These two individuals were powerful figures from the same era as Mu En. Their strength was so immense that Yan Shaozhe couldn't even dream of comparing himself to them.
The presence of such formidable figures among the Evil Soul Masters sent chills down Yan Shaozhe's spine.
"And then there's Elder Xuan…"
Yan Shaozhe sighed, uncertain about Xuanzi's fate.
Was he dead, or had he been taken away by the Holy Spirit Church? There was still no definitive news.
Regardless of the outcome, neither possibility boded well for Shrek Academy.
Deep down, he still harbored a glimmer of hope that Xuanzi might recover, but at this point, that hope seemed nothing more than wishful thinking.
"Sigh!"
Yan Shaozhe shook his head, his expression filled with worry.
One by one, their enemies grew stronger, while Shrek Academy was in decline. The pressure on him was immense.
"Shrek Academy has always monitored the continent and stood against the Evil Soul Masters. Yet now, they have grown to such a terrifying extent."
"This is terrible news for the academy. If the Evil Soul Masters attack in the future, how will we defend ourselves?"
Yan Shaozhe was deeply troubled. In the past, it was Shrek Academy that hunted down Evil Soul Masters, aggressively enforcing justice across the continent.
But now, even if he had the courage of ten men, he wouldn't dare to continue such a pursuit.
He feared that the Evil Soul Masters might strike at Shrek Academy itself. With two Ultimate Douluos on their side, what could Shrek Academy possibly do to stop them?
They simply weren't strong enough!
He couldn't possibly try to rekindle old ties with his former teacher and seek common ground with the Evil Soul Masters, could he?
Hmm… actually, maybe that wasn't entirely out of the question…
No, no, no!
Yan Shaozhe quickly shook his head, driving out that absurd thought.
"There's no other way—we have to rely on external support. Right now, the only force capable of countering the Evil Soul Masters is the Ice God Palace."
"If His Excellency the Ice Emperor could defeat two Ultimate Douluos simultaneously, why would he fear a mere group of Evil Soul Masters?"
"We must establish a strategic alliance with the Ice God Palace. Otherwise, we will never feel secure."
Muttering to himself, Yan Shaozhe felt that without a powerful ally, they were walking on thin ice.
As for whether the Ice God Palace would agree to an alliance, he wasn't entirely confident.
That's why he planned to bring Zhang Lexuan along.
The Ice God Palace might not care about Shrek Academy, but surely Su Yu wouldn't just sit by and watch Zhang Lexuan suffer.
As a man, could he bear to see his woman endure hardship?
Sigh, at critical moments, it always came down to Lexuan!
That child was truly the pride of the academy, far more capable than the others.
Yan Shaozhe secretly resolved to entrust Zhang Lexuan with even more responsibilities. After all, the capable should bear more burdens.
...
Ice God Palace.
On the street leading to the city center, Su Yu walked side by side with Snow Empress.
In the distance, towering palace structures stood majestically, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.
Inside the Ice God Palace, numerous grand halls lined the area, but the most striking among them was the Nine Halls of the Ice God.
These halls formed the very foundation of the Ice God Palace and were of utmost importance.
Previously, Su Yu and Snow Empress had observed the Ice Phoenix Hall from afar, a place guarded by Shui Lingguang.
The Ice Phoenix Hall ranked fourth among the Nine Halls of the Ice God, making it incredibly significant.
However, compared to their destination today, even the Ice Phoenix Hall paled in comparison.
That was because today, they were heading to the most important structure among the Nine Halls—the Ice God Main Hall.
The Nine Halls of the Ice God were arranged in a nine-palace formation, with streams of Emerald Water separating them.
From a bird's-eye view, the entire layout resembled a massive nine-grid pattern.
To reach the Ice God Main Hall, one first had to cross the Emerald Water.
The icy blue river surged with powerful currents, emitting thick white mist.
True to its name, the Emerald Water was chilling to the bone.
Even Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire had once been directly suppressed by it.
Although not as extreme as the Ultimate Ice Cold Spring, its temperature still dropped below -140°C.
This was even colder than what most ice-type soul masters could control.
For an ordinary Soul Emperor, falling into these waters meant turning into an ice block within ten minutes, losing all signs of life.
Even most ice-type soul masters couldn't train directly in the Emerald Water.
Within the Ice God Palace, the majority of soul masters could only cultivate by absorbing the ambient energy it released.
Only a select few were capable of directly entering the water.
Standing before the Emerald Water, Su Yu waved his right hand, summoning a small boat.
