N-A-A 15. Entering a minor dimension, the gaze of God.
15. Entering a minor dimension, the gaze of God.
"Where am I?" This was Ling Bingtian's first reaction as he slowly awoke from his coma.
Outside his slightly open eyes, there seemed to be a strong incandescent light, something Ling Bingtian had never seen before on the Douluo Continent.
Since the Ling family strictly prohibits the use of soul guides, they naturally do not have soul guide lamps.
"Could it be that I've traveled back in time again?" For a moment, Ling Bingtian's heart was filled with extremely complicated emotions, but these complicated emotions quickly subsided after his eyes adjusted to the bright light.
He saw a familiar face. Ling Yongsheng was standing in an open space not far from him, with an older-looking stranger standing beside him.
The old stranger's gaze was even more intense; Ling Bingtian could almost feel the fervor in his eyes that far surpassed the fervor his elders had shown in the past two days, as if he wanted to burn him.
'Looks like I didn't transmigrate a second time. But who is this person? That look is a bit creepy,' Ling Bingtian thought to himself.
Soon, Ling Yongsheng, seeing Ling Bingtian slowly wake up, didn't keep Ling Bingtian waiting long and revealed the identity of the unfamiliar old man.
"Xiao Tian, this is your great-uncle. Come, call him great-uncle." Ling Bingtian understood that the unfamiliar old man in front of him was the great-uncle who had been missing for even longer than his grandfather, according to family rumors.
Ling Bingtian was puzzled as to why this uncle was stationed here, but why hadn't he returned home for so many years?
But this was clearly not the time to ask such a question, so Ling Bingtian could only follow Ling Yongsheng's lead and greet him, "Greetings, Grand Uncle."
"Okay, okay." Ling Yongming, who had only spoken to Ling Yongsheng beside him in the past twenty years, was somewhat awkward at this moment, but he still responded to Ling Bingtian's greeting as quickly as possible.
Ling Yongsheng naturally understood Ling Yongming's current state and feelings. He didn't let him say more, but instead began to explain to Ling Bingtian himself.
Ling Yongming was naturally happy to have some free time, so he let Ling Yongsheng slowly explain to Ling Bingtian the reason for his position.
As Ling Yongsheng explained, Ling Bingtian couldn't help but feel a deep respect for this unfamiliar great-uncle. The fact that he could stay in this godforsaken place for decades for the sake of his family was enough to move her deeply.
Not to mention that if he hadn't come, and Ling Yongsheng had, he might not exist anymore.
So, after Ling Yongsheng finished explaining, Ling Bingtian bowed to Ling Yongming and said, "I understand, thank you for your hard work, Uncle!" His childlike voice was sincere and touching.
Ling Yongming's heart trembled. He hadn't expected Ling Bingtian's first reaction after listening to his second brother's explanation to be like this. It warmed his heart, which had grown cold from years of guarding the city.
"It's alright, it's alright, it's not hard work. Let's not talk about this anymore, Second Brother, you should take Bingtian to get down to business." Ling Yongming hadn't interacted with anyone for far too long.
At this point, all he could do was urge Ling Yongsheng to take Ling Bingtian to do important business, also wanting to see if he really had any hope of being freed.
"That's right. Let's go, Xiaotian. Grandpa will take you to see the real wonders." Ling Yongsheng also thought his older brother's words made sense, so he gestured for Ling Bingtian to follow him. He turned around and walked behind Ling Yongming first. Not far behind Ling Yongming was that membrane of aptitude.
"Coming." Responding to Ling Yongsheng, Ling Bingtian also started walking to catch up with him. After waking up, Ling Bingtian had regained control of his body, and at the same time, he was very curious about the existence of that membrane of aptitude.
"It can block Soul Masters, but not the aftershocks of battle. It's truly a magical and bizarre existence." Ling Bingtian thought to himself, but he was also quite eager to see it.
After all, like the soul power within the body, these things were things that could never be seen or touched in the previous life.
Fortunately, the distance wasn't far, only about 10 meters, before Ling Yongsheng stopped.
Clearly, they had reached the membrane. "Drink—" Ling Yongsheng uttered a soft shout, and the familiar Frost Soul Chain Dragon Spear appeared on his right hand, surrounded by nine soul rings that were astonishing no matter when you looked at it.
