From reading the original story, Huo Yuhao vaguely remembered that beneath the Earth Dragon Gate in Dragon City of the Dou Ling Empire, there was a hidden cave filled with an astonishing quantity of ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow.
The thought of it made his heart race with excitement.
'If I could get my hands on all that Mysterious Ice Marrow... what an incredible advantage that would be!'
Compared to what was stored in that underground cavern, the amount needed to create a batch of supreme Jade Ice Pills was practically nothing. If Huo Yuhao could obtain such top-tier natural treasures ahead of time, the benefits would be beyond imagination.
Of course, excitement aside, the real problem was how to travel all the way to the Earth Dragon Gate—guarded by at least Soul Douluo-level elders—and extract that vast reserve of Mysterious Ice Marrow.
If Huo Yuhao could lead an army to march directly into the Dou Ling Empire and steamroll all the way to Dragon City, then taking that treasure by force would be no issue. But Meng Hongchen's fire poison backlash was a pressing matter that couldn't be delayed. Who knew when the Sun Moon Empire would declare war?
From his recent conversation with Xu Tiannan, Huo Yuhao figured the new Emperor would spend a few years building up strength before launching a full-scale campaign.
'So… what now?'
Huo Yuhao stared at the formula in his hands, troubled.
Between the Dou Ling Empire and the Sun Moon Empire were two major obstacles: the Star Luo Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire. In the original story, the Sun Moon Empire didn't even consider attacking the Dou Ling Empire until after completely conquering the Heavenly Soul Empire.
But the Dou Ling Empire bordered the Extreme North. That realization sparked an idea in Huo Yuhao's mind.
'I'm already planning to head to the Extreme North… Once that's done, what if I don't return to Mingdu right away and instead detour to the Dou Ling Empire for a little adventure?'
As for safety? With the Snow Empress by his side, what did he have to fear? Absolutely nothing.
Still, should he tell the Snow Empress and Ice Empress about the existence of this treasure trove?
With access to that much top-grade Mysterious Ice Marrow, they could easily abandon him, absorb the essence themselves, and push toward higher levels of cultivation. In fact, with that kind of resource, the Ice Empress could probably reach the same level as the Snow Empress, and the Snow Empress might even have a shot at breaking into the million-year tier, becoming the number one ferocious beast on the continent.
Although in the original story both the Snow and Ice Empresses had chosen to stay by his side despite such opportunities, this was a real-life situation—one that could impact his future and the future of the Sun Moon Empire. He couldn't afford to be careless.
In an instant, Huo Yuhao was caught in deep hesitation.
'Can I really trust the Snow Empress and Ice Empress with everything?'
Truthfully, unlike the Huo Yuhao from the original story, this version—with the powers of destruction and life—wouldn't be crippled without them. He still had immense potential. But losing them would undeniably be a great setback.
After some thought, he decided to tell them.
First, he did trust them deeply. Second, both the Ice Empress—now part of his body as a trunk bone—and the Snow Empress, who had already made a contract with him, couldn't easily sever their connection with him. Finally, he had already shared with them a vision of ascending to godhood together. Both were intelligent, noble soul beasts—they wouldn't let short-term benefits cloud their long-term goals.
"What!? Yuhao, are you saying there's a cavern filled with ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow!?"
The Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Skydream Iceworm were all stunned after hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation. They understood better than anyone what that substance meant for ice-type soul beasts.
"Oh, right… it's called the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Cavern, isn't it? Didn't Skydream Bro become a million-year soul beast because he discovered a cavern like that?"
Huo Yuhao asked in his mind.
Skydream proudly nodded.
"That's right! The Mysterious Ice Marrow I consumed came from the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Cavern! I stumbled upon it by accident. The purest part of the cavern is where the Mysterious Ice Marrow forms. I was just a regular iceworm, and yet I became a million-year soul beast thanks to it. That's why Bingbing chased me back then!"
"Hmph." Ice Empress snorted coldly. "If I had gotten that Mysterious Ice Marrow back then, the Beast God might not have been Di Tian. Even the Snow Empress wouldn't…"
"Come now," Skydream said leisurely, "Bingbing, don't blame fate. This is just destiny doing its thing."
"You asking for a beating?" Ice Empress snapped. Skydream immediately went silent.
"To think a treasure like that still exists in this world…" Snow Empress muttered, "Could this Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Cavern even produce Ice Polar Divine Crystals?"
Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow.
'Ice Polar Divine Crystals… wasn't that the ultra-rare metal I used to forge the Ice God War Armor in the original story?'
"There really are Ice Polar Divine Crystals there, Snow Empress."
His words left the Snow Empress speechless.
'It's true?'
Such a sacred place… even she wouldn't dare say there was a second one like it on the entire continent.
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Cavern forms when Mysterious Ice is buried underground for over ten thousand years, compressed under tremendous pressure, and gradually transforms over time. The name says 'ten-thousand-year,' but that's only the beginning. It can take hundreds of thousands—sometimes even millions—of years, along with the right conditions, to fully form."
At this, a look of longing flickered in the Ice Empress's eyes.
'If only I had discovered that place before giving up my body… Everything could've been different.'
"If I'd found that cavern before sacrificing my body, it wouldn't have been strange for me to cultivate all the way to seven or eight hundred thousand years."
Huo Yuhao remained silent.
"And that's why," the Snow Empress said gently, "the fact that you told us about this place so openly… really moves me. Don't worry, Yuhao. Since I've chosen to follow you, I won't betray you. If we become gods, we'll become gods together."
"Bingbing's right, Yuhao. Thank you," the Ice Empress added, her voice softening.
(End of Chapter)
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