The biting cold wind howled across the icy plains, a place cold enough to freeze most warm-blooded creatures to death. On this endless white expanse, a snow-white giant over a hundred meters tall and a massive white bear about ten meters long were launching an assault together.
Their target was a figure that looked as though it were made of magnificent frozen crystal.
Facing the joint attack of the Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai, Oscar maintained the effect of his eighth spirit ability with all his might.
His fifth spirit ring, a deep crimson red, lit up as Oscar raised his palm and sent Xiao Bai flying. Against the true Emperor Palm, Xiao Bai's Ice Bear Storm Palm stood no chance at all.
Even without the Snow Emperor's enchantment, Oscar's level ninety-three spirit power, combined with a body comparable to that of a level ninety-seven Super Douluo, made him more than capable of handling Xiao Bai.
After swatting Xiao Bai away, the Emperor Palm continued forward, slamming into the massive ice sphere that the Titan Snow Demon King had launched like a meteor.
The ice sphere's momentum was halted for a brief moment, but before Oscar could even take a breath, the Titan Snow Demon King's colossal body had already rushed in, its huge fist smashing directly onto the frozen meteor.
Under the force of their combined assault, the Emperor Palm could no longer withstand the impact and was sent crashing back toward Oscar.
Oscar's body moved slightly; he glided over the snowy ground like living ice. At the same time, his second spirit ring shone blood-red, releasing a burst of crimson light.
His left arm pulsed with terrifying spirit energy as two powerful domains erupted simultaneously.
"Second Spirit Ability: Domain of Eternal Freeze!"
"Ice and Snow Maiden Left Arm Bone Skill: Snow Dance Extreme Frost Domain!"
These two domains originated from the Ice Emperor and the Snow Emperor respectively. Both were the ultimate domains of extreme ice. The moment the two overlapped, the meteor-like ice sphere froze solid under their combined, terrifying power.
Even the Titan Snow Demon King could no longer move the frozen sphere through brute strength. But Oscar's attacks were not yet finished.
The crimson glow of his fourth spirit ring flared again as the second ten-thousand-year skill of that ring activated instantly.
Oscar possessed nine red ten-thousand-year rings in total. The first and fourth rings had been directly granted by the Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor themselves, and thus contained two ten-thousand-year abilities each.
The other rings, bestowed by their spirit remnants, each carried one ten-thousand-year ability.
"Fourth Spirit Ability: Ultimate Ice Amplification!"
This ability elevated the power of extreme ice to an even higher level. Under its influence, the already terrifying two domains doubled in power once more.
The Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai both felt as if they were staring at death itself. Their bodies were completely immobilized.
Within the overlapping range of the two domains, after Oscar activated his fourth spirit ability, the three overwhelming powers fused together in a mysterious resonance, forming a new, transcendent force.
Oscar whispered softly, "Three Skills as One , Time Capsule!"
The two domains merged completely under the Ultimate Ice Amplification, forming a terrifying field that stretched across ten kilometers in diameter. Within this area, everything was frozen by ultimate ice.
No movement. No breath. No thought.
Everything stood still. Only one being could move freely within the field , the caster himself, Oscar.
This was Oscar's first time using his triple-fusion ability, and its power had already surpassed the scope of any normal ten-thousand-year skill. The Titan Snow Demon King, with more than two hundred thousand years of cultivation, and Xiao Bai, with a hundred thousand, were both completely immobilized.
That effect alone was enough to prove just how fearsome Oscar's strength had become.
In essence, his Time Capsule was similar to the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo's Martial Soul Fusion Technique, the Polar Stillness Domain.
But Oscar's version was far stronger. Not only did the extreme ice continuously inflict damage on his enemies, but within the Time Capsule, Oscar could move freely , even launch further attacks.
In contrast, the Polar Stillness Domain merely froze its targets and rendered its users unable to move or activate other abilities.
No matter how one compared them, Oscar's Time Capsule was clearly superior.
Its only drawback was the immense energy consumption of using three ten-thousand-year techniques simultaneously, including a spirit bone ability.
However, compared to other Title Douluo of similar rank, Oscar's energy consumption was still less than one-third of theirs.
That was the advantage of absorbing spirit rings beyond conventional limits , every ability consumed far less spirit power.
Overall, activating the Time Capsule consumed about as much spirit power as an ordinary Title Douluo using their ninth spirit ability , roughly one-third of his total reserves.
But its duration was terrifying: five full minutes. During that time, Oscar needed no additional spirit power to sustain it; the field persisted on its own.
