The temperature at the bottom of the Extremely Cold Yin Spring had reached a level surpassing absolute zero. Even though Zhu Ziyang had unleashed his Ultimate Ice to its fullest extent to ward off most of the frigid chill, it still felt like standing barefoot in the snow of midwinter—his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
However, while the cold pierced his body, it could not dampen the joy in Zhu Ziyang's heart. As he landed on the frozen soil beneath the spring, a plant's root system entered his view. It was unmistakably the root of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. Compared to the flower above, this root was the true priceless treasure. With it, one could cultivate endless Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
Yet, even when facing such an invaluable treasure, Zhu Ziyang remained indifferent. His full attention was captivated by something less than ten centimeters away from that root.
A blue-and-white True Dragon!
The True Dragon had no signs of life; it appeared no different from a sculpture. Every part of its body was exquisitely detailed. The terrifying pressure that Zhu Ziyang had felt when approaching the spring's bottom had originated from this enormous dragon.
"This is the Ice Dragon King?" Zhu Ziyang was stunned, murmuring softly, "How powerful…"
Zhu Ziyang had no idea how long the Ice Dragon King had been dead, but he could tell that it had been at least 100,000 years. Normally, even the remains of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast would have fossilized by now. But the Ice Dragon King's body had not turned to bleached bones—instead, it still retained flesh, and that flesh even radiated vitality.
This was a god-level body!
Zhu Ziyang slowly walked toward the Ice Dragon King's remains. With every step, he felt the terrifying pressure intensify. Even his Heavenly Frost Holy Dragon martial soul involuntarily gave rise to a sense of submission. If not for Zhu Ziyang's sheer willpower holding on, he likely would've already knelt in reverence.
After spending nearly a quarter of an hour, Zhu Ziyang finally reached the Ice Dragon King's body. Though it was only a few meters away, it had exhausted him immensely. When he was within arm's reach of the remains, he suddenly felt both joy and sorrow transmitted from his martial soul—like a wanderer returning home after many years. The feelings were overwhelming.
He bowed his head in silence, paying respects and apologizing to the Ice Dragon King. Then, he reached out and placed his hand on the dragon's scales. A bone-deep chill seeped from his fingertips into his heart. He paused, hesitated for a few seconds, and then continued.
His palm radiated soul power, which entered the Ice Dragon King's body and began circulating within it.
Though the body was well preserved, the passing of time had still done its work—its divine energy and soul power were nearly gone. The only place where soul power might still remain was in the soul bones. Zhu Ziyang was trying to use his own soul power to probe for any such energy source.
He closed his eyes and fully concentrated on sensing the feedback. If there was any soul bone within, he would find it.
It was inevitable that the Ice Dragon King's corpse would contain a soul bone. Zhu Ziyang soon detected a strong presence of soul power—it was a piece of vertebra, sparkling like crystal, as flawless as jade.
"Jackpot!" Zhu Ziyang's eyes flew open, brimming with joy and excitement. Although the bone fragment was small, there was no doubt: a torso soul bone lay within the Ice Dragon King's body—arguably the most precious kind of all!
In soul master terms, a torso bone typically referred to the spine, the most important part of the skeleton. Its value was the highest among the six major soul bone types.
Now that he'd confirmed its existence, Zhu Ziyang no longer hesitated. He first bowed respectfully to the Ice Dragon King's body and said apologetically, "Forgive my offense."
Then he climbed atop the remains. He positioned himself over the dragon's back where the spine lay, and suddenly released his soul power. At once, the Ice Dragon King's corpse trembled violently, and the calm waters of the Yin Spring were stirred into waves. These waves rippled upward and quickly reached Snow Empress and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.
Seeing the disturbance, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass grew anxious.
"Please, let me go down and see!" it pleaded. "You mustn't disturb the Ice Dragon King's body!"
"You think you can stop Father even if I let you down?" Snow Empress scoffed.
"I—I know I'm not strong enough… but I could try talking him out of it. Please! The Ice Dragon King's body must not be touched!" the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass continued to plead desperately. But Snow Empress was unmoved.
She kept her gaze fixed on the spring's depths, concern and anticipation swirling in her eyes. Through the dark waters, she seemed to sense Zhu Ziyang's delighted expression. Then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Father asked me to bring you down," she said, her tone abruptly changing. "Better behave yourself!"
"Really?!" the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was overjoyed, but soon fell into anxious speculation. "Could Zhu Ziyang have gotten what he wanted already? What's he even planning to do with the Ice Dragon King's body? Its blood already became this Yin Spring's water. Its divine power and essence now govern the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's rules. All that's left is flesh and bone!"
"Why are you talking so much?" Snow Empress grumbled as she descended, throwing the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass a sidelong glance. "Father has his reasons. But if the Ice Dragon King's body is worthless now, why are you so worked up about it?"
"I…" The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass faltered, unsure how to respond.
"Whatever. Father already got what he wanted." Snow Empress shrugged indifferently. "He wants to talk to you. I suggest you choose your words carefully—if you upset him, don't expect me to be as kind!"
"I'll try…" The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass resigned itself, ready to face whatever came.
Soon, the two arrived at the bottom of the spring. They saw Zhu Ziyang sitting atop the Ice Dragon King's remains, left leg stretched out, right knee raised, right arm resting on his knee. In his hand, he was toying with a translucent, jade-like bone.
When he noticed them, he smiled and said, "Xue'er, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, you're here."
Snow Empress let go of the Ice Grass and swam over with a smile. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the bone in Zhu Ziyang's hand. "Father, is that the Ice Dragon King's torso bone?"
"Mhm!" Zhu Ziyang nodded proudly. Then he turned his gaze to the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. "Let's talk."
The Ice Grass was crouched beside the dragon's remains, inspecting them closely. When it saw the crack in the spine—its core bone missing—it leapt up and cried, "Ahhh! Zhu Ziyang, put the Dragon King's bone back! You're defiling his remains!"
"Hmm?" Zhu Ziyang didn't reply, but Snow Empress, perched on his shoulder, frowned deeply in displeasure.
"Er… I mean, could you please not take the Dragon King's bone?" The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass quickly softened its tone and pleaded, "What use could it possibly have for you?"
"Hah!" Zhu Ziyang laughed. "You can't possibly think this isn't useful to me? It's a torso soul bone—how could it not be useful?"
He waved the spine in his hand playfully. "But never mind that. I didn't bring you down here to argue about the Dragon King's remains. Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, let me ask you—if I wanted to make you my soul spirit, would you be willing?"
"…What?" The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was stunned, staring blankly at Zhu Ziyang. The conversation had shifted so quickly that it couldn't keep up.
Zhu Ziyang didn't press. He smiled and continued admiring the Ice Dragon King's torso bone—a complete vertebral column, including cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and caudal vertebrae. In soul master slang, this was called a "Great Dragon"—an absolute top-tier soul bone!
If not for the need to complete the Fifth Trial of the Death God, Zhu Ziyang would've already begun fusing with it.
He was still missing a left leg bone, and didn't want to risk losing this opportunity. Originally, he hadn't intended to turn the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass into his soul spirit. But plans couldn't keep up with change. To fuse this Ice Dragon King torso bone, he had to first complete his soul bone set. The Ice Grass, being a 100,000-year Ultimate Ice attribute soul beast closest to him, was the perfect candidate. Turning it into his soul spirit would directly grant him a 100,000-year left leg soul bone.
After all, the ability of 100,000-year soul beasts to generate a soul bone at will… was just too cool!
(End of Chapter)
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