The overwhelming tribulation lightning eventually left in frustration, leaving behind only a field of purple radiance.
In all its years of being a heavenly tribulation, it had never seen something like this…
"Ice Emperor, don't resist!"
"Just for a moment, just a little bit. It won't hurt."
As the green soul orb that was the Ice Emperor got absorbed into the Soul Refining Banner, Jiang Jue spoke solemnly.
That orb of emerald light hummed slightly, and the Ice Emperor's cold voice echoed out.
"I know."
There wasn't a trace of hesitation in her tone. Since she had already detached from her original body, there was no turning back. At this point, she wouldn't be the one to mess things up.
Clang clang clang!
Five ghostly chains gathered and solidified from within the Soul Refining Banner, transforming from illusion to reality as they slowly reached toward the Ice Emperor.
She suppressed her aura and allowed the chains to approach.
Crack! Crack!
Two of the five chains instantly froze upon contact with the emerald orb, shattering into pieces with a crisp sound.
"No wonder it's such a domineering ultimate attribute… Even soul-forged chains can be frozen!"
The Ice Emperor hadn't resisted at all—it was purely her spiritual essence being too powerful.
Jiang Jue's eyes narrowed, and he infused even more spiritual energy into the remaining three chains.
A deep and ancient sigh echoed.
Suddenly, the entire Soul Refining Banner began to tremble, as if in celebration. In that moment, the space inside seemed to expand infinitely.
The soul pact was complete!
Inside the banner, Nangong Wan watched the whole scene unfold with a complex expression. It seemed like he would never reach the pinnacle now.
His status: -1.
"Now it's up to you, Ice Emperor."
Jiang Jue had no time to dwell on what was happening within the banner. The most important step—the sacrifice—had yet to begin.
With a wave of the Soul Refining Banner, a green light burst forth.
The Ice Emperor reappeared—but this time, in human form.
She wore a flowing green dress. Her skin was as smooth as jade; her lower legs were wrapped in long white socks, the exposed skin faintly flushed with a rosy glow.
Her pretty face held a slight blush. Her gem-like eyes were icy and sharp. Two dark green magic marks extended down each cheek, not diminishing her beauty but adding a cold, alluring charm.
Her long green hair flowed down to her waist. She crossed her arms—though rather flat-chested…
"A… loli?"
Jiang Jue froze. The Ice Emperor, standing no taller than 1.6 meters, looked exactly like a human girl from the petite category.
"Hmm?"
Electrolux let out a light murmur. Some faint dark purple light had silently crept up the Ice Emperor's body.
The undead plane was already trying to convert her into an undead creature.
"Old man," Jiang Jue called out softly to Electrolux beside him.
"I know."
Electrolux waved his hand lightly, and the purple energy wrapped around the Ice Emperor vanished instantly. In the undead plane, Electrolux was a god who ruled over everything!
Jiang Jue's heart settled. Before the sacrifice even began, he had considered the possibility that the Ice Emperor's body might be converted into an undead creature by the plane's laws—just like Xiao Bai in another timeline.
So he had already informed Electrolux.
He no longer lacked combat power—between Electrolux and the spirits in the Soul Refining Banner, he had plenty. What mattered more now was drawing true might into himself.
If the Ice Emperor was transformed into an undead creature, he'd lose a 400,000-year-old soul bone, because the conversion process would use the soul bone as a foundation.
"What's coming next might really hurt. You'll have to endure it."
The Ice Emperor's cold voice rang out, her face tinged with unnatural red. This was the first time she had revealed her human form to another human.
Two beams of emerald light shot from her eyes, striking the body of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
Its 1.5-meter-long body began trembling violently. The long tail especially shook with pulses of green light, and the diamond-like hexagonal plates covering its body radiated a dazzling brilliance.
That fierce green glow surged toward the tail stinger. As it darkened to a deep green, the Ice Emperor whipped her tail and stabbed it hard into Jiang Jue's right arm.
The sharp tip pierced through his skin, fascia, and muscle, finally embedding deep into his bone.
Jiang Jue clenched his teeth tightly. Cold sweat drenched his back, but his eyes stayed firm and resolute.
This pain was nothing compared to the thrill of power growing within him.
If he couldn't endure even this, how could he ever achieve greatness?
At that moment, a green glow ignited between his brows.
A crystal-clear jade dagger floated out and stood before him, bathing his entire body in a soft green radiance.
This was the Life Gold.
The soul bone formed from the Ice Emperor's essence—her most refined power—and it contained the origin force of her 400,000 years.
Jiang Jue's body trembled uncontrollably. A thin layer of ice pearls had formed on his skin—condensation from the intense cold.
Blood seeped from all seven orifices, and beneath the layer of frost, his skin was flushed red.
His blood and soul power surged like mad. Veins bulged, and inside his body felt like a smelting furnace—his organs endlessly refined at the limit, but not yet breaking through.
The green glow from the Life Gold continued to flow into him, shielding his organs, meridians, flesh, and bones. No matter how violently his energies raged, they could not breach this defense.
The green glow around his right arm, which at first looked like faint threads over his flesh, slowly thickened over time, widening until it fully outlined his bones.
His eyes were bloodshot, blood trickled from his lips—
"Be more aggressive… Good! Aggression is good!"
"All of this… will become my power!"
"Accompany pain—until I reach the summit!"
Electrolux nodded slightly as he stood by.
The path of ascent didn't just demand cruelty to others—it required even harsher cruelty to oneself. And Jiang Jue already possessed the potential to become a true powerhouse.
"Human… I hope I didn't bet wrong this time."
Floating in mid-air, the Ice Emperor's face was pale. Whatever pain Jiang Jue felt, she was enduring the same.
This sacrifice was no different than dismantling everything that made her… and rebuilding it inside of him. Her suffering was even more excruciating.
The purple sun in the sky continued to burn. The green light around Jiang Jue grew brighter, and a crystalline layer of ice like diamonds began to form over his body.
Frost spread outward across the scorched ground like thorny vines. Standing in the center of it all, Jiang Jue looked like a sovereign frozen in ice.
"Ice Emperor, let's keep going!"
As Jiang Jue's voice rang out, his eyes suddenly opened. A flash of emerald lightning shot through them.
The Soul Refining Banner floated before him, and a silver-white glow burst from his body like moonlight cascading down—
Jiang Jue's second martial soul— revealed in full!
(End of Chapter)