Chapter 89: Did You Do That on Purpose, or Was It an Accident?

Word Count: 3,160 Words

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In the Extreme North, a 100,000-year humanoid spirit beast…

Xiong Mo stared intently at the pure and cold figure by the snow-capped lotus pond, recalling an earth-shattering name. A crystal-clear droplet seemed to drip from his nostril; he took a sharp breath to sniff it back and exclaimed in shock:

"That... that's the leader of the Extreme North's Three Arctic Kings, ranked third among the Ten Great Beasts, the Heavenly Snow Woman, Snow Empress! She's actually planning to absorb a 100,000-year Snow Lotus to rebuild her cultivation as a human?"

"It's said that the Snow Empress has survived six heavenly tribulations. She'll definitely fetch a good price! Feng Yu, wait for me to return and propose to you!"

Xu Cong's eyes seemed filled only with money and his goddess as he fantasized about sealing the Snow Empress to obtain 100 million spirit gold coins and marry Feng Yu.

"Crazy! This is madness! The world has truly gone mad!"

Vajra Douluo Xiong Mo's anxious heart finally sank upon hearing this.

Though both were Titled Douluo-level experts, he himself was only at Rank 92 spirit power, and his Martial Spirit's attribute was worlds apart from the Ultimate Snow of the Heavenly Snow Woman. Xu Cong for his part had been forced to leave the Illustrious Virtue Hall, targeted by Jing Hongchen and the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family, living a displaced life. He'd only crafted a single non-offensive Class 9 God Sealing Altar after barely breaking through to become a Class 9 Spirit Guidance Master. How could the two of them possibly seal the Snow Empress of the Extreme North, who was comparable to the Beast God Di Tian!

"Old Xu, we're absolutely no match for the Snow Empress. Let's stop now and leave the Extreme North. Come with me to join the Star Luo imperial family. My old friend, Juli Douluo Cheng Gang, can introduce us. We'll become the Star Luo Empire's Guardian Douluo and enjoy immense wealth and honor!"

Xiong Mo lowered his voice to persuade him. The two of them were less than a pair of bean sprouts in the Snow Empress's eyes; killing them would be as easy as crushing two ants.

"Afraid?"

Xu Cong tilted his head slightly, his gaze toward Xiong Mo full of contempt. "I've long heard that you people from the Three Great Empires are as timid as mice and shallow in vision. Seeing your performance today, I realize those words were not false!"

"You!"

Xiong Mo clenched his fists, muscles bulging like coiled dragons. A flash of ferocity flickered in his eyes.

Xu Cong paid no mind to Xiong Mo's anger and declared proudly, "No matter how powerful a spirit beast is, once they choose to rebuild, they must abandon all their cultivation and transform into a human child to start anew. The Snow Empress's situation is even more special. As a super beast of her generation, she shouldn't have had a chance to rebuild. Even though the 100,000-year Snow Lotus allows her to be reborn, it can't change the fact that her cultivation will be entirely dispersed.

Moreover, you people from the Three Great Empires completely don't understand what Spirit Guidance Devices are, or what a Class 9 Spirit Guidance Master who can turn stone into gold truly means!

I don't claim to be the continent's number one Spirit Guidance Master, but as for sealing-type Spirit Guidance Masters, if I, Xu Cong, claim second, no one dares claim first! The Class 9 Spirit Guidance Device God Sealing Altar embodies all my life's learning. Once she enters the God Sealing Altar, the Snow Empress won't even be able to self-destruct!

Xiong Mo, the core region of the Extreme North is bitterly cold beyond compare. We've endured it for over a month. If it were a Spirit Douluo, they'd have frozen to death long ago! The chance to defy the heavens and change our fate is right before us. Are you willing to give up so easily?

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. When the Snow Empress, that mantis, loses her spirit power, it'll be time for us, the orioles, to act!"

"... Xu Cong, I'll trust you this once!"

Xu Cong's words were highly persuasive. Xiong Mo made up his mind to do one last big job, risking his life to seal the Snow Empress in exchange for a lifetime of wealth. A gambler never backs down!

The two men approached the barrier and patiently awaited the right moment.

Clear and icy spring water flowed in the snow-capped lotus pond. Several snow lotuses drifted quietly. A pair of delicate hands lifted the most flourishing 100,000-year Snow Lotus at the center of the pond.

The Snow Empress gazed at the exquisite and translucent lotus in her hands, as if it were a work of art. Her sky-blue eyes were ethereal and clear, as if they could see through all things in the world. Her graceful figure was slender and lissome beneath her pure white long dress. Her white hair fluttered in the cold wind, exuding majesty.

