Cao Longyan returned to his room. Seeing Zhang Lexuan still fast asleep, the corners of his mouth, which had just begun to lift, drooped again.
He didn't know whether this parting would be temporary or forever...
Of all the people in the world, the one he worried about most was the person before him...
But what could he do now?
He quietly packed his things and left.
Before leaving, he told only Mu En where he was going, and asked him to keep it from everyone else.
After several days of traveling, Cao Longyan finally reached the outskirts of the Extreme North. The thick snow and bitterly cold wind made him shiver.
"Longyan, are you ready?"
Electrolux's voice rang out in Cao Longyan's Spiritual Sea of Consciousness.
"I will transform the power of the Holy Necromancer into your Second Martial Soul and wrap you completely in Undead Aura. Even someone with the strength of a Limit Douluo won't discover you."
"Remember, don't attack first, and don't let any attack hit you. Otherwise, this barrier will vanish, and you'll be completely exposed. Then you'll be nothing but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered!"
Cao Longyan slowly nodded to Electrolux.
"Thank you, Elder Yi. I'll remember."
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold, immense power surged from his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness and projected out from between his brows. A Martial Soul phantom, gray-black from head to toe and covered in strange runes, slowly materialized.
It was the Holy Necromancer Martial Soul!
This Martial Soul gave off not the slightest ripple of Soul Power, only pure Undead Aura.
A faint layer of gray-black mist rose around him, concealing his figure and aura completely amid the boundless ice fields.
Feeling the changes within him, Cao Longyan felt a little more at ease.
He tried moving around. Undead Aura completely enveloped his body, and even his footsteps left no prints in the snow.
Once everything was ready, he lowered his body and prepared to sneak into the depths of the Extreme North. But then he heard the disorderly sound of footsteps and conversation coming from nearby.
He stopped at once, ducked behind a massive Ice Rock, and peered out.
In the snowy distance, two groups were heading in opposite directions.
At the center of each group was a young woman. They were clearly accompanying the women on Soul Ring hunts.
Cao Longyan was very familiar with the northern group's uniforms. They were unique to Shrek.
The young woman in the middle looked about eighteen.
The southern group wore splendid clothes with a distinctly aristocratic air. They weren't dressed like nobles from the Heaven Soul, Dou Ling, or Star Luo Empires whom he had seen before. Instead, their outfits were almost exactly like those of the Sun Moon Empire in his memories from before he crossed over.
The young woman in the middle looked a little younger, perhaps thirteen or fourteen.
Cao Longyan's eyes shifted, and his brows drew together slightly.
One group had come from Shrek, the other from the Sun Moon Empire. They were probably both here for Soul Beasts in the Extreme North.
He decided to wait a while after they left before moving, avoiding them as much as possible.
His goal was clear. He absolutely couldn't let anything else complicate matters before he reached his destination.
The Extreme North was far vaster than he had imagined. Guided by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Cao Longyan pressed onward, step by step, toward Ice Empress's territory in his ordinary human body.
By day, he braved the bitter wind. The snow beneath his feet grew deeper, and every step became a struggle.
His face was purple-red and crusted with frost. He had frostbite in several places, but he didn't stop.
At night, he found a sheltered ice cave to rest in. Even with thick clothes and full cold-weather gear prepared in advance, the extreme cold still left him shivering uncontrollably.
Like that, he walked for two whole days and nights. Nearly all the strength had drained from his body. His face was pale, his lips blue with cold, and his eyes unfocused. More than once, he stumbled along before collapsing into the snow with a thump.
At last, on the morning of the third day, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out in his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness.
"My lord, we're here! Ice Empress is just ahead. Be careful—her temper isn't the best."
Cao Longyan stopped and looked up. A huge, pitch-black ice cave lay ahead.
"Leave it to me. Bingbing and I go way back. I'll talk to her, and I'm sure I can persuade her. Your humble servant still has a bit of charm, my lord."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm thumped his chest, brimming with confidence. As he spoke, he turned into a blue-white figure and flew out of Cao Longyan's Spiritual Sea of Consciousness in his Guardian Spirit form, heading toward the ice mountain with an air of absolute certainty.
Cao Longyan stood where he was, watching Sky Dream Ice Silkworm fly off, and gave an awkward smile.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm... If he hadn't known the plot of Peerless Tang Sect, he might really have fallen for his tricks, just like Huo Yuhao...
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a sharp impact rang out, followed immediately by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's scream.
"Ow! Bingbing, why are you hitting me? We're old friends!"
Cao Longyan looked up. A pair of blue eyes suddenly appeared in the pitch-black cave entrance.
Then an Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, blue-green from head to tail, emerged. She flicked her scorpion tail at Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, sending him flying.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm tumbled through the air like a kite with its string cut and crashed into the snow. He plunged headfirst into the drifts, leaving only his round butt sticking out as he wriggled furiously, still stubbornly protesting.
"Bingbing, you've truly broken my heart! I came to help you out of the goodness of my heart, and you hit me!"
Cao Longyan helplessly shook his head, walked over, and gently pulled Sky Dream Ice Silkworm out of the snow. Seeing him with stars in his eyes, he sighed softly.
"Sky Dream, give it a rest. I told you she wouldn't buy it. Let me go instead."
With that, he released Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and walked alone toward Ice Empress.
When Ice Empress saw the human, her blue eyes turned icy in an instant. The full force of her oppressive aura burst forth, and extreme cold swept toward Cao Longyan.
"A human? Who let you in here!"
Ice Empress's voice was cold as ice, brimming with hostility.
"The Extreme North is no place for humans. Get out! Or don't blame me for what happens next!"
Cao Longyan didn't dodge. That was right—he didn't dodge, nor did he show the slightest fear. His gaze remained calm and resolute as he met Ice Empress's eyes.
He had no Soul Power, no Guardian Spirit, and even his Martial Soul had become a Trash Martial Soul. At that moment, he was nothing more than an ordinary person. Yet in his eyes was a pride to rival any mighty warrior.
It was a stubbornness carved into his bones, a pride that refused to bow even after falling to the depths.
A flicker of surprise crossed Ice Empress's eyes, and the pressure around her eased slightly.
She had lived for tens of thousands of years and seen countless human Soul Masters: the timid and cowardly, the arrogant and conceited, the fawning and servile. But she had never seen an ordinary person without Soul Power remain so calm beneath her pressure—neither dodging nor flinching, even daring to look her in the eye.
"Interesting."
Ice Empress murmured. The hostility in her icy blue eyes gradually faded, replaced by keen interest.
"A human without Soul Power can actually withstand my pressure. You're the first. I'll leave your corpse in one piece."
Just then, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm came to his senses and hurriedly wriggled in front of Cao Longyan, placing himself between him and Ice Empress.
"Bingbing, don't be rash! Listen, we've come to do you a huge favor!"
"I am Ice Empress, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North. Why would I need help from a lazy glutton of a worm and an ordinary person without even a shred of Soul Power? Besides, there's nothing I need help with!"
"Bingbing, I know you won't survive the next lightning tribulation... We really are here to help you..."
"Sky Dream, what did you say?!"
Before you continue