"How about we try first, just in case."
Chen Junting naturally had no objections. If it actually worked, he could save a Class-9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell.
The one most qualified to step forward here was undoubtedly the Snow Empress. However, since she had become a Spirit Soul, she had likely lost her eligibility, so she yielded the first attempt to Ah Tai.
The Titan Snow Demon King stepped up. After reverting to his original form, his door-panel-sized hands pressed against the grand doors. As the veins on his arms bulged and his granite-like muscles swelled up like small hills, he let out a roar—"Roar—"
In that moment, his blue-faced, fanged visage turned completely red from the strain. He exerted nearly all his strength, yet the doors didn't budge.
Well, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to say they didn't budge. At the very least, the immense force managed to shake loose some dust and debris.
"Pfft—"
Seeing his somewhat embarrassing display, the other soul beasts were decent enough to hold back their laughter, at least letting him save face. Little Bai, on the other hand, didn't hold back in the slightest, breaking into outright, unrestrained laughter.
Instantly, the Titan Snow Demon King's face, which was already red from exertion, began to turn a shade of black. However, out of consideration for the Snow Empress's presence, he could only shoot a vicious glare at Little Bai.
"What are you laughing at!? If you're so capable, you try it!"
"Ah Tai is right." The Snow Empress gently patted Little Bai's shoulder. "Little Bai, you give it a try too. Let's see if you can gain the Ice God's acknowledgment."
"Me?"
One knows their own limits best. Although he wasn't afraid of the Titan Snow Demon King, truth be told, Ah Tai surpassed him in both potential and raw power. And when it came to bloodlines, there was no comparison at all. The Titan Snow Demon King was the offspring of the Ice God and the ancient divine beast, the Titan. On the entire continent, there were extremely few soul beasts that could compare to his lineage.
If even the Titan Snow Demon King, who possessed the Ice God's bloodline and was known as the "Descendant of the Ice God," couldn't succeed, how could he, Little Bai? But faced with the Snow Empress's expectations, Little Bai stepped up.
Little Bai made his move.
Little Bai backed down.
"I'm sorry, Snow Empress. I didn't succeed."
He lowered his head in dejection, only to be met with the Snow Empress's comfort.
"It's alright. If it didn't work, it didn't work."
Then, the Snow Empress cast her gaze toward the other 100,000-year soul beasts. "Does anyone else want to give it a try?"
The only response she got was a chorus of head-shaking. If even the two Beast Kings couldn't do anything, they had even less confidence. For soul beasts, self-awareness was a virtue; it saved them from losing face.
"Sigh—"
A soft sigh indicated that the Snow Empress had given up on the gentle approach. No matter what, they had to get inside this Ice God's relic—this Ice and Snow Temple—to take a look. It was practically an obsession.
If that was the case...
A dangerous glint flashed in the Snow Empress's eyes. She floated forward and patted the grand doors. Having completely given up on the gentle method, she said, "Show some restraint. As long as it's an attack on the level of a Limit Douluo, it shouldn't cause this place to collapse. Junting, you can strike right here."
"Don't worry, this Class-9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell of mine isn't an area-of-effect weapon." Saying this, Chen Junting aimed the shell in his hand directly at the doors of the Ice and Snow Temple.
Huo Yuhao's blue eyes flickered, and Gu Tianchen gave a slight twitch of his fingers, instantly opening a Void Gate. Without the slightest hesitation, the crowd of 100,000-year soul beasts swiftly ducked into the Void Gate to avoid being caught in the blast. Even the Titan Snow Demon King and Little Bai hurriedly transformed into their human forms and followed closely behind.
Only Chen Junting stayed behind, entering only after teaching the Snow Empress how to operate the Class-9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell. Clearly, he had entrusted the task of detonating it to her. After all, in a certain sense, the Snow Empress was already dead. Furthermore, as a Spirit Soul, she wouldn't be easily killed by the shell's explosion, making her the most suitable choice to control the situation among the Spirit Souls. Even for Gu Tianchen, who could teleport, Chen Junting was afraid that he might be a fraction of a second too late and get annihilated in the impending massive explosion. Since that was the case, it was better off in the Snow Empress's hands.
Once there was no one and no beast left before the temple, the Snow Empress, the sole remaining figure, activated the Class-9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell. A suction force akin to a black hole emanated from the projectile. The next second, streaks of dark light overflowed as a terrifying surge of soul power wreaked havoc.
With a fierce shove from the Snow Empress, and just as she instinctively transformed into a streak of flowing light, the Class-9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell detonated. Its terrifying power seemed capable of annihilating everything, causing the underground world to tremble incessantly.
Ice shattered, and rock layers collapsed. Just as the situation was about to deteriorate further, snowflakes fluttering from who-knows-where instantly blanketed the entire area.