"To succeed or to die trying."

The Snow Empress's voice was light, yet it carried an unparalleled determination.

With a final, lingering glance at the Extreme North she had guarded for nearly 700,000 years, suddenly, a corner of the ice clouds that had hung over the core region for millennia collapsed. Serene moonlight scattered over the ice, glimmering with phosphorescence. Goose-feather snowflakes danced in the howling wind, filling the icy world within a ten-mile radius centered on the Snow Empress.

"Sword and Palm send the sky into a Chill, The Empress' Sword, Palm, and Chill—Snow Empress's Three Ultimate Techniques, Empress's Chill: Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice!"

Such a spectacle would astonish even Titled Douluo. Xiong Mo and Xu Cong had heard of domain-type spirit skills, but the Snow Empress's 'Empress's Chill' seemed to have surpassed the category of spirit skills and reached the realm of perfection. It touched the threshold of Godhood under the natural amplification of the Extreme North.

The already extremely low temperature of the core region plummeted at a breathtaking pace. Xu Cong's Class 8 Spirit Barrier began to falter; the faint purple spirit power flickered unsteadily, like a candle guttering in the wind and snow.

The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice effectively turned the area around the snow-capped lotus pond into a forbidden zone. The core region of the Extreme North was rarely visited; any spirit beasts sensing her aura would retreat far away. The Snow Empress believed everything was secure with the dual protection of the barrier and Empress's Chill, and officially began her transformation.

A dazzling white light, surpassing even the brilliance of the bright moon, shone forth. Threads of energy from the 100,000-year Snow Lotus surged into the Snow Empress's seven apertures. Not only did her vast spirit power not increase, but it visibly decreased more and more.

That delicate body, which embodied the pinnacle of the Extreme North's beauty, transformed from a mature and alluring lady into a budding young girl, then into a soft and adorable child, and finally into a mass of white gaseous embryonic form.

The rebirth proceeded smoothly. The white gas prepared to enter the lotus pond for nurturing. There were still several 10,000-year Snow Lotuses inside, enough to support her development into a young girl with some combat capability. Then she could go to the human empires to absorb the 'human aura' necessary for spirit beasts to be reborn.

Just as the Snow Empress was about to enter slumber, a square phantom flickering with colorful light suddenly appeared in a silent and traceless manner. The Snow Empress couldn't even muster a bit of resistance before being firmly confined within it.

"Old Xiong, how about my world's number one sealing-type Class 9 Spirit Guidance Device!"

"Deserves its reputation! Truly lives up to its name!"

As the Snow Empress was undergoing rebirth, she naturally couldn't maintain Empress's Chill and the barrier. Two figures quickly traversed the wind and snow to arrive at the lotus pond.

The phantom condensed into the God Sealing Altar and fell into Xu Cong's palm. This Class 9 Spirit Guidance Device had over a hundred gems carved from rare metals inlaid on its four walls. A mass of white gas continuously charged left and right on the wooden tray, seemingly trying to break free. The gems and wooden tray emitted a faint golden barrier. Xu Cong hadn't exaggerated; even the continent's third Great Beast, the Snow Empress, couldn't break through the God Sealing Altar!

"These 10,000-year Snow Lotuses are all Heaven and Earth Treasures. Each can easily sell for a million or two spirit gold coins. Let's quickly collect them all! I'll keep one to propose to Feng Yu, and we'll sell the rest to the Starlight Auction House together!"

Xu Cong was so excited he could hardly contain himself. In one's life, it all came down to three things: money, power, and women. His goddess and a hundred million spirit gold coins were beckoning to him. As for power... as a Class 9 Spirit Guidance Master and former chief researcher of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, he could join any force in the Three Great Empires and be treated like an ancestor!

"Brother Xu, congratulations on achieving your desire!"

Xiong Mo opened his arms, smiling broadly as he moved to give Xu Cong a victorious hug. Xu Cong laughed heartily and stepped forward. The two of them heavily collided chest to chest.

"Pu... ugh!"

A burst of golden light suddenly erupted, followed by the sounds of tearing cloth, breaking bones, and vomiting blood. Xiong Mo tightly embraced Xu Cong, appearing like an intimate and warm hug between close brothers.

However, Xiong Mo's muscles had more than doubled in size. His entire musculature bulged and a thick layer of brown fur covered his body. His tawny eyes emitted a domineering aura. Two yellow, two purple, and five black—nine spirit rings revolved rhythmically around his body.

