The morning light was faint. Lin Feng stood on the mountain peak, his eyes closed in concentration. A faint aura of yin and yang circulated around his body, as if he were one with heaven and earth.
From between his eyebrows, a wisp of clear light slowly overflowed, gradually condensing into a sword shadow that was transparent with a faint ice-blue hue. It was precisely the appearance of the Ice God Sword—Hanguang.
Invisible to the eye, its movement unknown to the touch, disappearing into boundlessness.
As the shadow of the Hanguang sword gradually took shape, the air around Lin Feng also seemed to solidify. Even the morning light seemed to be stained by the faint ice-blue, taking on a touch of coldness.
This sword was not a physical entity, but was nurtured by the majestic True Qi in Lin Feng's body and the primordial qi of heaven and earth. The cold qi flowing on the sword's body seemed to be able to freeze all the living beings and dust around it.
However, under careful perception, within the cold qi, there seemed to be an indescribable vitality, as if it were a touch of warm sun in winter, both cold and gentle.
This was not the main body of the Ice God Sword. As a divine weapon that had already acknowledged its master, Lin Feng could place it in any part of his body, transforming it into a sword pattern and then hiding it under his skin, to be summoned at any time, to respond at any time.
At this moment, the main body of Hanguang was in Lin Feng's dantian, suspended above the Innate Treasure Pearl that was enveloped by the five-element Soul Veins and the two qis of yin and yang. It was being nourished by an endless amount of True Qi. If one were to look from within the dantian, one could see wisps of golden True Qi rising, lingering around Hanguang.
As Hanguang, which was once a divine weapon of a first-level god, it itself contained an endless power and came with three skills.
One, Ice Sealing a Thousand Li. It could release an ultimate cold qi, instantly freezing the surrounding space into a glacier. Not only did it have a powerful area-of-effect control, but it could also cause continuous freezing damage to the enemy, and at the same time, it would weaken the opponent's defense.
Two, Frost Domain. It could instantly release a powerful icy aura, forming a frost domain. Within this domain, the enemy's speed, attack power, and defense power would all be greatly reduced, while the holder's abilities would be correspondingly enhanced.
Three, Eternal Ice Seal. An ultimate forbidden skill. Its power was huge, but the price was also extremely heavy. One had to sacrifice all of one's own power to activate it. Once this skill was cast, it would completely freeze the target and everything around it. Time and space would seem to stand still at this moment. The one who was frozen would fall into an eternal deep sleep. Unless an existence with power surpassing the caster's removed the seal, there would be no day of liberation. They would die under the constant erosion.
And the current Hanguang, as the carrier of the Ice God's shattered god-seat, hidden within it was the foundation of the god-seat, that is, the deepest connection between the origin law of ice and heaven and earth.
This connection was like a bridge communicating between heaven and earth. It was the essence of a god-seat.
The purpose for which Lin Feng had taken it for his own use was nothing other than to comprehend his own path to godhood from it. He would not be the Ice God, but he would find his own path in this foundation of a god-seat.
After Hanguang had been placed in Lin Feng's dantian, it was as if it had received a new nourishment. Lin Feng could, with its main body, condense its sword shadow in the outside world with his True Qi, similar to his martial soul projection.
In this process, Lin Feng's understanding of Hanguang's essence would continuously rise. When he could truly project a nearly identical solid entity, his understanding of the god-seat's foundation would also be complete. The next step would be to use this to communicate with the laws of heaven and earth and begin to prove his Dao.
Therefore, he had chosen the most direct method: to nourish the sword with his body, to continuously grind and communicate with the sword, to make the sword gradually adapt to his own body and will, and to accelerate his understanding of the god-seat's foundation. The Ice God, as an innate god, her god-seat did not require the power of faith. This was also one of the reasons why Lin Feng had chosen her.
Those who become gods through faith are, after all, inferior to innate divine beings and those who prove their Dao with strength. Their upper limit is also lower.
When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and completely shone on Lin Feng's body, he fiercely opened his two eyes. A sword body almost identical to Hanguang's main body condensed before him.
Lin Feng gripped the sword hilt, only feeling a clear, cold qi enter his body from the sword, intertwining with his True Qi, making his entire body feel as if it were filled with a powerful force.
