The soul-powered aircraft landed at the Spirit Pagoda Airport in Heaven Dou City. Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena stepped out of the plane and looked toward the pagoda-shaped building not far away.
Heaven Dou City had a unique geographical location, bordering the Star Dou Great Forest and being quite close to Shrek City.
The branch master of the Spirit Pagoda here was the fierce beast, Bear Lord!
Huo Yuhao turned his head to look at Gu Yuena with a strange expression, "Is Bear Lord really okay with this?"
He really couldn't imagine Bear Lord, dressed in formal attire, serving as the branch master...
"It's fine. Initially, he didn't want to be the branch master," Gu Yuena said with a smile. "He only came because he wanted to observe God Craftsman Zhenhua performing Heaven Forging up close and learn from it. Besides, as you always say, 'After three days apart, one should look at a person with new eyes.' With people assisting him, he's more than capable of holding his ground with his strength."
"I guess I was too subjective," Huo Yuhao chuckled helplessly, walking out of the airport with Gu Yuena.
As a historical city, Heaven Dou City had regulations to maintain its original appearance, stipulating that no building could exceed fifty meters in height, limiting them to ten stories or less. Thus, there were no skyscrapers here, but many ancient trees that surpassed fifty meters in height.
The Spirit Pagoda branch here also adhered to this rule, standing at fifty meters tall in the central area of Heaven Dou City.
However, the two didn't head to the Spirit Pagoda branch but instead went to a hotel.
According to Luoyang Lu, the person who had summoned them was staying here.
The hotel was located in a bustling area of Heaven Dou City, with an elegant and grand exterior that blended modern and traditional architectural styles, exuding historical charm.
As they stepped into the hotel, Gu Yuena glanced toward the back of the building, paused for a moment, and then looked at Huo Yuhao, "You two probably need some time to catch up, right? Though I don't know why she wants to see me, you must need some alone time. I'll wait here for a while."
She had noticed Luoyang Lu's hints and had a rough idea of who had summoned Huo Yuhao this time.
They hadn't seen each other in countless years, so they would surely need some time to catch up. She decided not to interrupt and would ask later why she had been invited.
Huo Yuhao nodded, watching as Gu Yuena found a chair and sat down, immersing herself in her soul-powered screen. Instead of heading to the front desk to inquire, he walked directly toward the pavilion at the back of the hotel.
Both he and Gu Yuena could sense the spatial energy there.
The person was waiting there.
---The pavilion in the hotel was situated by a serene lake, surrounded by lush ancient trees. A gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and leaves.
The lake water was crystal clear, with occasional fish leaping out, creating ripples on the surface.
Huo Yuhao walked in, breaking the tranquility of the place.
At this time, one would expect many people to be resting in the pavilion, but when Huo Yuhao entered, not a single person was in sight.
"Cleared the area, huh?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled softly, looking at the empty pavilion, and took another step forward.
The space shifted, and in the blink of an eye, a figure in white had already taken a seat in the pavilion before Huo Yuhao.
It was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, with a slender and perfect figure. Her pure white dress accentuated her noble and ethereal aura.
As if sensing Huo Yuhao's gaze, she slowly turned her head, revealing a stunning face.
Her eyes were a crystal-clear azure, and her hair was as white as snow, cascading down to her feet, swaying gently in the breeze by the lake, carrying a hint of chill.
Two pairs of blue eyes met, as if a thousand years had passed in that moment.
Huo Yuhao smiled warmly,
"I'm back."
The Snow Empress, known to the world as aloof and peerless, looked at him and smiled in return. Her smile was like a ray of warm sunlight in winter, melting the surrounding coldness and enchanting the heart.
"It's good that you're back."
---
"Senior Yulai?"
Gu Yuena looked at the cold woman who had suddenly appeared in front of her, no longer fiddling with her soul-powered screen, her expression slightly surprised. "Why are you here too?"
Leng Yulai looked at the black-haired, black-eyed girl before her, momentarily confused. But then she remembered what her sister had told her and instantly understood. Her tone softened, "It's you, Na'er. I came with the Snow Empress. And you?"
She cared quite a bit for her sister's disciple.
"Probably the Snow Empress... wanted me and Yuhao to come together," Gu Yuena said.
"Yuhao?" Leng Yulai was taken aback. Hearing Gu Yuena's soft tone, she was inexplicably reminded of her own infatuation with Yun Ming in the past.
Thinking back, she had been like a lunatic back then, as if she couldn't live without Yun Ming.