Martial Spirit Manifestation: Vigorous Vajra Bear!

Xu Cong's Class 8 triggered Spirit Guidance Barrier activated automatically, but it couldn't stop the ultra-close-range surprise attack of the Vigorous Vajra Bear Titled Douluo. Both of Xu Cong's arms were instantly broken.

"Brother Xu, oh Brother Xu... you truly are the benefactor of my life!"

Xiong Mo patted Xu Cong's back. The latter spat out large mouthfuls of scalding hot blood, which instantly froze into blood crystals upon contact with the Extreme North's frigid air. It was a tragically beautiful sight.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Who's the mantis and who's the oriole remains to be seen."

Xiong Mo released his embrace. Xu Cong collapsed to the ground, five hideous claw marks on his back shocking to behold. Thick, pungent blood stained his clothes red, and the gray pallor of death surfaced in his eyes.

"Xiong Mo... This old man will not let you off even as a ghost..."

Xu Cong clutched the God Sealing Altar. He knew very well he definitely couldn't keep it, but even so, he exhausted his spirit power to erect a golden light barrier.

Xiong Mo gathered his strength and slapped down with a bear paw, only to be bounced back by the golden light. He angrily shouted:

"An Invincible Barrier? Are you insane? Trying to disgust me at death's door?!"

The Invincible Barrier was a life-saving artifact for Spirit Guidance Masters. With Xu Cong's Titled Douluo-level spirit power, even if a Limit Douluo came, they could only stare helplessly.

"Why don't you come in?" Xu Cong taunted.

"The Invincible Barrier consumes spirit power the most. Let's see how many minutes you can hold out!"

The cold smile at the corner of Xiong Mo's mouth had yet to fade when, without warning, a demon scythe drew a perfect crescent trajectory in the air.

"ARGH—"

The Death Abyss Demon Scythe slashed from his right shoulder blade to his left waist. Xiong Mo's miserable scream shook the land!

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Well said indeed."

Ling Bai tightly gripped the Death Abyss Demon Scythe, having successfully used the Thousand Illusion Charming Appearance to conceal his aura for a sneak attack. The Ultimate Death and the deadly poison from the Death Abyss Spider Emperor frantically invaded Xiong Mo's Vigorous Vajra Bear body.

"Courting death!"

Xiong Mo let out a furious roar. His right arm lit up with a strange silvery-white luster that instantly spread throughout his entire body. His powerful muscles seemed to emit a rainbow-like glow reflected off diamonds under the icy and snowy backdrop of the Extreme North!

Ling Bai sensed that Xiong Mo's muscles had turned into a giant mouth and realized that his opponent had mitigated the invasion of Ultimate Death. He swiftly withdrew the Death Abyss Demon Scythe before the muscles could clamp down on it and sighed:

"A spirit bone saved your life."

"So now, it's your unlucky day!"

Xiong Mo grinned hideously. His eighth spirit ring came from hunting a 50,000-year Diamond Mammoth. With incredible luck, he obtained a right arm spirit bone, which came with the skill 'Diamond Titan Body,' granting him a flesh as hard as diamond and temporarily blocking pain!

His seventh and eighth spirit rings shone brilliantly. In extreme rage, Xiong Mo wanted nothing more than to grind Ling Bai's bones to dust!

Seventh Spirit Skill: Vigorous Vajra Bear Spirit Avatar

Eighth Spirit Skill: Vajra King Body!

The ten-meter-tall Vigorous Vajra Bear was immensely robust, covered in dazzling golden fur that faintly reflected metallic light. Most striking were the pair of foot-long, coldly gleaming giant bear claws.

Xiong Mo felt terrifyingly tough with Martial Spirit Avatar, the eighth spirit skill Vajra King Body, and the spirit bone skill Diamond Titan Body; his defense rivaled that of a Rank 95 defense-type Titled Douluo!

Two yellow, two purple, and five black—nine spirit rings revolved around the bear's body. The first, third, and sixth spirit rings lit up simultaneously. Ling Bai felt his body becoming heavy; pressure from all directions seemed poised to crush him, and a strange cross-shaped symbol appeared on his forehead.

Vigorous Vajra Bear's First Spirit Skill: Gravity Increase.

Third Spirit Skill: Gravity Compression.

Sixth Spirit Skill: Lock-On!

The Vigorous Vajra Bear charged toward the tiny human figure on the ground in great strides, face filled with anger and killing intent. A massive bear paw raised high, as if to say, 'I'll smack you dead with one slap!'

