At the heart of the Extreme North—once one of the three great forbidden zones for humans—lay a place once famed as a land of great peril.
Ten thousand years ago, the three sovereigns of the Extreme North—Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Ice Bear King—followed the Ice Spirit Douluo into the God Realm. Since then, the Extreme North fell into decline, much like the core of the Star Dou Forest.
Xia Yi, Leng Yaozhu and her sister, and Lan Fozi journeyed deep into the Extreme North. Along the way, they encountered only a few scattered soul beasts of the hundred- or thousand-year level.
Keep in mind, this was the very core of the Extreme North—a place once entirely dominated by ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
And now? Besides the howling cold wind, not even a trace of a ten-thousand-year soul beast could be found.
What was once a land of terrifying might could now only be described with one word—desolate.
"Master!" The voice of the Ice God's Heart rang out in Xia Yi's mind.
"What is it?" Xia Yi asked.
"I won't be getting involved with the Holy Spirit Cult anymore. I'd like to explore the Extreme North on my own. When you're done dealing with the Holy Spirit Cult, I'll come find you again," the Ice God's Heart replied, her tone filled with indescribable sorrow. The core of the Extreme North now was far more desolate than when she had left it.
As the former Ice God, the sight of the land in such decline struck her deeply.
"Go ahead, stay safe," Xia Yi said. A flash of white light flickered from the soul tool ring on her hand, and the mecha, Little Ice, appeared in front of her.
The Ice God's Heart flew out from Xia Yi's forehead and merged into Little Ice. She gave a bow to Xia Yi and then piloted Little Ice into the endless snowstorm.
"Your soul spirit can stay separated from you for this long?" Leng Yaozhu asked in surprise. Most high-level soul spirits can separate from their masters for battle, but they can't stay away for extended periods.
Yet the Ice God's Heart looked like she had no plans to return anytime soon.
"She comes from the Extreme North. She can absorb the world's elemental power here to grow stronger. No need to worry about her," Xia Yi replied with a smile.
"Mhm." Leng Yaozhu nodded and, gazing at the Ice God's Heart as she departed, said, "Maybe you all are right."
Looking out over the barren landscape, Leng Yaozhu could feel the grief in the Ice God's Heart.
Over the years, humans had pushed soul beasts to the brink of extinction.
Even without Xia Yi, the Soul Beast Sovereign would probably go to any lengths to save their kind.
"Obviously. When has your man ever made a wrong decision?" Xia Yi said smugly.
"Smart mouth," Leng Yaozhu chuckled.
The four continued deeper into the Extreme North until a massive range of snow-capped mountains towering into the clouds came into view.
"The Holy Spirit Cult's main headquarters is within that mountain range," Lan Fozi said, pulling out a map. "This range is now called the Sacred Spirit Mountains, and it's laced with a highly advanced interconnected soul tool array—very dangerous. At the very center is the Sacred Spirit Hall. If my mother came to the Holy Spirit Cult, that's where she would be. Outside of that are the Worship Hall and the Elder Hall. The Worship Hall is led by the Nether Emperor, while the Elder Hall is headed by the Ghost Emperor. Though the two halls appear to support each other, there's constant power struggle behind the scenes.
"In terms of strength, the Elder Hall surpasses the Worship Hall. Of the Four Heavenly Kings, the first and second belong to the Elder Hall, while the third and fourth are from the Worship Hall. Currently, the Elder Hall has 18 Titled Douluo, while the Worship Hall—counting the Dark Phoenix here—has 15."
At that, Lan Fozi gave Leng Yulai a side glance and snorted coldly. Logically, with Leng Yulai having left the Holy Spirit Cult for so long, someone should've been appointed to replace her as a Heavenly King.
But due to the Demon Emperor's intervention, she had securely retained her title as the third Heavenly King.
And yet, Leng Yulai not only didn't show any gratitude, she even used her (Lan Fozi) as amusement.
"What's the difference between the Elder Hall and the Worship Hall?" Xia Yi asked curiously.
"The Elder Hall is composed entirely of those born as evil soul masters. For example, the First Heavenly King, Dark Blood Demon, has a martial soul just like the Ghost Emperor's—pure evil in nature, growing through soul devouring. The Worship Hall, on the other hand, is made up of people like me. We aren't born evil, but have dark-attributed martial souls prone to corruption. Certain circumstances led us to fall and become evil soul masters," Leng Yulai explained, her eyes tinged red as she looked toward Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu.
If not for Xia Yi, she might still be the Holy Spirit Cult's third Heavenly King.
No—more likely the fourth.
