Chapter 73: Frozen Golden Dragon
Jiang Bai gazed at the dumbfounded Jiang Li’er standing before him, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"I won’t bully you," he said, his voice light and tinged with amusement.
"Since you feel that four-against-one is unfair, then I’ll face you using only my Ice Dragon. How does that sound?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li’er nearly laughed in exasperation; her beautiful eyes widened even further in disbelief.
"What difference does that make?!"
That was a hundred-thousand-year Ice Dragon, after all!
She clenched her fists—clad in golden dragon scales—so tightly that her knuckles turned faintly white from the strain. Her heart seethed with a mixture of indignation and sheer incredulity.
This bastard... just how did he manage to pull this off?
Absorbing a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring as his fourth ring? That completely defied the common sense of the human Spirit Master world!
Even for a Titled Douluo, absorbing a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring was an incredibly arduous feat!
Could it be... was there truly a Spirit Beast foolish enough to offer a voluntary sacrifice to a mere Spirit Elder?
A myriad of questions swirled through Jiang Li’er’s mind, making the look she cast upon Jiang Bai even more complex.
Curiosity, frustration, a faint trace of defeat, and—burning fiercely beneath it all—an intense thirst for battle.
Jiang Bai spoke no further; with a subtle shift of his will, he acted.
The other three dragons transformed into three streaks of flowing light, retreating back into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Only the Ice Dragon—its entire body a shimmering ice-blue, radiating an aura of terrifying cold—remained standing steadfastly before him.
"Fourth."
The Ice Dragon let out a low, resonant roar as its massive form dissolved into a torrent of deep-blue energy, surging violently toward Jiang Bai before instantly merging into his body.
"Buzz—!!"
Jiang Bai’s aura surged explosively!
An ice-blue radiance emanated from within him, condensing upon his skin to form a thin yet incredibly resilient layer of crystalline ice armor—an armor across which flowed intricate, mysterious dragon patterns.
His hair stirred as if caught in a breeze, its tips taking on an icy-blue hue, while his eyes grew deep and cold as glacial ice.
At the very same moment, wave after wave of vast, majestic, and utterly frigid energy surged madly through every limb and bone of Jiang Bai’s body.
In the past, when he channeled the power of a thousand-year Soul Beast, the energy was gentle and controllable, allowing him to handle it with ease.
However, the primordial power of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast placed an immense burden on the body of a mere four-ringed Soul Sect—even though his physique had undergone several rounds of tempering.
It was akin to a small wooden bucket attempting to forcibly contain the waters of an entire river.
He could feel his Soul Power—amplified by the Ice Dragon—undergoing a qualitative leap; its sheer volume surged explosively, instantly elevating his true combat prowess to the level of a Soul Emperor, and even bringing him close to the threshold of a Soul Saint.
Jiang Bai took a deep breath of the frigid air, his gaze locking onto Jiang Li’er standing opposite him.
Jiang Li’er, too, sensed the aura radiating from Jiang Bai—an aura that had surged so abruptly and intensely that it made her heart pound with trepidation.
She gritted her silver teeth, and the golden radiance within her crimson eyes flared brilliantly.
She could not retreat! The pride of an Emperor Auspicious Beast would not permit her to cower without a fight!
"The Power of the Dragon!"
"The Pride of Gold!"
She let out two sharp cries, and the golden light enveloping her body surged once again!
With these two layers of amplification stacked together, her aura reached its absolute zenith, resembling a miniature sun burning brightly beneath the moonlit night.
"Third Soul Skill: Golden Dragon Fist!"
Hesitating no longer, she let out a fierce battle cry and stomped her right foot violently against the ground; the hard mountain rock beneath her shattered instantly.
Her right fist—clad in golden dragon scales—clenched tight, and a blinding golden radiance condensed at its very tip!
Her petite figure transformed into a streak of golden lightning, tearing through the air with an unstoppable momentum as she charged straight toward Jiang Bai’s face!
Faced with this ferocious, full-force strike, Jiang Bai’s gaze remained calm and steady; he neither dodged nor evaded.
He raised his right hand high, his palm facing upward.
The temperature in the surrounding area plummeted instantly!
The moisture suspended in the air and the lingering snow and ice upon the ground seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, converging madly toward his outstretched palm!
A longsword—approximately four feet in length, forged entirely from the purest, most intensely frigid ice crystals—slowly materialized within his grasp, shifting from an ethereal apparition into solid reality!
