More than ten days later.
Under Donnie's lead, the five-person squad moved much faster than before.
By now, Xiao Lin and his companions had reached the Frost-Snow Forest of the extreme north.
"Phew! Finally, we're here. From here to the Ice-Scale Powder Base shouldn't be too far, right?"
Shi Mo exhaled heavily, his voice weary.
Just to keep up with Donnie's pace, the others had nearly worn themselves out.
Donnie herself was a monster—completely tireless.
Shi Mo was the least affected, thanks to his naturally muscular build and beast-type martial soul.
Ye Lingling, on the other hand, had long since shed her usual aloof demeanor.
She was now crouched on the ground, panting heavily. With each breath, the veil on her face shifted, revealing glimpses of her delicate beauty.
During these past ten days on the Ice River Ancient Path, Xiao Lin's group hadn't just hurried along aimlessly.
Every so often, Xiao Lin would use his Extreme Ice to mimic the aura of rare treasures, luring out spirit beasts along the way. By luck, they managed to find a pair of soul beasts perfectly suited for Shi Mo and Shi Mo's brother.
These were two Xuanming Water Serpents, each around eight thousand years old.
The reason Xiao Lin chose these serpents for the brothers was because he noticed something special about them.
The Xuanming Water Serpent was a two-headed serpent. It wasn't skilled in poison, but in mental power and ice. Even more unusual, it could form a manifestation known as the Xuanming True Form upon its body.
This "True Form" was essentially a set of armor composed entirely of energy—both offensive and defensive—an ideal match for the Shi brothers.
What surprised Xiao Lin even more was that these serpents carried a trace of Black Tortoise (Xuanwu) bloodline.
Not from the turtle side, but from the serpent side of Xuanwu.
With their bloodline and talent, the serpents could even unleash a soul skill known as Black Tortoise True Form.
Recalling what he had once read, Xiao Lin remembered that in the Chronicles of Soul Beasts, the Xuanming Water Serpent was also called the Xuanming Serpent-Turtle. The "turtle" part was created when one serpent head transformed into the likeness of a turtle's head, strengthened by the energy armor and their spiritual power.
Now, both Shi Mo and Shi Mo's brother had gained an immensely powerful fourth soul skill—Black Tortoise True Form—and their cultivation had reached level 45.
Their martial souls had also evolved, acquiring serpent features that made them worthy of the name Black Tortoise.
Black Tortoise True Form: greatly enhances defense. Using vast soul power and spiritual force, the user summons a towering Black Tortoise phantom (about three meters tall) to defend and attack.
The Shi brothers were thrilled. This soul skill not only bolstered their defense, but also granted them offensive strength. The massive phantom even extended the range of their other abilities.
At this point, Xiao Lin couldn't help but wonder if their Royal Fighting Team could simply unleash the Shi brothers alone and crush most other academies.
"It's a pity though. We haven't seen a single trace of the Comet Snow Wolf. Could it have died already?"
Donnie frowned slightly. Her voice was calm, but it made Xiao Lin's face instantly darken.
"No way. With the Comet Snow Wolf's speed, killing it should be impossible."
Noticing Xiao Lin's reaction, Ye Lingling quickly stepped in to comfort him.
After so many days of hunting together, Ye Lingling's impression of Xiao Lin had become very good.
If Xiao Lin hadn't stayed behind for them, with his strength he could have long since gone alone to search for the Comet Snow Wolf.
Well—except that he had no sense of direction… maybe.
"It doesn't matter. If it comes to it, we'll just keep heading north. Finding another speed-type soul beast will work just as well."
Xiao Lin shook his head, speaking as if it were nothing.
Over the past few days, he had already scouted several suitable speed-type ice-attributed soul beasts as backup options.
Still, Xiao Lin firmly believed the Comet Snow Wolf wasn't dead.
After all, if its speed weren't fast enough, it never would have survived to a cultivation age of ten thousand years.
Soon, the five of them built a temporary shelter at the edge of Frost-Snow Forest and settled in to rest and recover.
The closer they drew to the enemy's base, the more cautious they needed to be.
At night, aside from Ye Lingling, the group rotated their watches: Xiao Lin and Donnie each partnered with one Shi brother, taking turns to guard against danger.
This was because of how dangerous the enemy's stealth abilities had proven before.
Meanwhile, inside the Ice-Scale Powder Base—
"Boss, I found that group!"
A voice hissed. A half-serpent man with a cobra's head flicked out his forked tongue and spoke loudly.
This was Snake, in his Martial Soul Possession form.
At once, Kaku—who had been half-reclining on a bed—sat up along with the other three fallen ones, all eyes lighting up in delight.
"Where?"
Kaku asked, excitement in his voice.
He had been waiting here at the Ice-Scale Powder Base for more than ten days. By his estimation, Xiao Lin's group should have arrived within ten.
But they never came, and Kaku began to wonder—
Could it be that they hadn't intended to attack the base after all?
He had almost decided to leave, but now, finally, there was news.
"In Frost-Snow Forest. Five red silhouettes—I guarantee it's them."
Snake's voice was confident. Ever since Master Lin Dong published his famous paper five years ago, Snake had deliberately focused on choosing scouting-type soul skills to make his otherwise unimpressive martial soul more useful.
No one knew how hard it had been for someone with just a simple cobra martial soul to even join the Lai Ice organization.
"Good. I'll go deal with them right away."
Kaku's eyes flashed with killing intent as he spat the words.
"Kaku, want us to help you?"
One of the other fallen ones—short, stunted, with a crooked mustache—spoke up.
His name was Assad, the weakest of the three, and the one most obsessed with slaughter.
"Doesn't matter. I can handle it alone. If you want to watch the show, suit yourself."
Kaku shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled out with Snake.
"Damn it, wait for me!"
Assad cursed, scrambling after them. Running so fast—were they afraid he'd steal the kill?
Just because his legs were short… That dog Kaku was courting death.
Fuming, Assad ran as fast as he could, but the gap between their strengths only grew wider.
"Gana, is this really okay?"
Back inside the base, a short, fat fallen one looked at another—handsome, with pink pupils—and asked cautiously.
"Coochie, a useless waste like Assad can do whatever he wants. If he dies, all the better—it just increases our cut of the profits."
Gana's voice was cold.
Coochie fell silent.
The truth was, this Ice-Scale Powder Base only existed thanks to Gana's martial soul.
He and Assad were merely Gana's hired muscle, and their strength was nowhere near Gana's.
(End of Chapter 159)