NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: [DD2]: 4
The scorpion was about one and a half meters in size, with a body composed of just two colors.
One color was a transparent, ice-like hue, while the other was a vibrant green.
The front part of its body was composed of four layers stacked on top of each other, each layer slightly more than half a foot long. Its head was located on the foremost layer, with its silver-white mouthparts gleaming with a cold light.
The front half of the body, with its four stacked layers, had a unique covering—perhaps scales or protrusions.
These were hexagonal, each one shining with an incredible brilliance, like diamonds.
These hexagonal protrusions were densely packed across its front half and on its six long, powerful legs.
Reflected in the snow's light, they emitted an unmatched splendor.
At that moment, the scorpion itself seemed to become a source of light, refracting millions of rays from its body.
Its two pincers, each a meter long, were also covered in those strange, diamond-like hexagonal protrusions.
Only the very tips of the pincers, like the mouthparts, had a mirror-like silver-white sheen.
Its eyes were unique—yellow, like two hexagonal yellow diamonds embedded in its head, sparkling with crystalline golden light, exuding a treasure-like brilliance.
The rear half of the scorpion trailed into a bright green tail.
Unlike the multi-segmented tails of ordinary scorpions, this long tail had only five segments, all of which were a uniform, enticing green.
That green shimmered with a life-filled radiance, and each of the five segments was the same color. The segment closest to the front half was the widest, and the segments became progressively narrower toward the back.
At the tip of the final segment, a diamond-like stinger was raised high, with the very tip of the hook also gleaming with a mirror-like silver-white brilliance.
The entire scorpion was as dazzling as a gemstone, so beautiful that it was almost blinding.
Uncle Tian looked at the stunning scorpion, but his expression remained completely unmoved.
"Ice Empress?"
Yes, this magnificent scorpion was the Ice Empress, ranked second among the three great kings of the Extreme North, a supreme beast with 390,000 years of cultivation—the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
"Di Tian, why have you left the Star Dou Forest to come to my Extreme North?"
"And what is happening here?"
The Ice Empress looked at the shocking scene occurring several hundred meters away and asked.
"Ice Empress, are you questioning this king?"
Uncle Tian glanced at the Ice Empress, his gaze filled with undisguised disdain.
It was as if the renowned Ice Empress of the Extreme North was nothing in his eyes.
"You!"
Ice Empress's crisp voice carried suppressed fury, but she made no move.
If anyone else dared to look down on her, she would have torn them apart long ago.
But the situation was different now.
Indeed, she was angry, but she knew how terrifying the man in front of her was.
Even though this was the Extreme North, her home territory, she was no match for him.
His strength far surpassed hers.
Still, her pride would not allow her to back down easily.
"Di Tian, your strength may be great, but this is the Extreme North. Snow Empress is still here, and this is not a place where you can act without consequence."
"Let's wait until the Snow Empress arrives," Uncle Tian said indifferently.
"She is indeed coming."
Uncle Tian raised his head, sensing an overwhelming presence rapidly approaching from afar.
This presence was cold, yet carried a majestic imperial aura, which even made Uncle Tian's expression grow serious.
"Whoosh!"
The sky filled with swirling goose-feather snow, and a graceful figure slowly descended from the blizzard.
She had long, snow-white hair cascading down her back, reaching to her feet. Her sky-blue eyes were ethereal and clear as if they could see through everything.
Her luxurious, exquisitely crafted ice-blue gown perfectly accentuated her tall figure and flawless body.
Her snow-white skin was as smooth and translucent as jade.
Her features were stunningly beautiful, the most perfect creation of the heavens, truly flawless. She was like a chilly plum blossom in the depths of winter—cold, noble, and proud.
"Snow Empress!"
Upon seeing the Snow Empress descend, the Ice Empress visibly brightened with joy.
In her mind, now that the Snow Empress had arrived, there was no need to fear Di Tian anymore.
"Icey!"
The Snow Empress smiled gently at the Ice Emperor, then slowly turned her gaze to Uncle Tian.
"Beast God Di Tian!"
"Ice and Snow Empress!"
The Snow Empress and Uncle Tian locked eyes.
"Di Tian, as the guardian of the Star Dou Forest, what brings you to Extreme North?"
The Snow Empress' gaze was solemn as she looked at Uncle Tian, the Beast God Di Tian, a true top-tier powerhouse.
Even she, in terms of cultivation, was slightly inferior to him.