He took a deep breath and fiercely swung the sword. An ice-blue sword light cut across the long sky, heading straight for the distant mountain range. Wherever it passed, the air was as if frozen, leaving a long ice scar.
The clouds in the sky were disturbed by this ice-blue sword light and began to churn. This sword qi pierced through the clouds, cutting the cloud qi on this mountain peak in two, causing the large half of the azure-blue sky to be revealed again.
This spectacular scene was enjoyed by only two people: one was Lin Feng, and the other was the Snow Empress.
Today was the time they had agreed upon to research the skill route within the Snow Empress's body. At the same time, it was also the first time Lin Feng had tried to use Hanguang. With the Snow Empress present, he could have a deeper understanding of the Ice God's foundation.
With the dissipation of the sword qi, Lin Feng felt the surging of the True Qi in his body and the resonance with the Hanguang sword become more and more intense. The connection with Hanguang had reached an unprecedented closeness. He closed his eyes and once again felt the power from the origin of ice, silently communicating with the laws of heaven and earth in his heart, trying to comprehend a deeper layer of mystery.
A short while later, he shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and said with a smile to the Snow Empress who was quietly watching him show off at the side, "It seems I am still too impatient. This god-seat's foundation is profound and unfathomable, not something that can be comprehended in a day or a night."
Today's Snow Empress was dressed in a long white dress. A head of pure white long hair fell down. From her clothing to her person, there was not the slightest bit of powder or decoration. But it was so transcendent and refined, like a fairy from the nine heavens descending to the mortal world, not stained by a single speck of dust.
Her ethereal, sky-blue eyes blinked, the corners of her mouth slightly lifting. "Are you showing off? In front of me, a descendant of the Ice God, you're talking about the difficulty of understanding the Ice God's god-seat?"
Lin Feng smiled embarrassedly. "Ahem, don't worry. I will preserve Hanguang. This is also the reason why I chose to nourish the sword with my body."
Hearing this, the Snow Empress nodded slightly. Originally, she had thought that Lin Feng would choose to directly use the Ice God Sword as a sacrifice for his god-seat. She had not expected it to be otherwise. Now, the Ice God Sword would on the contrary receive the nourishment of his True Qi and perhaps recover its former great power.
She parted her vermilion lips. "Thank you."
Lin Feng waved his hand and said with a smile, "No need to thank me, Snow Empress. Hanguang and I are already a community of fate. Its strength is also my strength. What's more, as a descendant of the Ice God, there is a thousand-threaded connection between you and it. I will naturally not treat it rashly."
The Snow Empress smiled faintly. The smile was like a spring breeze brushing one's face, making one's heart feel warm. "Lin Feng, the sword shadow and sword qi you condensed just now, its essence is still a little wrong. Perhaps you need to understand ice and snow a little more. This will be helpful for your current cultivation."
Lin Feng was stunned. "Where was it wrong?"
A mysterious smile appeared on the Snow Empress's beautiful face. She slowly raised her hand. With a light tap of her fingertip, fine ice crystals actually condensed out of the void, dancing lightly.
"Your sword, although its cold qi is awe-inspiring, lacks the agility and change of ice and snow. Ice is not just cold. It can also turn into a trickling stream, nourishing all things. Snow can both cover the great earth and also float lightly with the wind, turning into nothingness. What you need to comprehend is this mystery of being both still and moving, both hard and soft."
"You have seen my Emperor's Sword and Emperor's Palm. Emperor's Sword—Ice Extreme Peerless; Emperor's Palm—Great Chill Without Snow. One sword, one palm, are both the extreme of ice and snow, yet they also contain the myriad changes of ice and snow. To have warmth hidden in ice, and life carried in cold, is the true meaning that the way of ice should have."
After hearing this, Lin Feng couldn't help but secretly praise the Snow Empress in his heart. As expected of a spirit of the Land of the Extreme North, her understanding of ice and snow was so profound. It was no wonder that even though she was a hundred thousand years behind Di Tian in cultivation, in terms of combat power, she was not weaker than him, and might even be undefeatable by Di Tian in the Land of the Extreme North with a buff.
If the Snow Empress were not a soul beast, but a human with an Ice Heaven Snow Woman martial soul, without the restrictions of the Divine Realm, in this era, I'm afraid she could have stepped out on her own path to become a god.
