Chapter 56: The Far North Journey's End
The cold wind swept across the eternal snowfields of the Far North, whipping up fine crystals of ice that shimmered with faint light beneath the hazy moon. In this desolate, uninhabited wasteland, a young man was undergoing a transformation that would remake him from the marrow outward.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged within the snow cave, his brow tightly furrowed, his body trembling faintly from time to time. Electrolux's gray soul power enveloped him like a thin veil, forming a protective barrier that helped him withstand the heart-rending agony of fusing with the soul bone. Although he didn't have that secret-method soul bone from the original story to share the burden of pain, under Electrolux's precise spiritual control, the fusion process—while not without its turbulence—advanced steadily along its predetermined course.
Moment by moment, time slipped past. Fine beads of sweat seeped from Huo Yuhao's forehead, only to be flash-frozen into ice crystals by the surrounding cold. Furina kept silent vigil at his side, a trace of concern—barely perceptible—flickering in her azure eyes. From time to time, she glanced beyond the cave's mouth, alert to any danger that might emerge.
"Hold on, kid." The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had, uncharacteristically, shed his usual cheeky, irreverent demeanor. His voice was taut with tension. "The Ice Emperor's source power is even more tyrannical than I imagined. If Old Electrolux weren't here, just the energy shockwaves from the soul bone fusion alone would've been more than enough for you to handle."
Huo Yuhao clenched his teeth and endured, feeling the force rampaging through his body like a primordial beast. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's soul bone was fusing with his spine. Every inch of fusion brought searing, bone-gnawing pain—as if countless needles of ice were driving into his marrow. Yet at the same time, he could feel an unprecedented power surging within him, like a dragon in slumber, ready at any moment to burst forth.
In this interweaving of ultimate agony and burgeoning strength, Huo Yuhao's consciousness gradually blurred. He felt as though he were adrift in an ocean where searing cold and blazing heat merged into one. He saw countless fragments of memory—the Ice Emperor's glorious dominion over the Far North; the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's centuries-long, obsessive, unrequited love for her; and his own past—the humiliation he and his mother had suffered in the Duke's Manor. These memories flickered past like a revolving lantern, ultimately converging into a single, unshakable conviction: he had to become stronger. At any cost.
Suddenly, a cool stream of spiritual power poured into his sea of consciousness. Electrolux's voice rang out: "Guard your heart and mind. The fusion has reached its most critical stage. Guide the Ice Emperor's source power and fuse it with your second martial soul. Do not resist. Accept it—as rivers flow into the sea."
Huo Yuhao followed the instructions. He opened his mind and heart and actively guided that rampaging, untamed force. Strangely, the moment he stopped resisting, the pain eased considerably. In its place came a sense of harmony—of water and milk blending seamlessly. The Ice Emperor's power, like a tamed creature, began to obey his command.
Who knew how much time had passed? When the final wisp of the Ice Emperor's source power fused flawlessly with his body, Huo Yuhao's eyes flew open and he let out a long, skyward howl. The sound reverberated through the snow cave, shaking loose a cascade of snow from the ceiling above.
"I succeeded!" Huo Yuhao stared at his own hands in disbelief, feeling the surging power coursing through his body. "Thank you, Brother Tianmeng. Thank you, Venerable Electrolux. Ice Emperor—and Sister Furina. Without all of you, there's no way I could have succeeded."
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice echoed in his mind—weary, yet brimming with profound relief. "Finally... it's done. All my painstaking efforts weren't in vain. That Ice Emperor... she's finally become a part of us."
Electrolux's gray soul form had grown noticeably thinner, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "This is most satisfactory. I shall return and continue my rest. This ordeal has drained a considerable portion of my spiritual strength."
Furina stepped forward and gently patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder, a glimmer of approval shining in her eyes. "Alright. Rest for a bit first. Later, we'll find a second soul ring for your Spirit Eyes martial soul."
Huo Yuhao nodded, still immersed in the joy of having obtained such tremendous power. But soon, he noticed the absence of an important presence in his sea of consciousness, and worry crept in. "Brother Tianmeng, why hasn't the Ice Emperor appeared? Did something go wrong?"
"The Ice Emperor is fine," Tianmeng hurriedly explained, his voice carrying joy he couldn't quite conceal. "It's just that after fusing with your body just now—even with my protection—she's utterly exhausted. She's fallen into a deep slumber. After all, her situation is different from how it was with me. When I fused with you, I barely had any soul power left—it was purely a fusion of spiritual sources, and since I'm a spiritual attribute, it was far easier. But her case was much more complicated. Thankfully, it succeeded. It won't be long before she wakes."
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm paused, then continued. "You should carefully feel the changes in your body right now. This torso bone the Ice Emperor has bestowed upon you has elevated your physical constitution by at least five times compared to before. Your tolerance has also massively increased—you can now withstand a soul ring equivalent to a three-thousand-year soul beast. This is precisely why I had you fuse with the Ice Emperor first before obtaining the second soul ring."
