If the mastermind behind this incident had no connection to Shrek Academy, the academy would certainly investigate thoroughly, expose the culprit, and seek justice for Huo Yuhao. However, given that it involved the complex relationships of the Duke White Tiger's mansion, even someone as powerful as Mu En, the head of the Sea God Pavilion, would not act rashly. All the academy could do was to pour all its resources into fully treating Huo Yuhao and helping him repair his physical injuries. As for the future grievances between Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin, the academy could only choose to let go and not interfere further.
"This matter must be kept strictly confidential. No one is allowed to reveal Huo Yuhao's injuries," Yan Shaozhe said finally, his gaze cold and solemn as he looked at everyone present, his tone leaving no room for doubt. This was also Elder Mu's intention, to protect Huo Yuhao. If the news spread, Huo Yuhao would likely face strange looks and rumors from the outside world, and in his current state, he might not be able to bear such pressure.
Xiaoxiao, Tang Ya, Beibei, and others nodded repeatedly. They were all very concerned about Huo Yuhao and certainly wouldn't spread the news of his injury.
"Yuhao, are you alright?"
Wang Dong, anxious, hurried into the room and immediately saw Huo Yuhao lying on the bed. At this moment, Huo Yuhao was staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes empty and dull, as if his soul had been drawn out. Hearing Wang Dong's voice, Huo Yuhao tried to twitch his lips, forcing a smile that was uglier than a cry, and hoarsely said, "I'm fine."
Wang Dong's face grew even more grim. He knew in his heart that Huo Yuhao in this state was clearly not fine. But his heart full of concern and worry, he couldn't find the right words to comfort his friend, only able to fret.
"Yuhao, don't lose heart!" The Tian Meng Iceworm in the spiritual space was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing frantically. "As long as there's enough life energy, your injuries will definitely heal! Shrek Academy has such a treasure!"
A faint glimmer of light finally appeared in Huo Yuhao's dim eyes when he heard this. What people fear most is falling into endless despair; as long as there's a glimmer of hope, no one is willing to give up.
"I've also heard about Shrek Academy's Golden Tree," the clear voice of the Ice Empress rang in Huo Yuhao's mind. Unlike the Tian Meng Iceworm, who was trapped for years, she had more understanding of human society. "It's said to have been transplanted from Sea God Island by the legendary Sea God, truly the pinnacle of plant-type life, containing immense life energy."
Back then, the Ice Empress had felt the terrifying aura of the battle of the three gods, so her memory of the Sea God's aura emanating from the Golden Tree in Shrek Academy was particularly profound. Huo Yuhao forced himself to perk up. He knew in his heart that with his current abilities and status, he wasn't qualified to approach a treasure like the Golden Tree. He secretly clenched his fists, knowing he needed to put in more effort to prove his worth to the academy, to have a chance for the academy to use the Golden Tree's power to heal him.
The Extreme North Land, as one of the three great soul beast gathering places on the Douluo Continent, was vast, even surpassing the Star Dou Great Forest in area. However, despite its immense size, few soul masters ventured there to hunt soul beasts. Firstly, most of the soul beasts in the Extreme North Land were ice-attributed, and ice-attributed soul masters were extremely rare on the Douluo Continent, second only to spiritual soul masters in number. Secondly, the environment of the Extreme North Land was unimaginably harsh. Fierce winds howled like blades, bone-chilling cold could instantly freeze everything, and blizzards raged everywhere. Ordinary soul masters found it difficult to penetrate deep, and as for the mysterious and dangerous Extreme North Core Zone, only powerful Title Douluo dared to step into it.
At the peak of a towering snowy mountain in the Extreme North Core Zone, a pure white snow lotus bloomed quietly, like a fairy in ice and snow. At this moment, in the center of the snow lotus's pistil, a huge snow-white giant egg was frantically absorbing the surrounding world energy, forming a massive energy vortex around it, as elemental forces from heaven and earth converged. Strangely, such a huge commotion and terrifying energy convergence did not attract any soul beasts to investigate. The reason was simple: this snowy mountain was permeated with the majestic aura of the ruler of the Extreme North Land—the aura of the Snow Empress, ranked third among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts.
Within the snow-white giant egg, an infant embryo was gradually forming. That was the Snow Empress, who was transforming into human form with the power of a hundred-thousand-year snow lotus. As the ruler of the Extreme North, the Snow Empress had already survived several heavenly tribulations and become a fierce beast. Logically, she should have lost the opportunity to transform into human form. But as a favored child of destiny in the Extreme North Land, the daughter of ice and snow, when she was about to face her seventh heavenly tribulation, she unexpectedly obtained the incomparably precious hundred-thousand-year snow lotus. This was like a glimmer of light in desperation, allowing the Snow Empress, who was originally prepared to fight to the death against the heavenly tribulation, to see a second path to survival.
After all, she knew in her heart that she had no full certainty of passing that terrifying seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation. So, she resolutely chose to use the power of the hundred-thousand-year snow lotus to transform. Initially, she had planned to seek out the Ice Empress, to help the Ice Empress pass her four-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation before her own seven-hundred-thousand-year one, which would also add to the foundation of the Extreme North Land and compensate for her loss. But when she arrived at the Ice Empress's territory, she found that the Ice Empress had disappeared. Helplessly, she could only leave.
After that, she unexpectedly discovered the hundred-thousand-year snow lotus and immediately decided to use its power to transform. At the same time, she had no intention of finding other soul beasts to guard her. After all, this was the Extreme North Ice Plains, her absolute dominion. Transforming here, no soul beast would dare to disturb her easily, not even the Titan Snow Demon King, who was also one of the Extreme North's Three Kings. As for humans, very few dared to step into the Extreme North Core Zone. Moreover, there were no rare treasures in the Extreme North Ice Plains that humans would covet, so in the past few millennia, almost no humans had entered this core region.