But what surprised Ling Bingtian even more was Ling Yongming, who followed without hesitation and also released his martial spirit.
A spiraling, dark blue horn slowly emerged from Ling Yongming's forehead, and his muscles bulged violently, clearly visible on his black outfit. A black tail also emerged from behind Ling Yongming, sliding along the ground and leaving trails that clearly showed its weight.
Unicorn Dark Ice Dragon Martial Soul, Possessed!
What's most remarkable is that if Ling Bingtian didn't see Ling Yongming with his eyes, he wouldn't be able to sense his presence.
Even looking in the direction he had just been, it was obscured by a thick layer of darkness, making it impossible to see his exact location.
The nine spirit rings that flashed by in the darkness still greatly shocked Ling Bingtian.
Purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, black, red!
Nine spirit rings that surpass the optimal spirit ring ratio!
It seems that Uncle Da also received a gift from the gods here. Recalling the experience of the first generation of Shrek Seven Devils ten thousand years ago, Ling Bingtian felt relieved. This must be the Ice God's compensation to the guardian.
"Xiao Tian, release your martial spirit, take a step forward, and one of your hands will come forward. Don't resist its pull on your soul power." Ling Bingtian shouted, and then took a step forward.
A miraculous thing happened before Ling Bingtian's eyes. After Ling Yongsheng took this step, a ripple inexplicably appeared in the air in front of him, and his body disappeared from Ling Bingtian's sight.
Ling Yongming, who was standing to the side, dispelled the darkness on his body and gave Ling Bingtian an encouraging look.
"Hoo—" Ling Bingtian let out a long breath. A flash of icy blue light appeared on the back of his right hand, and the familiar ice armor reappeared. A faint soul power fluctuation appeared on his body. Although it was weak, it was still stronger than that of a newly breakthrough soul master.
"Indeed!" Ling Yongming was overjoyed. With his cultivation level, he could roughly sense that Ling Bingtian's soul power was perfectly fine.
He doesn't have a first spirit ring, but he has a spirit power reserve far exceeding what a spirit master should have. What my second brother said is true!
Ling Bingtian ignored his great-uncle, who was excited after confirming his talent, and took another deep breath. He took a step forward, his right hand pointing straight ahead until he touched an invisible yet real membrane.
Feeling the attraction emanating from the membrane, Ling Bingtian released control of his soul power. His soul power quickly flowed out of his body like a stream from his right hand, drop by drop, until he felt that half of his soul power was about to be absorbed.
A strange sight occurred!
The previously indistinct thin film suddenly emitted an icy blue color, and the number 10 appeared on it.
Ling Yongming's eyes lit up with even more joy. This scene had appeared in the Ling family's records before. It was the scene that appeared when the Ling family's ancestor with innate full soul power came to this place. At that time, the number 10 appeared, which meant that the ancestor had innate full soul power.
数字还在持续变化，11、12、13、14、15。
The number only stopped changing when it turned into two large, bright red 15s. An unnatural blush appeared on Ling Bingtian's face, a result of excessive consumption of soul power.
Ling Bingtian felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, somewhat similar to the feeling he had after running three thousand meters in his previous life. That feeling of emptiness, as if his physical strength had been exhausted, rose from his dantian and spread throughout his body.
This is a classic sign that the soul power is about to be exhausted, and the feeling of emptiness also peaks when the number on the membrane jumps to 15.
Just when Ling Bingtian felt he was about to fall into a coma for the second time today, the suction finally disappeared.
With a flash of icy blue light, Ling Bingtian's figure disappeared from Ling Yongming's sight.
Without hesitation, Ling Yongming took a step forward and disappeared into the cave as well.
But the excited Ling Yongming didn't notice that the membrane, which usually disappeared after someone entered, was now flashing with an icy blue light. Mysterious hexagonal magic arrays were shining on the membrane, exuding a mysterious charm.
At the same time, waves of terrifying pressure emanated from the membrane and slowly spread outwards.
The soul beasts on the Frosty Snow Mountain Range that sensed this oppressive aura all tucked their tails between their legs and fled away from its direction. Among them were many powerful ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts, and their eyes revealed obvious panic.
