40 Chapter 40 Tian Meng, Ice Emperor

Hearing the Skydream Ice Silkworm speak like this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but swallow hard, "Brother Heavenly Dream, please stop talking. If you keep going, the little confidence that I've managed to build up is going to be shattered completely. The Three Great Kings of the Extreme North are just too far out of my league. Let's be realistic, when can you attach a Soul Ring to me? And awaken my second Martial Soul."

"Too far out of your league? No, no, not at all," said the Skydream Ice Silkworm cryptically, "Yuhao, haven't you heard the saying, 'the bolder the person, the greater his successes'? Our primary target this time is the second-ranked one among the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North!"

"What?" Huo Yuhao was so shocked that he felt singed inside and out; his mouth twitched as he said earnestly, "Brother Heavenly Dream, don't you think it's a bit too much trouble to deliver a meal to them from this far away?"

"What do you mean deliver a meal? You blockhead, look at how cowardly you are! They're just the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, what's there to be scared of?" the Skydream Ice Silkworm retorted irritably.

With a face full of sorrow and indignation, Huo Yuhao said, "Not scary? If they weren't scary, why did you run in the past?"

"I..." the Skydream Ice Silkworm bellowed angrily, "It's different now, isn't it? I'm not the same as I was back then. Since I dare to bring you here, naturally I have a way to deal with that guy. What good is it to me if you die? Would I be able to live? With that puny body of yours, without taking some drastic measures, which life would you be able to take revenge for me and let me feel proud?"

After the initial shock, Huo Yuhao also calmed down and said somewhat helplessly, "Fine. After all, my life is in your hands. Even if you were to sell me, I could only count the money for you. Let's go, better to die early and be reincarnated sooner. How do we proceed?"

"We continue northward. That guy only lives in the core area of these far northern lands. From now on, you need to slow down. You're about to enter the edge of the core region. The temperature here is very low, and it's home to the strongest part of the soul beasts from the far north. Just like the one just now, it even managed to elude my Spiritual Detection, and there are some that are incredibly fast. We have to be careful. Otherwise, if we encounter just one, we're finished," said the Skydream Ice Silkworm.

"Hmm," Huo Yuhao responded. He had realized that the Skydream Ice Silkworm must have some degree of confidence, but it was definitely not a hundred percent certainty; there was a possibility of failure. However, without a doubt, according to his understanding of the Skydream Ice Silkworm, for it to take a risk with his own life to come here, if they succeeded, the benefits would definitely be substantial, even shockingly so.

To better conceal himself, Huo Yuhao retracted the wooden board beneath his feet and slowed down, trudging slowly through snow that was more than half a meter thick. He was now certain that without the Exuvia of the Skydream Ice Silkworm, in this kind of place, he would turn into an ice sculpture in less than ten minutes.

In this godforsaken place, even the snowflakes were hard. The harsh cold wind picked up the snowflakes from the ground, and the layers of ice powder were akin to a full-scale attack from soul skills. When the wind was strong, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to crawl. He might not fear the cold, but that didn't mean he wasn't afraid of the wind.

Due to the extremely low temperatures, sometimes he even thought the light in the sky was somewhat distorted. But this place also had a gorgeous multicolored halo that other places did not possess.

After continuing northward for two more days, Huo Yuhao began to feel exhausted. It wasn't that he lacked physical strength; the problem mainly lay with food and water.

Although he was not afraid of the cold, food was a different issue! No matter what kind of dry rations, they would immediately turn into icy lumps as soon as he took them out from the Twenty-four Bridge Moonlit Night. Even chewing was difficult; he could only scrape at the food with his teeth to eat. The Skydream Ice Silkworm wouldn't even let him pitch a tent, fearing it would attract the attention of the soul beasts.

Not to mention drinking water, the water he carried was completely frozen solid and couldn't be poured out of the canteen at all. Consequently, he had no choice but to eat the snow on the ground that he didn't know how long had been frozen. That mouthful was absolutely chilling from the mouth to the heart. He had no protection inside his body, and after eating a mouthful of snow, he would tremble for a long time before he could recover.

