Clouds floating with jade-like colors, white-haired majesty reaching to the azure heavens!
Standing atop the snowy mountain peak, Yang Fan couldn't help but once again marvel at the wonders of Dou Qi wings.
In the past, even with the strength of a Quasi-Titled Douluo, ascending to a snowy mountain peak would have taken at least half a minute. But now, with a pair of wings, it was merely the blink of an eye.
"Master!"
"This snowy mountain shouldn't have any soul beasts visiting it, right?"
According to Yao Lao's teachings...
The more treacherous the terrain, the more likely it was to grow precious medicinal herbs.
Why?
Simply because animals couldn't reach them.
Take the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, for example—that place had so many immortal-grade herbs not just because of Dugu Bo's serpent poison protection, but also because the hot springs emitted an aura that made soul beasts tremble with fear.
"That may not necessarily be true!"
"In this Extreme North, you're not the only one who can fly."
Yang Fan nodded slightly.
Those words weren't wrong!
There were indeed some soul beasts in the Extreme North capable of soaring through the skies.
By that logic...
Only natural barriers where soul beasts couldn't stand, or places like the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well that made them cower, would meet the requirements.
"Whew~~~"
"Brat!"
"It's rather cold here."
Though Yao Lao was in a soul state, that didn't mean he had lost all his senses.
"Master!"
"You just noticed?"
Yang Fan indicated that he had already taken two Fire Heart Pills since arriving at this snowy mountain.
Even so!
This snowy mountain still brought waves of cold to Yang Fan.
Fortunately, he had a Heavenly Flame within him—otherwise, even wearing two thick cotton coats wouldn't be enough to withstand the Extreme North's frigid cold.
"Something's wrong!"
"There's likely something strange about this snowy mountain."
Yao Lao's Demigod-level strength wasn't something any weather could casually challenge.
Since entering the Extreme North, he had stood in the ice and snow wearing only a thin robe, appearing completely relaxed and comfortable.
Yet now...
Standing atop this snowy mountain peak, he actually felt a hint of coolness.
"Master... makes a valid point!"
Though Yang Fan had lost his exact bearings in the Extreme North, he suspected he had likely arrived in the core region.
Know this!
Currently, the Extreme North's core region was more dangerous than the Great Star Dou Forest.
Even so, Yang Fan still hadn't given up on his search for the Bone Spirit Fruit.
This was his ultimate purpose for entering the Extreme North!
...
Master and disciple walked and chatted...
As they ventured deeper into the snowy mountain, the surrounding air grew even colder.
This made Yang Fan begin to doubt his life!
Fire Heart Pill... a Tier-6 medicinal pill!
Forget the Douluo Continent—even on the Dou Qi Continent, it would make people fight over it until their heads broke.
Why couldn't it withstand the Extreme North's cold?
He couldn't help but suspect there was a problem with his alchemy process.
"Wait!"
At this moment, Yao Lao suddenly stopped, his expression growing grave.
"Master."
"What is it?"
The change in mood made Yang Fan tense up as well.
He looked around in all directions!
Yet found nothing unusual.
"Silly boy!"
"If Master isn't mistaken, your opportunity may have arrived."
At these words, Yang Fan instantly became excited.
"Master, you mean...?"
Yao Lao's words couldn't be clearer: there was something good on this snowy mountain!
His opportunity...
Which meant this so-called good thing couldn't be the Bone Spirit Fruit.
This made him excited, yet not entirely so!
"Yes!"
"If Master's guess is correct, there must be a Heavenly Flame hidden somewhere on this snowy mountain."
Yao Lao had harbored this suspicion from the beginning.
Very simple!
The only explanation for someone like him, who possessed the Bone Chilling Flame, still feeling such obvious cold changes was this.
If not!
Then this snowy mountain must certainly contain some treasure with power equal to a Heavenly Flame.
"Heavenly Flame!"
This was the first time since entering the Extreme North that Yang Fan had shown such excitement.
His eyes gleamed with brilliant light!
Heavenly Flame!
If Yao Lao's guess was correct, he would possess his third Heavenly Flame in life.
It would also satisfy the harsh requirement of needing three Heavenly Flames to refine a Dou Zong-level body.
For his strength, for Yao Lao to reconstruct a physical body, this would represent a tremendous leap forward.
Of course!
All this still depended on Yao Lao's guess being accurate and him successfully absorbing the Heavenly Flame.
"Master."
