met free Chapter 8: Observing in Secret and Waiting for the Right Opportunity
Chapter 8: Observing in Secret and Waiting for the Right Opportunity
Youheng was well aware of this principle. Devouring another version of oneself was the quickest way to become powerful. A cold killing intent flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it with reason.
"I also want to resolve this hidden danger as soon as possible. However, Sister Xue Di, she is, after all, a level 30+ Battle Soul Master with the top-tier Evil Shadow Demon Tiger Martial Soul. As for me, I am just a level 10+ Food-type Soul Master. A direct confrontation is unlikely to succeed. A sneak attack... is also extremely risky on his territory."
"A food-type Soul Master isn't necessarily inferior to a Battle Soul Master!" The Snow Empress's voice carried a hint of arrogance. "Don't forget your first Soul Skill, Snow Soul Ice Condensation Pill! After consuming it, you will gain the 'Snow Soul Ice Skin' state, granting you immense immunity to physical attacks, imbuing your attacks with extreme ice power, and greatly enhancing your control over ice elements! This already gives you extremely strong self-protection and counter-attack capabilities!"
"More importantly," the Snow Empress's tone became solemn yet alluring, "I can begin teaching you right now my ultimate technique, the Emperor's Palm, which I've used to dominate the far north for seven hundred thousand years—the Great Cold Without Snow!"
"Emperor's Palm... No Snow in the Great Cold?" Dai Youheng's gaze sharpened. He certainly knew the power of this ultimate technique in the original work. It was a terrifying killing move that abandoned the gorgeous light and shadow effects and completely contained the extreme cold of ice within the palm. Anything touched by it would crumble instantly, and those who were hit by it would have no chance of being saved!
"That's right!" the Snow Empress affirmed. "With my personal guidance, and the amplification from the Snow Soul Ice Condensation Pill, as long as you practice diligently and grasp even a fraction of its essence, killing a Soul Venerable with a single palm strike when they're off guard will not be difficult!"
A glint flashed in Youheng's eyes as he quickly weighed the options in his mind. Xue Di's plan was indeed highly feasible.
He took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright! I'll listen to Sister Xue Di! From today onwards, I will begin my arduous training in the Emperor's Palm: Great Cold Without Snow!"
He turned his gaze back toward the White Tiger Duke's mansion, his eyes cold and sharp.
"However, I think that given that guy's personality and way of doing things, even if we don't take action... he'll bring about his own destruction sooner or later. We just need to... wait patiently, or... give him a little push when the time is right."
Hunting requires patience. And what hunters have no shortage of is patience. He picked up his teacup and drank the slightly cool tea in one gulp, as if he were drinking not tea, but the destiny of another version of himself.
Inside a quiet, unassuming inn in Xingluo City.
Dai Youheng slowly opened his eyes, and the faint fluctuations of soul power surrounding him receded into his body like a tide. He felt the increasingly abundant soul power in his dantian, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"I'm at level seventeen."
Since awakening in the far north, it has only been a little over three months, but through his own cultivation, his soul power has increased by two levels.
This speed might not seem like much to a genius with innate full soul power, but for someone who only started cultivating at the age of fourteen, a late start, it is quite astonishing.
The cultivation method he practiced was quite peculiar. It was not the meditation method commonly found in Douluo Continent, but rather a nameless technique forcibly implanted into the depths of his soul by the "strange hand" that had captured him from another world.
When this technique is used, the way the soul power flows within the body is wild and efficient, faintly carrying a kind of beastly domineering and greedy nature, frantically seizing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, yet it is completely different from any soul beast cultivation method known to the Snow Emperor, and is full of the exotic aura of another world.
After practicing this method, one can easily enter a state of deep inner vision. With one's consciousness sinking into the dantian, one can clearly see the Heavenly Demon Pill of Reversal of Fate that is quietly suspended, exuding an ominous and powerful aura, as well as the 700,000-year-old soul ring as heavy as a mountain on it.
You can also see that aloof and ethereal figure residing deep within the soul ring.
That was not the Snow Empress that Huo Yuhao encountered in the original story, who had taken on a loli form due to excessive power depletion.
Because the sacrifice process was relatively complete, although his power was greatly diminished, his soul essence was perfectly preserved by the 100,000-year-old snow lotus. At this moment, the Snow Emperor presented in his inner vision was still the same ice and snow ruler who had ruled the far north for nearly 700,000 years.
A stunningly beautiful and mature woman, tall and slender with an unparalleled beauty, flowing silver hair, and flawless skin. She exudes an aura of extreme coldness and noble majesty, and simply by hovering there quietly, she seems to be the center of the entire world.
"Progress is acceptable." The Snow Empress's cool voice rang directly in his mind, carrying a hint of barely perceptible approval. "Although your technique is strange, its efficiency in absorbing energy far surpasses that of ordinary meditation methods. However, it is too domineering. With long-term practice, you must guard your mind and not be tainted by its bestial nature."
"Don't worry, Sister Xuedi, I know what I'm doing," Dai Youheng replied.
He got up and walked to the window, his gaze once again turning towards the direction of the White Tiger Duke's mansion, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
He wasn't idle during those three months. Aside from cultivation, he spent most of his time using his low profile to secretly observe that other "self."
However, the result left him somewhat helpless.
That sycophant's actions were so monotonous it was appalling.
He would either wallow in self-pity or indulge in unrealistic daydreams in the secluded courtyard of the White Tiger Duke's mansion, or persistently wander near the Star Luo Imperial Palace, trying to find an opportunity to see Xu Jiujiu again. Occasionally, he would buy some small gifts in the city in an attempt to please Xu Jiujiu.
The Duke's mansion is heavily guarded, with numerous guards and powerful figures stationed there. The Star Luo Imperial Palace is even more dangerous, teeming with experts and extremely well-protected.
To commit murder in these two places? It's tantamount to courting death. Dai Youheng is confident, but not reckless. His low profile is invincible against ordinary people and even average Soul Masters, but he may not be able to completely hide from truly powerful individuals.
He had already experimented and found that his low profile wasn't absolute "invisibility." As long as he actively and strongly sought to attract attention, such as by suddenly shouting or deliberately bumping into others, they could still notice him.
This state is more like a "ignoring" at the rule level than a physical disappearance.
In those remote towns, he could use this ability to "rob the rich to help the poor" or satisfy his personal desires, because there were at most a few city lords or mercenary leaders at the Soul Master or Soul King level, and it was difficult for them to see through his abnormality.
But where is this place? The capital of the Star Luo Empire!
The Imperial Hall of Worship is located here, and who knows how many old monsters at the Title Douluo level are hidden inside! How sharp is the spiritual perception of Title Douluos? Their research on energy fluctuations and abnormal souls far surpasses that of ordinary people.
In case any of the worshippers could detect the soul fluctuations between the two "Dai Youheng" that are of the same origin but vastly different.
That would be great fun!