NOVEL WEB Chapter 128: Extreme North 2
Huo Yuhao raised his hand slightly, ready to personally send the Ice Emperor on her final journey.
But the Ice Emperor no longer glared at Huo Yuhao. In the final moments of her life, she chose instead to look toward the Ice Palace, her eyes filled with endless longing.
"Xue'er… I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you."
In the spiritual sea, the Skydream Iceworm saw the Ice Emperor's expression and finally let go of all hope.
He had worried—if the Ice Emperor begged him for help, what would he do? Perhaps if she had asked, he might have begged Huo Yuhao to spare her.
But even to her last breath, she never once looked at him—almost as if he didn't exist.
At that moment, the Skydream Iceworm felt like a fool. But instead of becoming angry, he quietly withdrew to a deep corner of Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea to sulk.
The Golden Tortoise and Heavenly Dragon, also in the spiritual sea, were left speechless.
Seriously? At a time like this, you can't even act tough once?
Even Electrolux shook his head.
"No spine at all. Not a single bit of backbone," he muttered.
"If that big bug hadn't chosen Huo Yuhao, his life might've been completely tragic," Electrolux ultimately concluded.
But the Ice Emperor was not one to go down without a fight. She withdrew her gaze and looked at Huo Yuhao with determination.
Then, she ignited all the soul power in her body—clearly intending to self-detonate.
If she succeeded, even Huo Yuhao would be forced to retreat. A near 400,000-year soul beast self-detonating posed a real threat, even to a Limit Douluo.
Why stand still and take it if you could dodge? Huo Yuhao wasn't made of steel.
He had two options: eliminate her before she detonated, or retreat.
Just as he prepared to act—
An overwhelming soul power burst from the Ice Palace.
Huo Yuhao's expression shifted slightly.
"What's going on?" the Golden Tortoise exclaimed.
With Skydream Iceworm sulking, the tortoise had to do the commentary.
But Huo Yuhao dispersed his gathered soul power and looked intrigued.
"Xue Di has forcibly ended her sealed transformation."
The Ice Emperor paused her detonation, eyes wide in disbelief, staring toward the Ice Palace.
The palace shattered from within, releasing Xue Di's aura. It pierced the domain space Huo Yuhao had separated, flooding the land with blizzards again—signaling a rallying cry.
As the true ruler of the Extreme North, Xue Di held dominion over all soul beasts in the region. Unlike the Ice Emperor and Little Bai, who only governed their territories, Xue Di could summon all beasts.
Beasts of all levels responded—weak century-old ones to mighty hundred-thousand-year-old titans—abandoning everything and rushing to her.
A new beast tide erupted at the heart of the Extreme North.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
Xue Di's power shattered Huo Yuhao's domain. The icy winds and snow returned.
Moon charged the Ice Emperor again with his skill Sovereign's Dominion, attempting to end her—but was flung hundreds of meters by a sudden gust of cold wind.
A snowy breeze drifted by and gently lifted the Ice Emperor, carrying her to a figure—Xue Di.
Her transformation forcibly interrupted, Xue Di's body was covered in fine cracks, like a doll about to shatter.
She could still fight, but only briefly. Her essence was broken, her future hopeless.
"Xue'er… why?" the Ice Emperor sobbed in human form, trembling as she looked at Xue Di. She wanted to touch her, but was afraid of hurting her even more.
Xue Di smiled serenely, holding the Ice Emperor's hands.
"Because I couldn't let you die for me."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. This was my choice. You've done enough. Thank you, Bing'er."
Their conversation was short. Together, they turned to face Huo Yuhao—who didn't attack, knowing surprise would be useless against Xue Di.
Gazing at him, Xue Di narrowed her eyes.
"Human… you're powerful."
"But I want you dead."
Her killing intent exploded.
The world fell silent beneath ice and snow.
The frozen plains trembled with thunderous roars. On the horizon, a black wave rose and surged forward—a beast tide of the Extreme North.
Leading the charge—hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
HOWL! HOWL! HOWL!
SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!
Beastly cries echoed across the ice. Under Xue Di's command, the Extreme North erupted in fury.
At this moment—the beasts of the Extreme North united to strike down Huo Yuhao!
