Oh~ ho ho ho~
Leaving the dormitory, Chen Jie first went to find Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and Xiao Xiao one by one, bidding each of them farewell.
Then, without lingering, he packed his belongings and set off for the Far North.
That land of ice and snow was home to powerful soul beasts, making it an ideal place to seek rare soul rings.
He considered his objectives for the journey as he kept walking, leaving Shrek Academy far behind and heading toward the bitterly cold northern wastes.
After several days of travel, Chen Jie arrived directly at the northern frontier of the Heaven Dou Empire.
This was already the edge of the Far North. As far as the eye could see, pristine snow filled the world, savage winds howled past, and bone-piercing cold struck his face. Frozen wastes and towering ice peaks stood everywhere.
Fierce wind and snow swept across the wilderness, and traces left by enormous ice-type soul beasts were visible everywhere.
A weathered wooden sign stood beside the road, carved with large words: Far North. Danger. Peril lurked everywhere in this bitterly cold land.
Chen Jie wore a thick fur coat against the cold, but the howling wind still pierced his clothes, sending threads of chill into the crevices of his bones. Even bundled up like this, he could still distinctly feel the bone-deep cold.
He immediately took the shed skin gifted to him by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm out of his Storage Soul Tool and put it on.
The strange, ice-blue garment fitted snugly against his body, and a gentle, soothing coolness circulated around him. The piercing chill from moments before vanished completely, leaving him unable to feel even the slightest cold. Moreover, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's shed skin possessed extraordinary concealing properties. It instantly hid all his aura and soul power fluctuations, blending him perfectly into the surrounding ice and snow. Even the keen-sensed, high-level soul beasts of the Far North could not detect his presence.
Feeling utterly comfortable, Chen Jie could not help exclaiming, "Who said Tian Meng was useless? Tian Meng is amazing."
With that, he strode steadily onward, continuing toward the core region in the deepest reaches of the Far North.
He had not come to hunt for a soul ring. His true purpose was to awaken his own second martial soul here, while helping the Ice Empress, one of the overlords of the Far North, successfully break through her four-hundred-thousand-year bottleneck.
He unleashed his immense, ocean-like spiritual power, turning it into a fine, boundless net of perception that covered the entire ice field as he focused on searching for the distinctive traces of Ice Jade Scorpions...
Two and a half days later...
With his vast spiritual power probing the area, Chen Jie successfully pinpointed the location and found the Ice Jade Scorpions' territory.
Chen Jie slowly released his immense spiritual power, carrying a faint trace of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's aura as it spread across the ice field.
He called out in a clear voice that pierced the fierce wind and snow, carrying far in every direction. "Ice Empress, do you dare come out for a talk?"
As his words fell, the dark sky abruptly split open, and a dazzling emerald pillar of light descended from above. Amid the surging radiance, a young girl's figure slowly emerged from the green mist of light. It was the Ice Empress in her human form.
She had long, vivid emerald hair that danced freely in the wind, a magnificent gold-and-green crown upon her head, and blazing orange-yellow eyes with a piercing gaze. Her ornate white-and-green dress was paired with exquisite golden gemstone accessories, its hem and cuffs covered in frost patterns. A scorpion tail gleaming with a cold, ghostly emerald light hovered behind her.
The Eternal Frozen Domain unfurled completely, shrouding the entire world in a deep emerald hue as bone-piercing, ultimate cold spread in every direction. Hovering in midair, the Ice Empress looked down at Chen Jie, her cool voice ringing across the snowy wastes with an edge of malice. "Tian Meng, have you come here to be eaten by me?"
No sooner had she spoken than her orange-yellow eyes examined Chen Jie closely, and she asked in confusion, "Hm? You're not Tian Meng?"
Chen Jie remained calm, meeting the Ice Empress's gaze openly as he said evenly, "Tian Meng is already dead. Before he died, he transferred all his spiritual power to me. I came today to talk with you and, while I'm at it, fulfill the dream he held in his heart."
After hearing this, the Ice Empress's lovely face instantly turned icy. Killing intent surged in her orange-yellow eyes, and the scorpion tail behind her gleamed with a menacing chill. Her voice was cold and resolute. "I have nothing to discuss with humans. Since you're human, don't even think about leaving today. Once I absorb Tian Meng's essence, I'll be the strongest soul beast in this world!"
Chen Jie sighed inwardly in helplessness. Looks like the Ice Empress is the classic sort who won't behave until she's beaten. She really is asking to be taught a lesson.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he said unhurriedly, "Ice Empress, surely you don't think I came here without a backup plan?"
With those words, Chen Jie mobilized the immense, million-year spiritual power he had inherited from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Boundless waves of spiritual energy erupted, forming a thick, invisible barrier that instantly enveloped the Ice Empress in midair. Powerful spiritual restraints wound tightly around her body, locking her in place and making it impossible for her to move even an inch.
Watching the Ice Empress struggle with all her might yet fail to break free, Chen Jie said flatly, "Stop struggling. It's useless."
Completely immobilized, the Ice Empress was both shocked and furious. Her emerald hair stirred without wind, and her orange-yellow eyes blazed with anger as she shouted sharply, "You damned human! What exactly are you trying to do?"
Chen Jie regarded her calmly and said slowly, "I've heard that you're a soul beast with three hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, only one step away from the four-hundred-thousand-year threshold. But the heavenly tribulation that follows will be incredibly dangerous. You know perfectly well that you have no certainty of surviving it safely. I've come with a plan to create a god, and I want you to join me."
The Ice Empress froze at his words. The anger on her face subsided somewhat, and she stared at Chen Jie in shock and suspicion, her voice doubtful. "A plan to create a god? What gives you the right to say that?"
Faced with the Ice Empress's doubts, Chen Jie remained composed and slowly raised his right hand. A vast, boundless divine radiance flowed forth, bearing the might to subdue the four seas and eight wildernesses. An enormous trident, golden throughout and etched with ancient, majestic patterns, slowly appeared. It was the Super Divine Artifact-the Sea God Trident!
An endless, pure divine aura instantly swept across the entire frozen wilderness of the Far North, crushing all the cold and malice. Its domineering, sacred divine might filled every corner.
Chen Jie spoke softly, brimming with confidence. "Because I possess the complete Sea God Inheritance."
That vast, pure aura washed over her.
The Ice Empress trembled violently. All the anger and wariness in her eyes vanished, leaving only profound shock and emotion. After three hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, she had long since had enough of the oppression of heavenly tribulations and the shackles of her lifespan. Eternal life was something she had dreamed of but could never attain.
Looking at the Sea God Trident radiating supreme divine might, she wavered and asked in puzzlement, "I have a question. Since you possess a divine inheritance, why are you choosing me now?"
Before you continue