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Chapter 50 — The Extreme North
Across the endless plains, snowflakes danced wildly with the howling wind. Heaven and earth seemed to merge into one vast, boundless expanse of white, as if the world itself had been stripped of every color but frost.
A stray snowflake slipped past the edge of An Lengye's hood, landing softly against the skin of her neck. The biting chill made her shiver involuntarily.
She pursed her lips and turned to glance at the elder beside her, clearly wanting to speak.
Yet before she could utter a word, her gaze caught something in the distance—a faint, solitary figure amid the swirling snowstorm.
"That's… a person?"
Unlike them, that figure wasn't wrapped in layers of heavy fur. Instead, he wore only a simple white robe lined with soft fleece. If not for the short jet-black hair upon his head, An Lengye would have thought he had blended seamlessly into the snowbound world—white against white, inseparable from heaven and earth itself.
A strange sense of unreality surged through her heart. The moment she blinked, the figure vanished completely into the storm.
"Was that… really human?"
Before she could ponder further, the old man beside her suddenly froze—his expression turning deathly pale as if he had sensed something terrifying.
"Run!"
He didn't give her even a heartbeat to react. Seizing her by the back of her collar, he sprinted toward the direction they had come from, running as though the next breath would decide their lives.
"G-Grandfather? What's happening?"
The wind screamed past her ears, stinging her face as confusion filled her eyes. But soon, her heart clenched tight—an indescribable, suffocating aura was sweeping from behind.
When she turned her head, the already dark sky—veiled by storm clouds—sank into even deeper gloom. From where that mysterious youth had stood, a radiant golden pillar of light burst upward, piercing the heavens!
"Wh-what is that…?"
Since her grandfather was the one running, An Lengye simply stopped resisting and allowed herself to be pulled along. But her eyes remained fixed on the distance, engraving the scene into her memory—the awe-inspiring sight that would forever be branded into her soul, like the descent of divine wrath.
"Ice Empress!"
A thunderous voice resounded across heaven and earth, rolling like the roar of a god.
"I've come—will you not show yourself!?"
That vast and majestic voice swept across the entire snowfield, carrying a pressure that made her very soul tremble.
Moments later, from the opposite end of the golden light, an equally terrifying aura erupted—this one shimmering with ethereal beauty. Like a droplet of jade dye spreading across water, dreamy emerald light rippled outward, staining the heavens green and white.
"...Skydream? Is that you?"
A crystalline female voice echoed through the void.
The instant it rang out, An Lengye could feel her grandfather's body tense; his pace suddenly quickened, faster than before.
⋯⋯
No one knew how long they had run. Only when the outline of the Extreme North's outer boundary appeared before them did the old man finally stop, gasping heavily for breath.
"Grandfather, are you all right?"
An Lengye gently patted his back, then turned to look toward the horizon. The golden light and emerald clouds had completely vanished, leaving behind nothing but a pure white sky. Still, her heart thudded with lingering fear.
"I'm fine," the old man managed after a few deep breaths, shaking his head with visible dread. "We're lucky those two Spirit beasts weren't targeting us. Otherwise, we wouldn't have returned alive today."
An Lengye's eyes widened. "Those… those were two Spirit beasts!? But I clearly saw—"
"Only Spirit beasts of over a hundred thousand years could possess such terrifying power," the elder interrupted grimly. "We must have stumbled into a territorial clash between them, and that's the only reason we survived. As for that human-looking figure you saw—it was no human. That was likely one of those hundred-thousand-year Spirit beasts, after it took on human form."
Listening to his explanation, An Lengye recalled the lonely silhouette walking through the snowstorm. She nodded softly.
"Then… Grandfather, what about my spirit ring?"
"We'll have to find another way," the elder sighed, his tone still trembling with lingering fear. "Let's head back first. We can't risk staying here any longer."
"Alright."
⋯⋯
Meanwhile, deep within the core region of the Extreme North—inside a cavern glimmering with frost—
A massive scorpion, about a meter and a half in length, with a translucent emerald tail, stared at the human youth before her. The emotions flickering in her eyes were complicated.
After her spiritual essence had been branded with the Spirit Contract Seal, her voice echoed directly within Huo Yuhao's mind.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Bing Bing," Skydream smiled faintly. "I knew you'd agree."
"Hmph! Don't flatter yourself!" Ice Empress snapped, glaring at the tiny Skydream Ice Silkworm resting in his hand. "You threatened me, that's all! Don't think I did this because of you! Annoy me again, and I'll self-destruct on the spot!"
The miniature Skydream Ice Silkorm shrank back, clearly terrified, yet his tone still carried irrepressible excitement.
"Alright, alright! I'll be quiet! Yuhao—let's begin."
"Wait."
Huo Yuhao's voice grew serious as he looked directly at the Ice Empress.
"Ice Empress… can you contact the Snow Empress?"
He wasn't sure why, but though this negotiation had unfolded much like it had in his previous life, the Ice Empress had agreed far faster this time—almost without hesitation, as though she'd instinctively trusted him.
That very fact stirred a bold thought within him.
In his past life, Snow Empress—then still a hundred-thousand-year Heavenly Snow Woman—had taken human form and been captured by humans before she could grow into her power, ultimately sold at an auction. All of that had happened after the Ice Empress became his Soul Spirit.
But now, if Ice Empress could summon Snow Empress early… that tragedy could be avoided entirely.
The moment he said this, Skydream Ice Silkorm froze, his two golden eyes widening in shock.
"Yuhao, don't joke about that! Snow Empress isn't someone we can afford to provoke!"
"Relax, Brother Skydream," Yuhao replied with a calm smile. "I just need to talk to her about something."
Skydream wanted to protest further—but when he met the youth's steady gaze, that strange, instinctive sense of closeness made him hold his tongue.
Ice Empress, too, was momentarily stunned. This human dared to ask her to contact Snow Empress?
"You're serious? You want me to call her? Fine—but what exactly do you intend to do?"
As she stared at the young man before her, a swirl of unfamiliar emotion rose in her heart.
Truth be told, she herself couldn't understand why she trusted him—why she had agreed so easily to form a Spirit Soul contract.
Perhaps it was madness. Or perhaps… it was because of that inexplicable sense of familiarity—the feeling that she had known this human for countless years.
Even Snow Empress had never made her feel such instinctive kinship.
And besides, her life was nearing its limit. If she didn't find a way to survive soon, she would truly perish. The Spirit Soul contract Skydream had introduced offered her a path to live.
With so many factors weighing upon her, she had taken the gamble and agreed.
But Snow Empress was a different matter entirely.
"If you intend to make Snow Empress your Soul Spirit as well," she said flatly, "I'll tell you right now—it's nearly impossible."
"Snow Empress is far prouder than I am. She would rather die under heavenly tribulation than ever become a human's spirit ring. No matter how miraculous this Spirit Soul Contract may seem, she will not accept it—and if you insist, it may cost you your life."
(End of Chapter)