In the Far North, an eternal world of ice and snow stretched endlessly. The sky loomed in a hazy gray veil, the earth buried beneath a thick layer of snow, silent and still. Winds howled softly, sweeping up ice crystals like glittering dust, creating a landscape both harsh and sublime.
Through the cold skies, Ye Xuanji and Zhiyong flew rapidly, protecting Huo Yuhao between them. Without their powerful soul barriers, the piercing wind would have frozen him solid.
Below, the boundless white wilderness rolled by. Huo Yuhao stared wide-eyed, stunned.
"This is your brother's hometown!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm chirped proudly in his mind, only to immediately switch to gushing, "Bingbing, I'm here! I miss you so much, Bingbing..."
Goosebumps crawled up Huo Yuhao's back. "Brother Tianmeng is the very definition of what Junting calls a dog-licker," he muttered mentally.
At that moment, Zhiyong handed him a radiant token. The front bore the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower, while the back shimmered like polished glass.
"Yuhao, this is a special sect token. Drip your blood on it, and we'll be able to track your location and detect whether you're still alive. Even if something goes wrong, we'll find you."
Grateful, Huo Yuhao accepted the token and pricked his finger. The light on the token pulsed in response.
Soon, the wind settled. Ye Xuanji and Zhiyong halted in the air.
"This is the edge of the Far North's core region," Ye Xuanji said, eyes sharp.
Since they didn't know the Ice Jade Scorpion's territory, they would need to search on foot. Huo Yuhao, bundled tightly in cold-resistant gear, followed.
"Brother Tianmeng?"
"Ready, Yuhao."
Just as they stepped forward—a pulse of immense spiritual force tore through the air!
Before the two elders could react, Huo Yuhao vanished.
"What?!" Ye Xuanji's expression turned stormy. Together, they checked his life signature via the token.
Alive, but teleported hundreds of miles away.
"Did he trigger a formation?" Zhiyong muttered.
"No time to hesitate. Let's go!"
But they had barely taken flight when they froze.
A mountain-like figure trudged through the snow, each step a quake. Covered in shaggy white fur, face lined with age, tusks protruding, and greenish-gray skin—
"Titan Snow Demon King," Ye Xuanji murmured.
"Humans!" the massive creature bellowed, its voice like thunder.
"Second Brother, go. Find Yuhao," Ye Xuanji ordered.
Zhiyong nodded and darted away.
The Titan Snow Demon King roared and launched a massive ice blade.
Ye Xuanji raised the Star Saint Sword, his aura exploding. Nine soul rings rose around him: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
"We end this quickly."
He raised his sword, and the sky darkened. Stars shimmered as if summoned by his will.
A massive sword phantom mirrored his stance. Power gathered.
"Stars shine in night's veil,
Sword rises with heaven's gale.
Piercing skies with dazzling might,
Xuanji's Dao cuts endless night!
—Sword Dao: Xuanji!"
With that, a beam of sword light split the sky, tearing toward the Titan Snow Demon King.
...
Elsewhere—
Huo Yuhao landed hard, but unharmed. As planned, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's spiritual technique had flung him far enough to initiate their risky mission.
Moments later, the Ice Emperor appeared.
Though proud, the emperor was eventually persuaded by Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
"Are you ready?" Ice Emperor asked. (TL: that was fast)
Huo Yuhao nodded.
The Ice Emperor's tail rose—then stabbed into Yuhao's lower spine!
The fusion had begun.
....
Few hours later—
"What? A hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion sacrifice?"
Zhiyong froze, wide-eyed, after hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation.
He had just found Yuhao alone in the Far North, and not only had Yuhao awakened a second martial soul, but he had also broken through to level 31. The shock doubled when Yuhao claimed that his new martial soul came from the sacrifice of a hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion.
"Yes, Elder Zhiyong. If you don't believe me, look."
Huo Yuhao peeled off his coat, revealing his back. There, a lifelike Ice Jade Scorpion tattoo curled over his skin, glinting like icy crystal. His arms, too, shimmered with translucent ice scales. A red soul ring rose slowly from his feet, radiating a unique pressure.
