Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

As they stepped into the main city, they were greeted by buildings and streets forged entirely from ice. The streets were bustling with people, all dressed in white, which momentarily dazzled Yan Shaozhe.

"The Ice God Palace reveres ice, so the people here especially favor the color white," Shui Lingguang explained.

Yan Shaozhe nodded in sudden understanding.

"I noticed that many people here seem to have some soul power?"

This discovery shocked him the most. In such a large city, nearly everyone had soul power—it was simply inconceivable.

"There are no ordinary people within the Ice God Palace," Shui Lingguang replied indifferently, offering no further explanation. Even so, this one sentence left Yan Shaozhe deeply shaken. This massive city—though it might not hold hundreds of thousands of people, it certainly housed tens of thousands, right? And all of them were soul masters?

How vast a force was this?

Even Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but marvel. A force of this magnitude would be challenging even for Shrek Academy to muster. If such power appeared in the outside world, it could easily disrupt the balance of the entire continent.

Yan Shaozhe felt a sense of relief that the Ice God Palace remained reclusive. Otherwise, he couldn't imagine the impact its strength might have. Walking beside Yan Shaozhe, Ma Xiaotao was equally stunned, her face pale with shock at this revelation. The strength of the Ice God Palace had once again exceeded the expectations of both master and disciple.

As Lu Yuan and Shui Lingguang led the way, the surrounding residents greeted them with respectful bows. Only then did Yan Shaozhe notice that each resident bore a mark on their forehead resembling a snowflake, though incomplete, in varying colors—white, yellow, purple, and so on—resembling the hues of soul rings.

Yan Shaozhe thought back and recalled that when he first met Lu Yuan and Shui Lingguang, they too had marks on their foreheads. However, theirs were unique, complete in shape, and colored ice-blue. Could this signify a form of rank?

Curious, Yan Shaozhe asked, but Shui Lingguang did not provide an answer, as this question touched on the secrets of the Ice God Palace. It wasn't that it couldn't be divulged—it was simply unnecessary, as Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao were not ice-attribute soul masters.

Understanding this, Yan Shaozhe didn't press further. Though curious, he knew the guardians were unlikely to share more. The group continued deeper into the city, and after about half an hour, they spotted a massive cluster of palaces. Even from afar, the palaces shone with an icy-blue glow, with one palace in particular towering above the rest, like a crane among chickens. Dazzling ice-blue light radiated from the top of this palace, encompassing everything around it.

"What is this?"

Yan Shaozhe asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"This is the real Ice God Palace. Follow me," Shui Lingguang said, though she had no desire to explain further. She and Lu Yuan continued to lead the way. Suppressing his curiosity, Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao followed closely behind.

After another half hour of walking, the entire palace cluster came into view. Each palace stood nearly a hundred meters tall, arranged in all four cardinal directions around the tallest central palace, forming a nine-square grid from an aerial view. Eight towering palaces guarded the central one, positioned in each direction.

From the four directions, streams of Emerald Water flowed toward the center. At the very heart of the eight palaces lay a lake glowing with an icy-blue hue. At its center was a small island, atop which stood the tallest palace, radiating ice-blue light over the entire island.

Lu Yuan and Shui Lingguang led Yan Shaozhe closer to one of the palaces. Only upon approaching did Yan Shaozhe realize that the palace wasn't made of thousand-year ice. While thousand-year ice could emit an icy-blue glow, it was naturally colorless and transparent. The material of this palace, however, was a rare metal.

Though Yan Shaozhe wasn't particularly knowledgeable about metals, even he could tell that the material used for these palaces was extraordinarily precious.

"These palaces are all built from Ice Extreme Divine Crystal," Shui Lingguang explained upon seeing his confusion.

"Ice Extreme Divine Crystal?"

Yan Shaozhe was taken aback. Wasn't that an extremely valuable rare metal? Using Ice Extreme Divine Crystal to construct palaces?

Could the Ice God Palace truly be this wealthy?

Yan Shaozhe found it hard to believe. These were full-sized palaces—how much Ice Extreme Divine Crystal must have been used?

