The Extreme North was as if wrapped in a layer of gray gauze, bringing a touch of decayed aura to the originally desolate and cold region.
Soul beasts below ten thousand years trembled nonstop; even those ten thousand years and above treated it like a great enemy.
Following the gauze all the way to the source.
Wind Snow Valley's position.
The decayed aura was even thicker.
Even seventy to eighty thousand year soul beasts were unwilling to stay in Wind Snow Valley a moment longer.
"So, what was the point of calling me back?" Tokisaki Kurumi grumbled at her own master. This wasn't about whether they could block or not—it was already impossible to block.
"How was I supposed to know? That guy's speed was this fast." Ning Rongrong sighed, quite helpless. "Dragon Valley's time flow has an issue. If not Dragon Valley, then the space nodes have a problem."
Logically, she had almost opened the portal back the moment the Ancient Black Phoenix fell—there shouldn't have been time for this black mist to spread across the entire Extreme North so quickly.
Even if at the moment of the Ancient Black Phoenix's fall, it connected with the body and soul here, the time difference was too vast!
"The collision of two worlds—abnormal changes in time flow aren't normal?"
Tokisaki Kurumi had an expression of not minding the trouble,
"And you call yourself one who plans from behind the curtain, yet didn't consider this."
"I never said I plan from behind the curtain—that's what you said." Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes. "Don't casually put tall hats on me, then use it to strike me down."
"Yes yes yes, my respected master." Tokisaki Kurumi said indifferently. "It's already impossible. The God Realm side has most likely noticed."
"A primary god remaining on the continent isn't like a secondary god; it's impossible for them not to send someone down to investigate."
"I don't need your nonsense; I need a plan." Ning Rongrong was helpless. This Kurumi—does bickering with me every day have any meaning?
"I'm a soul beast, not as smart as you humans. Besides..."
"Stop stop, now you remember your soul beast identity." Ning Rongrong pressed one hand on Tokisaki Kurumi's forehead. "In the shared memory of the Ancient Black Phoenix from before, the Ice God is from the Kind God King faction, right?"
"Uh, right. What's the problem?"
Tokisaki Kurumi slapped away the hand pressing on her head. "That's old almanac from how many time points ago."
"Evil and kind—these words should give us some protective talisman."
"What do you want to do?" Tokisaki Kurumi tilted her head. "Casually using a God King as a shield—you'll have to pay it back eventually."
"Who cares about that." Tokisaki Kurumi grumbled. "When the ship reaches the bridge, it straightens naturally. If the Extreme North's black mist can't be removed in a short time, then find a way to detach us from it."
"Besides, the Ice God's purpose in coming to Douluo Continent—wasn't it because of the abyss?"
"Soul beasts can't become gods—I also want to confirm the God Realm's attitude."
"Woman, you're playing with fire."
Ning Rongrong: "..."
"Get serious with me. Don't always pick weird stuff from my memories to look at."
"You didn't set defenses anyway." Tokisaki Kurumi spread her hands. "Speaking of, if you didn't want me to see, I couldn't, right? Essentially, our contract isn't equal."
Her contract with Ning Rongrong—though she had fused with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to become its spirit, the contract aspect was still master-servant.
Truth be told, if Ning Rongrong didn't want her to see memories, there was no way to see them.
Aside from a very few memories, completely undefended—wasn't that just letting her pick freely, half-refusing yet welcoming?
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath.
Helpless, still helpless.
The former Dark Devilgod Tiger was such a fearsome soul beast; now, it was completely unserious—who knows who she learned it from.
Clearing the miscellaneous thoughts from her mind, Ning Rongrong's gaze turned to Xue Di and Bing Di, who were inexplicably unsure of what to do beside her.
"Kurumi and I will help you suppress the Ancient Black Phoenix's decayed body. You approach the Ice Palace alone—can you do this?"
"Ice Palace!" Before Xue Di could speak, Bing Di jumped up. "What do you want to do? It's so dangerous there, and Xue Di is only a weak half-god level."
No choice—now, everyone she saw was either a god or could match gods.
Even though Xue Di was half-god, Bing Di didn't think Xue Di could be safe.
"I don't know how to put it." Ning Rongrong sighed. "The Ice God and you should have some connection. In other words, that inheritance was left for you."
"God's inheritance?" Xue Di was stunned.
"That's right. Perhaps you don't know." Ning Rongrong nodded. "In the memory Kurumi and I got from the Ancient Black Phoenix, within the Ice Palace's radiation range, she has a hard time injuring creatures like the Snow Lady."
"Of course, I'm not certain about this either. So I'll do my best to help you block the unconscious decayed body's outward emission of god power aura. What you need to do is obtain the Ice God's inheritance."
"Whether for the Extreme North or for yourself."
"The God Realm might send someone over soon."
"Kurumi and I, though we have ties to the Evil God King, this relationship isn't actually clear-cut."
"But the Ice God is different; she originally belonged to the Kind God King's primary god."
"As long as you become a god, within two hundred years, the Extreme North—without your consent, the God Realm can't intervene casually."
"Even if someone from the God Realm comes later, you can use the excuse that your strength hasn't reached primary god to delay entering the God Realm."
Ning Rongrong looked at the sky for a moment and said: "I need time. Gu Yuena's side also needs time. You... since you don't want to side with any faction, you need the qualification to bargain."
"Primary god can't compare to God King, but on this Douluo Continent chessboard, as long as your Extreme North doesn't intervene in any forces, it's basically safe."
"But the Five God Kings toward soul beasts..." Xue Di's expression was worried, hesitating to speak.
"The Five God Kings care about the Golden Dragon King going berserk and destroying the God Realm."
"Not necessarily all God Kings are hostile to soul beasts."
"To be precise, your Snow Lady isn't really a soul beast—it's a nature-attribute spirit. As for Bing Di, just say she's your pet or familiar; even in the God Realm, that's standable."
"You're the pet! I'm the Ice Emperor, Ice Emperor." Bing Di fluffed up.
"Yes yes yes, Ice Emperor pet."
Bing Di: "..."
Damn it—if not for not being able to beat you, she'd definitely tie you up.
Xue Di glanced at Bing Di, silent for half a moment, then nodded: "I understand. It's just to get the Ice God's inheritance, right!"
"That's right. We have no way to know why the Ice God gives you special treatment."
"But to break the deadlock, perhaps you can learn from the Ice God's mouth. Kurumi and my cultivation methods differ from yours; we can see through the palace itself that there's still a remnant soul about to perish inside."
"Soul beasts, humans, or even the God Realm—you might get answers from her mouth!"
"Since you know so much, why not take the Ice God's inheritance yourself."
Xue Di asked doubtfully.
She seemed to have priority, but it was just priority.
With Tokisaki Kurumi and Ning Rongrong's strength, they could probably enter the Ice God Palace too.
"There are things to do and not to do." Ning Rongrong smiled. "Perhaps this is what people call the bottom line. You and Xue Di have helped me many times too."
"Of course, if standing before me wasn't you, Xue Di, but Tang San, then I would absolutely take the Ice God inheritance."