On the third day after setting out from Heaven Dou City, Huo Yuhao, Qian Renxue, and Snake Lance Douluo arrived at the outskirts of the Extreme North Forest.
A cold wind swept over them. Snake Lance Douluo bundled himself up, while Qian Renxue had some resistance to the cold thanks to her Six Winged Angel Martial Soul.
Huo Yuhao wore only a thin shirt, but its inner lining was actually made from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Remains. Even in the Extreme North Core Circle, he wouldn't feel cold.
"Yuhao, aren't you cold?" Qian Renxue asked in surprise. Huo Yuhao wore only a thin shirt, yet didn't seem to feel the cold at all.
"I really am not cold. See for yourself." Without thinking, Huo Yuhao took Qian Renxue's slender hand.
Her hand was warm and smooth as jade, and long and slender, with a springy feel in his grasp.
Qian Renxue froze for a moment. Snake Lance Douluo's eyelid twitched. Huo Yuhao hurriedly let go, then smiled awkwardly. "Let's head into the Extreme North. We need to stay alert along the way."
Qian Renxue didn't mind at all. She giggled. "What's there to worry about when we're only hunting a Hundred Year Soul Beast?"
Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious. He faced the two of them. "There really is danger. Have either of you heard of a Soul Beast called the Ice Jade Scorpion?"
"Ice Jade Scorpions?" Snake Lance Douluo thought for a moment, then said, "I've read about them in the Palace Ancient Books. They're the overlords of the Extreme North, Soul Beasts at the very top of the food chain."
"Is an Ice Jade Scorpion your target this time? I thought Ice Jade Scorpions didn't have the Mental Attribute."
Under Qian Renxue's puzzled gaze, Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. "I know you're still wondering whether I've been deliberately messing with you. I have no reason to lie. To be honest, my goal this time is to obtain my Second Spirit."
"Your Second Spirit? You have Twin Martial Souls!" Qian Renxue stared at Huo Yuhao in amazement, looking him up and down repeatedly.
"But what does that have to do with obtaining a second Martial Soul? Once a Martial Soul has awakened, awakening another one is extremely difficult, let alone acquiring one. How do you plan to get it?"
Snake Lance Douluo's question piqued Qian Renxue's curiosity. She realized she was understanding Huo Yuhao less and less.
The mysterious and unknowable Huo Yuhao had gained so much from his encounter at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye.
Huo Yuhao didn't answer. Instead, he looked seriously at Qian Renxue. "Sister Xue, this is far enough. From here on, I'll be facing the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, one of the Extreme North Three Heavenly Kings. That thing has a terrifying cultivation of 380,000 years. The ordinary Titled Douluo beside you is no match for it."
Qian Renxue was stunned. Whether it was the encounter at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye or this trip to the Extreme North, Huo Yuhao had shown absolute confidence, as though everything was under his control.
Qian Renxue had no idea where his confidence came from, but when she heard that the Soul Beast they were about to face had a cultivation of 380,000 years, her first thought was that it couldn't be possible.
Snake Lance Douluo's expression changed dramatically. A cultivation of 380,000 years—even His Holiness the Pope might be defeated here. The environment alone was a major problem. And where had this little Huo Yuhao gotten such confidence?
"You're crazy!" Qian Renxue slowly shook her head, looking at Huo Yuhao in disbelief.
Huo Yuhao shook his head with a smile. "I'm only doing what needs to be done ten thousand years from now. In ten thousand years, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion will be facing its Fourth Heavenly Tribulation. Once a Soul Beast lives past 100,000 years, it has to endure a heavenly tribulation. If it survives, it can continue living. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion is no ordinary Soul Beast—it's a Ferocious Beast. Ten thousand years from now, there'll even be a ranking of the top ten Ferocious Beasts, and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion will be seventh."
"It ranks seventh at 380,000 years old!" Snake Lance Douluo drew in a sharp breath. Qian Renxue was equally shocked.
"That's right. Seventh." Huo Yuhao nodded. "Thank you, Sister Xue, and Your Excellency, for escorting me here. You can wait here for me. If I haven't returned by tomorrow, leave and head back to Heaven Dou City."
With that, Huo Yuhao started toward the Extreme North Core Circle.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I brought you here, so I'm taking you back in one piece. How could I abandon you halfway?" Qian Renxue grabbed his arm and declared boldly, "From now on, you're my younger brother. Your grilled fish is delicious. I'd love to eat it for the rest of my life."
"Pri—Your Highness, this is too dangerous!" Snake Lance Douluo tried earnestly to dissuade her. If anything happened to Qian Renxue, he might as well kill himself on the spot.
"What's so dangerous about it? Didn't my younger brother say it would be fine?" Qian Renxue looked at Huo Yuhao, and Huo Yuhao looked at Qian Renxue. For no reason at all, both their faces turned red.
"Fine! I'll do my best to keep you safe... Sister." Huo Yuhao smiled, beaming with happiness.
Through the heavy snowfall and biting wind, Snake Lance Douluo raised a Soul Power Shield before them to block as much of the cold as he could. The three pressed onward through the snowstorm, gradually nearing the Extreme North Core Circle.
After they had traveled for who knew how long, Qian Renxue felt a bone-deep chill. Her whole body seemed frozen stiff, and even her blood felt as if it were about to congeal.
"Sis, we've already entered the Extreme North Core Circle..." Huo Yuhao saw Qian Renxue's face growing pale. Even her cold-weather cloak wasn't helping.
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao took off his thin shirt. Before Qian Renxue could stop him, he had stripped off every last piece of clothing.
"Ah—"
Qian Renxue covered her face, her cheeks flushed. "Why are you taking everything off? Put your clothes back on!"
"Go!"
The next moment, Qian Renxue's frozen hands felt warm. A thin, membrane-like material dropped into them.
Huo Yuhao quickly got dressed again, layering on his thick furs. "The Extreme North Core Circle is cold enough to kill you. I took an Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, so I can resist the cold a little. I don't want the older sister I just gained to freeze to death."
"But..." Qian Renxue hesitated, then saw that Huo Yuhao seemed perfectly fine. "How am I supposed to wear this?"
"Take everything off and put it on!" the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said cheekily.
"Who's there?" Snake Lance Douluo shouted, cautiously scanning their surroundings.
"Just have a good sleep." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's powerful Mental Power washed over him. The next moment, Snake Lance Douluo's eyelids grew heavy. He tried to force himself to stay awake, but soon he had turned into an ice block.
Sky Dream Finger activated!
"Little girl, I know you have a Storage Soul Tool on you, and a high-grade one at that. Your attendant has frozen into an Ice Sculpture, so you can put him inside now," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice continued.
"Who are you?" Qian Renxue looked around at the endless world of snow and ice. Apart from Huo Yuhao, there wasn't another person in sight.
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