Roughly half an hour later, a faint disturbance reached Wei Xuan's senses, and his eyes snapped open. He rose swiftly to his feet, gazing toward the distant snowfields.
His divine sense had been spread constantly across a two-mile radius; nothing within that sphere escaped his awareness—especially approaching life forms. Now, he had detected someone entering that range. For someone to trigger such a reaction from him, they could not be ordinary.
"How interesting," Wei Xuan murmured, eyes narrowing. "A youth whose body carries a soul aura that doesn't belong to him."
For the first time since arriving in this world, genuine surprise flickered across his face. Whoever this boy was, he had caught Wei Xuan's attention.
He extended his divine sense more carefully, probing the source of the anomaly, and the intrigue in his expression deepened.
"A spiritual probe?" Wei Xuan noted quietly. He could feel the other party's spiritual waves sweeping the surroundings.
"Even an Ultimate Douluo's mental strength may not match yours… unfortunately for you, you've met me." He smiled faintly.
That youth's spiritual power was, without question, the strongest Wei Xuan had encountered in this world— stronger even than that of Dragon Xiaoyao or Ye Xishui.
Were it not for his own divine sense being of a higher tier, his current incomplete strength might not have been enough to evade that detection.
"How interesting indeed," he whispered, beginning to walk toward the presence. Snowflakes drifted gently around him, obscuring his form as he moved.
On the icy plain ahead, a boy of twelve or thirteen was crouched on the ground. Suspended before him hovered a golden sphere of light, no larger than a fist.
Inside that orb was a breathtakingly beautiful scorpion. Its upper body was composed of four layered segments, its head resting at the foremost one, silver-white mouthparts gleaming with cold light. Across the first half of its body were hexagonal crystalline plates, shining like diamonds, brilliant and flawless.
Its front pincers were also covered in those diamond-like facets, their silvery claws glittering like forged metal. Twin golden eyes, bright and sharp as topaz, glowed with eerie majesty.
To anyone familiar with northern soul beasts, recognition would strike at once:
The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
Yes—one of the Three Kings of the Extreme North, the sovereign known as the Ice Emperor.
"What is it you want?" the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion asked coldly, voice sharp and resonant.
Opposite her floated the translucent image of a white-gold silkworm. Its long body was mostly snow-white, streaked with golden markings—ten in all—each shimmering with sacred luster.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm spoke softly, tone gentle and wistful. "I only wish to stay forever beside the one I love."
…
"An Ice Jade Scorpion?" Wei Xuan's brows lifted. He recognized the creature sealed within that golden orb; it matched the records he'd read. Yet there were subtle differences—refinements and radiance beyond an ordinary specimen's traits.
And its power—
Sensing further, Wei Xuan's expression hardened. Through the barrier, his divine sense measured the scorpion's aura.
Moments later, his gaze sharpened in respect. This was no ordinary beast—it had reached the level of a ferocious soul beast, equivalent to a Super Douluo in strength.
Judging from its pressure alone, it might well rival a Level-98 Super Douluo—nearly on par with Dragon Xiaoyao himself.
He had arrived at that conclusion through comparison; after all, he had personally gauged the energies of Jing Hongchen, Dragon Xiaoyao, and Ye Xishui. By contrasting their energy signatures with that of the Ice Scorpion, he could estimate its true standing with precision.
"They say the Extreme North is ruled by three kings," he mused quietly. "The second in rank… the sovereign of the scorpion clan—the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion."
A fitting deduction. A creature of such power could stand at the very peak of the Extreme North; fewer than five beings might rival it.
Judging by its unique form, there was little doubt—this was indeed the Ice Jade Emperor herself.
"To think someone could actually capture the Ice Emperor…" Wei Xuan's eyes glimmered with meaning. Whoever had done this was far from ordinary.
He suppressed his breath completely, his aura blending with the snowfall around him until his presence vanished entirely. From that hidden vantage, he listened. His divine sense carried every word of the distant conversation to his mind.
"Creating gods, is it?" Wei Xuan thought with mild amusement. "How ambitious of that silkworm."
This was the first time he had heard anyone in this world speak so directly of godhood.
He had to admit—the idea was bold, perhaps even visionary.
As the conversation continued, he pieced together the situation.
In short: the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion had been subdued by the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, who was now persuading her to become a Spirit Ring of Wisdom for a human boy.
Not only that—the scorpion would also become the youth's second martial soul, fundamentally transforming his talent.
Their goal was to help the boy grow powerful enough to reach divinity. If he succeeded, the soul beasts bound to him would ascend with him— escaping the constraints of the mortal world, achieving immortality in the God Realm.
From a logical standpoint, the silkworm's plan was plausible—but the probability of success was vanishingly small, less than ten percent.
Wei Xuan had read extensively, including the ancient histories of the original Douluo Continent.
The only recorded humans to have truly become gods were the Shrek Seven Monsters of ten thousand years past. Since then, not a single confirmed case.
Clearly, there were reasons—be it the suppression of heaven's laws or other unseen barriers.
Either way, godhood was no simple feat.
Even geniuses like Dragon Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui—the brightest of their age—had not broken through.
And this boy? Barely twelve or thirteen, with Soul Power around the twentieth level—hardly exceptional.
Even with the Ice Jade Emperor as his second martial soul, his talent would rise only to the level of gifted prodigies like Xiao Hongchen. Reaching Titled Douluo might be achievable; perhaps even the Ultimate rank with luck. But to become a god? The odds were slim indeed.
"The silkworm probably doesn't believe its own words," Wei Xuan mused with a chuckle. "And yet, it speaks with such conviction."
Convincing, yes—but believable? That was another matter.
If it were him, he certainly wouldn't trust such a scheme. Still, the Ice Emperor appeared to be swayed—or perhaps cornered.
In her situation, resistance meant annihilation. To refuse would be to have her mind erased and be reduced to a mere soulless ring.
For one of her stature, that fate was far worse than gambling on an uncertain promise.
Understanding the full picture, Wei Xuan's mind began to turn. A faint smile curved his lips.
"If the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion were to become my soul ring," he thought, "that would be… quite satisfactory."
After all, it was said that every hundred-thousand-year soul beast left behind a soul bone.
Whether that boy could become a god was none of Wei Xuan's concern. He, however—would. It was the only path that could one day return him to his true home beyond this world.
And so, his decision was made.
"The Ice Emperor," he whispered, his eyes gleaming faintly with divine light, "should belong to me."
(End of Chapter)