In such conditions, he could only eat and drink as little as possible. However, the physical exertion of moving through the snowy terrain was immense, and without sufficient nutritional replenishment, he gradually began to struggle.

Sitting in the snow with thick layers all around, Huo Yuhao gasped and said, "Brother Heavenly Dream, we can't keep this up! I'm already finding it hard to hold on. Even if we encounter the soul beast you're looking for, how would I have the strength to kill it and assimilate the Soul Ring? Even if I succeed, I'm afraid I won't have the energy to walk out of here. It's really getting tough."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and buried it into his cotton jacket, biting into the dry food he was keeping warm inside. He intended to use his body heat to soften the food, but with the Skydream Ice Silkworm's shed skin, his body heat couldn't escape. The food was still cold and hard, so he could only forcibly bite off a piece, put it in his mouth, and wait for it to soften before slowly chewing and swallowing it.

"Alright, alright. Stop complaining. We should be roughly in the right spot. What we need to do next is to lie in wait," the Skydream Ice Silkworm said. "You take a rest for a while, then do as I say."

Relieved that he didn't have to go any deeper, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief. He had now fully entered the core area of the far northern lands. Not only was the temperature extremely low, but he had also encountered several soul beasts along the way. Just one glance at them from a distance made him shiver all over! Although they were not comparable to the Titan Snow Demon King he had once encountered, they were at least beings with over ten thousand years of existence. In this cursed place, he couldn't even find a thousand-year soul beast.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, the spot where he had been was almost buried by snow, and Huo Yuhao finally stood up.

The Skydream Ice Silkworm's voice rang in his mind, becoming more serious than ever before, "Yuhao, estimate how long you could last in this cold without my Exuvia protecting you."

Huo Yuhao was taken aback, then said after some thought, "If I fully activate my Soul Power, maybe five minutes. But definitely no more than ten minutes."

"I need to lure that creature here, which requires me to release my aura. Then, whether it can become your core Soul Ring heavily relies on my Exuvia. Therefore, after I draw it here, you will have to be unprotected for a while. During this time, not only do you need to trap it, but I also need to negotiate with it. You must hold on, or all our efforts will have been for nothing," the Skydream Ice Silkworm explained.

Huo Yuhao complained, "Boss, why didn't you say so earlier? If you had, I could have brought more winter clothes!"

The Skydream Ice Silkworm snorted coldly, "Do you think the cold here is something clothes can keep out? You're even overestimating yourself with five minutes. Next, you need to construct a temporary shelter under the snow. I will separate a bit of the Exuvia, extract the Soul Power from it, and then you use a fire-stick to ignite it for warmth inside. No matter what happens, as long as I don't tell you to go out, you must not act rashly. This time, it's all or nothing. You can use Spiritual Detection to observe everything that happens outside, but you must not act recklessly. Understand?"

Huo Yuhao nodded urgently.

Constructing an ice house under the snow was no small feat! Beneath the snow was ice, hard as iron. Huo Yuhao channeled his Soul Power into his White Tiger Dagger, and after a full day's work, he barely managed to carve out a small ice house that could accommodate him curled up inside. By the time he finished all this, he was so tired he could barely breathe.

"Now I'm going to start. Yuhao, whether we can succeed this time, you have to pass three tests. The first is the temporary cold. Then comes luck, the luck of whether I can triumph over the enemy. Lastly, it depends on your willpower. You are the one I chose; if we can't succeed, then we'll both be done for. If we succeed, then, I dare say, you'll immediately become the number one genius of Soul Land. Let's give it our all and fight this battle together."

At this point, Skydream Ice Silkworm's voice already had a hint of madness.

What could Huo Yuhao say now? Having reached this step, all he could do was to follow Skydream Ice Silkworm and there was no other possibility. More words were unnecessary, so he nodded vigorously to show his full support for Skydream Ice Silkworm.

