The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion!

Although he was not afraid of the cold, his food certainly was.

No matter what kind of dry rations he took out of his storage Soul Tool, they immediately turned into blocks of ice.

Forget about eating them; even chewing was a struggle. Qin Yun could only scrape at them with his teeth.

As for drinking water, it was even worse. The water he carried was impossible to drink; once taken out, it froze solid and could not be poured from the waterskin at all.

Consequently, Qin Yun had no choice but to eat the snow on the ground, which had been frozen for who knows how long.

One mouthful, and the chill went straight from his mouth to his heart.

While the Sky Dream Molt protected the outside of his body, there was no such protection for his insides.

Every time he swallowed a mouthful of snow, his entire body would tremble for a long while before he could recover.

Under these circumstances, Qin Yun could only eat and drink as little as possible, but the physical exertion required to trek through the snow was immense. With his nutritional intake failing to keep up, his body was beginning to reach its limit.

"Tian Meng, this can't go on! If I truly collapse from exhaustion, even if we encounter the Soul Beast you're looking for, how will I have the strength to kill it and fuse with its Soul Ring? Even if I succeed, I doubt I'll have the energy to walk out of here."

"Big Brother, just hold on a little longer; we're almost there. This location should be about right. All we need to do now is wait for the rabbit to hit the stump." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said, "Rest for a moment, then do exactly as I say."

The voice of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm echoed in his mind. Usually a drama queen, his tone this time was unprecedentedly serious.

"Big Brother, I have a question for you, and you must answer me honestly. In these sub-zero temperatures, if you didn't have the protection of my molt, how long do you estimate you could last?"

Qin Yun paused, thought for a moment, and replied, "If I go all out with my soul power, I could probably last half an hour, but definitely no more than an hour."

Much like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the erosion of the Extreme North on a Soul Master was never just about the low temperature. If not for the fact that his physical fitness had improved after killing Tang Hao and he had absorbed the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, he wouldn't even have lasted half an hour.

In this place, without the protection of soul power, even a Titled Douluo would be shivering uncontrollably if they relied solely on their physical constitution.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said, "To lure that fellow here, I must release my aura. Furthermore, whether it becomes your core Soul Ring depends entirely on this molt of mine. Therefore, once I lure it here, you will inevitably have to remain in an unprotected state for a period of time. During this time, not only must we trap it, but I also have to negotiate with it. You must hold on, otherwise, all our previous efforts will be for nothing!"

Choosing Qin Yun had both advantages and disadvantages. Compared to Huo Yuhao, Qin Yun's aptitude was indeed superior, making it easier for the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to hoodwink—no, persuade—the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. However, at the same time, this was not ten thousand years into the future.

There was still a full ten thousand years until the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion would face its fourth heavenly tribulation. Without the pressure of an imminent threat, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could not guarantee what the other party might think. If there were only ten years, or even one year left until the tribulation, the negotiation would naturally be much easier.

"I am about to begin. Big Brother, whether we succeed this time depends on you passing three trials. The first is the cold during this brief window. The second is luck—my luck in being able to overcome the enemy. Finally, it will depend on your perseverance. You are the person I chose; if we fail, we both perish. But if we succeed, then the future of the Douluo Continent will be ours!"

As he said this, there was a hint of madness in the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice.

The milky-white halo began to change color, shifting from its original white to pale gold, and then to a brilliant, vibrant gold.

Unlike his previous disguises, this was the true color of the one-and-only million-year Soul Ring on the Douluo Continent! At the same time, this was the first time the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had allowed its true colors to bloom in the world.

After retracting the molt, Qin Yun hid behind a piece of solid ice to shield himself from the biting cold, while the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, having briefly regained its strength, began its fishing plan.

Nine clusters of golden light descended slowly from the air. The first landed on the snow, followed by the second, which settled directly on top of the first. One by one, they stacked up; as the overall volume shrank, the gold became increasingly dense. The nine clusters of golden light merged and took shape, unexpectedly condensing into a golden figure.

To Qin Yun's utter bewilderment, the golden figure looked exactly like him.

It seems Sky Dream Ice Silkworm truly enjoys crafting figurines; he does it not only to Huo Yuhao but to himself as well.

However, one should never underestimate a million-year soul beast.

Though he is usually cowardly, this spiritual power, capable of shifting the very heavens, is truly incomparable to that of ordinary soul beasts.

A powerful consciousness rippled outward the very moment the spiritual form of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm took shape.

"Ice Empress, I know you sense my presence. I, Tian Meng, have returned for revenge. Do you dare to show yourself?"

At this very moment, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm unleashed his spiritual power to its full extent, covering such a vast range that it encompassed nearly everything he intended to reach.

At least one-third of the core region of the Extreme North was now under the surveillance of his spiritual detection.

Do not be fooled by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's seemingly carefree exterior; what he was doing right now was anything but simple.

The spiritual power he released did not carry his own aura; at the very least, any soul beast unfamiliar with him would never imagine that this creature, devoid of any offensive skills, could achieve such a feat.

Using his own terrifying spiritual power, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm simulated the aura of a figure in the Extreme North that even other soul beasts dared not harbor the slightest thought of opposing.

That figure was none other than the leader of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, the Snow Empress, who possessed five hundred thousand years of cultivation and a noble bloodline!

At this time, the Snow Empress had not yet been imprisoned by the God Sealing Platform.

Given her fearsome reputation in the Extreme North, once other soul beasts sensed the aura of the Snow Empress, they naturally dared not come to join the fray.

They feared that if they were even slightly careless, they would be on the receiving end of a full combo from the Snow Empress.

Furthermore, in addition to simulating the aura of the Snow Empress, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm carefully avoided the territory where she resided, lest he actually draw the real one to his location.

Tricking the Ice Empress was already difficult enough; if the Snow Empress were added to the mix, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm feared he would be struck by an Emperor Sword the moment he showed his face!

At the same time, the Ice Empress—the second-ranked of the Three Great Heavenly Kings whom Tian Meng sought—was also within the range covered by his spiritual power.

The Ice Empress had known him for a long time, so she naturally would not mistake his aura, especially with that arrogant declaration he had just made.

Based on Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's understanding of the Ice Empress, he was certain that she would definitely come.

Faced with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, a massive nutritional supplement, no soul beast could remain un-tempted.

This was especially true for the Ice Empress, who had over three hundred thousand years of cultivation but was inevitably unable to break through the four-hundred-thousand-year barrier.

Sure enough!

The originally pitch-black clouds suddenly fluctuated violently, and immediately afterward, a layer of emerald light instantly spread across the distant northern horizon.

The pitch-black sky transformed into an emerald green in the blink of an eye—a transparent and alluring green, its captivating hue making the high heavens appear as if they had suddenly turned into a massive emerald gemstone.

The oppressive atmosphere in the air vanished in that instant, dissipating into nothingness!

"Tian Meng, you are actually still alive.

You truly live up to your reputation as the longest-living creature in our Extreme North!"