However, in the Extreme North, her home ground, she wasn't afraid of him.
"I came for personal reasons."
Uncle Tian's gaze drifted to the distant ice-blue barrier, and he sighed softly.
If it were only the Ice Empress, he wouldn't have bothered explaining.
But the Snow Empress was different. She was the ice and snow spirit born of the Extreme North, with nearly 700,000 years of cultivation—the unquestioned ruler of this land.
Even he couldn't easily defeat the Snow Empress in the Extreme North.
In some sense, the Snow Empress was on the same level as him.
"Oh?"
The Snow Empress looked into the distance, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly.
"The blessing of the Extreme North?"
"And for a human?"
The Snow Empress' expression instantly became grave as she looked at the unbelievable scene before her.
A human was receiving the blessing of the Extreme North?
Moreover, Di Tian seemed to be protecting this human child.
This was simply shocking.
This was the Beast God Di Tian!
"He's no ordinary human. He's someone recognized by the Lord."
Uncle Tian said calmly.
"Recognized by the Sovereign?"
The Snow Empress' pupils contracted.
She was aware that within the Star Dou Forest slept the true, great Sovereign of the soul beast race.
That was an existence to which all soul beasts swore allegiance.
At critical times, even she would have to obey the commands of that great Sovereign.
Hearing Di Tian's words, how could she not be shocked?
"And also, he…"
"What about him?" the Snow Empress pressed.
Uncle Tian, however, fell silent, saying faintly, "Don't ask. Knowing too much won't benefit you."
"Even I am not qualified to know?" the Snow Empress asked.
"The fewer who know, the better," Uncle Tian replied.
Since the Snow Empress was not a direct subordinate, there were things he would not reveal.
Upon hearing this, the Snow Empress furrowed her delicate brows, gazing at the distant ice-blue barrier, lost in thought.
This human child likely harbored an immense secret.
Moreover, the blessing of the Extreme North—this astonishing event—was unprecedented.
She was the daughter of the Extreme North, its ruler.
Now that such a special person like Su Yu had appeared, someone favored by the Extreme North, how could she not pay attention?
The two of them continued to stare at the ice-blue barrier without saying anything further.
The previously indignant Ice Empress also turned her gaze toward it.
Her yellow crystal-like eyes flickered slightly, emitting a radiant glow.
At this moment, inside the ice-blue barrier, Su Yu was undergoing a comprehensive transformation.
An endless stream of cool energy flowed from the center of his forehead into his body.
From his soul, to his meridians, and then to his limbs and bones, everything was being cleansed.
His already exceptional natural talent seemed to be undergoing yet another transformation.
His soul, like parched land receiving much-needed rain, greedily absorbed the cool energy, clearing his mind like a mirror, and his thoughts drifted into infinite calm.
The meridians in his body, washed by the cool energy, seemed to be coated with a layer of ice-blue light, becoming broader and tougher.
The impurities and filth deeply embedded in his body were completely expelled, crystallizing into ice flakes that fell off from Su Yu's body.
His physical strength became even more powerful, and his physique grew stronger and sturdier.
This ice-blue radiance was bringing Su Yu an immense opportunity.
This was the baptism of the Extreme North.
The cool energy circulated through Su Yu's body, nourishing and cleansing him from the inside out. Behind him, a towering figure about ten feet tall slowly appeared.
This figure wore an ice-blue, vintage-style imperial robe. Snowflakes adorned the robe, and a massive frost-white dragon coiled around it, with sharp fangs and menacing claws, exuding an aura of majesty.
Upon closer inspection, there were twelve white patterns on the robe, perfectly complementing the snowflakes and the giant dragon.
The figure wore an ice-blue crown adorned with twelve jade pendants, also ice-blue. Under the cover of the pendants, its face was somewhat obscured, making it difficult to see clearly.
However, the supreme imperial aura it emanated was unmistakable.
As soon as the figure appeared, an intense wave of cold energy burst from Su Yu's body.
Almost instinctively, Su Yu took off his fiery red robe, and immediately, an ice-blue radiance enveloped the area several meters around him.
Su Yu's hair rapidly turned from black to white, until it became completely snow-white.
His previously jet-black eyes turned ice-blue.
In just a moment, Su Yu's entire demeanor changed.
Originally, Su Yu was a bright, cheerful young boy, but now, there was an added air of aloofness about him.
