The Ice Wolf King, together with three other ten-thousand-year Ice Wolves, instantly surrounded Oscar, but he showed no trace of fear.
Aside from those four ten-thousand-year Ice Wolves, more than a dozen lower-ranked Ice Wolves also joined the encirclement.
The larger ones stood at the front to take damage, while the smaller ones attacked from behind with sustained firepower. That was their strategy against Oscar.
Oscar merely glanced at the pack before rising into the air and activating his fifth soul skill.
At this moment, he had to strike first. If he allowed himself to be surrounded, he would have to use his sixth soul skill to escape.
Of course, if he used his full power, he might not necessarily lose to this pack of wolves,but that would ruin his plan to fish for information.
As his fifth soul ring lit up, a terrifying blue flame erupted from his mouth.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Bone Dragon Flame!"
The fifth soul skill's range was immense, almost covering the entire Ice Wolf pack,but they didn't sit still and wait for death.
All seventeen wolves launched their icy breath at once. Empowered by their collective strength, the freezing aura immediately blocked Oscar's fifth soul skill and even pressed the Bone Dragon Flame back toward him.
Seeing this, Oscar decisively turned to flee. His white wings flapped, and he shot off like a streak of light.
But the Ice Wolf pack, now filled with killing intent, wasn't about to let such a valuable prey escape so easily.
The wolves were incredibly fast across the frozen plains,especially the Ice Wolf King, who led the chase at the forefront.
Oscar didn't use his full speed. If he did, the wolves wouldn't even see his shadow.
He maintained a pace just slightly faster than the Ice Wolf King's,enough to keep them on his trail but not close the distance too quickly.
At the same time, he fired bone spikes backward as he fled, using this baiting tactic to gradually lure the wolves away from the Ice Valley.
Once he felt the distance was far enough, Oscar suddenly turned around and launched another attack at the pursuing Ice Wolf King.
"Third Soul Skill: Bone Dragon's Intimidation!"
As the purple third soul ring shone, the Ice Wolf King suddenly felt a great threat; its strength was suppressed by at least twenty percent.
At that moment, Oscar's right arm glowed silver-white. He threw a punch, and countless massive bone spikes, each over five meters long, appeared in midair, raining down toward the Ice Wolf King.
Facing this sudden counterattack, the Ice Wolf King roared and slashed with its claws, sending out waves of sharp claw marks to block the attack.
But Oscar wasn't holding back this time. Although the Ice Wolf King managed to block most of the spikes, one still struck true, leaving a deep gash that spilled blood profusely.
The injured Ice Wolf King roared in fury and prepared to retaliate,but before it could act, Oscar had already rushed close and activated his black sixth soul ring. A black portal appeared, and he dove straight into it.
The Ice Wolf King didn't stop either and charged in after him,only to find itself reappearing far from the Ice Valley.
The Ice Wolf King froze, clearly confused about what had just happened.
When it realized Oscar had vanished, it howled angrily toward the sky.
The other Ice Wolves, arriving just in time to see their leader vanish into a black hole, looked at one another in confusion. The human soul master was gone too.
Just then, a distant roar from the Ice Wolf King echoed through the tundra. Without hesitation, the wolves charged in that direction.
Meanwhile, Oscar stepped out of another portal, reappearing back in the Ice Valley.
The reason he had lured the Ice Wolves away was precisely to explore the Ice Valley. If the legendary Extreme Cold Ice Marrow truly existed here, it would be a huge bonus.
Even impure Ice Marrow would greatly benefit him,especially since he could refine it further.
And for Gai Yue, a Super Douluo with an ice-attribute soul core, the Extreme Cold Ice Marrow would make future cultivation much smoother.
The Ice Valley was vast. Oscar wasted no time,he unleashed his powerful spiritual sense, located a general direction, and began heading deeper into the valley.
Meanwhile, far away, the Black Crow Soul King watching Oscar was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't understand why Oscar would act so recklessly.
He clearly wasn't strong enough to face the entire Ice Wolf pack,so why provoke them?
Now Oscar was being chased and fleeing for his life, but the Black Crow Soul King didn't dare follow too closely. He only kept his distance and left markers for Han Han and the others.
At this point, Oscar had already disappeared from their surveillance,which was exactly what he wanted.
If he had used his sixth soul skill directly inside the Ice Valley, he might have still made it inside,but Lie Shuo and the others would have learned about his technique and guessed he wasn't truly injured.
So Oscar's elaborate chase had all been part of his plan,to make his "trap" look more convincing.
Inside the Ice Valley, Oscar immediately felt that it was far colder than outside. Though his current power made him immune to the chill, this change delighted him.
The environmental shift meant something extraordinary was here. If luck was on his side, this trip might yield something special.
The valley contained multiple intersecting ice tunnels. Relying on his spiritual perception and intuition, Oscar chose one and advanced.
He soon realized that the Ice Wolves weren't the only guardians. Each tunnel seemed to be occupied by another soul beast clan, suggesting that this vast valley was a treasure ground,likely containing something crucial for these beasts' cultivation.
With his white wings spread, Oscar accelerated to near his top speed, scanning large portions of the valley. As he went deeper, he began noticing traces of something unusual.