"Could there really be a Heavenly Flame in this frozen environment?"
At this moment!
Yao Lao manifested his Bone Chilling Flame in his palm.
Heavenly Flames existed in countless forms!
No one had ever stipulated that flames must be scorching hot and explosive—they could also be cold like the Bone Chilling Flame.
One important reason Yao Lao suspected this snowy mountain had a Heavenly Flame was the environment.
The environment atop this snowy mountain had some similarities to the Godfall Ice Plain where he had obtained the Bone Chilling Flame.
Only by comparison, the Extreme North's environment was far less harsh than the Godfall Ice Plain.
So he guessed...
If the Extreme North truly had a Heavenly Flame, its attribute should be the same as the Bone Chilling Flame—an extreme cold flame.
This would also explain why the temperature on this snowy mountain was so frigid.
"Master!"
"Where is the Heavenly Flame now?"
Yang Fan now completely understood, to the point where he was already impatient.
This was a rare opportunity to obtain a Heavenly Flame. To hesitate even one second would be blasphemy against the king of fire.
"Silly boy!"
"Do you really think your Master can divine everything?"
Yao Lao smiled and shook his head.
The excited and tense atmosphere was relieved by these words.
"However..."
"Though I don't know the Heavenly Flame's exact location, I do know how to find it."
At this moment...
With a meaningful smile, Yao Lao extended his index finger and pointed toward the snow beneath their feet.
Based on his accumulated experience searching for Heavenly Flames: the vast majority were buried deep underground.
This snowy mountain would certainly be no exception!
If a Heavenly Flame truly existed, there would be no second possibility besides beneath the snowy mountain.
"Master."
"You must be joking."
He knew a Heavenly Flame couldn't grow on trees.
But...
With his current strength, he really couldn't split this several-kilometer-long snowy mountain open with raw power.
"Does I look like I'm joking?"
"If you truly want to verify whether this snowy mountain has a Heavenly Flame, the only method is to enter the mountain's interior and investigate."
Obtaining a Heavenly Flame was never smooth sailing.
When he acquired the Bone Chilling Flame, it came at the cost of blood and tears.
At this moment...
Yang Fan was studying the ice surface at the snowy mountain's peak.
"Brat!"
"Master only said to enter the snowy mountain, not to enter like this."
"Even humans have several holes in their bodies, let alone such a large snowy mountain."
Old people have filthy mouths!
Yao Lao's words made perfect sense.
Since a frontal assault wouldn't work, he would circle around to the back and look for an opening.
Yes... that's the plan!
With his decision made, Yang Fan's goal became clearer.
...
At this moment!
A dark green spot suddenly appeared before him.
A flash of light...
The dark green spot suddenly expanded dozens of times before his eyes, revealing its true form.
It was a person!
A woman who appeared to be no more than twenty years old.
A captivating fair complexion, skin as white as ice and snow, with a translucent quality.
Beneath her skin, faint green light flowed.
And the dark green spot he had seen earlier was her beautiful long hair, draped over both shoulders.
Swaying with the wind, impossibly silky!
Her face showed a coldness even more severe than Zhu Zhuqing's.
This was the first human Yang Fan had seen since entering the Extreme North.
Setting aside this woman's beauty...
Even if it had been a man, Yang Fan would have wanted to strike up a warm conversation.
He stepped forward, then immediately retracted his foot...
Wrong!
This woman simply couldn't be human.
Someone as powerful as Yao Lao felt this place was frigid, yet the woman standing not far before him was actually wearing a dark green dress.
At this moment...
Yang Fan already had a guess about the dark green woman's identity.
Ice Empress!
That is, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion ranked second in the Extreme North, and also ranked seventh among the ferocious beasts of the Douluo Continent.
If his guess was accurate...
Then the woman standing before him was a 380,000-year-old super soul beast.
In his previous experiences, he had never encountered a soul beast of this level.
"Gulp~~"
Yang Fan's throat couldn't help but move.
Originally, in this frigid place, this woman could have brought warmth to his kidneys, but now she seemed utterly cold.
Suddenly!
The woman's beautiful eyes changed into two colors.
Her left eye became the color of ice, her right eye turned completely jade green.
Immediately after...
An extremely cold aura surged into Yang Fan's brain through his nasal cavity.
His spirit was shaken!
And at this moment, the woman moved...
A flash of green light!
Tens of thousands of ice blades appeared in the air. As the woman's delicate hand fell, the ice blades shot out like lightning under her control.
