The Extreme North, located beyond the northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, was vast—larger even than the Star Dou Forest and the Devil Soul Great Forest—and known for its hellish environment. Few dared enter this desolate land often called a "forbidden zone" for humans.
Within the wind-lashed snowfields, Xu Tianxi, still youthful in both body and spirit, trudged through the bitter cold. He was wrapped head to toe in thick furs and self-made warming-type soul devices. Even so, the icy wind still felt like blades slicing across every inch of exposed skin.
At his side was Old Yue, fully armed, six soul rings gleaming faintly. He held a soul-forged shield in his left hand and a soul gun in his right, senses on high alert.
Up front was the ever-composed Xu Xiaoyun, soul power surging steadily from his frame as he strode across the snow without resistance, every step like a giant's. Occasionally, he'd turn back and speak in a low, vigilant tone.
"Tianxi, legend says the Extreme North is home to three terrifying Beast Kings—Snow Empress, the naturally born Ice Heaven Snow Maiden; the Ice Jade Scorpion King; and the Ice Devil Titan King. Each has cultivation far beyond 200,000 years. Even someone like Yan Shaozhe wouldn't dare face them head-on."
"Remember the Ten Great Savage Beasts I told you about? Snow Empress and the Ice Jade Scorpion King rank third and seventh, respectively. I don't plan to get into a fight with either of them out here."
"The soul beast you're looking for—Illusory Moon Butterfly—doesn't have a Beast King among its kind, but its racial talent is formidable. There's likely a Ten-Thousand-Year Queen in the deeper parts of the Extreme North. We'll have to tread very carefully from here on out."
"Understood, Master Ancestor. Thank you for bringing me out here," Xu Tianxi said earnestly, bowing with respect.
In the past two years, Xu Xiaoyun had personally overseen his cultivation, sparing no resources. Now, he was even guiding him into danger himself—a great risk, even for a powerhouse like him. After all, even if only Snow Empress or Ice Empress roamed too far from their core territory, the danger would spike.
His second soul ring had many options. Like Huo Yuhao, he could've chosen an Iceworm and been done with it—but while reading soul beast compendiums, Xu Tianxi discovered a species that resonated with him:
Illusory Moon Butterfly—a top-tier dual-attribute soul beast with both Ice and Spiritual properties. It absorbed moonlight to accelerate cultivation and fought by weaving powerful illusions. It could simulate environmental aura, tricking enemies into vivid hallucinations while emitting spiritual frost that sapped mental energy.
Once an enemy's spirit was exhausted, death was inevitable. Even regular soul beasts avoided them due to the Moonlight Dust they passively emitted. Most terrifying was their power spike during the full moon, when a Ten-Thousand-Year Butterfly Queen and her swarm could devastate entire Soul Saint squads with spiritual storms.
They were the spiritual equivalent of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor—weak in body, lethal in mind.
Their only weakness was their fragile physical form. Even a Hundred-Year soul beast could rip apart a Thousand-Year Illusory Moon Butterfly if it caught one.
Compared to Iceworms, these butterflies were far superior. He would rather aim high now and repay the risk later.
"Records say the Illusory Moon Butterfly is the most beautiful of all butterfly-type soul beasts, second only to the Light Goddess Butterfly —its wings pale as moonlight, patterned with azure glow... I wonder if they're really that stunning in person…"
As he walked across the snowy wasteland, Xu Tianxi's mind swam with mental images of the creature.
Suddenly, a thunderous quake erupted from the distance.
Boom—boom—boom—
"That aura… it's the Ice Devil Titan King! Get down and hold your breath! Don't move a muscle!"
Xu Xiaoyun's face changed drastically. He instantly summoned his Xuanwu Shield Martial Soul, pulling both Tianxi and Old Yue into the snow and concealing them beneath layers of ice.
Even underground, Xu Tianxi could feel the pressure. His spiritual sense quaked violently as the giant passed by. It was a primal, overwhelming presence.
Thanks to Xu Xiaoyun's shielding, no real harm came to them, and after a while, the oppressive aura vanished.
They surfaced from the snow, breathing in the cold air again.
