Ice Emperor said had indeed been proven true. Over nearly two and a half months, the myriad races of the Extreme North had responded almost simultaneously to the decree issued by the Ice and Snow Emperors. They turned the entire region upside down, especially the core zone near the Ice Sea. The search didn't stop until there wasn't a single trace of any suspicious human presence left.
During this time, Shuyan's soul power also smoothly advanced to Rank 53. The further he progressed, the harder each level became. Shuyan felt this keenly he gained a deeper understanding of how difficult it was to cultivate an ultimate attribute.
Oh right his fifth soul ring was also extremely special.
After absorbing the immense energy within the snow lotus, the Ice Snow Maiden bloodline in his body began to boil. The aura that emanated fused with the massive spiritual essence and energy he'd absorbed, ultimately condensing into his fifth soul ring. This pitch-black, ten-thousand-year soul ring was now about 45,000 years old.
In other words, this ten-thousand-year soul ring—born from his own bloodline and pure energy—was effectively equivalent to one produced by a 45,000-year-old Ice Snow Maiden. After all, its most fundamental components came entirely from within himself. From that perspective, Shuyan's claim held water.
That morning, Shuyan stood on a snowy mountain behind the palace, gazing into the distance. A cold wind blew against him, lifting a thin layer of snow into the air, blurring the view ahead.
A hint of melancholy flashed in his eyes, and he let out a soft sigh.
His sense of time had become a little fuzzy, but by rough estimation, he had now been in the Extreme North for over eight months. To be precise, he had already grown another year older he had officially turned thirteen.
As he stood lost in thought, faint footsteps suddenly came from behind. Shuyan turned at the sound and saw Xu Jiujing, now dressed in an icy-blue gown, approaching.
With her usual calm expression, Xu Jiujing came to stand beside him and looked in the same direction he was gazing. Then she asked softly,
"Thinking about home?"
Shuyan was slightly taken aback, then gave a small laugh.
"Something like that. But for me, the word 'home' might be a bit too much to hope for."
Xu Jiujing blinked in surprise, then gave a faint, helpless smile.
"Well, the matters of the Extreme North have finally been resolved. I apologize—it's my duty as the ruler of the Extreme North to take responsibility for those who follow me. What happened here was different from before, and it took a lot of time. You've been through a lot."
Shuyan shook his head gently and replied in a low voice,
"As long as the problem's solved, that's all that matters. A little more time or less doesn't make much of a difference."
Xu Jiujing nodded. Then as if suddenly remembering something, she produced a leg bone that radiated a dense earthen aura and handed it to Shuyan.
"This soul bone was something Bing'er obtained after killing those soul masters it came from that Titled Douluo. After the humans died, her kin collected their belongings. She simply forgot to give it to you because she was too busy. So, she asked me to pass it on."
Shuyan's expression sharpened slightly as he reached out to take the soul bone from her hands.
The moment he touched it, a powerful, grounded energy surged through his senses.
He paused for a moment before saying,
"An earth-attribute soul bone, at least fifty thousand years old. The soul beast that produced this must've been a top-tier earth-type something like a Ground Dragon. Otherwise, it couldn't possibly hold this kind of aura. I've got to admit, this is a premium soul bone. Perfectly suited for strength- or defense-type soul masters."
"These soul engineers who defected from the Sun Moon Empire sure weren't poor. Almost all of them had a few decent soul bones on them. Makes sense—they must've held important positions back in the Empire."
As he spoke, Shuyan tucked the soul bone away. Let's be honest—it would be foolish not to accept a free high-grade soul bone. Even if he couldn't use it now, or not even in the future, letting it gather dust with him was better than leaving it in the Ice Emperor's hands. Who knew? Maybe someday he'd build his own team—and then it might come in handy.
Xu Jiujing just chuckled softly, not commenting further. But after a short silence, she suddenly said:
"Tomorrow, Bing'er will come find us. When the time comes, you'll lead the way we're both heading into the human world…"
Shuyan looked up in surprise, only to see Xu Jiujing smiling at him. The wind and snow seemed to part around her, leaving a silent, empty space in her wake. Her presence in that moment was almost indescribable.
She extended her hand gently but paused midair before continuing her motion. When Shuyan still didn't respond, she laughed softly and gradually disappeared into the wind and snow, leaving him frozen on the spot.
A long while later, he caught a faint trace of cold fragrance on his cheek. His hand instinctively rose to touch his face, and he let out a silent laugh.
That gesture... really didn't match the usual cool and elegant image of Xu Jiujing, who always seemed like a cold empress.
The day they left the Extreme North came faster than Shuyan had expected. Early the next morning, with the sky still dim, he was shaken awake by a very grumpy Ice Emperor.
Seeing how groggy Shuyan looked, the Ice Emperor snorted and said,
"What's this? Feeling drained already? You look half-dead. That's not like you, Little Shu."
Shuyan sighed, clearly speechless.
"Where did you even learn that kind of language? Listen—don't go around saying stuff like that to guys. Someone might snap and go berserk on you."
The Ice Emperor raised her chin proudly.
"Human language isn't that hard. I studied it for a bit and figured it all out. Besides, our tribe collected a lot of stuff from humans who died here in the Extreme North. I looked through it when I was bored and picked up all sorts of interesting things…"
Shuyan rolled his eyes. He had a bad feeling those "human things" weren't anything wholesome.
Looking out at the still-dark sky, Shuyan sat up from his ice bed, threw on a robe, and followed the obviously chipper Ice Emperor out of the side hall.
In the main hall, Xu Jiujing sat casually on her throne. When she saw them enter, she smiled faintly and asked,
"Are you both ready?"
The Ice Emperor skipped forward and clung to one of Xu Jiujing's legs, giggling.
"Relax, Jiujing. Everything's set. While we're gone, Xiaobai will lead the Ice Bear Clan and our Ice Jade Scorpion Clan to patrol the borders. If anything happens, Xiaobai will use the method you left to inform us. Besides, we've still got the Titan Snow Demons those muscle-brained monsters will help too. Don't worry!"
Xu Jiujing smiled and pinched her cheek before standing and stepping down appearing beside Shuyan in a flash.
The Ice Emperor bounced after her, and just before they left, she seemed to think of something fun. She leaned close and said:
"You've been working so hard lately, Jiujing. Don't bother flying with Little Shu leave it to me. I promise I'll take real good care of him…"
Xu Jiujing gave Shuyan a meaningful look, clearly amused.
She nodded gently.
The Ice Emperor grinned, though there was a mischievous glint in her smile. Shuyan suddenly felt a wave of ominous premonition wash over him.
Something bad was definitely coming…