Xue Wu's sixth ring, arrival in the Far North
As the sun rose in the east, golden-red sunlight bathed Iceforest City. Huo Lei and his group of six embarked once again on their journey to acquire additional Soul Ring. This mission was quite different from their previous ones; they would not only go to the Frozen Forest but also venture into the extremely dangerous Far North.
The group maintained the same formation they had when they first entered the Frozen Forest. An Jun walked in the first row, Huo Lei, Shui Bing'er, Yunxiang, and Xue Wu in the second row, with Jin Shan bringing up the rear in the third row.
Although Yunxiang already possessed combat abilities, she was still placed in the middle of the group.
With An Jun, a peak Soul Douluo expert, leading the way, Huo Lei and his group directly entered the area inhabited by Twenty-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. All the Soul Beast they encountered along the way were frightened away by the powerful pressure released by An Jun.
"Xue Wu, what type of Soul Skill do you plan to add to your Sixth Soul Ring?" Huo Lei's curious voice rang out as soon as the group arrived at their ideal hunting area.
Xue Wu hesitated for a moment before replying, "Although I am a Control System Soul Master, I don't want to be a burden to everyone. Moreover, we are about to enter the extremely dangerous Far North, so I want to give myself a life-saving Soul Skill. Both defensive and speed-type Soul Skill are fine, so that I can be more effective in battle with Yunxiang's assistance."
Jin Shan nodded in agreement, saying, "I think Xue Wu's idea is good. Having a life-saving Soul Skill is essential, especially when one is not yet strong enough. Regardless of the Soul Master's type, life is the most important thing. Yunxiang's Fourth Soul Ring's defense bonus is much stronger than her second soul ring's speed bonus. I think adding a defensive Soul Skill is more worthwhile. As for the lack of speed, it can be completely compensated for with Soul Bone. After all, speed-type Soul Bone are much easier to obtain than defensive Soul Bone."
Xue Wu echoed, "I agree with Senior Jin Shan's suggestion."
An Jun said, "Now that we've identified our target, let's set off to find defensive Soul Beast."
While everyone was discussing, Yunxiang made two yellow Strawberry and stored them away. The yellow Strawberry corresponded to her fourth Soul Skill, which was a defense boost.
Since entering the Frozen Forest, Yunxiang has made one or two Strawberry to store whenever she has enough Soul Power, although the color is different each time. In her words, she prepares some in advance when she has enough Soul Power, just in case.
Not long after, Huo Lei and his group encountered an Ice Armor Turtle with Twenty-Thousand-Year of cultivation. Huo Lei used his Flame Martial Soul's third and sixth Soul Skill Soul Skill injure it, and Xue Wu took the opportunity to end its life.
After half an hour of absorption, Xue Wu successfully obtained her Sixth Soul Ring and also acquired her desired Soul Skill.
Through Xue Wu's explanation, everyone learned that her sixth Soul Skill was called ' Ice Armor Shield '.
The Ice Armor Turtle's shell was exceptionally hard, making its body extremely difficult to examine. Huo Lei naturally didn't want to do such a chore, so Jin Shan eventually stepped in and examined it, only to find nothing. After Xue Wu put away the Ice Armor Turtle's body, Huo Lei and his group officially set off for the Far North.
As Huo Lei and his group continued deeper northward, the vegetation and trees on the ground became increasingly scarce, and the temperature grew colder, gradually slowing their pace. Conversely, the number of Soul Beast increased, and their ages also increased.
Along the way, Huo Lei and his group encountered countless Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, including pack-living Icehorn Deer and Skyfrost Wolf, as well as solitary Iceflame Tiger and Frost Snow Leopard. They ran on land, swam in water, and flew in the air—the list was endless.
However, they didn't kill many Soul Beast. After they finished attaching Soul Ring to Xue Wu, they hadn't gone far when they encountered a group of Snow Spirit Monkey. After Huo Lei killed the Snow Spirit Monkey, he obtained a piece of the Left Leg Bone, which he gave to Xue Wu. After Xue Wu successfully absorbed it, her level reached the same level as Shui Bing'er and Yunxiang, also reaching Level 62. After fulfilling his previous promise, Huo Lei didn't kill any more beasts, focusing mainly on driving them away.
Three days later, Huo Lei and his group finally reached the edge of the Far North, a place that had completely transformed into a world of ice and snow. Snowflakes danced in the biting wind, stinging their faces as they hit.
Huo Lei was fully covered in a warm fur coat made from the pelts of ice and snow-attribute Soul Beast. The coat was entirely white and blended almost perfectly into the surrounding environment. If he covered his striking red short hair, it would be very difficult to spot him.
Although Huo Lei could use his Soul Power to resist the extreme cold, their group wouldn't be staying in the Far North for just an hour or a day; they would likely be there for several days. Moreover, this was only the edge of the Far North, and they still needed to venture deeper. He certainly wouldn't waste his Soul Power on such a losing proposition.
Yunxiang was well prepared; she had already replaced her purple fur coat with a white Soul Beast coat, which looked very similar to Huo Lei's. However, she was too afraid of the cold, so she had already put on a fur hat.
As Super Douluo, Jin Shan didn't care about the cold at all and was still wearing a thin yellow robe.
An Jun, Shui Bing'er, and Xue Wu remained dressed unchanged, still wearing thin coats. An Jun wore a white robe; Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were still dressed in blue.
"Everyone be careful. We've entered the outer region of the Far North, where the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad roams. These kinds of Soul Beast are extremely difficult to deal with. The Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad is a rare Soul Beast with both ice and fire attributes. It's pure white, but its eyes are crimson, like Flame. Its cold poison is very special; once you're infected, it's very difficult to remove. Yunxiang, Huo Lei, and Xue Wu, the three of you need to be extra careful. Bing'er possesses Ultimate Ice, which can somewhat restrain the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad," An Jun earnestly warned everyone.
"The Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad! If An Jun hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about this Soul Beast. It did appear in Douluo II, and there was some brief introduction. However, it's most appropriate for An Jun to say it, since this is my first time here. If I act like I know a lot, my companions might become suspicious. Having An Jun here saves me a lot of trouble. It's best to say as little as possible right now." A thought flashed through Huo Lei's mind.
As the saying goes, what you fear most is what happens. Huo Lei and his group continued northward through the snow, and before they had gone far, they encountered a Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad.
Quack quack~
A nearly two-meter-long, Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad sprang out of the snow and blocked the group's path.
"Everyone be careful, it's the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad. Its cultivation has reached a terrifying 40,000 years. Even if I were to be poisoned by its cold poison, I would suffer greatly without effective treatment, and my life would be in danger. Everyone, step back quickly, I'll deal with this beast." An Jun's expression was solemn as he stared at the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad more than 20 meters away. As he spoke, he had already activated his Martial Soul.
"Senior An Jun, leave this Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad to me!" Huo Lei's voice suddenly rang out. At the same time, he quickly stepped forward and walked to An Jun's side.
An Jun looked surprised and asked Huo Lei, "You... can you do it? This is Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad with 40,000 years of cultivation, its poison..."
Before An Jun could finish speaking, Huo Lei interrupted him.
"Senior An Jun, although dealing with this Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad shouldn't be difficult for you with your Soul Power Level, you and it are both ice-attribute, so you can't counter it. If you really get poisoned by it, none of our team can cure you. To be on the safe side, I'll deal with it!"