Spirit Realm

The land of frost was just as icy cold and windy as usual.

A gigantic python stood tall inside the glacier beneath Qin Lie. Even the glacier’s seal seemed incapable of fully suppressing its savage, terrifying aura. It felt as if it could break through the glacier at any moment and charge straight out to destroy the world.

Looking to the side, many glaciers stood tall like gigantic swords. Every one of these glaciers had an ancient beast frozen inside.

Qin Lie felt unbelievably small when facing these ancient beasts. Even if they were sealed, he could not help but treat this matter seriously.

“We wish for you to help us escape this place.”

The thunder python was like a motionless bolt of lightning suspended right before his eyes. It communicated with him through ripples of soul energy.

“We have been sealed by the Ice Emperor for far too long. Whether in body or soul, we were all frozen by the extreme cold. There is no way for us to break through the seal on our own. You are our hope. After you have comprehended the Ice Emperor’s frost concept, it will be possible for you to help us escape.”

“Ice Emperor?” Qin Lie’s expression was indifferent as he asked bluntly, “Who is he? Why did he seal all of you? What did you do?”

“In our time, the Ice Emperor was one of the strongest existences in the world. We were sealed by him because, naturally, we came into conflict with him.” The thunder python organized its words and explained, “It is difficult to explain our dispute in a short time, and it… also has nothing to do with you.”

Gripping the Eye of Frost in one hand, Qin Lie looked far above the glacier and asked, “Why is your soul able to slip out?”

“I was born with the power to use thunder and lightning. I attacked the frost seal that the Ice Emperor marked me with for countless years and succeeded in breaking a small corner of it. Then you arrived, and the thunder and lightning aura on your body coincidentally touched me, enabling me to use a secret art on your soul to slip out of my corporeal body…”

The thunder python did not hide anything in this regard. “You should know that since you cultivate the power of thunder and lightning. This kind of power is incredibly effective in breaking the seal on an individual’s soul. Thunder and lightning can eliminate a soul and electrify a soul’s mind and consciousness. It… can even erase a concept over time. I was only able to use the power of thunder and lightning to unseal my soul after a very long time.”

“Couldn’t you break through the seal on your own now that your soul has escaped?” Qin Lie asked again.

“Put your soul consciousness into my body below us and look carefully,” the python said.

Qin Lie hesitated for a moment, staring carefully at the python and saying, “You’re not trying to trick me and trap my soul for your own agenda, are you?”

Qin Lie was instinctively wary of these ancient beings who had lived for… god knows how many years. He was worried that the python had talked so much to lure his soul consciousness deep into its body, trap him, and force him to do something.

“Then I’ll go in and try to move my body with my soul. Watch closely.” The python did not waste its words as its soul slipped directly into the glacier. Then it seemed to summon its power.

Suddenly, brilliant crystalline light shone out from the glacier beneath him. It was incredibly bright.

When he concentrated on this scene, Qin Lie’s eyes abruptly lit up. He could not stop himself from gasping softly.

Trapped inside the glacier, the gigantic python’s body abruptly turned invisible. Translucent chains covered every bone and muscle of the python’s body like an incredibly complex web of restraints.

The countless translucent chains flowed with a bone chilling frost concept. The terrifying concept they radiated was incredibly strange.

“This terrifying ice seal was made from tens of thousands of icy crystal chains formed from the frost concept. It has imprisoned my physical body until today.” The python slipped out again. “I would not be able to break this seal even if I were in top condition. There are only two ways to break through this seal. It must be forcefully destroyed by someone at the same rank as the Ice Emperor, or have its icy intent undone by the Ice Emperor’s successor with the frost concept so that it will fade away slowly.”

The python looked at him and said, “I am unsure if there are anymore existences as terrifying as the Ice Emperor in this era. Even if there were, they might not be willing to come and liberate us. Therefore, I can only place my hopes on you, hoping that you may one day comprehend enough of the frost concept to undo the seal.”

“Ice Emperor…”

Qin Lie looked at the Eye of Frost in his hand with a deep expression, listening to the python’s words while feeling the bone chilling frost concept of this land..

Just what kind of powerful and terrible existence was the Ice Emperor? He was able to freeze all of these ancient beasts with the frost concept—for countless years, even. Just how powerful was this Ice Emperor?

“Aren’t you going to destroy this world if I help you escape?” Qin Lie laughed coldly.

“We have been frozen for far too long. Our strength has been exhausted year after year. Even if the seal were undone, we would need a very long time to recover.” The python went quiet for a moment before continuing. “We will not destroy this world because it is also our homeland. We simply wish to return to where our race now lives. This Arctic Mountain Range is but one of the battlefields on which we fought in the past. It is not our native land. We simply wish to go home…”

“I currently do not have the ability to help you escape. We can sit down and discuss properly once I do.” Qin Lie paused for a moment before chuckling. “I will give you my conditions at that time. I will… make sure that I have the ability to protect myself before negotiating with you seriously.”