The blade shimmered with the crystalline clarity of ice; even before the edge had moved, the ground within a ten-zhang radius instantly became blanketed in a layer of solid ice half a foot thick!
"Emperor Sword: Peerless Ice Extremes!"
A clear, resonant voice—accompanied by a bone-chilling cold—rang out across the valley.
Not far away, upon hearing the six words "Emperor Sword: Peerless Ice Extremes," Bi Ji’s emerald-green pupils contracted sharply!
The Emperor Sword?!
Was this not... the signature technique of the Snow Emperor from the Far North?!
She whipped her head around to look at the woman with flowing light-blue hair who had been standing quietly at the edge of the battlefield, observing the fight; a torrent of information flashed through her mind with the speed of lightning.
It was her!
The leader of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North—the Snow Emperor, a beast with nearly seven hundred thousand years of cultivation!
And that girl in the green dress standing beside her... was the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion—the Ice Emperor?!
How could they be here?
And in the company of Jiang Bai?
Was it because of that hundred-thousand-year-old Ice Dragon?
Or was there another reason entirely?
A tempest of shock and alarm raged within Bi Ji’s heart, accompanied by a surge of absolute vigilance.
Two of the Far North’s Heavenly Kings appearing simultaneously in the human world—and maintaining such close ties with a human youth—was by no means a trivial matter!
Moreover, their gazes at this moment seemed to be focused primarily upon... Li’er?
This is bad...
The Emperor Auspicious Beast holds a fatal allure for any Soul Beast—especially for ferocious beasts like the Snow Emperor and the Ice Emperor, who stand at the very pinnacle of power and are constantly seeking a breakthrough...
Bi Ji subtly channeled her Soul Power, poised to intervene at a moment’s notice.
...
Jiang Bai’s sword-wielding arm descended.
There were no flashy maneuvers—merely the simplest, most direct vertical slash.
The arc of his swinging arm was clearly visible; indeed, it even appeared somewhat slow.
The deep-blue, crystalline longsword sliced through the air.
Wherever the blade’s edge passed, the very air groaned under the strain, emitting a sharp, brittle crack.
And at that very instant, the "Golden Dragon Fist" unleashed by Jiang Li’er—carrying with it the crushing force of ten thousand tons—slammed directly toward Jiang Bai!
She beheld the descending streak of deep-blue sword-light, sensing within it an extreme coldness and razor-sharp edge that made her very soul tremble slightly!
There was no evading it!
In a flash—quicker than a spark—Jiang Li’er forcibly halted her forward momentum.
She swiftly crossed her arms before her, and the golden dragon scales covering them flared with brilliant light, coalescing into a thick, heavy shield of golden energy!
"Boom—!!!"
The deep-blue sword-light struck the golden energy shield with full force!
A deafening roar erupted across the valley! A frigid wave of ice-blue energy clashed violently against the golden dragon power!
The standoff lasted for less than a single breath.
"Crack..."
A faint sound of shattering rang out.
Centered on the point where the blade had struck, a web of spider-like cracks spread rapidly across the golden energy shield!
"Smash—!"
The shield shattered completely!
The residual sword-light slammed violently into Jiang Li’er’s crossed arms!
"Ugh!" Jiang Li’er let out a muffled groan, feeling an irresistible force and a bone-chilling coldness assault her simultaneously.
Her body recoiled as if struck by a massive hammer, flying backward uncontrollably!
Even more terrifying was the sight of deep-blue ice crystals spreading rapidly from her struck arms, encasing her entirely!
"Rumble!"
Frozen solid like an ice sculpture, Jiang Li’er crashed heavily into the ground, gouging a shallow crater into the earth and sending shards of ice flying in all directions.
Trapped within the block of ice, Jiang Li’er stared wide-eyed—her crimson pupils filled with a mixture of shock and bitter frustration.
She desperately channeled her Soul Power; her Golden Dragon bloodline surged, causing the golden dragon scales on her arms to flare with blinding radiance!
"Break—for me!"
"Crack... shatter..."
The hard shell of ice finally shattered from within, dissolving into a swirling mist of icy dust. Jiang Li’er broke free from her frozen prison, landing on the ground and staggering a few steps before regaining her footing.
She lowered her gaze to her arms; the golden dragon scales covering them had grown significantly dimmer, now coated in a layer of white frost.
A bone-chilling cold continued to burrow deep into her very bones, leaving her arms slightly numb and her movements somewhat stiff.
Such potent ice... and such a formidable sword!