"Good!" Ning Fengzhi slapped the table. "There's no time to lose. Let's make a few preparations and set out in an hour! Our destination—the depths of the Far North!"
They had chosen the Far North because it suited the Ice Dragon Martial Soul's affinity. Top-tier ice-attribute Soul Beasts were most likely to appear there, and they would have the best chance of finding one that was a good match.
"I'm going too." A cool, hoarse voice rang out.
Everyone turned. Zhu Zhuqing lifted her head from Lin Yi's arms and wiped the tears from her face. Though the embers of grief still burned in her eyes, a cold, stubborn light had kindled within them once more—the light of hatred intertwined with the will to survive.
"Zhuqing, you..." Lin Yi wanted to persuade her to stay behind and recover.
"My family is gone. Spirit Hall destroyed it." Zhu Zhuqing's voice was calm, yet carried a chill that seemed to seep into her bones. "I won't be a burden. I'm at level fifty now, and I need my fifth Soul Ring. There may be a Soul Beast in the Far North that suits me. I want to grow stronger and avenge them with my own hands."
She looked at Lin Yi, then turned to Ning Fengzhi. "I won't leave the group. I'll follow orders. Please take me with you."
Ning Fengzhi looked at the girl who had just endured the agony of losing her entire family, and a complicated look passed through his eyes. He knew that, right now, Zhu Zhuqing needed a battle, a goal to fill the vast wound that hatred and emptiness had torn open inside her. Taking her along to obtain a Soul Ring under close protection might also help her heal and grow.
He looked toward Chen