The Far North.
The cold wind, filled with murderous intent, whipped against his body, yet the young man's eyes remained unwavering as he calmly gazed at the figure before him.
She was a woman of ethereal beauty, her long hair as white as snow cascading from her head down to her ankles. Her simple, unadorned long skirt perfectly accentuated her figure.
This woman, who resembled an elf of the snow, held a status that could make even a Title Douluo pale.
She was the leader of the three heavenly kings of the Far North, the Snow Empress!
"Since it's Bing'er's own decision, I won't say more. Leave the Far North at once!"
The Snow Empress's icy blue eyes bore into Huo Yuhao as she suppressed her anger and spoke coldly: "Otherwise, you will face the consequences!"
The 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation was approaching, and the Snow Empress was uncertain of surviving it.
Thus, she had no choice but to transform and rebuild before the tribulation arrived.
Yet, she couldn't bring herself to abandon the Far North, nor could she forsake the Ice Empress, who was about to face her 400,000-year thunder tribulation.
Originally, she had planned to assist the Ice Empress before her own transformation, helping her survive the tribulation and securing a stronger foundation for the Far North.
But when she sought out the Ice Empress's aura, she found a human instead, a human who had absorbed the Ice Empress's soul ring and turned her into a second martial soul!
The Snow Empress's gaze was icy as she stared at Huo Yuhao.
If not for Bing'er personally appearing to explain earlier, and the fact that killing Huo Yuhao now would mean killing the Ice Empress as well, she would never have let him go!
Huo Yuhao's expression remained calm.
If it weren't for the Ice Empress, he would never have encountered the Snow Empress.
Thirteen years had passed since he reincarnated to the Douluo Continent and became Huo Yuhao but it took a time to awaken his memories of past life.
Apart from risking his life to enter the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain the two opportunities, Tianmeng and Electrolux, he had always been cautious.
He hadn't joined Shrek Academy, nor had he aligned himself with the Sun and Moon Empire.
Instead, he had observed everything from the sidelines, staying far removed from the heart of the continent's conflicts.
But today, on the day he obtained the Ice Empress Martial Soul, he had acted out of character, putting his safety at risk.
Instead of leaving after securing the Ice Empress, he had deliberately released his aura and waited, for this very moment.
Nearby, the Snow Empress radiated killing intent, while in the distance, the faint sound of galloping beasts grew louder.
It was the Ice Empress's clan and other soul beasts, drawn by the Ice Empress's aura.
Within his Sea of Spirits, both the Tianmeng and the Ice Empress were frantically urging him to leave.
Yet, Huo Yuhao had no intention of retreating.
"I'm sorry, Brother Tianmeng, Ice Empress. I can't leave right now."
Huo Yuhao's firm whisper echoed in the Sea of Spirits, "This is my first step onto a different path..."
As he spoke, he took a step forward, surprising the Snow Empress.
He stood two meters away from her and said, "Snow Empress, I want to make a deal with you."
The Snow Empress's expression remained cold. "What ability do you and Tianmeng have to make a deal with me? Or are you delusional enough to think I would join your God-making Project and become your soul ring?"
Earlier, to prevent her from killing Huo Yuhao, the Ice Empress had revealed everything, including Tianmeng's God-making Project.
Naturally, the Snow Empress had heard of it.
It was true that with the assistance of a fierce beast, a million-year soul beast, and a powerful twin martial soul, Huo Yuhao's future achievements would be remarkable.
However, compared to this seemingly unreliable God-making Project, the Snow Empress trusted her own strength more.
A soul beast that had been cultivating for nearly 700,000 years was far superior to a human who had just begun his journey.
Thus, the Snow Empress spoke bluntly:
"Human, don't be insatiable! If you don't leave, I will turn you into an ice sculpture of the Far North and absorb the origin left in your body by Tianmeng..."
"Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence," Huo Yuhao's quiet words interrupted the Snow Empress's harsh threat.
"I have a clue to the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence here."
The Snow Empress, along with the Ice Empress and Tianmeng in the Sea of Spirits, were stunned.
"What did you say? Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence?"
In an instant, Tianmeng burst into a series of exclamations within the Sea of Spirits. "Yuhao, do you really have information about it?"
