Mu En and the Snow Empress

In the boundless blizzard of the Extreme North, an unexpected visitor suddenly arrived.

It was an old man in a wheelchair. He looked as though his days were numbered, yet he moved leisurely through this sparsely inhabited realm of the Extreme North, a faint golden glow flickering across the surface of his body.

This was the Core Circle of the Extreme North, one of the few Life Forbidden Zones on the Douluo Continent. The temperature was terrifyingly low; even powerhouses at the level of Titled Douluo could not remain here for long.

Not to mention that most of the Extreme North's strongest Ice and Snow Attribute soul beasts were gathered here. These already immensely powerful soul beasts became even more terrifying under the enhancement of the extreme environment. As one side waned while the other waxed, the gap in combat power between humans and soul beasts here became absurdly vast. Without the cultivation of a Super Douluo, coming here was simply seeking death.

At that moment, the old man suddenly raised his head and asked softly:

"Is that the Heavenly Snow Woman?"

His voice was immediately swallowed by the endless blizzard, like a needle falling into the sea, unable to reach anyone's ears.

Yet a voice answered his question.

"Human, why have you come here? This is not a place you should be."

The voice was exceptionally pleasant. Accompanied by the howling cold wind, it seemed like the voice of a god from above, carrying supreme majesty.

The owner of that voice was the Heavenly Snow Woman mentioned by the old man—the Snow Empress, leader of the Extreme North's Three Great Heavenly Kings.

The old man said:

"Honorable Snow Empress, I mean no harm. I merely wish to ask you a few questions."

Clearly, this old man was Mu En. He had come to the Extreme North to ask the Snow Empress about something.

"Oh?"

There was some confusion in the Snow Empress's voice. The next moment, her figure appeared not far in front of Mu En.

The instant she appeared, the blizzard that had been howling moments ago abruptly stopped. This extreme transition from motion to stillness seemed utterly natural under her control.

"What question could possibly require you to come all the way here to ask me?"

Unlike Mu En's aged appearance, the Snow Empress had smooth, delicate skin, a curvaceous figure, and a noble bearing. Her long snow-white hair danced in the wind, soft and silky, making her seem to be in the most radiant years of a woman's life.

She watched Mu En warily, waiting for his answer.

She could see Mu En's realm. Even though he was severely injured and might not possess even a tenth of his former strength, he was still a Limit Douluo, far beyond ordinary humans.

Logically, a human of this level should hold an extraordinary position in human society. If he wished to know something, he only needed to have his subordinates gather the information. There was no need for him to risk his life coming to the Extreme North to confront the Snow Empress personally.

Mu En said seriously:

"I am the current Pavilion Master of Sea God's Pavilion at Shrek Academy. There is a student in our academy whose behavior is rather unusual. I suspect you may know something about her."

Mu En then told her about how Huo Yutong had defeated Ma Xiaotao with a single strike, as well as her strange behavior at the time.

After hearing this, the Snow Empress suddenly understood.

"You suspect that she might be one of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts from here who transformed into a human?"

"I can't rule out that possibility." Mu En shrugged. "But I don't think that's likely. I simply feel that she must be connected to the soul beasts here somehow."

Because of the climate, the continent's most powerful Ice Attribute soul beasts were basically all located in the Extreme North.

Although the Star Dou Great Forest was not entirely without Ice Attribute soul beasts, it clearly could not compare to the Extreme North in either quantity or quality.

Thus, after seeing Huo Yutong's performance, the first place Mu En thought of was the Extreme North.

"..."

The Snow Empress pondered for a while before saying to Mu En:

"Wait here for a while. I'll investigate."

She had recently been considering rebuilding her cultivation and transforming into a human. If there truly was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Extreme North that had taken human form, she could ask it about its experiences and insights in this regard.

After all, most soul beasts would not choose to transform into humans after reaching one hundred thousand years. Instead, they would choose to continue living on.

Soul beasts that transformed into humans were rare even among Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Even the Snow Empress had only seen a few, and those she had seen had long since returned to dust, unable to offer her any advice.

As a result, she had been forced to personally research knowledge about transforming into a human during this period, which was extremely inconvenient.

Now that there might be a senior with knowledge in this area, the Snow Empress was naturally very interested.

After saying that, she vanished soundlessly, just as she had arrived.

Watching the Snow Empress leave, Mu En sighed and leaned back in his wheelchair.

He had a feeling that this trip would likely amount to nothing.

But aside from the Extreme North, where else could there be soul beasts possessing a chill like ancient mystic ice? he thought gloomily.

Less than a day later, the Snow Empress returned.

As expected, her brows were tightly furrowed as she said to Mu En:

"I asked Ah Tai, Bing'er, and the others. There should not have been any Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Extreme North that transformed into a human within the past few years."

"I see."

Mu En was not particularly surprised. He asked the Snow Empress:

"Do you know where else Hundred Thousand Year Level Ice Attribute soul beasts might emerge?"

"There are many such places—the Star Dou Great Forest, the Ice Sea, and the summits of certain snowy mountains could all produce new Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts." The Snow Empress stated firmly, "But I think it would be impossible for them to possess an Ice Attribute of the quality you described."

"Alright. Thank you for the trouble."

Mu En sighed softly and gave the Snow Empress a slight bow before controlling his wheelchair and turning to leave.

It seemed that he would not be able to unravel Huo Yutong's secret anytime soon.

In Mu En's eyes, Huo Yutong was far stranger than Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King Bloodline was indeed inconceivable, but it was ultimately only one thing that defied common sense. Huo Yutong, on the other hand, was bizarre in every aspect.

A White Soul Ring capable of using two soul skills at once, formidable Ice Attribute power, and another presence hidden within her body... Even now, Mu En had no reasonable hypothesis that could explain every phenomenon occurring around her.

It was precisely because of this that Mu En did not trust Huo Yutong as much as he trusted Tang Wulin.

What he wanted to cultivate was Shrek's future successor. He could not afford to be careless.

Watching Mu En's stooped back gradually disappear from sight, the Snow Empress narrowed her eyes.

"Perhaps I should have Bing'er help investigate more often lately."

Whether the Snow Empress could successfully rebuild her cultivation concerned the fate of the entire Extreme North. As long as there was any method that could increase her chances of success by even a fraction, she would devote herself fully to accomplishing it.

The Snow Empress vanished from the area once more. After she disappeared, the blizzard began to rage again, concealing every trace that the two of them had ever been there.

Author's Note

As everyone knows, even without Lao Huo, three of the Extreme North's Four Great Ferocious Beasts faced a Great Tribulation they could not overcome.

Their circumstances were so similar, and the timing so neatly synchronized, that it was hard not to laugh.

Titan Snow Demon King: What can I say?