Meanwhile, in the Far North.
Myriad Demon King had already gathered the intelligence and was hurrying back toward the Great Star Dou Forest.
His figure swept swiftly across the edge of the ice plains like a ghost.
The phantom of the Demon-Eyed Devil Tree hovered behind him, countless eerie eyes blinking along its branches.
Myriad Demon King's gains from this trip had far exceeded his expectations.
He had never imagined that such a being had emerged in the Far North.
The Innate Thunder Spirit adopted by the Snow Empress could help Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts overcome their Heavenly Tribulations.
Helping Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts break through would have been one thing, but he had even helped the Ice and Snow Emperors break through!
The Ice and Snow Emperors had survived Heavenly Tribulations that should have been fatal, reaching four hundred thousand years and seven hundred thousand years respectively.
Myriad Demon King had lived for so long, yet he had never heard of such a method that defied all common sense.
He had spent so long investigating only to confirm whether this information was true.
With the Far North having strengthened its defenses, Myriad Demon King could only proceed with the utmost caution.
If he could claim this Innate Thunder Spirit for himself, the Great Star Dou Forest's strength would soar.
Di Tian's nine-hundred-thousand-year bottleneck? Bi Ji's six-hundred-thousand-year bottleneck? Neither would be a problem anymore.
Myriad Demon King's heart pounded wildly.
He had to hurry back and tell Di Tian, then see what arrangements Di Tian would make.
"Far North... Innate Thunder Spirit..."
Myriad Demon King muttered, and his figure quickly vanished beyond the horizon.
After Ling Xiao and the other two returned to the Far North, the Snow Empress summoned A-Tai and Xiao Bai once more.
Inside the main hall of the Ice Crystal Palace, the two stood respectfully before the Snow Empress.
A-Tai had taken the form of a burly man, his body over two meters tall like that of a giant.
Xiao Bai had taken the form of a petite young girl, her round, large eyes quietly watching the Snow Empress.
The Snow Empress took out some of the Immortal Herbs and gave suitable ones to each of them.
"These Immortal Herbs are for you. Take them back and absorb them as soon as possible."
The Snow Empress's voice was as calm as ever, but neither Xiao Bai nor A-Tai dared to be careless.
"A-Tai, these are for you. They are mainly meant to strengthen your body and raise your cultivation."
A-Tai held them out with both hands to receive them, a trace of emotion in his deep voice.
"Thank you, Snow Empress."
"Xiao Bai, these are for you."
"They are mainly meant to consolidate your foundation and prepare you for future breakthroughs."
Xiao Bai received the Immortal Herbs with both hands, tears glimmering in her large eyes.
"Thank you, Mama!"
Xiao Bai's voice was soft and sweet, a stark contrast to her previous roar.
A-Tai helplessly teased her.
"Xiao Bai, why has your voice changed so much? You used to be able to roar hard enough to collapse ice mountains."
Xiao Bai shot A-Tai a glare.
"A-Tai, shut up! I'm a girl! Of course girls should speak more softly!"
"Enough."
The Snow Empress lightly clapped her hands.
"Go back and cultivate. Raise your strength as quickly as possible. The Far North may have guests arriving."
Both of their expressions turned solemn.
"Yes."
The two accepted their orders and departed.
As for Huo Yuhao at that moment.
With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help, he had avoided all the Soul Beasts in the outer region and successfully reached the depths of the Far North.
Huo Yuhao was having a rather miserable time.
Sky Dream had directly tricked him into coming to the Far North, claiming it was to help him obtain a second martial soul.
But in truth, Sky Dream merely regarded him as a container for the Ice Empress's power.
It had not even prepared proper measures to keep him warm.
The farther he went, the lower the temperature became, and the freezing wind cut across his face like knives.
His clothes had frozen stiff, and his whole body shivered uncontrollably from the cold.
And Sky Dream Ice Silkworm?
It had only given Huo Yuhao a cast-off shell, allowing him to barely maintain his body temperature and avoid freezing to death immediately. That was all.
As for any other help?
It gave him none at all.
Sky Dream was originally an ice-attributed Soul Beast, so the cold did not make it uncomfortable in the slightest.
It hid within the Sea of Consciousness, completely unconcerned with the ice and snow outside.
"Brother Sky Dream, it's so cold..."
Huo Yuhao's voice trembled, his lips frozen purple and his teeth chattering.
"Bear with it a little longer. We're almost there."
Sky Dream's voice echoed in his mind, though it carried a hint of perfunctoriness.
"Once you obtain the Ice Empress's power, this little bit of cold will be nothing to you."
Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and kept walking, his gaze remaining steadfast.
Avenge his mother! Become stronger! That conviction supported him as he continued onward.
When Sky Dream felt the distance was right, its voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind again.
"Yuhao, this is the place."
Sky Dream sounded somewhat excited.
The God-Making Project it had awaited for so long would finally take its most crucial first step today.
Hearing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice, Huo Yuhao stopped. Standing on the vast ice plain, he looked out in every direction.
Everything was an endless expanse of white.
Boundless snow and ice, biting cold winds, empty plains—there was not even a single shadow in sight.
Huo Yuhao asked doubtfully.
"Brother Sky Dream, can we really find the Soul Beast we're looking for here?"
He immediately added, "This ice plain is so huge, yet there isn't even a living creature in sight..."
But Sky Dream said confidently.
"If we can't find it, then we can make it come find us!"
Having said that, Sky Dream began gathering its power and slowly released its aura.
The aura of a Million-Year Soul Beast was an extremely unique energy fluctuation.
To ice-attributed Soul Beasts, this aura was like a beacon in the darkness.
Using the method from the original story, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm attempted to draw the Ice Empress over just as it had in the original story.
Its aura contained the energy of Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow, an imprint left behind after it had devoured the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow.
To ice-attributed Soul Beasts, this aura held an immensely powerful allure.
Back then, the Ice Empress had noticed Sky Dream because of this very aura.
This time, Sky Dream intended to use the same trick to lure the Ice Empress over again.
Only...
This time, the ones drawn over would not be limited to the Ice Empress alone.
Meanwhile.
Inside the Ice Crystal Palace.
It was a rare moment of leisure.
The three had only recently returned from outside, and their periods of seclusion and cultivation had come to an end.
For the next while.
They only needed to slowly digest the medicinal effects of the Immortal Herbs and consolidate their cultivation.
The Ice Empress plopped down onto the ice bed and happily patted the bed beneath her.
"Xue'er! Hurry up and come up! We haven't slept in together for ages!"
Her twin ponytails swayed cheerfully, anticipation gleaming in her emerald eyes.
At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the three had remained in a state of intense cultivation and had barely rested properly.
Now that they finally had some free time, the Ice Empress naturally would not miss the chance to be close to the Snow Empress.
The Snow Empress slowly nodded.
"Mm."
She walked to the bedside and was just about to sit down when she noticed Ling Xiao approaching.
At that moment, Ling Xiao was also preparing to lie down on the ice bed and rest for a while.
After traveling for so long, he was indeed a little tired.
Yet just as he was about to lie down, a slender jade hand stopped him at the chest.
It was the Snow Empress's jade hand.
Before you continue