As a million-year soul beast who had once slept in the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Cave, absorbing the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence and sleeping on a power bank of soul energy, no one understood the terrifying nature of the Mysterious Ice Essence better than Tianmeng.
It was a supreme heavenly treasure, capable of increasing the success rate of the God-making Project by dozens of percentage points!
If Huo Yuhao could absorb the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence, their God-making Project would... Wait, what had Huo Yuhao just said?
He wanted to use the information about the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence to make a deal with the Snow Empress?
In the Sea of Spirits, under the Ice Empress's curious gaze, Tianmeng's body slumped in frustration.
"Yuhao, you're such a fool! You're driving me mad!"
He had information about the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence, and instead of keeping it to himself, he wanted to use it to win over the Snow Empress?
Now, they couldn't possibly snatch it from the Snow Empress, so they could only watch as this precious treasure slipped through their fingers.
The Snow Empress looked at Huo Yuhao with a hint of surprise, pondered for a moment, and asked: "Did Tianmeng tell you about this? Is this so-called deal also its idea?"
Huo Yuhao, a mere Great Soul Master, dared to venture into the Far North.
It was likely all orchestrated by the Tianmeng.
Now, he was risking his life to make a deal with her.
No matter how she looked at it, this had to be the work of the Tianmeng.
Moreover, the fact that Tianmeng had inexplicably become a million-year soul beast had always been a mystery to many soul beasts in the Far North.
Now, it seemed she had found the answer.
"Yes," Huo Yuhao nodded without changing his expression, allowing the Snow Empress to misunderstand.
"Brother Tianmeng said that you, like the Ice Empress, are nearing your limits. The Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence would be invaluable in helping you survive the Thunder Tribulation."
"..."
The Snow Empress was momentarily speechless, her brows furrowing.
Seeing that the Snow Empress didn't immediately refuse, Huo Yuhao felt a sense of relief.
From what he knew, after the Snow Empress's failed attempt to balance the Yin-Yang soul core, her origin had been severely damaged.
Ordinary heavenly treasures couldn't possibly restore it, leaving her unable to overcome the 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation.
This had forced her to make the decision to transform.
But if she could obtain a sufficient amount of Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence...
Not only could she challenge the 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation, but she could even take on the 800,000-year one!
On the other side, after a moment of contemplation, the Snow Empress sighed inwardly.
This was a deal she truly couldn't refuse.
The Snow Empress retracted her killing intent and fixed her gaze on Huo Yuhao. "Why do you want to make a deal with me? If you keep the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence, the success rate of your God-making Project would increase significantly."
Huo Yuhao first glanced vaguely at the snowy sky, then turned his gaze back to the Snow Empress and answered her question directly.
"Opportunities are for the living. When a person dies, there's nothing left. And in this world, there are things far worse than death."
"I don't want to be at the mercy of others forever, but true growth takes time. That's why I came to you. I hope to exchange the Ten Thousand Years Mysterious Ice Essence for your protection and the friendship of the Far North!"
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao recalled his experiences after leaving the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
On his journey to find a way to strengthen himself, he had encountered the master and disciple of the Tang Sect.
When he tried to join a small academy to learn essential knowledge, he ran into a certain princess and daughter of God on the streets.
While studying at the academy, he accidentally stumbled upon a glorious record about the Tang Sect and later discovered that the academy itself had been founded by a member of the Tang Sect...
All these signs indicated that even though his actions were vastly different from the original Huo Yuhao's, and even though he had avoided the core of the conflicts, the Great Buddha Tang—Tang San—still hadn't let him go!
The entanglement of Blue Silver Grass still pursued him relentlessly!
But what could he do?
Tang San was a God King, and most of the other God Kings in the Divine Realm were biased in his favor.
Only the God of Destruction opposed him.
But would the God of Destruction help him because of this?
Or would he grant him a Divine Throne?
Wishful thinking.
Not to mention the Divine Seat of Destruction, even the Divine Seat of Emotions wouldn't be safely handed over to him unless he showed absolute loyalty to Tang San.
All these realities were telling Huo Yuhao that becoming a god wouldn't free him from these shackles.
The only way out was to remain on the Douluo Continent.
In this life, he wouldn't become a god. Instead, he would wait for the storm to rise!