If You Won't Come to Me, Then I'll Have to Come to You

The Far North was swept by biting winds and blanketed in snow.

It was one of the most hostile environments on the continent, covered in ice and snow year-round, with temperatures low enough to freeze an ordinary person's blood.

Other than a handful of ice-attributed soul beasts and soul masters, almost no sane person was willing to set foot on this desolate ice field.

Yet at this moment, a thin figure was struggling across the vast expanse of ice.

Huo Yuhao was wrapped in Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's shed skin. That thin layer protected him from most of the bitter cold, allowing him to keep moving through this frozen land.

His breath condensed into white mist in the air, while the snow beneath his feet crunched with every step.

As he walked, he spoke to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his mind. "Brother Sky Dream, can we really succeed this time?"

When Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had said it would give him a great gift—including the soul ring and soul bone of a ferocious beast, and even a second martial soul—his first reaction had been utter bewilderment.

Any one of those three things would be a priceless treasure capable of driving countless people in the soul master world mad.

And now, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was actually going to give him all of them at once, solely to help him grow stronger.

He had been so moved that he had nearly lost the ability to speak.

In response to Huo Yuhao's question, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, residing within his spiritual sea, replied in a lazy, disdainful tone, "When has Brother Sky Dream ever lied to you? Relax. Brother Sky Dream cherishes his life even more than you do. I definitely won't lead you to your death."

Huo Yuhao thought about it and found that quite reasonable.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could be unreliable at times, but when it came to matters of life and death, it had indeed never been careless.

Reassured, he could not help asking, "Then, Brother Sky Dream, when I get back, will I be able to surpass Senior Changqing?"

The moment he asked that, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm fell silent.

Seconds ticked by. The silence lasted so long that Huo Yuhao thought Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not want to answer, or had already fallen asleep, before it finally spoke slowly, its tone carrying an unusual gravity and seriousness. "It will be difficult."

Huo Yuhao stopped in his tracks, and the smile on his face froze.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm continued, "That human named Li Changqing is extremely mysterious, and extremely powerful. Especially that Heaven-Earth Black-Yellow Exquisite Pagoda of his—the pure power contained within it is something I have never seen in my life. It is hard to imagine that anyone on this continent could possess such a powerful martial soul. I even suspect that the quality of his martial soul may have already reached the godly level."

Huo Yuhao could not help asking curiously, "Are godly martial souls that powerful? How do they compare to the one you're planning to get for me?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not hide anything and patiently explained, "A godly martial soul, as the name implies, is a martial soul that does not belong to the mortal world. For example, ten thousand years ago, the Six-Winged Angel martial soul possessed by the Angel God was a godly martial soul. The martial souls born on the Douluo Continent, no matter how strong or weak, are all mortal martial souls. In terms of quality and potential, they cannot be mentioned in the same breath as godly martial souls."

Huo Yuhao seemed to understand something and asked tentatively, "You mean... Senior Changqing is connected to a god?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not answer directly. After a moment of silence, it slowly said, "All I can say is that he is definitely connected to a god, and not in some shallow way. Although I do not know which god stands behind him, one thing is certain: it is definitely no ordinary god."

Huo Yuhao drew in a sharp breath.

A god.

The last people to become gods had been the Shrek Seven Monsters led by Tang San ten thousand years ago.

Since then, no one had been heard of reaching that legendary realm for ten thousand years.

And now, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was telling him that Li Changqing was very likely connected to a god?

How could he not be shocked?

Sensing the turmoil in his heart, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's tone turned more serious. "That is why I told you to avoid making an enemy of him whenever possible. Even with my help, even if you could win, it would be an extremely difficult victory. You might even have to pay a price you cannot bear."

Huo Yuhao was silent for a long time before nodding heavily. "I understand, Brother Sky Dream."

Seeing how obedient and sensible he was, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could not help feeling satisfied.

Although Huo Yuhao was weak and his talent was terrible, at least he was obedient and sensible. He knew what he should and should not do.

That alone made him far better than those self-righteous geniuses.

All that remained was to raise his cultivation with all its might and complete its plan to create a god.

And the first step was to coax the Ice Empress into joining in, allowing Huo Yuhao to obtain everything the Ice Empress possessed.

The following evening, a lavishly decorated restaurant in Mingdu was brightly lit and bustling with noise.

Li Changqing, Jiang Nannan, and Ye Guyi sat by the window on the second floor.

Outside lay Mingdu's bustling nightscape, with neon lights flashing and traffic streaming through the streets.

The table was laden with exquisite dishes, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

But none of the three had started eating yet. They were chatting about what they had seen while shopping that day.

"Today, I went to Heavenly Craft Street. There was a soul tool shop there, and the things inside were really exquisite! The prices were ridiculously high, though. A tiny soul tool wristguard cost three thousand gold soul coins." Ye Guyi gestured as she spoke, clicking her tongue in amazement.

Jiang Nannan nodded as well and softly agreed, "I also saw a particularly beautiful necklace. They said it had a constant-temperature array inscribed on it, so it could keep you warm in winter and cool in summer... But it cost five thousand gold soul coins. It was too expensive."

Li Changqing lifted his teacup and took a sip. Just as he was about to speak, he caught sight of a white figure gracefully approaching from nearby.

His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The figure walked straight to their table and stopped.

Then she spoke as naturally as if she belonged there, her voice soft and pleasant with a languid smile. "Oh? You're eating quite lavishly."

Li Changqing raised his head. Looking at the breathtaking woman before him in a white dress, her black hair cascading like a waterfall and her face lightly made up, his brow furrowed even deeper. "Why are you here?"

Orange smiled faintly, a teasing glint flashing through her lively eyes as she answered as though it were only natural, "If you weren't going to come find me, then I had no choice but to come find you."

The atmosphere at the table instantly turned subtle.

Ye Guyi's chopsticks stopped in midair, and the smile on her face slowly stiffened.

Jiang Nannan lowered her head slightly as well, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Orange and Li Changqing.

Though she showed nothing on her face, the hand holding her teacup unconsciously tightened.

Orange seemed completely unaware of the shift in atmosphere. She naturally sat down in the empty seat beside Li Changqing, even leaning a little closer to him. Then, tilting her head, she smiled brightly at the two young women across from her, curiosity and amusement in her tone. "Little Qing, are these two pretty sisters your friends? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Little Qing?

Ye Guyi's eyebrow twitched.