After a long moment, the Snow Empress slowly released her arms, but she remained standing by Kong Mingan's side.
The distance between them was extremely close, just as it had been when she served as Kong Mingan's Protector; the only difference was their tightly intertwined hands.
Looking at the pair who had returned to a somewhat normal state, the Ice Empress took several deep breaths to suppress the surging emotions in her heart.
Averting her gaze, she spoke as normally as possible.
"...I will act as your Protector in a moment."
Despite the ten thousand discomforts in her heart, business was business after all, and she could still distinguish between what was important and what wasn't.
It was just... she was going to stand guard while they "did business"? What was that supposed to be! The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt!
The Ice Empress's cheeks puffed out, and the low pressure and dissatisfaction radiating from her were almost overflowing.
Kong Mingan paused slightly. Looking at the Ice Empress, who had "I'm unhappy" written all over her, he thought for a moment and added another sentence.
"Stay nearby when the Snow Empress ascends in a moment. Don't go too far."
"If possible, you can observe from a bit closer. It should make your own future ascension much easier."
The Ice Empress was momentarily speechless.
She naturally knew Kong Mingan was doing this for her own good, but... letting her watch them "do business" from up close? That feels even weirder, okay!
Pursing her lips, the Ice Empress became even more depressed.
...
...
A moment later, the Ice Empress sat on an ice chair, propping her cheek with one hand, her golden eyes listlessly watching the two figures in the distance.
In the distance, Kong Mingan adjusted his state. After reviewing the process for the upcoming ascension, he looked toward the Snow Empress, who was waiting silently.
In the next instant, using their tightly held hands as a bridge, the auras of the two became instantly and closely linked.
Almost simultaneously, their figures transformed into two streaks of light that rose up, interweaving and merging in the air. Finally, a more solid and powerful figure slowly descended.
This was a youth with white hair and blue eyes. His face was identical to Kong Mingan's, yet he possessed a cold, ethereal quality like the Snow Empress, along with a hint of gentle peace that she did not have.
The Ice Empress couldn't help herself; her gaze locked onto the youth uncontrollably.
Quite pathetically, her throat bobbed slightly.
But soon, realizing something, the Ice Empress immediately used immense willpower to force her gaze away, a strange sense of crisis flashing through her heart.
She discovered that as the time spent with a certain bastard lengthened, she seemed to have lost the powerful resistance she once had.
At least before, when she remembered that this was the existence formed after the Snow Empress and that guy underwent Body Integration, she could quickly snap out of it without any irrepressible emotions arising.
But now, she felt that the youth in this state seemed even more seductive!
A sense of crisis spread quietly. The Ice Empress's intuition told her that she was likely in danger.
In the distance, Kong Mingan, who had once again merged with the Snow Empress via a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, slowly opened his eyes.
He felt the power belonging to the Snow Empress, vast as the sea, within his body, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
At this moment, he was experiencing the power brought by the "Star Ring" method he had created in the most direct way possible.
Raising his hand, he clenched his fist slightly and then released it. Kong Mingan had completely adapted to his current state, and immediately, a majestic aura spread out.
Without much pause, he raised his hand and traced in the air, and a complex, profound spatial magic circle was instantly constructed.
Amidst flickering light, thousands of "soul cores" emitting pure spirit power fluctuations and encased in special packaging floated out like stars, instantly bathing the entire ice cave in brilliant colors.
This was one of the results of implementing the "soul points" system in the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Throughout the Heavenly Soul Empire today, countless Spirit Masters made a daily habit of selling their spirit power for "soul points," accumulating them to buy customized spirit rings in the future in hopes of evolving their Spirits.
This purchased spirit power would first be converted into ordinary attribute-less spirit power and stored in the "spirit power pool" located within the Undead Sub-Plane.
Then, it would be purified, compressed, and packaged by his hand, eventually becoming these "standard soul cores" that were easy to store and could be used at any time.
It could be said that this was gathering the Energy of an entire nation's Spirit Masters to nurture one person!
And these thousands of soul cores before him were just a part of his inventory.
It wasn't a huge amount, but for this moment, it was enough.
Kong Mingan's gaze was calm as the five "Star Rings" with rotating internal star vortices began to spin faster, generating a powerful suction like five invisible giant mouths, beginning to frantically devour the floating soul cores.
The pure spirit power was rapidly devoured and converted by the soul cores within the "Star Rings," then stored inside the spirit rings.
The five "Star Rings" each formed a point of a pentagram in front of him, then rotated.
From within them, transparent threads condensed from spirit power and mental force extended out, weaving rapidly at the center like the most precise loom.
In just a moment, the prototype of an ice-blue soul core emitting the aura of Extreme Ice and snow slowly appeared.
Kong Mingan watched quietly as another ice-blue spirit ring emerged nearby.
This was the Star Ring prototype that had been pre-modified long ago, just waiting to carry the soul core.
He manipulated this spirit ring to move beneath the increasingly solid, newborn ice-blue soul core, and a connection naturally formed between the two, gradually linking them.
At a certain moment, the instant the ice-blue spirit ring completely solidified, the soul core dropped precisely, fitting perfectly into the pre-arranged structure at the center of the spirit ring.
"Weng—!"
A slight chime, as if harmonizing with some rule, abruptly sounded.
At this moment, the sixth "Star Ring" reached Perfection!
The aura belonging to the Snow Empress began a new round of climbing at this instant!
The vast pressure spread out like a physical substance, instantly enveloping the entire core region of the Far North.
Countless powerful Spirit Beasts, regardless of their cultivation level, all felt it and involuntarily bowed toward the snowy mountain, expressing their awe and submission to their monarch.
However, this was only the beginning!
Kong Mingan did not stop. Under his control, the six "Star Rings" broke away from their original orbital paths and each became a corner of a perfect hexagon in front of him.
Then, in the next moment... they moved.
The six "Star Rings" began to rotate in synchronization, and during this process, they started to resonate at a specific frequency.
This was the "Star Ring Resonance Method," tailored specifically for the current "Spell Cultivator" path, built upon the Foundation of the original crude "Isotope Soul Core Resonance Method" and refined through countless deductions by Kong Mingan and the "Spiritual Pivot"!
Amidst the resonance, the spirit power stored within the six "Star Rings"—which had already become incredibly pure and vast during the continuous improvement process—began to violently collide, squeeze, gather, and then compress!
And those thousands of "standard soul cores" being continuously devoured acted like the best fuel, being poured incessantly into this process, causing it to accelerate again and again!
The Stairway to Godhood had opened.
(End of Chapter)
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