After finishing the upgrade of his contracted soul beast, Zhou Sicheng slowly stood up. With A-Da stationed here, no foolish soul beast would dare approach.
With a wave of his hand, A-Da, now with 55,000 years of cultivation, transformed into a streak of emerald-green light and merged into Zhou Sicheng's body. His appearance shifted back to that of the Ice Prince, his ice-blue eyes gazing into the depths of the Extreme North.
The main purpose of his trip to the Extreme North had now been fulfilled—and it had only taken him a few days.
Unlike Huo Yuhao, Zhou Sicheng still had about twenty days before school resumed. There was plenty more he could do here in the Extreme North.
The Ice Empress was already part of his strength. Would it really be too much to take a few more treasures from the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North?
Moreover, he was already at rank 50. He couldn't possibly rely solely on that Silver Shadow Beast for his fifth soul ring, right?
The Silver Shadow Beast was indeed rare and powerful, with its psychic mimicry ability being extremely useful for spiritual-type soul masters.
But Zhou Sicheng had always had a more suitable target in mind—one even better than the Silver Shadow Beast.
In the Extreme North, there existed a rare soul beast known as the Mirror Phantom Beast, which also possessed unique abilities, even more refined than those of the Silver Shadow Beast.
Its only real downside was that its mimicry wasn't as convenient to use.
However, the Mirror Phantom Beast had a tremendous advantage—it could replicate everything about a target, as long as it obtained a single drop of their blood.
Ten thousand years ago, one of the original Seven Shrek Monsters, the Food God, had started out as a simple food-type soul master. It was only after acquiring a 20,000-year-old Mirror Phantom Beast as his sixth soul ring that everything changed.
Once he obtained the Mirror Phantom Beast's ability, he evolved from a purely supportive food-type master into a nearly omnipotent being.
The Mirror Phantom Beast could copy not only the donor's martial soul but also their soul skills—an ability that perfectly suited Zhou Sicheng's needs.
Yet this soul beast was exceptionally rare. Because its power was too overwhelming, most soul beasts wouldn't allow such a creature to thrive.
As a result, to this day, no Mirror Phantom Beast had ever been recorded reaching the 100,000-year cultivation level.
But Zhou Sicheng's Book of Contracts martial soul could make up for that weakness. As long as he could find a Mirror Phantom Beast, he could form a contract with it and help it grow rapidly.
Ten thousand years ago, a mere 20,000-year-old Mirror Phantom Beast granted divine-tier potential. So what about a 50,000-year or even 100,000-year-old one?
If Zhou Sicheng could obtain such an ability, wouldn't he be able to collect blood from the many powerful experts at Shrek Academy and store it for later use?
With his foundation, and Elder Mu's martial soul and soul ring configuration, could the legend of the Holy Bright Dragon shine once more?
Truth be told, the Silver Shadow Beast had always been his backup plan. If he couldn't find the Mirror Phantom Beast this time, he would reluctantly settle for the Silver Shadow.
With Zhou Sicheng's current strength, there were almost no threats to his life in the Extreme North.
He knew well that among the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, only the Titan Snow Demon King likely remained active.
The Snow Empress had probably failed her transformation and been captured. The Ice Empress had become part of his power. In the Extreme North, he was practically unrivaled.
With Tianmeng's immense spiritual detection, twenty days was more than enough time to scan the entire region.
Unless the Mirror Phantom Beast had already gone extinct, it was almost certain that he'd find one.
Now that he had a clear goal and direction, things became much simpler. After re-merging with A-Da, Zhou Sicheng slowly raised his right hand, and the golden Book of Contracts gradually appeared.
As his martial soul emerged, four soul rings rose from his body—three black and one red. The deep crimson fourth ring pulsed, and the Book of Contracts flipped open, stopping at a beautiful entry: the Acacia Heartbreak Red.
The flower shot out from the Book of Contracts, and the red hundred-thousand-year soul ring detached from Zhou Sicheng's body to envelop it.
