Ma Hongjun didn't tell Shui Bing'er that the four were still alive.
Now wasn't the time to save them. In this situation, it was actually better to keep them frozen like this. Ma Hongjun would have to fight a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast later and wouldn't be able to take care of them.
This ice seal was a layer of protection.
"Tianmeng, why didn't this soul beast chase after them and stop Shui Bing'er and the others?"
This was Ma Hongjun's question. From this, it was clear that the four teachers from Tianshui Academy had no strength to stop it.
With its strength, Shui Bing'er and the others wouldn't have been able to escape.
"We'll find out once we go in!"
The area ahead brightened again. Lines of ice pillars crisscrossed, emitting a powerful, pure ice attribute aura.
"Ten-thousand-year-old Mystic Ice Marrow!"
Ma Hongjun murmured.
Ma Hongjun summoned his Dragon Soul. The ice attribute aura here was very strong; he didn't need to consume soul power, as the Dragon Soul could absorb the ice attribute energy.
"It's down there!"
Shui Bing'er whispered a reminder.
Ma Hongjun had already detected that beneath these Mystic Ice Marrows, a powerful aura was dormant.
"I finally understand why this soul beast didn't chase after us back then.
Haha, we're so lucky!
This guy's tribulation is coming, and at this crucial time, no wonder it didn't dare leave the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow."
Tianmeng said excitedly, with a hint of schadenfreude.
He himself had passed through his tribulation in a dream during his hundred-year slumber in the ice marrow.
Not all soul beasts can dream like him.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, there is only one in the world.
"What's wrong?"
Shui Bing'er looked at Ma Hongjun's sudden smile.
"You're so lucky, my Bing'er."
Ma Hongjun explained gently.
"This soul beast is undergoing its tribulation and can't leave here, so it didn't chase after us. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to wait for me."
"I see. What is tribulation?"
At this time, not many soul masters knew about soul beasts undergoing tribulations, because in their understanding, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast was already the most powerful and peak soul beast. Soul beasts
below the Profound Ice Marrow were not ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, but two-hundred-thousand-year level soul beasts.
However, at this moment, it was undergoing a two-hundred-thousand-year tribulation.
Through the ice crystals, its slender body could be seen.
It was a large, purplish-black centipede.
Its outline was the same as the Ice Centipedes outside, indicating that this Ice Centipede, like the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, was fortunate enough to have obtained the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow.
However, it didn't possess the ability to transcend tribulations in a dream like the Heavenly Dream, and it was very likely to fail this time. This
was because no fourth Ice Centipede King had ever appeared in the far north since then,
proving that it would perish in this tribulation.
"Luckily, we arrived in time!" Ma Hongjun said thankfully.
If this Ice Centipede had failed its tribulation and died before they arrived, Ma Hongjun would have at most obtained a soul bone.
As the strongest Ice Centipede in history,
it should receive a new title:
Purple-Backed Profound Ice Centipede!
"Humans, you're too annoying!"
A deep voice echoed through the ice cave, and the Purple-Backed Profound Ice Centipede suddenly appeared, rising directly from beneath the ice without damaging the ground ice crystals.
Its small eyes looked at Ma Hongjun impatiently, filled with deep apprehension.
The three bright red soul rings on Ma Hongjun's body exerted considerable pressure on it.
This was its weakest moment.
The tribulation of a soul beast wasn't like the heavenly tribulation or lightning tribulation Ma Hongjun had imagined.
That was a life-or-death tribulation ,
a calamity from fate.
It was a mutation during the soul beast's cultivation and evolution.
When a soul beast cultivated to a certain level of power, it would reach the limit of its own species. At this point, to become even stronger, it needed to break through its limits and evolve into an even more powerful species.
At this moment, the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede's shell was purplish-black. When it fully evolved to purple, it would have passed this heavenly tribulation.
However, this transformation process was long and dangerous,
like a silkworm transforming into a butterfly.
This process was also its weakest period.
"What's the trouble? I'm here to help you,"
Ma Hongjun said dismissively, his aura domineering.
The Purple-Backed Ice Centipede hadn't acted rashly after emerging, clearly wary of Ma Hongjun and trying to intimidate him into leaving.
This is its weakest moment and it cannot be disturbed. If it were to fight Ma Hongjun, even if it won, it might make the already uncertain Heavenly Tribulation even more uncertain.
Ma Hongjun had precisely grasped this weakness, and it was clear that the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede was being extremely cautious because it was at a critical moment.
"How ridiculous, human, how can you help me?
Get out of here quickly, and I won't pursue your crime of trespassing in the cave.
Otherwise, I don't mind eating you both in one bite."