In his mind, intense spiritual fluctuations began to emerge. Huo Yuhao only felt waves of dizziness coming over him, and it was only by leaning against the ice hut's wall that he prevented himself from falling.

His solitary soul ring had already quietly surfaced, emitting a lustrous glow as the pristine white Soul Ring pulsated gently around him.

The pale golden light in Huo Yuhao's eyes began to change gradually, and although his mind was clear, he had lost control of his body.

In that moment, he felt his thoughts rapidly extending outward, expanding far and wide. That feeling was like overlooking the earth from the sky, starkly different from what he was used to when using Spiritual Detection.

In the vast core region of the far northern lands spanning over ten thousand square kilometers, the light suddenly dimmed as if transitioning from day to night. An invisible authority expanded in an instant, accompanied by a terrifying spiritual power that radiated outward from Huo Yuhao's body.

Huo Yuhao was shocked to discover that at this moment, he experienced a sense of pleasure akin to being the Overlord of the World; the earth and the ice and snow completely submitted beneath his feet. The feeling of having everything within his grasp was simply too wonderful, as if he could destroy everything in a mere gesture and judge all with a glance.

In the gloomy sky, rolls of muffled thunder began to sound, yet Huo Yuhao was astonished to find that his body had turned completely bright gold.

The opalescent halo of light began to slowly change color, shifting from its original white to pale gold, and then to bright gold. The golden brilliance was not comparable to any soul ring colors Huo Yuhao had ever seen.

The White 10-year soul ring, Yellow Hundred Year Soul Ring, Purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring, Black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and the Red Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring—all were submissive before this golden Soul Ring that was endowed with endless majesty.

This was the true color of a unique million-year Soul Ring in Soul Land, and it was also the first time that Skydream Ice Silkworm allowed its color to bloom for the world to see.

Gold, a gold filled with awe-inspiring power, instantly evoked a singular feeling in Huo Yuhao's heart.

One day, I want the sky to no longer obscure my eyes, the earth to no longer bury my heart; I want everything in the world to submit because of me, to become the person who can hold the sun and the moon and pluck the stars from the heavens.

What Skydream Ice Silkworm gave him at this time was not only a powerful sense of perception but also planted a seed of belief in his heart that he was the sovereign ruler between heaven and earth. For the first time, Huo Yuhao had an ideal that was loftier than revenge.

It seemed that he sensed a change in his mindset, and Skydream Ice Silkworm conveyed to him a sense of gratification. Indeed! As the entity that could become a million-year soul beast, one day, he would truly become the master of this million-year Soul Ring. Wouldn't having no great aspirations be akin to letting a pearl gather dust?

Balls of golden light began to emerge from the center of Huo Yuhao's brow. With each ball that emerged, Huo Yuhao felt a sense of emptiness. When the ninth ball of light came out, he even felt a bit unsteady on his feet.

Originally, there were ten balls of golden light that Skydream Ice Silkworm sent into his body; those were the origins of its spirit, its most core strength. Now that nine had left, only the last one remained, which Huo Yuhao had already absorbed in part. It was also the connection between Skydream Ice Silkworm and Huo Yuhao.

The nine balls of golden light gently descended from the air, the first falling directly onto the snowy ground, followed by the second landing on top of it, and then one by one, they stacked up, gradually shrinking in size, but the golden color became more solid. At this moment, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel the power of Skydream Ice Silkworm. It was a terrifying spiritual power that could change the very heavens.

The nine balls of golden light combined into a form, amazingly coalescing into a golden light figure that looked exactly like him. Even the clothes that appeared to be made of golden energy were in the form of Shrek Academy's uniform, which made Huo Yuhao feel like crying and laughing at the same time.

A powerful thought spread out the moment the spiritual body of Skydream Ice Silkworm took shape, "Ice Emperor, I know you have sensed my presence. Skydream has returned for revenge. Dare you meet me?"