As the red glow surged and faded, both the soul ring and the Acacia Heartbreak Red vanished—replaced by a barefooted empress clad in blood-red robes.
Zhou Sicheng retracted the Book of Contracts and absorbed his black rings back into his body. He stepped forward and gently took the now-descending Honghong by the hand.
In a soft voice, Zhou Sicheng said,
"It wasn't appropriate to bring you along back at the Academy. But now, I can show you the beauty of the Extreme North."
Honghong looked around. This land was unlike anything she had seen before—endless snow and white skies, a majestic and dreamlike frozen world. She couldn't help but feel a little excited.
She nodded gently.
"Alright."
Zhou Sicheng had once promised her that he'd show her the world, let her experience the journey he'd undertaken—and he wasn't one to break promises.
Hand in hand, the two of them chose a direction and set off.
Across the boundless snowy plains, the Ice Prince walked beside the Crimson Empress, traversing the blizzards together.
Zhou Sicheng activated a soul skill from the first ring of his main martial soul—Spiritual Detection.
His spiritual power had grown significantly, vastly expanding his detection range. While still not on par with Tianmeng's, it was more than enough for tracking.
In a few days, once Tianmeng finished stabilizing the Ice Empress, he would assist in locating the Mirror Phantom Beast.
As Zhou Sicheng led Honghong through the snowy wilderness, they both admired the scenery while scanning for signs of their target.
At the moment, they were still in the outer region. Just the regal aura radiating from Honghong was enough to frighten away any curious soul beasts.
As such, their journey had been peaceful so far.
Additionally, Zhou Sicheng's merged form with A-Da emitted a soul beast presence rather than a human one. So unless some beast was reckless or brainless, there was no reason they'd be attacked.
During his time at Shrek Academy, Zhou Sicheng had frequently visited the library to search for information on the Mirror Phantom Beast. Unfortunately, records on the species were scarce. Finding one would not be easy.
One thing was certain, though—the Mirror Phantom Beast most likely avoided the core regions. The creatures there were too powerful; entering would be suicide.
So Zhou Sicheng kept to the outer region, wandering with Honghong while enjoying themselves.
Five days passed in a flash. During that time, they had found no trace of the Mirror Phantom Beast.
But there was good news: Tianmeng had finally finished settling the Ice Empress and was ready to assist.
As a unique and powerful species, even Tianmeng hoped Zhou Sicheng could form a contract with a Mirror Phantom Beast. The versatility it would bring to his combat style would be a tremendous boon.
Inside his spiritual sea, Tianmeng chuckled,
"Sicheng, if you really do find a Mirror Phantom Beast, your strength will skyrocket again. Just imagine—you copy Elder Mu's martial soul and soul rings, and boom! You'll basically be the next Dragon God Douluo!"
Zhou Sicheng simply smiled.
"Save the flattery. We've only got half a month left before Shrek starts back up. Let's stay focused."
Tianmeng snorted,
"Relax. Icey's one of us now. The outer region of the Extreme North is basically our turf. Let's move!"
Without another word, Zhou Sicheng summoned a pair of ice blades under his feet and activated a level-6 soul tool thruster on his back, pulling Honghong as they surged forward at high speed.
With Tianmeng's spiritual detection fully unleashed, every detail of the surrounding area entered Zhou Sicheng's mind—as if he had a map with full visibility.
As long as they stayed out of the core region, the strongest they'd face were just ten-thousand-year-level beasts. The aura exuded by Zhou Sicheng and Honghong alone was enough to suppress them.
With Tianmeng's help, Zhou Sicheng's efficiency improved significantly. The past five days had been about sightseeing for Honghong. Now, she calmly followed along, experiencing the thrill of tracking a soul beast.
Although she was also part of the soul beast race, she didn't possess much compassion for others of her kind.
Moreover, now that she had chosen to follow Zhou Sichen, she would support anything he did without hesitation.
