At the edge of the Extreme North, Snow Empress City.
Pedestrians moved through the ice-forged streets, occasionally spotting spirit beasts passing by. Mixed with the calls of merchants from distant shops, it wove together a lively and peaceful scene of urban life.
Huo Yuhao and Snow Empress walked side by side on the icy streets, the snow crunching beneath their feet.
"You haven't been here in a long time," Snow Empress said suddenly.
"Yes, it's been a long time since I've returned." Huo Yuhao replied softly, looking at the unfamiliar city before him, his face full of emotion.
Ten thousand years ago, he had lived here for a long time. Back then, Snow Empress City was far smaller, with far fewer people—it hadn't even been called Snow Empress City yet.
This had been the Spirit Transmission Tower's original headquarters.
He and the first-generation members had laid their foundations here, and only after spreading the Tower's reputation did this place gradually gather people, becoming a settlement where humans and spirit beasts coexisted. Later, as relations between humans and spirit beasts grew increasingly harmonious, more residents moved here. The city underwent several expansions before being officially named Snow Empress City by the Federation, as a mark of respect for the Sovereign of the Extreme North.
Huo Yuhao still remembered studying soul tool formations here, being trained by Extreme North spirit beasts, and having late-night conversations with the first-generation Tower members.
The Extreme North had never been just "the Extreme North" to him. It had been his home.
"What are you thinking about?" Snow Empress's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"About the old days." Huo Yuhao withdrew his thoughts, a smile curving at his lips. "I still remember how reluctant those people were when they were first brought here, forced to cooperate under your intimidation."
At this, Snow Empress also smiled.
The scene Huo Yuhao described was still fresh in her memory.
The Spirit Transmission Tower's original founding members had mostly been gathered by knocking them out in Mingdu.
Though some had indeed received favors from her and Huo Yuhao and later joined willingly, most had the opposite experience.
Walking down the street, they'd feel a pain at the back of their heads, everything would go dark, and when they opened their eyes, they'd find themselves face to face with the Sovereign of the Extreme North—a Limit Douluo-level existence watching them. What kind of psychological trauma was that?
After such an experience, how could they possibly have joined willingly?
But—
"They were won over in the end." Snow Empress looked at Huo Yuhao with a smile.
"Give them what they wanted. Those who sought to advance in soul tool research had me providing ideas. Those who wanted to improve their soul master strength had you offering guidance. There's always a way to target their needs."
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly.
Though his cultivation was still low at the time and his soul tool mastery wasn't yet complete, he had knowledge of various future soul tool concepts and natural talent in the field. He could always surprise those soul tool masters who had been "invited." Over time, he'd won their hearts.
As for the soul masters—needless to say. Snow Empress was one of the few Limit-level experts ten thousand years ago, a legend most would never encounter in their lifetime.
Never mind whether she was human—who wouldn't want a word of guidance from her? Even a casual pointer could save years of detours. That temptation was irresistible to any soul master.
Of course, another important factor was that the people he'd chosen initially were all people he knew.
He understood their personalities and traits, making it easier to target their needs.
"Oh, so you were targeting my needs too back then?" Snow Empress suddenly drew closer, asking with a smile.
"Well..." Huo Yuhao smiled helplessly. "I suppose so."
A glint of light passed through Snow Empress's eyes. "Actually, at first I was quite wary of you."
Huo Yuhao's expression shifted slightly.
"A human who knew everything about my personality, my background, and even secrets of the Extreme North that even I was unaware of." Snow Empress looked at him, the corners of her lips lifting. "Wouldn't you have been wary too? But you proved through your actions that you meant no harm to the Extreme North. And later..."
She paused, smiled, and said no more.
She looked at the city and changed the subject.
"Actually, naming this place of origin after your title might have been better."
"That wouldn't be as fitting. You were the one who guarded this place for ten thousand years. And as the Extreme North's largest city, being named after you better embodies the Spirit Transmission Tower's philosophy."
Snow Empress didn't respond, only saying softly, "Come on. Let's go to the Tower."
Huo Yuhao came back to himself and nodded.
They crossed the main street, heading toward the city center. Along the way, many passersby recognized Snow Empress, and some recognized Huo Yuhao, stopping to bow.
Facing those excited or admiring gazes, they didn't stop, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment.
They arrived at the Extreme North Spirit Transmission Tower and stepped inside. Little White, having received word early, was already waiting in the hall.
"Yuhao, you finally came to the Extreme North." Little White looked at Huo Yuhao happily.
Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded.
After exchanging pleasantries, Snow Empress said, "Little White, we're going to the basement level now. Guard this place—no one is to approach until we come out."
Little White straightened. "Understood."
The basement-level chamber had been designated a forbidden area since the first first-generation member was "interred" there. Only Snow Empress and a very few knew what lay within. Little White, who often acted as acting Tower Master in Snow Empress's absence, naturally understood these secrets of the Extreme North Tower.
