduce her potential.
150,000 years might be more challenging, but she still had a 90% chance of success.
Don't underestimate just an extra 50,000 years of Source Power—those 50,000 years would be enough for her to condense a 50,000-year Soul Ring in the future!
If Ye Feng absorbed it, she would suffer a huge loss.
"Ahem... Sister Ice Empress , I'm just a little short of Source Power to break through. Can I absorb just a bit more?" Ye Feng felt somewhat embarrassed now and asked in a negotiating tone.
His sealing progress was currently stuck at 85.4%. If he could unseal just another 0.4%, he should be able to awaken a brand-new Talent—and an extremely powerful one at that.
Although he could slowly grind through that last 0.4% over the course of half a month if he had to...
Now that he had the chance to break through in one go, he really didn't want to stop. Otherwise, he'd feel inexplicably frustrated.
It was like being interrupted right before climax...
Leaving just a little bit inside.
That little bit was pure torment—utterly unbearable.
That was exactly how Ye Feng felt right now...
If he couldn't break through that tiny bit of sealing, he reckoned he wouldn't be able to sleep well for days.
"How could you... You promised to leave me 150,000 years of Source Power..."
The Ice Empress suddenly felt inexplicably wronged.
Because right now, she was extremely weak and completely powerless to resist...
"Alright, alright... fine, forget it."
Seeing that the Ice Empress seemed unwilling, Ye Feng stopped and severed the absorption link between them.
After all, he had promised her. Going back on his word wasn't great—it was just a matter of a few days. He could endure it.
"R-really stopping?" The Ice Empress was clearly surprised to see Ye Feng actually halt.
"Otherwise? After all, I did promise you." Ye Feng spread his hands.
"Hmph, at least you keep your word..." the Ice Empress muttered softly, feeling an inexplicable fondness toward Ye Feng.
In her view, humans were all treacherous and deceitful creatures, and keeping promises was a rare virtue among them.
Yet Ye Feng had actually followed through on his word, which made her trust him inexplicably.
"Then can you let go now..." The Ice Empress struggled slightly, signaling Ye Feng to release her quickly.
She was, after all, one of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Land of Extreme North. Being held like this by a human was simply too embarrassing...
"Of course~"
Ye Feng loosened his grip and steadied the Ice Empress .
He then took out a robe and gently draped it over her, suggesting, "You're very weak right now and not suited for shape-shifting. How about coming with me to the human world? I've established a sect there. You can stay there in the future to get used to it in advance. If you don't like it, I can arrange a separate residence for you."
(End of Chapter)