The Extreme Cold Zone in Ten Thousand Medicines and Spiritwood Valley wasn't an endless expanse of snow, but rather a complex terrain of boundless glaciers.
The frigid air within was so intense that even Life and Death Realm warriors needed to use their soul power to resist it. Without this, even those with body mastery at the Life and Death Realm would freeze to death. Only those who had reached the soul mastery stage of the Life and Death Realm were qualified to venture into the Extreme Cold Zone. At the Awakening Realm, one could navigate the zone with relative ease.
The glaciers towered thousands of feet high in some places, while others were marked by deep, bottomless fissures.
Within the depths of one of these glacial crevices, there was a man-made ice cave, and within it sat Lin Qian.
Far from the rumors of being chased down and in dire straits, Lin Qian was leisurely resting in the ice cave beneath the massive glacier.
With his Emperor's Eyes activated, none of the Yun Clan members' movements could escape his sight.
Below the glaciers, many figures moved about busily. Scholars from the Engineering Division and craftsmen from the Firework Division worked tirelessly under the protection of the imperial soldiers, installing all sorts of strange and peculiar devices.
At the same time, armored war beasts roamed beneath the ice, their sharp horns and claws digging out paths deep beneath the expansive glaciers. This created new routes for the Engineering Division and Firework Division craftsmen, allowing them to move freely and complete the tasks Lin Qian had assigned.
"Chasing me? Who's the hunter, and who's the prey? It's not yet certain," Lin Qian thought to himself, spreading his hands as a holographic projection of a realistic scene appeared in front of him.
In the simulation, there were figures flying through the air, marked by blue outlines. These represented the Yun Clan members.
The Yun Clan members, currently searching for Lin Qian, had sent out their soul senses, scanning in all directions.
But during their search, they had to remain highly vigilant. The glacier housed all manner of vicious soul beasts, and even some of the herbs buried in the ice had developed considerable power. These soul herbs, given the chance, would devour passing soul warriors, turning them into nourishing energy. As a result, the Yun Clan warriors had to be exceedingly careful.
"You rely too much on your soul senses, and that is your downfall," Lin Qian thought. All throughout the glacier, his Wind Shadows and Night Shadows had infiltrated, serving as his eyes and ears. Everything was under his control.
The Yun Clan warriors assumed that Lin Qian, being only at the Awakening Realm, wouldn't be able to evade their soul sense detection. Thus, they relied heavily on the feedback their soul senses provided.
However, Lin Qian's ice cave had numerous formation markings etched into it, easily blocking their soul sense probes.
The Yun Clan's attempt to locate him using their soul senses was, therefore, utterly foolish.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager have been found," came a report from Zhuge Ming directly into Lin Qian's mind, causing his eyes to brighten.
At the same time, the images captured by the Wind Shadows and Night Shadows accompanying Lin Di and Yun Yunyan were transmitted to him. The moment Lin Qian saw the familiar figures of his parents, he froze, unable to speak for a long time.
It took him quite a while to regain his composure.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on emotions. The priority was ensuring his plan succeeded and that the Yun Clan members were captured in one fell swoop.
He knew the strength of his enemies well—there was no way he could win in a direct confrontation. The Yun Clan had ten warriors at the Transcendence Realm.
Transcendence Realm warriors had surpassed their own limits, advancing beyond the Awakening Realm. At this level, their lifespans increased by 3,000 years. It wasn't an exaggeration to call such warriors "ancient monsters."
Facing such powerful foes head-on would only result in unnecessary casualties with no strategic advantage.
Since there was a way to achieve victory with minimal losses, why not use it? However, the plan absolutely required his father's involvement.
Only with his father's strength could the plan be perfectly executed. Without a Transcendence Realm powerhouse, even if they executed the plan, it would be futile.
When Lin Qian had learned from his grandmother Yun Rong that both his parents were Transcendence Realm experts, he had been deeply shocked.
His parents were barely over forty years old, approaching fifty. In his previous life, that would have been considered quite old.
But in the world of Soul Martial Continent, soul warriors of that age were still incredibly young.
It became clear to Lin Qian that his own extraordinary talent wasn't just due to being reborn and the presence of the Hua Xia Empire, but also because of the powerful genes he had inherited from his parents.
"Your Majesty, the formations and soul artifacts are almost fully set up. We've conducted a pressure test, and once activated, the game can begin," Zhuge Ming's voice interrupted Lin Qian's thoughts once again.
"So it's ready? To think that the Imperial City Duel game item could actually be turned into a soul-powered mechanism." After hearing the report, Lin Qian couldn't help but marvel at the situation. It seemed almost absurd. He thought to himself, "The capabilities of the Hua Xia Empire are truly limitless."
"It's as if the heavens themselves are looking after me," Lin Qian thought, looking skyward.
Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he returned his attention to the realistic map projection in front of him. The marked enemies were steadily approaching the designated area. He asked Zhuge Ming, "How far is the Emperor Emeritus from the Extreme Cold Zone?"
"At their current speed, they should arrive in about half an hour."
"That's too slow. Send my command: Have Su Qianchen pass on a message asking the Emperor Emeritus to speed up," Lin Qian ordered with a frown.
Moments later, while flying ahead, Su Qianchen suddenly seemed to receive some insight. Turning to face Lin Di and Yun Yunyan, he bowed mid-flight and said, "Emperor Emeritus, Empress Dowager, the Emperor has requested that you quicken your pace. He urgently needs your assistance."
Hearing this, Lin Di nodded. He wasn't sure how his son was communicating through Su Qianchen, but if Lin Qian was urging them, the situation was likely dire.
"We'll figure out the details when we reach the Extreme Cold Zone," Lin Di said, glancing at Yun Yunyan. They exchanged a knowing look before nodding to each other.
In an instant, Lin Di unleashed his thunderous soul power, enveloping both Su Qianchen and Yun Yunyan. At the same time, Yun Yunyan released her pale blue elemental soul power, merging it with Lin Di's lightning energy.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the trio shot forward at breakneck speed, flying toward the Extreme Cold Zone. At this pace, they would arrive within a mere cup of tea's time.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to Lin Qian's ice cave, a member of the Yun Clan had arrived. The warrior looked down into the crevice, his expression filled with suspicion.