With Tianmeng's help, Zhou Sichen navigated the outer regions of the Extreme North, conducting a carpet-style search.
Ten days later, Zhou Sichen and Honghong came to a halt outside a deep ice ravine.
Through the shared spiritual detection of Tianmeng, Zhou Sichen confirmed that within the ice ravine, a Mirror Image Beast roughly forty-thousand years old had made its lair.
This entire ravine was the creature's territory. Within a twenty-li radius, there were no other soul beasts in sight, a clear testament to its strength.
Tianmeng remarked thoughtfully, "This Mirror Image Beast is no ordinary creature. There's a trace of Frost Dragon aura in its lair."
Zhou Sichen pondered slightly, then chuckled. "Heh, it seems this Mirror Image Beast must've stumbled upon the corpse of a deceased Frost Dragon and used its blood to replicate the dragon's abilities. It imitated the creature and claimed this place as its own. The other soul beasts must not have noticed the difference—otherwise, more powerful beings would've long since come to hunt it down."
Tianmeng nodded in agreement. "This beast sure is lucky. Looks like that luck is now going to benefit us."
Zhou Sichen smiled. "Perfect timing. Ah Da and the others have all reached 55,000 years of cultivation. We can use this Mirror Image Beast to test their combat capabilities."
Tianmeng rolled his eyes. "Whoever dares to mess with you in the future is really in for it. Well, I won't disturb your fun. I'll go check on Bingbing. She might wake up in the next couple of days…"
Zhou Sichen glanced at the dark entrance of the ice ravine and slowly raised his right hand. The golden Contract Book materialized, and three black soul rings rose around him. The second and third rings lit up.
Two spheres of light—one dark red and one dark gold—emerged from the Contract Book and fused into his body.
His original "Ice and Snow Prince" form began to transform. Dark golden armor covered his body, while streaks of dark red and icy blue ran across the armor.
A pair of Phoenix Wings spread from Zhou Sichen's back, lifting him into the air.
In the Extreme North, the power of Hellfire was naturally suppressed by around thirty percent. Such was the overwhelming might of the world itself…
Honghong's soul power surged as she floated beside Zhou Sichen. Though she wasn't adept at combat, she possessed a genuine cultivation of one hundred thousand years. With the divine might of an Immortal Emperor class beast, she could easily overpower an average Title Douluo.
If her opponent happened to be a plant-type soul beast or soul master, then in her presence, their strength might not even reach a tenth of its normal capacity.
Zhou Sichen glanced at her. "Let's go meet this fake Frost Dragon."
Among the draconic sub-species, Frost Dragons ranked near the very top. For a Mirror Image Beast to gain the blood of such a creature and replicate its powers was a rare and massive stroke of fortune.
And now, that fortune would fall to Zhou Sichen.
With a flap of his Phoenix Wings, Zhou Sichen and Honghong turned into two streaks of light and shot into the depths of the ice ravine.
Far within the ravine, nestled in a nest formed from the skeletal remains of a massive dragon, a sleeping Mirror Image Beast suddenly opened its crystal-blue eyes.
It had sensed two terrifying auras approaching at high speed. Instantly, it grew tense.
This entire twenty-li radius was its territory. No ordinary soul beast dared enter.
But these two auras weren't normal—unfamiliar, powerful, and oppressive. At the very least, they belonged to beings on the hundred-thousand-year level!
The Mirror Image Beast was dumbfounded. It had spent the first half of its life in hiding until it discovered the corpse of a Frost Dragon buried deep within this frozen ravine. After absorbing the remnants of the dragon's blood, it had risen by imitating the Frost Dragon's might.
It had barely begun to enjoy its good fortune—and now someone had come to wipe it out?
The Mirror Image Beast felt utterly miserable. If it had known this would happen, it would've kept hiding. It had planned to remain low-profile until it reached a hundred thousand years of cultivation. Surely by then, no one would dare mess with it.
But there was no medicine for regret. The only option now was to flee.
