The far north rarely welcomed such fine weather, but even under sunlight, the cold wind in the sky remained biting, blocking soul beasts from passing through this place.
Only a single black shadow came from the distance, the tip of his foot lightly touching the air as he rapidly flew northward.
Long black hair fluttered high. Lin Xiao stood in midair, letting the fierce gales strike his body, leaving shallow marks across his skin.
In two years, he himself couldn't clearly say how much his physical strength had increased. He only knew that while it wasn't to the extent Snow Empress described, completely unaffected by the gales, they could no longer cause him significant harm.
The soul power within his body naturally dispersed and spread around him. That perfectly harmonious aura clearly showed that Lin Xiao's soul power had already reached a bottleneck.
As for whether he could successfully condense the second soul core he desired, Lin Xiao wasn't certain, but he had already done everything he could to prepare.
Looking into the distance, where heaven met earth, that ice house still slightly protruded, standing out noticeably on the flat snowfield.
Over these two years, Snow Empress's aura had appeared more than once in the far north. Whether soul beasts or soul masters, all knew that the ruler of the far north had awakened once again.
Although most soul beasts had never personally seen Snow Empress, they didn't doubt it. After all, even when Snow Empress was present, most of them might never encounter her in their entire lifetime.
Because of this, far fewer souls gathered here than before. Only the occasional soul master who mistakenly entered the far north would leave behind a few tattered, broken souls that drifted far into the distance.
"This should be about far enough."
Lin Xiao gazed from afar at the ice house where the Saint Emperor statue was hidden, gently raising his hand to rest on Ensnaring Lantern.
Ensnaring Lantern flickered with several strands of white light, as if Snow Empress was responding to him.
Lin Xiao gave a small smile and said no more.
Since that time two years ago, besides cultivation, the exchanges between him and Snow Empress had increased considerably. Occasionally, she would mention things from his childhood, stories from the human world, or events that had happened long ago on the snow plains.
While it was far from trust, at least they had grown somewhat accustomed to each other.
Behind Lin Xiao, the figure of Electrolux appeared once again. His expression gradually turned serious.
In destroying the Saint Emperor statue, besides helping Snow Empress, he also had his own purpose.
He had wanted to know more than once what this Saint Emperor truly was, but he had never dared to gamble. Perhaps this time, by using Snow Empress's power to shatter it, he could catch a glimpse of what was truly contained within.
His right hand slowly swept to the side. Gray mist condensed in his palm, forming into the shape of a long staff which he grasped.
The staff pointed forward, and the Gate of the Undead appeared once more.
This process was extremely familiar to him. Over the past two years, to create the illusion of Snow Empress's presence, Lin Xiao had released her power more than once and could feel that her strength was continuously diminishing.
However, no matter what, that was ultimately a seven-hundred-thousand-year soul ring. Its quality would not decrease just because the power was diminishing.
Each time the Gate of the Undead opened, Lin Xiao could sense Snow Empress's aura from outside, and naturally, Snow Empress could also sense the changes occurring outside from within.
Though she had lost her soul, her body still instinctively yearned for the extreme cold of the far north.
This gate that opened and closed repeatedly was like repeated provocations toward Snow Empress. The moment the gate cracked open, a powerful force instantly erupted, carrying extreme cold as it shot out from the gate and rushed into the distance.
Even Lin Xiao, who had already grown accustomed to the far northern gales, still felt his body shiver slightly upon sensing this power.
In the past, this force would gradually weaken with distance until it dissipated between heaven and earth. But today, under Lin Xiao's deliberate guidance, this vast power surged straight toward that distant ice house.
The array that Zhongli Wu had set up was like paper under Snow Empress's power, barely holding for a few breaths before completely shattering.
Without the protection of the array, the ice house was like ordinary ice, completely erased by Snow Empress's power.
Lin Xiao had already pushed his soul power to the limit, his gaze fixed intently on the area beneath the ice house, wanting to see if that statue truly possessed any special power.
However, what surprised Lin Xiao was that the statue appeared to truly be carved from ordinary stone; it shattered just the same under Snow Empress's power.
Could it be that Zhongli Wu collected souls using only the array placed here? Then what was the meaning of leaving the Saint Emperor statue in this place?
Before Lin Xiao could figure it out, his expression suddenly changed dramatically.
From the place where the Saint Emperor statue had fallen, something seemed to be coming toward him, or more precisely, toward the Gate of the Undead.
Lin Xiao felt all the hairs on his body stand on end. He wanted to leave this place, yet he was unwilling to withdraw the Gate of the Undead.
If this were a contingency left behind by Zhongli Wu, or even by the "Saint Emperor," it would be far better for them to know it was destroyed by Snow Empress than to have no culprit at all.
After all, it was perfectly normal for Snow Empress to act to protect the far north. But if there was no culprit, it would be much harder for Zhongli Wu to investigate thoroughly.
"Something's wrong!"
"What is it?" Just as Lin Xiao was still thinking, the usually calm Electrolux suddenly spoke.
Without thinking, Lin Xiao immediately turned and fled. After all, the last time he had heard this tone from Electrolux was back in the Valley of the Asking Heart of Qian Kun.
Whatever could make Electrolux give such a warning would definitely not be simple.
Lin Xiao could feel that his speed was not slower than the aura behind him; in fact, it was significantly faster. Yet no matter how far he pulled away, that aura could still chase after him from a distance.
After all, Lin Xiao was still a soul master. He couldn't maintain maximum speed indefinitely. But the aura behind him never rested, never tired.
Frowning, Lin Xiao's mind moved, and he simply slowed down on purpose.
Continuing like this, even with a soul core in his body, his energy would eventually be worn down by this aura.
Rather than hoping to shake off the aura behind him, it was better to conserve strength and face it in battle.
Exhaling lightly, the six black and two red soul rings had already risen around Lin Xiao. His soul core rotated continuously within his body; he was fully prepared for battle.
However, when that aura drew near, Lin Xiao was slightly stunned.
The aura that had escaped from the Saint Emperor statue… he was actually not unfamiliar with it at all.
"Teacher?"
Lin Xiao called softly in his mind, but Electrolux did not respond for a long time.
Only when that aura came closer and closer did a long sigh finally come from within Lin Xiao's spiritual sea.
"Your feeling is not wrong. That is indeed my aura."
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