By his estimate, he had already covered two-thirds of the valley's explorable depth when he detected faint traces of Extreme Cold Ice Marrow energy along the walls. The marrow's power seemed to have been partially absorbed by the minerals, giving the ore a trace of that same chilling energy.
The Ice Wolf King, he now realized, must have absorbed such an ore, which explained its transformation and unusually potent ice energy.
This discovery thrilled Oscar. Without slowing down, he pushed deeper, still ready to activate his sixth soul skill to escape if necessary.
After all, while this was just a clone, losing it would mean losing the valuable forty-thousand-year Ice Bear torso bone stored in his soul tool,a major loss.
As he ventured farther, the Ice Marrow's aura grew stronger. The minerals here had absorbed much of its energy, but the truly valuable ores had already been taken by the outer soul beasts. These remaining ones weren't yet refined enough to be useful, so Oscar continued inward.
Just as he neared the deepest part of the valley, a terrifying wave of spiritual pressure descended upon him, halting him in his tracks.
This pressure exceeded the level of ordinary Titled Douluos,even Gai Yue or Dugu Bo couldn't match it. That meant the being ahead was at least over a hundred thousand years old.
Only special spiritual-type soul beasts could reach this level,and those beyond it were typically at the two-hundred-thousand-year mark, classified as Savage Beasts.
In the Extreme North, there were many ten-thousand-year soul beasts, but only three beings were at the Savage Beast level,the Three Kings of the Extreme North.
Oscar didn't flee immediately. Instead, he pondered which one this might be.
The Ice Valley didn't suit the Titan Snow Demon, but it could belong to either the Ice Empress or the Snow Empress. However, since so many other soul beast tribes lived around it, it likely wasn't the Ice Empress's territory.
That left only one possible answer.
The Snow Empress?
Oscar stopped and bowed respectfully toward the deepest part of the valley. "Junior Aorong greets the senior."
Though he suspected it might be the Snow Empress, he addressed the being simply as "senior."
After he bowed, the oppressive aura did not recede. It remained fixed on him until a deep, aged voice finally echoed in his mind.
"Humph. You are quite bold for a human. Are you not afraid that I might kill you where you stand?"
Oscar blinked in surprise. "A spiritual transmission?"
That realization made his heart jolt. Spiritual transmission meant communicating directly through mental power,without any medium.
On the Douluo Continent, only those with special soul skills or head bones,or those at level 99, the rank of Ultimate Douluo,could do this.
Even level 98 Super Douluos couldn't achieve such a feat. It required a qualitative leap in spiritual strength.
From what Oscar knew, none of the Three Kings of the Extreme North had this ability.
Wait a moment,
He suddenly thought of another possibility. Given this time and place… only one being fit.
But wasn't that being supposed to still be asleep? In the original story, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm only awoke years later, when Qian Renxue, Tang San, and Bibi Dong ascended to godhood.
Could it be that the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was already awake now?
Yes,Oscar's suspicion was that this was none other than the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, the self-proclaimed only million-year soul beast in the Douluo Continent.
It had reached that level not through combat, but through perfect luck,devouring countless Extreme Cold Ice Marrows while sleeping, until it evolved into a million-year soul beast. Though its true power was only that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, its spiritual power was genuinely immense.
Even if its mental attack power wasn't as deadly as a level 99 Ultimate Douluo's, it could still easily communicate telepathically.
Realizing this, Oscar's expression turned amused. If it truly was the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, then he had hit the jackpot.
An ordinary soul master would have fled in terror,but not Oscar. Since the creature hadn't killed him outright, there was room to test the situation.
If it really was that fat worm, Oscar wouldn't let it slip away.
After all, that thing was a walking battery pack.
He thought for a moment, then replied calmly, "With senior's strength, killing me would be as easy as lifting a finger. The only reason I haven't fled is because I wonder why you haven't done so."
The voice hesitated before replying in anger, "The only reason I haven't killed you is because I can't be bothered. Leave this place immediately, and I'll pretend this never happened. Otherwise, I'll shatter your spiritual sea and destroy your mind. Begone!"
But instead of retreating, Oscar advanced further into the valley.
"Heh. Threats? You must be a soul beast, senior. Such crude words might scare others,but not me."
Oscar smiled faintly. "The reason you haven't attacked is because you've realized my spiritual power is too strong,and that I possess a head soul bone protecting my spiritual sea, making it impossible for you to strike, am I right?"
The moment he said this, Oscar sensed the psychic link tremble slightly,the previously domineering aura weakened significantly.
Then came a trembling, angry voice echoing through his mind. "Nonsense! Take one more step, and I'll tear your spiritual sea apart!"
Seeing this reaction, Oscar's smile deepened. It all but confirmed his suspicion,the being before him was indeed the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
He hadn't exaggerated: though his soul power was only level 75, his spiritual power rivaled that of a level 94 Titled Douluo. Moreover, Gu Rong possessed a fifty-thousand-year head soul bone that passively protected the spiritual sea.
With such protection, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm,powerful in mind but lacking attack strength,couldn't harm him.
That was why this mighty creature, who could have terrified most humans, now hesitated before a single Soul Sage.
And while other soul beasts would have attacked outright, this one merely bluffed,proving its fear.
After all, aside from the Star Dou Forest, where Oscar had allies, soul beasts and humans were still mortal enemies.
And Oscar was already standing at the doorstep of its lair.
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