"Hahaha…" Huo Yuhao chuckled, running a hand through his icy-blue hair.
"I admit I miscalculated. Never thought you'd sacrifice yourself for the Ice Emperor, Xue Di."
"Then show me—can your Extreme North really satisfy my appetite?!"
"Frost Centipede, possess!"
The mutated Frost Centipede soul spirit detached from its Death Bind with Little Bai and flew back to Huo Yuhao, transforming into glowing armor.
Dragon Bloodline Leg Armor
White Tiger Bloodline Lower Body Armor
Tortoise Bloodline Upper Body Armor
Phoenix Bloodline Helmet
Titan Bloodline Bracers
Ice God Bloodline Gemstone
Thorn Snow Centipede External Soul Bone—Counterstrike Thorns
The icy-blue armor bore the centipede's features. The lower body glowed gold from the Dragon and White Tiger's power. His arms were encased in powerful bracers.
A crystalline gem sat on his brow, the armor covered in deadly thorns.
At the back, four gossamer wings folded into a cape, glimmering like starlight.
With the armor complete, Huo Yuhao's aura grew even more terrifying.
His true body clone merged back, leaving only eight pairs of eyes atop his head, overlooking the icy plains.
The beast tide approached. Two Ice Luan Birds, each over 50,000 years old, flew past Xue Di and the Ice Emperor, attacking first.
Their dual cold beams shot toward Huo Yuhao.
At the same time, soul beasts from all directions launched long-range attacks, bombarding him.
Huo Yuhao didn't dodge. Arms crossed, his Yin-Yang Eyes calm and unmoved.
The next moment, he was completely engulfed in soul skills.
Yet Xue Di and the Ice Emperor didn't rejoice. Instead, their gazes grew more serious.
When the glow faded—Huo Yuhao stood unscathed.
A wave of shock swept through the beast horde.
He spoke coldly,
"Soul beasts of the Extreme North… can't even aim properly?"
A flash of golden light pulsed from his chest—
Golden Heartguard Mirror — Auspicious Protection!
"Don't underestimate us!"
A hundred-thousand-year Icefang Griffon roared in human language, flapping its wings as it charged straight at Huo Yuhao.
Finally, Huo Yuhao lowered his arms from his chest and clenched a fist. The shadow of his mutated Ice Centipede martial soul began to slowly coil around his hand.
As the Icefang Griffon closed in, Huo Yuhao punched out from a distance.
"Ultimate Ice — Frost Centipede Fist!"
A surge of frigid air burst forth, bone-chilling in its intensity. The phantom centipede pierced straight through the Icefang Griffon's body, sending it shrieking as it plummeted from the sky.
Though a single blow heavily wounded a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, it did not deter the rest of the herd. Instead, it provoked their ferocity. Roaring in rage, they scrambled to attack Huo Yuhao.
Like humans, soul beasts fear terrifying foes when alone. But once their numbers reach a critical point, they dare to bare their fangs even against the mightiest.
Victory makes them an elite army.
Defeat reduces them to a disorganized mob.
Huo Yuhao dropped straight onto the icy surface below, giving the land-bound soul beasts a chance to attack him. With light, effortless steps, he ran across the shattered ice—straight into the horde.
As he moved, his aura of ultimate poison spread outward. The weaker soul beasts didn't even have the right to approach him—they collapsed before getting close.
What followed was a massacre.
His Ghost Banner martial soul hung high in the sky, flickering constantly and drawing in the dead. The blood-red patterns on the banner's surface seemed to drip with fresh blood, and staring at it gave the illusion of countless wails and ghostly howls.
Snow Empress urged Ice Empress and Little Bai to recover quickly. She also rallied other powerful hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, including a two-hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast from the Ice Jade Scorpion clan. To oppose Huo Yuhao, the cooperation of these mighty beasts was essential. The rest of the herd could only serve as fodder, delaying and wearing him down.
Both Ice Empress and Little Bai were seriously injured, with Little Bai even poisoned.
Fortunately, even in the Extreme North, there were healing-type soul beasts. Several icy-white moths landed on them, wrapping them in wings that shed healing scales to rapidly mend their wounds.
Snow Empress also expended her own power to accelerate their recovery.
