Chapter 13: Confronting the Ice Emperor
On a boundless and desolate snowy plain, a shivering figure was slowly trudging forward.
That figure was Lin Qinghan. Due to the intense cold and fierce winds of the Far North, flying was not only extremely slow—thanks to constantly flying against the wind—but also drained energy rapidly. So, he chose to walk instead.
"I say, Qinghan, do you really not need my exuviae for warmth?"
The Skydream Iceworm asked as he looked at the shivering Lin Qinghan.
He was genuinely puzzled. Not only did Lin Qinghan refuse his exuviae, but he also wasn't wearing any warm clothing, as if he were torturing himself.
"I'm modifying my soul skill. It'll be done soon, and then I won't feel cold anymore."
In response to the Skydream Iceworm's concern, Lin Qinghan explained, still refusing the offer.
After previously being hunted by evil soul masters due to his scent, he was now improving his mental projection.
By combining his mental domain's ability to control surrounding objects with airflow manipulation, he could both prevent his scent from escaping and keep himself warm. He was nearly finished with the improvement.
"Ah, finally done."
As he felt the cold wind no longer penetrating his body and warmth spreading throughout, Lin Qinghan let out a satisfied sigh.
Although the energy consumption of the mental projection had increased significantly, its camouflage ability was now nearly flawless.
"Qinghan, hit the ground!" the Skydream Iceworm shouted anxiously.
Before he could react, Lin Qinghan noticed darkness overhead. A massive foot, large enough to block the sky, came stomping down toward him.
"What the fu—"
Before he could finish cursing, Lin Qinghan was stomped deep into the snow. Fortunately, the snow was thick enough to cushion him, and he wasn't hurt.
"Damn it. Even I get the same treatment as the original protagonist—getting stomped."
He watched as the colossal figure—easily 50 meters tall—walked away. Lin Qinghan was speechless. It seemed like ever since he arrived in the Far North, his bad luck had begun.
He had just reached the core region of the Far North when he encountered the Titan Snow Demon King—one of the top-tier and rarest soul beasts of the region.
And from the look of it, this one was nearly 100,000 years old—pure bad luck.
"Glad you're okay. Let's keep moving. We're almost there."
The Skydream Iceworm didn't seem surprised, as if he knew Lin Qinghan wouldn't be seriously hurt, and resumed guiding him.
After traveling another 200 li northward, they finally reached the core of the Far North.
"We're here. Stop now," the Skydream Iceworm instructed.
Lin Qinghan looked around, but all he saw was a vast, white landscape—nothing remarkable.
"Alright, it's your turn now."
Ignoring the cold ground, Lin Qinghan sat down cross-legged.
"Hehe. Don't worry, Qinghan. Even if this fails, I can still get us both out safely."
The Skydream Iceworm reassured him, seeing how cooperative Lin Qinghan was.
Suddenly, Lin Qinghan felt a wave of dizziness. His Brainwave Martial Soul involuntarily activated, and its golden soul ring shone brightly.
The range of his mental domain expanded with the pulsing of the golden ring until it covered the entire core of the Far North.
The remaining nine golden orbs in his spiritual sea also began to glow, releasing energy outward.
A massive golden phantom of a silkworm appeared next to Lin Qinghan. As the energy from the golden orbs flowed in, the Skydream Iceworm materialized outside in his spiritual form.
"Ice Emperor, I, the Skydream Iceworm, have returned. Won't you come out and greet me?"
The Skydream Iceworm projected a booming message across the entire core of the Far North.
Almost instantly, a jade-green light appeared on the horizon. A terrifying pressure swept over the area, pressing even the ancient hardened snow into depressions.
"Skydream, so you're still alive. Have you returned just to be devoured by me?"
In the blink of an eye, the green light arrived before Lin Qinghan and the Skydream Iceworm.
Lin's mental field identified the approaching figure: a jade-green scorpion, about 1.5 meters long, moving at tremendous speed.
Though it was a scorpion, its form embodied the pinnacle of natural beauty—its crystalline carapace shimmering like embedded diamond ice crystals made it look like a work of art.
Only the three-sectioned tail stinger slightly disrupted its otherwise perfect aesthetics.
"The Ice Emperor showed up directly?"
Lin Qinghan was surprised. She didn't even try to hide herself, clearly confident the Skydream Iceworm couldn't threaten her.
"Icey, you're still so beautiful. Of course, I'm not dead. I told you I'd return one day—and prove myself."
The Skydream Iceworm spoke with an oily tone, wiggling his massive silkworm body. Even Lin Qinghan felt a little disgusted.
"No wonder the Skydream Iceworm developed feelings across species lines. The Ice Emperor really is beautiful. But with that attitude, it's no wonder she ignored him for a million years," Lin Qinghan muttered.
As the Skydream Iceworm spoke, the Ice Emperor's anger flared. Her stinger glowed even brighter—clearly preparing an attack.
"I was going to catch up since it's been so long. But since you're in such a rush, I won't hold back."
Before the Ice Emperor could attack, the Skydream Iceworm's spiritual body erupted with golden light. Most of his energy split off and formed a giant golden net, instantly trapping her before she could react.
The Ice Emperor felt a powerful mental force and a special net-like structure envelop her, completely suppressing her spiritual and soul energy. Everything went black—she couldn't move.
Outside, the spiritual net and the Skydream Iceworm's exuviae had turned into a giant golden cocoon.
"Got her. Qinghan, let's get out of here. Her kin might come looking soon. We need to find a new place for the next phase."
The Skydream Iceworm's spiritual form had shrunk down, and with a small nod, the giant cocoon vanished.
Lin Qinghan didn't hesitate. Under the Skydream Iceworm's guidance, he flew toward the outer regions of the Far North.
Even with the Skydream Iceworm's massive mental power boosting Lin's spiritual domain for faster flight, it still took nearly 45 minutes before they stopped.
Near a mountain peak, the Skydream Iceworm used Lin's mental field to blast open a cave in the mountain. He then concealed the area using mental projection.
(End of Chapter)
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