The most powerful of these soul beasts was a Soul-Hunting Ice Eagle, whose cultivation had even reached the peak of 90,000 years.
Having already developed a certain level of consciousness, it thought with fear in its heart.
"This oppressive aura is even stronger than that of the three kings in the core area!!"
Meanwhile, in a space filled with a soft glow, there stands a magnificent ice crystal palace on a vast ice field.
The palace is nearly twenty feet tall and covers an area of nearly eight thousand square meters. It is entirely composed of ice crystals.
The palace's owner seemed to have a fondness for octagons; not only is the palace itself octagonal, but its exterior is also covered with octagonal carvings.
From a distance, the palace gives the impression of being a plant growing on an ice field.
At the very center of the palace is an octagonal main hall. In the very center of the main hall is an octagonal ice bed.
If a knowledgeable Soul Master were to see this bed, he would surely be astonished.
A bed of 100,000-year-old mystic ice marrow!
Even a small piece of thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow is enough to drive every ice-attribute soul master on the Douluo Continent mad. Absorbing it can rapidly enhance strength and foundation, and placing it aside during cultivation can slightly accelerate the cultivation speed of ice-attribute soul masters. And now, in this peculiar palace, there is actually an octagonal bed of ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow, covering an area of about ten square meters!
If people knew that such a treasure existed here, probably no one would not be envious.
However, the person sitting upright on this bed may be enough to thwart these people's evil thoughts.
It was a mysterious man who appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties. He wore a well-fitting, ice-blue outfit that clung to his body. Most striking was his short, octagonal blue hair. He sat quietly on the bed of ten-thousand-year-old mystic ice marrow, his eyes closed, his entire being seemingly merged with this strange palace. He appeared ordinary, but a closer look revealed a terrifying power hidden within him.
At the very moment Ling Bingtian stepped across the membrane, the mysterious man opened his eyes, which had been closed for countless years, revealing a pair of icy blue eyes to the world. Most strangely, deep within the mysterious man's eyes, the faint reflection of an eight-pointed plant could be seen.
The mysterious man murmured, "How many years has it been? Has someone finally been able to break through the barrier of aptitude and inherit my mantle?" His words revealed an indescribable sense of vicissitude and a slight joy.
As the mysterious man's emotions fluctuated, the entire ice crystal palace seemed to come alive. If anyone were here at that moment, they would be surprised or even horrified to feel that the ice in the entire palace seemed to have come to life.
The mysterious man paid no attention to the changes in the palace. With a thought, a crystal tablet made of ice crystals rose from the ground in front of the Xuanbing Marrow Bed and appeared before him.
The mysterious man casually pointed, and a scene appeared in the direction the crystal tablet was facing. In the scene, three figures could be seen: two old men and a young man. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Ling Bingtian and Ling Yongsheng, the two elders.
Therefore, the identity of the mysterious man is self-evident. He—no, it should be Him.
He is the Ice God!
"This plane?" Suddenly, the Ice God seemed to sense something, recalling the instructions of a certain god-king when leaving his legacy in this plane, and the message he had recently received from Him. "What a nuisance." Even as a god, the Ice God couldn't help but frown. Gods are also ranked; his own strength was insignificant before that god-king, let alone his status in the divine realm. But…
"What a pity, Asura God King, I'm truly bored in this world. Rather than endure the torment of eternal life here, I'd rather travel to other planes to find something interesting." The Ice God silently thought, casting aside these distracting thoughts. In terms of cultivation, limited by his second-level godhood, he was indeed no match for the Asura God King.
In these endless years, his friends either died or passed on their divine positions to their descendants and went off to live a carefree life. Only he, for some reason, could not find a successor. Now, even though the Asura God-King had ordered him not to interfere with the development of this plane, he could no longer care.
In the best-case scenario, he would pass on his divine position and go out to enjoy himself; in the worst-case scenario, he would simply be targeted by a god-king.
No matter how you calculate it, Ice God realized that there seemed to be only one outcome for him, and that was—to win!
Since that's the case, what else is there to say?
Ice God cast aside all distractions and began to focus on the contents of the crystal tablet before him.