Zhang Lexuan then looked at Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and the others.
"Xiaotao, Luochen, lead the others to rest and reorganize in Dragon City. Wait for our return; once we are back, we will immediately set off for the academy to report the situation."
No one had any objections to Zhang Lexuan's decision.
With a Spirit Douluo level expert personally providing protection, obtaining a ten-thousand-year spirit ring was indeed foolproof.
Although Ma Xiaotao also wanted to go, she knew Zhang Lexuan's decision was the safest, so she nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Sister Lexuan, please be careful. We will wait for you here."
With the arrangements settled, everyone dispersed to prepare.
Caelus returned to his room. On the surface, he was packing his gear, but his mind had already sunk into his Sea of Consciousness.
Within the boundless, pale-gold mental World, Istaroth's figure remained lazily seated on those stone steps that seemed to have existed since ancient times. One hand supported her chin, and her golden eyes were half-open and half-closed, as if she were dozing off.
"Istaroth."
Caelus asked directly in his mind.
"You guaranteed before that my Fourth Soul Skill would allow me to gain some benefits in the muddy waters of the Extreme North? Is a single new Soul Ability really enough? I don't want to end up losing myself instead of gaining anything."
Istaroth didn't even fully lift her eyelids. Her lazy voice rang directly in Caelus's mind, carrying a hint of matter-of-factness.
"No need to worry. I've already read the script; the situation you're afraid of won't happen. Once you obtain your fourth spirit ring, you'll naturally have the ability to get involved. Thinking so much now is useless."
She even gave a small yawn, her tone carrying a hint of 'don't disturb my peace'.
"As for what exactly is going on, won't you know for yourself once you get the fourth spirit ring and try it out?"
After saying that, she continued to prop up her chin, staring blankly at the starry sky manifested within the Sea of Consciousness, completely ignoring Caelus.
Caelus was long used to Istaroth's slacking-off style.
His Martial Soul was Istaroth herself; she knew exactly how the Martial Soul Abilities would work.
As for predicting the future?
Even if Istaroth was out of her element in this World, she was still a great deity of the time element; this was just a basic operation, nothing to be surprised about.
'Forget it, I'll wait until I get the fourth spirit ring.'
Caelus stopped dwelling on it. Since he would obtain the fourth spirit ring soon and Istaroth was unwilling to reveal anything, there was no need to ask further.
After all, for an existence like Istaroth who held authority over time, there were rules to follow. Randomly revealing information about the future would eventually lead to a backlash from time itself.
He focused his mind, concentrating all his attention on the upcoming trip to the Extreme North.
Whether it was obtaining the fourth spirit ring or taking the Opportunity to pull chestnuts from the fire during the gambit between the Hall of Rebirth and the Extreme North Spirit Beasts, he had to take the initiative this time to secure the greatest benefits for himself.
Before long, Zhang Lexuan came to knock on the door.
The two didn't delay. After a brief farewell to Ma Xiaotao and the others, they quietly left Dragon City and headed toward the Extreme North Land, a place covered in endless ice and snow where undercurrents surged.
Just as Caelus and Zhang Lexuan were leaving Dragon City and heading toward the blizzard-swept Extreme North Land...
Deep within the Jingyang Mountain Range in the Sun Moon Empire, a battle at the very pinnacle of the Douluo Continent was taking place.
Castorice stood quietly atop a cliff.
She wore the exclusive black robe of the Holy Spirit Cult's Death Saintess, but this solemn attire could not hide her stunning beauty.
At only eleven years old, her figure had already begun to take shape, becoming exquisite and well-proportioned.
Her long hair displayed a dreamlike gradient from silver to deep purple, with the ends looking as if they were dyed with the purple glow of the night sky.
She had a pair of pointed, elf-like ears, adding a touch of non-human mystery and etherealness.
Her purple eyes were deep as stars, calmly overlooking the battle in the valley below. Her youthful yet already World-shakingly beautiful face showed no emotional fluctuations, as if an indifferent Divinity were observing a mortal farce.
In terms of appearance alone, even Gu Yuena, who was said to be number one on the Douluo Continent's Fragrant Grass List, was only at this level.
Beside her, the Scarlet Douluo, Fei Yan, was also watching intently, her face carrying a trace of unmistakable awe and fanaticism.
To witness the attack of a top expert of the continent, the Chief Enshrined of the Holy Spirit Cult, the Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao, was a rare Opportunity even for a Titled Douluo like her.
In the valley, the originally clear sky was eroded by a viscous darkness, and a bone-chilling dark wind howled.
Compared to the old man floating quietly in mid-air, with meticulously groomed silver hair and a complexion as ruddy as a baby's, his opponent appeared incredibly wretched and desperate.
It was a Dark Prison Demon Owl with a cultivation level of one hundred thousand years.
This was a top-tier flying Soul Beast living in dark lands. It resembled an owl magnified dozens of times, but its entire body was covered in pitch-black feathers that seemed woven from shadows, their edges shimmering with ominous dark purple patterns.
Its wings spread out as if they could blot out the sky, and their flapping not only stirred up hurricanes but also scattered countless corrosive dark energy feathers.
Most heart-stopping were its two huge, completely pale white eyes; they had no pupils, only endless silence and resentment, capable of directly impacting the opponent's Soul.
It let out a silent screech—an attack that acted directly on the mental level. Even if ordinary Soul Masters only heard the aftershocks, their Martial Souls would crumble.
However, such a hundred-thousand-year top-tier dark Soul Beast, which would make even a Super Douluo stand on guard, became incredibly weak before Long Xiaoyao.
Long Xiaoyao hadn't even used his Spirit Avatar.
He just floated there calmly, his hands still clasped behind his back.
"Gaa—!!!"
Accompanied by a Soul-tearing screech, the One Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast, the Dark Prison Demon Owl, fully displayed its ferocious power.
Its sky-blotting pitch-black wings flapped violently, not stirring up ordinary air currents but instead raising a physical wave of darkness.
Wherever this wave passed, towering ancient trees withered and carbonized instantly, as if splashed with concentrated sulfuric acid, before turning into flying ash.
The hard rock surfaces made a "chi-chi" sound as they were corroded into countless pits.
The sky grew completely dark, as if entering an eternal night prematurely. Only the Dark Prison Demon Owl's pale eyes, like two moons of Hell, hung in the darkness, emitting a suffocating pressure of deathly silence.
Countless feathers condensed from pure dark Soul Power poured down like a rainstorm. Each feather carried the terrifying effect of corroding the Physical Body and eroding Soul Power, completely covering the space where Long Xiaoyao was. The ground was plowed into countless deep pits, and dust mixed with dark energy soared into the sky.
Facing this attack that was enough to annihilate an army, Long Xiaoyao finally stopped just keeping his hands behind his back.
A low dragon roar escaped his lips. It wasn't loud, yet it seemed to resonate directly in the depths of the Soul.
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