The human and the silkworm, each harboring their own ulterior motives, left the Extreme North. They had no choice but to leave—the Titan Snow Demon race was just as rare as the Ice Jade Scorpions, with every member of their kind being extremely precious.
Almost immediately after Huo Yuhao finished absorbing the soul ring, the Titan Snow Demon King noticed the disappearance of one of its kin and flew into a rage, rampaging through the core region of the Extreme North.
If the two of them had the audacity to linger after getting what they wanted, they would likely have ended up permanently buried in that frozen wasteland.
Of course, before leaving the Extreme North, the Skydream Iceworm didn't forget to screw over its own kind, helping Huo Yuhao obtain a thousand-year Ice Silkworm soul ring—just like in the original story.
Though he had still acquired a second martial soul, the current Huo Yuhao was nothing more than a severely downgraded version of his original counterpart.
Meanwhile.
Three days had passed since Lin Yun swallowed the Blazing Gel and the Frost Raindew before plunging into the Yin-Yang Twin Springs. Normally, absorbing immortal herbs wouldn't take this long—half a day at most would suffice.
Moreover, Lin Yun had the Devouring Dragon talent to assist in absorption, making these three days feel unusually prolonged.
But Lin Yun's situation was entirely different from Tang San's. The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Herb and the Fiery Delightful Apricot that Tang San consumed back then were merely ordinary immortal herbs that hadn't evolved into soul beasts. In contrast, the Blazing Gel and Frost Raindew represented the condensed essence of two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts—plump, meaty treasures.
The energy contained within these two items was at least ten times greater than the two hastily swallowed herbs from ten thousand years ago.
The Blazing Gel alone had been enough to restore the corrupted Ma Xiaotao—a Titled Douluo at the time—to normalcy and even elevate her Phoenix Flames to the level of Ultimate Fire.
Under the mutual reinforcement and suppression of ice and fire, their combined effects far exceeded a simple one-plus-one equation.
On top of that, Lin Yun had also swallowed a Seven Treasure Glazed Pellet, which was no less potent than the other two. It wasn't that his Devouring Dragon talent had failed—rather, it was precisely because of this talent that Lin Yun, as a Soul Ancestor, hadn't exploded into a bloody mist on the spot.
Under the alternating forces of the extreme cold and extreme heat from the Yin-Yang Twin Springs, Lin Yun's body was continuously tempered and transformed by the medicinal properties of the three immortal herbs.
During these three days of submersion and metamorphosis, the Ice Empress stood as motionless as a statue, her hand gripping the stem of the Seven Treasure Glazed Lily while her eyes remained fixed on it.
Apart from the initial moment when Elder Tian reminded her to seal and preserve the corpse of the Fiery Delightful Apricot, the Ice Empress had maintained this exact posture the entire time.
Though the Fiery Delightful Apricot had lost much of its medicinal potency after the extraction of the Blazing Gel—and even retained some stubborn fire poison—it was still a fire-attribute immortal herb, highly attractive to fire-attribute soul beasts.
If not for the fact that Elder Tian needed to remain hidden, he would have long since stepped forward.
Whether for the Beast God's descendant or for the Scarlet King, the corpse of the Fiery Delightful Apricot was a nourishing treasure.
"Um… Big Sister, it's been three days. Aren't you tired? Maybe you should take a break?" After three days, the Seven Treasure Glazed Lily's fear had slightly subsided, and its naturally chatty personality—as seen in the original story—couldn't help but resurface.
Seeing the Ice Empress's unwavering diligence, the Seven Treasure Glazed Lily felt like it was about to have a heart attack.
Just how much is he paying you to work this hard?!
Seriously, three whole days of staring at me like a hawk?!
The Ice Empress's delicate brows furrowed, a flash of killing intent passing through her cold eyes. "Shut up! One more word, and you die!"
Feeling the Ice Empress's slender fingers tightening around its stem, the Seven Treasure Glazed Lily—which had been as limp as noodles—instantly stiffened like a rod.
"My bad, my bad! I'll shut up now!"
Three seconds later…
"Big Sister, where exactly are you soul beasts from? That guy earlier seemed human—why are you with a human and even obeying his orders?" The shamelessly talkative Seven Treasure Glazed Lily spoke up again.
To the Ice Empress, this incessant chatterbox was no different from having Tang San whispering in her ear: What's your mother's name?
Or perhaps: Dang-dang-dang-dang-dang…
Only you~
The scorpion girl finally snapped.
Crack… crack…
The Ice Empress's small fangs ground together audibly as her crimson lips curled into a frosty smile. "Little thing, you really think I won't kill you?"
A terrifying wave of cold instantly spread, freezing the Seven Treasure Glazed Lily—which had been swaying rhythmically like a sunflower—solid in a block of ice.
