The Snow Emperor had indeed considered taking advantage of the situation—slipping past the four opponents before her to kill Mu Yang, who was refining his spirit ring and advancing.
But with Huo Lie's group of four relying on their undying bodies, fighting one at close range while the other three attacked from afar without fear of death, they left her absolutely no such chance, pinning her tightly within the battlefield.
Unable to get at Mu Yang, and with Huo Lie's four having turned into "hedgehogs," the Snow Emperor felt stifled beyond words.
What's more, the longer the stalemate dragged on, the worse it became for her.
Once Mu Yang finished refining his ring and advanced to Nine Rings Title Douluo, then with his strengthened Martial Spirit Fusion Skill, she might not even have the chance to escape.
By rights, the Snow Emperor should not have been so firmly restrained by Huo Lie's four.
For as the sovereign of Extreme Ice and Snow, the Ice Sky Snow Maiden was not lacking in control abilities. On the contrary—though she excelled at offense, her control skills were formidable as well.
If she froze all four with ultimate ice and snow, couldn't she just bypass them and go kill Mu Yang?
Easier said than done. Huo Lie's group executed their tactics with remarkable precision. Though four fought to restrain her, only one would close in at a time, while the other three kept their distance.
Each time she froze the one engaging her up close, one of the remaining three would immediately step forward to hold her off, while also launching attacks on their frozen teammate.
If not for the Silver-Jade Undying Ginseng, this tactic would be impossible. After all, teammates weren't expendable pawns—attacking a frozen ally would be nothing less than stabbing them in the back.
But with the Silver-Jade Undying Ginseng, this tactic became viable.
Blowing apart a frozen teammate was no betrayal—it was simply breaking the ice seal for them. The only price paid was the spirit power consumed in reforming their body.
And the spirit power used to rebuild could either be replenished automatically through their spirit cores, or restored by consuming Mu Yang's Scarlet-Jade Soul-Returning Ginseng.
Furthermore, with the four rotating in turn, managing their spirit power consumption carefully, even one as strong as the Snow Emperor found herself with no solution.
"Damn it!"
Dodging another wave of their assault, the Snow Emperor cursed inwardly.
Another half hour passed. Still unable to break the deadlock, she began to feel the urge to retreat.
It wasn't that she had abandoned vengeance, but she understood that with only her strength, she truly could not bypass these four to kill Mu Yang.
Perhaps I'll have to find some helpers…
The thought arose in her heart.
Having made her decision, a frigid surge erupted from her body, freezing Feng Zhen—the one currently pressing her with reckless attacks—before she cast a resentful glance at the three others in the distance. Then she turned and soared northwest, withdrawing from the battle.
"Phew~ She finally left!"
Watching the Snow Emperor's departing figure vanish into the distant skies, Huo Lie let out a long breath of relief, making no attempt to give chase.
Truth be told, this was the most pressure-filled battle he had ever experienced.
One misstep in coordination, and though the four of them would not be slain outright thanks to the Silver-Jade Undying Ginseng—and since they weren't her true targets—Mu Yang, advancing with his spirit ring, utterly defenseless, would have met disaster.
And though not entirely certain, Huo Lie was nearly convinced the Snow Emperor's goal was indeed Mu Yang. Otherwise, before the battle had even begun, she would not have ordered them aside.
What puzzled him most was—when had Mu Yang provoked such a terrifying foe?
And more baffling, a being of such strength, yet no name or reputation had ever circulated within the Spirit Master world. He had not the faintest memory of such a figure. Truly, her concealment was remarkable.
"Extreme attributes' suppression really is terrifying. If not for Xiao Yang's Silver-Jade Undying Ginseng, I wouldn't last even a single exchange against her."
Shui Yanyu spoke bitterly, her face still pale.
Aside from Mu Xiyue, whose Martial Spirit True Body had been destroyed at the very start and had already withdrawn, Shui Yanyu had been the most constrained in the fight.
Under the suppression of Extreme Ice and Snow, her ice-type Title Douluo strength had been cut by more than half.
And this was with her Spirit Gold Battle Armor significantly bolstering her. Without it, with only her innate level 92 Title Douluo strength, the suppression she suffered would have been even worse.
"Old Huo, with such a powerful enemy, we must eliminate her as soon as possible. Otherwise, if she attacks again one day while Xiao Yang and Bing'er are away from the academy, the few of us would be helpless before her."
At this, Feng Zhen's expression grew grave.
"Alas~ And we don't even know her origins."
Huo Lie fully understood the threat, but with the continent so vast and her background a mystery, where could the academy even begin to search?
"She should be after Xiao Yang. Xiao Yang most likely knows her identity."
Shui Yanyu said, though still uncertain.
Before long, the four returned to the mountain where Mu Yang was advancing.
"Xiyue, are you alright?"
Seeing his wife awake, face pale as paper, Huo Lie's heart clenched and he hurried forward.
"I'm fine, nothing serious. I'll recover in a few days."
Mu Xiyue waved her hand.
Backlash from the Martial Spirit was a wound of the soul itself. Mu Yang's spirit ginsengs were useless for such injury. Normally, recovery would require long periods of rest—and during that time, one had to avoid using their spirit, lest further harm deepen the trauma.
But Mu Xiyue did not need to rely solely on rest. The Lunar Refining Spirit, a supreme cultivation method specialized in spiritual power, also carried the ability to heal soul wounds. In just a few nights, she would be fully recovered.
Hearing this, Huo Lie's heart eased. "That's good. Rest well for the next few days."
"Bing'er, did you and Xiao Yang offend some powerful enemy recently?"
At that moment, Shui Yanyu turned to Shui Bing'er.
"Eh~ You mean, that strong enemy just now… came for Mu Yang?"
Shui Bing'er froze for a moment before asking.
Shui Yanyu nodded. "While I can't be a hundred percent certain, it seems highly likely."
"An opponent that strong, and ice-attribute too… Aunt, if I'm not mistaken, she should be one of the ferocious beast kings from the Extreme North."
After pondering for a moment, Shui Bing'er recalled that battle in the Extreme North, when they had 'taken' the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor—and a vast spiritual force had descended upon the battlefield from an unknown beastly powerhouse.
Other than that unseen ferocious beast, she truly couldn't think of when Mu Yang might have provoked such a mighty ice-attribute enemy.
"Ferocious beast powerhouse?"
At her words, Feng Zhen's eyes widened—then suddenly he understood.
"No wonder her strength was overwhelming, yet she never released a Martial Spirit or spirit rings. So it turns out, she wasn't a human Spirit Master at all!"
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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