Word Count: 3,320 Words
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The Dragon King's Crown and Purple-Gold Ring slowly merged into Ling Bai's body. His aura climbed ever higher. Beneath the Extreme Chill Icespring, the illusory form of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor condensed and released a crazed, piercing roar. Ferocious and evil, its beastly frame sprouted overlapping dragon scales that rippled into existence one after another.
"If the Dragon God still existed and the dragon clan's Divine Weapons had not been lost, Di Tian might long ago have shattered the shackles of the Divine Realm and ascended as the Dark Dragon King, no longer bound beneath human Gods.
The dragon race has fallen to this state because of us Dragon Kings. The Dragon King's Crown carries our final remaining strength. Black Dragon envoy, do not disappoint the dragon clan."
The Water Dragon King gave Ling Bai one last deep, lingering look. Then its soul sank back into the colossal corpse. It had grown so weak that it could only fall into slumber once more to slowly nurture what remained of its spirit.
The Fire Dragon King did the same. By the time Ling Bai completed the fusion, only the Snow Empress remained beside the glacier-like dragon carcass.
With the Water Dragon King's silent consent, the Snow Empress had stripped a wisp of Dragon King ice and fused it into her Ultimate Snow. Given time, that trace would surely carry her into an even higher realm: Ultimate Ice and Snow.
Now that she possessed a true body again and the Heavenly Snow Woman's origin had evolved, a rare flush of excitement tinged the Snow Empress's eternally frosty, peerless face. As Ling Bai burst up through the icespring toward her, a faint smile curved her brows and eyes.
"The Dragon King's Crown… legend says it holds the origin divine power of all nine Dragon Kings. You've made quite the haul," she said quietly.
Ling Bai answered with a low chuckle and a nod. The Water and Fire Dragon Kings were old acquaintances of Di Tian. Their guilt at leaving him to support the entire dragon race and spirit beast world alone had become a constant weight on their hearts. They yearned desperately to change this stagnated era.
He had invoked Di Tian's name to ask their aid; in response, the two Dragon Kings had emptied themselves, giving until they had nothing left but bones. When others invested so heavily, he would naturally return that favor. One day, he would give the dragon clan and spirit beasts a proper answer.
As he carefully probed the Dragon King's Crown's abilities, Ling Bai's expression turned subtly strange. He muttered:
"This thing's power is strong… almost too strong…"
The Dragon King's Crown possessed two primary abilities. The first was Dragon's Will.
The unyielding will of the two Dragon Kings now stood watch over his Spiritual Sea. From this day forward, attacks targeting his Spiritual Sea would be rendered meaningless. Whether brainwashing or possession, none would find purchase.
The second ability was pure offense, and here the Crown grew truly frightening. Its destructive force actually reached the God level. Ling Bai had no way to activate such a skill with his current spirit power, but fortunately the Water and Fire Dragon Kings had treated it like a Rechargeable Spirit Guidance Device. Before falling into deep sleep, they had left behind enough energy for the second skill to be unleashed once. Without that charge, he could only have stared helplessly at a mountain of treasure.
'God-level…'
Ling Bai's gaze sharpened like drawn steel. He didn't believe for a moment that a certain someone in the Divine Realm would sit idle and watch him grow. Sooner or later, an attack would come. The Dragon King's Crown's second skill was an opportunity, a chance to buy time!
The Snow Empress stared at those blazing golden eyes and felt an inexplicable shiver run through her. As the child of two Gods, Ling Bai was born with divine majesty. Most of the time he concealed it, but now, with the Dragon King's Crown fused into him, he seemed to have inherited the Dragon Kings' pressure as well. Every gesture, every word, radiated an increasingly unmistakable godlike loftiness.
Her body dissolved into frigid mist and flowed back into his Spiritual Sea. She needed seclusion now, time to fully digest the Water Dragon King's true essence of ice.
…
By noon, at the edge of Sunset Forest, Ling Bai prepared to take his leave from Dugu Lin. She lingered behind like a wife watching her husband depart for distant lands.
The Jade Phosphor Poison Array was a perfect mimicry cultivation ground for her. Strength was the essence of a Spirit Master. Even though Dugu Lin had been willing to give up absorbing the poison mist just to follow him to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ling Bai still chose to leave her here, forbidding her to descend the mountain until she broke through to Titled Douluo.
Dugu Lin understood he was thinking of her future, so she had simply begged him to indulge her a little longer.