Just as Skydream Ice Silkworm spoke, a spiritual power so immense that Huo Yuhao couldn't even fathom instantly covered his body, shielding all his breath within the ice house.

However, in a sense, Skydream Ice Silkworm and Huo Yuhao had long become one. Therefore, when Huo Yuhao's spiritual power touched that formidable spiritual power, he could perceive the outside world through Skydream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power. It even amplified his perception significantly, making everything within a kilometer radius clear to him. More miraculously, this time, perception really replaced his eyes, allowing him to truly see everything outside, rather than merely detecting shapes.

After uttering those words, Skydream Ice Silkworm calmed down, but the golden light radiating from it grew even more intense. That bright gold stood out conspicuously in the snow-covered world. The sky grew darker and clouds pressed low, making the atmosphere between heaven and earth even more solemn. Amid the dim space, the golden light emanating from Skydream Ice Silkworm was dazzlingly brilliant.

Skydream Ice Silkworm seemed in no rush at all, just standing there quietly as fierce winds blew, yet it remained motionless.

This was what Huo Yuhao could feel. But beyond his range of perception, thousands of soul beasts were running away in terror.

Perhaps in terms of pure combat power, Skydream Ice Silkworm might find itself at a disadvantage against a ten-thousand-year soul beast, but when it comes to purely spiritual aspects, there wasn't any soul beast on all of Soul Land that could contend with it.

The biggest issue with Skydream Ice Silkworm lay in its bloodline. Although it had cultivated for a million years, it was, after all, just a Low-Level Soul Beast Ice Silkworm. Such an origin made it powerful through continuous evolution and nurturing by the energy of ten thousand years of ice marrow, but it was like a Treasure Mountain, possessing precious treasures yet not knowing how to use them. To measure it by human Soul Master standards, it would be a powerful entity with a terrifying amount of Soul Power but without a single Soul Ring or soul skill.

In the face of an adversary whose cultivation was vastly inferior, it could still defeat them with the sheer power of its spiritual force. However, once it encountered an enemy of certain strength, it would be utterly helpless. Even with an enormous amount of spiritual power, if there was no way to focus it into terrifying Spirit Skills, the lethality was always limited. Even after becoming Huo Yuhao's million-year Soul Ring, when it saw the four soul skills it provided for Huo Yuhao, it was extremely envious. However, Brother Heavenly Dream always had a sense of pride, and he would never admit it out loud.

If it weren't for this, with Skydream Ice Silkworm's formidable cultivation of a million years, even if it had only one skill, there probably wouldn't be many soul beasts on Soul Land that could pose a threat to it.

At this moment, it fully unleashed its spiritual power, covering an area so vast that it almost included everything it intended to cover, at least one third of the core area of the far northern lands was under its spiritual detection.

On the surface, the Skydream Ice Silkworm might seem careless, but what it was doing was far from simple. The spiritual power it released did not use its own aura. At least, the soul beasts that were not familiar with it would not imagine that a creature devoid of attack skills could achieve this.

The Skydream Ice Silkworm used its terrifying spiritual power to mimic the aura of a being in the far northern lands that soul beasts wouldn't even dare harbor thoughts of resisting. It was the aura of the leader of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, the one with five hundred thousand years of cultivation and noble bloodline.

Moreover, it avoided the territory of the leader of the Three Great Kings, and by conducting a thorough investigation, it was not afraid of being discovered. As a result, within the range it intended to intimidate, all soul beasts ran away like scared birds, without coming anywhere near to causing trouble for it and Huo Yuhao.

The Ice Emperor, who ranked second among the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North and whom it wanted to find, was also within the range of its spiritual power. The Ice Emperor had known it for a long time, and would naturally not mistake its aura, especially after its arrogant statement earlier.

With the Skydream Ice Silkworm's understanding of the Ice Emperor, it believed that the latter would definitely come. Faced with the Skydream Ice Silkworm, a huge tonic, no soul beast could resist the temptation. Not to mention the Ice Emperor, who had a cultivation of over three hundred thousand years but was inevitably unable to break through the four hundred thousand years barrier.

