The Far North

The biting wind sliced across the endless white ice plains like knives.

This was the northernmost edge of the Douluo Continent: the Far North.

Ice that had remained frozen for ten thousand years blanketed the entire land. The temperature sank dozens of degrees below zero, and even a Soul Master of Soul Saint rank would freeze into an ice sculpture in less than half an hour without enough Ice-type Soul Power to protect them.

Amid the howling wind, a small figure struggled forward through the snow toward the core region of the Far North.

The boy wore a heavy winter outfit, his hood covering most of his face. Only his extraordinarily bright eyes showed. He was Huo Yuhao, who had traveled a thousand miles from Shrek Academy.

He had been crossing these ice plains for seven whole days. At first, he had struggled to adapt, but now he could use his Spirit Eye Martial Soul to detect and precisely avoid crevasses and low-level Soul Beasts, steadily making his way onward.

Even with the biting wind and dangers lurking along the road, Huo Yuhao's eyes held not a trace of retreat—only an ever-brighter resolve.

"Yuhao, don't push yourself. Take a break first." In the Spiritual Sea, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's plump figure bobbed along on eight pairs of tiny legs. Seeing Huo Yuhao's lips turn purple from the cold, he couldn't help speaking up.

"With your physique right now, even the nourishment from Life Gold won't let you keep going nonstop like this. The core region of the Far North is just ahead. You're almost at Bingbing's territory."

Huo Yuhao stopped and leaned against a huge boulder sheltered from the wind. He circulated the Soul Power within him, dispelling the chill around his body.

He breathed out a cloud of white vapor and gave a wry smile. "I'm fine, Brother Sky Dream. The sooner I reach the core region, the sooner I can forge my Second Martial Soul and become stronger. I don't want to disappoint Brother Yuan and the others, and I don't want to live under their protection forever."

Ever since the day he had left Shrek Academy, he had been driven by a fierce determination. Gu Yuan had seen through his lie but hadn't exposed it. Instead, he had prepared everything for him. That kindness and care warmed Huo Yuhao's heart, yet also filled him with guilt.

The only way he could repay that kindness was to seize this opportunity, truly undergo a complete transformation, and prove with his strength that he hadn't let Gu Yuan down.

"Yuhao, you really are too stubborn, kid." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sighed helplessly, though his voice was full of approval.

For two hundred years, Gu Yuan had nourished him with the Dragon God's Power. He was no longer the million-year Soul Beast who had once wanted nothing more than to find a host and scrape by. He sincerely wanted to watch this boy climb, step by step, to the summit.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is Brother Yuan's background?" Huo Yuhao couldn't help asking.

"He seems to know everything. He even knew I was going to the Far North and that you were going to help me forge a Second Martial Soul. He seems to know it all. And that token he gave me—I can feel a power hidden inside it that could destroy the heavens and earth."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm swayed his body. A trace of reverence flashed in his eight pairs of tiny eyes, and after a moment's silence, he spoke. "Yuhao, you're asking me, but even I don't know. You only need to know that he bears you no ill will. Everything he's done is to pave the way for you, so your future path will be steadier and longer."

As he spoke, an ice-blue seed slowly rose in the Spiritual Sea.

The seed was no bigger than a grain of rice, crystalline throughout. It seemed to contain a frozen universe within it, radiating the purest Ice-type Origin Power. Though it merely floated there, the temperature of the entire Spiritual Sea dropped several degrees.

Gu Yuan had given this seed to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. At the time, Gu Yuan had said only one thing: "When Huo Yuhao forges his Second Martial Soul, this will raise his talent to another level."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had studied the seed countless times, yet had never managed to see through its mysteries.

All he knew was that the Ice-type Origin Power hidden within was purer and more vast than his own, despite being a million-year ice silkworm, and even purer and more vast than that of the four-hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. It even carried a faint trace of divinity.

"What exactly does Your Lordship intend to do?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm muttered to himself as he nudged the ice-blue seed with one tiny leg.

"Make this kid's talent even more exceptional... Could it be? Does Your Lordship want him to touch the threshold of godhood directly?"

He had lived for a million years and understood all too well the shackles that bound Soul Beasts and human Soul Masters.

Even with an Ultimate Attribute, becoming a god was as difficult as reaching the heavens. Yet the seed Gu Yuan had left behind, along with the Life Gold and Soul-Nurturing Wood he had given Huo Yuhao—each was a treasure capable of rewriting fate. This was no ordinary effort to cultivate a powerful figure on the continent. It was the laying of foundations for a future deity.

"Heh, little fellow, at last you've begun to see the picture."

An old, dignified laugh suddenly rang out in the Spiritual Sea. Golden light gathered above the Soul-Nurturing Wood, and Electrolux's figure slowly emerged.

He was no longer the remnant soul that had once teetered on the brink of dissipation. The golden holy light around him had grown more substantial, and his divine soul was full and robust. Even the divine patterns on his body were clearly visible. Though he was but a remnant soul, the divine might of the Holy Necromancer he radiated was vast and boundless.

