Zhu Ziyang exited the core zone of the Extreme North and entered the second layer of the frozen plains.
His speed was astonishing. With the Heavenly Frost Holy Dragon possessed state activated, his aura was no less than that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Ordinary soul beasts dared not approach him, allowing him to travel smoothly and without obstruction.
Now that the Heavenly Frost Holy Dragon Martial Soul had five soul rings, Zhu Ziyang's dragon transformation had reached nearly fifty percent. Both of his arms had turned into powerful dragon claws, and his upper body was now covered in sturdy dragon scales resembling armor, protecting his chest, back, abdomen, and waist. A thick, muscular dragon tail had also extended from his tailbone, which moved with ease, as naturally as his own limbs.
In this form, his speed and strength were significantly boosted. A single leap could span over fifty meters, and a casual slap could flatten a thousand-year soul beast. Zhu Ziyang was feeling incredible.
"What's that?" He was hurrying along, having just left the core zone, when a massive energy fluctuation appeared to the rear and side, immediately catching his attention. Eyes narrowing with curiosity and surprise, he muttered, "Seems like something big is going down."
At the origin of that energy surge, thick black clouds covered the sky. Beneath those clouds, a towering pillar of light pierced the heavens, radiating a terrifying imperial might that swept in all directions. Even from more than ten li away, Zhu Ziyang could feel its oppressive presence. His expression grew increasingly strange.
That aura—it was Xue Di's!
But Xue Di was clearly inside his body. How could this light pillar be exuding her presence?
Before he could make sense of it, the pillar of light changed. The originally snow-white glow was swallowed up by a surge of jade-green brilliance. The green light tore apart the dark clouds and annihilated the previous snowy aura, replacing it with a new, overwhelmingly strong pressure that filled the skies.
The shift immediately triggered a response from the Spirit Soul egg within Zhu Ziyang's spiritual sea. It trembled violently. Within it, Xue Di had sensed the green aura and was clearly agitated, though all she could do was shake the egg—she couldn't take any real action. Zhu Ziyang could feel her anxiety, and a guess formed in his heart.
"That's Bing Di—the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress, isn't it?" he said.
The trembling slowed slightly. Xue Di's emotional state also eased a little.
"You want me to check it out, to see if Bing Di is in trouble, right?" Zhu Ziyang asked, now more serious.
The egg stopped shaking completely. It was clear—he was right.
"So your relationship with Bing Di is that good, huh?" Zhu Ziyang recalled the half-bloomed imperial-grade snow lotus and chuckled. "Alright, I'll grant your request. But I'm making this clear—I'm only going to observe. No matter what happens, I'll only intervene if I can ensure my own safety."
He felt Xue Di's gratitude echo in his mind.
Zhu Ziyang didn't think much of it. His gaze turned toward the jade-green sky as he pondered. This was a strange situation. First, a mysterious creature mimicked Xue Di's aura, then Bing Di appeared. It was clear—the one responsible was using Xue Di's aura to lure Bing Di out. Which meant... they must know about the close bond between Xue Di and Bing Di.
This could very well be a trap for Bing Di. And if that was the case, then the battle unfolding would likely involve fierce beasts.
Two of the Extreme North's Three Kings—Bing Di vs. the Titan Snow Demon King?
Zhu Ziyang felt the weight of the situation… but also a tinge of excitement.
Without hesitation, he moved cautiously toward the source of the disturbance.
—
Under the jade-green sky, an emerald-green scorpion that looked like a living gemstone crouched in front of a crude ice hut. Perched atop the hut was the blurry form of a Ice Silkworm—an age-old predator-prey duo.
Inside the hut lay a thinly dressed youth, his face pale as ash, eyes full of despair and betrayal. Cold and lifeless energy clung to him. This youth was Huo Yuhao.
Outside, the confrontation had already ended. The predator, Bing Di the Ice Jade Scorpion, had been subdued by her prey, the Ice Silkworm. A transparent membrane wrapped around her, binding her pincers and body tightly. She couldn't move.
