"This… lightning?"
Tang Xiao halted mid-step.
At the very edge of his perception, far beyond the white-blue horizon, streaks of deep azure lightning tore through the sky like furious serpents. Above the Extreme North, the clouds churned violently—layer upon layer folding inward, forming a massive vortex that distorted both light and soul power.
The phenomenon was unnatural.
In the Extreme North, blizzards and hurricanes were common—but lightning was not.
Especially not lightning that carried such dense, tyrannical soul power pressure.
Tang Xiao narrowed his eyes. Having read the later Douluo Dalu sequels, he possessed knowledge far beyond this era.
Several possibilities immediately surfaced in his mind.
"Such violent fluctuations… at least several hundred-thousand-year-level existences."
No—
Some of them felt even stronger.
Without hesitation, Tang Xiao withdrew his Spiritual Abyss Realm soul power back into his body. Then, with frightening precision, he compressed every strand of soul power inward, condensing it deep within himself—forming something akin to a core.
If an expert from the Douluo Dalu 2 era were present, they would be left utterly dumbfounded.
What Tang Xiao had casually formed was nothing less than the prototype of a soul core.
Even in the later era—where the concept of soul cores was fully established—countless soul masters spent their entire lives unable to cross that threshold.
And this was an age where the knowledge of soul cores was nonexistent.
Yet to Tang Xiao, whose control over soul power bordered on the divine, this prototype was merely the result of a few days of tinkering.
If not for the absence of the right opportunity and timing, he would have already formed a complete soul core long ago.
With everything retracted, Tang Xiao stood quietly upon the snowfield, his presence fading until he appeared no different from an ordinary object buried in ice.
Thanks to his ice immunity, even without circulating soul power, the Extreme North posed no threat to him.
Carefully, he moved toward the source of the lightning.
…
High above the core region of the Extreme North—
A colossal figure stirred beneath the storm clouds.
Blizzards and thunder concealed most of its form, yet its faint outline was still visible—towering, immense, and overflowing with terrifying power.
And yet, beneath the descending lightning, even such an existence looked wretched.
Each bolt that struck was followed by a shrill, agonized roar that echoed across the frozen plains.
At a distance, numerous other colossal figures stood watch. Their forms differed, but their auras were uniformly ancient and oppressive, silently guarding the figure writhing under the thunder.
Hidden deep within the snow, Tang Xiao observed without blinking.
He had guessed correctly.
A soul beast was undergoing a thunder tribulation.
And he knew exactly which one.
"The Ice Bear King…"
Before coming to the Extreme North, Tang Xiao had done his homework. The figure before him could only belong to the Ice Bear lineage.
There weren't many soul beasts in the Extreme North to begin with, and Ice Bears were among the rarest. In this frozen land, they stood at the very top of the food chain—much like the Dark Gold Fear Claw Bears of the Great Star Dou Forest.
A thousand-year Ice Bear could contend with ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
Judging by the aura and cultivation of the one undergoing tribulation—
"Two hundred thousand years."
There could be no mistake.
The Ice Bear King—the adopted son of the Snow Empress, the undisputed overlord of the Far North.
"Two hundred thousand years… It seems you're not fated to become my soul ring."
If nothing had changed from the original timeline, the Ice Bear King was still alive in the Douluo 2 era. This tribulation was destined to succeed.
Which meant its cultivation was too high to become his eighth soul ring—and too low for his ninth.
For a brief moment, a dangerous spark flickered through Tang Xiao's mind: disrupting the tribulation and at least obtaining a soul bone.
But the thought was instantly extinguished as he sensed the surrounding guardians.
Eight… no—nine soul beasts that had surpassed the hundred-thousand-year threshold.
And more importantly—
A woman stood among them.
Beside her loomed a massive white-green scorpion. Her aura was deep, boundless, and oppressive—like an abyss that swallowed all resistance.
Tang Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
He instantly averted his gaze the moment it brushed past her presence and suppressed his soul power completely, not allowing even a trace to leak.
He knew who she was.
"…That was close."
Cold sweat broke out along Tang Xiao's temples.
"The Snow Empress…"
"This brain of mine really dares to think anything. If I so much as target her adopted son, forget her personally taking action—those surrounding beasts alone would pound me into minced meat."
Nearly ten hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
Each of them only needed to grab one limb—his five limbs wouldn't even be enough for them to tear apart.
"Alright… alright."
Tang Xiao exhaled slowly.
"At least I've found most of the hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in one go. No need to search for them individually anymore."
Opportunity always hid within danger.
From here on, following their traces would allow him to locate their lairs with ease.
Peeking out slightly from the snow like a cautious cat, Tang Xiao carefully scanned the aura emitted by each soul beast.
The Snow Empress—out of the question.
He didn't even dare glance in her direction.
No death wish.
Next—
That emerald-green scorpion.
"The Ice Empress…"
Leader of the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan.
Her cultivation hovered around three hundred and fifty thousand years.
"…Very suitable as my ninth soul ring."
Tang Xiao licked his lips—but only briefly.
Targeting her now was suicide.
Then came two others, both around two hundred and fifty thousand years.
One resembled a wolf; the other had a vaguely simian form.
Neither appeared in Douluo 2.
"They probably perished during the ten thousand years in between."
Who knew how many hundred-thousand-year soul beasts had fallen during that span?
The Body Sect alone must have hunted dozens.
"Tsk… People claim hundred-thousand-year soul beasts are rare."
"They just don't understand."
His gaze moved on.
Four of the remaining soul beasts had only recently broken through the hundred-thousand-year threshold and hadn't yet undergone their first thunder tribulation. They were clearly here to observe the Ice Bear King and gain experience.
Tang Xiao couldn't help but wonder—
After witnessing chunks of flesh being torn from the Ice Bear King's body, would they still dare attempt their own tribulations?
Perhaps fear would drive them to assume human form instead.
If so, then in a few hundred years, the continent might gain several tragic romance legends.
Tang Xiao silently noted them down.
They might not be useful to him—but they would be valuable information for his descendants and for Ning Ruoyan.
Finally—
His eyes locked onto one last figure.
A hundred-meter-tall being with a humanoid build, standing like an ancient god of ice.
"Ice Devil Titan…"
"Possibly the future Ice Devil Titan King."
"About one hundred and seventy thousand years."
Tang Xiao's eyes gleamed.
"…Just right for my eighth soul ring."
At last.
A suitable target.
And one of the two he had initially set his sights on.
Compared to the Ice Bear King, his estimation this time hadn't deviated much at all.
As the tribulation neared its end, Tang Xiao carefully memorized the Ice Devil Titan's aura, engraving it deep into his mind.
Casting one final glance at the mangled Ice Bear King, a bitter expression crossed his face.
"…Damn."
"Luckily I wasn't reborn as a soul beast."
"Otherwise, I'd rather bite my tongue and die than endure this kind of abuse."
Boom—crack!
The final lightning bolt descended, carrying power comparable to a full-force strike from a level 97 Titled Douluo.
Tang Xiao's hair stood on end.
He turned and fled without hesitation, cursing the heavens as he ran.
Thankfully—
He had transmigrated into Tang Xiao's body.
______________________________________
Author's Note:
Last time I asked, six readers took the time to write reviews. I sincerely thank every one of you—it truly meant more to me than words can express.
Those six reviews, along with every Power Stone and message of support, became the reason I continued uploading chapters until now. Each one reminded me that there were still people reading, still people quietly waiting.
This chapter is dedicated to all my genuine readers, to the 21 who have written reviews so far, and to everyone who has supported this story in their own way. ʘ‿ʘ