Just as the Ice Emperor knew the Skydream Ice Silkworm very well, the Skydream Ice Silkworm also understood the Ice Emperor well. The Ice Emperor almost killed it when it had just broken through the three hundred thousand years mark, and now, by all likelihood, it wasn't far from the four hundred thousand years. The Ice Emperor had said, back when it broke through three hundred thousand years of cultivation, that it had reached its limit and even injured its origin, making the four hundred thousand years threshold impassable. Only by absorbing the Skydream Ice Silkworm's vast and pure energy, would it have a chance to break its bonds and even surpass the one ranked first among the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North.

The only thing the Skydream Ice Silkworm was thankful for was that the one ranked first did not know of its existence; otherwise, it believed that even if it were in Xingdou Forest, it would have been captured.

Under the temptation concerning its own life, the Ice Emperor had no other choice. It had to come, it would surely come. When the Skydream Ice Silkworm truly sensed its aura, a cunning smile of triumph appeared on its face, identical to that of Huo Yuhao.

Time ticked by, second by second, and the Skydream Ice Silkworm didn't seem in the least bit anxious. Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, entrenched in the ice chamber, was rigid with discomfort but dared not even breathe heavily. He did not know when the Ice Emperor mentioned by the Skydream Ice Silkworm would appear, but for both him and the Skydream Ice Silkworm, it would undoubtedly be a test of life and death. Even now, he did not know on what the Skydream Ice Silkworm based its confidence in killing such a formidable being, one even more terrifying than a human Titled Douluo.

Just as Huo Yuhao's heart rate increased while he waited, filled with anxiety, fear, and an agitated excitement, suddenly, he noticed a change outside.

The originally pitch-black clouds suddenly fluctuated violently, and then, from the distant northern sky, a layer of emerald green light spread forth in an instant.

The dark sky turned to emerald green in the blink of an eye, the captivating and inviting color looked as if the lofty sky had suddenly become a massive emerald gemstone. The original oppressive atmosphere in the air was also wiped clean in that instant, disappearing into nothingness.

When the emerald green spread to within a kilometer radius of the Skydream Ice Silkworm, Huo Yuhao felt it. He couldn't help but gasp in cold air. It had come, it had truly come.

"Skydream, you're actually still alive. Truly deserving of being the oldest creature in our far northern lands," a crisp voice resounded from all directions. As the voice appeared, a terrifying wave of sound caused the snow on the ground to rise nearly three meters high in an instant, much like a suddenly whipped-up wave. Only in the vicinity of Skydream Ice Silkworm's body, within a hundred-meter radius, remained calm, protected by the enormous Spiritual Power it emitted.

"Ice Emperor, if you haven't died, why can't I live? Do you remember what I said back then? If I didn't die, one day, I'd become your companion." The voice of Skydream Ice Silkworm suddenly turned gentle, even a bit sickeningly sweet, which gave Huo Yuhao goosebumps.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao's eyes went wide because he suddenly thought of a possibility.

With his current combination with Skydream Ice Silkworm, venturing to the far northern lands was undoubtedly a huge risk. Although the Skydream Ice Silkworm was powerful, it was now attached to him, becoming his first soul ring, and even if it was a Wisdom Soul Ring, it was still a part of his body. Their strength, after all, mainly depended on his own abilities.

In such a case, its best choice should have been to help him obtain soul rings one by one, making himself grow stronger first. Once he became strong enough, then he should have come to this far northern land to find this Ice Emperor and awaken his second Martial Soul, right?

Yet, it insisted on coming here right after his Soul Power broke through level 20, looking for this extremely powerful Ice Emperor. Could there be no danger in this? Even if its plan were meticulous, just a single mistake could mean he and the Skydream Ice Silkworm might permanently remain in the far north of extreme coldness.

What made the Skydream Ice Silkworm take such a risk, insisting on bringing him here? Was it merely to make him stronger? Listening to its tender voice, it seemed not to be the case!

