Captured

"Actually, what we're looking for isn't an object, but..."

Before she could finish speaking, a cry rang out across the sky.

The surrounding snowy mountains trembled, with snow sliding down from time to time. The temperature around them dropped several degrees in an instant.

Lin Xiuran's gaze sharpened as he immediately looked toward the source of the sound.

It was a large bird—more precisely, an eagle. Its entire body was blue, covered in blue feathers that were soft yet sturdy. As it spread its wings in the sky, they stretched a full two meters wide. Its most distinctive feature was the tuft of gray feathers atop its head.

"A Gray-Headed Ice Hawk, and a ten-thousand-year one at that!"

Lin Xiuran sensed the danger immediately and ran into the distance. There was no way he could stand against a ten-thousand-year Gray-Headed Ice Hawk.

"Sister Na, is this what you were looking for?"

Gu Yuena: "..."

Even she had not expected that releasing his bloodline power would draw a Soul Beast here. But it seemed perfectly normal. There was nothing unusual about Lin Xiuran's bloodline attracting avian Soul Beasts.

The moment the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk spotted Lin Xiuran, it was like a cat spotting a mouse. It let out a shrill cry and immediately began its pursuit.

Its gray eyes were filled with bloodthirsty impulse. Among the eagle-type Soul Beasts of the Far North, Gray-Headed Ice Hawks were considered among the gentlest. Yet this normally mild-tempered Soul Beast was now chasing Lin Xiuran as though it had gone mad.

How could Lin Xiuran, with only level-forty Soul Power, possibly outrun a Gray-Headed Ice Hawk flying through the sky? Before long, the distance between them was forcibly closed.

Lin Xiuran turned back, brought his hands together, and gathered Fire Element before blasting it out in an attempt to disrupt its flight.

But the gap in strength was far too great. The Gray-Headed Ice Hawk was incredibly fast, and its pincer-like talons ignored the flames as they seized Lin Xiuran.

The disparity in cultivation meant that Lin Xiuran's resistance had virtually no effect. The Gray-Headed Ice Hawk's sharp talons effortlessly snatched him up without restraint.

Lin Xiuran only felt his shoulders being gripped before he was lifted into the air the next moment. Watching the ground grow farther and farther away, he had no time to think. Flames erupted from his body, trying to burn the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk and force it to release him.

Yet no matter how Lin Xiuran burned it, the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk's talons remained firmly locked around him as it soared through the sky.

It was certainly in pain. Some of its feathers had been burned away, and the flames had even scorched the flesh beneath its thick plumage.

Out of options, Lin Xiuran could only seek Gu Yuena's help.

But this time, Gu Yuena did not help him immediately. Instead, she said calmly, "It doesn't have any obvious killing intent. Rather, it seems anxious to do something."

"Don't panic. Let's observe first."

After Gu Yuena spoke, she fell silent again. As the Silver Dragon King, she was naturally fully capable of sensing the emotional changes of a Soul Beast.

Thus, Lin Xiuran calmed down as well. It was indeed true—the talons gripping him were firm, but they did not cause him much pain.

He had no idea what this Gray-Headed Ice Hawk intended to do, but there was truly nothing Lin Xiuran could do now.

With no other choice, Lin Xiuran was carried by it toward the depths of the Far North.

Not long afterward, the footprints and other traces left where Lin Xiuran had been seized by the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk had yet to be completely covered by snow and ice.

A woman landed lightly on a nearby mountaintop.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she sensed the lingering aura here and examined the footprints on the ground. Confused, she muttered, "A human? And... an avian Soul Beast!"

After sensing that special bloodline aura that had stirred her own bloodline, she had rushed over at full speed. Yet she was still one step too late.

Judging from the direction in which the aura had vanished, it was heading into the depths of the Far North.

Could a powerful Soul Beast have gotten there first?

The woman's heart tightened with a sense of crisis, and she hurriedly transformed into a streak of light as she chased toward the depths of the Far North.

In midair, Lin Xiuran was nearly freezing to the point of suffocation. The Far North was already bitterly cold, and flying so rapidly at such high altitude made it even colder.

It felt as though his blood had frozen solid. Although he did his best to mobilize Fire Element and Ice Element to resist it, it did little good.

He might as well not move. Wasting Soul Power like this would only make his body temperature drop faster.

The Gray-Headed Ice Hawk suddenly turned to glance at Lin Xiuran below it. Blue light flickered in its eyes, and the next moment, a faint blue shield covered Lin Xiuran's body, shielding him from the bitter cold.

Even Lin Xiuran had not expected this. The other party was actually protecting him. Although the ten-thousand-year Gray-Headed Ice Hawk could not speak, its intelligence was already quite high.

It was naturally capable of such an action, but why?

A Soul Beast had captured Lin Xiuran without intending to kill him, and was even protecting him. It truly made no sense.

Before long, the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk gradually descended and landed halfway up a snowy mountain. This was already the core region. The temperature had dropped drastically; without the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk's Soul Power shield, Lin Xiuran would likely have frozen into a block of ice long ago.

Lin Xiuran was tossed down and fell to the ground in a sorry state.

He slowly rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings. There was a deep cave halfway up the snow mountain, while the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk stood outside it, crying softly.

Its cry was entirely different from when it had captured Lin Xiuran. It was no longer so shrill, but low and subdued, carrying a faintly coquettish tone.

Lin Xiuran could not understand it, but he could roughly sense the shift in emotion within its cries.

Not long after, a massive figure flew out from within the cave—a huge sky-blue Ice Bird.

She circled twice high in the air before slowly landing in front of the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk and Lin Xiuran.

She cast a loving glance at the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk, then noticed Lin Xiuran, the human.

The instant she saw Lin Xiuran, her gaze turned sharp. How could she not be wary of a human entering her territory?

Over the years, as Soul Masters on Douluo Continent watched the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest gradually dwindle and later become confined, leaving them unable to hunt there, they naturally turned their attention to the Soul Beasts of the Far North.

As a result, the Soul Beasts of the Far North had become quite familiar with humans. Their first instinct upon seeing one was to be wary.

However, the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk beside her kept crying out as though explaining something to the Ice Bird, and the Ice Bird's gaze toward Lin Xiuran gradually changed.

No one knew what the Gray-Headed Ice Hawk had told the Ice Bird. She came before Lin Xiuran and let out a high-pitched cry.