Time passed, second by second, and Zhou Sichen's aura grew ever stronger. Two brilliant, dazzling soul rings spiraled around his body.
The first ring was the unique platinum-white million-year soul ring bestowed by Skydream.
The second was a deep, blood-red ten-thousand-year ring.
However, this wasn't an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul ring.
This ring radiated a soul-shaking crimson hue, exuding nobility and an icy solemnity. Its color, like a sea of blood, carried an aura of boundless majesty.
What's more, four golden lines shimmered faintly on its surface. The combination of crimson and gold shone resplendently against the snowy white backdrop of the icy plains.
This wasn't a typical hundred-thousand-year soul ring—it was a terrifyingly powerful four-hundred-thousand-year super soul ring.
With Skydream's help, the Ice Empress had broken through her final limit and ascended to the four-hundred-thousand-year level.
And with that ascension, her external soul bone advanced alongside her soul ring. This meant Zhou Sichen had not only obtained a four-hundred-thousand-year soul ring, but also a four-hundred-thousand-year external soul bone!
At this moment, both the Ice Empress's ring and bone had been fully fused and absorbed into Zhou Sichen, becoming part of his power.
But the process wasn't over yet.
Within his spiritual sea, the Ice Empress's spiritual origin, preserved with Skydream's help, retained its full intelligence. Though she was slightly weakened, her delicate, youthful face bore an expression of delight.
They had succeeded!
Only after becoming a part of Zhou Sichen did she truly understand the terrifying depth of her new master's talent and potential.
At that moment, Elder Yi looked at the Ice Empress and Skydream and said slowly, "You may begin."
Upon hearing this, the Ice Empress immersed her consciousness into the remains of her former body. A strange power began to stir.
Gradually, her physical shell, suspended behind Zhou Sichen, began to burn, transforming into refined energy that enveloped his body.
His clothes disintegrated completely, even the power he had fused with from A Da was fully restrained.
Only a portion of that power remained, enough to cover Little Zhou Sichen.
Elder Yi released a majestic aura as a staff silently appeared in his hand.
With a gentle wave of his staff, he began chanting a mysterious incantation.
As Elder Yi's chant continued, a gray-black hexagram formation appeared beneath Zhou Sichen. Using the immense power of the Ice Empress's origin, the formation began to gather strange energy, which started acting…
Within this formation, the power of the Ice Empress's origin activated. Zhou Sichen's body began to emit a jade-green glow.
Behind him, the essence of the Ice Empress's physical body began to converge along his spine.
Time passed slowly. The Ice Empress's body burned and broke down, then reassembled—like a suit of armor—perfectly aligning with Zhou Sichen's form as it gradually solidified.
After a long while, Zhou Sichen was no longer standing there nude. In his place was a figure clad in jade-green armor, emanating an overwhelming and fearsome presence—an Armored Warrior.
This was something Zhou Sichen had planned with the Ice Empress in advance. Pouring the energy from her physical form into the soul bone wouldn't increase its age or provide more power. Since it was going to be sacrificed anyway, why not make her physical body more valuable?
Zhou Sichen had already consulted Elder Yi. With the Ice Empress's full cooperation, the combined control of her and Skydream's spiritual origins, and the influence of her origin power, Elder Yi was able to refine her body into a suit of armor perfectly suited for Zhou Sichen!
The armor now covering his body was none other than the transformed remains of the Ice Empress's body—crafted with a precision that could rival divine craftsmanship.
The armor was primarily jade-green, accented with golden highlights. Every detail was flawlessly refined. From the base of the spine trailed a long scorpion tail that swayed gently.
(Still couldn't find a suitable image...)
The crystal-yellow visor on the armor glowed faintly. Once he adjusted to the armor, Zhou Sichen snapped his fingers lightly.
The armor dissolved, glowing jade-green for a moment before breaking down into light and merging into his back.
Once again nude, Zhou Sichen now bore a massive Ice Jade Scorpion Empress tattoo across his broad back, shimmering with radiant brilliance.
The tattoo was enormous, covering his entire back. Six long legs wrapped around his ribs, two front pincers rested on his shoulders, and the long tail extended down his spine before curving to the right and ending at his right hip.
This tattoo form was how the armor attached itself to Zhou Sichen's body. He could summon its power at will.
The Ice Empress's body, capable of bearing the might of a nearly four-hundred-thousand-year cultivation, was originally a rare treasure left behind from Skydream's transformation.
After Elder Yi's meticulous refinement, the resulting armor granted Zhou Sichen top-tier offensive and defensive power, rivaling even a Rank 95 Super Douluo.
