Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Frost Soul Nether Core

The very instant the Ice Soul Dagger touched the Nether Soul Force, a heavy, overwhelming power surged through it. Little Ghost felt a tremendous numbness shoot up her arm, spreading like lightning to every corner of her body. Yet the blazing white sphere of Nether Soul Force remained utterly unmoved, as if nothing at all had transpired.

She had anticipated that the Nether Soul Force would be extraordinarily solid, but she had never imagined it would be so utterly impenetrable!

It felt as futile as stabbing a thousand-year-old mountain with an embroidery needle.

The gulf between them was immeasurable.

But she refused to be defeated so easily. Planting her feet more firmly, she swept her arms, sending dozens of Ice Soul Daggers weaving into a crisscrossing net of icy spikes. This spectacle made Jiang Feng’s heart leap; though it lacked the full aura of mastery, its murderous intent echoed the deadly formation he had once witnessed within the Bloodshade Tree.

Those icy thorns, brimming with killing intent, seemed as if they would shatter Jiang Feng’s entire sea of consciousness, annihilating even Jue within.

“This is bad, Little Ghost’s bloodlust has taken over!”

Jue was alarmed. Having survived three thousand years, he understood killing intent and battle better than anyone. He could comprehend Little Ghost’s reckless move in the face of such overwhelming Nether Soul Force, but her speed had caught him entirely off guard.

If that net of icy spikes struck the sphere of Nether Soul Force, it would surely disperse it in an instant, and the unleashed Nether Soul Force would obliterate the entire sea of consciousness, leaving nothing behind.

Still, for the reckless prodigy Jiang Feng, perhaps this was not entirely a bad thing.

Jue shouted, “Boy, this situation is dangerous, but if you can break her spell, you’ll reach new heights! It’s simple—just as I did before, melt those Ice Soul Daggers and absorb them into the Ice Soul Essence!”

In other words, this was an opportunity hidden within peril.

Only those daring enough to risk everything could find a way to save themselves in such a crisis. Jiang Feng was shaken by these words, but the moment allowed no time for reflection. Little Ghost was moving far faster than thought or sound. He had only intended to spectate, yet he found himself embroiled in the crisis—an exceedingly dangerous one.

Melt, absorb.

These two simple words lodged themselves firmly in his mind. Perhaps he didn’t understand why, in such a desperate moment, he chose to trust Jue’s bold advice. Perhaps, deep in his bones, he was as battle-hungry and mad as Jue himself.

He summoned his fastest speed, manipulating the Nether Soul Force hidden in the depths of his consciousness. In a flash, torrents of Nether Soul Force surged forth, layer upon layer enveloping the original sphere, and just in time, he forged a blazing white sphere of absolute defense before Little Ghost’s attack landed.

With his current Nether Soul Force, he could contend with even a ninth-level Void Nether master, let alone Little Ghost, who had exhausted her own strength.

“Get in there!”

Little Ghost’s voice was as cold as stone sealed beneath an eternal glacier, holding not a trace of warmth. Yet the net of icy spikes was even colder, opening like the maw of some primordial beast, its blood-stained fangs bared.

Without hesitation, Jiang Feng braced himself fully, positioning the Nether Soul Force sphere at the front.

Clang!

A spray of icy shards exploded from the net, but the Nether Soul Force sphere remained unmoved, as steady as a mountain. Its radiance, however, faltered for an instant before the merciless net wrapped around it, the hanging icicles slicing at its surface and emitting a nerve-grating creak.

“This force is immense.” Jiang Feng’s face went pale. His sea of consciousness roiled in agony, as if his very organs were being turned inside out—there was not a single part of him that felt at ease.

Jue couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Who told you to be so cautious, using so little Nether Soul Force? If you’d unleashed what you used against the Plum Severing Sword, would Little Ghost dare act so wildly?”

“Senior, please don’t joke. This is my sea of consciousness. If my own Nether Soul Force backfires, I’d be the one to suffer.” Jiang Feng forced a bitter smile, then quickly refocused on the Nether Soul Force sphere.