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and focused his mind, carefully experiencing the changes within his body. As expected, he felt explosive, surging power filling every part of him. Every muscle seemed to have been forged and tempered a thousand times. His bones were tougher. Even his five senses had sharpened considerably. What was even more astonishing was that, during the fusion process, his soul power had also advanced by leaps and bounds, directly smashing through the bottleneck to reach the rank thirty threshold.
"The Ice Emperor has officially become the primary soul ring of your second martial soul, and also the very essence of your second martial soul," Tianmeng continued his explanation. "Her amplification effect on you is even greater than mine. Your current cultivation is still weak, so the portion of her power you can wield is still very small. But as your cultivation steadily rises, the abilities the Ice Emperor has brought you will continuously surprise you."
"Back then, what I brought you was four soul skills plus one martial soul. Although the Ice Emperor's cultivation is a notch below mine, her racial inheritance far surpasses my own. Moreover, according to the capabilities of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, she has also brought you four soul skills—in addition to that torso bone that has already perfectly fused into your body. The reason it's four soul skills is that the soul ring provided two, and the soul bone provided two more."
"Another four soul skills!" Huo Yuhao was wild with joy and couldn't wait to try out these new abilities.
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm laughed. "Explore them at your leisure. For now, let's go find the second soul ring for your Spirit Eyes."
Huo Yuhao nodded firmly, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.
Under the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's guidance, they soon found a member of Tianmeng's own race—a silkworm with roughly two thousand five hundred years of cultivation—at the edge of the Far North. This type of soul beast possessed extremely low offensive power but was exceedingly skilled at using spiritual power to create illusions to disguise itself. It was perfectly suited for Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes martial soul.
Because it had virtually no offensive capabilities, Furina didn't intervene, leaving the matter entirely to Huo Yuhao. Having just obtained the Ice Emperor's power, Huo Yuhao was eager to test his newfound strength, and he charged straight in. To his astonishment, a thousand-year soul beast that he'd originally expected would require a bitter struggle to overcome was now easily subdued with nothing but raw physical force.
"Is this the change the Ice Emperor has brought me?" Huo Yuhao looked at his own fist, murmuring in disbelief.
The process of absorbing the soul ring went exceptionally smoothly. The Ice Emperor's reforging had made his body's resilience far surpass that of ordinary people. The energy of a two-thousand-five-hundred-year soul ring surged into his body, yet it didn't bring the slightest strain. And the soul skill he obtained was, just as Tianmeng had predicted, the exceedingly practical "Imitation" skill. This ability could distort space through spiritual fluctuations, using oneself as the foundation to mimic various forms. As Huo Yuhao's spiritual power grew, even a Titled Douluo would struggle to see through the disguise in a short period of time.
Watching Huo Yuhao test out his new soul skill, a thoughtful light passed through Furina's eyes. She knew clearly that according to the original story's development, Huo Yuhao's abilities mostly leaned toward half-support, half-offense. Yet because his spiritual power was overwhelmingly strong, he could often crush opponents of the same rank, effectively turning the Spirit Eyes martial soul—originally intended as a control-type—into an assault-type, far removed from its initial purpose.
"If one truly wanted to bring out the essence of the control-type," Furina mused to herself, "the focus should be on the direction of illusions. Like Sōsuke Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu—making enemies slaughter one another, or even launch attacks against empty air. Paired with Huo Yuhao's immense spiritual power, virtually no one of the same rank could break through." At this thought, she couldn't help furrowing her brow slightly. Such an ability, in the current environment of the Douluo Continent, would be highly likely to be regarded as the work of an evil soul master.
That said, if Huo Yuhao could enter Shrek Academy—with that academy's tradition of fiercely protecting its own—they would likely shield him well. Furina had already begun planning to find suitable targets for Huo Yuhao's next soul ring. The system shop had already unlocked the purchase of soul rings with fixed skill types. Though the price was steep, for the sake of Huo Yuhao's growth, this investment was well worth it.
"Alright. The martial soul is awakened, the soul ring is obtained—it's time to head back." Furina stifled a yawn, concealing the weariness in her eyes.
As she turned to leave, Furina glanced back one last time. The Snow Empress is still in the Far North. It really is a pity I couldn't get her this time. But with the Ice Emperor now in deep slumber and both Tianmeng and Electrolux having expended enormous amounts of spiritual energy, it truly wasn't wise to linger. She made a silent resolution: once the auction began, she would find another way to bring the Snow Empress back. If things followed the original story...
The two companions set out on the return journey. Huo Yuhao tested his new abilities from time to time—now mimicking the surrounding environment, now shifting into various forms. Watching his joyful, lively silhouette, Furina's lips unconsciously curved upward. This young man was growing at a pace far exceeding that of the original story. And his future, due to her intervention, now brimmed with limitless possibilities.
Night fell. The wind and snow of the Far North gradually intensified, covering their tracks and burying the miracle that had just occurred upon this land. But for Huo Yuhao, this was only the beginning of his legendary journey. An even longer road stretched out ahead, waiting for him to explore.