After gathering at the usual spot, the Huangdou Squad exchanged all the information they had.
Since the Shi brothers had obtained precise news about a certain soul beast, the group decided to help them hunt for their soul rings first.
If they came across other suitable soul beasts along the way, they would let the rest of the team obtain their rings as well.
After that, they would head to the mixed zone of the Extreme North to find the Comet Snow Wolf that Xiao Lin wanted, and help Qu He uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance.
Along the way, they would also destroy the drug-manufacturing and trafficking den of the Fallen Ones, and eliminate them completely.
This time, Xiao Lin would also be a "Yangko Superstar" again.
Once everyone had obtained their soul rings, they would return to the Xueling Province to find the gang selling iced jelly powder.
They would wipe out the Lai Bing gang entirely—leave no one alive.
Regarding this mission, every single member of the Huangdou Battle Team agreed; not a single person refused.
It wasn't only because Xiao Lin and Ye Lingling had obtained the map to a treasure for ice-attribute soul masters—more than that, they also wanted to help Donnie get her revenge.
Although Donnie herself hadn't been hurt…
"Uncle Qu He, you really won't come with us?"
At this moment, Ye Lingling looked at Qu He, who was hunched over but smiling faintly at the corners of his mouth, and asked.
"No. If I went, they would turn their attention onto you all."
"By staying here, I'm giving you time to grow."
In Qu He's mind, there was no doubt that Qu Yao had been harmed by those Fallen Ones and the Lai Bing gang.
His thinking was simple—let them quickly obtain suitable soul rings and grow strong enough to fight the gang leader Lai Bing.
Lai Bing's real name was Yang Lai Bing. The last time he appeared in public was fifteen years ago, when his Lai Bing Bar chain had spread all across the Xueling Province.
Back then, he was already a level 58 Soul King—a control-type battle soul master, with the Dreamweaver Snow Fox as his martial soul, possessing both ice and spiritual attributes.
Now, fifteen years later, Yang Lai Bing might very well have become a Soul Sage.
At present, all the members of the Huangdou Battle Team, including Xiao Lin, hoped that Yang Lai Bing had not become a Soul Sage.
If that were the case, after Xiao Lin absorbed his soul ring and activated his True Body of the Tool Spirit, they might still have a fighting chance.
But if Yang Lai Bing had become a Soul Sage, then Xiao Lin would be powerless.
A Soul Sage's Martial Soul True Body would make Xiao Lin's own true body no longer an advantage.
Their sheer soul power could exhaust Xiao Lin to death.
Not to mention, the opponent might excel in spiritual power—Xiao Lin was no Tang San and didn't have such strong spiritual resistance.
Even after Xiao Lin invited Qu He again and again to come to the Extreme North with them, Qu He still refused.
This time, Qu He used the excuse of being old, having trouble walking, and not being able to handle the deadly cold of the icy land.
He even half-jokingly said that it would be too humiliating to survive all the enemies only to die on the road instead.
Helpless, Xiao Lin finally gave up on taking Qu He along for now.
He couldn't deny that Qu He's words were true.
In the Extreme North, the outer region was fine, but in the mixed zone, the extreme cold was so fierce that even the Shi brothers might not withstand it—let alone Qu He.
In the end, Xiao Lin's group of five could only leave Aurora Town in silence.
Before they left, Qu He gave Xiao Lin a piece of magnetite.
According to Qu He, this magnetite was the key that allowed his son to never lose his way in the Extreme North.
It was precisely because he still had this magnetite that he firmly believed his son had been killed by people, not by an accident during a soul hunting mission in the Extreme North.
Half a day later.
Wearing the same clothing as the people of Aurora Town, with fur coats made from the pelts of unknown soul beasts, Xiao Lin's group stepped into the completely frozen land.
They had entered the outer region of the Extreme North.
"Let's go, head north first. We might find the Black Ice Snake Turtle there."
Xiao Lin looked at everyone, noticing that aside from Donnie, the others seemed a bit gloomy, so he deliberately started a conversation.
"The Black Ice Snake Turtle is a soul beast that lives in glaciers and loves water. In the Extreme North, if there's ice and yet water that doesn't freeze, it must be in the mixed zone and close to the core zone."
"The water in those places is colder than real ice—almost at the level of the ultimate ice. Such places are where most powerful ice-attribute soul beasts like to dwell."
"When the time comes, we might be in for a tough fight."
"So let me explain the tactics first."
Xiao Lin paused here, waiting for everyone to return their focus.
Fortunately, when the others heard there might be an extremely powerful soul beast ahead, they all perked up.
"First is our formation—we'll use a 1-3-1 formation."
"Donnie will be our main damage dealer, the 'one' at the front, our spearhead. The Shi brothers will protect Ye Lingling in the middle, and I'll guard the rear."
"As for encounters with soul beasts—if we can avoid them, we will. If they can't be avoided but can be handled by one person, Donnie will finish them quickly. If they can't be handled alone, we ignore them."
"If the soul beast is part of a group, then we act together—whether to fight or run, we move as one."
"Especially you, Ye Lingling—you must move. Don't just stand still because the Shi brothers are guarding you."
"In battle, go all out. With Ye Lingling here, no one should worry about getting hurt—instead, the ones who should be worried are the soul beasts."
Xiao Lin knew very well that their team's greatest advantage wasn't himself, Donnie, or the Shi brothers.
It was Ye Lingling, whose healing ability was unmatched among peers.
Fortunately, everyone knew her healing power even better than Xiao Lin did, so they all approved of the plan.
"Oh, right—Ye Lingling, this is for you."
To give her some offensive ability, Xiao Lin handed her the sleeve arrows and baton Tang San had given him.
After a quick lesson, Ye Lingling mastered both weapons swiftly.
Originally, Xiao Lin had planned to give her a defensive soul tool, but after thinking it over, he abandoned the idea—its protection was inferior to the Shi brothers' first soul skill.
Having it might even make her overconfident in its defense and forget to run.
As long as Ye Lingling was protected, their team would always have a "mobile spring"—a truth Xiao Lin understood perfectly.
While walking through the outer region of the Extreme North, they soon encountered a pack of snow wolves.
But they were only ten-year soul beasts; the strongest, the snow wolf king, was just a hundred-year soul beast.
Under Donnie's released soul power, the snow wolf pack quickly fled.
At the same time, danger was slowly approaching them.
Behind Xiao Lin's group, two short, thin men wearing snow wolf pelts were tailing closely.
"Boss Hua, are we really going to attack them?"
"That girl was the one who stabbed Brother Sha's woman to death with a single spear!"
"And the others—I can't read their strength, but I feel they're all stronger than us."
The man with a sleazy moustache looked uncertain—he didn't have the confidence to kill these five.
Wouldn't it be enough just to tag along for this mission?
Who knows, those five might just freeze to death in the Extreme North.
That sort of thing was perfectly normal here.
"What do you know? This time the boss gave a death order—it must be done."
The man with the hooked nose and sharp eyes snorted coldly.
"Although their strength is above ours, here in the Extreme North we have the advantage of the terrain."
"The advantage is ours!"