But it was clear that neither Lu Yuan nor Shui Lingguang cared about Yan Shaozhe's thoughts as they led him past one of the palaces. Even from over three hundred meters away, Yan Shaozhe could see each palace was heavily guarded. With his extraordinary eyesight as a Super Douluo, he noticed that the guards outside the palace bore black marks on their foreheads, while the four standing at the entrance had red marks.

Yan Shaozhe felt an aura of immense strength emanating from these structures. His instincts told him that each palace was likely a vital part of the Ice God Palace.

"Where exactly are we going, Guardians?" he asked, initially assuming that Lu Yuan and Shui Lingguang were leading him and Ma Xiaotao to one of the palaces. But it now seemed he was mistaken—the palaces were too heavily guarded to suggest they would be invited inside.

"Don't worry, we're almost there," Lu Yuan replied.

After passing the palace, they walked a few more minutes until the sound of rushing water reached their ears. Yan Shaozhe and Ma Xiaotao then realized that the river outside the city was connected to the waterways within. Soon, the rushing river came into view, its icy-blue water splashing intensely, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

On one side of the river stood an unassuming little house, constructed entirely of thousand-year-old ice. Lu Yuan and Shui Lingguang stopped in front of it.

"Grand Guardian, Yan Shaozhe and his disciple have been brought here," Lu Yuan announced.

Yan Shaozhe was startled. Was this humble house where the Grand Guardian lived? Compared to the surrounding grand palaces, this house seemed so inconspicuous. Could it be the residence of the Ice God Palace's most powerful figure?

It reminded him of his teacher, who enjoyed sitting by the entrance to the freshman dormitory so much that students often mistook him for the caretaker. Who would have guessed he was the head of the Sea God Pavilion? Reflecting on his teacher, Yan Shaozhe felt a sense of gravity, suspecting that this Grand Guardian, who seemed to embrace a similar simplicity, must be an expert of the highest order.

"Let him in," a deep voice sounded from within, echoing as though it resonated directly in their ears.

"Please, go ahead," Lu Yuan gestured.

Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Guardians," he said. Then, calming his nerves, he led Ma Xiaotao into the small house.

The interior was sparsely furnished, nearly bare. In the center sat a middle-aged man in a white robe, cross-legged, with long hair draping over his shoulders. His eyes were closed, and a mark resembling a divine beast was engraved in ice-blue on his forehead.

"Yan Shaozhe of Shrek Academy greets the Grand Guardian," Yan Shaozhe said respectfully.

"Ma Xiaotao greets the Grand Guardian," Ma Xiaotao echoed.

At first sight of Mu Wu, Yan Shaozhe's heart pounded. The pressure emanating from Mu Wu was overwhelming in both cultivation and presence. Comparing him to Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe sadly realized that even at his peak, Xuan Zi had been far inferior. Perhaps only Elder Mu En could match this Grand Guardian.

Yet despite his shock, Yan Shaozhe felt some relief. The Grand Guardian of the Ice God Palace wasn't quite as powerful as his teacher, Mu En. It seemed Shrek Academy still had a stronger foundation.

Mu Wu opened his eyes, and the brilliance in his gaze caused Yan Shaozhe's heart to tremble.

"So, you are the Dean of Shrek Academy's inner court? A disciple of Dragon God Douluo?"

Mu Wu asked calmly.

"The Grand Guardian knows of my teacher?"

Yan Shaozhe was delighted. Could his teacher's reputation be so great that it reached even the Ice God Palace?

"I've heard the Lord High Priest mention him. Dragon God Douluo Mu En is one of the few people on the continent worthy of his attention," Mu Wu replied, causing Yan Shaozhe's heart to sink halfway.

The High Priest?

Could it be that this Grand Guardian wasn't the strongest in the Ice God Palace? But he was stronger than Elder Xuan! For someone of his caliber to refer to another as "lord," what kind of existence could that be? Could they be at least an Ultimate Douluo, even stronger than his teacher?

Yan Shaozhe's pride had barely flickered before it was shattered once more. Mu Wu watched his shifting expressions carefully.