If the Snow Empress hadn't frozen her into an ice sculpture for ten years, allowing her to calm down, and if she hadn't cleared up the misunderstanding with her sister, her life would have been ruined.
She didn't know how she had dared to act like that back then.
Did she think the Holy Spirit Cult was stronger than the Spirit Pagoda? Or did she believe that becoming an evil soul master would allow her to escape the Spirit Pagoda?
The first Pagoda Master was right, being love-struck was unacceptable. At the very least, one needed to remain rational. The mindset that nothing else mattered except one's lover was dangerous and could lead to a loss of intelligence.
With this in mind, Leng Yulai looked at Gu Yuena.
"The Yuhao you're referring to is the one who passed the Red-Level Assessment, Huo Yuhao, right? What kind of person is he?"
This girl was luckier than her. The person she liked was within the Spirit Pagoda, so it didn't violate the ancestral rules, and he had good talent. But Leng Yulai felt that his character still needed to be observed.
"Yuhao?"
Though Gu Yuena found Leng Yulai's question a bit strange, considering her status, she still answered, "From what I've seen, he..."
As she listened, Leng Yulai began to form an image of Huo Yuhao in her mind.
He seemed to be the type who would return kindness with kindness, if someone treated him well, he would reciprocate. He was also calm and composed.
Such a person likely had a traditional view of love, not as passionate as she had been in the past, but more focused on a natural progression.
There were pros and cons to this. It would probably take a long time to reach a happy ending, but at least there would be positive feedback along the way. Even if they didn't end up together, it wouldn't be a complete loss...
Leng Yulai glanced at Gu Yuena, thought for a moment, and shared her thoughts with her.
---Huo Yuhao sat down in the pavilion and smiled,
"Why did you choose Heaven Dou for our meeting?"
"I had some matters to attend to here. I originally planned to go to the East Sea to find you, but I got delayed," the Snow Empress said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Speaking of which, since you've started over, why didn't you go directly to the Extreme North?"
Despite not having seen each other for ten thousand years, their conversation felt natural and unstrained.
Huo Yuhao shook his head, "When I first heard that you hadn't appeared in public, I guessed that you had started over, so I didn't go, not wanting to trouble you."
The Snow Empress chuckled, "I think you just didn't want to rely on me anymore, right? Your wings have hardened, and you feel you can manage on your own."
The three in his spiritual sea nodded in agreement.
Exactly, exactly. The Snow Empress was right.
Yuhao, you've become too independent, looking down on us, the old and weak.
"Not at all," Huo Yuhao replied with a helpless smile. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be living the same life as I did ten thousand years ago."
Over the course of ten thousand years, there were many things he couldn't arrange himself, so he had to entrust them to someone he trusted.
Su Tong wasn't suitable, Jue Chen wasn't suitable, and Gu Yi wasn't either. It wasn't just a matter of trust but also lifespan. Even if they themselves were reliable, their descendants might not be.
Ten thousand years ago, the person he chose to entrust everything to was the Snow Empress, and he only trusted her.
Though Di Tian was powerful, he lacked flexibility. The original Spirit Pagoda had invited the Star Dou Great Forest to join, but they were ultimately driven out. Moreover, Di Tian was an outsider, and Huo Yuhao didn't trust him.
Over the past ten thousand years, during the periods when the Spirit Pagoda lacked a Limit Douluo, it was the Snow Empress who personally presided over the headquarters, shielding it from storms.
The Extreme North was also an important faction within the Spirit Pagoda, preventing the monopolistic situation described in the original work.
If it weren't for the Snow Empress, when he woke up, he might have seen the same disappointing Spirit Pagoda as before...
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered, and he sighed.
"Over the past ten thousand years... I've owed you a great deal."
Hearing this, the Snow Empress's eyes softened, and she looked at Huo Yuhao, asking a question that seemed unrelated to the topic, "Do you know the name of my four-word battle armor?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback.
"Though I don't need it and have never used it outside, I still gave my battle armor a name."
Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression, the Snow Empress's eyes grew even gentler, but her tone was solemn.
"My four-word battle armor is named Spirit Ice and Snow !"
"Ten thousand years ago, you helped me, allowing me to transcend the heavenly tribulation and ensuring the safety of the Extreme North for the past ten thousand years. Now, I will help you, aiding you in ascending to godhood!"
"..." Huo Yuhao fell silent, locking eyes with the Snow Empress. It seemed as if a thousand words had already been spoken between them.
Helping each other?
Huo Yuhao reflected on his journey so far.