The boat was ice-blue in color, crafted from Icewood, a rare and special type of timber.
Icewood was as hard as iron yet incredibly lightweight, found only in the coldest regions.
This boat was the sole means of crossing to the Ice God Main Hall.
As for flying across?
That was out of the question.
The defensive mechanisms of the Ice God Main Hall were the most stringent in the entire Ice God Palace.
Even the guardian beasts alone were formidable.
Attempt to trespass?
Unless you were someone on the level of Haibodong, even a Rank 98 Super Douluo would be in for a harsh lesson.
Holding Snow Empress's hand, Su Yu leaped onto the boat, which then began drifting along the river's current.
Beneath them, the crystal-clear waters revealed various fish and shrimp swimming about.
Suddenly, Snow Empress spotted something about ten meters to the right of the boat—a massive Ice Spirit, over twenty meters long.
The creature showed no hostility, merely swimming parallel to their boat in perfect harmony.
"This… is that an Ice Spirit?"
"Judging by its appearance, it must be at least 20,000 years old."
Snow Empress was a bit surprised.
The Ice Spirit possessed traces of dragon blood. Though not on the level of true dragon species, it was still a formidable high-tier soul beast.
Encountering a 20,000-year-old soul beast immediately upon entering the water? That was almost ridiculous.
"Little Snow, don't be too shocked. There are hundreds of soul beasts living in the Emerald Water. An Ice Spirit is nothing special."
Su Yu chuckled.
"Nothing special? A 20,000-year-old Ice Spirit?"
"Are you telling me there are 50,000-year or even 100,000-year soul beasts down there?"
Snow Empress retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Actually… yes, there are."
Su Yu grinned mysteriously.
Snow Empress: ??????
Su Yu chuckled, patted her delicate hand, and said, "Just wait and see. The closer we get to the center, the older the soul beasts become."
Soon, his words were proven true.
As they progressed, encounters with 10,000-year soul beasts became more frequent. These included powerful species like Ice Moon Pythons, Cold Crystal Fish, and Ice Crystal Beasts.
At one point, the Snow Empress even spotted a massive Ice Whale over 50 meters long, its lifespan exceeding 50,000 years.
She finally understood—Su Yu hadn't been exaggerating.
This vast Emerald Water was undoubtedly home to an unfathomable number of powerful ice-type soul beasts.
And they still hadn't reached the true central area yet.
After about fifteen minutes, their boat drifted into the central lake, the meeting point of eight Emerald Water rivers.
The lake was much calmer than the rushing rivers, but its eerie stillness brought an oppressive atmosphere.
This lake was even larger than Shrek Academy's Sea God Lake.
At its very center lay a small island, about a kilometer in diameter, with a towering palace standing in its heart.
From the top of the palace, an ice-blue radiance spread, enveloping the entire island.
With a flick of his sleeve, Su Yu summoned a gust of wind that propelled the boat forward at high speed toward the island.
As the boat sliced through the calm waters, it left behind a long, lingering wake.
Sensing the disturbance, numerous soul beasts emerged from below, their fierce eyes locked onto the approaching vessel.
Upon seeing the familiar ice-blue boat, the fierce light in their eyes dissipated, and the soul beasts slowly sank back down.
Snow Empress had been paying close attention to the surroundings and had noticed the presence of many soul beasts.
Each of these powerful auras belonged to soul beasts that were at least thirty thousand years old, with some even exceeding fifty or sixty thousand years.
The sheer number of elite soul beasts appearing on such a large scale shocked Snow Empress.
This was almost comparable to the Extreme North.
Su Yu, this guy—his Ice God Palace already had plenty of ice-attributed soul beasts, yet he still insisted on coming to the Extreme North to hunt for soul rings.
What a scoundrel!
Frustrated, Snow Empress shot Su Yu a fierce glare.
Su Yu, suddenly on the receiving end of Snow Empress's glare, was confused, thinking she was just impatient.
Gently wrapping his arm around Snow Empress's delicate shoulders, Su Yu smiled and said, "Little Snow, we're almost there. Don't worry."
Snow Empress rolled her eyes at him. Was she being impatient?
No, she was criticizing Su Yu for being utterly unreasonable.
With so many soul beasts present, there were plenty that could meet Su Yu's requirements for soul rings.
And yet, Su Yu was fixated on the Extreme North.
As the ruler of the Extreme North, how could she not have some complaints about that?
"Su Yu, your Ice God Palace has so many ice-attributed soul beasts. Why do you keep targeting my Extreme North?"