"We are at the very brink of life and death in the Extreme North," Snow Empress said to the other beast kings. "If we can't eliminate this human quickly, once our forces scatter, he'll be free to slaughter the rest of our kind."
The beast kings nodded, eyes grim and filled with savage killing intent.
By now, they'd all realized—Huo Yuhao wasn't slaughtering soul beasts for soul rings, but to power up the martial soul floating in the sky.
The Ghost Banner's absorption of beast souls had not gone unnoticed.
Some tried to destroy it—but Moen guarded it. Other than Snow Empress, no one could challenge him.
But if Snow Empress fought Moen, then who would stop Huo Yuhao?
So rather than target the martial soul, the only real solution was to kill Huo Yuhao. Everything else would fall into place.
Otherwise, even if they narrowly escaped today, Huo Yuhao would come for them eventually—and next time, they might not be so lucky.
Though she was aiding in healing, Snow Empress wasn't idle. As a snow maiden born of the Extreme North itself, she wielded power akin to a sacred beast here. Any soul beast near her received the blessing of the Extreme North—boosted morale and strengthened abilities.
Yet even with that edge, under absolute power, the beast tide was being pushed back step by step.
The spreading ultimate poison resembled a demonic dragon, tearing through the beasts and devouring even the flesh and bones of the dead.
Huo Yuhao, who had expended some soul power, didn't let the Snow Lotus replenish him—it would drain her soul power too.
Instead, he raised a hand and sucked the toxic mist back into his palm, absorbing it into his body. The poison converted into soul power within him, replenishing his energy and even strengthening his physique and power.
Because the corpses weren't reduced to remains—they had been fully assimilated by the poison, making them directly absorbable by Huo Yuhao.
Not afraid of consumption—the longer he fought, the stronger he became.
That was Huo Yuhao in this moment!
Within moments, countless soul beasts had died. Though most were hundred- or thousand-year beasts, with a few under fifty-thousand years, many soul bones were dropped, glowing with soul power in the toxic mist.
Huo Yuhao ignored lower-tier soul bones unless they were externals. The rest, he dissolved with his ultimate poison to strengthen himself.
Only a few dropped external soul bones were spared.
Yes, even amidst such ferocious combat, Huo Yuhao could spare the attention to scan the types of fallen soul bones with his spiritual power.
But the quality was ultimately lacking.
Those beasts above fifty-thousand years, and other hundred-thousand-year beasts, didn't approach—not from fear, but wisdom. They knew close combat was risky and instead bombarded him from afar with soul skills to try and wear him down.
Even with auspicious protection, Huo Yuhao couldn't dodge everything—he sometimes had to deal with powerful incoming attacks.
He calmly looked to the side—there, a fifty-thousand-year-long-haired Snow Elephant was hurling ice blocks with its trunk, infused with soul skills, turning them into dangerous missiles.
Locked on, Huo Yuhao moved in a flash, thunder crackling underfoot as he burst into action—too fast for the Snow Elephant's eyes to follow.
Thunder Awakens!
In an instant, Huo Yuhao appeared beside it, his hands turning into claws coated in dark gold as he tore it in half. Its guts and blood were instantly frozen by the extreme cold.
Darkgold Terror Claws!
From beneath his armor, the darkgold terrorclaw bear tattoo on his chest roared. Huo Yuhao could not only tap into the Behemoth bloodline from it, but also unleash its soul skills.
And as Huo Yuhao grew stronger, so did the bear in the tattoo—it now neared fifty-thousand years in cultivation.
Huo Yuhao's cultivation had reached the peak of this world. As long as he didn't aim to break level 100, he could freely share excess strength to empower his allies.
Yet the Snow Elephant's death didn't frighten the soul beasts. Instead, the strongest among the ten-thousand-year beasts now teamed up to delay him further.
A hundred-thousand-year Snow Lion King roared, unleashing a soul skill. Ice spikes erupted from the ground, forcing Huo Yuhao back.
He quickly realized—he'd been driven into an empty area, devoid of other beasts.
The next moment, a powerful soul force descended from above. A hundred-thousand-year Wind Snow Honghu had gathered its soul skill and launched it like a beam cannon from the sky.
As Huo Yuhao prepared to dodge—
A hidden hundred-thousand-year Ice Crystal Turtle stomped the ground, freezing the ice beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. Ice walls rose around him, sealing off his escape.
