Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

The oppressive atmosphere in the air vanished in an instant.

Chapter 355 Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion

"Humans, why have you entered my far north? Why have you invaded my territory?" A streak of emerald light spread across the sky and reached Yan. An ancient and terrifying aura swept over, and countless soul beasts on the snowfield bowed in submission, paying homage to their king.

A crisp sound rang out from all directions. With the appearance of this sound, a terrifying sound wave affected all directions, and the snow on the ground rose three meters high almost instantly, like waves that were suddenly stirred up.

Yan's voice rang out again, utterly calm and devoid of any emotion.

"You are the patriarch of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion clan, the Ice Emperor."

"Humans, you know me, so you should know even more that the far north does not welcome you humans." The Ice Emperor's clear voice suddenly filled with killing intent, and the azure sky instantly turned dark green as a thick killing aura descended from the heavens.

"Furthermore, you shouldn't have shown your spirit rings. Three 100,000-year spirit rings—although I don't know how you obtained them, you've already chosen a path to death." The Ice Emperor's voice was unusually cold, but there was a reason for all of this.

In various fantasy worlds, the fierce conflicts between humans and beastmen are one of the main storylines that drive the development of the story.

However, looking across all the worlds, there are few places like Douluo Continent where humans and soul beasts have a fundamental conflict.

The root of this contradiction lies in the fundamental system of cultivation for human Soul Masters. Advancement in the Soul Master system depends on Soul Rings, and obtaining Soul Rings requires hunting Soul Beasts. In other words, even the most harmless support-type Soul Master must personally kill at least two Soul Beasts in their lifetime, while combat-type Soul Masters will kill even more.

Over the years, this has resulted in a continuous decrease in the number of soul beasts, especially high-level soul beasts. The rate of advancement and growth is far slower than the rate of hunting. Soul beasts at this level are quite intelligent and naturally realize the reason.

High-level soul beasts realized the huge threat that the existence of human soul masters posed to them, and naturally took measures to deal with it. Several beast tides in history originated from this, which also exacerbated the conflict between soul beasts and humans.

Although the far north is a forbidden zone for humans, and the soul beasts here are less harmed by humans, they are still part of the soul beast race, and their higher-ups naturally have grievances against humans.

Yan Yi's appearance and display of his spirit rings was a provocation, not to mention the three bright red spirit rings. A 100,000-year-old spirit beast has a very special status among spirit beasts. For a high-level spirit beast, it is an unforgivable act for such a being to be hunted by humans.

Yan's voice rang out again, still so calm.

"Oh, really! That's a pity, I don't think you can do that."

"You will soon regret your actions." The voice from afar carried a hint of anger, and the dark green of the sky suddenly turned into a deep black.

The scene of rolling dark clouds did not last long. With the arrival of the person in question, the dark sky turned turquoise again.

A streak of emerald light swept across the sky, and almost in a flash, a soul beast appeared opposite Yan.

Yan's gaze changed slightly, showing more appreciation. No one can dislike beautiful things.

Ice Empress is beautiful; even though she is just a soul beast, her beauty is still breathtaking. Ice Empress is only about 1.5 meters long, which is considered extremely small among soul beasts. However, if you consider her species, you won't think she is small at all; Ice Empress is a scorpion.

A scorpion of unparalleled beauty. Measuring 1.5 meters long, Hyotei looked like a perfectly crafted work of art, sculpted from precious jade. She possessed only two colors: a snowy white reminiscent of ice, and an imperial green like jade.

Its front end has four layers of armor, each slightly longer than half a foot, and its head is located on the frontmost layer, with its silvery-white mouthparts gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

The front half of these four layers of armor is covered with a special kind of scales, or more accurately, protrusions. These protrusions are hexagonal in shape and shimmer with an incomparably brilliant luster, like diamonds.

These protrusions, densely covering its front half and its six long, powerful legs, shone with an unparalleled brilliance under the light of the snow.

At this moment, she seemed to have become a source of light, refracting countless rays of light. Both of her front claws were a meter long, and they were also covered with strange hexagonal protrusions that looked like diamonds. Only the frontmost claws and mouthparts were silvery-white with a mirror-like luster.

Its eyes are yellow, like two yellow diamonds set in it, and they are also hexagonal.

The crystalline yellow light shimmered, giving it a dazzling, precious appearance. If its upper body was already dazzling enough, then its long, upturned tail at the rear of its body was the core of all its splendor.

The tails of ordinary scorpions are multi-segmented, but Hyotei's tail only has five segments, each an alluring turquoise green.

The shimmering emerald green color is full of life. All five sections are the same color, with the section closest to the upper body being the widest and gradually narrowing towards the back.

