Douluo: The Unrivaled Demon Lord

Chapter 126 A weakened version of the Child of Nature, the bandit Snow Empress and the first experimental subject of the Soul Spirit
“Master, I think I can answer your question about this.”

The voice of the Spirit of Life is as beautiful as ever, like cool spring water, capable of cleansing the soul.

"After you merged with my original form, the Metal of Life, your body has acquired some characteristics unique to the Metal of Life, such as inheriting the purest primal life essence and unimaginably vast life energy..."

"If I had to say, you are somewhat similar to the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, which was once trapped in the Star Dou Great Forest and exploited by many ferocious beasts. However, for plant-type soul beasts, you, who have completely fused with the Gold of Life, are even more tempting than the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm itself, especially for those powerful plant-type soul beasts and even those spiritual treasures of heaven and earth."

Shu Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"So, does that mean I'm a weaker version of the Child of Nature?"

"Yes, you could say that, but compared to the true children of nature, what you possess is really nothing."

The spirit of life speaks the truth.

"Alright, let's put aside the matter of being a child of nature or not for now. Ayan's physique is indeed quite special after being modified by the Life Gold, which is extremely attractive to us soul beasts... It is precisely because of the special nature of his body and spiritual sea that we can retain our complete consciousness after merging with Ayan and do not need to repair our spiritual sense through a long period of sleep. As for the rest, I am not sure, but judging from what this guy in front of me said, it is indeed somewhat strange."

Hyotei spoke softly, and after she finished speaking, Yuki-tei followed suit:

“Bing’er is right. And as far as I know, the children of nature have always only appeared in plants or animals, but I have never heard of any example of them appearing in humans.”

Shu Yan thought for a moment, then spoke to Youyou again:
"Is that so? It seems I'd better be careful, otherwise, one wrong move and I might end up spending the rest of my life here..."

He chuckled softly, then said:

"Exactly, so... human, let me ask you a question first: how did you find the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, or rather, who told you its location? Don't tell me it was a coincidence. A human genius like you wouldn't be so foolish as to walk into a poison array for no reason."

Youyou's tone was very serious, yet also somewhat expectant.

Shu Yan smiled and then said:

"I came here to search for treasure. As for how I found out the location of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, I can tell you very clearly that it was Tang San who told me."

"Tang San!? Did that person send you?"

She said with a hint of surprise, her voice unconsciously becoming cheerful, but after a moment, it suddenly turned into dissatisfaction and resentment.

"He hasn't come to see everyone for a very, very long time. By the way, how is he? It's been almost ten thousand years since we last saw him. Everyone misses him a lot..."

Shu Yan still had a faint smile on his face, and then he spoke:
"Him? He's fine, isn't he?"

Well, he and the Tang San that Youyou mentioned are not the same person, but in some ways they are not that different.

"Hmph, let me tell you, if you want to take the treasure from the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, you'll have to pass a test."

"First, you need to prove your character. Second, you need to pass a test before you can take away any of the seven immortal herbs here. This is a rule set by that person. Do you understand?"

He hummed softly twice, then spoke.

"hehe…"

Shu Yan chuckled twice, then said:

"The Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire has been one of the three great treasure troves of the human world since ancient times. It belongs to this world and has never been the exclusive property of any one person. I can't be bothered to abide by its rules. Rather than playing your tricks of testing me, I prefer to measure everything by my own strength..."

As soon as Shu Yan finished speaking, Youyou immediately fell silent.

After a long silence, it finally spoke:
"You need to understand that while your strength is considerable, it's still far too insignificant compared to ours. That person once said that if we encounter anyone unwilling to participate in the trial or attempting to forcibly seize the treasure, we can handle it ourselves..."

"Because if you leave and expose everything here, even if we have a strong ability to protect ourselves, we may not be able to withstand the sheer number of humans, and our home may be destroyed as a result."