Snow Empress finally couldn't hold back and voiced her dissatisfaction.
Hearing this, Su Yu suddenly understood what was on her mind.
He chuckled and said, "The soul beasts in the Ice God Palace are my people. How could I harm them?"
"So you think it's okay to harm my people instead?"
Snow Empress's beautiful eyes widened in anger. What kind of logic was that?!
"Ahem, well, it's just the principle of 'better them than me,' you know…"
Su Yu coughed awkwardly and muttered under his breath.
Snow Empress: ?????
What did he just say?
Snow Empress's almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard him.
The next moment, she erupted in fury, reaching out with her jade-like hands to grab Su Yu.
After a brief struggle, Su Yu firmly wrapped Snow Empress in his embrace.
Still fuming, Snow Empress scolded, "Su Yu, do you even hear yourself?!"
Su Yu sighed helplessly. "Little Snow, I had no choice."
"The soul beasts in the Ice God Palace are under the Ice God's protection. I can't just go around attacking them."
"You know my status. There's no way I could harm them."
"I didn't have another option."
Snow Empress huffed angrily. "I understand, but it still pisses me off."
"And your words—do you realize how cold-hearted they sounded?"
That whole "better them than me" line had nearly made her explode with rage.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Su Yu rubbed his nose and said, "Well… back then, we weren't together yet. You know how I am."
"It won't happen again. From now on, I won't hunt soul beasts in the Extreme North anymore."
Snow Empress snorted softly but caught the deeper meaning in his words.
Having been with Su Yu for so long, she naturally understood his personality.
This was a man who made a clear distinction between his people and outsiders.
Back then, before they were together, he must have seen her as an outsider.
Even though they had some connection, in his eyes, she was just someone outside his circle.
Only after she took human form and left with Su Yu did he start treating her as one of his own.
And once Su Yu considered someone his own, he would treat them extremely well.
His personality could be seen as either admirable or infuriating.
She enjoyed the way he treated her now, but she also resented how indifferent he had been in the past.
However, thinking about it carefully, hadn't she also tested Su Yu back when she was still in her original form?
Back then, she hadn't trusted Su Yu either, nor had she regarded him as her own.
Hadn't she also been wary of him?
With that realization, Snow Empress fell silent.
Perhaps… she couldn't blame him.
At the very least, ever since Su Yu had taken her with him, he had never hunted another soul beast from the Extreme North.
Ice Empress and Xiao Bai had come with them willingly.
Even Ice Devil Titan was a great match for Su Yu, but Su Yu had never considered making him a target.
Wasn't that proof that he cared about her?
If he didn't care, knowing Su Yu, he would never have given up such an easy opportunity.
Who wouldn't want a nearly three-hundred-thousand-year-old Ice Devil Titan King?
Using it as a seventh soul ring—how could that not be tempting?
Thinking about it this way, Snow Empress gradually calmed down.
"Hmph, I'm done arguing with you. Now hurry up, stop dawdling."
She let out a soft snort and changed the subject.
Su Yu was momentarily stunned before a smile spread across his face.
With a flick of his sleeve, the small boat accelerated once more.
In less than ten minutes, the island was already within sight.
At that moment, the surface of the lake suddenly churned, causing the entire lake to tremble.
Splash!!!
A massive roar echoed as an enormous head emerged from the water.
White scales gleamed with a metallic sheen, and two long dragon horns curved sharply with an air of majesty.
Its diamond-shaped pupils radiated an icy blue glow, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.
"Roar!"
A high-pitched and resounding dragon's cry shook the air.
In an instant, a mighty draconic aura swept across the area.
Snow Empress's beautiful eyes shrank, and her face changed instantly.
"A Frost Dragon…?"
Even Snow Empress, who had seen countless things, widened her eyes in shock.
Feeling the pure dragon aura, even she found it hard to believe.
A pure-blooded Frost Dragon—such a being existed within the Ice God Palace?!
"Roar!"
The colossal head rose higher above the water, revealing a long, powerful body and razor-sharp dragon claws.
An overwhelming chill spread across the lake, accompanied by an imposing draconic presence that forced all the soul beasts into submission.
A Frost Dragon!
A true dragon with the purest Ice Dragon King bloodline.
Born with both a dragon's might and the ultimate ice attribute, its power was beyond imagination.
And this very Frost Dragon was the first guardian beast of the Ice God Palace.
Even Mu Wu, in a one-on-one fight, was no match for it.