The Great Ruler (Web Novel)

In the eyes of many powerhouses, such foundations were unfathomable.

At the northwest land of the Ice Spirit Continent.

A rather sinister-looking ice mountain that was covered by ice spikes rose from the ground. A layer of thick ice covered the mountain's peak and gave off an icy-blue glow. It reflected a cold and icy light when the sun shined on it.

A black-robed figure stood with his hands behind his back on the icy peak. He lifted his head a little, revealing a profile with a sharp chin. From that angle, he appeared to be very determined. He had a pair of pitch-black eyes that were as deep as the night. Vicissitude seemed to swirl in those eyes as if they had experienced reincarnation before.

He lifted his chin to peer into the distance where space was violently distorting. A vast ice door seemed to surface while a form of suppression that originated from ancient times slowly emanated from it. That was the spatial gate that led to the ancestral land of the Ice Spirit Clan.

Rustle.

While he was observing that large ice gate, he heard faint footsteps behind him out of the blue. He turned around and saw four figures flash out. A smile surfaced on his resolute face. "How is it?"

Two men and two women appeared. The young lady who was at the lead wore a white dress that was fairer than snow. Her beauty could cause the downfall of nations, and her aloof demeanor was akin to a snow lotus. She could cause others to feel inferior in comparison.

Beside the lady in white stood a girl who wore a black dress. She looked refined and pretty, but a dignified and stern look surged in her active and beautiful eyes. However, when this girl looked at the man before them, a sweet and gentle smile immediately surfaced on her pretty face. She grinned as she pounced and grabbed his sleeve intimately. "Brother Lin Dong, we found out that the Ice Spirit Tablet is indeed within the Ice Spirit Clan. It is their supreme treasure. It is said that anyone who possesses the royal bloodline of the Ice Spirit Clan will leave an Ice Spirit inside it when they are born. I believe Huanhuan's soul fragments are in it!"

"Really?" Upon hearing this piece of news, a relieved smile appeared on the man's determined face. He had been as firm as a mountain even after experiencing countless ups and downs.

"However, since the Ice Spirit Tablet is the Ice Spirit Clan's supreme treasure, they will never allow an outsider to get close to it," the beautiful lady in white said softly.

The man called Lin Dong frowned as he replied, "Have you talked to them?"

"Yes, we did. People from the Ice Spirit Clan said that there is no room for discussion, and they insisted that we leave at once." The one who spoke this time was a slender young man who had a bewitchingly handsome look. Many women felt jealous of his looks. However, his handsome face was cold and unapproachable.

"Looks like our Martial Border is being looked down upon by others." Lin Dong smiled faintly. Cold killing intent was revealed in those squinted peach-blossom eyes.

"Big Brother, why don't we just strike them? They're just a mere Ice Spirit Clan. Do they really think that we are soft?! I do not believe they will refuse to hand over the Ice Spirit Tablet after we turn their world upside down!" A muffled thunder-like voice was heard from a figure that stood like a metal tower behind the handsome man. His shadow almost engulfed the entire group. He had a rather rough appearance, and his bare arms were covered in sinister-looking scars. He exuded an ominous aura when he merely stood up. It was as though he were a ferocious tiger shaking up the space around him.

The bewitchingly handsome man asked coldly, "Turning their world upside down is not an issue, but what if they are driven into desperation and destroy the Ice Spirit Tablet?"

The tower-like man awkwardly scratched his head and did not dare to speak any further. He knew what kind of hefty price his big brother had paid for this glimmer of hope. If this last hope was destroyed, he could not imagine the blow to his big brother. "Then what should we do, Second Brother?" the tower-like man asked.

The bewitchingly handsome man did not reply except to look at the man before them.

Lin Dong tilted his head and gazed at the faintly discernible giant ice gate in the distorted space. He kept quiet for a while before he slowly said, "I have already waited so many years for this day. Thus, I will not give up no matter what."

The bewitchingly handsome man asked, "Then shall we take action?"

Lin Dong smiled as he shook his head and replied, "Let me do it this time. You guys return to the Martial Border. I will need all of you to oversee it since the Martial Border was only recently established."

The girl in black was alarmed and hastily spoke, "Brother Lin Dong, do you intend to barge into the Ice Spirit Clan alone? No way. This Ice Spirit Clan is extremely powerful. It is very dangerous for you to go alone!" Soon after, her pretty eyes turned slightly cold as she clenched her jade-like fist. A huge scythe of darkness appeared in her hands. As the previous Master of Darkness, her dark aura exploded as she said, "If we join hands, I doubt the Ice Spirit Clan will dare to do anything funny!"

The tower-like man also thundered, "That's right, Big Brother. These ancient clans love to bully others with a numerical advantage!"

Lin Dong waved his hands. "We cannot possibly fall out with the Ice Spirit Clan completely. Moreover, Huanhuan is, after all, a member of the clan. She shares the same bloodline with them. If I go alone, the worst situation will not happen."

As they looked at his resolute face, the four of them knew that they could no longer persuade him. Eventually, they could only nod.

