Predicament

"Glug, glug..."

A dark figure crashed to the ground in front of Xu Lanqing and the others, then rolled toward them.

The blood staining the otherwise pure-white ground stood out starkly.

Xu Lanqing looked at the corpse, which was no longer recognizable as human, and his mouth twitched.

"Can we still leave if we go now?"

The falling snow suddenly intensified, cutting them off from the world they had known. Wherever they looked, dazzling white stretched as far as the eye could see. Even the sky was blanketed in white, with neither blue sky nor sunlight in sight.

Just moments ago, it had been gentle, like a quiet rain nourishing the earth. Now it had become a thunderous, violent tempest.

The soft, drifting snowflakes were as sharp as swords, concealing endless murderous intent. They sliced against the Soul Guidance Shield, making a series of grating noises.

Jing Hongchen's expression was grave. His and Zheng Zhan's vision and perception had been severely suppressed, and the suppression was gradually intensifying. Now they could sense only about a hundred meters around them.

At that distance, a powerful enemy could launch a surprise attack before they had time to react.

"It all depends on whether the master of this place is willing to let us leave." Jing Hongchen's voice sounded a little strained.

Outside.

Ye Yulin was following behind with two Rank Nine Soul Masters. There had originally been three, but one had gone to investigate the earlier disturbance and still hadn't returned.

The storm had intensified so quickly that before Ye Yulin could react, Xu Lanqing and the other two had vanished from sight. He tried to probe with his spiritual power, but it was blocked.

"Lao Mo, stay here and keep watch. Lao Huang and I will go help them. If necessary, wait for the right moment and use the Level Nine Fixed Soul Cannonball. Don't hesitate."

"Th-this... All right. I understand."

Ye Yulin handed Lao Mo a Storage Ring. A vicious aura that couldn't be concealed seeped from it, chilling the soul. Then he flew off with Lao Huang to provide support.

Lao Mo looked at the Storage Ring, his expression complicated. This was a Level Nine Fixed Soul Cannonball, after all.

"Bang, bang, bang!!!"

Just then, three muffled blasts rang out in quick succession, and three figures were hurled out of the blizzard.

This time, they weren't corpses. They were alive, though their clothes were in tatters and they looked utterly miserable.

They were the Holy Spirit Cult members who had been following Xu Lanqing earlier: Second Elder Nangong Wan, Third Elder Ming Lei, and Fourth Elder Youming.

Nangong Wan's face darkened, and he couldn't help cursing inwardly.

They had planned to lure a few powerful Soul Beasts over to cause Xu Lanqing trouble, so they could sit back and watch. Maybe they could even take advantage of the chaos. But something had gone wrong along the way, and they had been hunted relentlessly ever since.

Their pursuers were terrifyingly powerful. All four of their Soul Douluo subordinates had been killed. Only the three of them, the Titled Douluo elders, were still barely holding on.

They'd tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice.

He no longer had the time to think about what kind of punishment awaited him when he returned. It was anyone's guess whether he would even make it back.

Soul Power surged behind him. Nangong Wan whipped around and found himself staring at Xu Lanqing and the other two, who had been behind them.

Both sides fell silent.

The scene suddenly grew still. Neither side spoke first.

Xu Lanqing furrowed his brow. The three men before him radiated a sinister aura that made him deeply uncomfortable.

Evil Soul Masters?

"They must be the ones who were following us earlier."

Jing Hongchen's voice sounded in his ear. "Your Highness, I suggest we find a way to get out of here first. This place is too disadvantageous for us. We can settle things with them later."

"Mm."

Xu Lanqing agreed without elaborating. He disliked Evil Soul Masters, but staying alive was the most important thing right now.

Nangong Wan's tiny, bean-like eyes darted about as he weighed the situation.

The mission to assassinate Xu Lanqing or his own life—which should he choose? Did he even need to think about it?

After pondering for a moment, he glanced back at the wall of snow stretching from earth to sky. Unable to hold back any longer, he spoke to Xu Lanqing first.

"We're all in this together now. Fighting among ourselves will only get us killed faster. Why don't we work together and escape first?"

"Second Brother is right. At least we're all human. Those things are Soul Beasts, and they won't spare you."

"Exactly. Whatever we need to settle, we can deal with after we get out."

Third Elder Ming Lei and Fourth Elder Youming hurriedly chimed in.

"You don't deserve to call yourselves human. Besides, I think Soul Beasts are much more likable than you."

Xu Lanqing sneered and mocked them without holding back. "We're not the ones who angered the Soul Beasts. Can't I just run away before they kill you?"

"You—"

"Hahaha! You've got some nerve, kid. But if you dared set foot in the Far North, you should've been prepared to die."

Nangong Wan's face twisted with anger as he began to speak, but a deep, chilling voice cut him off.

At the sound of that voice, Nangong Wan and the other two shuddered instinctively, their eyes filled with terror. They had clearly been scared out of their wits.

Xu Lanqing kept quiet, but inwardly cursed Nangong Wan and the Soul Beast alike.

Jing Hongchen and Zheng Zhan silently stirred their Soul Power, watching the direction of the voice with grave caution.

The continuous blizzard parted, and a burly man with a fierce-looking face strode through. He watched them with a hint of amusement.

"Your Excellency, we meant no offense. We're not with them, either. We'll leave at once. Would that be acceptable?"

Jing Hongchen spoke with considerable deference, showing none of the pride or airs of a Rank Nine Soul Master.

A Soul Beast capable of taking human form had to be at least a Ferocious Beast. In terms of Soul Master ranks, that meant a Super Douluo of at least Rank 95. On top of that, this was his territory, where his strength was surely amplified by an unknown degree.

And there was probably more than one Soul Beast here.

The odds were against them, and Jing Hongchen knew when to yield.

"Heh. You humans are all rotten. You think you can come and go from the Far North as you please? Now that you're here, you're all staying."

The Strong Man looked like a hunter with victory already in hand, watching his prey struggle like a cat playing with a mouse.

"So there's no talking our way out of this."

Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes. Even a clay figurine had a temper. His willingness to show weakness didn't mean he feared the other side.

As one of the best Rank Nine Soul Masters, he knew they couldn't win a fight. But with Zheng Zhan and Ye Yulin and the others outside, they could still get away in one piece.

Suddenly, while the Strong Man and Jing Hongchen were facing off, Nangong Wan and the other two erupted with Soul Power and raced toward the outside.

The Strong Man glanced at them, a trace of disdain in his eyes, but made no move to stop them.

"Roar!!!"

Just as they reached the edge, an ear-splitting roar rang out.

Then five enormous white claws, each a hundred meters long, emerged from the snow curtain and slapped Nangong Wan and the other two into the snow before they could react.