The Extreme North—a realm of eternal ice and silence. The sky hung in a hazy gray-white, an endless ocean of snow and frost. Bitter winds swept across the land, whipping up diamond-like ice crystals. The earth lay buried under a thick, lifeless blanket of white.
Amid the howling gales, Ye Xuanji and Zhi Yong flew swiftly, shielding Huo Yuhao from the killing cold. Without their protection, he would've frozen solid in seconds.
Gazing below, Huo Yuhao's eyes widened in awe.
He'd never seen such a sight!
"How's my homeland?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's boastful voice echoed in his mind. "Pretty amazing, huh?"
Before Huo Yuhao could reply, Tianmeng rambled on, gushing:
"Ice Empress, I'm coming! I've missed you so much, my Ice Empress…"
Huo Yuhao shuddered at the saccharine words. 'Tianmeng's acting just like Senior Junting described—a shameless simp. Terrifying!'
Just then, Zhi Yong handed Huo Yuhao a token. Its front bore an intricate pattern forming the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda; its back shimmered like a glass screen, radiating faint jade light.
"Yuhao, this is a special sect token," Zhi Yong explained. "Place a drop of your blood on it. The sect can then confirm if you've perished—and track your location anywhere. If danger strikes, we'll find you immediately."
Huo Yuhao accepted it without hesitation, warmth flooding his chest. 'With this, even if our plan fails, Elder Zhi Yong can rescue me. My risk of death just dropped significantly.'
As they flew deeper, the blizzard subsided.
Ye Xuanji and Zhi Yong landed.
"Ahead lies the Extreme North's core area," Ye Xuanji said, his gaze sharp as a blade.
Since they didn't know the Ice Jade Scorpion's territory, they'd search on foot for days. Huo Yuhao, clad in specially insulated gear, stayed close to the two Grand Elders.
Suddenly—
"Tianmeng?"
"Ready, Yuhao," Tianmeng urged.
As they neared the core zone—
a colossal spiritual power wave crashed over them!
And Huo Yuhao vanished.
Ye Xuanji and Zhi Yong's faces paled. How could someone abduct a person under the noses of a Level 96 and 97 Super Douluo?!
They checked the token—Huo Yuhao was alive, but teleported hundreds of miles away.
"What happened?" Ye Xuanji's spiritual sense swept the area—finding nothing.
"No idea," Zhi Yong grimaced. "But he's safe for now. We must find him before that changes."
"Go!" Ye Xuanji ordered.
Zhi Yong shot toward the horizon—
but both halted abruptly.
"A big one's coming."
Ye Xuanji's voice turned grave. He gripped his Star Saint Sword, its blade gleaming with celestial light. Zhi Yong's Sky Azure Vine coiled around him, its emerald glow infusing life into the frozen wasteland.
Nearby, a snow-capped peak trembled. A towering figure—taller than the mountain itself—strode toward them. Humanoid yet monstrous, its bluish-gray skin draped in snow-white fur, fanged maw snarling beneath a brow creased like glacial ravines. Each step shook the earth; its swinging arms whipped the blizzard into a frenzy.
Over a hundred meters tall—it could only be one being.
"The Ice Devil Titan," Ye Xuanji murmured, unmoved. He sensed the Third Heavenly King of the Extreme North had already locked onto them.
"HUMANS!!!"
The Titan's thunderous roar shook the heavens, its massive eyes blazing with murderous intent.
"Elder Zhi—find Yuhao first," Ye Xuanji commanded.
Nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red—rose beneath his feet. His Star Saint Sword resonated with the stars above.
"Understood." Zhi Yong vanished.
The Titan Snow Demon King swung a fist—
a cataclysmic blizzard erupted!
But streaks of starlight intercepted it.
"You've trespassed in my domain," the Titan boomed, voice like cracking glaciers.
Ye Xuanji hovered, unflinching. "We mean your kin no harm."
The Titan sneered. To it, all humans in the Extreme North deserved death.
Its eyes glowed icy blue. A crushing spiritual lock fixed on Ye Xuanji. Frost coalesced over its fists into razor-sharp blades, freezing the very air. With a roar, it slammed its fist downward!
BOOM—!
The force shattered the atmosphere.
Ye Xuanji's body blazed with black light. As his seventh soul ring ignited, a colossal sword materialized in the sky.
'Must end this quickly,' he thought. 'Can't draw the other Extreme North sovereigns.'
CLANG—!
The Star Saint Sword pointed heavenward.
A deafening sword cry tore through the sky—so potent it turned day to night across ten miles. Stars blazed brighter, drawn by the surging sword intent.
From the giant sword emerged a towering phantom—Ye Xuanji's exact likeness. It seized the hilt and roared:
"Stars shimmer in the endless night,
My sword points skyward, spirit unbent.
Ten thousand miles my blade devours,
Star light reflecting the ages.
—Sword Dao: Xuanji!"
The moment the verse ended—
the sword struck.
Ten thousand sword beams erupted, weaving into a river of starlight that cleaved the heavens—aimed straight at the Titan Snow Demon King!
---
Meanwhile—Elsewhere
After parting from Ye Xuanji and Zhi Yong, Huo Yuhao followed Tianmeng's plan perfectly—luring out the Ice Empress.
Through Tianmeng's silver-tongued persuasion, the proud sovereign of the Ice Jade Scorpions was thoroughly convinced.
And so…
"Are you ready?" Ice Empress asked, her voice low and resonant.
"Begin," Huo Yuhao said.
Her tail stinger lashed out—
plunging deep into his tailbone.
The fusion had begun…
—
T/N: Apparently the Extreme North is also called 'Thule' in SL3 according to the wiki? I swear I've never seen that lmao
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