"This is… the True Martial Spirit Form?!"
The Ice Emperor exclaimed in shock.
Below, an incomparably vast dragon floated in the sea — only the upper half of its body was visible above the surface, yet it was already at least a thousand meters long.
The awe-inspiring dragon bloodline seemed to press down upon the entire Extreme North, forcing everything to bow beneath its might.
This was pure bloodline suppression. Even the Ice Emperor — whose bloodline ranked at the absolute pinnacle among soul beasts — felt a faint pressure, as if… she had the urge to kneel and pay homage.
In the Douluo Continent, the dragon race's bloodline was the strongest among all soul beasts — without exception.
What truly shook the Ice Emperor, however, was the fact that this was Neuvillette's true martial spirit form… and deep in her subconscious, she sensed that what she faced was a water dragon with an extremely pure bloodline.
"Heh heh, Bing'er, how's that? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"
The Tianmeng Iceworm withdrew the protective barrier around the young girl and smiled at the Ice Emperor hovering in the sky.
Both of them stood beside Neuvillette, upon the head of the water dragon.
"This boy's talent is something your Sister Tianmeng scoured the world to find…"
"Shut up!"
The Ice Emperor shot the Tianmeng Iceworm a fierce glare.
"Will you die if you stop talking for a moment? You're so annoyingly chatty!"
Then she turned her gaze back to the tranquil, rippling sea — and to the immense water dragon whose head and upper body towered above the waves, the elegant young man standing atop it.
Hesitation in her eyes slowly gave way to firm resolve.
This youth's talent… even she, a top-tier soul beast, was moved by it. On the path to godhood, perhaps there truly was hope!
"Fine. I can become your eighth soul ring. But I hope that after you ascend to godhood, you will fulfill everything you've promised me."
The Ice Emperor looked deeply at Neuvillette.
Most importantly… she truly didn't have much time left.
If there were even a 20% chance for her to survive the Fourth Great Tribulation, she would never so lightly entrust everything to a human.
"In that case… let's begin."
Her clear voice rang solemnly as she met Neuvillette's eyes.
Upon the water dragon's head —
Neuvillette let out a faint breath of relief.
From the descriptions in the original timeline, the Ice Emperor's character was upright, and later she never betrayed Huo Gua, even imparting her knowledge without reserve.
So having her by his side would be an enormous boost.
"Since you'll be my wisdom-type soul ring, I'll preserve as much of your strength as possible."
The Ice Emperor's "small and exquisite" body slowly floated down onto the water dragon's back.
She glanced at Neuvillette and asked with slight hesitation,
"Boy… can your body withstand this?"
Neuvillette thought for a moment, then nodded slowly.
The Ice Emperor's sacrifice would not only grant him a soul ring, but also a fused soul bone — along with her nearly four-hundred-thousand years of cultivation.
The pain would be immense, but he could endure it.
For the day he would one day face Tang San, he needed more confidence.
"Alright… then I will begin!"
The Ice Emperor's voice rang out crisply.
Her crystal-gold eyes slowly turned emerald green, her long green tail curling upward once again.
Gentle green light radiated from her tail. Her eyes gradually lost their luster, and her jade-like body slowly dimmed.
Her spiritual origin was being drawn out.
Don't be fooled — though this process of releasing the spiritual origin seemed simple, it was not something ordinary soul beasts could achieve.
Only soul beasts who had survived one Great Tribulation and reached cultivation over one hundred thousand years could perform this. For peerless powerhouses like the Tianmeng Iceworm and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, it was no problem.
Once the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's body lost its spiritual origin, it fell heavily to the ground. Without the control of her spirit, her body released an unimaginably terrifying beastly aura. The sky above was suddenly dyed a layer of emerald green.
That light then slowly merged into Neuvillette's body.
Seagod Island
A refreshing sea breeze blew, warm and pleasant.
"Old Mu, you really haven't seen that kid?"
Xuan Zi frowned, holding a chicken leg in one hand while scratching his sleeve with the other, not caring in the least about the grease on his fingers.
"Truly. Would I lie to you?"
An elderly man with white hair and beard lay quietly on a long chair, eyes closed in meditation. Only when Xuan Zi's pestering became too much did he slowly open his mouth.
"Then where could he have gone? Strange… I remember that in the past, he couldn't even be bothered to leave Seagod Island, and now I've searched all of Shrek City without finding him."
Xuan Zi smacked his lips, then took another bite of the chicken leg.
"Heh… he's grown up now. Since he has the strength to protect himself, isn't it normal for him to go out and have some fun?"
Old Mu remained calm.
"But you're looking for him for some urgent reason?"
"Uh… not exactly urgent. Just wanted to ask if he'd be interested in joining me to lead the team for the upcoming All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."
Xuan Zi scratched his head.
"Heh… I think you just want to slack off."
Mu En slowly opened one eye, giving Xuan Zi a sidelong glance before turning his head with a sigh.
"I know that incident back then dealt you a heavy blow, but there are some things you can't run from.
You're a Seagod Pavilion elder. If something happens to me, then you'll be the one to hold up Shrek Academy's banner…"
"Besides, little Neuvillette should go out and see more of the world. If he keeps hiding away on Seagod Island, he'll just be shutting himself off from reality."
Another sigh escaped Mu En's lips.
"The outside world is developing far faster than we ever imagined. Just like my last trip to the Sun Moon Empire, I even saw a soul tool that could threaten my life. In that area, Shrek Academy is indeed far behind…"
"What? Something that could threaten you?!"
Xuan Zi's pupils shrank, the chicken leg falling from his hand.
For something to threaten an Ultimate Douluo… the news was like a thunderclap in his mind.
"Yes. That's why, at the recent Seagod Pavilion meeting, I leaned toward Qian Duoduo's stance — to merely ground Fan Yu, rather than…"
Mu En's deep gaze turned toward the sky.
In all his near-century of leading Shrek Academy, he had never felt such a surging tide approaching.
The march of the times… if they did not change, they would be washed away in the river of history.
He could only hope for peace…
Extreme North
Buzz!
A green light radiated from Neuvillette's body, ripples spreading outward until they vanished beyond the horizon.
At the moment, Neuvillette looked somewhat disheveled — the upper half of his deep-blue formal attire had burst apart, revealing pale yet well-defined muscles, smooth and supple.
On the outer side of his arm, a tattoo glimmered brightly — a pair of gleaming pincers and an alluring emerald tail — the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion itself.
Unlike in the original story, where Huo Gua had the design spread broadly across his back, it occupied only a modest spot on the arm.
"How interesting."
A crisp voice sounded, carrying a hint of puzzlement.
"As a four-hundred-thousand-year soul beast, I can sense a powerful presence hidden within this boy's body…
It feels like… an ancient dragon yet to awaken…"
(End of chapter)