Hearing Tianmeng Bingcan’s words, Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but swallow.
“Brother Tianmeng, please stop talking. Otherwise, my meager confidence will be shattered by your words. The Three Great Heavenly Kings of the far north are truly too far away from me. Let’s talk about something practical. When will you add a soul ring for me? And awaken my second martial soul?”
“What do you mean, too far away from you? No, no, not far at all.”
Tianmeng Bingcan chuckled mysteriously. “Yuhao! Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘the bolder you are, the more you gain’? This time, our most important target is the second of the Three Great Heavenly Kings!”
“What?!”
Huo Yuhao felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. The corner of his mouth twitched as he sincerely said, “Brother Tianmeng, don’t you think it’s a bit too much trouble to travel so far just to offer someone a small prey like me?”
Tianmeng Bingcan said angrily, “What do you mean, offering someone prey? You’re such a good-for-nothing! I didn’t expect you to be so timid. It’s just the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the far north, what’s there to be afraid of?”
Huo Yuhao said indignantly, “Not scary? If they’re not scary, why did you run away before?”
“I…”
Tianmeng Bingcan said irritably, “It’s not like before. I’m not the me of yesteryear. Since I dared to bring you here, I naturally have a way to deal with that guy. What would I gain by letting you die? Can I be resurrected? Besides, look at your body. If we don’t use drastic measures, how will you avenge me later? How will you make me proud?”
Huo Yuhao was startled for a moment, then calmed down, saying somewhat helplessly, “Alright. Anyway, my life is in your hands. Even if you sell me, I can only sit and help you count the money, what else can I do? Let’s just keep going. The sooner I die, the sooner I can be reborn. Which way should we go?”
“Continue north. That guy only roams around the central region. From now on, slow down a bit. You’ve almost entered the central region. The temperature here is extremely low, an ideal living environment for ice-attribute soul beasts. Just like the one we just saw. My spiritual detection can also make mistakes here, so it’s best for us to be careful. Otherwise, if we encounter those evil ones, we’ll be finished.”
“Yes.”
Huo Yuhao understood. Tianmeng Bingcan only had a slight chance of success, not a hundred percent. There was still a risk of failure. But with its temperament and knowledge, it had risked coming here this time. If successful, the benefits would definitely not be small. So great, in fact, that anyone who knew about it would be shocked and terrified.
To hide himself well, Huo Yuhao removed the two wooden planks from under his feet and slowed down, carefully stepping over the snowdrifts that were half a meter high in front of him. He now completely believed Tianmeng Bingcan’s words from a few days ago. If not for its shell, he would probably have been frozen solid by now.
In this eerie place, the snowflakes were harder than usual, and continuous blizzards made him feel as if someone was casting a soul skill. The intensity of each gust of wind kept increasing, forcing him to crawl on the ice. At this moment, he was no longer afraid of the cold, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of the wind.
Because the temperature here was too low, the sky was distorted and unclear. However, occasionally, a dazzling seven-colored light would appear.
After two more days of travel, Huo Yuhao finally felt a bit exhausted. It wasn't because his physical strength was weak, but mainly due to insufficient food and water.
He wasn't afraid of the cold, but food and drink were another matter! No matter what it was, as soon as it was taken out of the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, it would instantly freeze solid. Therefore, every time he wanted to eat or drink, it was extremely difficult; he could only scrape off tiny bits with his teeth. The Heavenly Dream Iceworm also didn't let him set up a tent, fearing it would attract soul beasts.
As for water, all the water he had brought was now frozen solid. So, every time he was thirsty, he had to pick up snow and suck on it. But the problem was that other parts of his body had no protection, and as soon as the ice and snow entered, it would send shivers down his spine several times before he could normalize.
In this situation, he had no choice but to go without food. However, trudging through the resistance of the heavy snow consumed a lot of his physical strength. Although his soul power could recover, the lack of food and drink gradually made him feel unbearable.
At this moment, he was sitting behind a snowdrift, surrounded by towering snow hills. Huo Yuhao panted and said:
"Brother Heavenly Dream, if this continues, I won't be able to take it anymore! Even if we find the soul beast we need now, with these conditions, how can I kill it, let alone fuse with it to form a soul ring! And even if I succeed, I'm afraid I won't be able to crawl out of this place. It's truly beyond my limits."
As he spoke, he wrapped a bundle of dried rations in his cotton jacket, intending to soften it a bit with his body heat. But how could it be that easy? The shell left by the Heavenly Dream Iceworm not only prevented cold air from entering but also blocked the heat he radiated. In the end, he could only suck and scrape at the dried rations, eating as much as melted.
