Far North

It was another morning.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong walked together along Sea God Lake. With their parting drawing near, both felt a little melancholy. Neither spoke first as they walked.

In the end, Wang Dong could not hold it in any longer. "Where's Xixi? Aren't you waiting for her?"

"She's behind us. I'll see you off first."

Several months had passed, and Wang Dong's hair had grown longer. Whenever Huo Yuhao looked at her, he found himself staring blankly. Why did his good brother look more and more like a girl?

"What are you looking at?" Wang Dong grew embarrassed under his gaze. "I'm leaving. Be careful, and come back early."

She turned to board the carriage, then stopped again and awkwardly said, "Watch me leave."

Though it was only a temporary farewell, both of them felt its pain. Huo Yuhao watched her slender figure gradually recede, wiped away the tear at the corner of his eye, and took a deep breath to suppress his emotions.

He turned to go back for Huo Yuxi, only to discover her peeking out from behind the bushes with wide eyes.

Huo Yuhao immediately felt awkward!

"Why are you sneaking around here?" He reached out to remove a fallen leaf from Huo Yuxi's head, sounding helpless. It made it seem as though he and Wang Dong had been doing something shameful.

Huo Yuxi said she understood. How had Sister Xiao Xiao put it last time? Passion beyond friendship? So it was normal for them to have little secrets.

But her instincts told her that if she said it aloud, she might get scolded. So Huo Yuxi chose to change the subject.

"Brother, where are we going this time?"

The moment she said that, Huo Yuhao suddenly remembered the day they had left the Duke's Mansion. She had asked the same question then.

But this time was different. They had somewhere to return to now, whereas before, they had been wandering.

"We're going somewhere very far away." Huo Yuhao could not tell Huo Yuxi for certain where they were going, because he did not know either.

"Brother Sky Dream, how far north do we have to go?" Huo Yuhao trusted Sky Dream Ice Silkworm completely, just as Huo Yuxi trusted the Soul Devouring Spider.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had told him that the place they were going contained something beneficial to Huo Yuxi's body, which was why he could bring her along. Otherwise, he would have preferred for her to stay at the academy and cultivate properly.

"Let's go. Just keep the direction in mind and run at full speed. You won't go wrong. It's quite far away, and you'll need to run continuously for at least ten days. Don't worry about overshooting it." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's lazy voice rang out in his mind.

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

"Don't worry. Your sister's body may be weak, but that martial soul of hers isn't." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked delighted. "We're going to my hometown, the Far North of Douluo Continent."

"Hurry up, or you can forget about coming back in time for that advancement assessment."

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

"Mm." Huo Yuxi happily watched him take out a Flying Soul Tool from his Storage Soul Tool. She had never experienced what it felt like to fly.

But she knew that business came first. After putting it on, she restrained her curiosity and obediently followed behind Huo Yuhao as they traveled.

Of course, whenever she could not resist, she would sneak a few glances.

After traveling for five days and five nights, the two finally saw the snow-covered mountains.

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

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

Huo Yuhao looked around and found a huge boulder nearby that could serve as cover. He took out some dried rations and placed them beside Huo Yuxi before turning to search the area for firewood.

After starting a fire, the siblings sat beside the flames. They were close to the snowy mountains now, so the temperature had naturally dropped as well.

Even their padded clothes were beginning to show signs of being unable to keep out the cold.

As Huo Yuxi ate her rations, she said, "Brother, so we're going to the Far North."

She could not tell directions apart, so even after traveling for so long, she had not realized where they were headed. She could only recognize it now because of the appearance of the snowy mountains.

As a forbidden land of Douluo Continent, the Far North was naturally described in books. Quite a few people had entered it, but only a handful had ever made it out alive.

As a result, humanity's knowledge of the Far North was pitifully limited. They only knew that two of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North were among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts.

That alone showed how dangerous it was.

"Xixi, are you afraid?" Huo Yuhao sat down, his tone low.

"Not really." Huo Yuxi answered cautiously, because deep down, excitement outweighed fear. Perhaps because of her childhood experiences, she was rather interested in this kind of thrill.

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

Seeing that she had finished eating, Huo Yuhao quickly urged her to rest. He was already having trouble enduring the lack of rest over the past few days, let alone Huo Yuxi.

After resting for a night, the two set off toward the snowy mountains again.

The closer they came, the deeper the cold they felt. Even their breaths turned into ice crystals that scattered through the air with the wind.

After another three days and three nights, Huo Yuxi's eyelashes and eyebrows had frozen stiff. Beads of ice hung from them, obstructing her vision and making the road much harder to travel.

She was still doing all right. The Soul Devouring Spider in her arms was like a hand warmer, radiating heat. But if they went any farther, even that probably would not be enough.

Huo Yuhao walked in front of Huo Yuxi, shielding her from some of the wind and frost blowing at them. He thought that if they kept going, they would not need to do anything at all—they would simply freeze into ice sculptures and die here.

"Brother Sky Dream, is there any way to resist this bitter cold? Otherwise, we'll freeze to death before we even find the place."

"Wait a moment. Let me look." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm rummaged around inside Huo Yuhao's sea of consciousness before finally finding its old cast-off skin in a corner.

After it tossed it out, it automatically formed into two drill-shaped cloaks.

Huo Yuhao quickly draped one over Huo Yuxi, wrapping her head tightly as well. Only after confirming that no wind could get in did he put on the other one himself.

After putting it on, he discovered in surprise that it was as though he had been wrapped inside a cocoon. When the cold wind struck him, it simply slid away.

Both of them sped up considerably.

At this moment, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm no longer sounded as flippant as before. Its voice was extremely serious. "Yuhao, from now on, you must follow my commands completely. Do not hesitate in the slightest. Otherwise, forget about obtaining a soul ring—you'll leave your life here."

"That includes your sister. Although her martial soul will tell her what she needs to watch out for, I don't want there to be the slightest mistake."