In the final section, the tail hook, also adorned with diamond particles, is raised high, its very tip shimmering with a silvery-white mirror-like luster.

How could such a soul beast, so dazzling as a gemstone, not deserve the word "beautiful"? Moreover, merely describing it as beautiful would be rather pale and inadequate.

Hyotei's voice rang out again, but given her spirit beast form, it was impossible to tell where it came from.

"Human, why are you silent? And what's with that look in your eyes? You don't mean to think you can take advantage of me, the Emperor."

"Ice Emperor's words resonate with me." Yan snapped out of his daze, the infatuation in his eyes gradually fading. Although he was indeed eyeing the Soul Beast King in front of him, it was definitely not just because he was lusting after her beautiful body.

On the other hand, this ice-green imperial scorpion, which looks like it's carved from a magical jade, must be quite nice to handle. I really want to get my hands on it and play with it.

Yan thought to himself, his gaze shifting noticeably, now tinged with disdain. Hyotei was also extremely displeased with his attitude, letting out a disdainful snort. The clear, melodious female voice rang out again.

"Human, your words will only hasten your death. You shouldn't have ventured so far into the far north, much less appeared before me. Regardless of your origins, you hunted a 100,000-year-old soul beast, and you must pay the price." Ice Empress finally couldn't bear Yan's gaze any longer; it was a provocation to her. The high-raised tail hook on her back suddenly gleamed, and a beam of pure white light instantly pierced towards Yan.

"Such powerful ice energy." The Ice Emperor's scorpion-sting ice light came extremely fast, but Yan's current strength was far superior to before. Although the ice light was fast, it was not enough to kill him instantly. The golden dragon flame suddenly swept forward and completely refined the ice light. It was this brief exchange that gave Yan a more intuitive understanding of the Ice Emperor's strength.

This Ice Emperor's strength far surpasses that of ordinary Title Douluo. Even among the enshrined ones in the Spirit Hall, few can reliably defeat this 1.5-meter-tall Scorpion Demon. After all, the far north is her home ground, and apart from oddballs like Yan, few strong individuals can reverse the home advantage.

"Fire abilities, heh. Although I don't know why you came to this far north, since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, you must die..." The Ice Emperor's power is beyond doubt. Even though her icy rays were easily refined by Yan, she was still full of confidence.

Putting aside the fact that the human in front of her was merely a seventh-ring Soul Saint, she held an absolute advantage in terms of cultivation. This far north was her home ground, and her fire abilities were suppressed here. With so many advantages, she couldn't think of any reason why she would suffer a loss.

Hyotei's speed increased to its limit in an instant, and her beautiful 1.5-meter-tall body appeared directly in front of Yan, her tail hook swinging forcefully, and her long green tail shining brightly.

Yan's reaction was no slower than Bingdi's. Having already broken through to the seventh ring, his basic strength was no less than that of a titled Douluo, not to mention that he was now in the state of instantly completing the battle armor. He dodged the emerald green tail hook with just a slight dodge.

Despite its failed attack, Hyotei did not give up. Layers of ice crystals shot out from its two front claws towards Yan's position, while simultaneously covering it with a layer of diamond-like particles. After using the ice crystals to block Yan's movements, Hyotei's claws accurately clamped down on Yan's body.

Yan raised his arms to block Bingdi's two front claws, and the power of the golden dragon flames swept out, colliding wildly with Bingdi's ice spirit power.

"You actually possess the power of the dragon race. With such a powerful and abundant soul force, you must have hunted down many powerful soul beasts." The Ice Emperor's gaze grew increasingly cold, and her dislike for Yan intensified. White and green lights flashed intertwined as she unleashed a series of incomparably powerful skills at full power, without holding back in the slightest.

Yan was clad in battle armor, with wisps of golden flames constantly churning on his bright silver armor. The endless light from the sky continuously gathered on his body, amplifying the power of the flames on his body. The increasing strength in his arms also made the Ice Emperor on the opposite side feel a slight pressure.

Hyotei's questioning did not shake Yan's mind, nor did he offer any explanation, because he knew very well that mere words could not persuade this prejudiced Northern Heavenly King.

To truly gain the approval of the Ice Emperor and even the higher-ups of the Northern Soul Beasts, one must first demonstrate sufficient strength. In layman's terms, one must first beat up the Ice Emperor before trying to reason with her.

Chapter 356 Showdown with Hyotei

"Ding! Ding!" In the sky above the depths of the far north ice plains, just as the duel between Yan and Bingdi was at a brief stalemate, the seven soul rings on his body suddenly flashed and resonated. The first and second soul rings lit up at the same time, and the all-round amplification skills made his strength increase sharply.

