Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

The number of students has plummeted. Many of the young soul masters who once desperately wanted to get into Shrek Academy have now chosen other academies.

Various forces continued to exert pressure, demanding that the academy hand over Huo Yuhao in order to quell the anger at home and abroad. The voices within the academy itself were not unified either. Some advocated handing over Huo Yuhao, whose identity as an evil soul master was confirmed, to preserve the overall situation, while others insisted that Shrek Academy's dignity could not be violated. The two factions were deadlocked and almost caused internal strife several times.

Yan Shaozhe went to great lengths to suppress some of the voices, and Ming Feng Douluo's fearsome reputation was further tainted with bloodshed that year.

But looking at the young men in front of him, full of fighting spirit, Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but feel a lot of warmth in his heart.

This is the future of Shrek. The children who grew up under immense pressure have had their potential fully unleashed. If any one of them were in a normal era, their ultimate achievements would probably not be any less than their current ones.

It's a pity... you were born in the same era as that guy, so as his teacher, all I can do is protect you well.

Yan Shaozhe's movement of shaking his head suddenly twisted slightly, and the golden light blurred the boundary between the black and white of his eyes. When he fully raised his head and scanned the area, he had returned to normal.

No one noticed the strangeness that occurred at that moment.

"Over the past year, the three kingdoms have organized some rescue operations, but none of them have been successful. This time, the three sects are taking the lead and their attitude is very firm. The younger generation of the three kingdoms has been trapped in the Sun Moon Empire for a year, and we can't delay any longer. The academy has decided to give its full support."

Yan Shaozhe spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu'er.

"Since you are so eager to participate, I can't bear to dampen your enthusiasm. Just in time, we need a surprise force. The five of you, plus Wang Qiu'er, are enough to represent the academy."

"A surprise attack?" Huo Yuhao and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Yes, a surprise attack."

A glint flashed in Yan Shaozhe's eyes.

"According to information from our informants, the people captured by the Sun Moon Empire were not imprisoned in Mingdu, but in Risheng City, which is about 400 miles away from Mingdu and is heavily guarded."

"Therefore, in this rescue operation, our route is in the light, while yours is in the shadows..."

On Poseidon Island, a gentle breeze blows, and the lake water crashes against the shore, as if turbulent winds and clouds are rising again.

……

Life and death are intertwined on Cloud Refining Island.

Like a dark pillar forged from the accumulated souls of countless dead souls from the depths of the underworld, it stands silently amidst the vast clouds and waters. Unless one ventures deep into the forbidden zone of the Demon Cloud Sea Triangle, from the outside, this cloud pillar that connects the heavens and the underworld seems to exist as if it does not exist, hidden within the vast sea of ​​clouds that never disperses.

This situation has lasted for a year.

The Snow Emperor has been sitting cross-legged on that thin ice for a whole year. During this time, no clouds have been seen drifting or the sun and moon have been rising or setting. Only the color of that ice in the sky has gradually changed from pure deep blue to the emerald green color it is now.

But today seems a little different.

Xue Di's beautiful eyebrows twitched, and she opened her sky-blue eyes.

The cloud pillar, which had been dormant for a year, began to roll.

Countless fine air currents began to flow on the surface in a mysterious trajectory, as if the rotation of a year ago had been played in reverse, and the solidified clouds slowly collapsed.

Black and white light emerged from the depths of the cloud pillar. At first, it was just two extremely thin strands of light, one black and one white, intertwined together. Then, the two strands of light expanded at an astonishing speed, clearly distinguishable in black and white, yet constantly permeating and consuming each other at their boundary.

A figure slowly emerged from the interwoven black and white light.

Clad in white robes and with silver hair, a gleaming purple-gold divine seal shone between his brows. Kong Tianxu opened his eyes, his purple-gold pupils reflecting the world he had left a year earlier.

One day in the realm of gods is equivalent to one year on earth.

In an instant, Xue Di's cold and aloof face blossomed into a radiant smile, like a snow lotus blooming above the snow line.