The young master had instructed him to intimidate Shrek Academy's people; otherwise, they wouldn't take things seriously. Judging by Yan Shaozhe's reaction, the young master's foresight had been accurate—Yan Shaozhe harbored hidden thoughts.

"I heard from Lu Yuan that you've come seeking treatment to remove the evil fire from your disciple?"

Mu Wu continued, not waiting for Yan Shaozhe to speak.

Yan Shaozhe quickly collected himself and replied, "Yes, my disciple Ma Xiaotao has shown talent since childhood, but she's been tormented by this evil fire, which causes her great suffering. We've tried our best to remove it, but it clings to her like a parasite."

"The Ice God Palace is the world's foremost authority on ice, so I've come here, humbled, to seek help."

Mu Wu's eyes flickered slightly.

"Young lady, step forward and let me examine you."

Ma Xiaotao took a few steps forward. After a brief assessment, Mu Wu nodded to himself. Her talent was considerable, and her appearance and bearing were attractive. He wondered if the young master might take a liking to her. If her evil fire problem could be resolved, she might have the qualifications to serve the young master.

"Release your martial soul and let me see," Mu Wu instructed.

Ma Xiaotao obediently activated her martial soul. The Evil Fire Phoenix emerged, radiating intense heat laced with a sinister aura. Her six soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, and black—glowed brightly beneath her.

Her soul ring configuration was ordinary, but the strength of her martial soul was decent, Mu Wu mused. Compared to the absurd soul ring configurations of the Ice God Palace members, however, Ma Xiaotao's setup was lacking. The nine Guardians of the Ice God Palace each had at least full black soul rings, with every one possessing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring—an incredibly rare feat in the outside world.

"Your martial soul is strong, and the temperature of your flames is near Ultimate Fire. But there is an inherent flaw."

"This martial soul carries an innate evil aura, producing an endless supply of evil fire during cultivation. This fire is difficult to control. Left unchecked, it will consume you from within."

Mu Wu's voice was solemn.

Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe's respect grew.

"The Grand Guardian's insight is astounding. That's exactly the case."

"Ma Xiaotao's martial soul has this evil fire, making it impossible to guard against. It has severely impacted her cultivation, and if this continues, I genuinely fear for her life."

"Since the Grand Guardian has so accurately diagnosed her condition, I assume there must be a way to treat her?"

Mu Wu was silent for a moment, understanding why Su Yu had said a single Dragon Pill wouldn't be sufficient. The evil fire was indeed challenging to remove; suppressing it would be straightforward, but complete eradication would be much harder. He also realized why Su Yu had called him back; even with all his skill, Mu Wu couldn't fully eliminate the fire. After all, he lacked Ultimate Ice.

"There is a way, but I doubt you can afford it," Mu Wu finally said.

Yan Shaozhe quickly replied, "No matter the cost, Shrek Academy will bear it. I've brought a Dragon Pill as payment."

Mu Wu didn't respond directly, shifting the conversation instead.

"The evil fire in this young lady is both innate and resilient. To fully remove it, you'd need Ultimate Ice or extremely rare heavenly treasures. Forgive my bluntness, but a single Dragon Pill isn't nearly enough for such items. As for Ultimate Ice, we have two individuals with that martial soul here."

"Two individuals?"

Yan Shaozhe was shocked. Could there be two wielders of Ultimate Ice?

Ma Xiaotao, too, was stunned. Could they truly be so powerful?

"May I ask who these individuals are?"

Yan Shaozhe ventured.

"The first is the High Priest. His abilities are unparalleled across the continent, but a Dragon Pill would be insufficient to engage him personally."

"The second is the young master. His martial soul is even stronger than the High Priest's, yet he holds an even higher status and is currently away."

Mu Wu said calmly.

"Grand Guardian, could you speak plainly?"

Yan Shaozhe sensed something was off.

"What I mean is that the Dragon Pill is only enough to merit my intervention. I can suppress the evil fire in her body and guarantee it won't return for the next two to three years."