Huo Yuhao was trapped in an icy tomb.
And the Wind Snow Honghu's lethal soul skill came crashing down.
BOOM—! Three hundred-thousand-year soul beasts struck in unison — their final blow, naturally, was their strongest killing move.
As their soul skills exploded, producing a deafening roar, frigid, unyielding ice continued to spread, aiming to completely seal and freeze Huo Yuhao.
At the same time, a mass of cold air rose as white mist — a temperature even colder than the core of the Extreme North — obscuring all vision of the soul beasts.
"Old Turtle, will it work?" the Snowy Lion King leapt beside the Ice Crystal Turtle, asking in a low voice.
"Though the Wind Snow Swan isn't of the ultimate ice attribute, her Absolute Breath Cold Light possesses offensive power comparable to that of Lady Ice Empress!" the Ice Crystal Turtle replied with deep anticipation in its tone.
The Ice Empress and Snow Empress — to the soul beasts of the Extreme North, they represented the pinnacle of power.
As a highly intelligent beast, the Ice Crystal Turtle was the mastermind of this operation. As long as Huo Yuhao could be sealed, even if they couldn't kill him in one blow, they could wound him and tip the scales toward victory.
Despite the immense consumption, the Wind Snow Swan didn't stop attacking — she continued to push herself, madly pouring out soul power to release the Cold Light without pause.
Because the Ice Crystal Turtle had reminded her: even the Ice Empress and Ice Bear King, such mighty beings, had been severely wounded by Huo Yuhao. This was their one chance — they had to give it everything to secure victory!
However, what happened next stunned all the soul beasts — the Cold Light being unleashed was actually… receding.
No, to be precise — it was being pushed back by a force.
A golden giant hand reached out from the icy encasement — it was Huo Yuhao's true body avatar! And inside this massive form, Huo Yuhao himself floated unscathed, wearing an emotionless expression as he gazed outside.
"Mere Cold Light," Huo Yuhao remarked flatly, "is not even worth a fraction of my power."
The Absolute Breath Cold Light of the Wind Snow Swan couldn't even make him feel cold.
The true body continued expanding, shattering the ice shell. With one giant hand, it pressed back the Cold Light and reached for the Wind Snow Swan.
"Wind Snow Swan, retreat now!" the Ice Crystal Turtle shouted in panic.
But as the Wind Snow Swan tried to cease her attack and retreat, it was already too late.
A divine pressure locked onto her, making movement extremely difficult.
It was the divine might of the Yin-Yang Eyes!
Realizing the danger, the Snowy Lion King let out a deafening roar and charged toward Huo Yuhao.
"Lion Overlord of the Snowfields! Roar—!"
Soul power erupted from its body. The Snowy Lion King, three meters tall, turned into a massive light orb and slammed into the giant hand aiming at the Wind Snow Swan.
But then, the other hand of Huo Yuhao's true body clenched into a fist and struck out.
BOOM!
With a loud crash, the Snowy Lion King was sent flying, smashed into a distant glacier. The giant hand shattered the Cold Light and seized the Wind Snow Swan.
In the grasp of the massive true body, the three-meter-tall Wind Snow Swan looked like a baby chick, powerless to resist.
Huo Yuhao floated within the avatar's chest area, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
The true body's hand clenched tighter—
Crunch!
"Screeeee—!"
The Wind Snow Swan let out a miserable cry as all the bones in her body were crushed. Blood splattered; she was on the verge of death.
"Wind Snow Swan!" the Ice Crystal Turtle cried out in alarm.
But Huo Yuhao didn't kill her — instead, he casually tossed her toward the Ghost Banner Martial Soul. Ghostly hands reached out from the banner, grabbed her body, and suspended her mid-air, beginning to drain her life force and soul.
With all her bones broken, the Wind Snow Swan could only hang helplessly, her beak dripping blood, unable to resist the banner's power.
Then, a figure appeared beside her — the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul. Wearing a holy smile, it raised its hand and pierced the Wind Snow Swan's body, snuffing out her last breath.
A crimson hundred-thousand-year soul ring slowly condensed, while the Wind Snow Swan's soul was dragged screaming into the Ghost Banner.
