The Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile went completely berserk.
Terrifying ice-attribute energy erupted from its entire body, and countless sharp ice spikes shot out from the frozen surface beneath its feet, covering a range of dozens of meters around it.
Dustless Land.
Caelus gave a low shout, and the air currents around him rotated rapidly, forming an absolute defensive Domain that deflected and bounced away all the ice spikes shooting toward him.
The ice spikes collided with the air current barrier, producing a dense, rain-like 'patter' sound; crushed ice splashed everywhere, looking like a hailstorm falling in the valley.
The aftershocks of the battle continued to destroy the valley; the ice surface shattered, the ice walls collapsed, and the booming sounds and the Soul Beast's roars were incessant.
Caelus was like dancing on the edge of a blade; his Soul Power was being consumed rapidly, and his face grew increasingly pale, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Now is the time.
He used Empty Dream Shadow Flit again, teleporting directly in front of the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile and making a provocative gesture.
The Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile, its rationality long since swallowed by rage, didn't even think as it condensed all its power to activate one of its strongest innate Spirit Abilities—Ice Prison Trample.
It stood up on its hind legs, and those arms containing terrifying frost and strength smashed down fiercely toward Caelus and the ground beneath his feet with the power to crumble mountains and crack stones.
This strike was enough to freeze and shatter everything within its range.
However, at the very instant its attack was about to land, Caelus's figure vanished once more.
"Rumble—!!!"
A vibration more intense than any before it traveled through the area.
The ground beneath the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile's feet instantly collapsed into a giant crater; a terrifying frost shockwave mixed with physical ripples of power spread in all directions, turning the ice layers at the crater's edge into fine powder.
The Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile let out a roar of imminent victory, its blood-red eyes searching for the mangled remains of that loathsome human.
But what it saw was Caelus appearing at the edge of the crater, a smile of a successful scheme on his face.
He slowly raised his hand, and toward the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile standing in the center of the crater—temporarily exhausted from unleashing its ultimate move—he softly breathed the words that decided the outcome:
"First Soul Skill: Dreamlike Bubble."
As early as a minute ago, he had used Super-Pressure Air Blade to strike twice at that exact position.
"Chirr—!"
Two sounds, extremely subtle yet so sharp they seemed capable of tearing the Soul, rang out almost simultaneously.
Two invisible, absolutely sharp slashes appeared out of thin air, crossing as they swept through the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile's toughest chest and abdomen area.
They ignored the Deep Blue Profound Ice armor that was enough to withstand the attacks of a Spirit Emperor, as if that thick ice armor were merely an illusory image.
The Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile's massive body charging forward suddenly froze; in its blood-red eyes full of violence, a dazed look of disbelief and fear appeared for the first time.
It lowered its head and looked at its own chest.
There, two cuts as smooth as mirrors emerged silently.
The cuts were initially as thin as a hair, but then they rapidly expanded, revealing the muscles, bones, and... instantly lifeless internal organs behind them that had been cut with the same precision.
No blood gushed out because the extreme cold and the speed of the slashes caused the wounds to freeze instantly.
"Crack..."
Its proud Profound Ice Armor began to shift and slide along the cuts, emitting a crisp shattering sound.
Immediately after, its massive body was like a toppled set of building blocks; along the trajectories of those two irresistible slashes, it crashed apart into several pieces, slamming heavily onto the ice and kicking up a cloud of ice dust.
Until its death, it did not understand where those incomprehensible, indefensible attacks had come from.
In the valley, the wind and snow continued, but that fierce and violent aura had already dissipated.
Caelus panted slightly; using Spirit Abilities consecutively and engaging in a great battle with the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile using his self-created air current martial arts, even he felt exhausted.
But as he looked at the remains of the giant beast slain by attacks from the past, and that black ten-thousand-year spirit ring, a tired yet satisfied curve hooked at the corner of his mouth.
As a quasi-Spirit Ancestor, relying on precise calculation, extreme maneuvers, and that rule-level First Soul Skill, he had completed this nearly impossible slaughter.
Zhang Lexuan drifted down and stood beside Caelus, her gaze sweeping over the shattered remains of the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile that still emitted a piercing chill, finally settling on that black ten-thousand-year spirit ring that was slowly rising, deep as ink and flowing with powerful energy ripples.
Even for her, it was hard to avoid a stir in her heart at this moment.
She sighed softly, her voice carrying an undisguised sense of wonder and admiration:
"Even without me, with the ability you've shown, you could hunt a spirit ring alone. It's truly... incredible."
She paused, turning her gaze to Caelus, whose face was still somewhat pale, and shook her head.
"It's hard to imagine that you haven't even obtained your fourth spirit ring yet."
She, Zhang Lexuan, as the Senior Sister of the Inner Court and one of the top Geniuses of Shrek Academy in centuries, had seen countless brilliant individuals.
But asking herself, back when she was a Soul Elder, if she had faced this thick-skinned, extreme-cold-controlling Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile, there would have been no second possibility other than keeping a respectful distance.
Ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts required a Soul King to handle, and an existence like the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile could not be contended with by anyone below a Spirit Emperor.
Yet Caelus, a Level 40 quasi-Spirit Ancestor, had actually done it.
During the battle, she had seen clearly that although Caelus's sharp air blades could shake its form, they were never able to truly break through the absolute defense of that Deep Blue Profound Ice.
This was originally the most troublesome aspect of the Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile, and also an insurmountable chasm for the vast majority of those challenging higher levels.
However, Caelus's rule-level First Soul Skill—Dreamlike Bubble—had cleverly bypassed this chasm.
By replicating the attack phenomena he had left in his own past, he formed an indefensible kill.
This had nothing to do with the strength of power; it was entirely a victory of mechanics.
Upon hearing this, Caelus slowly shook his head; his breathing was still a bit unsteady, but his eyes were very clear:
"Senior Sister overpraises me. Without you here to back me up, I wouldn't dare enter this Extreme North Land alone, let alone duel this Ice Prison Ape-Crocodile."
He pointed to the still-piercing wind and snow around them.
"In a place like this, excessive consumption of Soul Power is no different from suicide. It's precisely because I knew you were here that I dared to go all out."
Hearing this, a knowing smile couldn't help but hook the corner of Zhang Lexuan's lips, and her cold eyes took on a bit of warmth:
"I thought you were the type of idiot who would get hot-headed just because of your extraordinary talent. I didn't expect that at your core, you're a steady person who excels at calculation."
Caelus's act of dueling a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast would undoubtedly seem like his self-confidence was inflated to the point of recklessness to outsiders.
But only someone who truly understood the details of this battle could understand that behind this seemingly hot-blooded behavior was an extremely calm mind and a meticulous layout.
He knew his own worth clearly, understood his opponent's weaknesses, and even more so, he had calculated Zhang Lexuan into the plan as his insurance.
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