Suddenly, Lin Feng's state of mind became clear and bright, as if a great door to an unknown world had slowly opened before his eyes. He saw one after another of pictures about ice and snow, life and death, stillness and movement. These were all the sceneries reflected in his heart by the origin law of ice. Ice was not just a symbol of cold, but also a power that nurtured vitality and guarded balance.
When he opened his eyes again, the light in them was even more firm and deep. He lightly swung his sword. This time, no ice-blue sword light shot out. Instead, the surrounding air began to condense, forming one after another of exquisite ice flowers. They slowly floated and danced in the air, then lightly landed on the ground, without the slightest bit of coldness, but on the contrary, with a warm and gentle aura.
The Snow Empress's gaze flickered for a moment, clearly not expecting that Lin Feng would have made a breakthrough so quickly again.
"In terms of ice and snow, I am indeed temporarily inferior to you," Lin Feng shook his head, frankly admitting his own shortcomings. "But I believe that through continuous grinding with Hanguang, and with your guidance, I will eventually comprehend the true meaning of ice and snow. Snow Empress, are you willing to lend me a hand, to jointly explore the mysteries of this origin of ice?"
The Snow Empress tilted her head. "How do you want me to help you?"
"Rely on it."
Lin Feng handed the Hanguang projection in his hand to the Snow Empress. The Snow Empress took it. The transparent sword shadow gently trembled in her hand, as if resonating with her soul. She gazed at this sword, a trace of surprise and curiosity flashing in her eyes.
"What does this mean?" the Snow Empress asked softly. Her voice was like the water of an ice spring, clear and cold.
"Your Emperor's Sword, why don't you try to condense it as well?"
The Snow Empress blinked her eyes. She tightly gripped the Hanguang projection in one hand, while her other hand slowly lifted. With a light tap of her fingertip, a cold qi instantly condensed in the void, gradually converging into a sword shadow that was entirely ice-blue and emitted a faint cold light—it was precisely her Emperor's Sword.
Two sword shadows, one transparent with a touch of light blue, one a deep ice-blue, complemented each other, as if they were engaged in a silent dialogue.
"They are very similar, aren't they?" Lin Feng said.
"They are indeed very similar," the Snow Empress responded softly, her gaze flowing between the two sword shadows. The similar sword bodies, their lines graceful and smooth, as if a work of heaven.
The Hanguang sword shadow was transparent with a touch of a faint ice-blue, like a glacier at the first melting of dawn, both clear and mysterious, as if containing an endless cold intent and vitality.
And the Snow Empress's Emperor's Sword was entirely ice-blue, its cold light sparkling, like the purest ice crystal in the Land of the Extreme North, emitting a heart-palpitating cold qi, yet in the cold light, a trace of an imperceptible gentleness was revealed. The two sword shadows gently swayed in the air, their auras intertwining with each other, as if it were the whisper of two ice and snow gods.
"The extreme of ice and snow, they are both existences manifested by the way of ice," Lin Feng continued. "Hanguang, as the divine weapon of the Ice God, contains the power of the origin of ice; and your Emperor's Sword is the product of your profound understanding of ice and snow as an Ice Heaven Snow Woman. Although their sources are different, they both belong to the way of ice."
"But there is one point that is different. The Hanguang in your hand at this time is a projection of the Hanguang's main body in my body. It is a form that I have condensed in the outside world after a deep connection with the Hanguang's main body, relying on my True Qi."
"And I guess, if you can, with your unique power of ice and snow, try to resonate with this Hanguang projection, perhaps not only will it be of benefit to me, but for you, it will also be a brand new comprehension."
The Snow Empress stroked her chin. "Specifically, what do we have to do?"
"I will manifest the shadow of Hanguang on your Emperor's Sword, to have the two sword shadows fuse in the void. You just need to relax your mind and let your Emperor's Sword naturally respond to the Hanguang projection, to see if it can stimulate any new comprehension or power."
The Snow Empress nodded. Her Emperor's Sword slowly floated in the air. Hanguang also, under Lin Feng's control, gently floated over. The two sword shadows slowly approached in the void. Under the shining of the morning light, as if endowed with life, they began to slowly rotate, their cold qi and True Qi beginning to intertwine and fuse.