The Healing Angel Puppet then began to absorb the soul ring.
The Wind Snow Swan's soul ring was excellent — suitable for becoming the puppet's third soul ring.
"You… You monster!" the Snowy Lion King roared, leaping to his feet. He was furious — whether at being struck down himself, or at the Wind Snow Swan's fate, or both.
And he wasn't alone — countless soul beasts looked on with bloodshot eyes, sharing in the pain.
Just as the Snowy Lion King prepared to strike again, the Ice Crystal Turtle blocked him, saying, "Wait — we can't act alone!"
"Old Turtle, do we even have another choice?" the Snowy Lion King growled.
The Ice Crystal Turtle fell silent for a moment before replying, "No — but to defeat this enemy, we must unite the power of all soul beasts!" Its eyes gleamed with wisdom.
The beast tide surged once more — countless powerful soul beasts, undeterred by death, charged toward Huo Yuhao.
Because this was a battle of dignity — a fight for the survival of the Extreme North.
The hundred-thousand-year soul beasts had already warned every intelligent soul beast of the battle's stakes.
If they lost, no one would remain to stop Huo Yuhao. He could slaughter the Extreme North unopposed. At best, a few weaker beasts might flee — but without their guardians, the Extreme North would become an empty shell.
Floating within his true body, Huo Yuhao's Yin-Yang Eyes flickered rapidly, locking onto specific beasts in the tide — the ones with rare bloodlines or outstanding potential.
He wouldn't waste attention on mediocre targets.
With a thought, the true body moved. Toxic mists spread beneath it. Its four arms swung wide, each performing different combat techniques.
On the left and right, two arms unleashed the Light Frost Centipede Fist and Extreme Ice Frost Centipede Fist, crushing the incoming soul beasts.
Their corpses were melted by poison and absorbed as nutrients.
The two arms behind the shoulders struck with the Medicine King Needle and Phantom Ice Dragon Fist, targeting selected soul beasts. Once immobilized, the beasts were flung into the air, where ghostly hands seized them.
The Medicine King Needle, derived from the Thousand Poison Palm, sealed the beasts' movement and soul power. The Phantom Ice Dragon Fist sealed their spirits. Used together, the techniques ensured capture.
Watching the unrelenting slaughter, Snow Empress shed silent tears and closed her eyes. But while healing the Ice Empress and Xiao Bai, she channeled more power from the Extreme North to bolster all the soul beasts — greatly enhancing their combat strength.
Some ninety-thousand-year beasts even achieved the power of hundred-thousand-year ones.
Witnessing the overwhelming beast tide, even the Golden Tortoise in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea trembled.
"Hao-ge, want me to come out and help?" the Golden Tortoise offered, trying not to shrink away.
Huo Yuhao simply chuckled, "It's about time."
"What do you mean?" the tortoise asked, confused.
Huo Yuhao looked at his arm, raised his fist, and squeezed it lightly. "This sparring match… has almost allowed me to fully adapt to the power surge from absorbing all that Profound Ice Marrow."
"Next…"
He turned his gaze back to the beast tide. "This cold wind of the Extreme North… should now be scattered."
When the eight pairs of demonic eyes began to flicker, they immediately drew Xue Di's attention. Bing Di and Xiao Bai, who were gradually recovering, also looked up to the sky.
Then, they saw sixteen eyes hanging high above, each pair emitting a different colored light. Centered around Huo Yuhao, beams swept across the battlefield.
Eye of Ice and Snow – Spiritual Freeze: Freezes the mind and soul.
Evil Eye – Puppet of the Dead: Corpses of powerful dead soul beasts are controlled and attack other soul beasts, with enhanced physiques.
Eye of Ten Thousand Laws – Power of the Body: Golden light crushes any soul beasts it touches.
Eye of Destruction – Destructive Light: Purple light with destructive attributes disintegrates soul beasts.
Golden Eye – Life Extraction: Reverses life infusion into life absorption.
Blue-Gold Eye – Divine Power of the Sea God: The smallest but most divine, like endless waves sweeping away life.
Soul Capturing Eye – Soul Extraction: Pale light directly extracts the soul into the Ghost Banner Martial Soul, leaving the body unharmed.
