Staring at the dazed and foolish-looking Tang Ya, the woman said expressionlessly, "You just said you were from the Tang Sect?"
When the woman brought up the Tang Sect, Tang Ya quickly puffed out her little chest and said proudly, "That's right! Not only am I from the Tang Sect, I'm also its current sect master!"
Hearing this, the woman couldn't help laughing. "You? A useless Soul Grandmaster?"
But when she mentioned the useless Soul Grandmaster, the woman's expression instantly grew a little unnatural.
"So what?"
Tang Ya didn't seem to care. She glanced around at the black brambles covered in blood-red roses, then asked hesitantly, "You still haven't told me what the Spirit Consciousness Sea is."
"The so-called Spirit Consciousness Sea is the source of a Soul Master's spiritual power. Although everyone is born with one, the Spirit Consciousness Seas of most ordinary people are not only tiny, but also extremely weak. Almost no one can enter theirs of their own accord in their entire life."
At this, the woman gave Tang Ya a faint glance and continued, "Without this Emperor's help, you'd be one of them."
"Oh."
Tang Ya nodded without a care. She knew all too well what kind of talent she had.
"But you're in luck. You've met this Emperor. As long as you behave, I guarantee your talent won't be any worse than that Mu Guiyun you mentioned."
"Really? I haven't read many books, so don't try to fool me!"
Remembering Mu Guiyun's Soul Ancestor-level cultivation at twelve and his three pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, Tang Ya wasn't entirely convinced.
"What would this Emperor gain by deceiving you?"
The woman sneered. In her eyes, a twelve-year-old Soul Elder was already a peerless talent.
No matter how talented that Mu Guiyun was, how much better could he possibly be?
The Far North lay at the northernmost edge of the Heaven Dou Empire, on the very outskirts of the Douluo Continent. It was also recognized by Soul Masters as one of humanity's forbidden zones.
The endless ice fields stretched for tens of thousands of miles. There was no such thing as four seasons here; the land remained frozen all year round. Only a handful of powerful Soul Masters dared venture deep into its interior, and virtually no one had set foot in the core region in ten thousand years.
"How much farther? I'm freezing to death!"
Mu Guiyun sneezed. The bone-chilling cold made him bundle himself more tightly in his clothes.
Beside him, a little blond boy in white pajamas waved his hand and gave an awkward smile. "We're close, we're close. We'll be there any minute!"
"You've said that a dozen times already! Damn it, you'd better know where you're going!"
Mu Guiyun's mouth twitched. If he hadn't had the protection of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Spiritual Origin, he would have been frozen into a popsicle by now.
The little blond boy was the embodiment of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power. A few months earlier, after Mu Guiyun and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had worked tirelessly, they had finally managed to develop Mu Guiyun's Spirit Consciousness Sea—barely.
Ignoring Mu Guiyun's complaints, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm tried to persuade him again. "Gui Yun, are you really not considering making Bingbing your Second Martial Soul? That's the Ultimate Ice, something Soul Masters across the continent dream of!"
Hearing this, Mu Guiyun shook his head without hesitation. "No. With enough cultivation, each of my Eight Great Elements can reach the ultimate level."
The element Mu Guiyun had developed the most so far was naturally the Art of Metal Control. Although it still fell a little short of Ultimate Metal, the boost from the Gilded Langxiao could bring it to the ultimate level for a short time.
Even the Thunder Control Technique, which he had unlocked last, had now reached the highest elemental level.
As for the Art of Ether... it was still hopelessly lazy.
"If you refuse, then so be it."
Seeing Mu Guiyun refuse again, Tian Meng decided not to keep pressing. He continued, "Once your body is strong enough to withstand a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, I'll use my own origin to raise your first three Soul Rings to the Hundred Thousand Year level!"
After saying this, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stared straight at Mu Guiyun, a trace of anticipation on his face.
"Thanks. Don't worry—once I become a god, I'll find you a whole nest of female silkworms!"
Mu Guiyun joked. After spending so much time together, the bond between man and silkworm had grown considerably closer.
And Sky Dream Ice Silkworm truly lived up to his reputation as the biggest cheat in Unrivaled Tang Sect. Just the subtle boost he had given Mu Guiyun's spiritual power had already made a significant difference.
And that was without even becoming a Soul Ring.
"Forget the female silkworms. I just hope you can become a god. Then I'll be able to sleep carefree forever, hehe!"
Tian Meng chuckled, already imagining the wonderful life awaiting him.
Several days passed in a flash, and Mu Guiyun finally reached his destination: the core region of the Far North.
The instant Mu Guiyun stepped into the core region, he felt one thing above all else: cold. A cold unlike anything he had ever experienced!
Even with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's origin protecting him, he couldn't stop himself from shivering.
"Gui Yun, get ready. Your bro's about to show off!"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm grinned, and in the next instant, a spiritual force so powerful Mu Guiyun couldn't begin to describe it spread in every direction.
"Ice Empress, I, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, have returned! Do you dare show yourself?"
Unlike Lao Huo in the original story, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was now merely inhabiting Mu Guiyun's Spirit Consciousness Sea. The power he could wield was far beyond anything a so-called spirit could match.
As soon as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice faded, a crisp sound rang out from all around them.
"Tian Meng, I can't believe you're still alive—and you even dare come looking for this Emperor!"
The instant the voice rang out, a streak of jade-green light shot down from the sky.
She was here!
Mu Guiyun's gaze sharpened. This was his first time seeing one of the so-called Ten Great Ferocious Beasts.
Ranked seventh among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts and second among the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, the 399,000-year-old Ice Jade Empress Scorpion!
When the Ice Empress revealed her full form, Mu Guiyun couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath. He was simply stunned by her appearance as a Soul Beast.
Jade-green and ice-blue light shimmered across her body. She was as translucent as crystal, radiating strength while possessing an added touch of beauty.
"Hehehe, I didn't just come to see you. I came to give you a hand at this crucial moment!"
Tian Meng chuckled, then spoke with complete confidence. "Ice Empress, you must be close to your 400,000-year tribulation, right? I wonder if you're confident you can survive it!"
Ignoring the Ice Empress's increasingly dark expression, Tian Meng kept talking to himself. "That's right. If you were confident, you wouldn't have been stuck at 390,000 years for so long!"
As everyone knew, a Soul Beast's age did not refer to how many years it had lived, but to its cultivation. Aside from growing naturally, it could also increase its cultivation by devouring other Soul Beasts, Soul Masters, and other precious treasures of nature.
And with the Ice Empress's status in the Far North, that final thousand years of cultivation should have been no challenge at all.