The third token, Tears of the Sky

[Ding! New main quest released: Obtain the token-Tears of the Sky.]

Qian Lingye raised an eyebrow. "System, couldn't you give me some more useful clues?"

[System notification: Far North.]

That was all, just two simple words.

Qian Lingye ran his fingertips over the two Seven Sins Marks that had lit up on his arm. The cold lines felt faintly warm beneath his fingers.

The Far North.

The image of those ice plains from his memories immediately surfaced in his mind.

It was a wild land where humans rarely set foot. Cold winds howled all year round, ice sealed the land for a thousand miles, and everywhere the eye could see lay thick ice of unfathomable depth. Few people ventured there.

Countless powerful, vicious Soul Beasts lurked in the depths of the ice plains. Among them, the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North were renowned across the continent.

The Heavenly Snow Woman, ranked third on the Ferocious Beast list, and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, ranked seventh, were both ridiculously overpowered. Even a Super Douluo would have to be wary of either one.

As for danger, those ice plains were even more treacherous than the Star Dou Great Forest.

As for the target token, Tears of the Sky, the system had not breathed another word of information.

It did not take much thought to guess that anything that could serve as a token for the Seven Sins system had to be one of the finest treasures in the world.

When such a treasure appeared, how could there not be some powerful existence guarding it?

There was danger, but that only made Qian Lingye want to go more.

As the saying went, fortune and glory were sought amid danger.

The feeling of leveling up from the two tokens, the Earth Vein and the Magma Crystal Core, had been incredible.

Having tasted the sweetness, he had long since begun to yearn for the third token.

"No matter how great the risk, it's worth the trip."

Qian Lingye made up his mind in secret to set out first thing tomorrow morning.

His thoughts turned, and he remembered the matter of his Soul Rings.

He currently had only one Soul Ring. According to the usual pace of advancement for Soul Masters, a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster should already be preparing for his Second Soul Ring.

But having produced a divine ring of his own the first time, he did not intend to rush into condensing his Second Soul Ring.

Ordinary Soul Rings obtained through hunting meant little to him. He had his own little plan: ideally, he would chance upon a special origin or a unique Martial Soul power in the Far North and fuse it with his Second Soul Ring to maximize the benefits!

Meanwhile.

In the continent's major cities, including Spirit City, Heaven Dou City, and Star Luo City, undercurrents had quietly begun to spread.

Numerous figures in billowing black robes had appeared in the streets and alleys. They were the Kyrieloid human hosts Qian Lingye had sent out.

They roamed the streets, markets, and slums, preaching loudly to passersby.

"The evil god is a savior, here to deliver the Douluo Continent from its impending destruction!"

"The calamity is near, and heaven and earth are on the verge of overturning! Only by devoutly following the Church of the Old Ones can you preserve yourselves in the apocalypse!"

"Followers can receive the evil god's blessing, banishing stubborn illnesses and extending their lives!"

At first, most people in the streets dismissed them as yet another band of charlatans and con artists. After listening, they shook their heads and walked away.

"Here they come again, with more of that deceitful nonsense."

"If there really is a god, why has he never shown his true face?"

But the black-robed envoys kept growing in number, and their voices could be heard in every corner of the cities.

The Kyrieloids also lent a hand to poor commoners, curing stubborn illnesses and healing old injuries that had plagued them for years.

With real results before their eyes, people naturally began to waver.

"Hey, Old Li had that illness for years, but after he used one of the black-robed people's talismans, he could actually get up and walk!"

"Could it be... what they're saying is true?"

Rumors spread like weeds, passing from ten people to a hundred.

In just a few days, rumors of the evil god's descent swept across more than half the continent.

Countless ordinary people, tormented by illness and frightened into a state of constant anxiety by visions of the apocalypse, chose to follow the black-robed envoys and worship the evil god who had never shown himself.

In an ordinary clinic in Spirit City, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were recuperating from their injuries.

The patients in neighboring beds and the people coming and going to pick up medicine talked of nothing but rumors about the evil god.

Listening to the others spin their wondrous tales, Ning Rongrong curled her lip in disbelief.

"They're making it sound like a miracle. It's probably a trick made up to fool ordinary people."

Zhu Zhuqing sat on the edge of the bed and gently moved her right leg, her brows drawing together slightly as waves of dull pain rose from the injury.

She nodded slightly. "Hopefully they're only rumors, but everyone in the city is talking about it now."

Just then, the clinic owner walked over with a sigh, holding a black talisman covered in twisted, obscure markings.

"Young ladies, an envoy of the evil god passing by on the street gave me a few talismans just now. People out there say these things carry the evil god's blessing and can ward off misfortune and cure any illness."

"Cure any illness?"

Ning Rongrong reached out and took the talisman, running her fingertips over its strange markings, her eyes full of doubt.

Zhu Zhuqing looked down at her bandaged leg and said softly, "There's no harm in trying. We don't have any better options right now."

Ning Rongrong nodded, bent down, and carefully stuck the black talisman to the outside of Zhu Zhuqing's bandages.

Both of them were simply trying to revive a dead horse as though it were still alive; neither had really expected much.

Two hours slowly passed.

The lingering pain in Zhu Zhuqing's leg visibly diminished by more than half, and the tearing, stabbing ache quickly faded. Bracing herself against the bed, she could actually get up and shuffle along in small steps.

Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. She instinctively stepped forward and reached out to support her. Their eyes met, both faces filled with incredulous shock.

"It... actually works?"

It was clearly just a talisman of unknown origin. She had only tried it because it was better than nothing, never expecting it to have any real effect.

"That's wonderful! Zhu Zhuqing, let's go to Heaven Dou City now!"

Ning Rongrong said happily.

Over the past few days, she had asked around for news and learned for certain that her father, Ning Fengzhi, was currently recuperating and taking shelter in Heaven Dou Imperial City.

"Zhu Zhuqing, we've spent quite a lot of time here." She turned to look at the girl beside her. "My father is in Heaven Dou, and the dean and the others are there too. Let's hurry over and meet up with them."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

The two lingered no longer. They hastily gathered their few belongings, thanked the clinic owner, and stepped out through the clinic doors, setting off for Heaven Dou Imperial City.

At the northernmost end of the continent lay Hanwu City.

It was the last city at the northern edge of human territory, as well as an essential stop for anyone heading to the Far North Ice Plains.

A biting north wind beat against its massive walls all day long. Pedestrians were few and far between, and an inescapable air of bitter cold and desolation hung over the city.

A travel-worn carriage rolled over the frozen dirt road, swaying as it passed through the city gates and entered the streets.

A hand lifted the carriage curtain, and a handsome young face peered out. The bone-chilling wind stirred his hair.

Qian Lingye grinned. "Finally, we're here."