Clatter—
The temple doors crumbled into rubble, raining down. Evidently, after suffering the erosion of time without the blessing of a deity, the grand doors had ultimately become fragile, destroyed by mortal power.
An ancient path paved with ice crystals caught their eyes.
As the Snow Empress's figure fluttered gracefully, and just as she stood before the collapsed doors bowing her head in apology, a ripple in the space beside her occurred. Chen Junting and the others materialized one after another.
"This is Ice Crystal!?" Chen Junting's eyes instantly lit up. He never expected that the Ice God's temple relic would actually have its paths paved with ice crystals. While ordinary ice crystals couldn't be considered top-tier materials, they still ranked between the third and second tiers. Moreover, the ice crystals here had been nurtured by divine nature, accumulating over countless years. This undoubtedly elevated their quality, pushing them firmly into the second tier of materials. They would be more than sufficient for forging ten-thousand-year Soul Bones. Not to mention, the sheer volume of ice crystals here was staggering!
It was just a pity...
The gleam in Chen Junting's eyes subsequently faded. These ice crystals remained here, seemingly gathering dust. To obtain them, they would have to tear the grand hall to the point of being completely unrecognizable. But if they did that, it would simply look too ugly and greedy.
So, he had no choice but to reluctantly give up on the idea. Otherwise, how would their new partners from the Extreme North view them?
"Since the door is open, let's head inside." Turning his head, he called out to the Extreme North soul beasts who were still in the middle of their apologies. Chen Junting couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly. These soul beasts looked honest and straightforward, but they were actually quite slick! Offending the Ice God was one thing; apologizing was another. No matter what, the priority was getting inside to secure the benefits first.
Afterward, Chen Junting gripped the Seven Kill Sword. With a single thought, a majestic, killing-intent-filled array diagram flew out from his Heavenly Eye. After all, the situation inside the relic was unclear, and anything could happen. It was best to have the array diagram prepped; if some unforeseen accident truly occurred, they could rapidly deploy the formation to defend themselves.
Thus, taking advantage of the unusually wide corridor leading forward, the Titan Snow Demon King and Little Bai took the vanguard. The other 100,000-year soul beasts either flanked the sides or brought up the rear, effectively shielding the important figures before they finally stepped into the relic.
They marched forward without encountering the slightest obstacle. After passing through several layers, they finally arrived at the center of the grand hall. It was dead silent here. Ahead of them, one stone statue after another stood tall on either side of the hall, like loyal guards defending the premises.
Without exception, every single one of these statues was carved in the likeness of a soul beast. Looking around, there were species they recognized, and species they didn't.
"This is the Sawtooth Ice Wolf." The Ice Wolf King walked up to a statue. At first glance, there didn't seem to be much of a difference between them. But the moment the Ice Wolf King bared its fangs, it became clear that the statue's fangs were actually serrated. Evidently, the Sawtooth Ice Wolf was the ancestor of the Ice Wolf clan.
Aside from this, there were many similar statues. Some remained identical to their modern counterparts, while others had undergone significant changes. However, the majority of them had simply vanished into the long river of history.
However, looking across all the soul beast statues, out of the races of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, only the Ice Jade Scorpion clan had a statue. There was no trace of the Heavenly Snow Woman or the Titan Snow Demons. But this wasn't surprising. After all, the Heavenly Snow Woman were nurtured by Heaven and Earth itself, requiring immense karmic opportunity to even appear, let alone form an entire race. It was entirely possible that during the Ice God's era, the Heavenly Snow Woman didn't even exist yet. As for the Titan Snow Demons, that went without saying.
As everyone and the soul beasts continued forward, aside from the statues, their attention was also drawn to the stone murals carved along both sides of the grand hall. These murals recorded the great deeds and achievements of the Ice God from back in the day. However, because these murals were carved in a circular fashion, the Ice God's origins and the ultimate end of her ascension were still further ahead.
When they finally reached the very end of the hall, a massive statue came into view. Looking up, they were met with a peerlessly beautiful face.
Seeing the statue, Huo Yuhao shifted his gaze to the side. "Brother Junting, Brother Heavenly Dream, Ice Empress, look at the murals."
In the murals on the left, there was a figure identical to the statue. Whether in appearance, demeanor, or even majesty, there was no difference whatsoever, as if the figure were about to step right out of the stone carving.
"It's a statue of the Ice God." The soul beasts immediately paid their respects, and this time, even Chen Junting and the others were no exception. They placed their right hands over their chests and bowed slightly, both to show their respect and to apologize for their earlier offense.
Afterward, Chen Junting began to examine the murals on the right. If the left side depicted the Ice God after she had already attained godhood, then the very first mural on the right depicted the moment of the Ice God's birth. Amidst a world of ice and snow, an elven being came into existence. This was exactly what the first mural on the right was conveying.
Seeing this, Chen Junting suddenly realized something.