“We can wait.” The python expressed its opinion before saying, “I can feel the ambition in your pursuit of power. I know that you have the ability and the aptitude. We have waited for many years… we can continue to do so. As you said, we can negotiate seriously once you have the ability to undo the seal.”

After a pause, the python said again, “I will return to my body and hibernate for a while. My main body is too weak and I cannot remain separate from it for too long. I am called Mang Wang. We are not ordinary spirit beasts. We are the Giant Spirit Race!”

“Giant Spirit Race?!”

Qin Lie went blank for a moment as he watched the soul of this python, who had called itself “Mang Wang,” slip into the glacier. His gaze flashed erratically.

He seemed to have heard of this Giant Spirit Race somewhere. Deep within the layers of his memories, the Giant Spirit Race seemed to represent a violent strength, an unmatched arrogance, and an earth-shattering deterrence…

“They must have been an immeasurably powerful race in the past,” Qin Lie subconsciously thought.

He sat down on top of the glacier, and after a moment of pondering, he closed his eyes and began using this place to cultivate his Frost Arts.

His battle with Fan Le had released the melancholy in his heart. He had been fighting everywhere recently, accumulating enough experience to smoothly enter the middle stage of the Manifestation Realm.

He needed time to properly sort things out.

Thus, he repeatedly changed his spirit arts in this land of frost. He channeled Frost Arts, Heavenly Thunder Eradication, Records of Geocentric Magnetism, and the Blood Spirit Art. He nurtured his body with the different spirit arts, allowing it to get used to the alternating energies of the different attributes inside them.

After an unknown period of time, Qin Lie’s body brimmed with thunder, emanated white frost, buzzed with magnetic force, and smelled of the thick stench of blood…

A giant ice ball enveloped his body. Thunder and lightning writhed like serpents and dragons inside the ice ball. Outside the ice ball, a faint mist of blood slowly grew thicker and thicker, as a layer of thick, brown-yellow light wrapped around it tightly. This… was the power of the earth!

The fusion of spirit arts!

Qin Lie was submerged in this miraculous state as he continuously alternated spirit arts, attempting to merge the different flows of energy in his body into one.

“Spirit Arts Fusion!”

Qin Lie suddenly shuddered. He felt an obscure and mysterious formula emerge from of the Soul Suppressing Orb.

The moment the spirit art, which he was already familiar in the first place, entered his mind, it immediately became deeply rooted and engraved into his memories!

This formula called “Spirit Arts Fusion” was supposed to be incredibly complex, but for some reason… he could understand it completely.

Spirit Arts Fusion had no power at all on its own. It only had one use—to merge all spirit arts into one!

The merging of spirit arts was the merging of different types of energy. According to the explanation of Spirit Arts Fusion, every energy in the world was essentially the same at its core. No matter how much one type of energy clashed with another, they would always be able to fuse with each other in the end.

With Qin Lie’s knowledge of Spirit Arts Fusion, it meant that metal, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, frost, wind, and other types of energies could merge into one. Even the world’s spirit energy, nether demonic energy, and the different energies of other sub worlds could actually be forcefully merged into one as well!

“When I was fighting against Fan Le, I naturally combined blood spirit energy, Heavenly Thunder Eradication, Frost Arts, and the power of earth into one. At the time… it seemed almost like instinct.” Qin Lie thought carefully, and when he combined that understanding with the formula that emerged from the Soul Suppressing Orb, he suddenly came to a realization. He was probably familiar with this magical spirit art in the first place!

After figuring this out, Qin Lie realized that he himself contained too many secrets. These secrets were gradually being revealed as his realm grew stronger.

Qin Lie calmed down and began cultivating in this land of frost.

Time passed. Seven days flew by before he finally stabilized his realm a little. He realized that he had long since missed the day that he and Song Tingyu had agreed upon.

“I should leave now.” So he left the land of frost.

A while later, he arrived at the Thunderblitz Trees and saw Song Tingyu sitting proudly atop the Flowing Cloud Rainbow Butterfly. She looked at him coldly. “Didn’t we agree on three days? Why did it become eight?”

“There was a small accident.” He explained casually before jumping onto the rainbow butterfly and said, “How long until we reach Profound Heaven City?”

“The Flowing Cloud Rainbow Butterfly is one of the Scarlet Tide Continent’s fastest aerial beasts. It would take little more than half a day to reach Profound Heaven City from here.” Song Tingyu rolled her eyes at him before sighing softly, “Have you thought about how to persuade my father? I’ve had a headache for the past few days because of this. According to my understanding of him, I’m afraid that he may not be able to tolerate the Ling Family. The Ling Family is not just from any other race, but the evil race of the Nether Realm…”

“Relax. I can make him see reason,” Qin Lie said confidently.

“Where does your confidence come from?” Song Tingyu was surprised.

Qin Lie chuckled and did not explain.