"Of course, if you think you have the ability to forcibly seize the treasure or escape, I won't say much, but I'll feel sorry for you, after all, I do have a rather good impression of you..."

"At the same time, I don't want to hear you disrespect him anymore. Without him, there would be no Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes as we are today. He has given us a second life..."

"Alright, let's leave it at that..."

Shu Yan was too lazy to listen to Youyou's nonsense anymore. These guys were actually grateful to Tang San, that usurper; it had to be said, their brains were like they'd been plunged into the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well…

Two blood-red soul rings slowly rose up. With the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Martial Soul attached to her, the second-ranked blood-red soul ring with seven golden patterns shone brightly, releasing the unparalleled majesty of the Snow Emperor without reservation. In just an instant, it awakened all the 100,000-year-old soul beasts within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

"Youyou, what just happened? Where did this human come from? His aura was terrifying..."

A clear, spirited yet flustered voice came from the direction of the blazing Yangquan. The speaker was none other than Xing Jiaoshu, the Ten Thousand Year Fiery Star.

"It's the aura of ultimate ice and snow, so powerful, completely beyond my reach..."

A cold voice came from the opposite direction of the fiery apricot blossom. The speaking soul beast resembled a large white flower, with an octagonal shape and a stamen in the center that shimmered like ice crystals. It emitted no fragrance and was the 100,000-year-old soul beast, the Eight-Cornered Profound Ice Grass, which also possessed extreme ice.

Countless pure energies slowly condensed in mid-air, and a hazy figure flew out from between Shu Yan's eyebrows and then fell into that body.

For the first time, ice and snow descended upon this precious land, carrying an indescribable pressure. Amidst this majesty, a nearly flawless white-haired figure slowly stepped out. Her cold, arrogant eyes gently swept over the group of hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts below, and then she slowly spoke:
"I'm giving you only two choices: either obediently hand over all the treasures, or die... Now, it's your turn to make a decision..."

The creature closest to Shu Yan, Youyou, trembled violently. It glanced at Shu Yan with suspicion and uncertainty, then said in a trembling voice:

"Who are you? You should know that if you kill us, you will be punished by heaven..."

"God's punishment?"

The Snow Empress scoffed dismissively, then spoke:

"What a divine punishment! I have already endured six divine punishments. If I were not utterly powerless to resist the seventh, how could I have possibly left the far north and set foot on human territory..."

"Even if I can't unleash my full power now, dealing with you is still just a matter of one palm strike..."

Youyou was completely dumbfounded this time. She murmured the phrase "six heavenly tribulations," and then suddenly exclaimed excitedly:

"You are the Snow Empress of the Far North! It's you! How could you possibly be a human's spirit ring, and... and you also possess the auras of two other ferocious beasts..."

Snow Empress landed beside Shu Yan, gave Youyou a cold look, and then spoke:
"That's not your question. All you need to know is that if you hand over the treasure, I will spare your lives. Otherwise... I will break open the mud around those two springs, and then we'll see what you do..."

"You...you have no sportsmanship! How can you bully people like this? Besides, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well is a place where the world's fortune gathers. If you destroy this place, you won't get away with it..."

She offered a weak and feeble rebuttal.

"Um!?"

The Snow Empress slightly raised her jade-like hand, her fair palm shimmering with a faint glow. In an instant, Youyou was completely terrified and became obedient, then said in a slightly tearful voice:

"I'll give you everything, please don't kill me! I've worked so hard to get to where I am today, I really don't want to die..."

After saying that, the soil around Youyou’s body churned up, and all sorts of items flew out from the ground one after another. Most of them were spiritual objects of heaven and earth. Besides the spiritual objects of heaven and earth, the most eye-catching items were two soul bones.

Xue Di gestured for Shu Yan to put all these things away, then continued in a cold voice:
"Hand over the Heart of Qiluo as well, don't force me to take it myself."

Upon hearing this, Youyou's magnificent form trembled again, and then she said pitifully:

"How about I give you some other treasures? I really can't give you the Heart of Qiluo..."