The Snow Empress, Gu Yuena, Di Tian, the spirit souls, Tang Wulin... their paths had all diverged.
Was it for the better? The future was uncertain, hard to say. But at this moment, they were living decent lives, weren't they?
It truly was mutual aid.
Helping the world, helping the mortal realm, helping others... and helping oneself!
A new realm of understanding emerged from Huo Yuhao's spiritual power, surprising the Snow Empress, who shook her head with a smile.
"In terms of comprehension, no one in this world is your match anymore."
"Flattery. I'm just bullying people of the same level," Huo Yuhao exhaled deeply. "If it weren't for your guidance, it would have taken me much longer to grasp this."
"It's nothing."
The Snow Empress shook her head slightly, "As I said earlier, let's not talk about the debts of the past ten thousand years. Haven't I also owed you much? Given the relationship between us, there's no need to be so formal."
Huo Yuhao: "Even brothers need to settle accounts clearly. Great kindness can breed resentment. Taking others' efforts for granted isn't good. From the perspective of a soul beast, ten thousand years might not be long, but to me, the debt is substantial."
The Snow Empress glanced at Huo Yuhao, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
"Ten thousand years have passed, yet you haven't changed at all. Fine, I can't argue with you on these principles. If in the future I can't repay you and I want something, don't blame me for using my kindness to make demands."
"..."
Huo Yuhao frowned, looking at the Snow Empress's smile, feeling that something was off.
The Snow Empress wouldn't resort to using kindness to make demands, would she?
Besides, if she wanted something, she could just ask. It wasn't like he wouldn't give it to her.
After all, in his heart, Tian Meng, Elder Yi, Bing Di, and the Snow Empress held equal positions. No one else could surpass them, though some might be on par...
But the Snow Empress had specifically mentioned it, so it couldn't just be an empty remark.
After some thought, Huo Yuhao still smiled, "Of course, if I'm the one who can't repay, I have no right to accuse others of using kindness to make demands."
The Snow Empress chuckled without responding.
In the spiritual sea, Bing Bing observed the Snow Empress outside, watching as Huo Yuhao began chatting with her about the events of the past ten thousand years, narrowing her eyes.
After transforming into a human, the Snow Empress's appearance hadn't changed much, except she seemed less aloof and more human...
After a moment of silence, Bing Bing decided to step out of Huo Yuhao's body, "How have you been these past ten thousand years? Are you accustomed to the human world?"
"Bing'er, it's been a while," the Snow Empress turned to her, smiling softly. "I've been doing quite well. I'm sure you feel the same. Life in the Extreme North was a bit monotonous, but these past ten thousand years have been far more eventful than before."
"Though, compared to when you were all here, it felt a bit lonely. Only Little White could keep me company, but he's too simple-minded, agreeing with everything I say. Others kept their distance. For the first time, I felt that ten thousand years... was a long time."
The Snow Empress's eyes softened, "Fortunately, you've all returned now."
Huo Yuhao and Bing Bing fell silent upon hearing her words.
Ten thousand years... felt long?
The three of them could play mahjong in the spiritual sea, but the Snow Empress...
"Why so serious?" the Snow Empress looked at their expressions and shook her head with a wry smile. "Let's talk about this later. For now, let's discuss business. It's been a long time since we last met, and today I've brought you a gift, Yuhao."
"A gift?" Huo Yuhao's eyelids twitched as he watched the Snow Empress take out a small box from her storage ring.
He was somewhat sensitive to the word "gift" these days.
The Snow Empress placed the box on the table, opened it, and pushed it toward Huo Yuhao.
In the center of the box lay a gem-like object.
It was about the size of a longan, shaped like a teardrop. Its surface was covered with countless tiny facets, emitting a cool, ice-blue glow.
Though its size was unremarkable, when the sunlight hit it, the light was instantly refracted into countless dazzling rays, no longer golden but a brilliant ice-blue.
These radiant ice-blue beams seemed to transform into sharp rays, crisscrossing the space within the pavilion.
Looking at it, Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted.
"The Ice God's Pearl!"
The Ice God's Pearl, also known as the Ice God's Heart, was a divine artifact of ice. Its power was coldness, extreme coldness.
Its origins were unclear to Huo Yuhao. He only knew it might be in the Extreme North. From Gu Yuena's familiarity with it in the original work, it might also be related to the Divine Realm of the Dragon God era.
Ten thousand years ago, he had searched for it but found nothing. Later, he had mentioned it to the Snow Empress. He hadn't expected her to actually find it after ten thousand years.