Chapter 173 Level 8 and 9 Soul Guidance Data? What are you going to do with this garbage?
And at this moment...
The extreme cold in the council hall began to slowly shrink towards the center after Xue Di uttered the word "good".
The atmosphere, which had been as tense as a fully drawn bow, loosened slightly in that instant.
The Snow Emperor's illusory figure hovered in mid-air. Although her icy blue eyes still held the arrogance of a ruler, the resolute will to die had dissipated.
She looked at Liu Yuan, her long, silvery-white hair cascading over her illusory shoulders, and her voice, clear and cold, confirmed once more: "A hundred years of protection in exchange for the opportunity to reshape my origin and transcend tribulation. Human, I hope that the being behind you can truly fulfill its promise."
Poison Undying and the six Title Douluo elders around him had already withdrawn their ready-to-go martial souls, but the shock in their eyes was impossible to hide.
Elder Chen subconsciously stroked his beard, tearing off a few strands in the process, but he was completely unaware. He muttered to himself, "They actually... subdued her? That's the Snow Emperor, the sky of the far north."
Elder Zhang also stared blankly at Liu Yuan.
He knew all too well what this meant. If Liu Yuan could truly restore the Snow Empress, then within a hundred years, the Body Sect would essentially possess a top-tier combatant walking the world—a terrifying being capable of taking a Limit Douluo down with him when their lifespan was nearing its end. This benefit was even greater than obtaining a 100,000-year soul ring.
However, Liu Yuan did not completely relax because of Xue Di's verbal promise. He looked at Xue Di, the purple-gold light in his three pupils still deep.
"Since it's a transaction, it needs an absolute binding force."
Liu Yuan took a step forward, looking directly into the Snow Emperor's eyes, his tone calm yet unquestionable: "Snow Emperor, I know that the creatures of your far north have their own beliefs. Now, please swear an oath in the name of the Ice God. If you break this oath, your soul and body will be annihilated, and you will never be allowed to set foot on the ice plains again."
Upon hearing this, Xue Di, who had already calmed down, experienced a sudden and violent fluctuation in her soul.
Her icy blue eyes widened instantly, revealing a look of unprecedented astonishment and wariness. She stared intently at Liu Yuan, her voice trembling slightly:
"You... how could you possibly know of the existence of the Ice God? The faith in the far north has been lost for tens of thousands of years. Apart from us old folks who have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, it's impossible for humans outside the region to know that name!"
The Ice God—that is the oldest and most sacred totem of the far north, the supreme ruler in the hearts of all ice-attribute soul beasts. In the Snow Empress's view, this is a secret sealed deep within the far north ice plains, and should never be uttered by a fifteen or sixteen-year-old human boy.
Faced with Xue Di's shock, Liu Yuan merely curled the corners of his lips slightly, the curve of which seemed somewhat unfathomable.
"I know far more than you can imagine. Not only the Ice God, but I also know a little about some of the secrets of your far north."
Liu Yuan didn't explain much; keeping some things mysterious was actually more conducive to controlling the situation. He pointed to the void and said in a deep voice, "Let's make an oath. Only with the witness of the Ice God can both of us truly lower our guard."
The Snow Empress fell silent. She looked at Liu Yuan's double pupils, which seemed to see through everything, then glanced at the gray phantom behind Liu Yuan that exuded a sacred aura, and finally slowly closed her eyes.
She raised her illusory right hand, pointed to her brow, and chanted an ancient and obscure syllable, word by word. As she chanted, the temperature in the hall dropped to a critical point once again, and a pure, azure light emanated from the core of her soul.
"With my divine consciousness, I invoke the name of the Ice God. From this day forth, I, the Snow Emperor, forge a pact with the human Liu Yuan. I will protect him for a hundred years, and he will assist me in reshaping my origins and overcoming the heavenly tribulation. If I break this oath, may I be condemned in the far north, and may my soul be annihilated!"
As the oath was fulfilled, the azure light split in two, each entering between Liu Yuan and Xue Di's brows. A peculiar fluctuation of law established a connection between the two.
