The Far North!

Staring at the dazed and foolish Tang Ya, the woman spoke expressionlessly, "You just said you are from the Tang Sect?"

Seeing the woman mention the Tang Sect, Tang Ya quickly puffed out her small chest and said with a face full of pride, "That's right! Not only am I from the Tang Sect, I am its current Sect Master!"

Hearing this, the woman couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You? A trash Soul Grand Master?"

However, when she mentioned the words "trash Soul Grand Master," the woman's expression turned somewhat unnatural.

"So what?"

Tang Ya was unfazed. Her gaze swept around at the black thorns covered in blood-red roses, and she muttered, "You still haven't told me what a Spirit Consciousness Sea is."

"The so-called Spirit Consciousness Sea is the origin of a soul master's spiritual power. Although everyone is born with one, the vast majority of ordinary people have a Spirit Consciousness Sea that is not only narrow but also extremely thin, making it almost impossible to actively enter it in their entire lifetime."

Having said this, the woman glanced at Tang Ya indifferently and added, "Without The Emperor, you would belong to that category."

"Oh."

Tang Ya nodded nonchalantly; she knew her own talent—or lack thereof—better than anyone.

"But you are lucky to have met The Emperor. As long as you are obedient, The Emperor guarantees that your talent will absolutely not be lower than that Mu Guiyun you mentioned."

"Really? I haven't read much, don't you go lying to me!"

Recalling Mu Guiyun's Soul Ancestor-level cultivation at twelve years old and those three pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul rings, Tang Ya found it hard to believe.

"What benefit would it be to The Emperor to lie to you?"

The woman sneered. In her understanding, a twelve-year-old Soul Elder was already the pinnacle of talent.

No matter how high that Mu Guiyun's talent was, how much higher could it possibly go?

The Far North, located at the northernmost tip of the Heaven Dou Empire and on the edge of the Douluo Continent's map, is recognized by soul masters as one of the forbidden zones for humanity.

The entire region is an endless ice sheet stretching for ten thousand miles. There are no four seasons here; it remains in a state of permafrost year-round. Only a very small number of powerful soul masters dare to venture deep into its hinterlands, and as for the core area, no one has set foot there in ten thousand years.

"How much longer? I'm freezing to death!"

Mu Guiyun sneezed, the bone-chilling cold forcing him to wrap his clothes tighter around himself.

Beside Mu Guiyun, a little boy in white pajamas with a head of golden hair waved his hand and chuckled sheepishly, "Almost there, almost there!"

"You've said that so many times! You, damn it, make sure you're leading me the right way!"

Mu Guiyun's mouth twitched. If it weren't for the protection of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual origin, he would have already been frozen into an ice pop.

This golden-haired little boy was the manifestation of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power. A few months ago, through the unremitting efforts of both Mu Guiyun and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Mu Guiyun's Spirit Consciousness Sea had finally been barely developed.

Ignoring Mu Guiyun's grumbling, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm tried to persuade him once again: "Guiyun, are you really not considering letting Bingbing become your second martial soul? That is the Ultimate Ice that soul masters across the continent dream of!"

Hearing this, Mu Guiyun shook his head without hesitation: "No. As long as I cultivate my eight great elements, each one can reach an ultimate level."

Currently, the element Mu Guiyun had developed the most was the Art of Metal Control. Although it was still a bit off from Ultimate Metal, with the enhancement of the Gilded Langxiao, he could reach an ultimate level for a short time.

Even the Art of Thunder Control, which he had unlocked last, had now reached the level of a top-tier element.

As for the Art of Ether... it was still as useless as a salted fish.

"If you refuse, then so be it."

Seeing Mu Guiyun reject him again, Tian Meng didn't intend to keep persuading him and spoke again: "When your physical fitness can fully withstand a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, Brother will use his own origin to upgrade your first three soul rings to the hundred-thousand-year level!"

After saying this, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stared straight at Mu Guiyun, a hint of anticipation on his face.

"Many thanks. Don't worry, once I become a god, I'll definitely find you a whole nest of female silkworms!"

Mu Guiyun cracked a small joke. After spending so much time together, the relationship between the human and the silkworm had become much closer.

Moreover, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was truly the greatest cheat in the Peerless Tang Sect; just the subtle influence he had on Mu Guiyun's spiritual power had brought about significant improvement.

And this was even before he had become a soul ring.

"Forget the female silkworms. Brother just hopes you can become a god, so Brother can sleep carefree forever, hehe!"

Tian Meng chuckled, unable to help but fantasize about his beautiful future life in his mind.

A few days passed in a flash, and Mu Guiyun finally arrived at his destination—the core area of the Far North.

When Mu Guiyun stepped into the core area, his first sensation was cold—an unprecedented, bone-deep cold!

Even with the protection of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's origin, he couldn't help but shiver.

"Guiyun, get ready, Brother is about to show off!"

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm gave a lopsided grin, and the next second, a spiritual power so powerful that Mu Guiyun couldn't describe it spread out into the surroundings.

"Ice Empress, I, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, have returned! Do you dare to show yourself?"

Compared to Lao Huo in the original story, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was currently residing within Mu Guiyun's Spirit Consciousness Sea, and the power he could exert was far beyond what a mere soul fragment could compare to.

As the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice faded, it wasn't long before a crisp voice echoed from all directions.

"Tian Meng, I didn't expect you to still be alive, and to actually dare to come find The Emperor!"

The moment the voice rang out, a streak of emerald light descended from the sky.

It's here!

Mu Guiyun's eyes narrowed; this was his first time laying eyes on one of the so-called Ten Great Beast Kings.

Ranked seventh among the Ten Great Beast Kings, second among the three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, a 399,000-year-old soul beast—the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion!

Once the Ice Empress revealed her full form, Mu Guiyun couldn't help but gasp. The reason was simple: he was purely stunned by her appearance in her soul beast state.

Her entire body radiated a flowing light interwoven with emerald green and icy blue, her form as crystalline and translucent as glass, exuding immense power while simultaneously possessing an added touch of beauty.

"Hehehe, not only am I here to find you, but I'm also here to give you a hand at this critical moment!"

Tian Meng chuckled, then said with full confidence, "Ice Empress, you shouldn't be far from your 400,000-year tribulation now, though I wonder if you have any confidence in surviving it!"

Ignoring the Ice Empress's increasingly gloomy expression, Tian Meng continued to mutter to himself, "Then again, if you had any confidence, you wouldn't have been stuck at 399,000 years of cultivation for so long!"

As everyone knew, a soul beast's age did not refer to how many years it had lived, but rather its level of cultivation, which could be increased not only through natural growth but also by devouring other soul beasts, soul masters, and various treasures of heaven and earth.

Moreover, given the Ice Empress's status in the Far North, gaining that final thousand years of cultivation was not a difficult task for her at all.