Not only did the resentful souls and grievances from the City of Slaughter linger, but there was also the resentment entwined within Hypnos' Sword of Slaughter. This resentment even involved beings of divine level.
This was why Ning Rongrong had been unable to eliminate it for so long.
It was simply too time-consuming and exhausting, leaving her no choice but to temporarily seal it within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Moreover, because it required a tremendous amount of mental strength to suppress, along with Tokisaki Kurumi's suppression of the resentment, Ning Rongrong was unable to fully unleash her own power.
"This kind of resentment, not originating from a single soul, even if forged into a soul ring, wouldn't it be unsuitable for humans to absorb?"
The Snow Empress, after all, was experienced and knowledgeable.
Unlike the Ice Empress, she had already deduced how Ning Rongrong planned to construct the soul ring.
From a certain perspective, soul rings were formed from the lingering remnants of soul beast souls, embodying their characteristics.
But this kind of soul ring—or rather, the soul ring Ning Rongrong was about to create—was infused with the resentment of countless different humans, and even the resentment of a god?
The Snow Empress couldn't sense it clearly.
However, to create a god-bestowed soul ring, something related to a god was indeed necessary.
But even if Ning Rongrong managed to create such a soul ring, would anyone truly be able to absorb it?
Not long after, the flowing black mist, carrying the wails of what seemed like malevolent spirits, merged with the Ice Empress' blood suspended before Ning Rongrong.
"Taiji Domain," Ning Rongrong whispered softly.
In an instant, a massive Eight Trigrams pattern formed beneath her feet, rapidly expanding outward.
The emerald-green venomous pool, guided by the domain, converged into streams, flowing toward the point where the blood and black mist fused.
One minute, two minutes…
The process continued for over ten minutes.
The black mist flowing from the pagoda gradually dissipated, and the wails weakened accordingly.
The blood and venomous mist merged, condensing into a light orb the size of a thumb.
"It's done!" Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, gazing at the dim, pale-green bead before her.
"Is this a god-bestowed soul ring?" the Ice Empress asked, somewhat astonished.
"It's only an embryo," Ning Rongrong explained. "It's still different from a true god-bestowed soul ring. At best, it's comparable to the one Gu Yuena condensed for my father."
"The risk of absorbing it might be even greater."
The venomous pool at the location had been almost entirely absorbed, leaving not a single drop.
Whether it was the resentment, the Ice Empress' blood, or the venom, everything had been compressed into this single orb of light.
"Sister Yan, the rest is up to you."
Ning Rongrong stepped back two paces, leaving the spot for Dugu Yan.
"Use your physique to influence this soul ring. This soul ring belongs to you."
Ning Rongrong reminded her.
"Understood."
Dugu Yan nodded, stepped forward, and gently touched the dim orb with her fingertip.
The moment she touched it, the orb trembled slightly, slowly cracking open and gradually transforming into a ring shape.
However, this gray-black soul ring emitted an oppressive, repulsive aura.
Sensing the soul ring's condition, Dugu Yan sat cross-legged and began absorbing it.
"This thing can't even be called a soul ring!" the Ice Empress frowned.
A jumbled mix of soul fragments kneaded together, filled with resentment, and even carrying traces of her own aura.
Though it bore some resemblance to a soul ring, this "soul ring" was something even soul beasts would likely hesitate to touch, let alone humans.
"Snow Empress, what do you think?"
"I roughly understand what she's trying to do," the Snow Empress murmured, her gaze drifting into the distance.
Ning Rongrong stood quietly, holding the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm.
"Let Dugu Yan use the terrifying toxicity of her Misfortune Poison Body to fuse with the Ice Jade Scorpion's venom in the soul ring."
"Then, use the venom to cleanse the resentment within the soul ring, purifying the chaotic soul ring and transforming it into a true soul ring."
In simple terms, Ning Rongrong had gathered a massive amount of material sufficient to serve as the foundation for a soul ring, structuring it into a framework.
Dugu Yan's role was to crush the miscellaneous energies within and distribute the power throughout the soul ring, forming one compatible with her own energy.
"What a bold idea," the Snow Empress remarked with a sigh.
Perhaps only a Soul Master like Dugu Yan, whose very soul was steeped in poison, could use venom to eliminate the resentment within a soul ring.
"No, there's one other person."
The Snow Empress' gaze shifted to Ning Rongrong.
"She could probably do it too."
The Snow Empress noticed that Ning Rongrong had already put away the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. In her right hand, she held what appeared to be a soul tool.
Ning Rongrong's brows furrowed, as if something had happened.
Moments later, Ning Rongrong stored the soul tool, her expression returning to calm as she waited for Dugu Yan to successfully absorb the soul ring.
Time ticked by, second by second.
One hour, two hours.
The gray soul ring turned green, and the resentment emanating from it seemed to be completely eradicated. The soul ring then shifted to a deep black.
Soon after, several red blood-like tendrils crawled across the soul ring, spreading rapidly and dyeing the black soul ring a vivid crimson.
Another hour passed.
Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul now quietly bore eight soul rings.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red.
An eight-ring Soul Douluo.
Dugu Yan's closed eyes slowly opened, and she let out a breath of turbid air.
She wiped her forehead with her hand, feeling the slickness.
Only then did she realize her forehead was drenched in sweat.
Absorbing the soul ring was far from simple. Though it lacked the soul shock of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, the resentment within—representing various humans and even different beings—had assaulted Dugu Yan's spirit.
Fortunately, both her spirit and soul were coated with the poison of her Misfortune Poison Body.
Using the soul-corroding nature of the Misfortune Poison, she gradually eradicated the soul fragments causing the spiritual disturbances, successfully converting the resentment into energy.
Dugu Yan stood up, walked to Ning Rongrong's side, took a few deep breaths, and said, "I didn't let you down. I succeeded."
"Well done, Sister Yan! You're quite capable!" Ning Rongrong also breathed a sigh of relief. Since Dugu Yan could absorb and disperse the spiritual resentment within the soul ring, then…
When facing the beast tide, they likely wouldn't need to worry about Dugu Yan's mental state. There might be a tough battle ahead.
"Sister Yan, I originally wanted to celebrate your eighth soul ring, but we don't have time."
"Did something happen?" Seeing Ning Rongrong's grave expression, Dugu Yan couldn't help but ask.
"The beast tide has begun."
"The situation isn't optimistic. I just received a message from my father through the soul tool."
"And… Wang Quan Fugui has fallen."
"Fallen… fallen!?" Dugu Yan was stunned.
Wang Quan Fugui was a Title Douluo!
Though he had only recently broken through, could a Title Douluo be killed so easily?
"What exactly happened?" Dugu Yan hesitated, wanting to say more.
"It was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. I didn't expect them to launch a sneak attack. Someone also held back Sword Douluo and my father."
"In any case, we need to return quickly."
Ning Rongrong planned to bid farewell to the Ice Empress and Snow Empress, then leave the Extreme North and return to Vast Sea City.