Two flames erupted from Yan's body one after the other. The crimson Flame Lion Fire and the golden Sun True Fire doubled all of his attributes at the same time.

With a sudden tremor, his arms unleashed astonishing power, instantly repelling Hyotei's pincers. After a brief moment of charging, he threw another punch, striking Hyotei squarely in the body before the latter could dodge.

"Crack..." Although Ice Emperor had not expected Yan's strength to increase so suddenly, she was, after all, a battle-hardened Northern Heavenly King. Just before Yan's fist landed on her, a layer of cold air quickly spread across her crystal body. Accompanied by a series of cracking sounds, a layer of ice crystals covered her body for defense.

This powerful soul skill, called Ice Emperor's Body Protection, granted Ice Emperor extremely high defensive capabilities. Yan's powerful strike, unleashing endless flames, struck Ice Emperor, but it couldn't even break through this layer of ice crystal defense.

However, because they could not gain leverage in the air, the two collided and the force of the impact quickly created distance between them. After dissipating their force, they stopped on opposite sides of the sky. After this round of fighting, both of them became much more cautious and did not make any rash moves.

"Although this kid's cultivation level isn't high, his soul power is abundant. Although he's only a Soul Saint, he possesses strength comparable to a Title Douluo. Moreover, he has that strange soul tool. He's a very troublesome opponent." Opposite Yan, after testing him, Ice Emperor also sensed how troublesome Yan was. This opponent seemed to have low cultivation, but his fiery soul power actually put pressure on her, who possessed the ultimate ice. This in itself was quite incredible.

The first round of combat made her realize that this seemingly weak opponent was actually quite troublesome. Although she had the advantage of terrain, she actually had some problems and could not fully exert her strength. Against such a strong opponent, the only option was to fight quickly.

The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's eyes suddenly lit up, and she raised her two front pincers again in the sky, while the stinger behind her also shimmered with green light.

Opposite to Ice Emperor, Yan's aura was also constantly rising. The four colors of soul light—yellow, purple, black, and red—fluctuated continuously. In particular, the last three rounds of red soul rings gave him the ability to contend with a peerless ferocious beast like Ice Emperor. Round after round of soul rings swirled around him, and the surging flames caused subtle changes in the celestial phenomena.

In the far north, ice, frost, and snow are the main features, and scorching weather is rare. The high temperature and heat waves that Yan is constantly releasing cause the water vapor in the sky to evaporate and rise, and then condense into water droplets again after leaving the battlefield.

As countless water droplets gathered into the dark clouds, an extremely rare scene unfolded: a light drizzle began to fall on this boundless icy plain.

Amidst the strange weather of wind, rain, snow, and frost, the enormous tail hook on the back of the Ice Jade Emperor slowly rose and swayed gently behind it, each sway creating a distorted green halo in the air.

The Imperial Scorpion's entire body is only white and turquoise. Its pure white body combined with its turquoise and crystal-clear tail hook makes it look like a perfect jade carving.

Facing Yan at this moment, she also felt a slight pressure. She had nearly 400,000 years of cultivation. Although her actual age was not that old, it was still over 100,000 years old. This was not the first time she had faced a human soul master. However, none of her previous opponents had ever been so strange.

Yes, it's definitely bizarre. There are too many abnormal things about Yan, it's really too strange.

After the initial probing, both sides realized the strength of their opponent and became increasingly cautious, their auras growing ever stronger. Neither side showed any intention of backing down, and a major battle was imminent.

Above them, Yan and Bingdi stood facing each other, locked in a tense standoff. Bingdi remained silent, her golden eyes chillingly calm.

Even though she had already decided to finish the battle quickly, she did not act hastily and continued to try her best to find Yan's weakness.

Meanwhile, Yan, who was opposite Bingdi, was now emitting a faint light from his right eye. Every detail of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's movements was reflected and magnified infinitely in his eye, and all the data was integrated and summarized by the AI.

The 100,000-year-old right eye external soul bone not only gave him powerful soul skills, but also precise observation ability, which allowed him to more easily analyze the opponent's weaknesses and strengths. The longer this confrontation lasted, the greater his advantage became.

"He's looking for my weakness." This thought suddenly occurred to Hyotei, and she immediately had an intuition that she couldn't delay any longer.

A burst of emerald light erupted in an instant, and an astonishing chill completely froze everything within its reach. The emerald light spread out like a current of air, freezing everything within a hundred miles in an instant.

This move, Eternal Freeze Domain, is the Ice Emperor's strongest domain skill; at its peak, it can freeze thousands of miles in an instant.

