Chapter 310: The Evil Emperor's Submission and the Road to Godhood
When Ling Luochen heard Xiao Qiang say he planned to forge a 99,999-year Ice Jade Scorpion ninth soul ring, her eyes widened, and no matter how composed she usually was, this time she could not remain calm.
A 99,999-year soul ring, while lacking the qualitative leap and additional skill of a full 100,000-year soul ring, still offered immense benefits. For her, the enhancement it would bring to her Ultimate Ice Martial Soul would be nothing short of transformative.
More importantly, after the transformation of her earlier soul rings, Ling Luochen now had:
First to Fourth: 7,600 years each
Fifth: 10,000 years
Sixth: 20,000 years
Seventh & Eighth: 76,000 years
If she added a 99,999-year ninth soul ring, her total soul ring age would exceed 300,000 years.
With the famed no-bottleneck attribute of Ultimate Ice, this meant her path to becoming an Ultimate Douluo was no longer just a dream—it was a genuine possibility.
Though there was debate among scholars and predecessors about the bottleneck-free claim of Ultimate Ice, Ling Luochen knew one thing for sure: with this soul ring configuration, she would at least be strong enough to challenge those bottlenecks at level 97 or 98.
She even thought briefly—If Xuanzi were still alive, I could avenge my classmates in ten years.
"You're not reacting as dramatically as I expected," Xiao Qiang teased, seeing her dazed expression.
"It's not that I'm not surprised," she murmured, still absorbing the implications.
Xiao Qiang just smiled. The idea of compressing a soul's power to forge near-100,000-year soul rings was something almost no one on the continent had thought of. But then again, the technological stagnation in Douluo over the past 10,000 years had already dulled his expectations.
After all, it took Huo Yuhao, a literal protagonist, to propose using spirit tools as augmentations for Soul Masters. That idea should've been obvious. So Xiao Qiang didn't expect the people here to have particularly high IQs.
"…Why do I feel like you're looking at me like I'm an idiot?" Ling Luochen asked, frowning.
"No, you're imagining things," Xiao Qiang replied, lips twitching.
With both Nana and Ling Luochen—two rising pillars of the Soul Palace—now on solid paths, Xiao Lan was placed in charge of internal affairs while Xiao Qiang departed on a more important mission.
Together with Xiao Sheng, Xue Di, Jing Hongchen, and Mu Qingxue, Xiao Qiang arrived at the core region of the Demon Forest.
"Greetings, Senior Evil Emperor." Xiao Qiang greeted him politely—but the Evil Emperor didn't look thrilled.
He had known about the Soul Palace's god-making plan but hadn't expected them to arrive with their full high-end combat force. With at least two individuals able to threaten him and three others difficult to handle, even someone of his status knew this was too much respect.
Or rather—too much pressure.
If he refused to be "respectable," he feared he'd become "respectable"—as in, a highly respected soul ring.
He couldn't count on Xue Di either. This wasn't like Douluo III, where Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape distanced themselves from Tang Wulin for being human. Though soul beasts had solidarity in Douluo II, the Ice Empress currently resided in Xiao Qiang's mind, and thus Xue Di wouldn't oppose Xiao Qiang.
"I understand," said the Evil Emperor at last. "I agree to the summoning plan. I'll lend you my strength."
It was a wise move. Between surrendering after a beating or becoming a soul ring and bone outright, it was smarter to join while still intact.
"I see you're missing a head soul bone, and the Evil Eye Tyrant Clan just happens to produce those. I can become your head soul bone—bones first, then the ring."
"Wait, Senior Evil Emperor," Xiao Qiang raised a hand. "My second martial soul isn't fully equipped with soul rings yet. I have a more suitable candidate for the head soul bone and other soul rings of my second martial soul. So… I'd like you to become an external head soul bone instead."
"…An external soul bone?" The Evil Emperor glanced briefly at Xue Di, realization dawning.
With Tian Meng, a ninth-level spirit guide, and the Hongchen family's resources, Xiao Qiang could easily mask Snow Empress's presence from human experts. But not from the Evil Emperor, whose mental power likely exceeded the Divine Origin Realm. He had met Snow Empress before—her identity couldn't be hidden from him.
"There's a Deep Sea Demon Whale King in the oceans," Xiao Qiang added. "Her age exceeds 900,000 years, and she's expected to break through the million-year threshold. She's better suited for the head slot."
"I see."
Xiao Qiang continued, "The soul system has evolved. There's now a compression method that enhances a soul's power far beyond its natural limit. By fusing all potential rings into one condensed soul ring, we can exceed the beast's original level."
"Since you're becoming an external soul bone, when I fuse your million-year soul ring, the overflow energy will strengthen the bone and push my power to a higher realm. It's mutually beneficial."
"…I accept," the Evil Emperor nodded, seeing no downside. At this point, his fate and Xiao Qiang's were linked.
Years passed.
After fusing the Evil Emperor's external soul bone and completing the million-year soul ring compression, Xiao Qiang's power surged.
His soul power climbed from Level 90 to 98 over two and a half years of seclusion. The fabled 99th level, once thought of as a mountain, was no longer an insurmountable peak—it was within grasp.
In terms of physical strength, he far surpassed Huo Yuhao of Douluo II. Xiao Qiang had superior soul bones across the board—hands, legs, torso—and only fell short in mental power and head bones. But now, with the Evil Emperor's external soul bone and the overflowing energy from the million-year ring, even that gap was closed.
His spirit power broke through the God-level threshold.
On his forehead, a green Reincarnation Eye appeared, marking a terrifying evolution of power.
And within his spiritual sea, a new and unfamiliar figure suddenly emerged.