"Alright."
Before the words had even faded, a highly condensed blood-colored silk thread erupted from Fei Yan's fingertip, piercing through the air.
This silk thread was incomparably sharp and moved at a speed difficult for the naked eye to discern. Like the sharpest scalpel, it instantly sliced through the air, precisely cutting across Castorice's raised arm.
Chiii—!
A hideous wound, deep enough to see the bone, instantly appeared on Castorice's fair arm. Blood gushed out immediately, and the ivory-white bone was almost visible.
The power of this strike was enough to easily sever refined steel.
However, at the very same moment Castorice's arm was injured—
Puff!
On Fei Yan, who was standing opposite her, the same position on her left arm actually split open out of thin air. A wound, similarly deep enough to see bone, appeared without any warning, and crimson blood instantly dyed her sleeve red.
The sharp pain that followed caused Fei Yan's expression to change drastically.
Damage transfer.
An attack originally sufficient to sever Castorice's arm had its lethality forcibly split equally between the two of them.
This was only because the gap in cultivation between Fei Yan and Castorice was too large; otherwise, she would have borne even more damage, while Castorice bore less.
Seeing this bizarre scene, even the pupils of the always-indifferent Long Xiaoyao constricted suddenly.
At the moment the attack took effect, the damage that should have been borne by Castorice alone was forcibly split in half and applied to Fei Yan.
And Fei Yan, a Super Douluo, actually had no warning and no way to defend against it.
Fei Yan clutched her profusely bleeding arm, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
She instantly understood what had happened—Castorice's Spirit Ability was not a total immunity to damage, but rather a way to forcibly share the damage with her in a manner she could not comprehend.
Thinking of this, a chill instantly rose from the depths of Fei Yan's heart.
What if Castorice sustained a lethal attack?
Even if only half was shared, it would be enough to give any opponent a hard time. In fact, even a Titled Douluo might be taken down along with Castorice.
Furthermore, Castorice still had her Second Spirit Skill, 'Death Dreamscape,' as her final life-saving trump card... This combination was simply impossible to guard against.
As if seeing through the fleeting fear and solemnity in Fei Yan's eyes, Castorice glanced at the still-hideous wound on her arm, then at Fei Yan's injury, and stated calmly:
"It seems that with my current cultivation, I cannot fully transfer it yet; I can only achieve a partial sharing."
She paused and continued in that flat, emotionless tone:
"However, if I were to take a fatal blow, even sharing just half would presumably be enough to change the course of a battle. Though, the specific effects will ultimately need to be verified through actual combat."
Her words were meaningful as her gaze swept over Fei Yan and Long Xiaoyao.
"And right now, there isn't a Titled Douluo willing to risk death to let me conduct this experiment."
These words were light, yet they made the surrounding air feel several degrees heavier.
Looking at Castorice's calm, expressionless face and the wound on her arm identical to her own, Fei Yan realized for the first time just how bizarre and extraordinary the power controlled by this Holy Maiden was.
Long Xiaoyao spoke at this moment:
"A very strong Spirit Ability. Coupled with your Second Spirit Skill, even a Titled Douluo might be forced into a one-for-one trade by you if they don't know your secrets."
He paused, his gaze like a torch as he looked at Castorice.
"So, what about the second Spirit Ability that a hundred thousand year spirit ring should grant?"
A look of helplessness appeared appropriately on Castorice's exquisite face, and she shook her head gently:
"I've made a fool of myself before Uncle Long. I... only have this one Spirit Ability. Perhaps it is because the effect of 'Simultaneous Engraving and Fate Exchange' is too powerful that it exhausted the entire potential of this spirit ring."
"I see."
Long Xiaoyao was not overly surprised and simply commented calmly.
"It is reasonable. Judging solely by the mystery and potential of this Spirit Ability, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a million-year Spirit Ability."
The Douluo Continent was vast and boundless, with all sorts of strange Martial Soul and Spirit Ability systems. No exception was surprising, especially since Castorice's Martial Soul was already special to begin with.
...
While Castorice and Long Xiaoyao were talking, tens of thousands of miles away, the piercing cold wind of the Extreme North Land was like countless icy blades scraping against the face.
Following behind Zhang Lexuan through the ice and snow, Caelus's footsteps faltered almost imperceptibly for a moment.
'Simultaneous Engraving and Fate Exchange... A super HP tank and a suicide truck, huh...'
He gave this Spirit Ability a peculiar evaluation.
The ability Simultaneous Engraving and Fate Exchange made Castorice an unkillable cockroach. At critical moments, she could even drag someone down with her in a self-destruction, a limit one-for-one trade.
The most sinister part was that Castorice herself had a revival skill. In other words, she could use one revival skill to screw over an opponent who was far stronger than her.
And in the Late Stage, she wouldn't even need to revive. With one hundred percent damage transfer, Castorice would be unharmed while her opponent died instantly.
Undoubtedly, this was an ability involving fate and Karma; its mechanics were maxed out.
Without invincible stats, it wouldn't matter who the opponent was.
Since Castorice's side had become so strong, he had to work hard too, starting with obtaining his Fourth Soul Skill.
Watching Zhang Lexuan lead the way while alertly scanning the surroundings, Caelus stopped thinking and followed closely behind, strolling through the world of ice and snow.
The wind and snow grew increasingly fierce. As far as the eye could see, there was only a vast expanse of white.
The knife-like cold wind carried ice particles that could not only easily tear through the flesh of ordinary people but also continuously erode the Soul Power shields of low-level Soul Masters.
Zhang Lexuan frowned slightly and took an imperceptible step closer to Caelus. A soft, moon-white Soul Power shield expanded, enveloping them both and isolating them from the extreme cold and fierce winds outside.
"Stay close. The cold here is extraordinary."
Her voice was cool, yet it carried concern for her junior brother.
She was an eight-ring Spirit Douluo and could still hold out, but Caelus was only a Soul Elder after all; his Physical Body would find it difficult to endure the grinding of such an extreme environment for long.
Caelus felt the pressure around him lighten and the chill vanish. He turned his head and gave Zhang Lexuan a reassuring smile:
"Thank you, Senior Sister, but I can still handle this bit of wind and snow."
As he spoke, the airflow around him began to circulate imperceptibly. He wasn't confronting the wind and snow head-on, but rather, in a more subtle way, forming a thin and tough air membrane on the surface of his body.
When the violent wind and snow touched this air membrane, it was like a stream bypassing a boulder, naturally guided and slid away, no longer able to act directly on him.
Although it wasn't as absolutely safe as a Spirit Douluo's shield, it was enough to resist the erosion of the environment.
"I can manipulate the airflow to isolate external influences. Senior Sister, it's better for you to conserve some Soul Power."
Caelus explained.
"In this Extreme North Land, no one knows what we will encounter in the next moment. It's always good to keep a bit more strength."
A flash of surprise crossed Zhang Lexuan's eyes. She could feel that Caelus wasn't just being stubborn; that airflow barrier, though very small in range, was exceptionally stable and efficient.
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