Back when she disappeared, she had been stuck at rank 97, unable to break through, while the Dark Bell Nana Li had just reached rank 66.
But at that time, Nana Li wasn't even thirty yet, with extraordinary talent. If her own cultivation had remained stuck, Nana Li probably would've surpassed her by now.
Her position as third Heavenly King would've long been taken.
"Thirty-three Titled Douluo, huh? No wonder they're the Holy Spirit Cult." Leng Yaozhu snorted. "Sister Fozi, lead the way. Let's head directly to the Sacred Spirit Hall."
"Alright!" Lan Fozi nodded and flew side by side with Leng Yulai toward the Sacred Spirit Mountains.
Leng Yaozhu and Xia Yi, cloaked in black, followed closely behind.
"Who goes there?" As soon as Lan Fozi and Leng Yulai neared the Sacred Spirit Mountains, five black mechas rose up to block their path.
"Move!" Lan Fozi barked arrogantly, not slowing in the slightest. She completely ignored the powerful aura the five mechas were emitting.
"Young Mistress… Heavenly King…" The mecha pilots, recognizing Lan Fozi and Leng Yulai, were instantly terrified. These two were not to be trifled with.
Especially Leng Yulai, who was notoriously temperamental and disdained speaking with male soul masters. Those who offended her were usually killed in cold blood.
In the Holy Spirit Cult, there was no justice.
What, you expected the higher-ups to punish a Heavenly King over a mere grunt?
The mecha pilots didn't dare hesitate. They scattered in panic and cleared the path.
And just like that, with Leng Yulai and Lan Fozi paving the way, Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu made their way unimpeded straight into the Sacred Spirit Hall.
Seeing the grand throne of the cult leader high above, Leng Yaozhu didn't hesitate in the slightest. She flung off her cloak and sat down with authority.
Leng Yulai stepped forward to stand on her left, while Xia Yi and Lan Fozi stood on her right.
Only now did the Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor get the message and hurried over with the upper echelon of the Holy Spirit Cult.
"Heavenly Phoenix Douluo…" Upon seeing Leng Yaozhu, both Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor turned pale.
"Sarcasm Douluo. Young Mistress. Are you betraying the Holy Spirit Cult? Aren't you afraid of the Cult Leader's wrath?" Ghost Emperor glared at Leng Yulai and Lan Fozi, his eyes practically shooting fire.
"Wrath?" Lan Fozi snorted. "You think me standing here doesn't already speak for my mother's will?"
"I'll ask you one more time—surrender or not?" Leng Yulai's voice was calm, her gaze placid, as if Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor were beneath notice.
"Courting death!" Ghost Emperor growled. A massive skull appeared above his head, its jaws opening to spew out a wave of green ghostly fire toward the four.
"If you're testing me, you've miscalculated." From the throne, Leng Yaozhu stared coldly at Ghost Emperor. With a flick of her slender fingers, nine drops of Phoenix Truefire emerged.
With a casual flick, the nine drops flew straight at Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor. The moment the ghost fire touched the Phoenix flames, it was incinerated completely.
Leng Yaozhu turned her hand, and the nine drops transformed into blazing suns—nine suns in a line, encircling the two emperors completely.
"Ghost Emperor! Nether Emperor!" The other high-ranking members of the Holy Spirit Cult panicked and released their martial souls.
"Everyone, I am your opponent." Leng Yulai's voice remained flat. With a raise of her hand, the world seemed to tilt—gentle spring breezes caressed every soul.
Even the evil soul masters felt a strange comfort, their blood and qi surging.
But soon, they were met with searing heat, sweat pouring down their faces—even the strongest Douluo couldn't endure it.
Then came the killing chill of autumn, followed by a winter cold that pierced to the bone. No soul power could defend against it.
Luckily, the frigid cold didn't last long. Another spring breeze blew, dispelling all the chill.
"Something's wrong. My life force is draining!" an elderly Titled Douluo screamed.
"The Cycle of the Four Realms. With every rotation, one year of your life is taken," Leng Yulai said blandly. The Black Phoenix feather appeared in her hand. She calmly looked at the panicked leaders. "Now, either kill me to stop the rotation, or surrender to my sister and I'll remove the effect. Out of goodwill, I'll warn you—even if all of you attack me at once, your chances of killing me are exactly zero."
"Arrogant! You're just a third Heavenly King! Who gave you the courage to say that?" The First Heavenly King, Dark Blood Demon, glared coldly at her. "Everyone, with me. Kill this traitor!"
Clang—
A crisp bell rang out.
Dark Bell Nana Li was the first to strike.
(End of Chapter)