"Alright, alright. Stop complaining. We've reached a relatively stable point. Now we just need to sit here and wait for the rabbit to come."
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm paused for a moment, then continued.
"Rest and regain your strength for a bit, then follow my instructions."
As soon as he heard that he didn't need to go any deeper, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief. He had now fully entered the central region of the far north. The temperature here was not only unimaginably low, but the number and strength of the soul beasts were also terrifying, making Huo Yuhao tremble with fear every time he saw them. Although they couldn't compare to the Titan Snow Demon King, they were all soul beasts over ten thousand years old. What kind of cursed place was this where you couldn't even find a thousand-year soul beast? (DG: Oh, for goodness sake, you're already in the deepest part, what other demons are there for you to find? Any creature that makes it this deep would have already become prey for those ten-thousand-year-old big brothers and sisters.)
Huo Yuhao rested for a while. By the time he stood up, the snow had almost completely covered everything around him.
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice rang out again, this time with an unprecedentedly serious tone:
"Yuhao, tell me, if you no longer had my shell protecting you, how long could you withstand it?"
Huo Yuhao was startled, thought for a moment, then said:
"If I fully channeled my soul power, about five minutes would be more than enough, ten minutes at most."
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm said:
"If we want to lure that guy here, I must first release my aura. Only then can we devise a plan to turn it into your core Soul Ring. The key issue lies with this skin. Therefore, you'll have to endure a bit more hardship. During this time, I not only have to capture it but also negotiate with it. Your most important task now is to persevere, otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain."
Huo Yuhao's face fell, and he said miserably, "Boss, why didn't you tell me clearly from the beginning so I could bring more warm clothes?"
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm snorted coldly and said, "Do you think warm clothes can keep you warm here? Persevere for five minutes? You overestimate yourself. Now, go inside and make a temporary shelter. Later, when I shed this skin, you can light a fire inside to warm yourself. After that, no matter what happens, you must not act rashly. This time, we either succeed or die trying. You can use Spiritual Detection to know what's happening outside, but you absolutely must not do anything foolish, do you understand?"
Huo Yuhao nodded hastily.
Making an ice house under the snow is not a simple matter for an ordinary person! Although it's called "snow," it's not truly "snow," as it's as hard as ice. Huo Yuhao channeled his soul power into the White Tiger Dagger and dug tirelessly. It took him almost an entire day to barely manage to create a small ice cave just big enough for him to crawl into.
"I'm about to begin. Yuhao, to succeed this time, you must overcome three hurdles. The first hurdle is to endure this short period here. The second is luck; I hope fortune smiles upon us and helps me restrain it. The last one is willpower. You are the one I chose. If you fail, both you and I will perish here. But if we succeed, I guarantee you will truly soar to the heavens, becoming the number one genius on this Douluo Continent. Let's work together to win this battle."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao felt that the Heavenly Dream Iceworm's voice had a hint of excitement. But what else could he do now? Having reached this point, he could only advance and retreat with the Heavenly Dream Iceworm; there was no turning back. He didn't waste any words, just nodded, indicating his complete support for the Heavenly Dream Iceworm.
In his mind, a strong fluctuation of spiritual power appeared. Huo Yuhao felt dizzy all over, barely leaning against the ice cave to steady himself.
His only Soul Ring appeared beside him. This pure white Soul Ring emitted a brilliant light. It circled around him a few times before slowly beginning to change.
Huo Yuhao felt the golden light in his eyes changing. His mind was still clear, but he could no longer control his body.
At this moment, he perceived everything around him clearly, and moreover, it was expanding further and further. This feeling was like looking down at the ground from above, completely different from the normal sensation he experienced when using Spiritual Detection.
The detection range reached ten thousand kilometers, almost covering the entire central area of the extreme north. The light everywhere gradually dimmed, as if day was suddenly turning into night. A majestic aura continuously expanded outwards, and with Huo Yuhao as the center, that enormous spiritual power slowly bloomed.
Huo Yuhao was startled to discover that at this very moment, he was like a king looking down upon his territory. The ground, the icy rain, the snowstorm – everything submitted to his feet. This feeling was simply too wonderful. It was as if he could now destroy heaven and earth with a mere flick of his hand, capable of doing anything.
In the gloomy sky, sudden peals of thunder rumbled. At this moment, Huo Yuhao was surprised to find that his body had completely turned golden.