Evil God Eye – Elemental Storm: Dazzling lights of chaotic elemental forces tear soul beasts apart.
Huo Yuhao's own eyes were the Yin-Yang Eyes, representing extreme ice and fire, and the balance of yin and yang, allowing all other powers to harmoniously coexist and be released simultaneously.
What came before was merely a warm-up. Now, Huo Yuhao unleashed his full, unrestrained power.
All he had to do was use his destiny ability to conceal the upheaval in the Extreme North.
The Xuan Ice Crystal Turtle, roaring in rage, activated its innate soul skill. It transformed into a giant turtle over a hundred meters long, shielding the other soul beasts beneath its massive shell, using its icy armor to withstand the magic beams.
"Xuan Turtle – Heaven Support!"
Amazingly, it actually resisted all sixteen beams.
Though the beams kept striking, the turtle's body gradually sank, blood trickled from its mouth — but it smiled, knowing it had held firm.
"The enemy isn't invincible!"
"Great!"
"He's stopped! Old Turtle held him off!"
"Now's our chance! Attack the human!"
Cheers erupted from the soul beasts. Many breathed a sigh of relief. Several hundred-thousand-year soul beasts charged toward Huo Yuhao.
But to Huo Yuhao, these soul beasts were just testing their limits against the bottom of his.
"This big turtle... might be interesting." Huo Yuhao's gaze sharpened, seeing through the illusion.
It wasn't that the turtle was overly powerful — its shell was special, imbued with Xuan Ice, a rare and precious material. Huo Yuhao, who had absorbed massive amounts of Xuan Ice Essence, naturally sensed its aura.
A beast born with Xuan Ice likely had a unique bloodline.
His avatar's two pairs of arms came together to form hand seals.
"Then—"
Floating within his avatar, Huo Yuhao looked calmly at the turtle. His helmet disappeared, and a golden glow appeared between his brows.
"How will you deal with this move?"
A beam of black-red light shot from his brow.
Instantly, the sixteen magic beams converged on the black-red light, absorbing and transforming into a single massive black-red pillar, which slammed down from the sky.
The turtle's smile froze as the beam pierced through its body.
The roar of a ferocious tiger echoed across the battlefield, shaking hearts.
"NO!!"
Xiao Bai howled.
Bing Di struggled to rise, shouting, "Xue'er! Don't worry about us — go fight him!"
Xue Di's face darkened. She made a decision. "Bing'er, let's combine our power!"
Bing Di nodded. "I'm ready, Xue'er!"
They embraced and began fusing their soul power.
They hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to possess such terrifying abilities.
In mere moments, 40% of the soul beasts in the Extreme North had been slaughtered. Even the strongest hundred-thousand-year soul beasts could barely hold out against him.
Even the Xuan Ice Crystal Turtle, their strongest defense, was dead.
Its massive body had reverted to normal, now hung near the Ghost Banner Martial Soul, eyes open in death. The Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul was absorbing its soul ring.
The magical beams dispersed.
But the surviving soul beasts wore expressions of despair — their fighting spirit completely gone.
Because the black-red beam that pierced the turtle didn't stop there — it struck the ground, wiping out another 20% of soul beasts and even more of the hundred-thousand-year ones, including the Snowfield Lion King.
The area it hit was now a deep crater a kilometer wide and dozens of meters deep.
Not a single corpse remained — everything was annihilated, even the ten-thousand-year soul beasts left no bones behind.
Outside the crater, others hadn't fully escaped either.
Weaker soul beasts nudged the stronger ones who'd shielded them — only to find those protectors had collapsed, bleeding from every orifice, and their dark soul rings formed over lifeless bodies.
Soul beasts over 50,000 years were killed by the shockwave alone!
A violent aura spread from the crater.
Like black tendrils, it reached in all directions, draining the blood and essence from any corpse it touched.
Living soul beasts had their souls drawn out too.
Only dried husks were left, crumbling to black powder with a touch.
Soul beasts under 50,000 years couldn't resist. Even those above it fled, and not even hundred-thousand-year ones dared approach the crater.
From the air, they saw — a black-red spear lodged in the crater.
It was the Evil God Spear!
