I Want More

"My senior brother is still waiting for me; I must inform him first."

Before being taken away by Gu Yuena, Huo Yuhao hurriedly grabbed onto her clothes.

He was unsure how long this trip to the Far North would take.

If it ended up taking a year or so, Qian Xunji would probably have a bird's nest built on his head by the time he returned.

As the next Pope, Qian Xunji was not without his own duties; it was impossible to have him waiting idly in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Gu Yuena paused slightly and looked toward Di Tian, who was standing quietly to the side.

"Di Tian, go and notify him. Tell him to rest assured; once Yuhao has finished absorbing his first soul ring, I will send him back to Spirit City."

After saying this, Gu Yuena picked up Huo Yuhao, grabbed the Sky Dream Iceworm, and vanished from the spot.

Only after Gu Yuena had departed did Di Tian glance toward the Lake of Life.

Why hadn't the Auspicious Beast made a fuss about wanting to tag along today?

Deep within the space at the bottom of the Lake of Life, a small beast with golden fur, shaped like a lion and possessing three eyes, was currently devouring the grilled fish Di Tian had brought.

"Wuwuwu, how can something be this delicious!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt as though the past five thousand years of its life had been a waste!

What on earth had it been eating all this time?

"Red King, I want more."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked toward the Red King at its side, expressing its most sincere desire.

"Di Tian only gave us this much, and you've already eaten it all."

Even his own portion had ended up in the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's mouth.

When Di Tian had brought the grilled fish and meat over, he had already explained the situation.

That ice worm was about to sacrifice itself to a youth who had awakened the dragon bloodline, and these offerings were the compensation provided by the youth.

The great fierce beasts were naturally dissatisfied that such a cultivation cheat had been snatched away by a human.

However, since this was the Lord's decision, they were powerless to argue.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion didn't care about any of that; it had caught a scent so wonderful that it made its mouth water far more than any of its usual favorite foods.

"Right, Xiong Jun doesn't seem to like these. I'll go ask him for his!"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion recalled Xiong Jun's irritable demeanor at the time, and that remark of his: "That human, he thinks he can compensate us with this kind of trash?"

As Gu Yuena carried Huo Yuhao away from the depths of the Lake of Life and headed toward the Far North, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was busy pestering Xiong Jun for food.

Xiong Jun, who had long since finished his own grilled fish, could only pull a long face while enduring the Red King's mockery from the side.

You didn't care for it?

Then don't eat it!

Outside the core area.

Qian Xunji sat on a giant rock, waiting quietly.

He was not in a hurry.

Huo Yuhao had only just gone in, and judging by the attitude of the person who had invited him, it was clear that they held Yuhao in high regard.

Since there was no danger, there was no need to fret.

However...

That person must have been a transformed soul beast, right? Why had his father never mentioned such a thing?

Judging by that person's tone, it was clear they had crossed paths with his father, perhaps even fought, and might have even won.

His father, Qian Daoliu, was a level 99 Peerless Douluo; that man earlier had been even stronger than his father.

Then what kind of existence was the "Lord" that he had spoken of so respectfully?

A god?

His father was truly tight-lipped!

With such dangerous figures around, shouldn't he have been warned in advance so he could prepare himself mentally?

Ever since Qian Daoliu had produced a younger brother—or rather, a junior brother—for Qian Xunji, the latter had clearly felt the difference in treatment. The filter through which he viewed his majestic and powerful father had begun to shatter.

His father was merely an ordinary man, albeit a slightly stronger one, not a god.

He possessed all the emotions that a human should have.

The indescribable, vague sense of distance between father and son had only existed because Qian Xunji had previously worshipped his father as a god.

Once that filter shattered, the distance vanished, and they returned to the most natural of father-son relationships.

Just as Qian Xunji was contemplating the philosophy of how a father and son should interact, Di Tian appeared before him once more.

Qian Xunji's eyes lit up, and he jumped down from the rock.

"My Lord." He performed a junior's salute toward Di Tian, but when he looked up again, he could no longer find a trace of Huo Yuhao. "Where is my junior brother?"

With the connection through Huo Yuhao, the way Di Tian looked at Qian Xunji was finally no longer the gaze one would use for an annoying ant.

Although Di Tian's expression remained stoic, his tone was far gentler than before.

"I came here specifically to inform you that Lord Yuhao has currently departed for the Far North to obtain his spirit ring. You should all return for now."

Qian Xunji's expression shifted. "Without taking..."

Di Tian interrupted him before he could finish.

"If we truly intended to show disrespect to the Lord, you would pose no threat to me whatsoever."

"Convey my words to your father; he will naturally be able to make his own judgment."

After saying this, Di Tian turned and left.

Qian Xunji stood where he was, his brow furrowed.

"Young Master, this..."

"Return to Spirit City."

The fact that Di Tian still referred to a child who had just turned seven as "Lord" was enough to explain everything.

Huo Yuhao's second martial soul must hold an incredibly high status among the spirit beasts.

High to an almost absurd degree.

The northern region of the Heaven and Earth Empire.

Frigid winds howled, carrying cold, hard snowflakes and ice powder.

Blizzards raged here, and the snow was deep; ordinary humans would suffer rapid frostbite or death upon entering due to the low temperatures.

Humans simply could not live normally in the Far North.

The closer one got to the core area, the lower the temperature became.

Gu Yuena, carrying Huo Yuhao and Sky Dream Iceworm, appeared abruptly amidst this raging blizzard.

"Ah, this is the place! It truly brings back memories!"

Sky Dream Iceworm's eyes welled up with tears of emotion. Even though it hadn't been long since he left, to him, it felt as though tens of thousands of years had passed.

"The feeling of freedom is truly wonderful!"

The moment she arrived, Gu Yuena dispersed the wind and snow around them, blocking out the bitter cold of the Far North as well.

This was an area where humans could still set foot, and with Sky Dream Iceworm's powerful spiritual energy, it was not difficult to locate that cold spring within this range.

Gu Yuena dropped Sky Dream Iceworm onto the snow. "Do not forget the purpose of this trip."

Sky Dream Iceworm took the opportunity to roll around in the snow before finally releasing his spiritual energy to search.

"Found it!"

They didn't have to wait long before Sky Dream Iceworm let out a cry of surprise.

"Thirty kilometers south from here."

He hadn't expected that the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow would actually exist in the outer regions of the Far North!

With Sky Dream Iceworm's guidance, Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao didn't take a single wrong turn and arrived directly at the location of the cold spring.

It was a deep blue spring, emitting a chill even more intense than the surrounding air.

This cold air was enough to cause frostbite, yet it had no effect on the two people and one beast present.

Without needing to be urged, Sky Dream Iceworm dove into the cold spring as soon as he landed.

Gu Yuena shielded Huo Yuhao and followed him into the cold spring.