"Huh!? You actually dared to hide other treasures?"

The Snow Emperor grabbed the purple flower stamen, followed by a soft sob. Then, more than a dozen spiritual objects flew out of the soil, causing the purple flower stamen of the Snow Emperor's body to tremble slightly.

A ball of purple light slowly rose from it. The ball of purple light looked very gentle, without any domineering or sharp aura. It was only the size of a cherry and looked a lot like amethyst. However, inside the crystal clear bead, one could faintly see a layer of light, like mist, pulsating slightly, which was very strange.

Xue Di grabbed it in her hand and tossed it to Shu Yan.

Youyou seemed quite unwilling. Looking at the purple bead, it hesitated for a long time before finally mustering its courage and speaking softly:

"Um... Lady Snow Emperor, could you leave me half...?" "No, no, don't even think about it."

The Snow Emperor's cold tone completely shattered any illusions about the fragrant and exquisite fairy product.

Its faint hope was utterly shattered, and it curled up into a silent shell, its drooping body a testament to just how utterly dejected it was.

After looting Youyou, Xue Di took Shu Yan and flew off to other places.

Liehuo Xingjiaoshu trembled all over, the cold aura pressing down on her so much that she could hardly straighten up.

The Snow Emperor's cultivation was far superior to its own, and coupled with the elemental advantage, it had no chance to fight back at all. Even as proud as it was, it was no wonder that its heart was filled with panic and fear.

"Hand over the stuff..."

Facing the 100,000-year-old soul beast of extreme fire, due to their inherently opposing attributes, Xue Di's voice became even colder. Lie Huo Xing Jiao Shu was frantically engaged in an internal struggle, but in the end, it still chose to compromise.

A jelly-like, fiery red gel-like substance slowly flew out and then condensed into a ball in front of Xue Di.

A moment later, the fiery apricot blossom's overall aura weakened considerably, while the Snow Empress continued to coldly observe it...

"There's really not a single drop left, please let me go, sob sob..."

Under the oppressive force of the Snow Emperor, even the mighty Fiery King Oyster Mushroom eventually began to break down.

Shu Yan's lips twitched, then he said softly:

"Alright, Snow Empress, stop staring at it and pulling on it, look how much the baby is crying..."

Xue Di glanced at Shu Yan, gave a soft snort, and then turned and walked in another direction.

Shu Yan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that the proud and aloof Snow Empress would give him a feeling similar to... tsundere...

After looting the Fiery Apricot Blossom, the Snow Emperor and Shu Yan arrived in front of the Eight-Cornered Mystic Ice Grass in the blink of an eye.

Compared to the panic and fear of the other 100,000-year-old soul beasts, the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass was the calmest.

Noticing the arrival of Shu Yan and his companion, the Eight-Cornered Mystic Ice Grass spoke directly:

"I want to go with you and become this human's spirit ring. On the condition that you make this human retain my spiritual consciousness as well."

The Snow Empress was somewhat surprised by the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass's sudden "surrender." She pondered for a moment, then spoke:

"reason."

The Eight-Cornered Ice Grass remained silent for a moment, then spoke:

"First, I'm tired of life here and want to see the outside world."

"Secondly, I sensed the aura emanating from this human being, and to me, his aura was even stronger than that of the Cold Extreme Yin Spring."

"Third, I also want to become a god."

A slight smile curved Xue Di's lips, then she nodded and said:
"Okay, I agree."

As a 100,000-year-old soul beast of ultimate ice, the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass was naturally suppressed by the Snow Empress. In addition, ultimate ice soul beasts were extremely rare, and the Snow Empress had already had similar thoughts when she first noticed it.

Ultimately, they are both ice-attribute soul beasts, but Xue Di treated the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass slightly better than she treated Liehuo Xingjiao.

The octagonal ice herb turned slightly to face Shu Yan, clearly waiting for his opinion.