Moreover, the Ice Empress Armor would significantly amplify any of her abilities that Zhou Sichen used in the future.
In a sense, this set of armor was already equivalent to one of the most powerful Level 9 Soul Tools in existence. The boost it gave Zhou Sichen was enormous.
Whether for battle or survival, it would serve as a trump card.
The only downside was that activating the Ice Empress Armor consumed a huge amount of soul power.
Based on the energy currently stored in the armor, he could only use it three times at full power without consuming his own soul power.
After those three uses, any further activation would start draining his reserves rapidly.
Having lost both her physical body and part of her origin, the Ice Empress's spiritual essence now felt even more fragile.
But what surprised her more was Elder Yi's extraordinary skill.
As expected of a true top-level powerhouse—he had even fully utilized her discarded body.
Elder Yi looked toward the Ice Empress and said, "Perhaps… you can still exist in another form. Not only as Zhou Sichen's intelligent soul ring—but also by borrowing your former body's form, you may be able to temporarily return to the continent."
Hearing this, the Ice Empress's jade-green eyes sparkled with renewed hope.
Just now, when Zhou Sichen was clad in the armor, she had sensed something—perhaps in the future, she could use her spiritual origin to control the armor and move independently once again…
Having completed the process, Elder Yi's spiritual strength was greatly drained.
He spoke slowly, "You won't need me for what comes next. I'll rest for a while. From Skydream's fusion with Zhou Sichen back then, to today's hands-on involvement with the Ice Empress, I've gained insight into your cultivation system. I need to properly reflect on this."
Zhou Sichen appeared within the spiritual sea as well. Hearing Elder Yi's words, a light flickered in his mind.
Perhaps… the Soul Spirit system from the original story could now become a reality.
But he didn't say anything for now. Elder Yi needed time to process everything. Once the elder had developed his own thoughts, Zhou Sichen would bring up the concept of soul spirits. Who knew what kind of innovations might come from their collaboration?
Zhou Sichen, Skydream, and the Ice Empress all bowed slightly toward Elder Yi. His towering form slowly faded away, returning to the shape of a gray-black orb.
With Elder Yi now asleep, Zhou Sichen smiled and turned toward Skydream and the Ice Empress.
"We did it. Congratulations, Ice Empress… and welcome."
Would you like a visual concept of the Ice Empress Armor created?
At this moment, the Ice Emperor had truly become part of this great family. In her heart, she couldn't quite tell whether she should feel joy or a sense of loss.
However, there was one thing she was certain of: following a peerless genius like Zhou Sichen, achieving godhood and eternal life might no longer be just a dream.
Moreover, with Tianmeng's assistance, her strength had successfully broken through to 400,000 years, crossing that once-insurmountable chasm.
As for Tianmeng, she had grown to view him a little more favorably. After all, he had undeniably helped her achieve real progress.
The Ice Emperor smiled faintly, her voice somewhat weak. "From now on, we're tied to the same rope. Don't let my efforts go to waste… I'm going to sleep for a bit…"
With those words, her petite body gradually faded and transformed into a delicate Ice Jade Scorpion, drifting into slumber.
Watching her fall asleep, Tianmeng explained, "She's fine. It's just that she recently fused with your body. Even with my protection, it left her exhausted. She needs to rest and recover to adapt."
"She and I are different. When I fused with you, I had already lost most of my soul power—what was left was just my spiritual essence, and since I'm a spiritual-type soul beast, the process was much easier."
"But for her, it was far more complex. Fortunately, it succeeded. It won't be long before she wakes up."
As he spoke, the boyish-looking Tianmeng moved to Ice Emperor's side, his expression full of gentle affection as he used his origin power to nourish her.
Zhou Sichen smiled lightly. "Tianmeng, make good use of this opportunity. I'll leave you two alone."
With that, he withdrew from his spiritual sea. The moment his eyes opened, a flash of emerald light shimmered within his ice-blue irises.
He stretched his body slightly. His physique was now perfectly balanced and proportional—not overly muscular, but brimming with terrifying power.
His skin, flawless and jade-like, radiated a unique glow against the backdrop of the snowy white world around him.
He slowly raised his hand—and a strange phenomenon occurred. The snowflakes drifting from the sky automatically avoided a three-foot radius around him. With him at the center, a vacuum-like sanctum appeared amidst the frozen world.
Now, he could manipulate the power of ice with far greater ease. Along with that came a substantial enhancement to Ah Da as well.
