The wind and snow gradually subsided, and on the devastated ice field, the massive corpse of the Abyssal Profound Ice Alligator Turtle piled up like a collapsed mountain of flesh.

"Ang—!"

The Abyssal Demon Dragon, Xiao Hei, circled in mid-air, raising its dragon head to let out a long roar. Its dark golden vertical pupils stared at the flesh below, and its body dove down, opening its massive mouth to prepare for a feast.

This would allow its Bloodline to evolve once again.

Floating above the ruins, Zhou Huai gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

He frowned, staring at the stagnant System panel in the corner of his vision.

No notification sound!

No Karma value reward!

"Something's not right!" Zhou Huai gritted his teeth. "This old turtle was a pseudo-divine rank beast! Even if I blasted it into mush, it should have dropped tens of millions of Karma points!"

"Now that it's not making a sound, what does that mean?"

"It means it's not completely dead yet!"

"Xiao Hei! Stop eating! Keep spraying for me! Scour the ground with your Dragon Breath! Burn it to ashes! Don't leave even a scrap behind!"

Xiao Hei paused in mid-air, stopping its movement toward the flesh.

"Ang-hou!"

The Demon Dragon circled in mid-air, its giant mouth opening as the black Annihilation Dragon Breath poured down, roasting the Alligator Snapping Turtle's corpse.

"Zizi—"

The black dragon flames clung to the flesh, making a sizzling sound. The turtle shell and rotten meat quickly turned to ash under the burning Dragon Breath.

Just as the corpse was about to turn into charcoal,

"Sou—"

A faint ghostly blue light emerged from deep within the skull of the Alligator Snapping Turtle's corpse.

It was a phantom!

It was a palm-sized phantom of the Alligator Snapping Turtle's Divine Soul. It /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ radiated the aura of the Origin of Extreme Cold, its bean-sized eyes staring at Zhou Huai and Xiao Hei.

"You sure are quick to run!" Zhou Huai sneered.

Before he could act, Chun, who was sitting on the dragon's back, pointed at the ghostly light fleeing through the wind and snow and shouted:

"Kid, over there! It's that old turtle's Origin Divine Soul!" Chun shouted while clutching half a wild fruit, pointing at the ghostly light in the wind and snow. "Quick! It's trying to run back to that old woman! If a pseudo-divine rank Divine Soul undergoes Fusion with that Ice Empress old hag, we'll be in big trouble!"

"Xiao Hei, hunt it down!"

Xiao Hei let out a roar, flapped its massive fleshy wings, and chased after the phantom.

"Pu! Pu! Pu!"

While chasing, Xiao Hei spat out several Dragon Breath fireballs in succession, attempting to blow the phantom apart.

The Alligator Snapping Turtle phantom had lost its Physical Body, but its speed had increased. It flickered and darted through the gaps between the wind, snow, and Dragon Breath, dodging all the attacks.

The direction it was fleeing was exactly toward the Ice Empress, who had just climbed out of the deep crater in the ruins.

"Playing at Soul Emergence right under my nose? Fat chance!"

Zhou Huai gripped his longsword and took a step forward.

"Shrinking the Earth to an Inch!"

"Shua—"

Space rippled, and Zhou Huai's figure vanished from the spot. The next second, he blocked the path between the Ice Empress and the Alligator Snapping Turtle phantom.

"Begone!"

Zhou Huai swung his right arm, his fingers forming a claw. Moria's Shadow Law and Gandalf's Soul-Devouring Nether Flame compressed in his palm, transforming into a Shadow Demon Claw burning with dark green flames as he lunged for the Alligator Snapping Turtle phantom.

"Get lost—!!!"

Seeing her pet's Origin about to be crushed by Zhou Huai, the Ice Empress screamed.

She let out a shriek, her eyes turning a deathly pale.

"Extreme Cold Sacrifice!"

She burned the last of her essence blood, and the Ghostly Blue Ice Spear in her hand exploded with a cold light, sweeping toward Zhou Huai's chest with overwhelming power.

"Boom—!!!"

Zhou Huai diverted the trajectory of the Shadow Demon Claw that was reaching for the phantom, clashing with the Empress's ice spear.

