The Far North

It was another morning.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong walked side-by-side along the shore of Sea God Lake. As their parting drew near, both felt a pang of sadness. They walked in silence, neither one speaking first.

Finally, Wang Dong couldn't hold back. "Where's Yuxi? Aren't you waiting for her?"

"She's behind. I'm sending you off first."

Months had passed, and Wang Dong's hair had grown longer. Huo Yuhao's gaze lingered on him, and he found himself lost in thought. How did his good brother look more and more like a girl?

"What are you looking at!" Wang Dong said, feeling embarrassed by his stare. "I'm leaving. Be careful and come back soon."

He turned to get into the car but stopped, awkwardly adding, "Watch me go."

Although it was only a temporary separation, both felt the pain. Huo Yuhao watched Wang Dong's slender figure recede, wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye, took a deep breath, and suppressed his emotions.

He turned to go back and find Huo Yuxi, only to discover her peeking out from behind a bush, half her head visible, her eyes wide as she watched him.

Huo Yuhao was instantly mortified!

"What are you doing hiding here secretly?" he asked, reaching out to remove a fallen leaf from Huo Yuxi's head, his tone laced with helplessness. It felt as if he and Wang Dong were doing something illicit.

Huo Yuxi understood. What had Sister Xiao Xiao said last time? Passion that transcended friendship? So, it was normal for them to have little secrets.

But her intuition told her that if she said anything, she might get scolded. So, Huo Yuxi decided to change the subject.

"Brother, where are we going this time?"

As soon as she asked, Huo Yuhao was reminded of the day they left the Duke's Mansion, when she had asked the same question.

The difference now, however, was that they had a destination, whereas before they had been wandering.

"We're going somewhere very far away." Huo Yuhao couldn't tell Huo Yuxi for sure where they were going because he didn't know himself.

"Brother Tianmeng, how far do we need to go if we keep heading north?" Huo Yuhao trusted Tianmeng, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, implicitly, just as Huo Yuxi trusted the Soul Devouring Spider.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm told him that the destination had something beneficial for Huo Yuxi's body, and they could take her along. Otherwise, he would have preferred her to stay at the academy and cultivate properly.

"Let's go. Just keep heading north with all your might, and you won't go wrong. The distance is quite far, at least ten days of continuous running. You don't have to worry about overshooting it," Tianmeng's lazy voice echoed in his mind.

"Ten days? Where exactly are we going?" Huo Yuhao was stunned. He was fine, but could Huo Yuxi's body endure it?

"Don't worry. Although your sister's body is weak, her Martial Soul is not," Tianmeng said with delight. "The place we're going to is my old home, the Far North of the Douluo Continent."

"Hurry up and get moving, or you won't make it back for that promotion assessment."

Huo Yuhao looked at Huo Yuxi, who was waiting for him obediently. He took a deep breath and said, "Yuxi, we need to hurry. If your body can't take it, tell me."

"Okay." Huo Yuxi happily watched him take out a Flying Soul Tool from his Storage Soul Tool. She had never experienced flying before.

But she knew that the matter at hand was important. After putting it on, she suppressed her curiosity and obediently followed Huo Yuhao.

Of course, when she couldn't help herself, she would sneak a few glances.

After five days and nights of travel, the two finally saw the snow-capped mountains.

"Yuxi, we'll stay here tonight and enter the mountains tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Huo Yuxi sat down on the spot, truly exhausted.

Huo Yuhao surveyed the surroundings and found a very large rock nearby, which would serve as good cover. He placed the dry rations beside Huo Yuxi and turned to gather firewood.

After starting the fire, the siblings sat by the bonfire. Being close to the snow mountains, the temperature had naturally dropped.

The cotton-padded clothes they wore were beginning to struggle against the cold.

Huo Yuxi ate the dry rations in her hand and said, "Brother, so you were going to the Far North."

She couldn't discern directions, so she hadn't realized where they were going after traveling for so long. Now, she could only recognize it by the appearance of the snow mountains.

As a forbidden zone of the Douluo Continent, the Far North was naturally described in books. Many had entered, but few had emerged alive.

Consequently, human knowledge of the Far North was meager. They only knew of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, two of whom were ranked among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts.

This alone indicated the extreme danger.

"Yuxi, are you scared?" Huo Yuhao sat down, his voice low.

"I'm okay." Huo Yuxi's response was still cautious. Inwardly, she felt more excited than scared. Perhaps due to her childhood experiences, she was quite interested in such thrilling activities.

During the freshman assessment, Zhou Yi had even called her a masochist.

Seeing that she had finished eating, Huo Yuhao quickly urged her to rest. He himself was finding it difficult to cope after these few days, let alone Huo Yuxi.

After resting for a night, the two resumed their journey towards the snow mountains.

The closer they got, the more intense the cold became. Their exhaled breaths turned into ice shards, scattering in the wind.

After another three days and nights of travel, Huo Yuxi's eyelashes and eyebrows were frozen stiff, with ice beads hanging from them, obstructing her vision and making the journey much more difficult.

She was doing alright, though. The Soul Devouring Spider she held in her arms was like a hand warmer, emitting heat. But any further down, it probably wouldn't be effective.

Huo Yuhao stood in front of Huo Yuxi, shielding her from the wind and frost. He thought that if they continued, they wouldn't need to do anything else; they would simply freeze into ice sculptures and die here.

"Brother Tianmeng, is there any way to resist this extreme cold? Otherwise, we won't even reach our destination before we freeze to death."

"Wait a moment, I'll look." Tianmeng, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, rummaged through Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness. Finally, from a corner, it found its previous shed skin.

As it was thrown out, it automatically formed two drill-like cloaks.

Huo Yuhao quickly covered Huo Yuxi with his own clothes, wrapping her head tightly as well. Once he confirmed there were no gaps for the wind to get through, he put on another set of clothes for himself.

After putting them on, he was surprised to find that he felt as if he were encased in a silkworm cocoon. When the icy wind blew against him, it simply slid off.

Both of them picked up their speed considerably.

At this moment, Tianmeng's tone was no longer his usual flippant demeanor. He spoke very seriously, "Yuhao, from now on, you must follow my commands completely. Do not hesitate for even a moment, or not only will we fail to obtain a Soul Ring, but you might lose your life here."

"That includes your sister. Although her Martial Soul will tell her what she needs to be aware of, I expect absolutely no mistakes."