If the mastermind had nothing to do with the academy, they would have pursued justice for Huo Yuhao to the end.
But as it involved the White Tiger Duke's estate, even Sea God Pavilion's Mu En wouldn't act rashly.
All the academy could do was exhaust every resource to heal Huo Yuhao.
As for his future conflict with Dai Huabin, the academy would not interfere.
"This matter must be kept strictly confidential. No one is to reveal the truth about Huo Yuhao's injuries," Yan Shaozhe said sternly, his gaze icy.
This was also Elder Mu's order—to protect Huo Yuhao from judgment and gossip, which he might not be able to bear in his current state.
Xiao Xiao, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and the others nodded earnestly; they all cared about Huo Yuhao and wouldn't spread the news.
"Yuhao, are you alright?"
Wang Dong rushed in and saw Huo Yuhao lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes empty and hollow as if his soul had left him.
Hearing Wang Dong's voice, Huo Yuhao forced a smile uglier than a cry. "I'm fine."
Wang Dong's face darkened—he knew Huo Yuhao was anything but fine.
But however much he wanted to comfort him, he couldn't find the words.
"Yuhao, don't lose hope!" The Skydream Iceworm anxiously paced in the spiritual sea. "As long as there's enough life energy, you can be healed! Shrek Academy has such a treasure!"
A faint glimmer finally returned to Huo Yuhao's eyes upon hearing this.
The greatest danger was despair; as long as there was hope, no one would give up.
"I've heard of Shrek Academy's Golden Tree," the Ice Empress's cold voice echoed in his mind. "It's a legendary plant, transplanted from Sea God Island by the Sea God himself, containing immense life energy."
Back then, the Ice Empress had felt the terrifying aura of the Three Gods' battle and remembered the Golden Tree's Sea God aura clearly.
Huo Yuhao forced himself to rally. He knew that a treasure like the Golden Tree was out of reach for someone of his status.
He clenched his fist—he would have to prove his value to the academy through effort to earn the right to use the Golden Tree's power to heal.
….
The Extreme North, one of the three great soul beast territories, was vast and rarely visited by soul masters.
First, most soul beasts here were ice-type, and such soul masters were extremely rare.
Second, the environment was perilous—biting winds, bone-chilling cold, and constant ice storms made entry difficult. Only powerful Title Douluo dared enter the core zone.
Atop a towering snowy mountain in the core, a flawless white snow lotus bloomed.
At its center, a giant white egg frantically absorbed the world's energy, forming a vortex.
Strangely, such a commotion attracted no soul beasts.
The reason: the mountain was saturated with the aura of the Extreme North's ruler—the Snow Empress, third among the Ten Great Savage Beasts.
Within the egg, a fetal baby slowly took shape—the Snow Empress using a hundred-thousand-year snow lotus to transform.
She had survived many tribulations to become a Savage Beast, but as the Extreme North's favored one, she found a second way—transforming with the snow lotus—rather than risk her seventy-thousand-year tribulation.
She had wanted to find the Ice Empress first, but upon reaching her domain, found her missing. She had no choice but to proceed alone.
Snow Empress was supremely confident—this was her domain. No soul beast, even the Titan Snow Demon King, dared disturb her, and humans almost never entered this core.
But fate played a cruel trick.
"A soul beast transforming? Heaven truly favors me!"
A crazed voice shattered the silence, jolting the Snow Empress from her transformation.
The baby in the giant egg opened its eyes to see a black-robed human, face twisted with greed, pulling out a wooden tray.
With a surge of soul power, the tray glowed gold, shooting out chains that bound the egg tightly.
Snow Empress was shocked—her soul power wouldn't respond, and her transformation was cut off.
Golden runes spread across the peak, forming a powerful sealing array binding the embryo.
"Despicable human!" the Snow Empress shouted, her voice filled with unprecedented killing intent.
If he had come a minute earlier, she'd have fought him; a minute later, she'd have transformed and been safe. But fate had put her at her weakest.
"Hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo! My efforts were worth it!" The black-robed man laughed, holding the tray aloft.
As a rank-nine soul engineer, he wasn't good at direct combat, but luck had presented him with this opportunity.
"Bastard!" the Snow Empress screamed in rage and humiliation.
A ruler of the Extreme North, caught so easily by a weak human.
She would rather have faced her tribulation than suffer this shame.
"God Sealing Altar, suppress!"
The man poured more soul power in; more runes appeared, chains tightened, and the egg was dragged toward the tray.
Just as the seal was about to complete, a huge shadow swept behind him.
"Who?!" the man spun, startled. Though he had reached Title Douluo level through drugs, he was still powerful.
A crazed, crisp voice echoed from the void, curious. "Why did a non-ice-type rank-nine soul engineer come to the Extreme North?"
"Yeah, why did I come?" The man's eyes grew confused, his mind hazy, unable to recall why he had risked so much, even bringing such a single-purpose soul tool.
"Hm? You don't know? Then you're useless." The voice grew annoyed.
A green lightning-tipped black spike shot out, piercing his chest.
Green lightning crackled over his body.
He died not knowing why he had come or who killed him.
"The tragedy of the weak—used as chess pieces, yet unaware," the voice sounded again, full of scorn.
With his death, the sealing platform lost control and fell.
Just before it hit the ice, a slender, snow-white hand reached from the void and caught it.
Möbius examined the sealed Snow Empress embryo with interest, her eyes gleaming strangely.
At this moment, Lu Jingming's figure also appeared—clearly only as a projection.
PS: The Will of Heaven control the rank 9 soul engineer to capture Snow Empress for Yuhao. There's no way an adult Snow Empress agrees to become a human soul ring.