The Master's Kindness Cannot Be Repaid

A few days later, at the edge of the Extreme North's Core Zone.

The temperature here had already dropped to a horrifying degree; even the breath exhaled would instantly turn into ice shards.

If an ordinary Soul Master came here, even a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse would have to constantly circulate their soul power to resist the cold poison, and a single misstep would turn them into an eternal ice sculpture.

Yet Gu Yuejin strolled leisurely, as if taking a walk in his own backyard.

The blue-golden Blue Silver Emperor cocoon acted like an Absolute Defense, isolating all the extreme cold.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was about to lose his mind.

"Stop! Tell your Master to stop!"

"Any further and we'll be in the true Core Zone! That's the territory of the Three Heavenly Kings!"

"My plan was just to find a spot on the outskirts, release some aura, and lure Ice Empress out for negotiations."

"Now we're charging straight to their doorstep. If we alarm more than one Heavenly King, or attract a pack of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, there won't even be ashes left of us!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice trembled. "I... I'm starting to wonder if bringing you here now was a mistake..."

He was genuinely afraid of death.

Having barely escaped the Star Dou Forest, it would be too unjust to die here.

Although Huo Yuhao had no direct concept of the Extreme North's terror, feeling Brother Tianmeng's soul-deep panic sent a chill down his spine.

His Master was strong, but this was the Human Forbidden Zone.

"M-Master."

Huo Yuhao steeled himself and spoke. "We've been walking for so long—what exactly is our goal?"

Gu Yuejin didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head.

He just curled his lips into a knowing, amused smirk.

"Oh? That big worm who just woke up in your Sea of Consciousness put you up to asking that, didn't he?"

The words struck like a thunderbolt.

Huo Yuhao froze on the spot, his pupils contracting sharply.

In the Sea of Consciousness, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt as if his neck had been grabbed, his shrieking cut off abruptly.

They had never mentioned this secret to anyone!

Only then did Gu Yuejin stop and slowly turn around.

Those deep eyes seemed to pierce through Huo Yuhao's flesh, staring straight into that vast Sea of Consciousness.

"Why hide in the shadows?"

"Since you're here, come out and meet me."

Gu Yuejin stood with his hands behind his back, his tone calm. "Don't worry. While I do have some interest in your shriveled origin essence, I care more about my apprentice's future."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

After a moment, a golden light flashed from Huo Yuhao's brow.

A slightly ethereal, pure white, plump and adorable silkworm-shaped figure slowly emerged—it was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Soul Spirit form.

Its huge golden compound eyes were now filled with shock and suspicion, fixed on Gu Yuejin.

"The first time I met Yuhao, you tried to hide your aura."

Gu Yuejin began to bluff without changing his expression. "But that unique, vast yet extremely hollow Spiritual Power couldn't fool my eyes."

In truth, he hadn't sensed a thing; he was purely relying on his knowledge of the Original Work.

But this display of "foreknowledge" clearly stunned both the man and the bug into submission.

"If I'm not mistaken, your plan for Yuhao's Second Martial Soul targets the second-ranked 'Ice Jade Scorpion,' doesn't it?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body jolted, and he blurted out, "How do you even know that?!"

Could this human read minds?

"Ice Empress has the Extreme Ice attribute, is incredibly powerful, and her lifespan is nearly over. She is indeed the best match for Yuhao's Spirit Eyes martial soul..."

"Short-sighted."

Gu Yuejin coldly cut him off, his tone decisive and domineering, leaving no room for argument.

"The Ice Jade Scorpion is strong, but her vision is limited."

"Her ceiling stops right there."

"If we're going to choose, if we're going to forge a god, then we should pick the true ruler of the Extreme North, the spirit of heaven and earth—"

Gu Yuejin's eyes flashed with sharp brilliance as he slowly uttered four words:

"Heavenly Snow Woman, Snow Empress!"

"Snow Empress?!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm let out a piercing shriek, as if he had just heard the most insane joke in the world.

"You've lost your mind! That's a Fierce Beast with nearly seven hundred thousand years of cultivation! The Lord of the Extreme North!"

"I might have some chance of winning Ice Empress over with an emotional appeal, but Snow Empress? That's suicide!"

Huo Yuhao, standing off to the side, listened with his jaw hanging open.

Ice Empress? Snow Empress?

Just hearing those titles brought an overwhelming wave of boundless pressure crashing down on him.

At the same time, a deep sense of guilt surged up in his heart.

His Master was so good to him, even venturing deep into a forbidden zone alone for the sake of his Second Martial Soul, yet he had been deceiving his Master all along, hiding Brother Tianmeng's existence.

"Master... I'm sorry..." Huo Yuhao lowered his head, his eyes reddening.

Gu Yuejin paid no attention to his apprentice's self-indulgent sentimentality. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and launched into full mockery mode.

"What's wrong? Scared already?"

"For someone who Sacrificed himself to Yuhao, your guts are smaller than a mouse's now."

"Ice Empress is decent enough, but compared to Snow Empress's body, which is a gathering of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, she's not even in the same league."

"What we're aiming for is an unprecedented feat, not some petty skirmish."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm grew frantic: "This isn't about guts! This is a death sentence! A proud existence like Snow Empress, how could she possibly..."

"What if she can't survive the Heavenly Tribulation either?"

Gu Yuejin dropped his trump card. "Then we give her a chance at eternal life..."

Gu Yuejin's words were sharp, striking straight at the core.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm fell silent.

The "becoming a god" pie that Gu Yuejin was painting was just too tempting, and logically... it was damnably coherent.

If they could really win Snow Empress over, Huo Yuhao's future would be limitless, and his chances of becoming a god would skyrocket.

"This human... is an absolute madman."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm let out a mournful sigh, realizing he simply couldn't out-argue this guy who seemed reckless but was actually plotting every step.

"Fine, I admit you've got a point."

"But Snow Empress's whereabouts are erratic. I might not be able to sense her."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm relented, closing his eyes as his vast Spiritual Power cautiously spread outward, trying to catch the Aura of the Ruler of the Far North.

A moment later, his eyes snapped open, a look of confusion on his face.

"Strange..."

"What's wrong?" Huo Yuhao asked nervously.

"I got a response, but... it's very faint."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm frowned, his chubby face scrunching up. "Normally, Snow Empress's aura should be vast as an ocean. It shouldn't be this weak, like... something has sealed it."

"And it's not deep in the Core Zone. It's not far from here."

He relayed the direction of his detection to Gu Yuejin.

"Weak? Sealed?"

A glint flashed in Gu Yuejin's eyes, and he instantly connected it to a key item from the Original Work—

The Rank Nine Soul Tool, Platform of Deification!

It seemed that because of his interference, or a shift in timing, that Rank 9 Soul Master from the Sun Moon Empire had already succeeded?

"Truly... heaven helps me."

A faint smile curled at the corner of Gu Yuejin's mouth. This way, he didn't even have to bother with a one-on-one fight. He could just go straight for a "rob the robber."

Meanwhile, deep in the Extreme North.

Inside a crystalline ice cavern.

A scorpion, only about one and a half meters long, its entire body a vivid emerald green like carved jade, suddenly lifted its head.

Those jade-green eyes flashed with panic and fury.

"Xue'er..."

"Xue'er's aura is calling for help!"

"Damn humans! How dare you set foot in the Extreme North and lay a hand on this Empress's sister!"

Boom—!

A terrifying burst of Extreme Ice aura erupted. The Ice Jade Scorpion transformed into a streak of emerald light, carrying a murderous intent, and shot off in the direction where Snow Empress's aura had vanished.