The Law of Extreme Cold and the Soul-Devouring Nether Flame collided in mid-air.

The counter-shock force sent Zhou Huai stumbling back dozens of steps, carving two deep furrows into the ice.

This brief exchange bought the Alligator Snapping Turtle phantom a fraction of a second.

"Sou—"

The ghostly blue phantom let out a hiss and transformed into a streak of light, burrowing into the center of the Ice Empress's forehead.

"Oh no!"

Zhou Huai steadied himself and looked up.

The surrounding wind and snow came to a standstill.

"Arghhhhh—!!!"

The Ice Empress threw her head back, her face contorting as she let out a roar.

With her as the center, an Origin of Extreme Cold—powerful enough to freeze the Soul and surpassing all previous limits—erupted like a volcano!

"Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!"

Spatial cracks spread around her. The ruins that had been leveled once again began to freeze under the impact of this energy.

Dark blue light flowed over the Empress's skin, and mystic ice Alligator Snapping Turtle scales grew along her cheeks, neck, and arms.

"This aura..." Zhou Huai gripped the thunder longsword in his hand, feeling a sense of pressure.

The pseudo-divine rank beast Origin, combined with the foundation of an old-era Dominator, caused her power to leap to a new level.

"No matter what monster you become, you're dying today!"

Zhou Huai chose to strike first. He activated Yasuo's Law, and a thunderous sound erupted within his Dantian.

"Lightning Phantom Body!"

"Thunderous Strike!"

"Shua shua shua!"

Three phantoms entwined with purple-gold lightning rose from the ground, coordinating with Zhou Huai's main body to slash out four streaks of Sword Qi from four directions.

The Sword Qi roared as it converged to strangle the Empress's location.

However—

Facing this strike, the Ice Empress didn't even open her eyes.

"Weng—!"

Just as the Sword Qi was about to strike her body.

A mystic ice Alligator Snapping Turtle phantom composed of the Origin of Extreme Cold manifested around the Empress. The phantom was only about three meters tall, but the Defensive Law flowing upon it was even more profound than that of the original turtle's body.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The four thunderous Sword Qi strikes hit the Alligator Snapping Turtle phantom, but they didn't even leave a white mark. Instead, after a loud explosion, they shattered into points of light.

"What?!" Zhou Huai was startled and frowned.

Before he could change his move, a Law of Counter-Shock erupted from the Alligator Snapping Turtle phantom shield.

"Boom—!!!"

Zhou Huai only felt a heavy blow to his chest.

His Physical Body, bolstered by the Indestructible Demon God, made a bone-cracking sound, and he was sent flying hundreds of meters by the force.

"Rumble!"

Zhou Huai's body crashed through over a dozen iceberg ruins before finally being embedded in an ice wall, smashing out a deep pit.

"Pei!"

Zhou Huai spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, grabbed the edges of the ice wall with both hands, and pulled himself out of the pit. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He shook his numbed arms and stared into the air.

Within the blizzard, the Ice Empress opened her eyes.

They were eyes that fused human pupils with the crimson vertical slits of an Alligator Snapping Turtle.

She floated in mid-air, her long dress replaced by a set of Mystic Ice Battle Armor. Thorns stood tall at the joints of the armor, radiating a pseudo-divine rank pressure. With every movement, the surrounding space collapsed and reorganized.

The Empress lowered her head, looked at her scale-covered hands, and felt the energy within her body.

Then, she turned her gaze toward Zhou Huai.

"Hehe... Hahahaha..."

The Empress's laughter grew from a chuckle to a roar, echoing across the ice field.

She stuck out her tongue, licked her lips, and looked down at Zhou Huai:

"Ant of the current world, I really must thank you."

"If you hadn't pushed this little brat to the point of its Physical Body being destroyed, it wouldn't have been willing to undergo Body Integration with me even until death."

The Empress raised the ice spear in her hand, its tip drawing a cold light through the void as she pointed it directly at Zhou Huai.

"As a token of my gratitude, I will pull out your Soul and Seal it within my Extreme Cold Hell!"