"Then we will return to the Martial Border. If there are any problems, send us a message immediately." The bewitchingly handsome man looked at Lin Dong as he slowly continued, "We are brothers. We will follow you, even if you wreak havoc in the heavens!"

Lin Dong smiled while nodding. "Don't worry. What kind of storms have we not been through after so many years? A mere Ice Spirit Clan cannot stop me."

"Be careful, then." The bewitchingly handsome man nodded. Without further ado, he took a step back as light blossomed and disappeared together with the tower-like man.

"Brother Lin Dong, we will wait for you at the Martial Border!" Although the girl in black was a little unhappy, she knew that this was not the time to make things difficult for him. Therefore, she turned and left after speaking.

After the three of them had left, Lin Dong and the beautiful lady in white were the only ones remaining on the icy peak. Lin Dong gazed at the woman who had followed him all the way from the Lower Planes to the Great Thousand World with eyes full of apologies. But before he could say anything, a slightly cold hand was placed gently over his mouth.

"You don't have to apologize. She has gone so far for you. If you do not do this, you will not be the Lin Dong I know," the woman said softly.

Lin Dong reached out his arms and hugged the woman's slim waist as he spoke softly by her ear, "Qingzhu, I'll bring her back."

"Okay." The absolute beauty in his arms gently nodded. Soon, she took two steps back. Her enchanting body flickered with spiritual light as she gradually vanished.

The icy peak became silent once again. Lin Dong turned around and stared blankly at the gigantic ice gate in the distance. Yet, he did not act immediately. Instead, he slowly sat down with his legs crossed on the mountain peak. With his back against cold rock, he closed his eyes. Those painful yet distant memories slowly became vivid, as if they had been dug out again from the buried past.

In a place known as the Chaotic Demon Ocean on a plane known as the Tianxuan Continent...

The Strange Demonic Emperor tore the seal between the planes apart and descended once again. All the living beings in the world were put into great danger. The end of the world had arrived, and all of mankind began to feel despair.

The girl in whom everyone had placed their final hopes gathered the power of the universe and attacked the Ancestral Stage. However, everything failed despite the effort. The girl cried as she watched him smile in a world filled with despair and fear. Her sobbing voice was still as vivid as ever. "The truth is, I knew that this would be the outcome. Even with all the power we gathered, it is impossible for anyone to attain the Ancestral Stage. Moreover, to increase one's cultivation stage through a forceful means will result in extreme repercussions. I'm afraid I can no longer attain the Ancestral Stage.

"How can it be that easy to attain the Ancestral Stage. However, it is all within expectation. Hence, I have actually succeeded… Because I knew that this would be the outcome, so I rejected your intentions to replace me. Sorry, I did not mean to overlook your efforts. I understand all the things you have done…

"Sorry, I have been lying to you. I made you enter the Ancestral Fortress to create the God Palace. I even forced you to undergo three reincarnation tribulations in one go. I am someone whom you should hate the most…" At that moment, everyone in the universe watched the girl in the sky cover her mouth as she sobbed. Her voice slowly echoed between heaven and earth.

"What are you going to do?!" His heart seemed to be torn apart as he watched her cry.

"I'm sorry. I just want you to live." Her pretty eyes turned entirely red. Tears gathered in her eyes as her soft voice struck him like thunder.

She slowly backed away. At the same time, her voice rang out in everyone's ears in the plane. "I'll pray with my spirit…

"With my body…

"With my soul…

"With my blood…

"I call upon the spirits of the universe for a divine transformation of the ancestral path!"

Icy-blue flames rose and eventually engulfed her body. Her somewhat choking voice slowly echoed. "Sorry, I did not want to protect the world, nor do I want to be the savior. But, I want you to live…

"Lin Dong, thank you for allowing me to fall in love with you before I awakened. Thank you for all the wonderful moments you have given me. You make me understand that no matter how cold the heart is, there will be a time when the heart will blossom with flowers.

"You once asked me if I was the Ice Master or Ying Huanhuan… I can answer you now. You silly, there's no Ice Master, I have been Ying Huanhuan all along."

Lin Dong leaned against an icy rock on the ice mountain's peak. The girl's sobbing voice seemed to have traveled across time and space as it echoed in his ear. He slowly opened his eyes with tears rolling down his determined face.

A figure seemed to appear before his eyes once again. She had her hands behind her back. Her long, black ponytail bounced in a lively manner. A sly yet adorable smile filled her pretty face. Everything was the same as it had been many years before when they first met in the Dao Sect.

Lin Dong lifted his chin and gazed at that distant gigantic ice gate in the distorted space. He slowly reached out his hand as the lightning shined radiantly in his palm. The Lightning Emperor Staff with coiling Lightning Dragons appeared in his hand. He held the staff tightly as he slowly stood up. In his pitch-black eyes, there was unshakable determination.

I have been through the cycle of reincarnation just to meet you. Regardless of the hefty price that I must pay… Even if I must ascend to Heaven or descend to Hell, I will bring you back!

And now… I am here!