Two-Tailed Ice Emperor, Grim Reaper Electrolux.

At the border of the three kingdoms, Amegakure.

The terrain here was treacherous, shrouded in mist year-round and drenched by unending drizzle.

"Caw—"

The enormous flaming bird, [Vermilion Bird], folded its wings and slowly descended onto a secluded cliff.

Huo Yuhao was the first to leap from its back. Rainwater soaked his black robe, clinging to his body and outlining the youth's tall, straight figure.

He turned and gallantly extended a hand to help Tang Ya down.

"All right, Tang Ya."

Huo Yuhao pointed at the faint outline of a village below the cliff.

"I'll see you off here."

"That village is Amegakure. I still have important tasks for the organization. I'll leave the establishment of the base and recruitment of personnel to you."

Tang Ya nodded and tucked a few disheveled strands of hair behind her ear.

The journey through the air had calmed much of the turmoil in her heart caused by slaughter.

As she looked at the youth about to leave, an intense reluctance rose within her.

"Yu Hao..."

Tang Ya suddenly spoke, her voice drifting amid the rain.

"You've escorted me so far. You must be tired too."

"Let me... use my healing ability to restore some of your strength."

Huo Yuhao paused, then nodded.

With the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and Hashirama Cells, his endurance was practically absurd. Flying this far had barely depleted him at all.

Still, if a walking health pack wanted to heal him, there was no reason to refuse.

However.

To his surprise, Tang Ya stepped forward.

A faint fragrance washed over him.

Before Huo Yuhao could react, a pair of cool yet soft lips pressed against his.

"Mm?!"

Huo Yuhao's eyes flew wide open.

In that instant, a surge of life energy flowed into his body through the contact of their lips and teeth like an electric current.

Rainwater slid down their cheeks, mingling together.

Tang Ya closed her eyes. Her long lashes trembled slightly, and two unhealthy blushes bloomed on her cheeks.

Only at this moment could one vaguely glimpse the shyness and fluttering heart of an adolescent girl beneath this young woman filled with bloodshed and revenge.

In the end, she still could not hold herself back.

Beibei and I rarely even held hands.

This... was my first kiss.

Revenge was the only thing driving her to survive.

The moment Huo Yuhao, wearing his mask, had told her, "I'll take you to destroy their clan," a seed called affection had quietly been planted in her heart and had grown wildly ever since.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Tang Ya released Huo Yuhao and took a step back.

She did not dare meet Huo Yuhao's eyes. Lowering her head, she spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Yu Hao... thank you."

With that, she gave Huo Yuhao no chance to say anything. She abruptly turned around, her black robe billowing as she rushed into the vast curtain of rain, sprinting toward Amegakure.

Huo Yuhao stood where he was. His heart, long frozen over by cultivation and revenge, was stirred for the rarest of moments.

"..."

After a long silence.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. The softness in his eyes instantly vanished, returning to their usual cold, iron-hard look.

"Vermilion!"

Boom!

The red firebird spread its wings and soared once more, carrying him through the clouds as it sped toward the northern horizon.

High in the sky, fierce winds howled.

Huo Yuhao snorted, as if trying to conceal something.

"Tch, women."

"What a bother."

He watched the mountains and rivers race backward beneath him and coldly warned himself inwardly.

Tang Ya, you are merely a chess piece in my plan to resurrect Mother.

(Black Zetsu gave this a like.)

Don't entertain any unnecessary fantasies.

The enemies I face are God King Tang San and the entire God Realm. I have no time to play these boring romance games with you people.

In my eyes, any woman qualified to stand by my side absolutely cannot be a mere decoration.

At the very least... she must be able to keep up with my combat power.

Extreme North, outer ice plains.

The biting wind swept through the region like blades, and the temperature here had already fallen to dozens of degrees below zero.

Huo Yuhao jumped down from Vermilion Bird's back and recalled the Masked Beast.

For the core region of the Extreme North that lay ahead, Vermilion Bird alone would not be enough.

"Three!"

"Come forth, [Grim Reaper]!"

Huo Yuhao formed hand seals with both hands.

Buzz!

Space twisted, and a tall figure radiating a desolate gray aura emerged.

It wore a tattered black cloak, held a massive scythe, and had a white mask over its face.

A terrifying pressure belonging to the Scourge of the Undead swept outward.

[Grim Reaper · Electrolux].

Unlike the other Nine Masked Beasts, which were entirely composed of energy, the Grim Reaper was personally controlled by Electrolux's divine consciousness.

At this stage, it possessed Soul Saint-level combat strength even in its normal state. If Electrolux unleashed his full power, it could even briefly display the terrifying strength of a Title Douluo.

"Elder Electrolux."

Huo Yuhao looked at the Grim Reaper, his tone solemn.

"I'll need to borrow your strength shortly."

From beneath the Grim Reaper's mask came Electrolux's aged yet steady voice.

"Yu Hao, are you planning to capture a second Tailed Beast for that Demonic Statue of the Outer Path of yours...?"

"That's right."

Huo Yuhao nodded, looking into the depths of the Extreme North. His eyes glimmered with determination.

"This trip is to capture the 'Two-Tails' and fuse a second true Soul Spirit into Nine Mask Svāhā."

"It is one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, a super Spirit Beast with three hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation."

"The enemy is extremely powerful. Elder Electrolux, please lend me your full support."

Electrolux waved the scythe in his hand, and gray currents surged.

"Understood."

"Though this old man has yet to recover, as long as you coordinate properly, subduing it will not be difficult."

Over this period, Huo Yuhao and Electrolux had taken the development of the Nine Masked Beasts to a new level.

They discovered that Nine Masked Beasts inhabited by Soul Spirits like Electrolux could briefly raise their combat power by several levels through shattered masks.

Extreme North, core region.

The temperature here had reached a horrifying degree. Even the air seemed frozen solid.

Huo Yuhao did not charge in directly.

"Jade!"

At his soft shout.

The graceful [Celestial Maiden] Masked Beast appeared.

Under Huo Yuhao's control, the translucent ribbon in the Celestial Maiden's hand slowly wound around his body.

This ribbon had been refined from the shed husk Tian Meng left behind after the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had devoured the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

It possessed the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's "concealment" trait. Not only was it incredibly tough, but it could also perfectly hide one's aura.

After finishing his disguise.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and strode into the core region.

"Soul Beast Cloak, activate!"

Boom!

Pale blue flames erupted from his body, condensing into a Soul Beast Cloak around him.

Although his Soul Beast Cloak was not in its complete form because he was maintaining two Nine Masked Beasts outside his body,

It was enough.

His purpose was merely to release without restraint—Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's origin aura!

It was like lighting a torch in a Dark Forest.

Only a moment passed.

The originally gray-white sky suddenly turned emerald green without warning.

An incomparably terrifying chill descended from above, accompanied by suffocating pressure.

"She's here!"

Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted.

In midair, a scorpion roughly one and a half meters long appeared out of nowhere. Its entire body was emerald green, as though carved from the purest ice diamonds.

Beautiful, yet brimming with killing intent.

It was the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, Ice Empress, ranked second among the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North!

Ranked second—just right for the Two-Tails!