Now she no longer needed to dread the Jade Phosphor Serpent poison's backlash, no longer needed to flinch from others' fear and disgust. With the man she loved at her side, she could do whatever she wished, whenever she wished.
They were the ten most relaxed days she had ever experienced. Body and soul, she clung to Ling Bai, coaxing him without pause to push her further, to test where her limits truly lay.
Through her relentless persistence, Ling Bai finally yielded to her desires one particularly fervent night. The tight entrance she had teased him about for days was finally breached, yielding inch by inch. In the heat of their coupling, he pinned her legs back until her knees touched her shoulders, folding her open completely to his invasion. Then, with just enough force to leave a delicious sting blossoming across her skin, he brought his palm down on her flushed cheeks. Then he wrapped his fingers around her slender throat and squeezed. She trembled beneath him, undulating like a serpent in pure ecstasy. Hot tides burst from her again and again, and her beautiful features contorted into an obscene euphoria. Even now, the memory of that intoxicating release burned fresh in her mind.
It had also been Ling Bai's first time truly witnessing how pain could transform into rapture. The deadly serpent woman's near-deranged enjoyment made Wu Feng's little one-husband-one-wife fantasy seem as tame as a docile kitten.
Dugu Lin watched as Ling Bai dwindled into a single golden mote on the distant horizon. A look of utter infatuation flickered beneath her emerald eyes. Her delicate tongue slid across her full red lips. Then she turned and slipped back into the Jade Phosphor Poison Array to accelerate her absorption of the poison mist that had accumulated overhead for ten thousand years, yearning for the day she would finally break through to Titled Douluo.
A quarter of an hour later, Ling Bai returned to the forest's edge. He summoned a pitch-black Spectral Gate, and from within stepped a massive Spectral Bone Dragon.
The Spectral Demiplane had originally contained three bone dragons. The strongest, a Rank 96 Spectral Bone Dragon, had evolved into a Death Abyss Bone Dragon under the Death Abyss Demon Scythe's influence. One had been devoured by Ling Bai in the Star Dou Forest. This was the last.
"Guard this place. Destroy all intruders."
"ROAR—"
The Spectral Bone Dragon roared its obedience, soul fire burning fiercely in its hollow sockets.
The Jade Phosphor Poison Array would only grow thinner as Dugu Lin devoured it. The Nine Absolutes Jade Phosphorous Flower King's fate was already sealed. With her cruel temperament, Dugu Lin would never spare such a perfectly matched poison-type spirit ring. When that time came, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's outer defenses would be at their weakest in ten thousand years.
As a Titled Douluo-level spectral creature, the Spectral Bone Dragon possessed extraordinary resistance to poison. Ling Bai stationed it outside the Jade Phosphor Poison Array as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's outer guardian, to prevent petty schemers from interrupting Dugu Lin's cultivation.
He had another reason as well. Dugu Lin had claimed that with her Ultimate Poison and superior Martial Spirit, she could browbeat the Nine Absolutes Jade Phosphorous Flower King into sacrificing itself or simply kill it outright. Ling Bai chose to believe her, but still preferred caution. If danger arose, the Spectral Bone Dragon would intervene at once.
…
A silver moon hung high above as a streak of golden light dropped onto Sea God Island.
Inside her room, Ma Xiaotao sat cross-legged in meditation. Crimson fire-attribute spirit power coursed across her slender body, coiling like living flame. Spirit Masters usually replaced sleep with meditation at night.
A sudden series of crisp knocks rang out against the door, shattering the quiet.
She glanced at the thick darkness beyond the window and let a wicked smile curl her lips. Slipping off the bed, she changed into something more appropriate, then unhurriedly opened the door.
"Oh?"
Her moist red lips parted in delighted surprise. The only one with the nerve to knock on the Inner Courtyard's 'Active Volcano' in the dead of night was Ling Bai, of course, but this time he held a massive bouquet of blazing red flowers. The petals burned like tongues of flame, vivid and dewy, like a streak of rosy sunset torn from the sky. A rich, enticing fragrance spilled from them.
What woman in the world didn't like receiving flowers from her beloved? Not even the wildest, most hot-tempered girls were exceptions. Ma Xiaotao's heart blossomed with joy, and she couldn't help reaching toward them.
Then memories of the Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival flashed through her mind. Ling Bai had promised to coax her, yet all he had done afterward was steal kisses and caresses a few times for his own satisfaction. She slammed on the brakes and lifted her chin, deliberately chilling her tone:
"How insincere. You think a bouquet is enough to make me your woman?"
