The night was black as ink, but the Body Sect's meeting hall was brightly lit.
Du Busi, the sect master, sat at the head of the hall, toying with a soul-tool storage ring while keeping his eyes on the entrance.
Less than ten minutes later, two figures appeared soundlessly in the hall.
Seeing Du Busi seated at the head, both bowed respectfully to him.
"Sect master."
At their voices, Du Busi put away the ring and turned his gaze toward them.
He waved a hand, signaling for them to rise.
"You're here. Rise."
"Yes, sect master."
After rising, they sat down not far from Du Busi.
"Sect master, why did you summon us?"
Jin Peng looked at Du Busi in the seat of honor and asked with some puzzlement.
After all, he had been about to cultivate when Du Busi's voice rang out in his mind, telling him to fetch Li Qing.
He could only stop cultivating, wake Li Qing, and come to the meeting hall that evening to see him.
Li Qing was the Body Sect's second elder. His Martial Soul was his arms, and his cultivation had reached rank ninety-five, making him a Super Douluo.
He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with a lean, lanky build and short, graying hair, dressed in a fitted black outfit.
But as Li Qing sat in his chair, his expression was sour, and he stared at Jin Peng resentfully.
Meeting his gaze, Jin Peng coughed and guiltily turned his head away.
Li Qing had been in secluded cultivation, right at the critical moment of a breakthrough, when Jin Peng shattered his stone door with a slap and forcibly dragged him out of his cultivation state.
His eyes had turned bloodshot then, and he had nearly fought Jin Peng in a battle between real men.
But when he heard Jin Peng say the sect master had summoned him, he could only force down his anger and first stabilize the Soul Power that had nearly fallen into disarray from the interruption.
Only after nightfall did he follow Jin Peng to the meeting hall.
Once both had sat down, Du Busi explained why he had summoned them.
"I summoned you because I need to make a trip to the Extreme North in three days. I hope you will accompany me."
At Du Busi's words, both their eyes filled with confusion.
The Extreme North?
What for?
To hunt for Soul Rings? The Body Sect had never hunted ice-attribute soul beasts before.
Besides, who was qualified to have all three of them accompany them on a Soul Ring hunt?
"The Extreme North?"
"Sect master, what is this for?"
Hearing their questions, Du Busi set down the teacup he had just picked up from the table and spoke slowly.
Although Du Busi felt that telling them about this could easily lead to misunderstandings, everything was worth it for the Body Sect.
"Holy Son Yun Luo wishes to go to the Extreme North to make a deal with the Ice Emperor, ranked seventh among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts."
The moment he said this, both Jin Peng and Li Qing froze.
Seeing their reactions, Du Busi knew his earlier expectations had still been too conservative.
The meeting hall fell utterly silent, and of the two, Li Qing was the most astonished.
"Who is Yun Luo? Isn't Long Aotian supposed to be the Holy Son?"
At that moment, Li Qing thought he had gone mad. He had only been in seclusion for a month, so how had the world become something he no longer recognized?
Hearing this, Jin Peng grew agitated and sprang to his feet.
"Sect master, this absolutely cannot be done!"
"Making a deal with a fierce beast is no different from bargaining with a tiger for its skin, and it's utterly impossible!"
"Besides, if the three of us head to the Extreme North, how would that be any different from declaring war on it?
"And if word gets out that our three strongest fighters have gone to the Extreme North, what happens if someone attacks our Body Sect?"
Jin Peng delivered a long string of words in one breath, his chest heaving.
He felt that his sect master was behaving far too strangely.
First, he had vouched for a gravely wounded person of unknown origins, then made him the Holy Son.
Now Yun Luo says he wants to go to the Extreme North to make a deal with the Ice Emperor, and the sect master wants to send me along.
Li Qing nodded beside him as well. Although he did not know who Yun Luo was, merely hearing the words "make a deal with the Ice Emperor" made him think the sect master had gone mad.
Seeing their reactions, Du Busi took a sip from the teacup he had just lifted and spoke slowly.
"Of course I know the consequences of doing this."
"But if this succeeds, Yun Luo can lead our Body Sect onto a greater stage."
"I am willing to take this gamble."
Du Busi set down his teacup, sweeping his gaze over both of them.
"If you are unwilling, I will choose someone else."
Both men opposite him fell silent.
Looking into Du Busi's resolute eyes, Jin Peng struggled inwardly for a long time.
Finally, he drew a deep breath.
"Sect master, I am willing to trust you."
"And take this gamble."
Du Busi nodded and turned his gaze toward Li Qing.
Li Qing fell silent for a moment, then looked at Du Busi in the seat of honor.
"Please tell me who Yun Luo is, sect master, so I can make my decision."
"Sect master, let me explain it to him."
Hearing Li Qing's question, Jin Peng volunteered to explain.
Du Busi nodded in agreement.
After hearing about Yun Luo, Li Qing's eyes were filled with shock.
But it also helped him understand why the position of Holy Son had been given to Yun Luo.
Then Li Qing took a deep breath and told Du Busi his choice.
"Well... sect master, I agree as well. I believe Holy Son Yun Luo will lead us to greater heights."
Early in the morning three days later, outside Yun Luo's room.
A knock sounded at the door.
Hearing it, Yun Luo opened his eyes, emerged from his cultivation state, and rose to open the door.
"Sect master."
Seeing Du Busi standing at the door, he bowed respectfully.
Standing outside, Du Busi looked at Yun Luo and nodded.
"Are you ready?"
"Sect master, I'm ready. We can set out."
"Then let's go."
As he spoke, Du Busi took hold of Yun Luo and flew out of the sect.
Upon reaching the sect's entrance, Du Busi descended with Yun Luo.
Only after Du Busi released him did Yun Luo see the two men standing nearby.
One was burly and muscular, with bronze skin.
The other was lean and short, with short, graying hair, and was currently sizing Yun Luo up.
As Du Busi landed with Yun Luo, Jin Peng and Li Qing stepped forward and bowed.
"Sect master."
Then their gazes fell on Yun Luo.
Silver hair, blue eyes, handsome features, and white robes that accentuated his tall, straight figure.
He was fifteen or sixteen, yet already a six-ring Soul Emperor.
Although Jin Peng had seen Yun Luo fight at the training grounds that day, he still could not help marveling inwardly as he observed him up close.
This was Li Qing's first time seeing Yun Luo, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked him up and down.
"Boy, you're the one who wants to go to the Extreme North to make a deal with a fierce beast."
"You've got some nerve."
Yun Luo bowed respectfully to Li Qing.
"You flatter me, Senior Li."
Seeing that the three had been introduced, Du Busi spoke from beside them.
"Set out."
With that, Du Busi took hold of Yun Luo and flew toward the Extreme North.
Hearing their sect master's words, Jin Peng and Li Qing also took flight toward the Extreme North.
The core region of the Extreme North.
Wind and snow howled across the sky, and the ice fields stretched as far as the eye could see.
A massive figure stood atop a glacier, its entire body covered in jade-green armor, its scorpion tail raised high, its sharp stinger gleaming with a cold light.
Gazing at the wind and snow filling the sky, the Ice Emperor sighed.
"My four-hundred-thousand-year limit is drawing ever closer, but I have no confidence I can survive it."