Fortunately, it had considered this possibility before. Long ago, it had carved out a hidden chamber within the ice beneath the Frost Dragon's remains.
Without hesitation, knowing it couldn't win, the Mirror Image Beast dragged its lair—formed from the dragon's skeleton—into the ice chamber, swallowed another drop of Frost Dragon blood, and sealed the entrance with a breath of frost.
Once it was done, it didn't dare emit even the slightest hint of aura, praying its pursuers wouldn't find it.
On this front, it was somewhat confident. After all, it had only found the Frost Dragon corpse thanks to sheer luck.
Though it now considered itself strong—able to fight seventy to eighty-thousand-year soul beasts with its forty-thousand-year base and Frost Dragon mimicry—it had no confidence facing two genuine hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Sichen and Honghong reached the depths of the ravine. With spiritual detection guiding them, Zhou Sichen navigated the maze of tunnels and locked precisely onto the Mirror Image Beast's lair.
Upon entering and finding it empty, Zhou Sichen smiled. His spiritual detection revealed a large hidden chamber thirty meters beneath the lair. Inside, the Mirror Image Beast lay motionless, pretending to be dead.
If not for his spiritual detection, most soul masters would've been blocked by the thirty meters of dense ice, unable to locate the creature.
But unfortunately for the Mirror Image Beast… Zhou Sichen wasn't just any soul master.
More importantly, being chosen by Zhou Sichen was different from being hunted by an ordinary soul master.
Others came to kill soul beasts. Zhou Sichen came bringing incredible opportunity. Every soul beast he selected was one in a million.
If only the Mirror Image Beast knew this—would it feel lucky or cursed?
Zhou Sichen didn't bother wasting words. His right arm transformed into the Ice Jade Scorpion's claw and stabbed straight into the ground. The power of Ultimate Ice surged forth, instantly carving a tunnel down to the ice chamber.
Inside, the Mirror Image Beast, still pretending to be dead, was frozen in shock as it felt the terrifying force of Ultimate Ice.
Already?! They'd already found it?!
Such pure, overwhelming ice power… Not even many beings in the Extreme North possessed this element!
The Mirror Image Beast racked its brain, trying to figure out what kind of terrifying existence it had offended.
Could it be… three months ago, when it stole food from a ten-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion?
Damn it. Now the elder's come to settle the score?
Isn't that a little much?!
Just as it was thinking that, it felt two massive and terrifying auras appear in front of it. Slowly, it raised its dazed head… and saw two humans?!
Now the Mirror Image Beast was truly stunned. It had braced itself for punishment—but humans?
Wait… could they be ancient soul beasts who had already mastered human transformation?
What the hell…
It didn't even know how to describe its current emotions. All it had done was steal some food—and just as it was getting excited about how amazing the Frost Dragon's powers were, karma came crashing down like this?
It had thought, at worst, a single hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion expert would show up. Who would've expected someone who could take human form?
And such a being came just to deal with it? This was beyond outrageous. Where was the beastly justice?
Zhou Sichen had no idea that the Mirror Image Beast was this intelligent—or that it was having such a dramatic inner monologue.
He calmly extended his Ice Jade Scorpion claw, activating the Frozen Domain. The power of Ultimate Ice erupted instantly. He didn't even need to use Hellfire or Xiong Da's strength.
Faced with such force, the "Frost Dragon" simply collapsed to the ground in submission.
Zhou Sichen couldn't help but feel speechless.
Seriously? You've got Frost Dragon powers and you're giving up that easily...?
"So doesn't that make fusing Hellfire and Xiong Da seem a bit foolish now?"
For the Mirror Shadow Beast, having a savage beast at the level of a progenitor personally act against it—well, it would rather commit suicide to atone than risk offending these ancestral beings.
That's just how the world of soul beasts worked. If you were only slightly stronger than another beast, and it still had a chance to resist, it likely wouldn't submit easily.
But when the difference in power was like a chasm between heaven and earth, then it was often better to die with dignity.