The forced sternness on her beautiful face only made Ling Bai want to laugh. Ma Xiaotao was all sharp tongue and soft heart. Her eyes had never left the flowers, yet she acted as though she couldn't care less.
They hadn't seen each other for days. She was already burning with impatience. The last few times, she had pretended to resist, only to end up seizing the initiative and devouring him whole. Tonight, she wore a silk camisole nightgown that clung obscenely close to every dangerous curve.
The hem barely reached mid-thigh, just enough fabric to cover the fullest, most tantalizing part of her legs. Beautifully curved lines drew the eye irresistibly upward to where her rear proudly displayed its enticing contours beneath the clinging silk, the pert swell straining against the thin material with every subtle shift of her weight.
Higher still, her waist narrowed dramatically, accentuating her seductive, willowy figure before giving way to large expanses of fair skin that lay bare, reflecting an ivory-like lustrous sheen under the room's soft lighting. The gentle swell of her breasts strained against fabric far too thin with each breath, the slip's neckline plunging low enough to offer constant, maddening glimpses of the deep valley between.
Twisted love was thrilling, but normal, straightforward affection held its own irreplaceable value. Ling Bai placed the flowers into Ma Xiaotao's arms, and heat surged up her cheeks at once.
"What is this…?"
The instant that scorching warmth washed through her, Ma Xiaotao felt the Fire Phoenix bloodline within her stir with sudden excitement, sending an urgent, eager message through her veins.
Encouraged by Ling Bai's gaze, she lowered her head. Something seemed to lie hidden among the petals. She carefully parted them to reveal a trembling crimson immortal herb nestled within, soft and pliant, radiating a gentle yet overwhelming heat.
The herb was formed from layers of red leaves, its crown shaped like a rooster's comb. Delicate leaf veins shone with noble crimson-gold. Even suppressed by blazing golden angelic spirit power, the herb still exhaled a wave of scorching heat that set her Fire Phoenix bloodline resonating in wild, continuous waves.
"Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower!!!"
Ma Xiaotao practically leapt into the air. Once, when she had been shackled by her evil phoenix fire, the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower had been the treasure she yearned for most.
With Ling Bai's help, her Martial Spirit had evolved into Fire Phoenix, yet among ultimate attributes it still sat at the bottom. It couldn't compare to Ultimate Martial Spirits like the Seraphim or Golden Dragon. Even Huo Yuhao's Ice Jade Scorpion ranked a cut above her.
With the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, she would completely shed that stigma of being the weakest ultimate attribute and truly become a Fire Phoenix soaring through the nine heavens!
"I couldn't come to coax you empty-handed. Is this gift to your satisfaction?" Ling Bai asked with a smile.
"Hmph, you always know exactly what you're doing!"
The present had struck the bull's-eye. Whatever faint anger still lingered in Ma Xiaotao's heart evaporated without a trace. She beamed in delight, hugging the enormous bouquet to her chest as Ling Bai slipped an arm around her waist and guided her back inside.
He released the seals suppressing the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower. A heartbeat later, a trembling voice rang out within the room, thick with fear.
"A 100,000-year spirit beast?!"
Ma Xiaotao's phoenix eyes flew wide. An ordinary Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and a 100,000-year Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower were worlds apart. The latter possessed medicinal power several times stronger, and more importantly, it represented a 100,000-year spirit ring and a 100,000-year spirit bone!
"Are you always this generous when you're coaxing women?" she asked, still half in disbelief.
"Why couldn't it simply be that you're worth it?"
Critical hit!
Ma Xiaotao had no defense against that unhesitating affirmation. Her heart swelled, packed full of sweet warmth. She liked Ling Bai not just for his handsome face and overwhelming strength in every respect, but more crucially for the emotional worth he brought her, the way he made her feel cherished, wanted, and utterly valuable.
Whether his words were absolute truth or sweet lies, in this moment Ma Xiaotao's heart had turned to water. She threw herself at him and claimed his lips in a fierce, eager kiss as her voluptuous body pressed hotly against his.
The night ahead was long. There was no need to rush. Ling Bai caught her wandering hand before it could slip lower and murmured:
"This Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is a 100,000-year spirit beast. Its core holds Phoenix Flame Marrow. Absorb it tonight, and it will help your Martial Spirit be reborn in fire.
As for its body, spirit ring, and spirit bone, wait until you reach Rank 90 to kill and devour it. That way you won't need to risk hunting another 100,000-year spirit beast."
