Far North

The biting cold wind swept across the endless white ice sheet like a blade.

This was the northernmost tip of the Douluo Continent, the Far North.

Perpetual ice that had never thawed covered the entire land, and the temperature in the air plummeted to dozens of degrees below zero. Even a Spirit Sage-level Spirit Master, without sufficient ice-type spirit power to protect their body, would be frozen into an ice sculpture within half an hour of staying here.

Amidst the freezing wind, a small, thin figure was struggling against the snow, heading toward the core area of the Far North.

The youth was dressed in thick, heavy cold-weather gear, his hood obscuring most of his face, revealing only a pair of astonishingly bright eyes. It was Huo Yuhao, who had traveled thousands of miles from Shrek Academy.

He had been walking on this ice sheet for seven full days. From his initial lack of acclimatization to his current ability to rely on the detection of his Spirit Eye martial soul to precisely avoid ice fissures and low-level spirit beasts, he was moving forward steadily.

Even though the cold wind was bone-chilling and the road ahead was fraught with danger, there was not a hint of retreat in Huo Yuhao's eyes, only a light that grew increasingly determined.

"Yuhao, don't push yourself too hard; take a break," the chubby figure of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm swayed its eight short legs within the Spiritual Sea, unable to help but speak as he watched Huo Yuhao's lips turn purple from the cold.

"With your current physical constitution, even with the nourishment of the Life Gold, you can't handle such non-stop exertion. The core area of the Far North is right ahead; we're almost at Bingbing's territory."

Huo Yuhao stopped in his tracks, leaning against a massive, wind-shielding ice rock, and circulated the spirit power within his body to drive away the chill.

He exhaled a puff of white air and shook his head with a bitter smile: "Brother Sky Dream, I'm fine. The sooner I reach the core area, the sooner I can forge my second martial soul and become stronger. I don't want to let Gu Yuan and the others down, nor do I want to live under their protection forever."

Ever since the day he left Shrek Academy, he had been holding back a surge of drive. Gu Yuan had seen through his lies but did not expose them, instead preparing everything for him; this tolerance and care left him feeling both warm and guilty.

The only way he could repay this was to seize this opportunity, truly undergo a rebirth, and prove with his strength that he had not lived up to Gu Yuan's expectations.

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

Over the past two hundred years, having been nourished by Gu Yuan with the power of the Dragon God, he was no longer the million-year spirit beast who only wanted to find a host to survive; he genuinely wanted to watch this youth reach the pinnacle step by step.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is Gu Yuan's background?" Huo Yuhao couldn't help but ask.

"He seems to know everything. Even my plan to go to the Far North, and the fact that you, Brother Sky Dream, are going to help me forge a second martial soul—he seems to be perfectly clear about it all. And that token he gave me; I can feel a power capable of destroying the world hidden inside it."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shook his body, a flash of awe crossing his eight small eyes. He remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Yuhao, you're asking me, but I don't know either. You only need to know that he has not a shred of malice toward you. Everything he has done is paving the way for you, allowing your future path to be more stable and go further."

As he spoke, an ice-blue seed slowly floated up within the Spiritual Sea.

The seed was only the size of a grain of rice, crystal clear throughout, as if it contained a frozen universe. It emitted the most pure, original power of the ice element; even just floating there silently, it caused the temperature of the entire Spiritual Sea to drop by a few degrees.

This seed was what Gu Yuan had given to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. At the time, Gu Yuan had only said one sentence: "When Huo Yuhao forges his second martial soul, this will allow his talent to reach an even higher level."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had studied this seed countless times, yet he could never see through its mysteries.

He only knew that the ice-type origin power hidden within this seed was purer and more vast than even he, a million-year ice silkworm, or the four-hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, and it even carried a faint trace of divinity.

"What exactly is the Master trying to do?" The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm poked at the ice-blue seed with his short legs, muttering to himself.

"To make this little guy's talent even more exceptional... could it be? Is the Master trying to let him touch the threshold of a god directly?"

Having lived for a million years, he was well aware of the shackles between spirit beasts and human Spirit Masters.

Even with an Ultimate Ice attribute, becoming a god was as difficult as ascending to heaven. But the seed left behind by Gu Yuan, along with the Life Gold and Soul-Nurturing Wood given to Huo Yuhao, were each treasures capable of rewriting fate. This was not simply cultivating an ordinary powerhouse of the continent; this was laying the foundation for a future god.

"Heh, little one, you've finally begun to understand."

An aged and majestic laugh suddenly echoed in the Spiritual Sea. On the Soul-Nurturing Wood, a golden light slowly condensed, and the figure of Electrolux stepped out.

At this moment, he was no longer the strand of remnant soul on the verge of dissipation from years ago. The golden holy light around his body had become increasingly solid, his divine soul full and thick. One could even clearly see the god-level patterns on his body; even as a mere remnant soul, the divine might of the Holy Necromancer he radiated was vast and boundless.