The Snow Empress, deeply favored by the Extreme North Land, had absolute confidence in this. She had no need to worry about any disturbances. However, fate played a cruel joke on her at this moment.
"A soul beast transforming into human form? This is truly heaven's help!"
A voice, excited to the point of near madness, like a thunderclap, instantly shattered the tranquility of the snowy mountain and also awakened the Snow Empress who was at the most critical and vulnerable moment of her transformation.
The infant within the snow-white giant egg suddenly opened its eyes, and what met its gaze was a human dressed in a black robe. The person's face was filled with excitement and greed, and they impatiently took out a wooden tray. Then, with a frantic infusion of soul power, the wooden tray instantly burst into dazzling golden light, and several golden chains shot out like agile snakes, firmly binding the snow-white giant egg.
The Snow Empress was greatly alarmed. She tried to use her soul power to resist but was horrified to find that her soul power was completely uncontrollable. Not only that, but her ongoing transformation was instantly interrupted, her efforts coming to naught. Golden runes spread across the entire mountain peak, and a powerful sealing formation instantly took shape, firmly suppressing the Snow Empress's embryo.
"Despicable human!" the Snow Empress roared in anger, her clear voice carrying an unprecedented killing intent. Her fury wasn't just because her transformation was interrupted and all hope instantly shattered, but also because she clearly perceived that she had completely lost the power to resist. If it had been a minute earlier, before she had fully transformed into an embryo, with her strength, it might have been possible to fight this human to a bitter end. If it had been a minute later, she would have successfully transformed, and even as a human, she would have been able to mobilize her original powerful strength to easily turn danger into safety.
But fate was so teasing. This human appeared precisely at her weakest, most defenseless moment, and the soul tool in his hand seemed specifically prepared to counter her in her embryonic state. All of this was too coincidental, so much so that the Snow Empress at one point thought her seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation had arrived early, and in the most dangerous form of a human tribulation. However, after careful sensing, she found that her seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation had not come at all. That meant all of this was simply a pure coincidence.
"A hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo! My efforts to sneak into this Extreme North Land were not in vain! Soul beast, don't waste your energy. Under my Deity-Conferring Platform, you have nowhere to escape. Heaven wants you dead!"
The black-robed man held the golden wooden tray high with both hands, laughing up at the sky. His smug appearance was as if he already stood at the pinnacle of the world. As a ninth-rank soul engineer, he wasn't skilled in direct combat. For an ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beast, he wouldn't even have the courage to contend with it, let alone capture it alive. But this time, fate seemed to favor him exceptionally, allowing him to pick up this enormous "pie."
"Bastard!" The Snow Empress's clear voice was filled with endless grievance and rage. The dignified ruler of the Extreme North Land had so easily fallen into the hands of such a weak human in her eyes. Had she known this, she would rather have faced that terrifying seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation head-on, even if it meant being utterly annihilated, rather than being captured alive in such a humiliating manner.
"Deity-Conferring Platform, suppress it for me!"
The black-robed man frantically poured soul power into the Deity-Conferring Platform in his hand. More golden runes appeared, the power of the sealing formation grew stronger, and the golden chains tautened, gradually pulling the Snow Empress's embryo towards the Deity-Conferring Platform in his hand. Just as the seal was about to be completed, a huge black shadow swam past behind the black-robed man.
"Who?!" The black-robed man was greatly alarmed. He instantly turned around, his black robe flapping fiercely. Although he had barely reached the strength of a Title Douluo by consuming drugs, he was still a Title Douluo. To be approached from behind without his knowledge made him feel an unprecedented threat.
"Interesting, why would you, a non-ice element ninth-rank soul engineer, come to this Extreme North Land?"
A slightly arrogant, clear voice echoed from the void, reverberating in the icy landscape. The owner of the voice seemed full of curiosity about the black-robed man's appearance, and his tone carried a playful note.
"Oh right! Why did I come to the Extreme North Land?" The black-robed man was enveloped by the huge snake shadow. His originally wary eyes instantly became hazy, his mind momentarily dazed, and he involuntarily murmured to himself. His mind was in chaos. He seemed genuinely unable to recall why he had taken such a huge risk to sneak into this dangerous Extreme North Land, or why he had even brought this ninth-rank soul tool, the Deity-Conferring Platform, which had a single function and could neither attack nor defend.
"Hmm? You don't know either! Then you're useless." The arrogant voice immediately carried dissatisfaction, as if extremely disappointed by the black-robed man's answer. As soon as the words fell, a dark, sharp spike with green lightning shot out like a flash, instantly piercing the black-robed man's chest. Green lightning ravaged the black-robed man's body, crackling.
"Ugh!" The black-robed man's pupils widened drastically, his eyes filled with confusion. A trace of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and his body limply collapsed. He died without knowing why he had come or who had killed him.
"The sorrow of the weak, becoming a pawn yet completely unaware." The voice sounded again, full of disdain for the black-robed man.
When the black-robed man died, the golden Deity-Conferring Platform lost control and rapidly fell from the air. However, just as the Deity-Conferring Platform was about to smash onto the icy surface, a snow-white, slender hand slowly extended from the void and steadily caught it.
Mobius curiously examined the Snow Empress's embryo, which was bound by the Deity-Conferring Platform, her eyes sparkling with a strange light. At this moment, Lu Jingming's figure also quietly appeared beside her. He calmly looked at the black-robed man's corpse, his expression indifferent. However, judging from his illusory figure, it was not his main body that appeared here.