Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King - [DD2]: 70

Although Su Yu was confident that the Ice Empress would eventually agree to his proposal, there was no need to rush. Moreover, the stronger he became, the easier it would be to absorb the Ice Empress’ soul ring when the time came. He didn’t want to absorb a soul ring only to seal most of its energy, rendering a hundred-thousand-year soul ring nearly useless. He hoped to absorb as much energy as possible and planned to seal only what he couldn’t handle.

In Su Yu’s mind, the Ice Empress was reserved for his fifth or even sixth soulring. By then, absorbing the Ice Empress’s soul ring wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Haven’t you already made up your mind about me? And now you’re trying to sweet-talk me?” the Ice Empress said sarcastically. Earlier, Su Yu had been so confident she wouldn’t choose anyone else. She almost wanted to lash out with her scorpion tails to vent her frustration.

Su Yu smiled.

“Wasn’t I just teasing earlier? And I wasn’t wrong. I’m your best choice.”

“Just because I said that doesn’t mean I’ll force you, right?”

“The final decision is always yours.”

“Hmph, I can’t win an argument with you anyway,” the Ice Empress grumbled.

“You little rascal, you’re so devious.”

She turned away with a soft snort, acting aloof.

Su Yu shook his head, amused.

“Ice Empress, you’re familiar with the Extreme North. Lend me a hand, will you? What kind of soul beast do you think suits me?”

The Ice Empress’s reluctance was obvious, and Su Yu decided to go for the jugular.

“Well, if you’re not willing to help, I guess I’ll just have to pick blindly. I think an Ice Jade Scorpion would be perfect. What do you think? The Ice Jade Scorpion, with its ultimate ice attribute, would be a great match for my Ice Emperor Martial Soul.”

Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the Ice Empress couldn’t stay calm. He was threatening her with her species! How despicable!

“Su Yu, you little scoundrel! How shameless of you to threaten me!”

The Ice Empress was furious. She knew Su Yu was provoking her on purpose, but she couldn’t tolerate it. She deeply cared for every member of her species and wouldn’t allow anything to happen to them. Making matters worse, the Ice Jade Scorpion was indeed a perfect match for Su Yu’s Martial Soul.

However, Su Yu had already acquired three soul rings without touching the Ice Jade Scorpions, showing respect for her. By asking her advice on his fourth soul ring, Su Yu made it clear he didn’t intend to target the Ice Jade Scorpions. It was obvious the Ice Empress wouldn’t suggest her kind.

“Well, you’re the one who’s not cooperating. When reasoning doesn’t work, I just love resorting to threats,” Su Yu grinned mischievously, winking at the Ice Empress. She felt both angry and amused; her hopes of gaining any leverage over him had once again crumbled. She sighed inwardly but let it go, thinking there’d be another opportunity to turn the tables on him.

“When you’re asking for my advice, could you at least tell me what kind of soul skill you’re aiming for?” the Ice Empress asked exasperatedly.

“Are you looking for a control-type skill, an attack-type skill, or something to boost your defense?”

Su Yu pondered this for a moment. For single-target attacks, he already had the Dark Golden Terror Claw and the lightning attack from the Ancient Azure Dragon’s horn, so he wasn’t lacking in offensive power. As for control-type skills, he had Ice Emperor’s Decree and Ice Emperor’s Bind, as well as auxiliary abilities like Ice Emperor’s Domain and Ice Emperor’s Blessing. For soul-based attacks, there was Ice Emperor’s Glint, and for defense, he had Ice Emperor’s Armor.

Despite having only three soul rings, his skills were already broad and balanced.

“For the fourth soul ring, I’d like to get either a large-area group attack skill or a group control skill,” Su Yu finally said.

“Control skills are always useful, and Ice Emperor’s Decree is already the strongest single-target control skill. But a group control skill would be ideal.”

“Based on that, there are quite a few soul beasts that would suit you,” the Ice Empress responded.