And more frightening still, Oscar could choose to continue feeding spirit power into it to maintain it indefinitely.
The only way to break free from the Time Capsule was through absolute strength , one would need to exceed Oscar's power completely. Otherwise, they would remain helpless before him.
At Oscar's current level, breaking his Time Capsule would require at least a level ninety-eight Title Douluo.
Alternatively, one could rely on a half-divine technique like Tang Hao's Ring Explosion , a move capable of letting a level ninety-seven fight evenly with, or even repel, a ninety-eight, and clash with divine power by detonating a hundred-thousand-year ring.
Aside from that, there was no escape.
With the Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai frozen, Oscar's consciousness entered his spiritual sea. Tianmeng looked at him in astonishment, while the Snow Emperor turned away, avoiding his gaze. The Ice Emperor glared fiercely and confronted him directly.
"Oscar! Did you harbor impure thoughts toward the Snow Maiden all along? Now that we've become your spirit souls, you can't restrain your filthy desires?"
Oscar was speechless. Blocking the Ice Emperor's beautiful scorpion tail, he quickly explained, "You've misunderstood! I didn't mean it that way. I was teasing Xiao Bai at the time , that kid ambushed me, and I just wanted to get back at her a little."
"I spoke without thinking and forgot that the Snow Maiden was Xiao Bai's mother. I apologize for my reckless words."
The Ice Emperor studied his face, and seeing his sincerity, hesitated for a moment.
She turned to the Snow Emperor. "Snow Maiden, do you believe him?"
The Snow Emperor glanced at Oscar. Truth be told, by human standards, Oscar was indeed a strikingly handsome man.
And as a being born of heaven and earth, the Snow Emperor's aesthetic sense was not limited to either humans or soul beasts , she could appreciate beauty in both.
After hearing his apology, she suddenly felt that Oscar wasn't so bad after all…
Talented, powerful, elegant, and charming…
The Snow Emperor shook her head hard. What was she thinking?
"I… I don't know…" she murmured softly.
Oscar wanted to explain further, but Tianmeng cut in. "Honestly, whether Oscar meant it or not doesn't matter. We're one entity now. Such trivial things don't mean much."
Hearing Tianmeng's words, both the Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor fell into thought. Finally, the Snow Emperor said seriously, "I think Tianmeng is right. No matter what, we're one now. Liking ourselves isn't a big deal…"
Listening to her, Oscar couldn't help but feel that Tianmeng's explanation only made things worse.
Then Tianmeng added mischievously, "But Ice, you can't fall for him. I only recognize you as my one and only!"
All three , Oscar, the Ice Emperor, and the Snow Emperor , froze, black lines appearing on their foreheads. The Ice Emperor immediately pounced and gave Tianmeng Iceworm a solid beating.
Oscar and the Snow Emperor could only shake their heads. Their eyes met for a brief, awkward moment before both turned away.
Then Oscar realized, Wait, why am I embarrassed? I wasn't even thinking that way!
Thankfully, Tianmeng's antics lightened the mood, though something subtle seemed to change in the Snow Emperor's attitude toward Oscar.
Oscar said to her, "Snow Maiden, don't overthink it. I'll go handle Xiao Bai and the Titan Snow Demon King."
The Snow Emperor paused, then said, "I'll go with you. It's too dangerous for you alone."
Oscar smiled faintly as his consciousness returned. The Snow Emperor's spirit reappeared beside him.
The frozen Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai looked utterly horrified upon seeing the Snow Emperor manifest once more , as though the heavens themselves had collapsed.
The crimson glow of his fourth spirit ring flared again, and a colossal sword appeared in the air.
"Fourth Spirit Ability: Emperor Sword , Icebound Peerless!"
Within the range of the Time Capsule, all of Oscar's abilities were boosted by the twin domains and the Ultimate Ice Amplification, doubling their power. With the Snow Emperor's enchantment added, the sword could easily cleave through the Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai.
Of course, Oscar didn't actually intend to kill them. Even if he did, the Snow Emperor wouldn't allow it.
Instead, he turned the blade sideways and used the flat of the sword to smack them hard.
This scene shook the entire Extreme North and solidified Oscar's terrifying reputation.
Meanwhile, the sect's other elders had also made breakthroughs of their own.
Oscar's clone, Ao Rong, had brought back the treasure known as Extreme Cold Ice Marrow. Though the quantity was limited, it was more than enough for a chosen few.
Relying on it, Gai Yue directly broke through to level ninety-six. His ice-elemental spirit core harmonized perfectly with the Extreme Cold Ice Marrow, allowing the breakthrough to happen naturally.
