Chapter 378: The Successor

"Identity?" Xiao Han was completely bewildered. Was there actually some unknown story behind this?

And so...

Xiao Han shook his head. "The era of the Ice Emperor senior is far too distant; how could a junior like me know the reasons behind it?"

"Actually, this is not some unspeakable secret," the Ice Emperor's remnant soul said with a faint smile.

"It is just that the truth might cause a great psychological shock to one's perception."

The remnant soul's gaze shifted abruptly, and he said in a deep voice:

"What if I said... the Ice Emperor did not belong to any race?"

Xiao Han asked in astonishment, "What does senior mean by that?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," the remnant soul explained slowly. "The Dou Qi Continent is home to ten thousand races: Humans, Magic Beasts, Barbarian Tribes..."

"However, there are ultimately some special beings that do not belong to these existences."

"They are born of heaven and earth, the only ones of their kind in the world, walking alone through the ages..."

"According to what senior says..." Xiao Han realized, "The Ice Emperor senior is such an existence?"

"Your acceptance is quite high?!" The remnant soul could not help but be surprised at Xiao Han's calmness.

"To tell you the truth," Xiao Han chuckled. "Senior might not know, but the Dou Di powerhouse closest to our era also did not belong to any race."

"That Dou Di was formed from the transformation and cultivation of an Exotic Fire."

"Oh?" The Ice Emperor's remnant soul gave a surprised exclamation. "That is indeed rare."

In ancient times, the combat power of an Exotic Fire was indeed formidable, but that mainly stemmed from the fact that its power level was higher, and it possessed a considerable degree of might in assisting combat.

But if there were no powerful experts to assist, the power of an Exotic Fire, while strong, could only make people wary; it could not reach the terrifying level of a Dou Di, who could destroy the heavens and the earth and shatter the continent.

"The Dou Di you speak of indeed has similarities with the Ice Emperor."

The Ice Emperor's remnant soul seemed to fall into some kind of memory, and an endless loneliness suddenly radiated out. "The Ice Emperor was actually a product of the situation on the continent at that time."

"Due to a sudden, massive upheaval, the Dou Qi Continent of that time fell into a great catastrophe. Especially in the beginning, the bizarre power of those fellows caught everyone off guard; vast swathes of land fell, and countless powerhouses perished."

Mentioning this, the Ice Emperor's remnant soul inadvertently revealed a strong killing intent, which he then quickly withdrew.

"The Evil Clan?" Xiao Han asked with certainty.

"Mm," the remnant soul nodded lightly. "That is what those fellows call themselves."

"I imagine you are also clear on the other party's abilities," the remnant soul's voice sounded aged and sorrowful.

"Without a doubt, the power they used was one level higher than the Dou Qi of our Dou Qi Continent."

"It was for this reason that in the early battles, our powerhouses were constrained everywhere and suffered quite a loss."

"It was not until we accidentally discovered the role of Heaven and Earth Exotic Items like Exotic Fire that we were able to resist them a little."

"But that was only to that extent," the Ice Emperor's remnant soul changed the subject. "These could not curb the decline of our Dou Qi Continent, especially in terms of top-tier combat power; there were still great limitations."

"And the Ice Emperor was born to meet this need."

The remnant soul's tone was as if he were merely a bystander, calmly describing the scene from back then.

"Just as the situation on the continent was critical, in the Extreme North, right here..." the remnant soul pointed at the ground.

"Amidst the endless wind and frost, an Ice Spirit was born, possessing the strength of a Dou Di the moment it was born."

"And his mission was only one—to expel the invaders!" The sudden, high-pitched, and murderous tone made Xiao Han's heart tremble.

"You can surely guess what happened after that. A legendary Ice Spirit Great Emperor emerged, slaughtering countless members of the foreign race. This is what they mean by 'times create heroes'," the remnant soul said nonchalantly.

Xiao Han was silent for a long time. Although he had guessed the identity of this mysterious Ice Emperor, he had not expected that his background would be so immense.

A true son of the Dou Qi Continent!

Born as a Dou Di powerhouse, then rapidly developing to become a top-tier powerhouse among Dou Dis; his starting line was the finish line others could never reach.

Compared to the former, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, who relied on tens of thousands of years of cultivation and various near-death experiences to achieve the rank of Dou Di, was completely a template for someone struggling from humble beginnings!

The treatment just couldn't compare!