"Alright!"
Ma Xiaotao now followed his every word without question. She immediately transformed into an obedient student, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Ling Bai reached into the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and carefully guided his spirit power as he extracted drops of Phoenix Flame Marrow one by one, feeding them into her mouth.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red, red—her eight spirit rings shone with dazzling brilliance. Clear phoenix cries occasionally burst from her throat. Her flimsy nightdress turned to cinders in an instant, revealing a body of explosive curves bathed entirely in rose-gold flame.
The Phoenix Flame Marrow's medicinal power was incredibly domineering. Beads of fine, translucent moisture emerged layer by layer beneath her crystal-smooth skin. Fiery light flowed ceaselessly across every inch of her, while the image of a phoenix in full song slowly surfaced on her back, as though she were undergoing true nirvana.
"Lord Angel, I will sacrifice myself to her in the future. Could you spare my life and allow me to be reborn in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower pleaded, voice shaking.
"Keep dreaming."
Ling Bai's answer was two words, cold as ice. He resealed the immortal herb without a trace of mercy. Necromancy possessed countless ways to toy with souls. The Snow Swan Kiss had chosen to sacrifice itself willingly, so he had shown leniency. The seeds of the other five 100,000-year immortal herbs, however, would all have their memories wiped clean.
Sparing the Snow Swan Kiss had nothing to do with sudden compassion. He simply didn't want to waste its spirit ring, and Dugu Lin's body couldn't safely absorb a 100,000-year spirit ring at Rank 70.
Both women wielded Ultimate attributes, but at the same rank, Dugu Lin's physical strength fell far short of Ma Xiaotao's.
It couldn't be helped. Ma Xiaotao was a direct descendant of Shrek, born from proper roots, with three 10,000-year spirit bones already absorbed. Dugu Lin had been alone and unsupported. Only in the last few days had she obtained the Snow Swan Kiss spirit bone and the Medusa Skull left behind by Dugu Bo.
He didn't worry about the Snow Swan Kiss causing trouble. Immortal herbs bullied the soft and feared the hard. Confronted with enough pressure, they became as meek as quails.
An hour later, golden-red flames roared into the sky. The wooden hut's roof might as well have been paper; it dissolved instantly, not even a speck of ash drifting down.
Ma Xiaotao threw her head back in a long, exultant cry. The sound burst with the arrogance of a phoenix that could swallow mountains and rivers. The king of all birds unleashed its might, and waves of phoenix pressure rolled across Sea God Island. Every powerhouse in deep meditation jolted awake as if struck by lightning.
'Truly a blessed child!'
Yan Shaozhe sensed Ma Xiaotao's phoenix aura and stroked his chin with open delight.
'Xiaotao's Martial Spirit has evolved, and her spirit power seems to have risen as well. It's time to convene a Sea God Pavilion meeting and name the next successor!'
He calculated with the ease of long habit. Ling Bai had walked onto Sea God Island with swaggering confidence, and before long Ma Xiaotao had undergone such a leap. Even a pig would know whose hand had guided this.
Now that the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan held such great power, Shrek Academy naturally had to mend relations. Ma Xiaotao was the ideal bridge.
As a first-generation scoundrel, Dean Yan took rather open-minded views toward relationships. As long as Ling Bai's heart held space for Ma Xiaotao, he could use that emotional tie to raise her to the position of Sea God Pavilion Master.
Background and affection would bolster each other. In his eyes, Ling Bai would never be willing to discard a woman as exquisite and lofty in status as Ma Xiaotao.
'We can only wrong Yuhao a little. Who told Xiaotao to be so blessed…'
…
"That felt incredible!!!"
Ma Xiaotao stood and stretched languidly, every line of her body radiating wild confidence. Her phoenix eyes burned with scorching excitement:
"My phoenix flame feels completely different… richer, more majestic than before. Ling Bai, Ling Bai, can you feel the grandeur in my fire now?"
Silence greeted her question. Ma Xiaotao glanced around in confusion, only to meet a pair of golden eyes glinting with pure, undisguised appreciation. Following his hungry gaze downward, she suddenly realized her magnificent body was completely exposed to his view.
She let out a soft, theatrical huff, then rose and walked toward him with deliberately exaggerated hip swings, every step a provocation. With practiced ease, she settled into his lap, draping herself against him as her breath spilled hot against his ear:
"You've seen me hundreds of times already. Why would I be shy now?
Stop dawdling and attend to your duties properly. Tonight, I want at least eight rounds!"