The Far North's New Ruler

Snow Empress's lips were cold, like the deepest icy spring in the Northernmost Land, yet they carried a scorching warmth that made Huo Yuhao's whole body shudder.

Before he could grasp the meaning of that kiss, he was seized by a vast force that nearly burst his body apart. The red light around Snow Empress grew brighter and brighter, like a burning sunset, dyeing her ice-blue skirt a magnificent red. Her silver-white hair stood out strand by strand within the crimson glow, every wisp seeming to burn.

"No—we can find a better way!"

Huo Yuhao finally broke free of his momentary daze and roared as he tried to push her away, but his hands passed through the red light and caught nothing. He could clearly see Snow Empress's body turning transparent within the glow. There was no pain in her red eyes, only a gentle smile, as though she were looking upon something precious.

"Be good..." Snow Empress's voice was light and airy, mingling with the roar of surging Soul Power, yet it was exceptionally clear. "This isn't the end. It's... another way of staying by your side."

Seven hundred and eighty thousand years of Soul Power surged through the lingering warmth of that kiss and into every limb and bone of Huo Yuhao's body like a ruptured glacial river. His skull was wracked by the piercing agony of being carved by immense force, as though countless ice awls were churning inside it. Yet compared with the emptiness in his chest, that pain was as light as a feather.

He watched Snow Empress's figure grow fainter and fainter. He watched her raise a hand, wanting to touch his face one more time, only for her fingertips to turn into specks of light before reaching his cheek. Those specks did not disperse. Instead, they burrowed through his skin and fused with the Skull Soul Bone taking shape within him.

"Remember... the Far North is home... From now on, you are the new ruler of the Northernmost Land. Take good care of my people for me."

That was the last thing Snow Empress left by his ear.

A blue cocoon of light completely enveloped Huo Yuhao and Snow Empress, while soaring red light continuously flowed across its surface.

When the red light finally went out, Snow Empress was gone.

Only Huo Yuhao remained, standing rigidly in place with his hands still held in an embrace, his fingertips grasping nothing but a handful of icy snow. The night wind of the Far North suddenly became bone-piercing, whipping snow grains against his face until they stung. The distant icebergs remained silent, yet within that silence seemed to linger a long, mournful sigh.

Huo Yuhao slowly raised his hand and touched his skull. An ice-blue Soul Bone had appeared there, its surface flowing with tiny strands of red light like the way Snow Empress had looked at him for the last time. He could feel the power contained within it—the laws of Ultimate Ice, seven hundred and eighty thousand years of combat experience, and a blue egg formed from Snow Empress's soul that rested within the Sea of Spirit.

A red soul ring rose beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. Strangely, the seven golden patterns that should have marked the red soul ring had turned orange. They were traces left behind by the Fortune Power of the Northernmost Land.

As his second martial soul possessed him, Huo Yuhao's body was suddenly enveloped in an ice-blue halo.

His cold-weather clothing transformed into a long robe, ice crystal fragments drifting endlessly down from its hem. His hair turned pure white, and streams of orange light flowed between the strands—the mark of Northernmost Fortune merging with Ultimate Ice. Each streak of light slowly revolved around Huo Yuhao's body, like Snow Empress whispering in his ear.

His Spirit Eye remained ice-blue, but a circle of fine red appeared around its pupils, like the reflection of Snow Empress's red eyes. When he looked at his palm, what rose from it was no longer mere icy mist, but a two-colored current of ice and orange. Orange Fortune Power coiled around ice-blue Soul Power, condensing at his fingertips into a tiny ice flower with a point of red light flickering at its core.

"Snow Empress..." Huo Yuhao murmured. The tremor in his voice gradually settled, replaced by a weighty sense of strength. He could clearly feel that every inch of his second martial soul was steeped in Snow Empress's aura—seven hundred and eighty thousand years of accumulation, the majesty of the Far North's ruler, and the tenderness within that embrace just now.

Within the Sea of Spirit, the blue egg floated quietly, trembling gently from time to time as though responding to his call. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had long since fallen silent. His plump body curled beside the egg as he watched the patterns on its surface, his voice choked with emotion. "Snow Empress was right... this isn't the end, Yuhao. She's waiting for you... Waiting until you become strong enough to hatch her."