Dugu Bo, though not yet at level ninety-six, was only a step away. With his poison spirit core and the soul bones Oscar had gifted him, it was only a matter of time before he advanced , perhaps even to level ninety-eight someday.
That would be his limit, though, for Dugu Bo's innate foundation was weaker than others'. Without his spirit core and all these resources, he would have capped at level ninety-seven.
Still, reaching even the threshold of level ninety-eight was something he could be proud of. Given his age, talent, and background, that was already an extraordinary fate.
And besides, while his own limit was near, his granddaughter's future far surpassed his. Dugu Yan had already reached level seventy-eight at a young age , her potential was limitless.
Seeing her growth brought him deep satisfaction.
For Dugu Bo, meeting Oscar in the Sunset Forest had been the luckiest moment of his life. Investing in that boy had been his wisest decision.
Gai Yue, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and others shared that sentiment. They too had benefited immensely from Oscar's rise.
Beyond the breakthroughs of the elders, the most exciting development was among the sect's other senior members.
The two elders' improvements had raised the sect's peak power, but the advancement of the remaining elders strengthened its backbone.
Besides the already level ninety-three Niu Gao, the other five elders , Bai He, Yang Wudi, Meng Shu, Qin Wenlong, and Long Shihu , all reached level ninety with the help of the Extreme Cold Ice Marrow.
They now needed only a final spirit ring to become true Title Douluo.
From that moment onward, the Sword Sect would boast multiple Title Douluo in truth, no longer relying on Oscar's clones for strength.
Though these newly advanced elders were not the most gifted, under Oscar's personal guidance and the aid of ten-thousand-year spirit souls, each could one day reach level ninety-five or higher.
They would become Oscar's first generation of loyal retainers, his dragon's court of followers. And if they ever used Oscar's clone sausages, the Sword Sect would truly shine brighter than ever.
Besides them, Ye Haitang had also made impressive progress over the years, with the potential to become the second Nine-Heart Begonia Title Douluo after her ancestor.
She longed for that day , to revive the lost glory of the "Life Douluo" title.
Ye Lingling, too, was destined for greatness. Her curse had been lifted, and her descendants would no longer be limited to only two Nine-Heart Begonia users per generation.
But what worried Ye Haitang was the growing affection between Ye Lingling and Oscar.
That girl seemed to have eyes only for him , leaving no room for anyone else.
At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, in the Sword Sect's grounds,
After finishing her day's training, Dugu Yan stepped outside and immediately ran into Ye Lingling.
The two had spent months together in the Sunset Forest and had become close friends , even sisters of sorts.
Dugu Yan knew Ye Lingling also liked Oscar. Her grandfather, Dugu Bo, had even spoken to her privately, saying that if Oscar and Ye Lingling married, the Nine-Heart Begonia would be forever tied to the Sword Sect.
Though Dugu Yan had been reluctant at first, she had come to accept it. She no longer felt jealous , though there was one issue neither could ignore.
Oscar wasn't there.
His clone remained at the sect, but after learning it was only a clone, Ye Lingling's feelings had changed. Though her affection deepened emotionally, she refused to take things further.
She wanted to give her first time to the real Oscar, not a construct of spirit and energy.
A clone could satisfy longing, perhaps , but for such an important moment, only the true body would do.
"Lingling, have you finished refining the Extreme Cold Ice Marrow? How much did you improve?" Dugu Yan asked, linking arms with her.
Ye Lingling smiled sweetly. "Sister, I just finished refining it. My spirit power is now level fifty-five."
Dugu Yan nodded. "That's a good improvement. The Ice Marrow's main benefit is to temper the body and enhance one's talent."
Ye Lingling replied, "Still far behind you, Sister Yan. We're about the same age, yet you're nearly level eighty. You'll probably break through soon, right?"
Dugu Yan nodded again. "Once I do, I'll head to the Star Dou Forest with the elders."
Indeed, the elders had not immediately gone to hunt for new rings after their breakthroughs. Because of Niu Gao's prior experience, Gai Yue intended to first teach them the art of condensing spirit cores.
This had a major advantage: by the time they sought their ninth rings, they could use the power of a spirit beast's sacrifice to assist in forming the core , saving time and energy even if they didn't succeed at first.
For now, Niu Gao was stabilizing his cultivation and studying the process under Gai Yue and Dugu Bo.
If they succeeded, their future strength would rise to yet another level.
Follow me on my patreon for 60 Advanced chapters and 3 chapter daily updates pat*eon.com/GodofTranslation889