Afterwards, the Ice Emperor's remnant soul's words made Xiao Han focus his mind again. "The Ice Emperor's mission was to expel these invaders."

"The inheritance he left behind is naturally inseparable from this."

"But..." Xiao Han asked in confusion, "Hasn't the incident from back then already ended?"

"Even if there are a few fish that slipped through the net, they wouldn't be able to stir up any big waves, right?"

"Oh?" The Ice Emperor's remnant soul said meaningfully, "Really?"

"I'm afraid that's not entirely the case, is it?"

Xiao Han was secretly shocked; how did this person know?

At this moment, he heard the remnant soul analyzing to himself: "Although those fellows back then used the same kind of power, it was clear they came from different races."

"Above them, there should be even more advanced existences."

"Perhaps..." the remnant soul's voice was slightly low, "they should have some connection to the Upper Realm."

"Upper Realm?" Xiao Han asked hurriedly, "What is this Upper Realm that senior speaks of?"

"Not clear." However, the most detestable thing happened: he only told half the story.

Xiao Han gritted his teeth in his heart. He was certain that this Ice Emperor's remnant soul was definitely not as ignorant of ancient secrets as he claimed, but was deliberately keeping him in suspense or was just too lazy to talk.

Even though Xiao Han had his own guesses, the Upper Realm in the remnant soul's mouth was nine times out of ten the Great Thousand World.

The remnant soul changed the subject very clumsily and said with a chuckle, "If you want to accept the Ice Emperor Inheritance, it means accepting the responsibility of resisting those Evil Clans."

"Now, do you still want to accept it?"

Xiao Han was silent for a moment.

"Senior, according to what you said, this is not exactly easy!"

The remnant soul was slightly disappointed, thinking that the former was unwilling to take the risk, which was understandable. Just as he was preparing to see the guest out, he heard Xiao Han continue:

"You'll have to pay more!"

More money?!

The teapot held by the remnant soul froze in mid-air; for some reason, he felt quite strange at this moment, as it had been many years, and this was the first time a junior had dared to proactively ask for more money in front of the Ice Imperial!

Chuckling inwardly as he set down the teapot, the remnant soul showed no sign of it on his face, "How much more do you want?"

At this moment, the two of them looked rather like unscrupulous merchants in the middle of a negotiation.

"As a peak expert of the past, your collection must be worth a fortune, right?"

Just thinking about it made Xiao Han angry; he had originally thought the Ice Imperial's collection had been buried by the river of time, never imagining he would be swindled, and if he didn't take the opportunity to fleece him, the pent-up frustration in his heart would not dissipate.

"Oh? You're not very old, your strength isn't very high, but your appetite is quite large!" He wasn't angry, yet he invisibly stabbed Xiao Han twice.

Although it seemed like a lion's share for a mere Nine-Star Dou Sheng like Xiao Han to want to inherit his legacy, it was overestimating his own capabilities.

But looking at it now, this kid was indeed the only heir, and leaving it to him was a necessity, however...

The little person in the remnant soul's heart revealed a malicious smile; if he wanted to get it, he would have to suffer a bit!

"These are not problems."

"You should undergo the inheritance first!"

The Ice Imperial's remnant soul waved his hand and said with a face full of kindness.

"Rest assured, the difficulty of my inheritance is not high."

Subsequently, before Xiao Han could react, he moved his palm and struck the Hexagonal Ice Crystal directly into the former's body.

And then...

"Good luck, kid!"

"I hope you have not deceived me!"

Gazing at Xiao Han, whose eyes were tightly shut, the Ice Imperial's remnant soul had a complex expression.

His inheritance could be said to be neither difficult nor easy; it could be effortless, or it could be a ten-death-no-life situation, depending entirely on the heart of the inheritor.

However, as an Imperial expert born of heaven and earth, his inheritance was naturally not ordinary.

To a certain extent, the Ice Imperial was a product of a portion of the fundamental laws of the Dou Qi Continent, and his successor would logically inherit this power belonging to the Dou Qi Continent.

Fighting on home turf went without saying, as one could unleash several times their own power within the Dou Qi Continent; even if not on the Dou Qi Continent, their strength would still be incomparable to ordinary people.

If Xiao Han could obtain this inheritance, his future path to the peak would certainly be far ahead of others.

Survival or death, soaring to great heights or fading into the crowd, everything depended on the former's choice.