Chapter 127: Lord of the Arctic Ocean, Part 2
In the northern kingdom, the land was wrapped in endless snow, as if beauty itself had frozen solid here. Yet, this landscape, while picturesque, was punishing, with something as simple as a warm meal becoming a near impossible luxury. However, for Ye Wen, this was no major inconvenience. The simple way to cope was to use soul power to resist the cold. If he felt like indulging, he could even create a cubic barrier with Void Block, isolating himself from the frigid air.
Though the speed of the Mermaid Tribe underwater was impressive, their homeland was far from the shore. With each trip back and forth, hours passed, and Ye Wen was left waiting on the shore, occupying himself with reading.
Suddenly, a powerful wave of soul power surged from the distant sea. Within moments, a massive black shadow more than ten meters in length cut through the once blue water near the coastline. The shadow's front end, sharp like a spear, jutted forward menacingly, resembling the single tusk of a narwhal from Ye Wen's previous world.
As the figure approached the shore, its turbulent movement slowed, and a glowing light flashed beneath the surface. Emerging from the water beside Ye Wen was an elderly man, his gaze deep and wise, as though he had weathered countless ages. Silent at first, he examined Ye Wen, and after a long moment, his eyes revealed both approval and wonder.
"So, you are this Ye Wen whom Little Hait and the others spoke of? Already strong enough to rival me, despite your youth impressive indeed," the elder remarked.
"You overpraise me, senior," Ye Wen replied humbly. "I've simply been fortunate."
At that moment, Hait and Bihai rejoined Ye Wen on the shore. Familiar with the elder, Hait greeted him with an affectionate complaint, "Grandpa Cang, you were too fast! Bihai and I almost couldn't keep up!"
The old man merely chuckled, stroking his long beard. After exchanging a few words of greeting, the elder finally introduced himself.
"My name is simply Cang; no need for the complicated family names you humans have. You may call me Elder Cang or Grandpa Cang. I am of the Sky Abyss Narwhal clan, a spirit beast with dual attributes of spirit and ice. The creatures here graciously call me the 'Lord of the Arctic Ocean.' If you are willing to protect my clan and the Mermaids, I will offer myself in sacrifice. The combined power of my spirit ring and your own soul power should allow you to reach Rank 90 and become a Titled Douluo."
Ye Wen was tempted by the idea of a sacrifice gaining not only a spirit ring and a spirit bone but also a considerable increase in cultivation. It was easy to see how Tang San in the original story had ascended to Titled Douluo so rapidly; the combined sacrifices of Xiao Wu, Da Ming, and Er Ming had been invaluable.
Ye Wen offered a respectful bow and said, "Thank you, Senior Cang. If I ever reach godhood, I swear to safeguard the Sky Abyss Narwhal clan and the Mermaid Tribe."
The look in Chief Hait's eyes grew heavy with sorrow. Elder Cang had been there since his youth, shielding the Mermaid Tribe for thousands of years. Watching his protector prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice filled him with grief.
A red glow enveloped Elder Cang's body as he turned to face Chief Hait one last time. "Do not be sad, Little Hait. Every feast must come to an end. And if Ye Wen one day ascends to godhood, this may be but the start of a new chapter. Please take care of the Sky Abyss Narwhals. We have a few younger ones of about 100,000 years who are still naive; don't let them get themselves captured or sold."
Looking into Elder Cang's gentle gaze, Chief Hait could not hold back his tears. As Elder Cang's body gradually began to dissolve, a deep red spirit ring with six golden streaks appeared in the snow beside Ye Wen. A torrent of Elder Cang's immense soul power surged into Ye Wen, filling his meridians to the brink. Surprisingly, rather than pain, Ye Wen felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring.
Even so, he could sense a significant amount of soul power dissipating into the air, wasted. It was no wonder Tang San had needed three 100,000 year spirit beasts to reach Titled Douluo status. As the restrictive barrier of Rank 80 shattered, his power surged upward: Rank 85, Rank 86, Rank 87, Rank 88, Rank 89 then finally, Rank 90!
With the initial process of absorbing the spirit ring complete, the crucial step came next: the fusion of their souls. Each time a soul master absorbed a spirit ring, they gained not only cultivation but also a fraction of the beast's soul. But for spirit rings of 100,000 years or more, the soul impact could be overwhelming.
Thanks to the sacrificial nature of this transfer, Ye Wen's spiritual energy experienced a rapid increase, bypassing the need for direct soul combat. Nonetheless, he remained vigilant. He recalled that, in the original story, after absorbing the million year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's spirit ring, Tang San had nearly been overtaken in a spirit battle. Had the Sea God not intervened, Tang San would have been at serious risk.
Though Elder Cang seemed friendly and sincere, Ye Wen had long been conditioned to expect treachery. Better safe than sorry, he thought, having learned the hard way to anticipate the worst from others.
But as the fusion progressed, Elder Cang's spirit conducted itself with nothing but kindness, gently merging his core spiritual energy into Ye Wen's mind. Ye Wen's mental faculties surged upward. At last, Elder Cang's spirit, now weakened, settled into the 600,000 year spirit ring.
Seeing this, Ye Wen finally relaxed, assured of Elder Cang's genuine goodwill.
"Ye Wen," the old voice echoed softly, "I see you lack any spirit bones, except for an external one. Since I am of the spirit attribute, I shall grant you a head spirit bone. From here on, I entrust the future of both our tribes to you."
With that, Elder Cang's voice faded, his spirit dispersing into the ring as he fell into a deep sleep. Ye Wen felt a slight weight settle on his skull a new head spirit bone.
600,000 Year Sky Abyss Narwhal Head Spirit Bone
Spirit Bone Skill 1: Abyssal Domain – Generates a zero gravity field, impairing opponents' movements. Spirit Bone Skill 2: Abyssal Charge – Conjures an ethereal Sky Abyss Narwhal to strike an enemy, breaking through defenses, barriers, or domains. The strength of this attack scales with Ye Wen's spiritual power, theoretically allowing it to break through defenses of opponents five levels higher. Eighth Spirit Skill 1: Void Domain – Using his martial spirit as an anchor, Ye Wen drains the air from a designated area, creating a spherical vacuum. Eighth Spirit Skill 2: Blank Instinct – Also anchored in his martial spirit, this technique forces the enemy's mind into a blank state. Effectiveness varies based on Ye Wen's spiritual strength.
As Ye Wen opened his eyes, they gleamed with excitement. The powerful control skills from Elder Cang's spirit bone would enable him to subdue most enemies at will. Spiritual abilities are truly invaluable, he mused.
Though sacrifices meant the end of a spirit beast's current life, they also represented a kind of rebirth. In the snow, a small, snow white narwhal calf appeared, its tiny horn gleaming. This was Elder Cang, newly reincarnated.
Hait knelt down, lifting the young narwhal in his arms. "Leave it to me, Ye Wen. Elder Cang protected us for so long; it's only fitting that we repay him now."
With Elder Cang reborn in safe hands, Ye Wen decided to delay his journey to Sea God Island. Although he intended to go eventually, some other matters required his immediate attention. Becoming a god would have to wait a bit longer; he had more pressing work at hand.
With several spirit bones already in his possession, Ye Wen had unraveled the mystery of their composition. At their core, spirit bones were simply high concentrations of life energy refined into a specific structure by the spirit beast's soul. While he could not yet recreate pure spirit bones, he had succeeded in developing high quality replicas. He called this new innovation: Battle Armor.
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