The wind and snow of the Far North Ice Plains gradually fell behind them. The air grew warmer, the boundless white snow receded, and tender green shoots began sprouting beside the road, bringing life back to the world.
Holding Su Qingyuan's and Yue Huaxi's hands, Lin Chen walked slowly along the official road home, his aura steady and restrained. After breaking through to become a level-fifty Soul King, his Life Blue Silver Emperor Grass martial soul had grown even more refined. With two Emperor Grass Shards fused into it, the patterns on its leaves had become clearer, and its life origin and iceheart power blended ever more perfectly. Even without deliberately activating it, a faint, gentle pressure lingered around him, drawing the creatures nearby instinctively closer.
On this journey to the Far North, Lin Chen had not only secured the second Emperor Grass Shard but also broken through in a desperate situation. His control over his power had become increasingly polished, allowing him to hold his own against even an ordinary Soul Douluo in a direct confrontation. Tempered by actual combat in the Far North, Su Qingyuan and Yue Huaxi had further consolidated their Soul Ancestor cultivation and greatly improved their ability to adapt in battle. They were no longer fledglings fresh from the nest who needed protection at every turn.
The three traveled steadily, avoiding the bustle of towns and taking secluded paths instead, both to keep their journey discreet and to let Lin Chen fully stabilize his Soul King cultivation and assimilate the origin power granted by the Emperor Grass Shards.
Along the way, Lin Chen often closed his eyes in concentration, sorting through the memories of the Emperor Grass Inheritance to seek the next Emperor Grass Shard. Those memories clearly recorded that the third shard lay hidden