At this moment, the sudden release of the technique caused a chilling sensation to sweep over his entire body, and the brilliant flames on Yan's body were constantly suppressed.

Just as he was about to be completely frozen, Yan couldn't help but release his domain skill. Crimson light spread out from him, and within this frozen, thousand-mile-long cold domain, a red light was so dazzling and obvious.

"Human, even if you possess a domain, you are ultimately no match for me. Accept your fate, and I will freeze you completely." The Ice Emperor's voice rang out again, and the power of the Eternal Frozen Domain was pushed to its limit. First, it rapidly spread to a range of a thousand miles, and then the faint green light quickly contracted back. As it contracted, the green light became more and more dazzling, and the chill within it became even more bone-chilling.

As the rings of brilliant green light contracted and flourished, the crimson flames released by Yan were also continuously compressed. There are also differences in strength between the domains. It is obvious that the domain that Yan is currently releasing is completely inferior to the Ice Emperor's Eternal Frozen Domain.

Just as Yan was about to be frozen by the power of the Eternal Frozen Domain, his fifth and sixth soul rings flashed and lit up at the same time. Two flames rose one after another and poured into the crimson flame domain, replacing the original flame power and spreading out.

The two flames, one white gold and one black gold, rapidly rotated and spread out in the form of a Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram. The power of the two extreme fire domains was fully activated through mutual resonance, suppressing the power of the Eternal Frozen Domain in reverse.

"Ultimate Fire." Ice Emperor's knowledge was naturally beyond that of ordinary experts. She immediately recognized that the domain skill Yan used was not simple. It was actually a domain containing the power of ultimate fire, enough to rival her Eternal Frozen Domain.

"You actually possess two extreme flames, and their power properties seem to be completely opposite, which makes it even more necessary to keep you alive." The two powers of extreme yin fire and extreme yang fire made Ice Emperor feel threatened. The original power of either of these flames seemed to be stronger than her extreme power. However, Yan in front of her did not seem to be able to fully exert his power, which is why he needed to use resonance to counter her domain at the same time.

This made her feel threatened, and it strengthened her resolve to eliminate the other party completely. The fact that someone with such power was a human, and that she had a grudge against him, was not a good thing. How could she, Hyotei, feel at ease if she didn't get rid of him?

As soon as the Ice Emperor had this thought, the power of the Eternal Frozen Domain contracted even faster. Then she finally moved. In stark contrast to her previous slow and steady movements, she struck with lightning speed, causing the surrounding air to fluctuate violently.

A biting wind howled, and the Ice Jade Emperor, who had just made a move, vanished from his sight in an instant. Upon seeing this, Yan immediately became alert and moved away from his spot.

Although the exact location of Hyotei's reappearance has not yet been pinpointed, staying put to deal with the situation would certainly not be a good option.

Hyotei suddenly appeared behind Yan, her icy claws stabbing towards the back of Yan's neck and back respectively. The speed of her movements was breathtaking.

Her extreme speed, combined with her own strength, launched this swift attack. The powerful force was completely contained within her pincers. Only when the pincers were close to her body did Yan accurately lock onto the Ice Emperor's position.

He could clearly feel the terrifying power contained in this strike. Even with his physical strength, if he were to be hit, he would definitely be seriously injured or even die.

Even if he were protected by battle armor and his body wouldn't be damaged, he would still be in a sorry state. Yan's third spirit ring suddenly lit up, and just as the pincers were about to strike, his figure split into three, and then several more figures appeared in succession.

This scene surprised Hyotei slightly. The first claw that approached the back of the neck struck nothing, and the figure in place exploded instantly after being hit.

Ice Emperor knew that only one of these clones was Yan's true form. Her pincers flashed as she unleashed bursts of energy to probe, quickly locking onto the target. The energy fluctuations released by Yan in that location were significantly stronger than the other figures, making it highly likely to be the true form.

The calmness, decisiveness, and explosive power that Hyotei displayed at this moment were absolutely top-notch in the world. Her several pairs of limbs exerted force in mid-air, and with a few muffled sounds, Hyotei's figure suddenly moved, and her pincers were already in front of the locked figure.

The figure locked onto by the Ice Emperor was the location of Yan's true form, as she believed. She was certain she hadn't made a mistake. However, as she unleashed her full power, she suddenly sensed something was amiss.

With a single, effortless strike, Ice Empress shattered Yan's body, yet she showed no sign of joy. Just like the figure she had shattered at the beginning, when the figure disintegrated, there was no flesh or blood left; the broken body turned into specks of light and vanished.

At that moment, a strong energy fluctuation suddenly erupted beside her.