Zhiyong's eyes widened. "It's... really a hundred-thousand-year soul ring."
As someone who had cultivated to the level of Titled Douluo, he knew soul rings couldn't be faked. Still, his heart reeled. According to Yuhao, he had encountered the Ice Emperor by sheer chance after being teleported. The Ice Emperor, heavily injured and on the brink of death, offered to sacrifice herself in exchange for Yuhao's promise to avenge her fallen companions and protect her clan. In the end, she had merged with him.
It sounded absurd.
"Brother Tianmeng, isn't that too fake?" Huo Yuhao asked mentally.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice came back absentmindedly. "Fake? It's not fake. Technically, Bingbing did sacrifice herself—kind of. We just... changed some facts. Like trimming her cultivation from 400,000 years to 100,000."
"Is that really okay?"
"Look, Yuhao, we didn't lie. We just didn't tell the whole truth."
While Tianmeng fretted in his spiritual sea—mostly over whether the Ice Emperor would forgive him—Yuhao kept quiet.
He felt guilty.
Because the truth was, when they had met the Ice Emperor, she was convinced by their shared goal: to protect her kind. She had offered a partial sacrifice to help Yuhao evolve, binding him with her essence and power. But he hadn't told the sect the full story. Not about Tianmeng's influence. Not about the risks.
Even so, Zhiyong nodded solemnly after his own verification.
"Your luck is... remarkable," he muttered, then patted Yuhao's shoulder. "Sorry. I suspected you were a soul beast in disguise. I had to make sure."
"It's alright, Elder... really."
At that moment, a voice rang from above.
"What's this about a hundred-thousand-year soul beast?"
Ye Xuanji descended from the clouds, arriving in a flash. He had just returned after repelling the Titan Snow Demon King using his ultimate skill, Sword Dao: Xuanji. After hearing Zhiyong's retelling, he, too, looked stunned.
"What do we do now?"
"Let the Sect Master decide," Zhiyong replied simply.
...
Back at the sect, Ning Bowen listened quietly to the story. He gave no immediate comment, but a faint glint passed through his eyes.
"Yuhao," he suddenly said, "that third ring of yours, the simulated one. You said it mimics a thousand-year soul ring?"
"Yes, Sect Master."
"Then from now on, when using your second martial soul in public, simulate your second soul ring as a thousand-year ring. Don't reveal it's a hundred-thousand-year soul ring."
Yuhao blinked. "Huh?"
"Is there a problem?" Ning Bowen's tone was light but carried weight.
"No! No problem."
"Good. Go prepare. You're going with us to the Sunset Forest tomorrow. We need your strength."
"Yes, sir!"
...
With Yuhao's ultimate ice attribute and the overwhelming strength of a hundred-thousand-year soul skill, the poisonous green-phosphorus flower field in the Sunset Forest was frozen over in a matter of hours.
Even the normally tenacious Seven and Nine Absolutes of Green Phosphorus Flowers had their petals sealed tight, unable to emit any more poison.
"Yuhao, this breakthrough... it changed everything."
Chen Junting, watching the sea of flowers freeze into glittering ice sculptures, looked amazed. Huo Yuhao only offered a humble smile.
"I'm just doing what I can."
Still, curiosity nagged at him.
"Brother Junting, Sister Xiaotian... why go through so much to come here?"
Chen Junting smiled but didn't answer.
Ning Tian giggled and added, "You'll see soon. You've earned a share, too."
Eventually, the elders cleared a path through the last of the plant-type soul beasts, and the group descended into the valley.
As they reached a depth of 300 meters, the world shifted.
The air turned lush, vibrant with spiritual energy. Plants of all colors bloomed around them. Rare herbs glowed faintly, and the scent of medicinal energy drifted in the wind.
At the heart of the valley, a twin-colored spring bubbled calmly.
One side burned with red heat. The other shimmered in icy white. The two met but never mingled—like fire and ice coexisting in perfect harmony.
They had arrived.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
One of the greatest treasures left behind by Tang San.
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(End of Chapter)
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It's getting tense,do you think Tang San will act?