Chapter 5: Soul Beast Pilgrimage in the Extreme North
After Dugu Han parted ways with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect caravan, he and Elder Xue went shopping in Dragon City.
They purchased essential items for their journey into the Extreme North—such as the excrement of ten-thousand-year soul beasts used to drive away lower-level soul beasts, as well as pots, pans, and daily necessities.
By the way, they also hired a cook.
When everything was prepared, it was already dark.
Dugu Han and Elder Xue found a hotel to stay in, and the next morning, they set out from Dragon City with the hired cook.
Their goal was to venture to the outermost edge of the Extreme North and build an ice house.
Although Dragon City is close to Extreme North's border, it isn't suitable for the kind of simulated training environment Dugu Han truly desired.
What he wanted was a real world of ice and snow— the outer periphery of the Extreme North was undoubtedly the best choice.
However, given his current strength of only first-level innate soul power—and because Elder Xue needed to venture into the Extreme North to hunt for the essence and blood of top-tier ice-attributed dragon soul beasts—he couldn't protect Dugu Han all the time.
So, Dugu Han had to settle for the second best: the buffer zone between the outer edge of the Extreme North and Dragon City.
Although not as cold as the outer periphery, the temperature was still much lower than Dragon City's, making it ideal for ice-attributed soul masters to practice. Plus, it was free of dangerous soul beasts, ensuring safety.
They arrived at a location close to the outer edge of the Extreme North, where no soul beasts were present.
Elder Xue then began constructing the ice house. His martial soul was the ice-attributed Snow Shadow Black Turtle, and with his cultivation as a Soul Douluo exceeding level 80, he built several interconnected ice houses in no time.
Dugu Han went inside to inspect and was very satisfied with Elder Xue's craftsmanship.
Afternoon!
After finishing the interior of the ice house, Elder Xue prepared to head into the Extreme North to hunt for the essence and blood of a top-tier ice-attributed dragon soul beast for Dugu Han.
"Wait a minute, Elder Xue!" Dugu Han called out, taking out two soul bones left by his father from the Love of Ice and Snow ring.
One was the 15,000-year-old left leg bone of the Shadow Demon Leopard, and the other was the 12,000-year-old right leg bone of the Swift Wind Demon Wolf.
"Elder Xue, the Extreme North is a forbidden area for humans and extremely dangerous. Even though you're a Soul Douluo, your martial soul— the Snow Shadow Black Turtle— is highly concealed, but its speed is a weakness."
He handed the two soul bones to Elder Xue. "Absorbing these speed-enhancement soul bones will help compensate for your sluggishness."
"Young Master, this is not possible," Elder Xue immediately refused, waving his hand. "This was left to you by the head of the family. How can I, an old servant, take it?"
Dugu Han pressed the bones into Elder Xue's hands. "Elder Xue, just take them!"
"You served my grandfather first, then my father, and now me. You've served three generations of our family."
"It's just two ten-thousand-year soul bones. You're fully qualified to absorb them. Even if my father were alive, he would agree."
Afterward, Dugu Han took out the "Douluo Records" inherited from his family— the only ancestor in his Dugu lineage to break through the ninety-nine-level Ultimate Douluo, and who documented his travels across the continent.
The Xuanwu Divine Pill, capable of improving the fourth level of innate soul power, was discovered by his ancestor.
Dugu Han turned to the section about the Extreme North in the "Douluo Records". It stated that every ten years, the core area of the Extreme North would host a pilgrimage, with ten thousand-year or even hundred thousand-year soul beasts gathering in the Frozen Canyon.
Dugu Han speculated that the term "pilgrimage" likely referred to the Snow Empress, as she was the only one qualified to be worshiped by such powerful soul beasts in the Extreme North.
"Elder Xue, I hope you can go to the Frozen Canyon, find the Snow Empress— the leader of the three heavenly kings of the Extreme North— and tell her about the Manifold Mysterious Ice Cavern."
He explained that in the "Douluo Records", it was mentioned that every ten years, the soul beasts of the Extreme North would make a pilgrimage to the Frozen Canyon.
Currently, it is the season for this pilgrimage. However, the exact year wasn't specified— it could be this year, next year, or the one after.
He wanted Elder Xue to investigate the Frozen Canyon, located in the core area of the Extreme North.
If the pilgrimage hadn't occurred this year, then perhaps next year, or the year after— but the Snow Empress had to be found. She was the key to Dugu Han's entry into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
"Alright," Elder Xue agreed immediately. "I will find the Snow Empress."
For him, serving the Dugu family was a lifelong commitment. Whether he was asked to go to the Frozen Canyon or even to sacrifice himself, he would do so without hesitation.
"There's no rush to find the Snow Empress," Dugu Han said. "Your most urgent task now is to absorb these two soul bones. With their help, I'll feel more at ease when you go."
"Understood. I'll absorb them now, and we'll set off immediately afterward."
Elder Xue took the bones and went into his room to begin absorption.
Meanwhile, Dugu Han sprinkled the residual dung of ten-thousand-year soul beasts purchased from Dragon City around the ice house— a safety measure, even though no soul beasts usually came this close.
He believed that the lingering scent would scare away weaker soul beasts, particularly those around the 200-year mark, while thousand-year soul beasts were less affected.
This was also why he avoided living directly in the Extreme North— better to stay in the buffer zone.
Over the following days, Dugu Han dedicated himself to practice.
However, due to his young age and incomplete physical development, his meridians remained fragile. Every few hours of training, he had to rest and allow his body to recover.
On the fifth day, Ning Zhiyuan bought some precious ingredients and medicinal materials and sent them over. The hired cook prepared medicinal foods and baths according to the prescriptions left by Dugu Han's father, allowing him to truly begin intense cultivation.
(End of this chapter)