“For example, the Ice Prison Spider clan has incredibly potent ice venom and excels at group control. Then there’s the Frenzied Ice Squid, also good at group control. For large-area attack skills, you could consider the Ice Spirit Porcupine, which can launch countless ice spikes, or the Ice Crystal Beast, which attacks with crystals on its body.

“But if you want the highest quality and the best match, it has to be the Ice-Feathered Beast,” she continued seriously.

“It has a phoenix bloodline and, like the Ice Jade Scorpion clan, is a super soul beast. While its ice attribute isn’t as pure as ours, that doesn’t lessen its power. An Ice-Feathered Beast at the same level can go head-to-head with an Ice Devil Titan. So, you understand how formidable the Ice-Feathered Beast is, right?”

“The Ice Feathered Beast, huh?”

Su Yu nodded. He had heard of them, though he’d never seen one. They were powerful soul beasts but very rare, and less well-known than the Ice Jade Scorpions or Ice Devil Titan.

Rarity didn’t diminish their strength, though. A super soul beast with a phoenix bloodline was no ordinary being.

“Then it’s settled: the Ice Feathered Beast,” Su Yu said.

“I just hope the ones in the Extreme North have a high enough age,” he added, voicing a concern. If they were too young, he wouldn’t bother with them.

Su Yu’s physical and mental strength had now reached a level where he could choose a powerful soul ring. At the very least, his fourth soul ring needed to be 50,000 years old; anything less wouldn’t be worth absorbing. After all, when he absorbed his third soul ring, he could already handle a 30,000-year-old ring, and he was far stronger now.

A single punch with over 50,000 jin (25 tons) of force? That was just a small demonstration.

“The Ice Feathered Beast clan may have few members, but there are some that have reached the 100,000-year mark,” the Ice Empress said. “You don’t need to worry about the age of the soul ring.”

“Besides, how many years can you even handle? At most, two or three thousand, right? You don’t need to concern yourself with such trivial matters.”

The Ice Empress saw right through Su Yu’s thoughts, dismissing them. Did he seriously think the Ice Feathered Beast clan couldn’t meet his requirements?

Su Yu smiled faintly.

“Ice Empress, you’re mistaken. I can handle far more than a two or three-thousand-year soul ring.”

“I wouldn’t even blink at absorbing a ring around 50,000 years old.”

“Hmph, nonsense!”

The Ice Empress was full of disbelief.

Did he think she didn’t know the typical soul ring combinations for human soul masters? Normally, a Soul Master could only handle a 10,000-year soul ring by their fifth ring, and they couldn’t absorb a 100,000-year soul ring until their ninth. Su Yu was special, but not that special, right? Absorbing a 50,000-year soul ring for his fourth ring? Absurd!

Seeing her disbelief, Su Yu didn’t argue further. The truth would reveal itself when the time came to absorb the soul ring.

“By the way, Ice Empress, do you know where the territory of the Ice Feathered Beasts is?”

Su Yu asked.

The Ice Empress was practically a walking encyclopedia of the Extreme North. She had likely explored every corner of it.

“You want me to lead the way to hunt soul beasts in the Extreme North? Have you forgotten that I am one of the three kings of the Extreme North?”

The Ice Empress gave Su Yu a strange look.

Asking her advice was one thing, but expecting her to guide him? That seemed a bit presumptuous.

“Uh… fine, I’ll just ask Xiao Bai to take me,” Su Yu replied, glancing at the Ice Empress and Snow Empress. Given their status, it was indeed a bit much to ask them to lead the way.

But there was always the Ice Bear King, Xiao Bai. Su Yu was quite familiar with that big, simple-minded bear.

The Ice Empress didn’t object. As long as she wasn’t the one leading the way, she didn’t care.

…

Su Yu knew where to find the Ice Bear King. The Ice Bear clan was one of the major clans in the Extreme North, and the Ice Bear King, with over 200,000 years of cultivation, was nearly as powerful as the Ice Devil Titan. The Ice Bear King revered the Snow Empress as a mother figure, having been raised by her from a young age. With Su Yu holding the Snow Empress, he could accomplish almost anything.