As the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede spoke, a burst of red light erupted from its body, displaying the aura of a 100,000-year-old soul beast.
Waves of icy power pressed down on Ma Hongjun, attempting to penetrate his body and freeze him.
However, Ma Hongjun and Shui Bing'er remained unmoved; the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede's ice power could not penetrate its defenses at all.
The Vermilion Bird Feather in Shui Bing'er's hand also emitted a red light, like two lamp wicks, protecting her.
This startled the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede; these two humans completely ignored its ice power.
"Come on, I don't mind!"
Ma Hongjun said casually, even taking two steps forward and extending his hand.
He was helping the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede finish its show of bravado.
The Purple-Backed Ice Centipede's small eyes widened instantly, its anger rising. It knew this couldn't end peacefully; this human soul master was fearless and had no regard for it. This calamity was inevitable, and a battle was unavoidable.
"You're courting death! I'll grant your wish!"
The Purple-Backed Ice Centipede exhaled a breath of ice, and endless frost power enveloped the area, freezing even the air.
Ma Hongjun smiled faintly, his Martial God Spear flying out. Using his spear control techniques, the Martial God Spear pierced through the icy mist and shot towards the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede's eyes.
Then, red light surged on his left hand.
"Flame Fist!"
Ma Hongjun threw a punch, a fist formed of flame, shattering the ice centipede blown towards him by the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede.
Ma Hongjun knew that to get a powerful beast like the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede to willingly sacrifice itself, he had to beat it up first, subdue it, and make it obedient.
Might makes right.
Before the Martial God Spear had flown far, it was sealed by the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede's protruding ice silk. Its freezing power was strong, capable of freezing even martial souls and soul rings. Ma
Hongjun's seventh soul ring lit up, and the red patterns on the Martial God Spear lit up, instantly breaking the ice seal.
Ma Hongjun continued to unleash his fiery left fist, charging forward, preparing to engage the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede in hand-to-hand combat.
"Ice Domain!"
The Purple-Backed Ice Centipede shone with purple light, and streaks of purplish-black energy spread out, drawing upon the icy energy within the strands of ten-thousand-year-old ice marrow.
The Ice Domain, especially in a place with such an extremely cold treasure as ten-thousand-year-old ice marrow, could fully extract this pure icy power, enhancing the domain's power.
"Flame Domain!"
Ma Hongjun instantly summoned a fire phoenix, and all five of his red soul rings lit up.
At the same time, the Dragon Soul Ring appeared, and Ma Hongjun shouted,
"Tianmeng, go protect Bing'er!"
Tianmeng, in the form of a silkworm spirit, flew out of the Dragon Soul and landed beside Shui Bing'er.
The environment of this ice cave was too narrow, and the energy storm caused by the extreme dual domains of ice and fire was comparable to the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire.
Under the protection of Tianmeng's spirit and the two Vermilion Bird Feathers, Shui Bing'er was unharmed in this storm.
"The timing is right,
but the location is not." Ma Hongjun sighed. The Xuanbing Domain of the Purple-Backed Xuanbing Centipede was very strong. Although he had five red spirit rings stacked together, it was still very difficult to deal with.
Fortunately, the opponent was in the tribulation period at this time and was not in the best state. This was the timing that Ma Hongjun had.
However, this place was also a treasure land where the Ten-Thousand-Year Xuanbing Marrow was located. The Purple-Backed Xuanbing Centipede could extract the energy of the Xuanbing Marrow for its own use, which was stronger than Ma Hongjun's several spirit rings. After all, there were dozens of Ten-Thousand-Year Xuanbing Marrows here.
The fire domain shrank, which was enough to protect Ma Hongjun from the effects of the Xuanbing Domain.
The power of multiple martial souls became apparent.
"Soul Impact!"
The platinum soul ring on the Dragon Soul lit up, and a beam of white light struck the head of the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede.
Simultaneously, the golden and red patterns on the Martial God Spear also lit up.
Under the control of the spear ,
as the white light entered the head of the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede, in a moment of disorientation, the spear struck its head.
At the same time, Ma Hongjun approached, sitting on its back, his dark golden claws extending to grab its mouth. His fiery left arm punched its eye. Simultaneously, the
Scorpion Dragon's tailbone emerged, pressing down on its hindquarters, the barbs at the end of the scorpion's tail piercing the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede's tail and embedding themselves there.
Thus, the Purple-Backed Ice Centipede's Xuanbing Domain collapsed.
Shui Bing'er's beautiful eyes flickered, filled with complex emotions, her heart overflowing with mixed feelings.
"They're all monsters!"
(End of Chapter)