After this thought flashed through his mind, Huo Yuhao instead became calm. He had no other choice but to trust the Skydream Ice Silkworm, and he prayed in his heart that it didn't come here for the reason he thought. Now, all he could do was to wait, to silently observe.

"Skydream, you're courting death," the crisp voice of the Ice Emperor suddenly filled with murderous intent, and in that instant, the azure sky turned dark green. A heavy intent to kill descended from the heavens, and the airspace around the body of Skydream Ice Silkworm that was protected within a hundred-meter radius instantly shrank to just ten meters.

However, in a pure contest of Spiritual Power, the Skydream Ice Silkworm was not afraid of the Ice Emperor. It chuckled softly, very composed and graceful, "No, I spoke from the heart. I have lived for a million years, and during that time, I've spent the majority of it in slumber. But deep in my heart, the only trace that has stayed and moved me uncontrollably is you. Ice Emperor, do you know why I chose to return at this time? Because, I've calculated that within a hundred years, you would reach your limit, be on the road to death. When that time comes, unable to break through your next great tribulation, you would be annihilated in this cold world. That's why I've returned. I can't keep waiting any longer, as my long lifespan has already become meaningless to me, and my own life isn't much longer either. I am back to ensure that you can live on, so that we can truly be together."

Huo Yuhao sighed silently in his heart and closed his eyes. As expected! The Skydream Ice Silkworm really did deceive him; it indeed had an ulterior motive.

Since the day he met the Skydream Ice Silkworm, Huo Yuhao had unconditionally believed in it. The Skydream Ice Silkworm had given him a million-year Soul Ring, four soul skills, effectively giving him a new life.

In Huo Yuhao's heart, he was most grateful to this partner, this Wisdom Soul Ring. The position of the Skydream Ice Silkworm in his heart was even higher than Tang Ya's, Bei Bei's, or even Wang Dong's.

But at this moment, Huo Yuhao just felt as though something inside him had shattered, and the emotions he had been suppressing since childhood erupted like a geyser. It had deceived me, it actually deceived me!

An unprecedented sense of grievance turned into tears streaming down his cheeks, quickly forming into tiny beads of ice accumulating at the corners of his eyes. Huo Yuhao was only twelve years old, and just when he thought he had started to see hope, the deceit of the Skydream Ice Silkworm made his resilient heart seem as if it were about to break in an instant.

Huo Yuhao feared neither hardship nor struggle; as long as there was hope, he was willing to pay any price.

A year at Shrek Academy had changed his personality considerably. There, he had made friends, mentors, and companions, and in a sense, all this was given to him by the Skydream Ice Silkworm. It was the presence of the Skydream Ice Silkworm that gave him confidence, bolstering his faith. But at this moment, the deceit of the Skydream Ice Silkworm was like severing the root of his conviction, yanking the towering tree of confidence violently from his heart.

The feeling could no longer be described simply as "pain." Huo Yuhao's hope had been annihilated.

The Skydream Ice Silkworm possessed immense spiritual power, but at this moment, its energy was entirely focused on sensing the Ice Emperor and it failed to notice the earth-shattering change in Huo Yuhao's emotions.

After hearing the Skydream Ice Silkworm's words, the Ice Emperor fell silent, seemingly touched on a sensitive matter and was contemplating silently.

The Skydream Ice Silkworm said somewhat nervously, "I'm back, Ice Emperor. After so many years, won't you come out to meet me?"

The Ice Emperor's cold voice rang out again, "Skydream, do you not realize that my kind is the natural enemy of yours?"

The Skydream Ice Silkworm gave a light smile, "Of course, I know. But what of it? Who says one cannot fall in love with one's natural enemy? It's precisely because of this that I like you even more."

The Ice Emperor replied disdainfully, "Unfortunately, you do not qualify to like me. Nevertheless, I am touched that you would willingly offer yourself as food to be devoured by me. Merging with you in this manner, how could I not oblige? You must feel it, I am approaching you. Wait for me, in a quarter-hour, I'll be at your side. I will honor your affection properly, I will chew your body and energy bit by bit, turning them into parts of me."