Little Ghost’s situation was not much better. The aura of the Nether Soul Force had forced her back dozens of steps, her palms numb and bleeding, her body tumbling as she adjusted her breath and prepared for a third wave of Ice Soul Daggers.

But then, an astonishing sight unfolded.

Her net of icy spikes seemed to be wrapped around a blazing furnace; its cold aura was being steadily consumed, its murderous intent gradually fading. Most terrifying of all, she found herself losing connection to the net itself!

Suddenly, she remembered how easily Jue had helped this boy melt the ice crystals earlier, using Nether Soul Force as if it were nothing.

Could it be that Nether Soul Force was a natural counter to the Ice Soul Dagger?

Doubt crept into her heart, and the irrational impulse within her began to subside. Glancing at the battered sea of consciousness she had stirred up, she felt a pang of embarrassment and decided not to persist. She took the initiative to dissolve the net of icy spikes that covered the Nether Soul Force sphere.

At once, a gentle rain of Ice Soul Essence began to fall in the sea of consciousness, each drop sinking swiftly into the ground as though watering a field parched for ages.

Jiang Feng stared, stunned. He realized that, washed by the Ice Soul Essence, his body was growing stronger. When the last drop entered his sea of consciousness, a small mark appeared at the center of his brow.

“Little Ghost, you’re quite generous—an Ice Soul Nether Core. With this, this boy’s cultivation speed will soar,” Jue exclaimed in delight.

Jiang Feng felt a faint ache at his brow and reached up. His fingers brushed something unusual.

“What is this?” Although he understood this might be the so-called Ice Soul Nether Core, curiosity compelled him to ask.

“A Nether Core to aid your cultivation,” Jue replied mysteriously, as if sharing a secret treasure. “It’s not as powerful as the Ice Soul Nether Core Little Ghost could form at her peak, but for you, it is more than enough.”

Jiang Feng searched his memory for anything about Nether Cores. All he knew was that upon reaching the Nether King stage, one’s body would form a Nether Pill, a condensation of Nether Force, not a tangible object and one that would dissipate upon death. Yet the core at his brow felt solid.

“What does the Nether Core do?” he asked nervously. “It won’t turn into a tumor, will it?”

Little Ghost shot him a glare. She had been eager to instruct him on using the core, but now she turned her back, refusing to bother.

Jue too was nonplussed, staring at Jiang Feng for a long moment before sighing, “You really have an imagination. It won’t turn into a tumor. As for its use, you’ll have to experience it yourself.”

Hearing this, Jiang Feng quickly employed one of the breathing techniques from the Twenty-Five Forms.

At once, he noticed a difference. The subtle Nether Force in the air rushed toward him, his pores opening naturally, the energy seeping in effortlessly. His flesh acted as a miraculous filter, straining away impurities and absorbing pure force into his flesh, meridians, and bones.

He was stunned. This was the level of ease only possible at the True Nether Stage, when cultivation became as natural as breathing! Previously, absorbing even the faintest traces of Nether Force required immense effort, especially before he had learned the Twenty-Five Forms. Now, all obstacles had vanished; the Nether Force seemed intimately close to him.

He was overjoyed!

With Nether Soul Force, he had a secret weapon for survival in desperate straits; with the Ice Soul Nether Core, his cultivation speed would increase manyfold.

Compared to the overwhelming might of Nether Soul Force, the core seemed even more practical.

What amazed him further was that the core was linked to his vision, allowing him to see the Nether Force in the air. Centered on himself, the gentle streams of energy floated nearby, swiftly rushing in.

With a single thought, he could make the Nether Force dance nimbly around him, bending to his will.

Unable to contain his delight, Jiang Feng felt that although the Nether King realm was still distant, the Void Nether stage was now within reach.

“Senior, with my progress, I’m not far from the Void Nether stage, am I?”

