Ice Empress

Autumn was not a suitable time to enter the Extreme North. For one thing, the environment there was at its harshest during this period, with temperatures even lower than usual.

Some Soul Beasts living in the Frozen Forest would also wander near human villages and towns in search of food. This greatly increased the chances of encountering powerful Soul Beasts in the outer regions of the Extreme North.

Unless they were individually strong enough or belonged to an exceptionally powerful soul-hunting team, ordinary Soul Masters would never venture into the Extreme North at this time.

Another reason was that the Core Zone of the Extreme North would experience polar night during this period. The darkness often lasted for months, making it difficult to discern directions and easy to become lost.

Of course, that was assuming someone could safely enter the Core Zone of the Extreme North in the first place.

"Extreme North, human forbidden zone. Soul Beasts roam here. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous!"

"So this is the Extreme North?" Wu Xuan looked at the wooden sign before him and read it aloud, one word at a time.

Beyond the Frozen Forest lay a white wasteland, a world blanketed in ice and snow.

After leaving Shrek Academy, he had released his Wind Element Martial Soul and headed north, crossing the entire Heaven Dou Empire. After five days of nonstop travel, he had arrived here.

"That's right. This is my hometown." Tian Meng looked at the ice plains before him, his eyes filled with indescribable melancholy. He could no longer remember how many tens of thousands of years had passed since he left this place.

As Wu Xuan continued deeper in, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, unusually, did not sleep. Instead, he constantly guided Wu Xuan onward from within the Sea of Consciousness.

"So, Little Wu Xuan, my Shed Skin is versatile, right?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm asked with a grin.

"Not bad. It can block detection, keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, and protect against the cold. It's a rare treasure," Wu Xuan praised him obligingly.

"Hehe!" It was only a casual compliment from Wu Xuan, yet Sky Dream Ice Silkworm remained excited for quite a while.

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed. Wu Xuan had completely entered the uninhabited depths of the Extreme North. Along the way, he encountered several groups of Soul Beasts, but under Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's guidance, he passed through every danger without incident.

"Tian Meng, how much farther do we have to go? Why aren't we there yet?" Wu Xuan gritted his teeth and demanded.

"Huh? Where is this? Why do I have absolutely no impression of this place?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm muttered quietly.

"You idiot! I heard that. And you call yourself a Million-Year Soul Beast? You're completely unreliable!" Wu Xuan's face darkened.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately looked miserable. Then, suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

"I've got it, Little Wu Xuan! I can use my Spiritual Origin to lure Ice Empress over. From what I know of her, she's nearly reached her Four Hundred Thousand Year limit. And when she broke through the Three Hundred Thousand Year tribulation, she already damaged her origin. She probably won't survive this next tribulation."

"To stay alive, she'll definitely come looking for me. When she does, I'll use my Shed Skin to trap her temporarily. Then we'll see whether we can persuade her to join us."

"Even if she refuses in the end, I still have an ultimate lifesaving measure. I can teleport you over a thousand kilometers away. Escaping definitely won't be a problem," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm promised.

"Wait! You said Ice Empress has less than a hundred years of cultivation left before breaking through to Four Hundred Thousand Years? And that she definitely won't survive her next heavenly tribulation?" Wu Xuan asked, as though he had seized upon the crucial point.

"According to my calculations, even if the timing differs, it won't be by much. But she has a one hundred percent chance of failing the tribulation," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said after pondering for a moment.

"Yoshi~! This information is super important!" Wu Xuan instantly rejoiced and could not help clapping his hands.

"Yoshi? What does that mean?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked at Wu Xuan in confusion.

"I mean, we need to clearly explain the benefits of joining us. She doesn't have long to live anyway, so she might as well join us. If she still refuses, then we'll have no choice but to force her with underhanded methods." Wu Xuan smiled maliciously.

"Ah! Force her how? Let me make this clear first—I can't beat her." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was dumbfounded. He truly could not imagine what method they could use to force Ice Empress with their current strength.

