After saying this, Xiong Jun slammed his terrifyingly powerful palm into the ground. The entire lakeshore trembled, and he strode off, ready to charge north.
Scarlet King's three heads all turned toward Xiong Jun. His eyes were fixed on him as if he were a complete and utter fool, and he cursed inwardly:
That brainless idiot! If you want to get yourself killed, don't drag me into it!
He had personally experienced how unfathomable the Snow Empress was on her home ground in the Far North. With the Ice Empress and Xiao Bai alongside her, the two of them would be rushing to their deaths.
"Xiong Jun, stop!"
Di Tian's low, authoritative voice rang out. It wasn't loud, yet it froze Xiong Jun in place like a binding spell, stopping his furious movement in an instant.
Xiong Jun looked thoroughly displeased, but under Di Tian's cold golden gaze, he ultimately didn't dare disobey. He stopped in frustration, though he continued grumbling under his breath.
Di Tian paid him no further attention. His gaze turned north, as if piercing endless space to behold that eternal world of ice and snow.
He fell silent for a moment. The aura he gave off made every Ferocious Beast along the lakeshore hold its breath.
At last, he spoke slowly, his voice carrying decisive, unquestionable authority:
"Once the Master's condition has stabilized somewhat, I will go to the Far North in person..."
Di Tian had intended to remain here and keep watch, ensuring the Silver Dragon King's safety.
But now, that young master he had never met was somehow connected to the three rulers of the Far North. He had no choice but to make the trip himself!
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, several months had gone by.
The Far North remained blanketed in silver, but Xue Chen's strength had made great strides.
With the Ice Empress protecting him, he had successfully obtained his Second Soul Ring from a Thunder Prison Yanming Vine with ten thousand years of cultivation. His Soul Power Level had also reached Rank 28.
Xue Chen could clearly sense that the second seal within him was stirring, but he had forcibly suppressed it.
The Thunder Prison Yanming Vine also possessed powerful thunder attributes. Its Soul Ring not only further increased Xue Chen's Soul Power, but also granted him a powerful Soul Skill that combined area control with explosive force, greatly boosting his combat ability.
Today, instead of taking him on further training, the Snow Empress and Ice Empress were heading with him toward an even deeper part of the Far North, to a sacred site known as the Far North Ice Spring.
As they flew, the Ice Empress couldn't help asking again, a faint trace of worry in her jade-green eyes:
"Snow Maiden, are you truly certain you can condense an ice attribute origin for Chen'er?
This isn't an ordinary method. The slightest mishap..."
She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.
The Snow Empress's peerlessly beautiful face remained cool and composed. Looking down at the ice field rushing past beneath them, she spoke with complete confidence:
"If you'd asked me before, I would have said I had about an eighty percent chance of success, using my own origin power to guide him. But now..."
She turned her head slightly and glanced at Xue Chen, who was looking around curiously beside her, then continued:
"With the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow Chen'er brought back, I can use its purest, most potent ultimate ice attribute energy as a catalyst;
By harmonizing it with the Ice Spring's origin, I'm completely certain I can forge an ice attribute foundation for Chen'er and condense an Origin Seed."
Xue Chen was thrilled as he listened.
Although he possessed two top-tier Thunder Martial Souls and exceptional talent, ever since learning that his origins were complicated, he had felt a sense of urgency deep in his heart.
If he could master another attribute, especially the Ultimate Ice that shared its origin with his mother, the Snow Empress, he would have another means of protecting himself. He would also have more ways to face the unknown dangers of the future.
What's more, the Snow Empress had once said that only by possessing an ice attribute origin could he truly begin learning her three great arts—Emperor Palm, Emperor Sword, and Emperor's Cold Heaven!
Those were divine skills powerful enough to shake heaven and earth. Just thinking about them filled him with anticipation.
Before long, the three of them slowed down. Ahead, a basin appeared, encircled by a ring of ice mountains.
Even before they drew near, an ultimate chill far purer and more piercing than the cold outside swept over them. Ice elements filled the air in greater abundance.
This was the Far North Ice Spring, the true source at the heart of the Far North. It was similar to the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Forest, a sacred cultivation ground coveted by countless ice-attribute Soul Beasts.
At the entrance to the basin stood two enormous natural pillars of ice, like the gates to a holy place.
Beside the pillars, two powerful Soul Beasts stood guard like loyal sentries.
One was an Ice Plain Wolf Emperor, its body covered in icy blue fur and its gaze as sharp as a blade;
The other was a lithe Profound Ice Snow Leopard, its sleek form seeming to blend into the ice and snow.
Both had reached the level of forty to fifty thousand years of cultivation. In the outside world, either would be a mighty ruler, but here, they were merely gatekeepers.
From far away, the two guardian Soul Beasts sensed the aura that made their very souls tremble and immediately rose from their drowsy or watchful state.
They prostrated themselves respectfully, bowing their enormous heads low to show the highest reverence to the two rulers of the Far North who had arrived.
The Snow Empress swept her gaze over them without stopping, merely giving a slight nod.
She led the Ice Empress and Xue Chen straight through the gateway formed by the ice pillars and into the most sacred region of the Far North.
The moment they entered the basin, the view opened up before them.
At its center was not a frozen lake, as one might have expected. Instead, a spring bubbled endlessly upward, pouring out azure water!
Visible blue mist rose from the water. Profound ice that had remained unthawed for ten thousand years surrounded the spring, and flecks of blue light drifted from the water—crystals of ice attribute energy concentrated to the utmost degree!
The cold here was no longer merely a low temperature. It was an absolute chill that pierced straight into the soul's origin, as if it could freeze time itself.
Even with his Bloodline Power shielding him, Xue Chen couldn't help shivering. At the same time, however, a warm ripple came from the Silver Dragon Scale on his chest, helping counter some of the discomfort.
The Snow Empress stopped beside the spring and turned to Xue Chen:
"Chen'er, prepare yourself.
I'm going to use the Ice Spring's origin and the power of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow to condense an ice attribute Origin Seed for you. The process may be painful, but you must keep your mind steady and guide the energy. You can't let your guard down for even a moment."
Xue Chen took a deep breath of air so cold it seemed to freeze his lungs. His small face was full of determination as he nodded firmly:
"Mother, I'm ready!"
After entering the core region of the Far North Ice Spring, the Snow Empress took her place beside the spring. Rather than immediately drawing upon its power, she first took an exquisite jade box from her robes.
The moment she opened the lid, a pure, ancient chill spread through the air, accompanied by a refreshing orchid fragrance.
Inside lay an orchid, clear and translucent from stem to petal, as if carved from ice crystal.
Its petals spread wide, its veins sharply defined. Blue light seemed to flow slowly within it, and it radiated astonishing spiritual vitality and energy.
"Ice Crystal Jade Orchid? And... one that's eighty thousand years old?!"
The Ice Empress recognized the Immortal Herb at a glance. She couldn't help covering her mouth, shock and reluctance filling her jade-green eyes.
"Snow Maiden! Th-this isn't the one you carefully prepared for your next tribulation?
I doubt there's a second eighty-thousand-year-old Ice Crystal Jade Orchid anywhere in the entire Far North! How can you..."
The Snow Empress gently shook her head, her peerlessly beautiful face calm yet resolute.
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