"Buzz!"
Immediately after, countless points of ice-blue light gathered in the sky, and within the barrier, these lights surrounded Su Yu.
The endless ice-blue light began to merge, gradually forming a massive ice-blue ring.
The ice-blue ring encircled Su Yu, radiating a dense wave of energy.
"Buzz!"
"Buzz!"
"Buzz!"
The ice-blue ring emitted a series of hums, and its color began to change.
After a few flickers, the ice-blue ring gradually turned white, then yellow, and after another flicker, it transformed into a mysterious purple.
Once it became purple, the ice-blue ring flickered slightly and stopped pulsating.
It began to shrink rapidly, then directly enveloped the figure behind Su Yu.
The soul power within Su Yu's body, which had already reached saturation, finally broke through its bottleneck and stepped into a new level.
Once everything was complete, the ice-blue beam of light that connected heaven and earth slowly dimmed.
The massive vortex in the sky gradually dissipated, and the ice-blue barrier surrounding Su Yu also slowly disappeared.
At the center of Su Yu's forehead, a small snowflake imprint appeared.
"Ice Emperor King!"
Su Yu murmured to himself as if he had just been enlightened.
Outside, seeing the ice-blue barrier finally vanish, Uncle Tian swiftly moved to Su Yu's side.
"Are you alright?"
Uncle Tian asked with concern.
"I'm fine, Uncle Tian. I feel better than ever," Su Yu said with a slight smile.
This time, he had gained tremendous benefits.
The baptism of the Extreme North had brought him a complete transformation.
Originally, his strength was around seven or eight thousand pounds, nearing ten thousand.
But now, he estimated his strength had surpassed ten thousand pounds, increasing by several thousand.
Of course, the increase in strength was just one aspect. His overall physical condition had improved significantly, not just his raw strength.
Moreover, his spiritual power had also advanced. Though he hadn't yet reached the Spirit Sea realm, he had at least reached the peak of the Spirit Connection realm.
The gains from this were undeniably enormous.
But the biggest gain was his martial soul and his soul ring.
He had been granted a martial soul. Although it wasn't as mystical as a god-given martial soul, its strength was still top-tier.
It wasn't as terrifying as the Dragon God Seal, but it was still one of the most powerful martial souls in existence.
In the timeline of Douluo Dalu 2, very few martial souls could compare to this one.
As for the soul ring, it was even more precious.
This soul ring was essentially Su Yu's life-bound soul ring.
It was a soul ring that could evolve along with Su Yu.
It was similar to Tang San's fifth soul ring from the Blue Silver Emperor, but with one key difference: Su Yu's soul ring had a much higher potential.
After all, Tang San's life-bound soul ring came from the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline, and the Blue Silver Emperor was ultimately just a 100,000-year soul beast.
But Su Yu's soul ring was bestowed by the heavens.
If this soul ring evolved to its limit, it had the potential to become a god-level soul ring.
Currently, the age of Su Yu's soul ring is around 5,000 years.
His first soul ring was 5,000 years old, not because of any special means, but because he could truly withstand the pressure of a 5,000-year soul ring.
Su Yu had truly made history.
"The one blessed by the heavens, bestowed with a martial soul and a soul ring—is this the reason why?"
A thought flashed through Su Yu's mind. Perhaps all of this was related to his so-called destiny.
"As long as you're okay. How did your martial soul awaken?"
Uncle Tian breathed a sigh of relief and asked.
"The awakening went smoothly. I didn't expect it to happen in such a manner."
"My martial soul is called the Ice Emperor King, and it's ice attribute."
"It's not just ice attribute—it's the extremely rare Ultimate Ice!"
Just as Su Yu finished speaking, a voice rang out. The Snow Empress and Ice Empress had also walked up to him.
Su Yu turned slightly, and two figures immediately entered his view.
One was a scorpion about one and a half meters in size, its entire body resembling a fusion of diamond and jadeite, beautiful and exquisite.
The other was a strikingly beautiful figure.
She had snow-white hair, sky-blue eyes, ice-like skin, and a snow-like complexion. Her beauty was breathtaking, almost suffocating.
Her demeanor was cold, exuding an imperial air of authority and majesty. Though her figure was delicate, she stood as tall and imposing as a mountain.
In Su Yu's mind, Uncle Tian was the strongest person he had ever seen. Yet, the woman before him seemed almost on par with Uncle Tian.