The Death Abyss Spider Emperor's Ultimate Talent, Undying Body, stood firm. Gravity Compression could do nothing against Ling Bai, who had absorbed Life Gold and achieved harmony of life and death. He sketched a blood-red six-pointed star array in the air, and a crimson gate opened!

Necromancy: Summon!

"ROAR——"

An earth-shattering dragon's roar resounded through the Extreme North. A colossal, pale figure that blotted out the sky emerged from the Spectral Gate. Xiong Mo's steps came to an abrupt halt as he gazed up at the enormous bone dragon beside Ling Bai, utterly shocked and terrified.

Vajra Douluo Xiong Mo, Class 9 Spirit Guidance Master Xu Cong within his Invincible Barrier, and even the Snow Empress inside the God Sealing Altar all felt monstrous waves surge in their hearts under the gaze of those dragon eyes filled with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Xiong Mo, who was facing it head-on, even experienced extreme fear!

While Xiong Mo halted, Ling Bai did not. Since he'd decided to eliminate them, he had to be thorough. The Death Abyss Demon Scythe suddenly merged into the body of the Rank 95 Spectral Demiplane's strongest bone dragon, causing its aura to soar once again!

Divine Bone Dragon Transformation: Bone Fusion Technique!

Death Abyss Bone Dragon!

The bone dragon gained the death attribute of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor after fusing with the Death Abyss Demon Scythe, similar to the ultimate transformation of an Ultimate Martial Spirit. The ghastly white dragon claws turned pure blood-red in color and curved like the scythe of the Grim Reaper. Xiong Mo recovered from his shock and sensed the terrifying, bloodthirsty aura of the Death Abyss Bone Dragon. A do-or-die resolve instantly rose in his heart as his final ninth spirit ring flashed. The Vigorous Vajra Bear unleashed two massive golden palm shadows in succession.

Ninth Spirit Skill: Vigorous Vajra Palm!

How powerful was a Titled Douluo's ninth spirit skill when fully unleashed! The palm wind of the Vigorous Vajra Palm scattered the wind and snow of the Extreme North. It shot straight toward Ling Bai's head under the effect of Xiong Mo's sixth spirit skill Lock-On!

Ling Bai displayed a contemptuous smile facing Xiong Mo's desperate strike. The Death Abyss Bone Dragon's body coiled; one claw protected its master while the other giant blood-red dragon claw reached out to grasp the Vigorous Vajra Palm!

A gruesome blood-red mark formed between the dragon's claws. It seemed as if countless souls were suffering endless torture within the mark, wailing and crying, emitting sky-piercing resentment and killing intent. Xiong Mo was almost frightened out of his wits when this blood-red colored mark formed.

Death Abyss Spider Emperor's Second Spirit Skill: Extreme Punishment!

The Death Abyss Bone Dragon could use the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's spirit skills with the Bone Fusion Technique!

The Death Abyss Bone Dragon used unmatched power to blast away the Vigorous Vajra Palm along with Xiong Mo. The Vigorous Vajra Bear fell into the icy world like a meteor. The snowy mountains trembled; blood splattered everywhere. Xiong Mo, covered in blood, watched in bewildered terror as the Death Abyss Bone Dragon drew ever closer!

"No... no... spare me... spare me..."

The Death Abyss Bone Dragon turned its body. A glimmer of hope appeared in Xiong Mo's eyes. In the next second, the dragon's tail, like a ghastly white long whip, suddenly lashed out.

Divine Dragon Swinging Tail!

Snowflakes shattered into powder wherever it passed. Xiong Mo's body was torn apart, and a rain of blood fell over the Extreme North!

At that moment, the Invincible Barrier's duration ended, revealing the severely injured Xu Cong. The God Sealing Altar rolled to the ground, and after a crisp shattering sound, a noticeable crack appeared on the brilliant Class 9 Spirit Guidance Device.

"..."

Ling Bai was silent for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Did you do that on purpose, or was it an accident?"

"I came to drag you down with me."

Xu Cong instead calmed down facing imminent death. "Xiong Mo was a scoundrel, and you Evil Spirit Masters are birds of a feather.

I'll be waiting for you on the road to the underworld."

Crack, crack, crack!

The temperature around the snow-capped lotus pond plummeted at an astonishing speed. A wisp of smoke-like white gas seeped through the crack in the God Sealing Altar, and Xu Cong was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture!

The God Sealing Altar shattered!

The Snow Empress descended!