"Senior Electrolux." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly cupped his tiny legs toward Electrolux and bowed respectfully.

He had always held the utmost reverence for this powerhouse who had crossed planes to come here.

Electrolux gave a slight nod. His gaze fell on the ice-blue seed, and a look of understanding flickered in his eyes. "Your Lordship's plans are far greater than you can imagine. He doesn't merely want this child to have exceptional talent. He intends to pave a path that leads straight to godhood for him."

Life Gold nourished the body and divine soul, while Soul-Nurturing Wood stabilized his Spiritual Origin. This Ice God Origin Seed would lay a divine foundation for his Ultimate Ice Martial Soul.

"Not to mention, he shielded this child from that being in the Divine Realm who was manipulating his fate, giving him a future he could truly choose for himself."

Electrolux had lived for countless years and seen through too many games of fate. From the moment he had merged with Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, he had sensed Gu Yuan's boundless power and had been able to guess some of the arrangements Gu Yuan had made.

From the very beginning, this mysterious lord had never intended to treat Huo Yuhao as an ordinary pawn. He genuinely wanted to cultivate him and let him forge his own path to godhood.

"Your Lordship had already arranged all of this two hundred years ago." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm murmured, suddenly understanding.

After that, he felt even more reverence for Gu Yuan. His lordship truly had boundless powers and could foresee everything.

Electrolux smiled. The golden holy light around him shifted faintly. Feeling his spirit grow more and more substantial, a glint flashed in his eyes. "I owe my present state to the arrangements Your Lordship made back then, too. If anything truly goes wrong on this trip to the Far North, I will naturally step in and help this little fellow. It will be a way of repaying that debt."

He could clearly feel that, nourished by the Life Gold and Soul-Nurturing Wood Gu Yuan had left behind, his divine soul had recovered three-tenths of its divine power.

Just then, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes suddenly narrowed. He sprang to his feet and warily looked toward the depths of the ice plains.

"Brother Sky Dream, something's coming! Its aura is powerful!" Huo Yuhao lowered his voice as his spiritual power instantly spread out, reaching toward the distance.

He could clearly sense a violent aura rushing toward him. It carried a dense Ice-type power, heavy and savage, with immense pressure. It belonged to a Soul Beast at least a hundred thousand years old!

"Don't panic. It's the Titan Snow Demon King." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice came at once, tinged with gravity but not the slightest hint of alarm.

"He's one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, with over two hundred thousand years of cultivation. He's said to be a descendant of the Ice God. He's immensely strong, his body is extremely durable, and his vitality is downright monstrous."

The moment Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finished speaking, the ground began to tremble faintly. On the ice plains not far away, a gigantic figure came thundering past with heavy strides.

The beast stood over a hundred meters tall, its shape like that of a colossal gorilla. Blood-red fur covered its body, and its muscles bulged in knots. Its fists were as large as millstones, and each step smashed a huge crater into the hard ice plains.

It seemed to be chasing something, roaring furiously as it ran. It didn't notice Huo Yuhao hiding behind the boulder and thundered past, soon disappearing into the snowstorm.

Only after that savage aura had completely faded did Huo Yuhao let out a breath. Cold sweat had soaked his back. This was his first time encountering a two-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast at such close range. If he'd faced it head-on, he probably wouldn't have withstood even one blow.

"Now you see what the Far North is like," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said again.

"Danger is everywhere. Any Soul Beast could take your life. But this place also holds the top-tier opportunity I've prepared for you, Yuhao."

"Let's go, Brother Sky Dream." Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, his eyes once more firm.

"The more dangerous it is, the more precious this opportunity must be. I'm ready."

With that, he stepped forward and strode through the snowstorm toward the core region of the Far North.

Over the next two days, Huo Yuhao ventured deeper, encountering countless Soul Beasts unique to the Far North: from century-old Ice Jade Scorpion hatchlings to ten-thousand-year Ice Spirit Snow Foxes, and even hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

With the concealment of the aura of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, a million-year Soul Beast, and Huo Yuhao's disguise using his Ultimate spiritual power, they made it through without incident and reached the core region of the Far North: the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's territory, the Eternal Frozen Domain.

This was the deepest part of the Far North Ice Plains. The temperature plunged to several hundred degrees below zero, and even the air seemed frozen.

The ice covering the ground was a deep, dusky blue, far harder than steel. Frozen within it were the remains of countless Soul Beasts and human Soul Masters who had ventured into this place over the years.

The air was filled with the purest Ice-type Origin Power.

"This is the place." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice carried a barely perceptible excitement.

He was already imagining getting to see Bingbing's peerless beauty every day, and he couldn't have been happier.

"Yuhao, are you ready? The moment we've been waiting for is about to arrive. Bingbing is sleeping at the very heart of the Eternal Frozen Domain. Now watch me!"