The Skydream Ice Silkworm seemed to be accustomed to the Ice Emperor's manner of speaking and said with some helplessness, "Can't you be a little gentler? Always so cold and overbearing. No wonder you're still single. By the way, I've been wanting to ask you, is that joke that's spread through the far northern lands true? Did you really fall for the Snow Emperor?"

"Skydream, I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!" The Ice Emperor's voice instantly became hysterical, as if the Skydream Ice Silkworm had struck a raw nerve; the moody green in the sky suddenly turned to a profound black.

The smile at the corner of the Skydream Ice Silkworm's mouth never faded, seemingly intent on provoking the Ice Emperor. Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, hidden in the ice chamber, no longer shed tears but felt a chill in his heart.

From the conversation between the Skydream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Emperor, it was clear that there were many grudges between them, which were not as simple as the Skydream Ice Silkworm had made out. If the Skydream Ice Silkworm was deliberately angering the Ice Emperor, then it must have a purpose and some plan to carry out.

But did any of this still matter to him? Was the Skydream Ice Silkworm still trustworthy? It had deceived him and brought him to the dangerous far northern lands, all supposedly to help his Martial Soul awaken? No, it couldn't be just that. In the end, it had still deceived him.

Taking a deep breath, the lines of Huo Yuhao's face slowly hardened, the grief in his heart caused a dramatic shift in his mentality. The tension and excitement were gone, leaving only coldness behind.

The grey bead deep in Huo Yuhao's mind seemed to feel the change in his emotions and fluctuated slightly, but it quickly returned to normal.

A voice that Huo Yuhao couldn't hear muttered within the grey bead, "This child's personality has developed extremes from an early age, his most vulnerable part being his heart. Perhaps this counts as a form of training for him. Otherwise, how could he grow? It's better that I do not interfere. However, I'm beginning to see that Big Bug in a new light!"

The grey bead settled back into tranquillity. And right then, the Skydream Ice Silkworm's voice echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind: "Yuhao, get ready. When I say to start, you must endure the severe cold. You must hold on, understand?"

"I will," Huo Yuhao responded coldly.

The Skydream Ice Silkworm seemed very anxious and did not notice the shift in Huo Yuhao's mentality.

In the next moment, the Ice Emperor, who had said it would take a quarter of an hour to arrive, finally appeared.

The dark sky turned back into a green, and a streak of green light painted a stripe across the sky; almost in a flash of green light, a soul beast appeared right across from the Skydream Ice Silkworm.

Huo Yuhao watched intently, although he had never seen the Titan Snow Demon King, ranked last among the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, he had seen its terrifying footprints. He figured that the Ice Emperor, also one of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North and ranked even higher than the Titan Snow Demon King, wouldn't be much smaller than the Titan Snow Demon King.

Yet, when the Ice Emperor truly appeared within his perception, Huo Yuhao was taken aback. He couldn't help but inwardly exclaim, "So beautiful."

Yes, the Ice Emperor was beautiful, even as a soul beast, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but marvel from the bottom of his heart.

The Ice Emperor was about one meter and fifty centimeters long, not as large as when the Skydream Ice Silkworm had shown its true form. Huo Yuhao had many speculations about the Ice Emperor's species, but the reality proved all his guesses wrong. The Ice Emperor turned out to be a scorpion, a scorpion that was incredibly beautiful.

Could a scorpion and beauty be connected? Huo Yuhao now affirmatively believed so.

The Ice Emperor, at one meter fifty centimeters in length, exhibited two colors: one of ice and the other of emerald green.

Its front body comprised four overlapping sections, each just slightly more than half a foot in length, with its head situated at the very front. Its silver-white mandibles shimmered with a glimmering cold light. Those four overlapping sections of its upper body were covered in a type of special scale, or rather, nodes, that Huo Yuhao had never learned about during his time at Shrek Academy.