At that moment, Xue Di also exchanged a glance with Shu Yan… The specific meaning of this glance was roughly as follows:

If you dare disrespect me, I'll kick you to death...

After thinking for a moment, Shu Yan chuckled:
"Welcome to join us."

The Eight-Cornered Ice Grass breathed a sigh of relief. It had also recognized Shu Yan's immense potential, which was why it had some different ideas.

What? You want to ask what the basis is for its decisive choice? To this, the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass can only say that the Snow Emperor itself is the best basis for its choice of Shu Yan.

The saying "a wise man submits to circumstances" perfectly describes this situation.

When the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass uttered its first words, the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye fell silent. Even the Fiery Apricot Beauty, who was already in a state of "kidney deficiency," couldn't help but whisper:

"Has Bajiao gone mad? He's actually planning to go with this human... I must be so groggy. I woke up and everything's turned out like this..."

The previously trembling Youyou now fully unfolded her petals, looking at everything around her in disbelief.

It truly hadn't expected that, in just a short while, one of the "two giants of ice and fire" within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes would depart. This would be a tremendous loss for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes, considering that the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass was the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes' most formidable fighting force in resisting external attacks…

Just as Shu Yan was calling for Tianmeng and Xie Ji to help, Ilex, who had been in a semi-dormant state repairing his divine consciousness, suddenly spoke:

"Little one, wait a minute..."

As soon as Electrolux spoke, Tianmeng and the other two stopped what they were doing and looked together at the blurry gray figure above the Lake of Life.

Electrolux's power last time had already conquered everyone, including Snow Empress. His mastery of the spiritual realm is unshakeable.

Electrolux's figure slowly solidified, holding a staff made of black, white, and gold. A slight smile played on his lips as he spoke:
“Little fellow, do you remember the so-called ‘soul spirit’ you mentioned to me last time? During this period, I have conducted detailed research on the martial spirits and the nature of soul beasts in your world. In the end, I have concluded that the concept you proposed is quite amazing and also completely feasible.”

The three of them suddenly remembered something, and their expressions turned serious.

I still remember their surprise and excitement when Shu Yan first mentioned the concept of soul spirits. If it is developed and operated properly, this so-called soul spirit can truly change the biggest conflict between humans and soul beasts.

Electrolux's words piqued even Xue Di's interest.

Although she can temporarily condense a physical body, her essence and other aspects are ultimately within Shu Yan's body. As long as she is willing, the conversations within the sea of ​​consciousness will naturally not escape her ears.

Tian dreamt that Electrolux remained silent for a long time. His impatient nature could no longer be contained, and he finally spoke:

"Old man, then what? After all this research, what have you come up with? Tell us all..."

Electrolux glanced at Tianmeng upon hearing this, then chuckled softly:
"Shu Yan's words at that time gave me some inspiration. Later, I borrowed a bit of your soul essence and combined it with your own energy and Shu Yan's blood to conduct an experiment."

"And the result of this experiment was successful. Through the process I described earlier, coupled with a fusion and transformation ritual, you will be able to be transformed into a special life form. This life form has no physical form, but it will not disappear. In fact, its specific function is far beyond the so-called soul ring. It will be another ability of the soul master, independent of soul rings and soul bones."

"It can replace spirit rings, but it is absolutely different from spirit rings. This will be a great invention that will shake your world."

After Electrolux finished speaking, everyone fell into a stunned silence. After a moment, Hyotei suddenly spoke:
"So, Elder Yi means to make the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass the first test subject for this so-called 'Soul Spirit' technique?"

Electrolux just chuckled, but did not deny it.

"What will happen to the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass if we fail?"

Tianmeng then asked, her tone revealing her curiosity.

"Stupid, the answer is obvious, it will die."

Before Electrolux could answer, the Evil Princess revealed her answer, then chuckled and added after a pause:

"If it dies, its soul is mine, and the rest you can divide equally..."

……

(End of this chapter)