Having done all this, Xue Di appeared somewhat exhausted. She turned around and bowed slightly to the aged, illusory figure behind Liu Yuan.
Electrolux nodded slightly, a hint of approval in his kind gray eyes. He waved his hand, and a gentle gray energy enveloped the Snow Empress.
"Young lady, come with me. Your essence is severely damaged and needs to be slowly nourished in this sea of consciousness. This will be a long process, but as long as you cooperate, returning to your peak will not be difficult."
The Snow Empress remained silent, transforming into a shimmering stream of light that followed Ilex into Liu Yuan's brow, entering the vast and boundless sea of his spirit.
Only after the terrifying sense of oppression completely disappeared did the elders in the council hall feel that their breathing became smooth again.
"Liu Yuan, you really are... In my entire life, I have never seen such a strange kid as you."
Elder Chen was the first to step forward. He looked at Liu Yuan, his eyes filled with praise and undisguised pride. "You subdued the Snow Empress and even made her swear an oath in the name of the Ice God. You've not only brought back a great treasure for the sect, but also a future guardian deity!"
Poison Immortal strode forward, his large hand landing on Liu Yuan's shoulder once more. Although he was usually calm and domineering, at this moment, the joy in his eyes was almost overflowing.
"Good! Well done!" Poison Immortal let out a hearty laugh. "I was really on tenterhooks just now, afraid that the Snow Empress would rather die than submit. I never expected that you could subdue her in this way. Liu Yuan, your performance in this trip to Mingdu has completely exceeded my expectations. You are not only powerful, but also have such cunning and methods. Given time, the Body Sect will surely reach unprecedented glory in your hands."
"Master, you flatter me. It was merely due to Elder Yi's methods," Liu Yuan replied modestly, but his expression remained serious.
"Hmm? Liu Yuan, is there something wrong?" Du Busi asked, puzzled, seeing that Liu Yuan's expression was normal.
Liu Yuan glanced around at the elders present, his expression becoming unusually solemn. He didn't rush to rest, but instead reached for his storage ring again.
"Actually, besides Xue Di and that embryo, I have another very important matter to report to my master and the elders."
Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, the long table in the center of the hall suddenly became piled high with stacks of heavy metal scrolls, books on magical energy, and countless meticulously drawn blueprints. These items exuded a unique technological aura, completely out of place with the atmosphere of the Soul Master world, which was purely focused on the pursuit of individual power.
"This is..." Elder Zhang frowned, stepped forward and flipped through one of the metal scrolls, then withdrew his hand with some disgust. "These are things made by those soul masters of the Sun Moon Empire?"
"That's right." Liu Yuan nodded. "These are the core data on level 8 and level 9 soul tools that I obtained when I evacuated the core library of Mingde Hall. They include the formula for fixed-mount soul-guided shells, the tracing diagram of the core magic array, and all the research insights that Mingde Hall has gained on high-level soul tools over the past hundred years."
Upon hearing the origins of these things, the elders who had initially shown a hint of curiosity suddenly had their expressions darken in a strange way.
Elder Chen waved his hand somewhat dejectedly, looking at the pile of documents and said, "Liu Yuan, what are you going to do with all this stuff? We, the people of the Body Sect, rely on our own bodies and our fists. Those Soul Masters spend all day studying these external things; in our eyes, they're nothing but trivial matters."
"Yes," another elder who remained echoed, his tone tinged with a deep-seated prejudice. "That kind of power built up from piles of metal is not only cumbersome, but also has a very low ceiling. Back then, that fat guy Jing Hongchen, with his Hongchen Protection, was still suppressed by the sect leader, wasn't he? In my opinion, these things are a complete waste of time."
In the traditional view of the Body Sect, pursuing the ultimate evolution of the body is the right path, and soul tools have always been regarded as tools created by the weak to make up for their lack of talent. This prejudice has long been deeply rooted in the minds of these veteran Title Douluos who have lived for more than a hundred years.
The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat awkward for a moment. The elders looked at the pile of invaluable documents, but their eyes did not reveal greed; rather, they showed a kind of indifference towards "garbage."
(End of chapter)