Chapter 706
Ren Xue
The group continued forward, the atmosphere growing even more tense. Tang San quietly released his Blue Silver Domain, communicating with the surrounding plants to gather more subtle information. He was worried not only about interference from the shadows, but also about Xiao Wu's identity being exposed. The closer they got to the core area, the greater the chance of encountering a 100,000-year-old soul beast or even stronger. Although Xiao Wu's aura was concealed, it wasn't foolproof.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in the far north.
The biting wind whipped up countless ice crystals, and as far as the eye could see, all was a vast expanse of white snow. Ghost Leopard Douluo lay hidden behind an ice ridge, his soul power concealed, almost blending into his surroundings. He led three elite Soul Saints from the Spirit Hall, scattered at more distant observation points.
They have been waiting here for seven days. According to previous intelligence, the abnormal energy eruptions in the permafrost core area occur intermittently about once every ten days.
"Elder, there's movement." A subordinate's hushed voice came through the soul-guided communicator, filled with barely suppressed shock.
Ghost Leopard Douluo stared intently, and in the far distance, in the core of the eternally frozen land, considered a forbidden zone for life, the once tranquil ice field suddenly bulged! It wasn't an avalanche, but rather, as if the earth's crust was shifting, a massive ice crystal structure, shimmering with a ghostly blue light, broke through the millennia-old ice and slowly rose. A chilling and oppressive aura, so immense it sent shivers down one's spine, spread out, and even from dozens of miles away, Ghost Leopard Douluo felt his blood flow slow down and his soul power stagnate.
The ice crystal structure paused at a height of approximately one hundred meters, a crack appearing at its top, from which a dazzling ice-blue light shot into the sky, reaching the heavens! Within the light, the faint silhouette of a palace sculpted entirely from black ice could be seen, majestic, ancient, and sacred, yet exuding an absolute chill that kept everyone at a distance. The palace doors were tightly shut, their surfaces seemingly engraved with incredibly complex runes; even a glimpse from afar was enough to make one dizzy.
Even more astonishingly, the instant the pillar of light and the phantom appeared, several powerful auras suddenly erupted from the outer perimeter of the core area, rushing headlong towards the Ice Crystal Palace without any concealment! Each aura reached the level of a Title Douluo, and two of them even gave Ghost Leopard Douluo the feeling of being a step stronger than him! They had clearly been lying in wait for a long time.
"It's someone from the Clear Sky Sect! And... that's... Hu Yanzhen from the Elephant Armor Sect? He actually broke through too?" Ghost Leopard Douluo's pupils contracted, and he immediately recorded and transmitted back the scene and aura characteristics he saw through his special soul tool. He dared not approach; that level of competition and pressure was beyond the reach of a Title Douluo like him, who excelled in stealth and speed.
The illusory ice palace lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The light gradually faded, and the massive ice crystal structure slowly sank beneath the ice plain, as if it had never existed. However, those powerful auras did not leave. They seemed to be patrolling and probing the ice plain, and even a brief conflict broke out, causing the ice plain to tremble and a faint rumbling sound to be heard.
Ghost Leopard Douluo held his breath, and only after those auras gradually faded away and disappeared did he slowly exhale a breath of white air, still feeling lingering fear. He glanced at the soul tool in his hand that had finished recording, and whispered, "Mission complete, evacuate. This place is not safe to stay for long."
Almost at the same time that Ghost Leopard Douluo witnessed the strange phenomenon in the far north, far away in the endless vast ocean on the western edge of the continent.
Ling Yuan Douluo stood on the deck of a small, disguised soul-guided ship, the sea breeze whipping her fiery red hair. She was ordered to investigate the strange phenomena surrounding Seagod Island, but the waters around the island were mysterious and unpredictable, fraught with danger from fog and ocean currents, and guarded by sea spirit beasts. She dared not approach rashly and could only linger and observe from the perimeter.
Nearly half a month had passed, and apart from noticing that the elemental energy in this sea area seemed more concentrated and active than elsewhere, no other special discoveries had been made. Just when Spirit Kite Douluo thought the mission might be a failure, a sudden change occurred. At noon, under the blazing sun, the once calm sea suddenly began to ripple. It wasn't a harbinger of an approaching storm, but rather the seawater itself emitting a low hum. Immediately afterwards, centered on the distant Sea God Island, shrouded in a faint golden light and appearing and disappearing, concentric circles of gentle yet overwhelming golden ripples spread outwards, rapidly extending to the sea as far as the eye could see.
The seawater became crystal clear, as if countless points of light were floating and leaping within it. Ling Yuan Douluo was shocked to see countless sea spirit beasts—from the lowest-ranking small fish to ten-thousand-year-old spirit beasts as large as small mountains—surfaced and faced the direction of Seagod Island, making a gesture of worship, unusually quiet.
Then, the thick fog that had lingered around Poseidon Island for years truly began to dissipate! Not because it was blown away by the wind, but as if it were absorbed or repelled by an invisible force. For the first time, the island's outline appeared so clearly before Spirit Kite Douluo's eyes: towering peaks, lush vegetation, and a magnificent temple, seemingly cast entirely from white jade and gold, stood atop the island's highest peak, shimmering with sacred radiance in the sunlight.
"Om-!"
A bell tolling, seemingly from ancient times and resounding deep within the soul, came from the direction of the temple. A massive golden pillar of light, over a hundred meters in diameter, shot up from the top of the temple, piercing the clouds and turning them a brilliant gold! Within the pillar of light, a phantom figure wearing a crown and wielding a trident could be vaguely seen. Though its face was indistinct, the vast, majestic, and all-encompassing divine pressure emanating from it caused Ling Yuan Douluo to tremble violently, even from such a distance, almost causing him to kneel down.
She suppressed the trembling in her soul and activated the recording soul tool with all her might. The pillar of light and the afterimage lasted for about half a cup of tea's time before slowly receding. The mist closed again, the sea spirit beast sank into the water, and the sea returned to calm, as if it had all been an illusion.
But Spirit Douluo knew otherwise. She gripped the slightly warm soul guide recorder, her palms sweating. The Sea God's inheritance had actually manifested! And the commotion was so great that it was likely felt throughout the entire coastline of the Vast Ocean, and even further afield.
"Return! Return immediately!" Spirit Kite Douluo ordered urgently. Seagod Island had displayed a divine miracle; this sea area would undoubtedly become the eye of the storm, attracting countless powerful figures. She had to send the intelligence back to Spirit City as soon as possible.
Two days later, the recorded footage of Ghost Leopard Douluo and Spirit Kite Douluo was presented to Bibi Dong almost simultaneously.
Inside the secret chamber of the Papal Palace, light and shadow shifted. The majestic, frigid ice palace of the far north, and the sacred, glorious golden pillars and phantoms above the vast sea, were reflected alternately on the walls, bringing completely different yet equally suffocating senses of oppression.
Only Bibi Dong and Dai Chengfeng remained in the secret chamber. Bibi Dong sat in the main seat, her face calm and composed, carefully observing each frame of the scene, especially the powerful figures she had captured. Dai Chengfeng stood beside her, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.
After the video finished playing, the secret room fell into a brief silence. (End of Chapter)