The phantom Ice Silkworm gave a smug laugh and vanished into the hut to report the good news to Huo Yuhao.
This Ice Silkworm was the so-called Tianmeng Iceworm—Yuhao's "Brother Tianmeng." It didn't take much for the Tianmeng to win back the rebellious Yuhao's trust. After all, Huo Yuhao was only eleven or twelve, still far too immature to outwit a soul beast that had lived hundreds of thousands of years. He was naive and could only lean on the Tianmeng Iceworm for support.
Huo Yuhao had essentially tricked Bing Di into submission, then fled from the core region toward the outer perimeter of the Extreme North with all his might. He seemed to realize that kidnapping one of the Extreme North's Three Kings would bring terrifying consequences—and so, he ran for his life.
Unbeknownst to him, atop a small hill in the distance, Zhu Ziyang stood silently, observing everything. Eyes wide and mouth agape, he stared in disbelief.
"Huo Yuhao? Seriously? This is the so-called child of fate? A mere quasi-Soul Grandmaster dared to lay hands on Bing Di? And Bing Di actually let herself get caught? How is that not a disgrace to the top ten fierce beasts?"
"I know, I know, I'll go after him already!" he grumbled aloud in response to Xue Di's frantic urging from within the spiritual sea. His gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao's retreating figure, a playful smile forming on his lips. He quietly followed.
Because of Tang Ya, Zhu Ziyang and Huo Yuhao had a decent relationship. At the very least, the boy always greeted him respectfully as "Brother Ziyang." And knowing Huo Yuhao was a child of fate, Zhu Ziyang had occasionally helped him out in small ways—nothing major, just little favors that slowly accumulated over time.
He maintained a strict distance of one thousand meters. He knew Huo Yuhao possessed a soul skill that allowed for shared spiritual detection, and he had experienced it firsthand. He had to stay cautious. Soul skills like that—both in combat and utility—were top-tier among top-tier.
He wasn't worried about losing track of him. If a little Soul Grandmaster could escape from right under his nose, then he might as well give up on entering the Elite Soul Master Tournament and bury himself in a pit.
After an entire day and night of pursuit, Huo Yuhao finally stopped.
Zhu Ziyang found himself looking at the boy in a new light. Twenty-eight hours—this twenty-rank Soul Grandmaster had run all the way from the core zone's edge to the border of the outer region of the Extreme North. Nearly a thousand li, with fewer than two stops along the way. That kind of determination wasn't ordinary.
Zhu Ziyang watched as Yuhao collapsed to the ground, throwing Bing Di aside. Then, a massive white insect emerged from his forehead. Through some strange operation, the insect extracted a ball of jade-green light from Bing Di's body.
As the light left her, the lifelike gleam in Bing Di's emerald body instantly vanished.
That jade-green glow… was Bing Di's soul!
"What the hell is that giant bug?" Zhu Ziyang muttered, eyes narrowing. "What's its connection to Yuhao? What is it trying to do?"
The Spirit Soul egg in his sea began to shake violently again. Xue Di's emotions were boiling—furious, anxious. Even when she was captured by him and Electrolux, she hadn't reacted this strongly. Why now?
Clearly, Zhu Ziyang had underestimated how important Bing Di was to Xue Di.
"You're saying that big bug is the Tianmeng Iceworm? A Ice Silkworm that's lived for hundreds of thousands of years? And it once confessed to Bing Di?" Zhu Ziyang's expression became animated. For a moment, he didn't even know how to react. Stifling a laugh, he finally said, "Alright, alright. Let's keep watching for now before deciding what to do."
Xue Di remained incredibly anxious.
"Okay, okay, don't panic! We'll definitely save your Bingbing!" Zhu Ziyang said with a teasing smile, trying to calm her down.
Though he verbally agreed, he didn't act immediately. Instead, he continued to watch from the shadows. He wanted to understand just what Huo Yuhao and that Tianmeng bug were planning.
(End of Chapter)
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