To be precise, the reforged Evil God Spear, enhanced with Polar Ice Divine Crystal and refined using the world's energy — making it tied to Huo Yuhao's life, but not a Martial Soul like the Ghost Banner.
Still, the spear had mutated.
As it devoured more flesh and soul...
A blood-colored ring began forming around it — like a soul ring.
This was its new power: the Evil God Blood Ring!
It could store the blood and souls it consumed, releasing massive destructive power later, or feeding it back to empower Huo Yuhao.
Under its rampage, even more soul beasts perished.
Now, less than 30% of the soul beasts in the Extreme North remained.
No matter the outcome, after this battle, the Extreme North would be forever desolate.
But Huo Yuhao ignored the scattered remnants and looked toward Bing Di and Xue Di.
They were still embracing, gathering soul power for a final technique.
Before them, Xiao Bai, the 200,000-year Ice Jade Scorpion, and the remaining hundred-thousand-year beasts stood guard — their final line of defense.
Huo Yuhao didn't move, just smiled.
Then Xue Di's expression changed, contorted in pain.
"Xue'er, what's wrong?!" Bing Di cried out.
She saw green lines spreading across Xue Di's body — poison.
The same poison that had afflicted Xiao Bai!
"The... ice bamboo earlier!"
Xue Di realized — she had absorbed the entire golden bamboo, while Xiao Bai had only licked some of its liquid and was poisoned. When Huo Yuhao activated the hidden Ultimate Poison, it instantly spread through Xue Di's body.
No cure.
At this moment, the Snow Empress finally understood—those ice bamboo shoots earlier were part of Huo Yuhao's plot!
The deadly poison invading her body—wasn't it clearly Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Poison? The soul power aura was exactly the same!
Even though he possessed power strong enough to overwhelm the Extreme North, he still resorted to underhanded tricks like poisoning. Truly, just as expected of despicable humans.
Soul beasts had always harbored a prejudice against humans—calling them treacherous. And humans, in turn, simply called it "intelligence."
The Snow Empress had no excuse. With the aura of the Ice Extreme Divine Crystal, the power of the Ultimate Ice, and the force of Life Energy, the three layers of power perfectly masked the Ultimate Poison. No matter how thoroughly she examined herself, she would never have discovered the hidden venom.
After all, who would ever think someone would hide dung inside gold, delicacies, and silk?
But the Snow Empress was no ordinary soul beast. The power of Ultimate Ice surged within her and forcibly froze and suppressed the spread of the Ultimate Poison—without interrupting her soul power fusion with the Ice Empress.
"Xue'er, are you alright?" the Ice Empress asked anxiously. "Let's retreat if we must!"
"Don't worry, Bing'er. I can endure it," Snow Empress reassured her. "Leave everything to me."
Yet deep down, she knew this was merely drinking poison to quench her thirst. Once she could no longer suppress the poison, it would rebound with terrifying force, and she would die instantly.
She didn't have much time left.
But retreat was not an option.
If they fled, the Extreme North would lose all hope.
The Snow Empress knew the Ice Empress was worried, but as a Snow Maiden born from the heart of the Extreme North, she had her own responsibilities to bear.
Their soul powers—Snow Empress's icy blue and Ice Empress's jade green—intertwined and merged.
As their powers completed fusion and prepared to strike, Snow Empress's eyes glinted with resolve.
"Bing'er, from now on, the Extreme North is yours to protect!"
"What?" Ice Empress was stunned and hadn't processed her words.
And then—the Snow Empress relinquished control of their combined power entirely to the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress was horrified. The sheer pressure of this terrifying power was not something the weaker party—herself—could control.
Just as she instinctively tried to resist, the Snow Empress's earnest voice echoed in her mind.
"Bing'er, don't resist. I'll help you control this power. This is... the last thing I can do for you."
"Xue'er, what are you planning to do?" Ice Empress cried in panic.
"Bing'er... accept me. From now on, we'll be together—forever."
Without further explanation, the Snow Empress gave herself up. She had made her decision: rather than die from a poisonous backlash, it was better to offer her all to the Ice Empress at this moment.
For the Extreme North.
And—for the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress felt a wave of primal energy pour into her, rapidly elevating her strength and essence.
She immediately recognized it—this was the Snow Empress's origin power!