She never doubted that Kong Tianxu would be able to get out. This man had created too many miracles, so many that she had learned not to calculate the probability, but simply to wait quietly.

Kong Tianxu then saw her as well.

Their eyes met above the sea of ​​clouds, like sparks flying between two pieces of iron in the darkness. Their gazes were drawn to each other like iron and stone, without hesitation or doubt, only a certain, unquestionable certainty.

Kong Tianxu's figure flashed across the distance between Yun Bing and his body like lightning, and he kissed her.

Xue Di felt as if she were melting into Kong Tianxu's aura. His aura was warm, carrying a temperature that was both strange and familiar to her, like the warm winter sun.

Kong Tianxu, on the other side, sensed something was amiss.

The familiar, snow-like touch had undergone a subtle change—it became somewhat stiff, somewhat... forceful?

Kong Tianxu opened his eyes.

Before me were a pair of embarrassed and annoyed emerald green eyes.

The surrounding air temperature dropped sharply.

Even though he was also a user of the ultimate ice attribute, Kong Tianxu couldn't help but shiver.

No! This isn't the feeling of Xue Di!

Cold, domineering, and wild.

This is more like the feeling that the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion once gave him.

The chill suddenly intensified. Kong Tianxu felt as if his tongue had been frozen solid, as if someone had stuffed a whole block of ice, thousands of years old, into his mouth.

Xue Di's two rows of fine, pearly teeth were slightly closed like guillotines, and her pair of emerald green eyes were full of threat, as if she were giving a command to the red dragon that was sweeping away the thin snakes.

How dare they threaten me? No way, I have to strike first!

Kong Tianxu's fingers moved with lightning speed, swiftly finding the spots where Xue Di's senses were usually most acute.

The snow-like figure in his arms suddenly stiffened. At the same time, intensely hot energy ignited from his bloodline, and the Crimson Dragon, which had been held back by the slight chill, became lively again. Its soft, boneless snake body was tightly coiled around the dragon, and the chill quickly melted away in the warmth. Every drop of melted ice was devoured by the fire dragon, leaving no trace.

Gradually, as if thawing, the hostile snake became a soft snake, enveloped by the enemy dragon's body, enveloped, and enveloped again. The two rows of teeth that were originally tightly clenched loosened, no longer trying to cut anything, but instead becoming accomplices in helping the dragon to bully the snake's body.

She parted her lips slightly, allowing the warm storm to sweep in even deeper, until the last trace of clarity in her mind was completely drained away.

In Xue Di's eyes, the emerald-like brilliance slowly faded, and a layer of pure white rose again amidst the hazy blue waves.

"Waaah—"

The dragon and snake intertwined more tightly, and Xue Di's fair neck was tinged with crimson.

The suffocatingly long kiss finally ended.

Xue Di's bright eyes lit up as she met Kong Tianxu's fierce gaze, and she felt slightly embarrassed for a moment.

"Tianxu, isn't that..."

"Murdering your husband?" Kong Tianxu gently bit Xue Di's cheek.

"And whose husband are you?"

Feeling a little itchy from his teasing, Xue Di endured the first harassment. But when Kong Tianxu was about to move on, she giggled and turned her face to the side, giving him a displeased glance full of reproach.

At this moment, her beauty was unimaginable, like the warmth of heaven and earth, and the color of black and white, which made Kong Tianxu lose his mind.

He didn't realize what was happening until Xue Di mischievously rubbed his cheek into a handsome pig's head.

What just happened?

"It's Bing'er, the Ice Emperor, one of the three Heavenly Kings of the Far North. It's all your fault for doing this."

Seemingly oblivious to her own charm and the emotions of a certain scorpion, Xue Di pursed a strand of hair near her mouth and rolled her eyes at Kong Tianxu.

"Do you know about my relationship with Bing'er? Did you deliberately move her soul from that human's spiritual sea into the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow?"

"Uh...yes, I wanted to surprise you, but how could this happen..."