He asked no questions, stepping aside to watch Huo Yuhao and Snow Empress cross the hall toward the descending corridor.
The corridor was deep, its ice walls carved with protective formations and lined with defensive and offensive soul tools. But sensing Snow Empress, those formations and tools remained silent, like sleeping guards sheathing their blades before their sovereign.
Huo Yuhao's footsteps and Snow Empress's echoed in the silence, one heavy, one light, yet unexpectedly in harmony.
The stairs descended further. The air grew colder, the light dimmer.
At the final flight, only the faint glow of formation patterns on the ice walls provided illumination. Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes brightened slightly, the darkness as clear as day to him—the chamber door lay ahead, its thick ice-crystal door engraved with the Spirit Transmission Tower's emblem, solemn and dignified.
Snow Empress raised her hand, her fingertip touching the emblem lightly. The ice-crystal door slid open silently, and a stillness that had slept for ten thousand years rushed out.
Inside the chamber, dozens of ice-crystal coffins were arranged in neat rows. Each held a sleeping figure, their faces serene, as if merely asleep rather than frozen for ten thousand years.
On the ground, dense magical patterns spread like vines, connecting every ice-crystal coffin, a soft blue light flowing through them.
This was a formation Huo Yuhao and Electrolux had set up together, preserving the occupants' vitality, nourishing their souls and bodies, keeping their lives truly paused at the moment of freezing.
Not exactly lifespan extension—more akin to suspended animation, allowing those with sufficient remaining lifespan to sleep peacefully without consuming too much of their life essence.
Huo Yuhao stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping across the sleeping faces.
"Who do you plan to awaken?" Snow Empress asked.
"These three, of course."
Huo Yuhao's gaze fixed on three figures in their ice coffins. He waved his hand, and the coffins cracked, soon dissolving into ice particles in the air.
Then, with a gesture, he channeled dense life energy into the three.
Ten thousand years ago, on the windswept ice plains of the Extreme North.
Huo Yuhao dismissed his Emperor's Sword, his breathing somewhat quick, but still in good condition. Opposite him, Ji Juechen knelt on one knee, his chest heaving, his sword hand trembling slightly.
"You lost." Huo Yuhao steadied his breath. "Will you stay now?"
Ji Juechen looked up, his expression still cold, face like stone. He didn't answer immediately, staring at Huo Yuhao for a long moment, then looking down at the sword in his hand, as if considering something.
"Stay? What do we get?" The question came not from Ji Juechen, but from a figure who had arrived through the snow to stand beside him.
Jing Ziyan, dressed in purple, her hair blowing in the wind, helped Ji Juechen up, her gaze cool as she regarded Huo Yuhao.
"To become stronger. I can promise you hundred-thousand-year spirit rings."
"You're promising us hundred-thousand-year spirit rings in a spirit beast sanctuary? Would Lord Snow Empress agree? Or have you received her permission?" Jing Ziyan's expression was peculiar, as if thinking: I know you're living off a woman, but this is ridiculous.
"The hundred-thousand-year spirit rings I speak of don't require a spirit beast's death."
Huo Yuhao shook his head and had Ice Empress appear, demonstrating the so-called Spirit Soul and hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. (This was during the Mingdu Tournament period, when Spirit Soul research had already produced some results.)
Seeing Jing Ziyan's surprised expression, Huo Yuhao said softly, "As soul tool technology develops and the number of soul masters grows, the living space for spirit beasts will shrink. One day, spirit beasts might disappear from the Douluo Continent entirely. That would be a disaster for spirit beasts—and for soul masters who need spirit rings, as well."
"So I plan to establish an organization called the Spirit Transmission Tower, cooperating with the leaders of major spirit beast sanctuaries to promote Spirit Souls. This benefits both spirit beasts and soul masters. And if you're willing to join as founding members of the Tower, you'll naturally have the first opportunity to contract high-level Spirit Souls."
"That's..."
Jing Ziyan hadn't expected Huo Yuhao's goal to be so noble. "Aren't you from the Extreme North? Lord Snow Empress and the other Savage Beasts are also very strong. Why are you so pessimistic about spirit beasts eventually going extinct? And becoming a Spirit Soul means losing a certain degree of freedom. Would Snow Empress agree to let Extreme North spirit beasts become Spirit Souls?"
"Throughout history, spirit beasts rarely become deities—mostly humans do. For spirit beasts to become deities, they must transform into human form. With human deities watching from the Divine Realm, if humans and spirit beasts conflict, spirit beasts will always be the ones destroyed first."
Huo Yuhao's tone was low. "And if they don't conflict, spirit beasts will face a slow death. Spirit beasts have only talent, not civilization. As soul tool technology advances, even the Ten Great Savage Beasts will one day no longer pose a real threat to humanity."
"This is a future that anyone with foresight can see. Promoting Spirit Souls is a path for the Extreme North that allows spirit beasts to continue surviving. Snow Empress understands this,she's already agreed."