She was breaking apart her own essence, fusing it into the Ice Empress to empower her, strengthening her very foundation.
But the Ice Empress began to struggle violently. She couldn't accept this sacrifice. She didn't want Snow Empress to die for her.
Then Snow Empress pulled her into a tight embrace.
And in that moment—perhaps due to the sharing of origin power—Ice Empress fully understood her. Snow Empress revealed everything—her heart, her soul, her feelings—laid bare before the Ice Empress.
No words were needed. Everything was said in silence.
The Snow Empress returned the Ice Empress's feelings—but also made it clear: the Extreme North came first in her heart.
A cold tear slipped from the Ice Empress's eye. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried.
But now, her heart ached like never before. She hated her own weakness. And she hated—Huo Yuhao's vile deceit.
The Ice Empress wept in silence. The Snow Empress said nothing.
Their figures merged as one.
And their fused power transformed—enveloping them both in a radiant glow.
With hearts united, their strength reached a divine level, comparable to a human Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
The intertwined blue and green light formed the figure of a woman—her face bearing both the Snow Empress's features and the Ice Empress's humanoid form. She wore the ice robes of a Snow Maiden, laced with emerald patterns, ice crystal shoes beneath her feet, a jewel crown atop her head.
She was regal. She was proud. She was too dazzling to behold.
She was the incarnation of the Extreme North, the embodiment of snow and ice.
The woman raised her eyes to Huo Yuhao, her gaze frigid and emotionless. She stepped forward, space distorting beneath her feet, each stride leaving a trail of shimmering brilliance—like a falling galaxy, breathtaking beyond words.
She slowly raised her right hand—slender and flawless—shrouded in glowing blue and green light, warping the air around it.
She struck toward Huo Yuhao!
And then, with voices fused as one, Snow and Ice Empress declared:
"Snow Empress of Ice—Final Elegy of the Twin Empresses!"
When this palm lands, there shall be no more wind or snow—only eternal ice and solitude. This final elegy shall slay demons and protect the North!
Huo Yuhao stood quietly, watching everything unfold. As the Ice-Snow Empress approached, he couldn't help but murmur,
"Beautiful…"
He admitted—this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
So dreamlike, so unreal.
His true body moved—four arms struck forth to intercept the Empress's blow.
But he knew—this wasn't enough to stop her.
So he responded in kind—with his own most powerful strike.
His Ghost Banner Martial Soul activated, and the fourth soul ring lit up.
Three-Eyed Golden Lion, summon!
"Huh?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, lounging lazily within the Ghost Banner, was suddenly summoned. She blinked, stunned.
Then Huo Yuhao formed a hand seal—absorbing her into his body. Her power instantly merged with his.
"Huo Yuhao, what are you doing?!" the lioness shouted in panic. She'd grown too comfortable in peace, her fighting instincts dulled.
But it didn't matter.
"Three-Eyed Golden Lion, aid me in battle!" Huo Yuhao said with utmost solemnity.
Willing or not, her power had already become his.
His true body's four hands barely held the Empress for a moment—then shattered on impact.
But it was enough.
With the lion's power merged, Huo Yuhao glowed gold. His heart thundered, projecting the image of a snow lotus—blooming slowly.
He poured all his strength into his left palm, invoking the Demonic Sovereign World-Dominating Palm.
Ultimate Ice, Ultimate Poison, Ultimate Light, Ultimate Flame!
Four Ultimate Attributes gathered in his palm, shaped like a snow lotus. Blue, green, gold, red—all wrapped in black—unleashed in one strike.
This blow also bore the Sea God's divine power from the lotus.
"Demonic Sovereign Dominates the World—Heaven's Decree Palm!"
His left hand clashed with the Empress's right.
Palm to palm. Ultimate versus ultimate.
All fell silent. The world lost its color.
Snow and wind shattered. The Empress fell!
Disbelief flooded her eyes.
Huo Yuhao stood tall beneath the heavens, overlooking all, without a shred of pity.
And thus—
The Extreme North's final elegy ends. Heaven's decree crushes ice and snow.
The Empress of Ice and Snow…
could not defy the will of Heaven.
Just like their original fate, perhaps Ice and Snow Empress were always meant to follow the script—
Only now, the script had changed.