He retrieved a training outfit and put it on. Even without fusing with Ah Da, he could now survive freely in the Extreme North like a true soul beast.
Zhou Sichen gently extended his hand. A mass of icy jade-colored light gradually condensed in his palm.
Ah Da's power slowly receded from his body. His appearance returned to normal—his long ice-blue hair reverting to short black ponytail, and his eyes to their natural dark color. The icy snow prince once again became the warm and elegant young noble.
With a light wave, the ice-jade light in his palm dropped to the ground, materializing into a three-meter-long Ah Da.
Ah Da's form hadn't changed much. Only after surpassing the hundred-thousand-year mark would his physical body undergo another transformation.
Ah Da looked at his master with unconcealed excitement. (To avoid confusion: Zhou Sichen's soul beast companions are referred to as "he" or "she" with personified pronouns. Other soul beasts are still referred to as "it.")
Zhou Sichen said to him, "Ah Da, I'll be raising the cultivation age of you, Hellfire, and Xiong Da. I need you to stand guard for me."
Ah Da nodded solemnly and scanned the surroundings with a fierce expression. No one was allowed to disturb his master!
Now that Elder Yi, the Ice Emperor, and Tianmeng were all resting or occupied, Zhou Sichen decided to appoint Ah Da as his protector to ensure absolute safety.
Even though Ah Da wasn't inside the Book of Contracts, that didn't prevent Zhou Sichen from raising his soul ring age.
Enhancing him here, in this icy world, might even bring Ah Da some special insight.
After fusing with the 400,000-year external soul bone and soul ring—and fully refining the energies of the once-separate blazing and freezing gels—Zhou Sichen's physical constitution had become terrifyingly strong.
He estimated conservatively that after this enhancement, Ah Da, Hellfire, and Xiong Da would all reach at least the 50,000-year level.
While Ah Da already had a 40,000-year cultivation, increasing his soul power wasn't even the biggest gain. What truly mattered was the insight from the Ice Emperor, an ancient ancestor figure.
With someone like her guiding him, Ah Da could continue growing stronger under Zhou Sichen's leadership. One day, he might even become the next Ice Emperor!
Perhaps, in the future, he could lead the Ice Jade Scorpion clan and rule the entire Extreme North…
Zhou Sichen calmed his mind and withdrew his main martial soul. The two overwhelming soul rings disappeared into his body as he sat cross-legged and released his Book of Contracts martial soul.
Floating in front of him was a book that looked as if it had been forged from pure gold. Around him rose three black rings and one red ring—his four soul rings.
He had already reached Rank 50. Just one more soul ring, and he would become a Soul King.
More importantly, after absorbing the Ice Emperor's soul ring and soul bone, his soul power hadn't just increased by two levels—it had soared significantly.
Once he acquired his fifth soul ring, all the soul power he had accumulated would be unleashed. He estimated he could rise by another three to four levels easily.
Zhou Sichen closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. The golden light of the Book of Contracts glowed softly, and the three black rings on his body began to deepen in hue, their age steadily rising.
The red ring, Redred, was already at the hundred-thousand-year level. For now, Zhou Sichen couldn't raise her age further—he estimated that would become possible around the seven-ring stage.
Of course, it might take even longer. Even though he could now endure a 400,000-year soul ring, that was just one ring. When distributed across all his soul rings, the age of each had to be more balanced.
Otherwise, his body could implode from the strain—a price far too steep to pay.
Fortunately, Zhou Sichen wasn't in a rush.
With the enhancements brought by the Ice Emperor, his strength had already undergone a massive leap. Just the Ice Empress Armor alone was enough to let him contend with Super Douluos at Rank 95 or higher.
Moreover, the Ice Emperor had given him four powerful hundred-thousand-year soul skills. Combined with the Ice Empress Armor, they acted like amplifiers.
He could now unleash much greater power while consuming far less soul power.
Soon, the ages of his three black soul rings had all risen to a staggering 55,000 years.
As for Hellfire and Xiong Da, they had both gone from 25,000 to 30,000 years—a terrifying power boost for them as well.
A 55,000-year Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear—now that was a creature capable of going toe-to-toe with an average Title Douluo!
If they reached the hundred-thousand-year mark in the future, even ordinary Title Douluos wouldn't be able to stop them. They could even challenge Super Douluos head-on!
Such was the advantage brought by top-tier soul beast bloodlines.
However, even for those with supreme bloodlines, progress would slow down once they reached Rank 96 and beyond.
After all, from Rank 96 onwards, Super Douluos underwent a qualitative transformation in their strength.
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