Hanguang gradually transformed into a spreading phantom that enveloped the Emperor's Sword, and then permeated...
"Mmm-hmm~"
The Snow Empress let out a muffled groan, a moan that was impossible to tell if it was of pain or pleasure. Her delicate body trembled slightly.
"Mmm-hmm~"
"What's wrong?"
The Snow Empress's sandalwood mouth was slightly agape. Perhaps the energy carried by Hanguang was too vast, or perhaps this was the Snow Empress's first time... accepting such a deep resonance and fusion from a sword shadow containing the foundation of the Ice God's god-seat. An unprecedented power was surging in her body, as if it wanted to break through all shackles and boundaries.
"It's nothing. It's just... its energy is too great. It feels a little strange, a little nervous," the Snow Empress's voice carried a trace of a tremble. Her two eyes were fixed on the two sword shadows that were fusing in the air, a complex light sparkling in them.
Lin Feng nodded. "It's normal to be nervous and unaccustomed the first time," he comforted. "You just need to relax and let this power flow naturally. It will help you better understand ice and snow. Perhaps it can also let you touch the barrier that you have never been able to break through."
(That's right, I'm KC-ing.)
Hearing this, the Snow Empress took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself down. She closed her eyes, feeling the surging power in her body, as well as the strange feeling brought by the fusion of the two sword shadows.
As time went by, the Snow Empress gradually adapted to the surging of this power. She could feel that her soul and physical body were being baptized by this power, becoming purer and stronger. At the same time, she also felt an unprecedented resonance and connection with Lin Feng.
Finally, when the two sword shadows had completely fused together, transforming into a brilliant ice-blue light, the Snow Empress fiercely opened her two eyes. Her eyes sparkled with a firm and confident light, as if she had already seen her future path.
"Lin Feng, I've felt it... that barrier, it's right in front. As long as we take one more step forward, we can touch it!" The Snow Empress's voice carried excitement and expectation.
Lin Feng also sensed the change in the Snow Empress. He once again swung the Hanguang projection. Two ice-blue sword lights intertwined.
"Ah!!!"
Finally, in the Snow Empress's cry of surprise, Hanguang and the Snow Empress's Emperor's Sword completely fused together, transforming into a brand new sword. Its form was extraordinary, far surpassing the former Hanguang and Emperor's Sword.
The sword's body was entirely a faint blue, but not an ordinary blue. It was a fusion of the gentleness of the first light of dawn and the coldness of the deep night, as if it had perfectly fused the first ray of light between heaven and earth with the last touch of coldness. The sword's body was as transparent as crystal, yet it contained an endless depth, like a glacier in the deep sea, both clear and visible, and also mysterious and unfathomable.
On the hilt of the sword were carved complex and ancient runes. These runes sparkled with a faint light, like the manifestation of the origin law of ice. Every stroke contained an endless wisdom and power. At the grip, cold qi and True Qi intertwined, both bone-piercingly cold and as warm as spring, giving a kind of indescribable comfort and peace of mind.
At the tip of the sword, the cold qi was the most dense, as if it could pierce through the void and reach the nine heavens. And when the sword light was swung, the surrounding air was as if frozen by it, forming one after another of beautiful ice flowers. These ice flowers slowly floated and fell in the air, gentle and agile.
The Snow Empress's entire person's aura was also continuously being raised at this time. A circle of a faint blue light ring surrounded her figure. Even if she was not in the Land of the Extreme North, at this time, she was undoubtedly at the realm and strength of a Limit Douluo!
The understanding of the Ice God's foundation from the Hanguang projection, in the Snow Empress's mind, converged into a river like a trickling stream, letting her take that step!
The Snow Empress stared straight at Lin Feng, her gaze constantly sparkling. She had seen it! The possibility of recreating the Ice God from here!
And Lin Feng was comprehending the Snow Empress's understanding of the way of ice. This brand new fusion was like a unique fusion skill, allowing their understanding and control of ice to reach a new height.
"Lin Feng!"
"Hmm?" Lin Feng opened his two eyes, looking at the longsword in the Snow Empress's hand with surprise. "This sword is very beautiful."
The Snow Empress, on the other hand, spoke up, "I want to call it the Emperor's Wind Divine Charm Sword. How about it?"