"I am curious—who gave you the courage to appear before me?"
Standing in midair, Mu Yang gestured for Shui Bing'er at his side to retreat, and then addressed the unwelcome figure who had suddenly appeared in the distance.
"Despicable human—die! Imperial Sword—Peerless Ice!"
The Snow Empress wasted no words. Extreme ice and snow surged forth as a massive crystalline imperial sword condensed, then shot straight toward Mu Yang.
Ever since her request for vengeance had been refused by Di Tian, a resolute determination had risen within the Snow Empress' heart.
She knew full well that by striking at the Elemental Academy, Mu Yang would certainly retaliate in the future.
And moreover, she had long suspected that she was already being targeted by Mu Yang, whose second martial spirit lacked high-aged spirit rings. If she fled back to the Extreme North, it would be nothing but a slow death—for sooner or later, Mu Yang would come seeking her.
What was more, the hatred of the Ice Empress had to be avenged. Otherwise her heart would never find peace.
Thus, the Snow Empress had not returned to the Extreme North. Instead, she came once more to the Elemental Academy, lying in ambush outside its grounds, patiently waiting for the chance to strike.
She admitted that Mu Yang's Martial Spirit Fusion Skill was powerful—but no matter how strong such a skill was, it required a chance to be unleashed.
If luck favored her, and she encountered Mu Yang alone, without the academy's several experts by his side and if she gave him no opportunity to activate his Fusion Skill—the Snow Empress believed she still had a chance to kill him.
Heaven helps those who endure. After two months of waiting outside the Elemental Academy, the Snow Empress finally encountered the perfect opportunity.
She refused to believe she could not kill Mu Yang, who had only recently advanced to nine rings and had not yet had time to employ his Fusion Skill.
"Spirit Bone Skill: Crystal Guard!"
Facing the oncoming Imperial Sword, Mu Yang curled his lip. A flash of crystal-colored radiance appeared as his external spirit bone, the Crystal Scale Armor, manifested. With his spirit power surging, a spherical, transparent crystalline shield enveloped his entire body.
Immediately after, Mu Yang retrieved a ginseng from his soul guide wristband and swallowed it. At once, a layer of profound radiance spread across his form.
"Boom—!"
The next moment, the Imperial Sword slashed down. Ice-blue brilliance exploded as violent fluctuations of spirit power erupted.
"Imperial Palm—Great Cold Hmph—"
Not daring to risk that one strike might fail to kill Mu Yang, the Snow Empress hastily began to unleash her Imperial Palm—Snowless Great Cold. But before the icy palm had even fully taken shape, a terrifying spiritual shock suddenly descended into her sea of consciousness.
Under that terrifying shock, the Snow Empress instantly turned pale, blood seeping from her seven orifices—her spirit had suffered grievous trauma.
"Crack, crack—"
At that instant, the sound of shattering glass rang out. Ice shards exploded in all directions. Clutching her head against the stabbing pain, the Snow Empress could only watch as Mu Yang broke free from the ice that had sealed him after her Imperial Sword strike. His aura remained utterly steady, as if her attack had not harmed him in the slightest.
She was not mistaken. Even after taking the full force of her Imperial Sword—Peerless Ice, Mu Yang had emerged completely unharmed. Instead, she herself had suffered the backlash of the Green Jade Thorn Ginseng, enduring a mental shock equivalent to 80% of her sword's own power (maintained by the Purple Jade Profound Yellow Ginseng).
The might of the Imperial Sword—Peerless Ice was unquestionable. But the Snow Empress was not skilled in spiritual power. Thus, even that 80% backlash was enough to deal her severe spiritual damage.
As for why Mu Yang had withstood her Imperial Sword's strike unscathed—this was thanks to his external spirit bone, the Crystal Scale Armor, which had undergone a qualitative transformation after his spirit power had reached nine rings and had now revealed its second spirit bone skill.
External spirit bones grew stronger as a Spirit Master's power increased. When Mu Yang advanced to nine-ring Title Douluo, the Crystal Scale Armor's age rose to one hundred thousand years. Its armor had transformed from lacking head protection into a full-body suit of crystalline armor.
Spirit bones of one hundred thousand years or more generally bestowed two abilities. The Crystal Scale Armor was no exception.
Upon reaching one hundred thousand years, its original skill, Crystal Body, raised its damage reduction against physical and energy attacks from 30% to 60%.
The newly emerged skill, Crystal Guard, was a purely defensive spirit bone ability.
Its effect was to form a spherical, transparent crystalline shield that enveloped the user entirely. While unable to block spiritual attacks, its physical and energy defenses were formidable.
But this was not the main point.
If the Crystal Guard were only of one hundred thousand years, then even with its powerful defense, it might not have perfectly blocked the Snow Empress' Imperial Sword—Peerless Ice.
The key was that although Mu Yang had only recently advanced to Title Douluo, his spirit power was not that of a newly ascended Level 91, but that of Level 98!
As a Spirit Master's level advanced, external spirit bones advanced in age as well. At nine rings, external spirit bones became one hundred thousand years or more; upon reaching godhood at Level 100, they would transform into god-level spirit bones.
Mu Yang was now a Level 98 Title Douluo. The age of his Crystal Scale Armor was not merely one hundred thousand years—it had reached over eight hundred thousand years!
Without doubt, the Crystal Scale Armor had become the second-highest aged spirit bone in all the continent.
And the first?
That was Bibi Dong's external spirit bone, the Six-Winged Purple Light Wings, whose age was at least over nine hundred thousand years.
A defensive spirit bone skill of more than eight hundred thousand years' age—this was truly the continent's strongest shield. How could such a defense, when driven by Mu Yang's foundation as a Level 98 yin-yang dual soul core Title Douluo, possibly be broken by the Snow Empress' sword of just over six hundred thousand years?
Barring spiritual methods, the only ways to break the Crystal Guard would be through an attack of god-level power—or a special ability that ignored defense altogether. Otherwise, even the mightiest of men could not shatter it.
"How can this be?!"
Staring at Mu Yang, armored in crystal and emerging unscathed from the ice, the Snow Empress' face was filled with horrified disbelief.
"There is nothing impossible. What you deem impossible is merely the limit of imagination bound by weak strength."
Mu Yang's tone was calm as he spoke.
The Snow Empress' strength—weak?
Of course, Mu Yang's words exaggerated. Even without the advantage of the Extreme North's icy domain, few Spirit Masters across the continent could best the Snow Empress.
In Mu Yang's knowledge, only the half-god Qian Daoliu could reliably suppress her outside of the Extreme North. Even the Spirit Hall's second worshiper, the Golden Crocodile at Level 98 peak, was somewhat inferior.
Yet everything paled before comparison.
Before Mu Yang's advancement to nine rings, he had to avoid the Snow Empress, unable to defeat her even with Shui Bing'er and their Fusion Skill.
But now, as a Level 98 Title Douluo, handling a six-hundred-thousand-year Snow Empress was child's play.
After all, the gap between a Level 90 quasi-Title Douluo and a Level 98 Title Douluo was even greater than the gap between Mu Yang and the Snow Empress back then.
His calm, disdainful words crushed the Snow Empress' spirit.
After a long silence, her pale face fell into dejection as she spoke: "Human… you have won. May I at least know your name?"
"Elemental Sacred Academy, Mu Yang. Title: Iceflame."
Mu Yang answered faintly.
Though the Iceflame Holy Shadow martial spirit was not yet complete—still lacking its eighth and ninth spirit rings—he had already become a nine-ring Title Douluo. Thus, he had taken the title of Iceflame after its name.