Breathing was intermittent, heavy and light, like sobs.
Wang Zhong pressed his lips tightly, wiping away the tears welling up in his eyes. He took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily, repeating this several times before he managed to suppress the surging emotions within him.
After a long, silent pause, Wang Zhong's emotions gradually calmed.
He reached out and picked up the Octagonal Cold Ice Grass floating on the ground, holding it close to his Tree Martial Soul. A wondrous scene unfolded.
As the Octagonal Cold Ice Grass drew near, the trunk of the Tree Martial Soul began to sway gently. Streams of exceptionally pure medicinal energy were drawn out as if overflowing, like wisps of mist, the icy blue medicinal power swirled and danced around the Tree Martial Soul.
"It really works!"
"The Tree Martial Soul possesses the ability to command all plants. Although the Eight Grass Mystic Ice Grass is a celestial herb, it cannot escape this command. It can only have its medicinal power extracted by the Tree Martial Soul to nourish the martial soul."
"Since that's the case, let the little fox also come out and devour this Blazing Fire Apricot Blossom simultaneously."
Opening his left hand, the Nine-Tailed Fox's small body leaped out. It looked at the Blazing Fire Apricot Blossom floating in the air before it, then cocked its head to glance at Wang Zhong. Finally, it narrowed its eyes and took a bite, chewing continuously.
Watching the little fox's actions, Wang Zhong observed it carefully, fearing even the slightest mishap.
Although the little fox was a martial soul, it was a martial soul with a physical form. The Blazing Fire Apricot Blossom was poisonous, and he was unsure if such poison could affect a martial soul.
After a careful observation, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no abnormalities.
Wang Zhong, whose attention was entirely on the little fox, did not notice that behind him, the body of the Octagonal Mystic Ice Grass was gradually becoming ethereal, eventually transforming into streams of icy blue dragons. These dragons, along with the previously extracted medicinal power, swirled around the Tree Martial Soul.
That's right, the Tree Martial Soul had not absorbed the medicinal power of the Octagonal Mystic Ice Grass!
The leaves swayed gently, rustling. The wisps of mist-like medicinal power suddenly seemed guided towards a single point, converging continuously. When all the icy blue mist had coalesced, a thumb-sized, icy blue bead materialized in the air before the Tree Martial Soul.
The icy blue bead was crystal clear, emitting a pure and captivating blue luminescence. At the center of the bead, a miniature Octagonal Cold Ice Grass swayed gently, an incredibly mystical sight.
Meanwhile, the little fox's chewing action suddenly paused. Its small head tilted, and a human-like mischievous glint appeared in its narrow fox eyes.
It walked up to Wang Zhong, fixed its gaze on him, bared its teeth, and then pointed a forepaw to its mouth.
Such a human-like gesture momentarily stunned Wang Zhong.
"The demeanor and actions of this little fox are too much like a person."
"They say foxes are intelligent, cunning, and understand humans. I am finally witnessing it."
"Or perhaps this is simply due to it being a mutated, corporeal beast martial soul."
Recalling the theory of martial souls being the second soul of a soul master, as explained by Elder Ying Yan Yang, Wang Zhong gained a direct understanding.
"I wonder if Elder Yu Xiao Gang's corporeal martial soul can achieve the same level as the little fox."
Unconsciously, Wang Zhong felt a flicker of curiosity towards another possessor of a corporeal beast martial soul.
Just as Wang Zhong was lost in thought with a touch of curiosity, the little fox's mouth suddenly opened wide. In its mouth, it held a thumb-sized, fiery red bead emitting a crimson glow. At the center of this fiery red bead, a miniature Blazing Fire Apricot Blossom also stretched its delicate form.
Wang Zhong's gaze was instantly captivated by the bead.
"Does the martial soul condense such things after consuming celestial herbs?"
However, before he could marvel at this, the little fox suddenly inhaled sharply and, with lightning speed, shot the fiery red bead from its mouth directly into Wang Zhong's right eye!
The immense force sent Wang Zhong flying, and excruciating, fiery pain surged from his right eye. The world in his right eye turned a blazing red, as if it were burning. However, this vision lasted only a moment before his entire right eye went completely black.
This sudden change gave Wang Zhong the bizarre sensation of the world before him being incinerated by flames, only to fall into complete darkness.
Wang Zhong clutched his right eye with his hand, never expecting his second martial soul, the little fox, to suddenly attack him!
He had lost his right eye without even having time to react.
But the events were far from over.
Behind Wang Zhong, the Tree Martial Soul acted in the same manner.
The leaves rustled, and the icy blue bead floating before the trunk shot out with lightning speed, striking Wang Zhong's left eye.
A pain diametrically opposed to the previous sensation surged. His right eye felt scorching heat, while his left eye was filled with a bone-chilling cold. In his left eye's vision, the entire earth was frozen over, transformed into an icy, hellish landscape.
*Crack!*
Accompanied by a cracking sound that seemed to emanate from the depths of his soul, the world before Wang Zhong's eyes appeared to be shattered by extreme ice.
Cracks spread, filling his vision, and then the world in his eyes shattered like a mirror!
At that moment, Wang Zhong's vision vanished completely.
Cold and heat simultaneously surged from his eye sockets into his brain. The simultaneous torment of being caught between ice and fire made Wang Zhong recall the near-freezing and scorching pain he experienced when he first encountered the Ice and Fire Spring Eyes.
"Ah!"
Wang Zhong clutched his eyes, and two streams of blood flowed from his sockets, drenching his palms. Drops of blood spilled through his fingers, splashing onto the ground.
His hoarse, pained cries echoed throughout the entire cliff bottom.
The little fox glanced at Wang Zhong, who was curled up on the ground in agony. The once distinctly human-like fox eyes were now as calm and lifeless as a stagnant pool.
It raised a forepaw, licked it, and then swept it from behind its ear to its mouth, again and again. Its nine fluffy fox tails swayed gently, utterly indifferent to Wang Zhong's extreme suffering.
The massive tree also stood in the void, motionless. Its leaves rustled as before, but it did not summon verdant life energy from all things to heal Wang Zhong as it had in the past, leaving him to desperately cover his eyes and cry out in pain.
Pain, pain, pain, it was too painful!
Ice and fire simultaneously rushed into his brain, churning his entire sea of consciousness into chaos.
Endless ice fell from the sky, striking the sea that symbolized spiritual power. The extreme cold froze the spiritual power, turning it into massive ice floes floating on the surface.
Fierce flames blazed, and a sea of fire descended from the heavens. Gigantic fireballs, like meteors carrying terrifying, explosive energy, smashed into the sea of spirit. Each fireball caused the sea to churn with monstrous waves.
In mid-air, the Wisdom Skull, which had been quietly absorbing and condensing spiritual power, swayed precariously under the impact of the giant waves, as if it might fall at any moment into the sea.
Sea of fire, icy rain...
The entire sea of consciousness felt as though it were undergoing a world-ending destruction and annihilation.
The scene before him was far more terrifying and dreadful than the soul shock Wang Zhong experienced when he absorbed the Ghost Tiger King.
That was a calamity, but this was a natural disaster!