After locating the Ice Bear King, Su Yu easily persuaded him to lead the way to the Ice Feathered Beasts’ territory.

“This guy can talk his way through anything,” the Ice Empress muttered as she watched Su Yu quickly convince the Ice Bear King to help. It was as if Su Yu had some kind of magic. Whatever he said, people just believed him. It was astonishing.

With the Ice Bear King guiding them, Su Yu and his group soon arrived at the Ice Feathered Beasts’ territory. After some searching, they finally found a suitable Ice-Feathered Beast.

It was a massive creature, over six meters tall, with wings spanning more than thirty meters. Its body was covered in sharp, ice-blue feathers, giving it the appearance of a beast sculpted from ice itself. Its claws were sharp, and beautiful tail feathers stretched from its back. The Ice Empress hadn’t exaggerated—this creature did indeed possess the bloodline of a phoenix, exuding a regal and mysterious aura.

Even though it had been gravely injured by Hai Bodong, its pride remained unbroken. Its piercing ice-blue eyes, as sharp as blades, locked onto Su Yu and his companions. The pride of the phoenix clan was evident in this Ice-Feathered Beast.

“Su Yu, are you planning to absorb the soul ring of this Ice-Feathered Beast?” the Ice Empress asked seriously.

“This one is already 60,000 years old.”

Even the Ice Empress hadn’t expected Su Yu to aim for a 60,000-year-old Ice-Feathered Beast. As a super soul beast, its soul ring was far more potent and intense than that of an ordinary 60,000-year-old soul beast.

Su Yu was only at the fortieth rank. Could he truly handle it?

Before Su Yu could respond, the Snow Empress, nestled in his arms, reached out and poked his cheek, making soft sounds and gestures. Su Yu understood her general message: she was urging him to reconsider.

After all, a 60,000-year-old soul ring was no small matter.

“Don’t worry. I’m not the type to gamble with my life,” Su Yu said confidently.

“A 60,000-year soul ring is nothing I can’t handle.”

If he dared to choose it, he was confident he could absorb it.

“Ice Empress, I’ll leave the Snow Empress in your care,” Su Yu said, pinching the Snow Empress’s cheek before turning to the Ice Empress.

The Ice Empress’s body flashed with a green light as she transformed into her human form—a small girl with twin ponytails, looking rather cute at first glance.

Su Yu handed the Snow Empress to the Ice Empress, who accepted her as if holding a precious treasure, a contented look spreading across her face.

Su Yu chuckled softly and stepped toward the Ice-Feathered Beast.

The Ice-Feathered Beast, with 60,000 years of cultivation, was a formidable opponent. Even a Titled Douluo at the ninety-third or ninety-fourth rank might struggle against it.

But in the presence of Hai Bodong, this Ice-Feathered Beast was no match. Whether it had 60,000 years or even 360,000 years of cultivation, Hai Bodong could easily overwhelm it.

Su Yu looked up at the Ice-Feathered Beast. Despite its severe injuries, the creature still exuded a majestic and intimidating aura—a testament to its phoenix bloodline. A typical Rank 40 soul master would find it hard to get this close to such a beast; its pride and remaining strength were enough to intimidate most.

As Su Yu approached, the Ice Feathered Beast’s cold, hate-filled gaze fixed on him. He could feel the burning rage within the beast, as well as its deep-seated pride.

It looked down on everyone present with equal disdain, despite being gravely injured.

“I won’t say anything hypocritical. I need your soul ring to fulfill my mission. I need your strength.”

“I know you’re intelligent—perhaps as much as any human. You can hide your soul within the soul ring.”

“If the opportunity arises in the future, I will bring you back to life.”

Su Yu spoke calmly, addressing the Ice-Feathered Beast directly.

The Ice-Feathered Beast didn’t respond, but a mocking glint appeared in its proud, majestic eyes.