The Earth Dragon Gate was situated in the northern part of Dragon City. Its ancient-style architecture made one feel as if they were in an ancient era. The sect's courtyards were planted with a large number of rare plants, making the overall environment seem very quiet and secluded.
As Huo Yuhao followed Nan Shuishui, he marveled at the sight. Many rare medicinal herbs grew in one flower bed after another. These herbs, which were of great benefit to cultivation, would be enough to cause a frenzy among low-level soul masters if placed outside.
He had now obtained the Seven-Colored Lotus Flower Fire, and with his wood-attribute second martial soul, he could be considered a halfway alchemist. Of course, he was just starting on the path of alchemy, perhaps not even as good as an outer disciple of some alchemy sects.
"Greetings, Gate Master."
Seeing the Gate Master return with the Young Gate Master, many disciples along the way came forward to salute them. Huo Yuhao could clearly glimpse a trace of fervor deep within the eyes that the male disciples tried their best to conceal. Most of it was directed at the beautiful Nan Qiūqiū, but some... was it for Nan Shuishui?
The continent was still before the outbreak of war. The Earth Dragon Gate had not yet been occupied by the Sun Moon army. Everything within the sect was thriving. It was indeed worthy of being a power with a thousand-year heritage.
Huo Yuhao even sensed several auras in the main hall that were no weaker than Nan Shuishui's. These people were likely the elders and deacons of the Earth Dragon Gate. Titled Douluo were few and far between on the continent, and every Soul Douluo was enough to establish a sect in their own right.
Ever since entering the Earth Dragon Gate, the attention of many disciples began to shift to Huo Yuhao's group of three. For no other reason than the Snow Empress's proud and transcendent temperament and her peerless figure were too eye-catching. Very few people could connect her with the infamous leader of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North.
Of course, many people's gazes also rested on Die Qiu with her clear, beautiful eyes. That unique, ethereal quality was by no means something an ordinary woman could feign.
As for Huo Yuhao, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he continued to use his appearance from his previous life. Although he was handsome and pleasant to look at, he was far less eye-catching than the two women.
"Gate Master, who are these three?" A middle-aged man with a resolute appearance came forward, his gaze resting on Huo Yuhao's group of three as he asked.
"Deacon Xu, they are all guests I brought. Please trouble yourself to arrange a fine guest room for them on my behalf." Nan Shuishui said in a calm tone.
"Alright..." This Deacon Xu's eyes darted back and forth between Nan Shuishui and Huo Yuhao's group several times, looking as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating.
"Is something the matter, Deacon Xu?" Nan Shuishui was a bit surprised by his unusual behavior and couldn't help but ask.
"There is indeed some business from the City Lord's Mansion..." Deacon Xu stammered, and glanced at Huo Yuhao's group of three again.
"What? Are those warlords trying to coerce my Earth Dragon Gate into joining them again?" Nan Shuishui instantly understood the reason. There was no need to hide this information in front of Huo Yuhao; she could consider it as giving him some face.
"Gate Master, the noble powers behind these warlords are formidable, and they even have a Titled Douluo. We might as well..."
Huo Yuhao felt a strange meaning in this middle-aged man's eyes, but this was another sect's business. As long as it didn't provoke him, he couldn't be bothered to interfere too much. It was not uncommon for a sect to have internal schemes. He would just have to keep an eye out.
"Deacon Xu, do not mention this matter again!" Nan Shuishui was clearly very resistant to the warlord's coercive methods and refused without a second thought.
Receiving Nan Shuishui's answer, that deacon could only bow deeply to her, and then walked away to the side.
Huo Yuhao stared at this person thoughtfully, then released a wisp of soul power mixed with spiritual power from his palm, seeping it into the ground.
...
Soon, Nan Shuishui brought Huo Yuhao's group of three to the backyard of the Earth Dragon Gate.
The backyard was a large garden, very beautiful, planted with countless rare medicinal herbs. Of course, Huo Yuhao, who had been to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, no longer cared for such things. Although some of the herbs were rare, their age was far from sufficient.
Nan Shuishui did not stop, but led the three of them to a well in the depths of the backyard.
As they got closer to the well, Huo Yuhao's heart stirred slightly. He vaguely felt that the Ice Empress in his spiritual sea seemed to have suddenly stirred. And his Death God martial soul, which had fused with the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, also seemed to want to release itself. There must be something in this well that was attracting them.
"This is it. This is a Cold Spring. The Cold Spring contains a rich spiritual energy, which has a nourishing effect on a soul master's body. However, only the successive Gate Masters of the Earth Dragon Gate know that beneath this Cold Spring, there is actually another cavern, but it is sealed off by us with a mechanism. In that cavern, there are many strange ores. It's just that the temperature inside that cavern is too low. Even Titled Douluo level experts among our ancestors couldn't stay for long after entering. An ancestor once mined a small piece of ore from inside, which contained a rich ice-attribute aura. The ore itself also showed metallic properties. So the ancestor always believed that there was a vein of rare ice-attribute metal inside this cavern. As for the specific situation, we don't know."
Speaking of this, Nan Shuishui looked at Huo Yuhao and said, "Lord Demon King, your martial soul has the Ultimate Ice attribute. Surviving in this cavern should not be a problem. If the ore below is useful to you, you can just mine it out. Anyway, we can't make use of this place for the time being. This can also be considered a small contribution from us to Lord Demon King. In the days to come, we hope that the Demon King will take good care of us within the Heavenly Soul territory, and we can cooperate further."
"Thank you for your generosity." Huo Yuhao was not polite. Although there was the Cold Spring blocking it, he could already clearly feel the extreme cold power in the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave below. This was indeed of great use to him.
After Nan Shuishui explained the method of opening the cavern to him in detail, she said, "Let me take you and Lady Snow Empress down. I'll have Qiūqiū stand guard for you outside. Although you possess the Ultimate Ice martial soul, don't force yourself. I once tried to enter the cavern, and in just a few seconds, I felt like I was going to be frozen solid. The temperature below is simply too low, not something a human can withstand at all."
"Alright." Huo Yuhao agreed.
Nan Shuishui's warning would not be without reason. Having suffered a lot in two lifetimes, he would absolutely not dare to be careless again.
Huo Yuhao adjusted his state slightly, took the Snow Empress's small hand, and followed behind Nan Shuishui, floating up and descending into the well.
As soon as they entered the well, a wave of yin and cold energy rushed towards them. However, this level of coldness only had an amplifying effect on Huo Yuhao. Even without activating his martial soul, he would not be negatively affected.
To be on the safe side, before falling into the Cold Spring, Huo Yuhao still cast the Ice Empress's Protection. The Snow Empress similarly circulated her soul power to condense a close-fitting energy protective film.
After his entire body was covered in a layer of diamond ice crystals, Huo Yuhao then took the Snow Empress and they both sank into the Cold Spring.