To resist, only to be tortured to death?
If death was inevitable either way, one might as well choose the more peaceful path…
Zhou Sichen saw this so-called "Frost Dragon" lower its head, a silent display of submission as if saying, "Kill me or spare me—do as you wish." Without wasting words, he acted immediately.
The Book of Contracts appeared in his hand and slowly opened to the fifth page.
It was a blank page, with only one intricate and complex symbol inscribed upon it.
Zhou Sichen activated his martial soul. That intricate pattern slowly detached from the paper, transforming into a dazzling golden array.
The Frost Dragon, prostrated on the ground, offered no resistance—it still thought an ancestor-level existence was making a move.
Under the pull of the array, the Frost Dragon's massive form was gently lifted into the air. Its draconic exterior faded away, and it reverted to its original form: a Mirror Shadow Beast. It slowly drifted toward the center of the array.
The Mirror Shadow Beast kept its eyes shut, silently awaiting death. Though it could feel its body being enveloped in a strange force, it didn't resist at all.
Most importantly, it didn't feel any discomfort or danger.
Could it be that these two progenitors weren't here to kill it, but to test it... maybe even give it a chance?
In the soul beast world of the Extreme North, there were indeed cases where a beast suddenly soared to the skies after seizing such a miraculous opportunity.
Take, for example, the strongest of the Ice Bear Clan—he rose to greatness by acknowledging a good "mother." That's how he became the now-famous Ice Bear King.
The Mirror Shadow Beast had fantasized about such a scenario before. After all, its potential was the highest in its entire species' history. If it too could find a "mother" to acknowledge, maybe one day it could rise to become a Beast King.
In fact, if it got bold with its thoughts—it might even grow strong enough to "repay" its mother by pushing her down, so to speak!
If it truly rose to such a level, perhaps even the rankings of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North would have to be reshuffled...
At a time when any other beast would have wet itself in fear, this Mirror Shadow Beast was still daydreaming. Zhou Sichen definitely didn't expect that.
Otherwise, he might have seriously reconsidered contracting such a creature—it was practically a walking case of chronic delusions...
The Mirror Shadow Beast offered no resistance. As time passed, a strange power emerged from the array. The beast's body began to flicker, and it suddenly felt its strength being drained.
Damn it! It's not a test! I'm really going to die!
Yet even so, it didn't dare open its eyes. Watching its own power be slowly devoured? That was far too terrifying.
As time passed, a unique energy flowed from the golden array through the connection with Zhou Sichen's martial soul, coursing through his body.
It was the Mirror Shadow Beast's energy—but instead of lingering in Zhou Sichen, it merely circulated once through his body, cleansing his meridians and refining his physique before gathering inside the Book of Contracts.
Finally, the brilliant golden array fully enveloped the Mirror Shadow Beast. With a flash, the array and the beast merged into a silver-white orb of light that sank into the fifth page of the contract book.
Where once the page had been blank, now there was an image of the Mirror Shadow Beast—looking a bit dazed, but with an infinite brilliance shining in its eyes.
Soul rings rose from Zhou Sichen's body: black, black, black, red, black—five in total. The fifth ring, granted by the Mirror Shadow Beast, had been successfully absorbed without the slightest resistance.
From the moment he appeared to the moment the absorption was complete, the Mirror Shadow Beast hadn't struggled at all. It was as if it had been waiting there just for Zhou Sichen.
Having tried methods like forcibly subduing a beast until it was on the brink of death or tricking it into becoming a soul ring, Zhou Sichen had never before encountered one that offered no resistance whatsoever.
It saved him both energy and words.
He exchanged a glance with Honghong beside him, both of them smiling in amused silence.
Honghong also found it quite interesting. Now she understood how A-Da, Hellfire, and Xiong Da had been contracted.
But this Mirror Shadow Beast's contract process truly was unique. Could it be that this fellow somehow knew its master was here to deliver fortune rather than death?
****
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