"Ah, peace at last!" The Ice Empress clapped her hands lightly, rubbing her temples with a headache. Although Lin Yun had said she could kill the Seven Treasure Glazed Lily if it dared speak another word, she didn't think it was really that simple.
After all, it was still a high-quality meat pig. Whether to slaughter it now or keep it around for future harvesting would have to wait until Lin Yun emerged.
Having followed Lin Yun for several years now, the Ice Empress had learned one thing: when working under him, she didn't need to think or make decisions. All she had to do was follow his orders.
With him around, all she needed to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
Unlike those idiots at Shrek Academy, who couldn't even figure out how to coast on others' success—too busy scheming and forming cliques all day—she wasn't that stupid.
Sometimes, the Ice Empress even wondered: How did these moronic soul masters of Douluo Continent manage to push the soul beast race to the brink, forcing them to silently endure being devoured?
Just as the Ice Empress's thoughts were spiraling into chaos, a violent surge of soul power erupted from the depths of the Yin-Yang Twin Springs. At the same time, an overwhelming aura of madness and brutality flooded the entire area.
Beneath the water, Lin Yun's eyes snapped open. The last traces of medicinal energy from the three immortal herbs had been fully absorbed, granting his physical body an immense upgrade.
To put it simply, his physical strength had skyrocketed from near-Soul Sage levels directly to Titled Douluo tier.
This leap in physical prowess brought Lin Yun overwhelming power, but at the same time, the dormant Golden Dragon King bloodline within him was completely unleashed.
Thick, mercury-like golden-red blood pumped through his veins with each heartbeat, spreading throughout his body. The sheer might—enough to seemingly shatter the heavens with a single punch—clouded his mind. Externally, his human form rapidly began to draconify.
Starting from his arms, countless gleaming metallic golden scales emerged from beneath his skin. His muscles bulged like granite, his hands transforming into draconic claws as a pair of massive golden wings sprouted from his back. Sharp bone spikes protruded from his elbows and knees.
Even his face was now partially covered in shimmering golden scales.
Unlike before, these scales were no longer pure gold—their surfaces now bore a faint crimson sheen.
His golden vertical pupils had also turned blood-red, his rationality all but gone, replaced by endless bloodlust and killing intent.
The Golden Dragon King bloodline, which should not have awakened at this time, had fully revealed its true power. The Golden Dragon martial soul shed its disguise, unveiling its original form.
The Golden Dragon King martial soul!
As the price for this premature awakening, even with a Titled Douluo-level physique and spiritual power rivaling one, Lin Yun—unable to control the full might of the Golden Dragon King—
Went berserk.
Madness and slaughter filled his mind. The emerald-green spiritual sea, once saturated with the vitality of the Life Gold, had now turned into a world of blood.
Like hell itself.
"What's going on? This shouldn't be happening—there's no way he can't control his own power!" Elder Yi, who had been dormant, abruptly awakened, startled by the upheaval in Lin Yun's spiritual sea.
However, after carefully assessing Lin Yun's current state, Elder Yi fell silent.
Well, damn.
The Great Mage could only mutter in disbelief.
Turns out, this frenzied and brutal state was Lin Yun's true nature all along. The gentle, easygoing demeanor from before had been the result of forceful suppression.
This was just too bizarre.
Elder Yi couldn't even tell which version was the real Lin Yun anymore. How could a person's personality differ so drastically before and after?
Though he didn't fully understand Lin Yun's current situation, he didn't just stand by and watch the rampage. Right now, he and Lin Yun were in the same boat—if he wanted to restore his peak strength, Elder Yi would need Lin Yun's help.
Besides, he considered this world's powerhouse a friend in his own way.
"Ah, good thing we worked on that Tome of the Sun together earlier. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to do anything!" Elder Yi sighed, shaking his head with a wry smile.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to interfere with Lin Yun's state. He'd have had no choice but to wait for the rampage to end—or watch as Lin Yun was consumed by his own negative emotions, becoming a mindless killing machine.
But here's the thing: the cultivation method Lin Yun was currently practicing had been co-created by Elder Yi and himself.
Aside from Lin Yun, no one understood this technique better than Elder Yi. Even though Lin Yun had significantly refined it during deep meditation, Elder Yi could still exert some influence if needed.
This wasn't because Elder Yi had left backdoors in the technique—it was simply a matter of perspective. Just like how looking at a clock makes it obvious that removing the screws would reduce it to a pile of parts.
Especially since Elder Yi had personally participated in its creation.
Raising his hand, Elder Yi drew a massive stream of life force from the green miniature sun—the Life Gold—condensing it into a majestic two-meter-long staff in his grasp.
"WAKE UP!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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