Chapter 124: The Three Kings of the Extreme North

Huo Yuqing ran across the vast, snowy ice plains.

It was summer, yet the howling blizzards of the Extreme North never ceased. Strange and towering glaciers stood tall, casting barren and menacing shadows. They appeared close at hand, yet if one attempted to run toward them, they would find the distance far greater than expected.

Within her sea of consciousness, the Skydream Iceworm released powerful spiritual energy, guiding her path and helping her avoid the hungry soul beasts wandering the icy plains.

The most terrifying thing about the Extreme North was the constant howling wind. Though it was not snowing at the moment, the accumulated frost and ice particles atop the glaciers were stirred up by the wind, roaring through the air like smoke and dust. When these fine ice shards struck exposed skin, they felt like tiny blades, leaving behind a faint stinging pain.

Yet, Huo Yuqing was unfazed.

Upon closer inspection, a faint golden-red glow seemed to envelop her body. The razor-sharp ice particles melted instantly upon contact, as if encountering an open flame, turning into white mist that dispersed into the air.

This golden-red glow, which shielded Huo Yuqing from the Extreme North's deadly cold, emanated from a claw-shaped dagger she carried in her arms.

Before setting out, this dagger had been casually handed to her by Wang Rui, along with a leather soul tool pouch.

Huo Yuqing recognized the type of pouch—it was the same kind used to store the mystical soul bone that their homeroom teacher, Mu Jin, had given their team after the freshman assessment. Back then, Wang Rui had taken that soul bone for himself. Now, he was giving her another one.

She hadn't looked inside yet. The Skydream Iceworm had advised her not to rush into absorbing it, saying that this soul bone would have other uses later on.

Awakening her second martial soul was a more pressing concern. Huo Yuqing suppressed her curiosity, storing the soul bone away without examining it.

Based on her understanding of Wang Rui, even though he had handed her the claw dagger with an air of nonchalance, as if he were simply giving her a fruit knife, that dagger was undoubtedly the real gift he intended for her.

At the time, the Skydream Iceworm had shrieked inside her mind about it being a "token of affection," which left Huo Yuqing feeling slightly uneasy… After all, wasn't the token of affection that man had given her mother the White Tiger Dagger?

However, the shadow of that past quickly faded from her thoughts.

The claw dagger was truly exquisite—one might even call it elegant.

It was not a soul tool, nor did it seem to be a practical weapon for combat. Rather, it resembled a work of art, something that should be placed on an emperor's desk as a symbol of status rather than wielded in battle, stained with blood.

The hilt was forged from an unusual crimson-gold alloy, devoid of any engravings, with a smooth ring at the end that had a small, golden tassel attached—an addition that made it appear even more ornamental.

The blade itself was gracefully curved, longer than her own hand, with only one sharpened edge. The tip was a brilliant yellow that seamlessly transitioned into a deep orange near the hilt.

Huo Yuqing had studied many rare metals in her training with soul tools, yet the material of this blade was unlike anything she had ever seen. The edge was slightly translucent, resembling the finest yellow jade, exuding a warm, glossy sheen without the chill or heaviness of true jade.

She had an eerie sense that this blade was… alive. It was lightweight yet incredibly hard, as if it were a breathing, living entity with a heartbeat.

As she traveled northward and her clothing could no longer withstand the cold, the dagger automatically released a layer of golden-red warmth, enveloping her and shielding her from the frigid temperatures of the Extreme North.

Huo Yuqing knew of a rare material called Scarlet Spirit Warming Jade, used in the cores of Rank 6 soul tools, which emitted warmth. However, this claw dagger seemed far more precious than even Scarlet Spirit Warming Jade.

The Skydream Iceworm seemed to recognize the material, but when she questioned him about it, he refused to say anything. He only insisted that it was extremely valuable, something that couldn't be bought anywhere. His cryptic attitude infuriated her.

Regardless, Huo Yuqing was certain that this claw dagger was an incredibly precious gift… And that soul bone—though she hadn't examined it yet—was undoubtedly far more valuable than the mystical soul bone Wang Rui had taken before.

A year ago, receiving such gifts might have made her uneasy. But now, she was more than happy to owe Wang Rui a debt…

After all, debts must be repaid, and creditors never let their debtors go. The more she owed Wang Rui, the closer their ties would be, and the less likely he would be to abandon her… This thought brought her a twisted, unhealthy sense of security.

Within her sea of consciousness, the Skydream Iceworm shuddered, directly experiencing the dark satisfaction she derived from this line of thinking.

"Xiao Qing's mindset… seems a little dangerous," the million-year-old soul beast muttered uneasily.