Kong Tianxu reacted quickly, grabbing Xue Di's hands and rubbing them together. The two ended up rubbing each other's cheeks in a pouty manner, their faces contorted from the effort.

"I am born of nature—" The Snow Empress regained the upper hand and continued to explain earnestly, "The Ice and Snow Maiden can be said to be the closest existence to the pure origin of ice. Her attraction to Bing'er's soul is even greater than that of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow. With just a slight stimulation, her soul was absorbed into my body, resulting in the current situation of one body with two souls."

As Xue Di spoke, she suddenly became somewhat disheartened.

"Actually, with my cultivation level, I shouldn't have lost control of my body. However, the soul power characteristics of the Yin-Yang complementary dual soul cores are too strong, and Bing'er's pure soul body is too fragile to withstand any impact. There's no good way, so I can only give no resistance and let her soul merge with my body."

"The current situation is that whatever I feel is transmitted to Bing'er. Sometimes, if the stimulation is too strong, Bing'er will take over control of my body."

"Like...this?"

Kong Tianxu kneaded her hard, and Xue Di's face turned as red as if it could bleed.

Doing this in front of Bing'er seems... to have a unique flavor.

"Aaaaaah! Yukitei! Aaaaah—!"

A certain scorpion, driven to impotence and rage, rolled and howled madly within the Snow Emperor's spiritual sea.

Xue Di struggled slightly, and the ultimate ice soul power within her body trembled slightly. A thin layer of frost appeared on the surface of her skin, but Kong Tianxu held on tightly. The temperature of his palm did not decrease, but instead increased.

Ice-blue and crimson-gold light collided in the air, and frost and flames annihilated at the moment of contact, turning into a wisp of water mist that dissipated into the air.

"Hey, Tianxu, you're level 89 already?"

Xue Di was slightly surprised.

It's important to understand that the difficulty of leveling up after Contra is vastly different from before. From level 80 to level 89, it may seem like just nine small levels, but the accumulation required for each level is enough for an ordinary genius to spend several years.

Even Kong Tianxu himself, if he simply followed the established path of cultivation, he was not confident that he could break through to this level before the age of twenty.

To the outside world, he is only nineteen years old, and according to bone age, he is only eighteen.

Kong Tianxu didn't answer, he just smiled. He released one hand, took out a six-pointed snowflake-like object from his pocket, and tossed it to the Snow Emperor.

Xue Di took it without hesitation.

The moment her fingertips touched the snowflake, she trembled violently. Her sky-blue eyes widened abruptly, and an emotion never before seen on her face surged deep within them.

The snowflake was only the size of a baby's palm, and its entire body was a crystal clear ice blue. It was suspended in the air and slowly rotated. With each rotation, countless tiny ice crystals would drift out from the center of the snowflake, like a miniature aurora.

Those were frozen rays of light, representing the legendary realm of absolute zero, the ultimate state of ice.

More importantly, within this snowflake, so cold that even the Snow Empress seemed to tremble, lay an irresistible allure and majesty.

Even Hyotei, who had been wailing all along, fell silent at this moment.

That is the purest source of ice, something that flows within her, the Snow Empress, and the Titan Snow Demon King; it is their greatest pride, the supreme glory of the far north.

This is the aura of the Ice God, the bloodline of the Ice God, and even deeper within it, there exists something greater and more essential belonging to the Ice God—

"Tian, ​​Tianxu, this is..."

Xue Di raised her head, her sky-blue eyes filled with shock, and with both hands she tried her best to push the snowflake with infinite significance back to Kong Tianxu.

"Yes, you guessed right, this is the position of the Ice God."

Kong Tianxu pushed the divine token containing the complete inheritance of the Ice God's divine position back into the Snow Emperor's hands.

"I completed a trial inside, and the reward was to go to the God Realm. There, I discovered many fallen divine positions. However, the spacetime energy storms near the places where the divine positions fell were extremely intense. I resisted with all my might and managed to obtain the nearest Ice God's divine position before time ran out."

"Keep this safe, it's a gift for you."