At this moment...
Rich combat experience made Yang Fan take out his wide Heavy Xuan Ruler and hold it before him, while circulating Dou Qi to form a defensive barrier.
Clink clink clink clink clink clink—
A series of dense collision sounds exploded before Yang Fan.
In the blink of an eye...
The defensive barrier Yang Fan had condensed with Dou Qi was instantly pierced.
Fortunately, the Heavy Xuan Ruler was forged from Flame Meteor Xuan Iron, extremely hard, and withstood the dense rain of ice blade attacks.
His body was also knocked back several hundred meters in this confrontation.
Ice Empress!
It was the Ice Empress!
A simple exchange confirmed the woman's identity in Yang Fan's mind.
It was indeed the super soul beast, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
"The Extreme North is not a place for you vile soul masters to set foot."
The Ice Empress's voice was as cold as the Extreme North's weather.
Having cultivated for 380,000 years, she had always believed humans to be insignificant and vile.
This perception wasn't baseless!
Over 380,000 years, countless soul masters had died by her hand, and it was precisely this reason that made her believe there were no strong ones among soul masters.
Yet at this moment...
A ripple appeared in her cold heart.
Why?
Simply because Yang Fan had survived her certain-kill attack.
Even so...
The Ice Empress didn't give Yang Fan any chance to breathe.
The ice color and jade green in her dual eyes suddenly flashed, and immediately the surrounding several kilometers seemed to freeze.
Domain of Perpetual Ice!
This was the special domain skill belonging to the Ice Jade Scorpion race.
With her 380,000 years of cultivation, she could instantly freeze tens of thousands of meters.
However, dealing with a mere soul master, she had no need to do so.
At this moment...
Yang Fan felt not only the effects of the Fire Heart Pill weakening within him, but his movement speed, Dou Qi, and spirit power flow all began to slow down.
Facing this situation...
Yang Fan felt completely suppressed.
Though breaking through to Dou King already placed him in the realm of experts, he knew he still couldn't be considered a true expert.
At the very least, with his current strength, he couldn't fight against the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion ranked seventh among ferocious beasts.
"Master."
"I want to take her on!"
Yang Fan's eyes revealed desire.
He didn't just want to experience what kind of strength the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion ranked seventh among ferocious beasts possessed, but more importantly, he wanted to taste the thrill of Demigod-level combat.
"Good!"
"I will watch over you."
The moment Yang Fan relaxed, immensely powerful energy flooded into his body.
He had never experienced such wonderful and powerful force in his life!
At this moment!
He felt as though he had the entire world beneath his feet.
"How... can this be?"
The change in Yang Fan shocked the Ice Empress.
Only now did she truly notice that the soul elder beside Yang Fan had disappeared.
And the moment he disappeared, Yang Fan's energy fluctuations began to skyrocket, rising to a level she had no choice but to take seriously.
"Hehe—"
"Now it's my turn!"
Yang Fan spread his wings and soared, reaching ten thousand meters in an instant.
Dou Qi fluctuations...
He exerted slight force in his palm to draw the Heavy Xuan Ruler into his grasp.
With a powerful downward swing of the Heavy Xuan Ruler, majestic Dou Qi burst forth.
At this moment!
The skies above the Extreme North were completely dyed a fiery red. The scorching Dou Qi began to melt the accumulated snow and ice that had lain for millions or even tens of millions of years.
Shaking heaven and moving ghosts!
Half the Extreme North trembled from this Demigod-level Flame Splitting Tsunami.
Powerful!
The Demigod-level attack made Yang Fan so excited he couldn't control himself—Dou King instantly seemed unappealing.
Looking below...
The Extreme North now had a gully several thousand meters long, dozens of meters wide, and hundreds of meters deep.
Gusts of wind raised wave after wave of ice and snow tornadoes, continuously ravaging the Extreme North.
At this moment...
The dark green figure he truly cared about appeared, but no longer in that drool-worthy beauty form.
An Ice Jade Scorpion only about 1.5 meters long!
Her body showed the same two colors as her eyes—half ice, half jade green.
The front of her body had four layers of stacking, each layer slightly more than half a meter long. Her head grew on the foremost layer, with silver-white mouthparts. On the front half of her body covered by the four stacked layers, there were hexagonal protrusions one after another.
Apart from the colors, her general form was actually eighty percent similar to an ordinary scorpion.
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