He even started to worry—just a little—that Wang Rui might end up on the losing end in the future.

If the Skydream Iceworm were more knowledgeable, he would have probably screamed, Yandere alert!

"Ahem, head southwest for now," he hastily interrupted her thoughts. "There's a group of ten-thousand-year Ice Demon Bears ahead. Those soul beasts have ridiculously sensitive noses—let's avoid them."

"Brother Tianmeng, we've been running for a while now. What kind of soul beast are we looking for, exactly?" Huo Yuqing asked, puzzled.

"Hmm…" The Skydream Iceworm hesitated for a moment. "You already know that our ultimate goal is godhood. To achieve that, we can't settle for just any soul beast… A normal ice-attribute second martial soul won't provide the necessary potential for you to reach that level."

Huo Yuqing nodded. She had already prepared herself for the extreme danger of this journey. Wang Rui's martial soul possessed the Ultimate Fire attribute—naturally, the ice attribute for her second martial soul had to be just as strong, which meant the soul beast they sought could not be ordinary.

"In the Extreme North, not all ice-attribute soul beasts can truly be considered 'Ultimate Ice,'" the Skydream Iceworm explained. "The most famous among them are the three kings of the Extreme North—true rulers of this land.

"First is the Snow Empress, Ice Sky Snow Lady, a naturally born and nurtured soul beast with a cultivation of 690,000 years, making her the true sovereign of the Extreme North. Second is the Ice Empress, Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, with 390,000 years of cultivation, the queen of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan. Third is the Titan Snow Demon King, the ruler of the Titan Snow Demons. It barely passed the 200,000-year threshold, but it suffered severe injuries and likely hasn't reached 300,000 years yet. While there are other hundred-thousand-year soul beasts here, their numbers can't compare to the Star Dou Forest—after all, the Star Dou Forest has the Emperor Auspicious Beast."

Huo Yuqing filtered out the unnecessary information and focused on the key points. "So, we're looking for an Ice Jade Scorpion or a Titan Snow Demon?"

"No, no, no." The Skydream Iceworm sighed in exasperation. "Think bigger! Ordinary soul beasts can't provide the power you need."

Huo Yuqing considered for a moment. "Our goal is godhood. You, as my intelligent soul ring, wish to use this opportunity to achieve immortality… Are you suggesting that I should persuade the Titan Snow Demon King to become my intelligent soul ring, since it can't break past the 300,000-year limit?"

She hesitated. "Not that I lack confidence, but wouldn't that just make me a tasty meal? Would it even listen to us?"

The Skydream Iceworm shrieked, "Who wants to live with that thing? Do you even know what the Titan Snow Demon King looks like? It's a white-haired, black-faced giant ape! If that became your martial soul, you'd turn into a female gorilla!"

Huo Yuqing: ? Why does a worm care about appearances more than I do?

"So, what you're saying is... we need to find that Ice Empress?"

"Exactly," Tianmeng Ice Silkworm replied. "The Ice Empress's great tribulation should be happening within the next few years. She definitely wants to survive, and the Auspicious Beast will vouch for you. Plus, she's much stronger than the Titan Snow Demon King... Most importantly, the Ice Jade Scorpion is the most beautiful soul beast in the Extreme North!"

Huo Yuqing didn't believe that a scorpion could be particularly beautiful, but since Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was just a silkworm baby, it was understandable that its aesthetics differed from those of humans.

"You're not saying that you…" Huo Yuqing thought about Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's attitude when mentioning the Ice Empress and asked suspiciously, "have a crush on the Ice Empress?"

"How did you… Is it that obvious?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm sounded a little guilty.

"I was just guessing."

"I do like the Ice Empress. I hope to save her before her great tribulation comes, and in doing so, you can also obtain the strongest ice-attribute soul ring… It's a win-win." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm muttered, "You haven't seen her, so you don't know just how beautiful the Ice Empress is. And she's so powerful… She is the most beautiful soul beast in this world. Isn't it normal for me to like her?"

Huo Yuqing disagreed. The image of that radiant golden soul beast, resembling both a dragon and a lion, surfaced in her mind… The most beautiful soul beast in this world should clearly be the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

"…" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm read her thoughts but dared not refute them.

"No matter how you put it, I still think scorpions eat silkworms." Huo Yuqing wasn't very optimistic about Tianmeng's crush. "Are you sure you're not on her menu?"

"I am." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm replied, his tone filled with certainty. "But that doesn't stop me from liking her. Don't worry, Xiaoqing, even if I fail to persuade her, we can definitely escape unscathed… I've cultivated for a million years, after all. I still have some trump cards up my sleeve."