"Hehe! Since she wants your origin power so badly, why not give it to her?" Wu Xuan gave him a knowing smile.

"Ah~!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stared at Wu Xuan with his foolish wide eyes, utterly bewildered.

"You really are stupid! If we can't reach an agreement in the end, I'm not telling you to give her all of your origin power. You only need to give her a tiny bit," Wu Xuan said, rubbing his forehead.

"Give her a tiny bit? Oh~! I get it! As expected of the person I chose. This operation is guaranteed to succeed. Hahaha!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm instantly became excited, rolling around in Wu Xuan's Sea of Consciousness.

"Alright, Tian Meng. Begin. Since it's foolproof, there's no need to worry about anything." Wu Xuan calmed himself and spoke evenly.

"Alright! Begin! Begin!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm let out a strange cry. Clusters of golden light emerged from Wu Xuan's Sea of Consciousness.

This was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Spiritual Origin, as well as his most core power.

Nine clusters of golden light condensed and compressed, then transformed into a golden human figure. At that moment, Wu Xuan could clearly feel Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's power. This was the strongest Spiritual Power on the Douluo Continent. It was so powerful that it could even alter the heavens, yet it was far too gentle and possessed no offensive capability whatsoever.

A powerful thought spread out the instant Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual body formed. "Ice Empress. I know you can sense my presence. I, Tian Meng, have returned. Do you dare meet me?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm simply waited. He refused to believe that Ice Empress could resist the temptation. Only by absorbing his immense and pure origin energy would she have a chance to break free from the shackles of the heavenly tribulation.

Second by second, time passed. There was not the slightest movement across the boundless ice plains.

"Can you even do this? It's been so long already. If not, let's go a little deeper," Wu Xuan asked through Spiritual Power.

"Alright! Let's go a little deeper, then," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm agreed.

Just as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Spiritual Origin moved two steps forward, the pitch-black clouds suddenly trembled violently. Immediately afterward, a layer of emerald-green light spread over from the northern horizon.

The black sky turned emerald-green in an instant, transparent and alluring. That captivating color made the lofty heavens seem to have suddenly become an enormous emerald gemstone. The oppressive air in the atmosphere also vanished in that instant, disappearing completely.

When the emerald-green light spread to within a thousand-meter radius of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Wu Xuan's eyes lit up. She was here. She had really come.

Amid the howling snow and ice, an emerald-green figure appeared upon the vast ice plains. It was a scorpion, its entire body as brilliant as diamond and gleaming with an emerald radiance.

"Tian Meng, you cowardly rat. You're actually still alive." A clear voice rang out from every direction along with terrifying pressure. Snow in the distance surged like waves, spraying several meters high. Yet within a hundred meters around Tian Meng, all remained calm beneath the cover of Spiritual Power.

The owner of that voice was the little scorpion before them—Ice Empress, ranked second among the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm took a deep breath and shouted ahead, "Ice Empress, I'm no longer a coward! Now I dare stand before you openly and honorably."

"Hmph! No longer a coward? Then why have you hidden your true body and come to see me with only a form simulated from Spiritual Power? Do you think that means I won't be able to find your true body?"

"How laughable!"

"Even if your Spiritual Power is powerful enough to condense into a body on its own, and even take human form, it cannot possibly be too far from your true body."

The clear voice spoke coldly, its tone filled with lofty disdain.

"Wasn't I just afraid you'd get too excited upon seeing me, so I took some precautions in advance? Hehe!"

"Hmph! Fine, very fine! Though I don't know what scheme you have in voluntarily delivering yourself to me, since you're here, stay here! If I devour your origin energy, then no great tribulation will be anything to fear."

As she spoke, Ice Empress's high-raised tail hook suddenly lit up. A beam of white light instantly pierced through the body Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had condensed with Spiritual Power.

"Sigh! Your temper is still as violent as ever. Since that's the case, I can only make the first move."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's golden figure immediately turned into boundless Spiritual Power. The vast Spiritual Power, as immense as an ocean, instantly engulfed Ice Empress.