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The cold wind of the Far North rushed into his lungs, but it no longer pierced him to the bone. Instead, it stirred the surging Soul Power within him. The red soul ring beneath his feet slowly revolved, its orange patterns seeming to come alive as they crawled along the paths of circulating Soul Power and climbed up his arm. They connected with the golden patterns on his ice wings, weaving an invisible net around him—the protection of Northernmost Fortune, a barrier Snow Empress had raised for him with her life.

When he opened his eyes again, the sorrow in his Spirit Eye had been covered by solid ice, leaving only a calm, sharp edge. He raised a hand and stroked his skull. The ice-blue Soul Bone there gave off a faint warmth, as though Snow Empress were telling him, "Don't stop."

"I know." He spoke softly to the empty snowy plains, and to the blue egg in his Sea of Spirit. "I won't stop."

As his words fell, he soared into the air, sweeping up a blizzard of snowflakes. His figure became a streak of ice-blue light as he flew toward the edge of the Northernmost Land. The power granted by his second martial soul surged through his body. Fine ice crystals constantly fell from around him as he flew, landing upon the snow and freezing into tiny ice flowers—the form Snow Empress had loved most when she danced.

Huo Yuhao suddenly shuddered in midair.

It was not because of the cold wind. The red soul ring within him had suddenly lit up, its orange patterns slithering like living snakes as they condensed a translucent, ice-blue phantom palm in his hand. Fine red light glimmered along its edges. The instant it appeared, the wind and snow within a hundred meters abruptly froze, as if even the air had been pressed into pause—this was the embryonic form of the Emperor Palm, the majesty of the strike with which Snow Empress had once frozen a thousand miles of ice plains.

"This is..." Huo Yuhao instinctively clenched his hand, but the phantom palm did not dissipate. Instead, it flowed along with his Soul Power and imprinted itself upon the inner side of his forearm, becoming a pale golden palm-shaped mark. He could clearly sense the law contained within it. It was not simple freezing, but absolute control over Ultimate Ice—the domineering power to forcibly transform the energy of heaven and earth into ice.

Before he could steady his mind, a flash of light appeared. Fine ice-blue radiance gathered and formed a crystalline longsword in the air. Silver-white light from the same source as Snow Empress's hair flowed across its blade, while the icy bead pendant hanging from its tip was unmistakably the form of the Emperor Sword. The sword floated at his side, carrying a sharpness that seemed ready to devour anyone it chose, yet it became docile the moment it touched his fingertips, like a spirit beast recognizing its master.

"Even her ultimate techniques..." Huo Yuhao's throat bobbed, and his eyes grew warm. He finally understood what Snow Empress had meant by "another way of staying by your side." She had not only given him power—she had transformed all the combat wisdom of her life into the most direct inheritance, engraving it into his soul ring and martial soul.

Within the Sea of Spirit, the blue egg trembled gently. Dense patterns emerged across its shell, forming three ancient runes: palm, sword, and chill heavens. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm leaned closer, staring at the markings on the egg with astonishment in his voice. "This is... Snow Empress gave you even her source laws! Emperor's Chill must be hidden within your domain. Try activating your domain and see?"

Huo Yuhao followed his suggestion and activated his spiritual power. In an instant, a pale blue curtain of light enveloped the snowy plains within a thousand meters around him. Within the light curtain, the temperature plummeted. The falling snow no longer remained in its natural form, instead transforming into hundreds of millions of tiny ice crystals that formed a massive ice formation in the air. At its core, the faint phantom of Snow Empress dancing could be seen—this was the embryonic form of the Emperor's Chill domain, the most primordial freezing domain of the Northernmost Land.

"So that's how it is..." Huo Yuhao looked at the ice formation, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Snow Empress had not left behind any written explanations for her techniques. Not only had he already learned them in the future memories he possessed, but she had also used this method to tell him that her ultimate techniques required no deliberate cultivation. As long as he completely fused with this power, he would be able to wield them freely. Because from the moment of her sacrifice, his Ice Martial Soul had already become connected to her source bloodline.