Huo Yuhao smiled at Jing Ziyan. "So, setting aside other matters, you'll have the opportunity to obtain powerful Spirit Souls here in the Extreme North. So, what's your choice?"
Jing Ziyan drew a sharp breath, feeling her heartbeat skip.
She had to admit, she was tempted.
The main point was that Huo Yuhao did have a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, backed by a Limit Douluo—his words carried credibility.
A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring—something even a Level 9 soul tool master of the Sun Moon Empire rarely possessed. She'd never imagined having such an opportunity herself.
With a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, even a soul master of her aptitude could qualify to challenge the Super Douluo level.
Who could easily refuse such temptation?
Still, she held back, turning her gaze to Ji Juechen.
Ji Juechen looked up at Huo Yuhao, his eyes burning. "That sword strike earlier—what was it called?"
Huo Yuhao: "Emperor's Sword—Ice Extreme Unrivaled. Snow Empress taught it to me."
"Meaning it can be even stronger?"
Ji Juechen's eyes lit up. "Then I'll stay. But you have to spar with me."
Jing Ziyan sighed helplessly but said nothing more.
Huo Yuhao, though somewhat pained, nodded. "Fine, I can do that. But you don't have to focus only on me. When the chance comes, I'll take you to witness a stronger sword path."
"Whose sword path?"
"The Beast God, Emperor Tian."
Years later, Ji Juechen did indeed witness Emperor Tian's sword path, and his own sword became ever more powerful through time and tempering. Yet he always felt something was missing.
Then Huo Yuhao appeared before him and asked, "Juechen, do you want to become a deity and comprehend a stronger sword path?"
"I want to, but I can't." Ji Juechen shook his head honestly.
"Since you want to, I have a way. But you'll need to take your family to a very distant place."
"Where?"
"The future!"
"The Spirit Transmission Tower?"
The golden-haired, blue-eyed, stunningly beautiful girl looked up at Huo Yuhao, a flicker of hesitation in her azure eyes.
She recalled recent events—Huo Yuhao had revealed the Holy Spirit Cult's collusion with the Sun Moon Empire, brought the victim Nana before her, used bloody facts to prove the evil soul masters' rampant presence in Mingdu.
And it was Huo Yuhao who had pulled her out of the den of snakes in Mingdu, allowing her to escape the trap the Holy Spirit Cult had set during the Mingdu Tournament.
A life-saving debt of such weight.
Ye Guyi hesitated, then finally nodded. "Alright, I'll join. But... could I just be a nominal member first? The evil soul masters are so rampant, I want to go—"
"You still want to fight them?" Huo Yuhao's expression was strange. "I recall you already revealed your martial soul during the Mingdu Tournament, didn't you?"
"So what?" Ye Guyi looked at him, confused.
Huo Yuhao gave her a pitying look.
"My apologies,expecting intelligence from the Angel lineage was my mistake."
Knowing she was facing evil soul masters who had their own powerful backers, Ye Guyi had still revealed her Angel martial soul to draw aggro, completely ignoring the special nature of the Angel martial soul.
To evil soul masters, the Angel martial soul was in a sense their greatest nemesis—and the most conspicuous target.
Charging in like that wasn't righteous crusading—it was walking into the tiger's den.
His words and gaze deeply wounded Ye Guyi.
What did that mean? Was she stupid? Were all of the Angel lineage stupid?
Ye Guyi flew into a rage and attacked.
Huo Yuhao realized his "honesty" had been too harsh. After subduing her, he changed his approach and convinced her to abandon her plans for the time being, officially joining the Spirit Transmission Tower as the Shilipo Sword God.
After all, a living Angel martial soul was a bane to evil soul masters. A dead one was nothing.
In any case, despite their unpleasant history, Ye Guyi had been among the most straightforward in joining.
And when Huo Yuhao brought up the topic of deities, her answer was simple.
"I want to restore the glory of the Angel God and rid this world of evil soul masters. If you have a way, I'm willing."
"Then when I leave, go see Snow Empress."
Su Tong felt that when she'd encountered her teacher while hunting spirit beasts, she should have realized she was boarding a pirate ship.
Unfortunately, she'd realized too late. By the time she understood, she'd already taken a teacher younger than herself and boarded the Spirit Transmission Tower's pirate ship.
Not only had she had to handle her teacher's affairs after his "death" ten thousand years ago, but now, ten thousand years later, she had to face the teacher she'd once fabricated rumors about—what kind of torture was this?
Looking at the figure before her, Su Tong—the Frost Douluo—had been prepared for this moment before her slumber. She couldn't help sighing, but the corners of her lips curved into a smile, a trace of glistening in her eyes.
"Teacher. It's been a long time."
For her, it truly had been a long time since she'd seen Huo Yuhao.
Even if she'd vaguely suspected he hadn't truly died back then, she couldn't be certain until she saw him with her own eyes.
"Yes. Ten thousand years."
Huo Yuhao looked at the three awakened figures and smiled warmly.
***
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