At this moment, Jing Hongchen appeared rather disheveled, not only slightly out of breath but also with noticeable tears in his black robe.
"Hmm?"
Jing Hongchen's eyes sharpened as he immediately noticed Yu Tao staring intently at him.
Following Yu Tao's gaze, he also noticed Huo Yuhao, who was absorbing a spirit ring beside Yu Tao, as well as Meng Hongchen, who was absorbing a spirit ring not far away.
"Who are you?" Jing Hongchen asked coldly, a powerful aura instantly emanating from him.
"Are you Hall Master Hongchen?" Yu Tao spoke up, but his words carried little respect.
Given the strength of the Body Sect, he had no fear of Mingde Hall. Moreover, with his Soul Douluo-level strength, although not a match for the Rank 9 Soul Engineer Jing Hongchen, he was not intimidated.
"Earlier, Miss Meng Hongchen encountered this Frost Dragon Bird and was trapped during the battle. My young master saw this and instructed me to rescue Miss Meng, and helped her acquire this spirit ring."
Jing Hongchen glanced at his precious granddaughter, who was sitting cross-legged, absorbing the spirit ring, and nodded slightly.
The Frost Dragon Bird had been beaten so badly by Yu Tao that it was swollen all over. Such injuries could not have been inflicted by Meng Hongchen alone, leaving no room for doubt.
Looking at Yu Tao's disproportionately strong right arm, Jing Hongchen's eyes flashed, and he suddenly asked, "Are you from the Body Sect?"
As the head of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen had dealt with the Body Sect more than once. Soul Masters with unusually developed body parts were often recognizable as having innate martial souls.
Yu Tao's enormous right arm could mean his martial soul was this very arm, or he was just extraordinarily strong.
"Hall Master Hongchen has sharp eyes." Since Jing Hongchen had already identified him, Yu Tao did not deny it.
"You call this boy your young master; does that mean he is the heir of the Body Sect?" Jing Hongchen's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
It was no secret that the Body Sect had ties with the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Although Huo Yuhao's first spirit ring was only of the ten-year level, the fact that he dared to absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit beast for his second ring and seemed to be succeeding marked him as a rare talent, stirring a trace of murderous intent in Jing Hongchen's heart.
Yu Tao nodded, his soul power surging around him. If Jing Hongchen showed any intention of attacking, he would not hesitate to take Huo Yuhao and leave.
Even though Jing Hongchen was a Rank 9 Soul Engineer, Yu Tao believed that if he risked his life and used his secret second awakening method, he could protect Huo Yuhao and escape the Extreme North. If he died, Du Bushi would surely settle the score with Mingde Hall.
Most importantly, Huo Yuhao must not come to harm.
"Grandpa, you're back! Are you okay?"
In this tense moment, a cheerful voice interrupted the standoff. Meng Hongchen had completed her spirit ring absorption surprisingly quickly and ran over upon seeing Jing Hongchen.
This speed was not due to her talent but because the poor Frost Dragon Bird had been tortured to the point of giving up. When Meng Hongchen killed it, it didn't even release the soul shockwave typical of ten-thousand-year spirit beasts, passing on quietly.
"Grandpa, you scared me! I thought something happened to you." Meng Hongchen threw herself into Jing Hongchen's arms, acting spoiled. "Oh, Grandpa, this is Huo Yuhao. He and this uncle saved me and helped me hunt the spirit ring. You must repay them well!"
Upon hearing Meng Hongchen, Jing Hongchen and Yu Tao exchanged awkward smiles.
At that moment, the pitch-black ten-thousand-year spirit ring on the ice worm's body fully condensed on Huo Yuhao. The combination of one white and one black spirit ring looked quite unusual, making Jing Hongchen's eyes shine.
Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and smiled at Jing Hongchen. Through his mental detection, he had witnessed the conversation and the underlying tension, so there was no need to ask more.
"Junior Huo Yuhao greets Hall Master Hongchen," Huo Yuhao said, saluting.
"Hmm."
Jing Hongchen slightly bent down and lifted Huo Yuhao. Feeling Huo Yuhao's body, which was much stronger than that of his peers, confirmed he was indeed the heir of the Body Sect.
"This is not the place to talk. I fought an ice bear earlier and barely escaped. It might still be around, so we should leave the Extreme North as soon as possible."
With these words, Jing Hongchen rose, and two thin beams of golden light unfolded from his back, lifting his body slowly.
Huo Yuhao observed the flying soul tool Jing Hongchen used, noting it appeared as a pair of wings, thin and soft, with no metallic sheen. The light gold glow flowed without any visible soul power emission, gently carrying Jing Hongchen into the sky.
A golden light blossomed over the vast snowfield. Huo Yuhao and Yu Tao found themselves enveloped in a layer of golden light, and the next moment, they were soaring into the sky. They realized that Jing Hongchen's flying soul tool had expanded a thousandfold, enveloping them in a golden membrane.
Yu Tao, startled, attempted to break the golden membrane, but Huo Yuhao stopped him.
Soon, they were flying through the clouds. They discovered that Jing Hongchen's wings had grown to ten meters wide, and they were floating behind him, wrapped in a golden membrane.
The broad golden wings flapped gently, carrying them out of the Extreme North.
Everything outside appeared surreal, but inside the membrane, Huo Yuhao felt no discomfort, as if he were in a quiet room, unaffected by the wind. Without the rapid scenery passing by outside, he might not have noticed the high-speed flight.
"Huo Yuhao, it seems you don't mind using soul tools," Jing Hongchen suddenly said.
The Body Sect prided themselves on their innate martial souls, often looking down on soul tool users.
Their tradition, or stubbornness, was even more rigid than that of Shrek Academy.
Unlike Yu Tao, who fidgeted uncomfortably while being carried by the flying soul tool, Huo Yuhao remained calm and composed, as if he were a nobleman enjoying a performance.
Huo Yuhao inwardly rolled his eyes. I've flown supersonic jets in my previous life; your speed doesn't scare me.
Of course, he didn't say this out loud. Smiling slightly, Huo Yuhao responded, "Soul tools are merely tools for soul masters, like martial souls, spirit rings, and spirit bones."
"As soul masters, our cultivation is a fight against fate. If we are confined by mere machines, afraid and hesitant, wouldn't we become a joke?"