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Frozen Forest.

"Where am I? Why did I pass out again? My head hurts!"

The smell of food had woken Li Jun.

When he opened his eyes, he looked around and found Huo Yuhao sitting beside a campfire with a tall, white-haired woman. A wolf-like spirit beast over a meter long was roasting above the flames.

"Uncle Li, you're awake!"

Seeing Li Jun stir, Huo Yuhao cut a sizzling, juicy piece of meat from the Mirror Shadow Beast and handed it to him.

Li Jun took the meat without thinking, then came to his senses.

"Yuhao, where are we?"

"We're in the Frozen Forest, on the outskirts of the Extreme North."

"And who is this?"

Li Jun looked toward the Snow Empress standing beside Huo Yuhao.

"She saved our lives. She brought us out of the Core Zone of the Extreme North."

Star Luo Palace, Imperial Study.

Bang!

"Who did you say went missing?"

Xu Jiawei slammed a hand onto the desk.

"How did you manage this? You're a Guardian, yet you couldn't protect a level-twenty soul master?"

Cheng Gang stood before Xu Jiawei in a sorry state, his body covered in wounds from his battle with the Titan Snow Demon King.

After that battle, he had feared running into either of the other two great rulers and retreated beyond the Extreme North to recover.

Once he had rested, he had planned to go back in. But for some reason, spirit beasts throughout the Extreme North had grown restless and rushed toward the Core Zone.

With something serious apparently happening there, Cheng Gang could only pray Li Jun would get Huo Yuhao out. He had returned to Star Luo City first to ask Xu Jiawei for reinforcements.

After hearing him out, Xu Jiawei said helplessly, "Couldn't you have grabbed Huo Yuhao and Li Jun and retreated right then? With your level-ninety-one soul power, you could have escaped with two people, couldn't you?"

Cheng Gang froze. He's right! Why did I charge straight in? I could have blocked the Titan Snow Demon King's attack, grabbed them both, and left!

"Enough. Go get your wounds treated. I'll find a few more Guardians to go with you to the Extreme North and search for them."

Xu Jiawei waved Cheng Gang away. He had heard that Xuan Zi of Shrek City was unreliable and that accidents always happened when he took juniors out. He had treated it as a joke. Surely even the least reliable Titled Douluo could protect one person?

But Cheng Gang's decisions had made him wonder if the rumor was true.

"He's done more harm than good!"

Xu Jiawei wearily pinched the bridge of his nose. He had finally found a pretext to move against the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, and Cheng Gang had ruined it. Now he would have to find another way to deal with Dai Hao.

"Send for Princess Jiujiu!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The guard at the door immediately set off for Xu Jiujiu's palace.

Before long, Xu Jiujiu hurried into Xu Jiawei's study.

The moment she entered, she asked anxiously, "Brother! Has something happened to Yuhao?"

Xu Jiawei looked at her red eyes and breathless face.

"You know?"

"I saw Cheng Gang on my way here, but Yuhao wasn't with him!"

"They got separated in the Core Zone. They encountered the Titan Snow Demon King."

At those words, the last of Xu Jiujiu's strength seemed to leave her. She stumbled backward and fell to the floor.

Over the past few years, she had come to love Huo Yuhao like a younger brother.

She and Xu Jiawei were more than twenty years apart in age. Though her Imperial Brother doted on her, he was the emperor of Star Luo and rarely had time to spend with her.

During those years, she had also grown close to Huo Yun'er and her son. Huo Yun'er often invited her over.

Strangely, Huo Yun'er never used any high-grade ingredients, yet Xu Jiujiu loved the taste of her cooking.

Xu Jiujiu had lost her mother young, but Huo Yun'er had shown her a mother's care. If anything happened to Huo Yuhao, she had no idea how she could face her.

Suddenly, as if grasping a lifeline, Xu Jiujiu looked up at Xu Jiawei.

"Brother! If you send a few Consecrated Elders now, there should still be time, right?"

"I'll have someone summon a few Consecrated Elders to rescue him."

"I'm going too!"

"No!"

Xu Jiawei gave his sister a stern look, something he rarely did.

"Why?"

Xu Jiujiu stared at him stubbornly.

"Cheng Gang said something has gone badly wrong in the Extreme North. It nearly triggered a beast tide. You can't go. It's too dangerous!"

"But I—"

Xu Jiawei raised a hand to stop her.

"Go to Huo Yuhao's mother first. Prepare her for the possibility, and try to comfort her."

Unable to change his mind, Xu Jiujiu reluctantly headed for the small courtyard where Huo Yuhao lived.

"Your Highness! Perfect timing. I just finished making lunch. Would you like some?"

Faced with Huo Yun'er's warm invitation, Xu Jiujiu could only force a smile.

"Sorry for the trouble, Auntie Huo."

"It's no trouble. I can't finish it all by myself anyway."

Huo Yun'er came over, took Xu Jiujiu's hand, and cheerfully pulled her into a seat at the table.

"Look, Your Highness. I made your favorite grilled fish. Someone brought it over just this morning, so it's wonderfully fresh!"

The fish in Xu Jiujiu's bowl was golden, crisp outside and tender within, its aroma rising from the plate. Yet she had no appetite. All she could think about was Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yun'er did not notice anything wrong with her and kept chatting about everyday things.

"I wonder if Yuhao's been eating properly while he's away hunting for a spirit ring."

"It's been so many days. Why hasn't he come back?"

"Ahem. Auntie, Yuhao's martial soul is rather unusual. Finding a suitable spirit ring is difficult, so he might be back a little late."

As Huo Yun'er kept asking, Xu Jiujiu searched for excuses to steer the conversation away from Huo Yuhao.

Eventually, even Huo Yun'er noticed something was wrong.

Her hand trembling, she took Xu Jiujiu's. "Your Highness, tell me. Has something happened to Yuhao?"

"You're worrying too much, Auntie. Cheng Gang is escorting Yuhao. Nothing will happen to him."

Xu Jiujiu could only give an awkward laugh as she tried to reassure the increasingly uneasy Huo Yun'er.

Just then, a young man's voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Mom, open the door for me. I forgot my key."

At the familiar voice, Xu Jiujiu forgot all about Huo Yun'er beside her.

She practically leaped from the table and rushed to the courtyard gate.