Jue burst out laughing, as though he had heard the world’s funniest joke, clutching his stomach. Even Little Ghost, always cold, couldn’t help but smile.

Jiang Feng scratched his head sheepishly. “Was that too optimistic?”

“Optimistic? You possess Nether Soul Force, and yet your sights are so low. The Void Nether stage? That’s nothing. You must reach the Nether King realm within a year!” Jue said sternly, not at all joking.

“Uh… I just want to cultivate and grow stronger. The Nether King realm has always seemed so far away, but if I persist, one day the clouds will part and the truth will reveal itself,” Jiang Feng replied, embarrassed.

“Good. With that attitude, I’m reassured. Boy, I’ve given you this Ice Soul Nether Core not just as a tool to carry with you, but to give you a shortcut. But you must never slack in your cultivation,” Little Ghost suddenly spoke, her tone unusually serious.

It was the first time Jiang Feng had heard her speak so gravely. He straightened, meeting her gaze, and nodded solemnly.

Jue looked at the pair and sighed, “It’s just cultivation. Why make it sound so arduous? Very well, I must ask you something, Little Ghost—will you come with me or not?”

She shot him a sidelong glance and snapped, “I won’t.”

“Why not!”

Jue leapt up in outrage. He had only asked to give Little Ghost an out, lest she feel he was forcing her to come along. Being refused so bluntly, he felt his dignity wounded and anger surged within him.

Little Ghost, seeing his darkened face, suddenly burst out laughing. “Unless you agree to one condition.”

“What condition?” Jue replied icily.

But at the sight of her sly smile, a sense of foreboding crept over him. Sure enough, she said with measured leisure, “Actually, I think the boy was right. Maybe I really am your mother. Why don’t you call me ‘Mother’ and let’s hear how it sounds?”

“Mother my foot!” Jue was on the verge of exploding.

Jiang Feng wanted to mediate, but he didn’t know how. If he said the wrong thing, he might anger them both and end up battered himself.

“Well, then why should I go with you?” Little Ghost said indifferently. “I’ve been in this stone for three hundred years and got used to it. You know I’m lazy; if I can’t sleep well, what then? And thanks to this boy, the sandstorm’s been replaced by thunder—something new to watch. Why not stay?”

Jue’s hands and feet went cold, his anger dissipated. “That’s your only condition?”

“Well, since we’re so close, I’ll give you a discount—call me ‘Sister’ instead. Of course, unlike ‘Mother’, this one has no time limit. Only when I tire of it can you change it.”

Jue was covered in imaginary black lines, falling silent for a long time before grinding out, “That’s… just too outrageous.”

“Come now, I was once a Nether King. My appearance fee is steep!” Little Ghost replied shamelessly.

Jiang Feng was speechless. So this woman was once a Nether King—no wonder she dared to face his Nether Soul Force head-on. Good thing he hadn’t tried to intervene; provoking a Nether King was no joke.

Jue’s eyes lit up with pride. “I was once a Nether Saint, a rank above you! Agreed?”

Jiang Feng felt dizzy. My goodness, this senior’s background is even more impressive. In the Eastern Nether, a Nether King was already like a god; but a Nether Saint? That was a god among gods!

A true deity!

“What’s that got to do with me? Whether you go or not is your business,” Little Ghost said, making it clear she wanted to give Jue a hard time.

Jue collapsed onto the ground, utterly defeated, as limp as a withered eggplant.

“You understand, don’t you, boy?” Little Ghost flashed a charming smile at Jiang Feng.

He stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“Oh, never mind. Neither of you will cooperate with me—how dull. Jue, I have just one request: grant it, and I’ll go with you.”

By now, Jue was entirely immune to her teasing and ignored her.

“My request is… can you all stop calling me Little Ghost?” she said, pausing with a hint of frustration. “My name is Gui Yue.”

Jue was instantly petrified.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, “For such a trivial request, you nearly drove me mad and left the boy speechless. Do you understand nothing of respecting your elders and caring for the young?”