Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 257: Finding Skydream Iceworm

Following the alliance, the Snow Empress ordered all the soul beasts in the Extreme North to search for Skydream Iceworm, while the Ice Empress returned to her Ice Jade Scorpion clan to confirm whether any of her kin had seen him. Yang Potian also discussed alliance details with his group, including contingency plans for Armo Mountain in the event of an attack, as well as some long-term academy development strategies.

After these talks, Yang Tianyue puffed out her cheeks in frustration. She had put great effort into arranging this battle, only to have their target soul beast end up as an ally, leaving her feeling quite let down.

"Big Brother, I think both the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress are great. Why didn't you let them become my spirit rings?" she asked.

Yang Potian gave her a light knock on the head. "You silly girl, the Ice Empress and Snow Empress are both young spirits. Can't you think a bit further ahead? Besides, consider our position as Skywalk Academy. The Snow Empress and her allies are like our neighbors. They control all the soul beasts in the Extreme North. You don't want an endless swarm of soul beasts storming our academy, do you?"

"Plus, you need a water-element soul ring right now. Ice-based soul beasts may have a similar origin, but ultimately, they differ. You'll likely still need to find a soul beast from the ocean."

Yang Potian had other considerations as well. He knew that the gods of the Divine Realm held mixed views on soul beasts, but in the original story, the Asura God and the Sea God supported Tang San and Xiao Wu despite knowing their connections to the soul beast race. This suggested the gods might favor alliances with soul beasts, so having the Extreme North as an ally and retreat option could be beneficial.

Hearing Yang Potian's explanation, Yang Tianyue fell into deep thought. After a while, she seemed to realize something. "Big Brother, we've killed many ten-thousand-year soul beasts. Are you actually hoping to coexist peacefully with the soul beasts?"

Yang Potian simply smiled. "Tianyue, what do you think the Sea God represents?"

Yang Tianyue pondered the question carefully before answering, "I think the Sea God is incredibly strong, compassionate, and tolerant."

Yang Potian nodded. "You're quite right. You already have enough affinity with the Sea God, but you'll need to understand his nature even more deeply. Look into his past, learn the purpose of the Sea God's Light within your trident, or else the last trial will be exceedingly hard."

"So, do you mean the Sea God trusts soul beasts?" she asked.

Yang Potian shook his head. "It's more than trust. The Sea God is the ruler of the ocean, with all sea creatures as his followers, including sea spirit masters and soul beasts alike. Don't forget, Xiao Bai was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, yet she became the Sea God's mount. Also, the sea is filled with soul beasts—far more than there are spirit masters. If you wish to become the Sea God, you'll need both absolute power and the ocean's devotion."

"Big Brother, what exactly is 'devotion'? You've never mentioned it before."

"Devotion is the collective faith all beings give to a figure of immense reverence. The first Angel God of the Spirit Hall was able to ascend by uniting the entire continent and relying on everyone's devotion. Likewise, the Sea God harnessed the devotion of all ocean life. If you intend to become the Sea God, you need to understand his actions."

Yang Potian recalled that even after becoming a god, Tang San chose to remain the Sea God, likely to draw on the power of devotion from Douluo Planet. It demonstrated how potent and valuable faith truly was.

After five days of searching, the Snow Empress came up empty-handed. All the soul beasts in the Extreme North were looking, yet no one had found any sign of Skydream Iceworm, as if he'd never been there. Strangely, this reassured Yang Potian, as it indicated that Skydream Iceworm might still be hidden in the Extreme North rather than captured by the Star Dou Forest.

Then, the Ice Empress returned with good news. Members of her Ice Jade Scorpion clan reported that some of them had once chased Skydream Iceworm, but he had mysteriously vanished mid-pursuit. Ever since, he'd remained untraceable in the Extreme North.

Yang Potian and his group followed the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress to the last known location of Skydream Iceworm's disappearance. The area was a vast frozen plain, surrounded by endless ice and snow, with no visible signs of life or any soul power fluctuations. Yang Potian focused his spiritual energy to its peak, scanning every layer of ice, but detected nothing.

He knew that while he had only reached the demigod level, Skydream Iceworm was a true soul beast deity at rank 100. This meant Skydream's spirit power would be far beyond his, with divine energy saturating his body. It also meant he had likely hidden himself deeply or completely concealed his presence.

Yang Potian then drew the Asura Demon Sword, pouring his full spirit power into it, wielding it like a god.

Although he couldn't directly sense Skydream Iceworm's presence, the Asura Demon Sword, being a transcendent weapon, surely could. Suddenly, Yang Potian felt faint traces of divine energy emanating from deep within the ice—a subtle pulse that would be imperceptible to most, even to gods.

Elated, Yang Potian knew this confirmed Skydream Iceworm was hidden below. "We'll dig through the ice here," he instructed his team. "There's something valuable underneath."

The group exchanged hesitant looks. The icy terrain of the Extreme North was composed of ancient layers of permafrost, the absolute peak of ice element. Digging through it would be no small feat. However, with Yang Potian's assurance, they all joined in.

Yang Potian himself summoned his Broken Soul Spear and began digging through the ice layers. His mother, grandfather, and Dugu Bo had a tougher time since their beast spirits weren't well-suited for this kind of task. Meanwhile, Yang Tianyue, thrilled by the prospect, swung her Sea God Trident and began to break through the ice with great enthusiasm.

Seeing his little sister's zeal, Yang Potian could only chuckle. "Is she a graduate of Lanxiang Vocational School?" he mused. "The Sea God might pass out if he saw his trident used as a digging tool!"

Despite the extreme cold, the dangerous terrain, and the seemingly impenetrable ice, they dug for five days straight. Finally, the ice layers started to thin. They had already dug several kilometers deep, a feat only possible with so many Titled Douluo present and with the Sea God's Trident in hand.

Nearing the last stretch, Yang Potian ordered everyone to halt. The next phase required extreme caution; after all, Skydream Iceworm, the only million-year soul beast on Douluo, wasn't to be trifled with.

As they neared the last few dozen meters, Yang Potian continued alone, silently using his spear to tunnel deeper while carefully avoiding any soul power fluctuations.

Suddenly, a crack formed in the ice. An overwhelming presence erupted from below, a soul beast aura stronger than both the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress combined. Waves of potent life force surged forth, undoubtedly from the essence of ten-thousand-year cold marrow, the ultimate icy treasure.

Yang Potian finally spotted him—a large, jade-white iceworm, with a plump, rounded head, over a meter in diameter and a length surpassing seven meters. His translucent body glistened like polished jade, with ten golden rings circling from head to tail, each glimmering faintly.

Yang Potian's heart surged with triumph. He'd finally found Skydream Iceworm after all this effort. The sight left both the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress stunned. They'd never expected Skydream Iceworm to have reached a million years, exuding an aura that surpassed their own.

At that moment, Skydream Iceworm seemed blissfully unaware of the danger around him, lost in sleep, drooling as he dreamily chewed on something.

Yang Potian stationed his team at the entrance, ensuring Skydream Iceworm wouldn't escape, while he stealthily approached, preparing to capture him in one swift move.

But suddenly, the iceworm's form shimmered and blurred, expanding into an enormous cocoon that seemed to engulf Yang Potian.

Then, a voice echoed with laughter from above, "Did you really think you could catch me that easily, kid? Your brother Skydream isn't that simple to trap!"

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