The Ice God wasn't just a member of the soul beast race, but specifically of the Heavenly Snow Woman race. Her origins were exactly the same as the Snow Empress's. However, Chen Junting noticed one more detail: whereas the Snow Empress was a female Heavenly Snow Woman, the Ice God was actually male, albeit with highly feminine features.
Meanwhile, the soul beasts couldn't help but feel a little disheartened at receiving no response from the Ice God. Afterward, they joined in examining the murals on both sides of the hall. To these soul beasts, the scenes depicting how the Ice God achieved godhood were undoubtedly the most captivating.
However, the records within the murals seemed far too profound and esoteric in their eyes; they didn't even see a single scene of the Ice God undergoing a heavenly tribulation. That is, until they reached the final few murals...
The Ice God attains godhood and gives birth to offspring with the Ancient Titan;
The Ice God attains godhood, ultimately ascending to the God Realm and leaving behind a legend.
"So the Ice God really did ascend to the God Realm." After letting out a sigh of emotion, the Titan Snow Demon King couldn't help but hang his head. "The Ice God is not responding; it must be because our earlier actions offended Her."
"No." At this moment, a voice sounded from behind the Titan Snow Demon King. He turned his head to look and saw that the human named "Chen Junting" was standing behind him, examining the murals with keen interest.
"What do you mean, My Lord?"
Chen Junting stared at the mural of the Ice God ascending to the God Realm, noting that the God Realm depicted afterward was filled with the silhouettes of dragons. With a trace of pity, he retracted his gaze. Then, he uttered a sentence that nearly drove the crowd of soul beasts into a frenzy.
"It's not that the Ice God feels offended by you. It's that the Ice God has been dead for a long time."
His tone was flat, yet it was like a sharp blade. And those blades stabbed straight into the hearts of all the soul beasts.
"That's impossible!?" the Titan Snow Demon King roared. Along with him, the other soul beasts of the Extreme North cried out as well. Only those who had become Spirit Souls—the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress, and the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm—as well as Little Bai, who always followed the Snow Empress's lead, remained unfazed. Little Bai was even staring blankly at the first mural on the right, completely lost in thought.
"Junting is telling the truth." These words instantly plunged the grand hall into absolute silence. The Titan Snow Demon King stared at the Snow Empress in disbelief; the burly man of his human form was trembling all over, unsure whether he was furious or panicked.
"Ah Tai, sigh—" The Snow Empress let out a long sigh. "Haven't you realized it yet? The Ice God originated from the soul beast race. Compared to the era when the Ice God attained godhood, it is impossible for soul beasts in the current era to become gods."
"The environment has changed." At this point, Chen Junting took over the conversation. "Look at the final mural."
Hearing this, the soul beasts immediately looked over.
"The God Realm that the Ice God ascended to is depicted with dragon silhouettes. This means that the God Realm of that era was ruled by the Dragon Race. But it's different now. In the current God Realm, there are no longer any beast races."
And by extension, there were no longer any beast deities. Except, perhaps, for those imprisoned in the God Realm Forbidden Zone, or the very small minority of beast races that had close ties to human deities.
At this, the soul beasts finally understood. Because of this, it felt as if their very souls had been sucked out of their bodies.
Their faith... was gone!
"Sigh—"
Faced with the dead silence of the soul beasts, even the Snow Empress and the others felt terrible. For a moment, the entire grand hall was incomparably silent.
Until... "Actually, in a certain sense, the Ice God is still alive."
These words instantly sparked doubts among the soul beasts. Even Huo Yuhao and Gu Tianchen cast confused glances over. How could a dead deity still be considered alive?
Chen Junting didn't bother being cryptic, stating bluntly, "Actually, the Ice God has always lived in your hearts. The Ice God in your hearts still exists and continues to protect your Extreme North."
And this wasn't just the conventional platitude about someone's spirit living on immortally in the hearts of their followers.
The Power of Faith was always profoundly mysterious. Through the perspective of Chen Junting's Heavenly Eye, the massive, accumulated Power of Faith was constantly converging within the Ice God's statue. Intertwining with that wisp of the Ice God's divine nature, it was continuously being nourished and condensed...
The sheer density of the Power of Faith within the statue right now reminded Chen Junting of a specific term. A noun.
Faith Body!
An alternate "me" forged entirely from the Power of Faith.
Of course, the Power of Faith on the current Douluo Continent hadn't reached such an exaggerated level yet. However, Chen Junting didn't doubt in the slightest that if things continued this way—as long as the Extreme North's faith in the Ice God remained unextinguished—over a long enough timeline, the Ice God might actually be nurtured into existence once more, manifesting as an elf, just like the Snow Empress and the Ice God's previous life.
In this way, the Ice God might be able to live a second life.
Only, the "he" who returned would no longer truly be "him."
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