Chapter 154: Calling Qian Daoliu
A stretch of forest draped in silver and white was called the Ice-Sealed Forest.
On the outskirts of the Extreme North, the Ice-Sealed Forest was a coniferous woodland perfectly suited to frigid climates, rarely visited by humans. During this era, it was still a soul beast forest; its resources were not depleted, and there remained a considerable number of soul beasts. However, because the environment was harsh and the temperature extremely low, only soul masters with cold-attribute martial spirits would typically choose to come here to hunt the soul beasts they needed.
In this place, the icy wind felt like knives slicing through flesh, and all one could see was a vast expanse of white. The temperature was not something ordinary people could survive. Qianrenchuan and Shui Bing'er arrived wearing cotton-padded clothing. Compared to the average soul masters in this region, they were in much better shape. Qianrenchuan had the internal force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill constantly protecting him, and Shui Bing'er possessed the Ice Phoenix martial spirit. Both surpassed typical soul masters in their resistance to cold.
"Father, we're here."
Qianrenchuan surveyed the Extreme North. For a soul master, such a harsh environment was definitely a land of opportunity, fraught with both danger and reward. Training here would undoubtedly produce better results than at the Lost Grand Canyon. Qian Xunji was dressed in his usual attire, and any cold air dissipated under his invisible soul power before it could even touch him.
"Let's keep going deeper. In the areas of the Extreme North where the temperature is lower, the soul beasts are of higher levels, and the soul ring quality will be better."
In the blink of an eye, a day passed. The snow on the ground grew thicker. Qianrenchuan took out two pairs of skis and matching poles from his soul tool, and the two of them skied onward into the Extreme North. Here, the temperature was dozens of degrees lower than in the Ice-Sealed Forest, and both Qianrenchuan and Shui Bing'er trembled from the cold.
Qian Xunji reached out and patted each of them on the shoulder, and they instantly felt warm, as though in the height of summer, making extra layers unnecessary. Standing on the soft snow, Qianrenchuan sensed that, in just two days here, his cultivation had improved somewhat. The Extreme North's spiritual energy was incredibly dense, and he also had to keep the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulating to ward off the cold. Combined, it meant that a single day of training here was worth five at Tianshui Academy.
Along the way, they encountered many exceptionally powerful soul beasts. The cold aura these creatures emitted was enough to make Qianrenchuan and Shui Bing'er shudder just at a glance. However, with Qian Xunji present, the two did not suffer any attacks, and Qian Xunji made no move against the soul beasts either. None of them were suitable targets, and hunting them would waste soul power, delay their progress, and deplete soul beast resources.
After traveling a bit farther, Qianrenchuan and Shui Bing'er spotted several enormous creatures ahead. These frightening giant soul beasts bore a striking resemblance to humans, with long arms and thick, snow-white fur covering their bodies. Even their faces looked somewhat human, aside from numerous wrinkles on their foreheads, grayish-blue skin, and two massive tusks—the only features revealing them for what they were.
They were Titan Snow Demons. According to legend, they were descended from an ancient Ice God's union with Titan Giants, thus inheriting the bloodline of an Ice God. A Titan Snow Demon was ten meters tall at birth, and upon reaching adulthood could exceed fifty meters in height. In the Extreme North, apart from the pure-ice-element Ice Snow Maidens that formed naturally from heaven and earth, these were the soul beasts whose soul rings offered the highest quality.
"This is the one."
Five Titan Snow Demons, likely part of a hunting group, bared their oversized tusks the moment they saw Qian Xunji's party, clearly intending to devour them. Soul beasts of the Extreme North loathed humans more than anywhere else; in their eyes, humanity was synonymous with baseness, greed, and evil.
Qian Xunji raised his hand, golden light flickering in his palm. His soul power surged, sending four of the Titan Snow Demons flying until they vanished amid the snow. Only one remained, standing over ten meters tall. Titan Snow Demons, top-tier soul beasts born with a god's bloodline, started life as ten-thousand-year soul beasts. After tens of thousands of years of cultivation, they could grow larger than Titan Giant Apes. A Titan Giant Ape of the same cultivation age would be completely outmatched.
"Chrysanthemum, Ghost Elders—take Xiaochuan and Bing'er, and this Titan Snow Demon, out of the Extreme North immediately. Trouble's on its way."
No sooner had Qian Xunji spoken than a piercing screech echoed from the distance, filled with boundless rage. Its terrifying soul pressure triggered small avalanches in several parts of the Extreme North. Instantly, countless soul beasts scattered in panic, while others cowered, trembling.
Boom… Boom… Boom!
A steady, rhythmic tremor like an earthquake rose, drawing closer and closer. Through the swirling white of the Extreme North, Chrysanthemum Douluo focused his spiritual sense and saw a giant black shape approaching swiftly, nearly a hundred meters tall, exuding an aura that made both elders feel suffocated. They could scarcely believe any soul beast could grow so large; it could easily swallow a Titan Giant Ape in three bites.
"Ah—!"
Another furious roar erupted. The colossal shape spoke in human speech: "Who dares harm my people!"
Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo both grunted in pain, wounded by the backlash of the giant shadow's spiritual force. Its strength exceeded theirs by a wide margin.
Qian Xunji bellowed, "Why aren't you leaving yet!"
"Old Ghost, hurry!"
Ghost Douluo grabbed Qianrenchuan with one hand and Shui Bing'er with the other, turning into a wraith-like blur as he fled the Extreme North. Chrysanthemum Douluo hoisted the severely injured Titan Snow Demon on his back and flew off.
Qianrenchuan was terribly anxious. "Elder Ghost, what about Father?"
"Don't worry, Your Highness the Holy Son. His Holiness the Pope is more than strong enough to handle this. We'd only drag him down if we stayed."
Standing at a distance, Qian Xunji ignored the charging Titan Snow Demon. Though it was formidable enough to make Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo sense impending death, it was hardly worth his concern. Placing a hand on his forehead, where golden light shimmered, he drew out a golden card.
Two identical angels were depicted on the card, with a line of golden text on the back:
Endure for one hour against the Grand Worship Angel God at full strength.
Holding the card, Qian Xunji said, "Father, a terrifying six-hundred-thousand-year soul beast has appeared in the Extreme North. Come here at once!"
Beneath the Angel God statue, Qian Daoliu heard Qian Xunji's transmitted voice through the Angel God Trial. "The Extreme North… a six-hundred-thousand-year soul beast? Could it be…"
With its long history and generations of Angel God Grand Worshippers, Spirit Hall possessed secrets far beyond the knowledge of other sects, most of which had only existed a few hundred years. If one of the Upper Three Sects heard talk of a six-hundred-thousand-year soul beast, they would surely think it a joke. In their eyes, once a soul beast reached a hundred-thousand-year cultivation, it only had a thousand more years to live—nothing more. There was no chance for a six-hundred-thousand-year soul beast to exist.
But Spirit Hall understood that once a soul beast survived those additional thousand years, it would need to undergo a tribulation. Only by succeeding could it continue to cultivate, extending its lifespan by another hundred thousand years. Indeed, in the Extreme North, there was a tremendously powerful soul beast whose strength could rival the very limits of humanity.
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