Beside the Dark Ice Lake.
As the Blue-Eyed Crocodile happily devoured the flesh and blood of the Frost Giant Bear, growing stronger by the moment—
A dagger flashed in its eyes. The crocodile's life ended silently, without even a sound.
Only after the beast lay dead did Kaku slowly emerge from the shadows.
His expression was extremely grim.
Just from the corpses of these soul beasts, Kaku could tell he had arrived too late.
In the next instant, Kaku darted off in another direction.
His speed was so fast it was impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Brats, you had better not go to that place…
Kaku thought viciously in his heart.
If Xiao Lin and the others didn't approach the Ice-Scale Powder Base, he could still pretend nothing had happened.
But if they came within a kilometer of the base, then he would be forced to act personally.
Yet, after seeing the terrifying death of the Frost Giant Bear, Kaku no longer dared underestimate Xiao Lin and his companions.
For now, his only hope was that Snake, who had gone ahead toward the Ice-Scale Powder Base, wouldn't act recklessly.
One day later.
At this point, Xiao Lin's group, searching for the Comet Snow Wolf, was thoroughly lost.
"Huh?"
"Eh!?"
Faced with the doubtful voices of the other four, Xiao Lin pursed his lips and didn't say much.
"I've always been a bit bad with directions…" he admitted in embarrassment, speaking in a small voice.
Hearing this, Donnie was exasperated. She slapped her forehead, regretting ever tagging along with Xiao Lin.
Can this guy really help strengthen soul beasts' fortune?
"Xiao Lin, then how did you manage to lead us to Dark Ice Lake before?" Ye Lingling asked curiously, unable to find words.
"That's easy. The lake's in the northern region, right? We just headed straight north."
Xiao Lin said this as if it was obvious.
He might have poor navigation skills, but he wasn't so stupid he couldn't tell basic directions.
"Then why is it that when it comes to finding the Ice-Scale Powder Base northeast of the lake, you don't know the way?" Ye Lingling pressed, helpless.
"Well, I know it's northeast, but I can't figure out the precise angle or distance!"
Xiao Lin spread his hands. A tiny mistake could lead to disaster.
That was exactly why he'd wanted someone else to take the lead.
If they veered slightly east, it was fine—they wouldn't stray into the Arctic Core Region.
But if they veered slightly north… he could very well lead the whole team to their deaths.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Shi Mo asked suddenly.
He truly hadn't expected that Master Xiao Yan's prized disciple would have such flaws.
"I actually did say so," Xiao Lin insisted, crossing his arms.
"I told you I wasn't sure of the way and asked if we should just follow this Ice River Ancient Path. You all agreed back then."
He pointed at the map, at the river that linked Dark Ice Lake and stretched across most of the Arctic map.
This was the Ice River Ancient Path. It ran through many places—Dark Ice Lake, Frost-Snow Forest, Cold Star Valley, and others.
Xiao Lin had chosen it because it passed beneath the Ice-Scale Powder Base, and fearing he'd get lost, he thought they could just follow the path northward.
Once they reached the spot directly south of the base, they could then head straight north to reach it.
Xiao Lin's method could work—but with one huge flaw: he had no idea which point on the path was truly south of the base.
And that was assuming the map itself was completely accurate.
"The map shows the base near Frost-Snow Forest, north of the path. If we go Xiao Lin's way, we'll have to pass through the forest and waste ten days to half a month," Donnie calculated quickly, her sense of direction decent enough.
She glanced at the group to see if they wanted to stick with this plan.
"I don't mind. If we take the path, it'll be easier for us to find a soul beast for our martial spirits."
Shi Mo nodded in agreement.
Their Martial Spirit was the Black Tortoise. If they could find an ice-type turtle in the north, it would be a good substitute for the rare Dark Serpent Turtle.
Since Shi Mo agreed, Shi Mo's brother naturally had no objection either.
Ye Lingling also nodded, pointing to a valley on the map.
"Look, this valley is called the Ruins of the Snow Wolves. Maybe the Comet Snow Wolf you want is there."
"How about we just go there instead?"
The others examined the map. Sure enough, the valley was near Frost-Snow Forest. They found her suggestion reasonable.
"Hm, that makes sense," Shi Mo said.
At least it might help them find the soul beast they needed, and they could put the base aside for now.
After all, knowing the mastermind was likely a Soul Sage with bizarre methods, they had long since abandoned the idea of directly destroying the base.
But Xiao Lin suddenly shook his head.
"Actually, the Comet Snow Wolf isn't a true snow wolf. According to the first soul master who ever discovered them, their origin is like this—"
"In ancient times, people already knew of comets. I often wondered: could there be life on a comet? My curiosity drove me to the Xueling Province, here in the north."
"Records said the far north is where comets come closest to our world. This time, I was determined to witness a comet's descent."
"It came! After sixteen years of waiting, just as the records claimed—that every hundred years, a comet passes here—the comet truly appeared."
"It carried with it an ancient, alien power from another star system. When it passed nearest to the far north, I saw it clearly: something fell from the sky."
"I saw it—the far north suddenly birthed a new race. This race posed a threat to all nearby soul beasts."
"Wait—these creatures looked a bit like wolves. Could they be soul beasts that fell from the comet itself?"
"I decided to call them Comet Snow Wolves. Their eyes sparkled like starlight, their fur turned snow-white, their bodies grew strong, with unmatched speed and strength."
"When they hunted, they could summon phantom comets around their bodies. Their speed was terrifying, as fast as a comet—I could only glimpse their trailing tails."
"Their attributes came from alien energy—cosmic or cometary power—blended with the ice-attribute spiritual energy of the far north."
Xiao Lin spread his hands, finishing the tale.
That comet-obsessed scholar, it was said, always believed he himself was not of this world, but from another star.
That was why he sought out comets—and discovered the Comet Snow Wolf.
Xiao Lin even shared a rumor—he wasn't sure if true—that Comet Snow Wolf meat was delicious.
So delicious, in fact, that many dominant northern soul beasts considered it a delicacy.
Some claimed that soul masters who ate it became clear-headed and spiritually uplifted.
Hearing Xiao Lin's knowledge, the others were left speechless.
If what he said was true, then a Comet Snow Wolf of ten-thousand-year cultivation must have suffered terribly—and yet endured with incredible tenacity.
With no more to say, they continued on Xiao Lin's chosen path.
Whether or not they encountered a Comet Snow Wolf would depend on luck. But with Xiao Lin's knowledge, they wouldn't fail to find some other suitable soul beast in the end.