"Senior Electrolux." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly bowed his small legs toward Electrolux, paying his respects respectfully.

For this powerhouse who had crossed planes, he always maintained absolute awe.

Electrolux nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon the ice-blue seed, a knowing smile flashing in his eyes: "The Master's handiwork is far greater than you imagine. He isn't just trying to make this child's talent a little more exceptional; he is trying to pave a path for this child that leads directly to a godhood."

The Life Gold nourished the physical body and divine soul, the Soul-Nurturing Wood stabilized the spiritual origin, and this Ice God Origin Seed was meant to lay a god-level foundation for his Ultimate Ice martial soul.

"Not to mention that he also blocked the manipulation of fate from that person in the God Realm for this child, giving him a future of true, free choice."

Electrolux had lived for countless ages and seen through too many chess games of fate. From the moment he merged into Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, he had felt that vast and boundless power of Gu Yuan, and he could guess some of Gu Yuan's layouts.

This mysterious Master had never intended to treat Huo Yuhao as an ordinary chess piece from the very beginning; he truly wanted to cultivate him and let him walk a path to godhood that belonged to himself.

"Two hundred years ago, the Master had already laid all of this out," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm realized, muttering to himself.

Having said that, Tian Meng felt even more reverence for Gu Yuan; the Master was truly omnipotent and could foresee everything like a god.

Electrolux smiled, the golden holy light around his body flowing slightly. Feeling his increasingly solid soul body, a sharp light flashed in his eyes: "That I have reached this day is entirely due to the handiwork of the Master you speak of back then. If any accident truly occurs during this trip to the Far North, I will naturally take action to help this little guy out, which can be considered repaying this favor."

He could clearly feel that his divine soul had recovered thirty percent of its divine power under the dual nourishment of the Life Gold and Soul-Nurturing Wood left by Gu Yuan.

Just then, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye suddenly narrowed slightly, and he stood up straight, looking vigilantly toward the depths of the ice sheet.

"Brother Sky Dream, something is coming from ahead! A very strong aura!" Huo Yuhao lowered his voice, his spiritual power spreading out instantly and extending forward.

He could clearly feel a violent aura rapidly approaching his direction. That aura carried a rich ice-type power, heavy and brutal, with an extremely strong sense of oppression—it was at least a spirit beast of over one hundred thousand years!

"Don't panic, it's the Titan Snow Demon King," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice came immediately, his tone carrying a hint of gravity but not a shred of panic.

"He is one of the three great kings of the Far North, with over two hundred thousand years of cultivation. He is a descendant of the legendary Ice God, possesses infinite strength, extremely strong physical defense, and his vitality is monstrously high."

No sooner had the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finished speaking than the ground began to tremble slightly. On the ice sheet not far away, a huge figure was running wildly with heavy steps.

It was a giant beast over a hundred meters tall, shaped like a giant ape, covered in blood-red fur, with knotted muscles and a pair of fists the size of millstones. Every step it took smashed a huge deep pit into the hard ice sheet.

It seemed to be chasing something, letting out angry roars, and did not notice Huo Yuhao hiding behind the ice rock at all. It ran past, and soon disappeared into the wind and snow.

Not until that brutal aura had completely faded away did Huo Yuhao let out a sigh of relief, his back already soaked with cold sweat. A two-hundred-thousand-year fierce beast—this was the first time he had come into such close contact with a spirit beast of this level. If he had truly encountered it head-on, he feared he wouldn't even be able to take a single blow.

"See that? This is the Far North." The voice of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm rang out once again.

"Danger lurks everywhere here; any random soul beast could take your life. But at the same time, this place hides the top-tier opportunity I have prepared for you, Huo Yuhao."

"Let's go, Brother Sky Dream." Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute once more.

"The greater the danger, the more precious this opportunity must be. I am ready."

With that, he strode forward, braving the wind and snow as he marched toward the core area of the Far North.

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

With the concealment of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million-year soul beast aura, combined with the disguise provided by Huo Yuhao's ultimate spiritual power, he traveled without incident, successfully arriving at the core of the Far North: the territory of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion—the Eternal Frozen Domain.

This was the deepest part of the Far North Ice Plains, where temperatures plummeted to hundreds of degrees below zero, as if even the air itself were frozen solid.

The ice on the ground shimmered with a deep, dark blue, its hardness far exceeding that of steel, encasing the remains of countless soul beasts and human soul masters who had trespassed here over the years.

The air was saturated with the purest, most primal power of the ice element.

"This is the place." The voice of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm carried a trace of imperceptible excitement.

In his heart, he was already imagining seeing Bingbing's peerless face every day, feeling absolutely ecstatic.

"Are you ready, Huo Yuhao? Now is the moment to witness a miracle. Bingbing is sleeping right at the very heart of this Eternal Frozen Domain. Now, watch me!"