"Thirty years, and it still smells the same," Xu Xiaoyun murmured, watching the giant beast's massive figure vanish into the distance.
"Master Ancestor, you've met it before?" Xu Tianxi asked, intrigued.
"Of course. Thirty years ago, I brought your First Senior Brother to hunt a Ten-Thousand-Year soul beast. We were careful, but we still ran into this guy."
"He's the largest beast I've ever seen—over 120 meters tall. His defense is ridiculous. Even a Rank 97 Super Douluo couldn't pierce it easily."
"I didn't want to draw Snow Empress or Ice Empress's attention, so I gave it a little soul skill scare and ran."
Then Xu Xiaoyun gave him a curious look.
"By the way, Titan Snow Demons have spiritual traits. Their kind is a top-tier species too. Interested?"
Tianxi considered it carefully.
"I still think the Illusory Moon Butterfly suits me better," he replied with a smile.
"Fair enough."
"Wait… did you say you brought First Senior Brother to kill a Ten-Thousand-Year beast back then?" Tianxi asked, seizing the detail.
Xu Xiaoyun nodded proudly.
"Yes, your Senior Brother was extraordinarily gifted. I wanted the best for him. Unfortunately, that trip alerted the Ice and Snow Empresses. They got all worked up after we killed one of their own and stirred up a fuss."
"Makes no sense. The Star Dou Forest's Savage Beasts didn't start rioting until the Body Sect slaughtered seven Ten-Thousand-Year beasts in a row."
"Hold on… you mean First Senior Brother's Eighth Soul Ring is red too?"
"Of course it is. His Martial Soul is the Ice Crystal Phoenix, a mutated top-tier Ice type spirit close to Ultimate Ice. Even inherited a bit of divine beast bloodline."
"I really regret not finding him a second Ten-Thousand-Year ice beast for his ninth ring… like the Ice Jade Scorpion. Might've helped him fully awaken that bloodline."
"To this day, I've never heard of an Ultimate Ice Title Douluo. If he had that, I'd never worry about the clan's future."
"His ninth soul ring—what was it from?" Tianxi asked curiously.
"A Ten-Thousand-Year Jasper Sea Roc I caught near the ocean. It had purified Phoenix bloodline. Not bad."
Xu Xiaoyun smiled, speaking as if capturing Ten-Thousand-Year beasts was routine.
Xu Tianxi couldn't help but sweat at his tone. This wasn't too different from the Body Sect—slaughtering rare beasts like it was sport. If this was standard for his Master Ancestor, then…
"He even gave your father and your late mother red rings… if she hadn't died early, the sea would've claimed another."
But Tianxi didn't have the brain worms to cry about soul beast fairness—he wasn't Yuhao, and there was no Tianmeng Iceworm investor here.
Old Yue gently reminded him:
"Young Master, we're nearing the Extreme North's core. Please focus."
"Got it."
Tianxi withdrew two soul guns from his storage ring—custom-built second-grade soul tools styled after automatic pistols. One fired paralyzing rays, the other explosive bursts. While weaker than Cold Moon Gaze, they could fire continuously and could temporarily match its power in an emergency.
That said, he never got a chance to use them.
Xu Xiaoyun quickly located a butterfly swarm, activated his sixth soul ring, and unleashed his domain:
Xuanwu Domain.
Thousands of Illusory Moon Butterflies—including a Queen—were instantly suppressed. The scene resembled moonlight-gemstone butterflies falling like dumplings from the sky.
"Five targets: two just over a thousand years, one at two thousand, one at three thousand, and one at five thousand. Pick your favorite and let's go."
Tianxi chose the three-thousand-year butterfly.
Xu Xiaoyun casually stored it in a living-stasis soul device, then unfurled his massive Xuanwu Shield, scooped up both Tianxi and Old Yue, and soared into the sky—disappearing into the snowstorm.
…
Moments later, a snow sprite-like beauty materialized at the scene, cloaked in frost. Her cold gaze swept over the battlefield. Her expression, though proud, now carried sorrow.
"You damn humans. You dare come to my Extreme North and slaughter my people?"
"If I catch you again… even if I die by heavenly tribulation, I'll drag you down with me!"