"Mm." Huo Yuqing nodded and said nothing more, focusing on running.

After another two to three days of travel, thanks to the claw blades given by Wang Rui, Huo Yuqing didn't need to worry about the cold. This journey through the Extreme North was like playing on easy mode—completely effortless.

"Alright, stop here," Tianmeng said. "I'll lure the Ice Empress over. Once I restrain her, we'll immediately head south. The Auspicious Beast will meet us at the border of the Extreme North."

Huo Yuqing nodded solemnly.

Behind her, a glowing white soul ring rose. The color of this soul ring gradually intensified, its radiance so brilliant it felt like it could pierce one's soul, eventually transforming into a dazzling golden hue.

Then, a cyan-gold vertical pupil appeared at the center of the girl's forehead.

As soon as that eye—formed with the Gold of All Living Beings as its core—opened, Huo Yuqing felt an overwhelming fatigue, as if her spiritual power had been completely drained. Her current cultivation level was still too low to freely use this third eye, which possessed profound and mysterious abilities.

Golden light poured out from her cyan-gold vertical eye, landing on the snowy ground. There were nine golden light clusters in total—Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's origin spiritual power, which had yet to be fully absorbed by Huo Yuqing.

As the nine golden light clusters merged, they gradually took shape, condensing into a golden humanoid figure. What surprised Huo Yuqing even more was that the golden figure created by Tianmeng Ice Silkworm looked exactly like her. Even its illusory golden clothes resembled Shrek Academy's uniform.

The golden figure looked down at itself and then complained bitterly, "Xiaoqing, you should reflect on yourself. I don't even need to adjust my creation in a more masculine direction when shaping my human form..."

In that instant, all of Huo Yuqing's nervousness vanished—she just wanted to beat Tianmeng up.

Sensing his host's murderous intent, the golden humanoid shivered and stopped joking, directly calling out: "Ice Empress, I know you can sense my presence. I, Tianmeng, have returned for revenge—do you dare to meet me?"

His voice wasn't particularly loud, just like someone speaking normally. Yet, the moment he spoke, an unimaginably powerful spiritual force spread outward.

Since Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had become part of Huo Yuqing's strength, she could also perceive the outside world through his spiritual power. This overwhelming force covered a radius of several thousand meters, spanning nearly a third of the Extreme North's core region. Within its range, soul beasts fled in panic.

The immense power—where even the slightest disturbance seemed to be within his grasp—made Huo Yuqing yearn for such strength.

After speaking, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm became calm, but the golden glow surrounding him burned even more fiercely. The immense cultivation he had accumulated over a million years was now fully unleashed. At first glance, it seemed like a challenge, but in reality, it was akin to placing a delicious roasted chicken before someone who hadn't eaten in twenty days.

Just how tempting was Tianmeng Ice Silkworm? Even Wang Rui, who didn't eat intelligent creatures, couldn't resist wanting to take a bite out of him.

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm believed that the Ice Empress wouldn't be able to resist this temptation either—if she wanted to break through 400,000 years of cultivation, she would undoubtedly come to devour him.

Sure enough, they didn't have to wait long before the previously clear sky suddenly darkened. Massive dark clouds rolled in, blocking the pale sunlight.

However, within those clouds, an eerie green glow surged, spreading rapidly from the northern horizon, dyeing the entire sky a chilling green.

"Tianmeng, you actually survived. Truly worthy of being the longest-lived creature in the Extreme North." A crisp voice rang out from all directions, sounding like a lively and adorable young girl.

But in contrast to the innocent impression of this voice, the terrifying soundwave that followed sent snow flying several meters into the air, sweeping across the land like a tsunami. If this weren't a flat plain, an avalanche would have already occurred.

Only the area within a hundred-meter radius of Tianmeng Ice Silkworm remained undisturbed, protected by his immense spiritual power.

Huo Yuqing stood behind Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, her face calm, but her palms were ice-cold with sweat.

Faced with such a dreadful phenomenon, it was impossible not to feel nervous.

"Ice Empress, why wouldn't I be alive? I haven't even won you over yet—how could I die before becoming your mate?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said passionately. "Even if I died, I would crawl back from another world just to find you."

For a moment, the Ice Empress didn't reply. Huo Yuqing wasn't sure if she had been disgusted into silence by Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's sappy words.

After a while, that voice rang out again, sounding as if she had given the matter careful thought:

"So what you mean is, if you become my mate, you're willing to die? Then I'll allow you to be my mate for three seconds—after that, please become my food!"

(End of chapter)