Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

The item Gu Yue had given him was indeed quite useful—Di Tian had knelt so swiftly. However, giving it to him now, besides preparing for future contingencies, was likely intended for him to use in the Extreme North. Though Han Li had no intention of doing so.

Unlike the Divine Realm, even if Douluo Continent were to ascend in the future, its foundation would remain shallow, unable to compare with the gods. Among the soul beasts, there weren't many that caught Han Li's eye, but Snow Empress was one of them, and her origins were quite intriguing.

Different from other fierce beasts, Snow Empress was a naturally born ice-element creature. Rather than calling her a soul beast, Han Li preferred to refer to her as a spirit. He had observed the Extreme North long ago, and Snow Empress was its favored child—the so-called Child of Destiny in that region. The rich aura of luck around her had once made Han Li envious.

It could be said that if not for the rules of Douluo Continent limiting her, she would have been another Lie Yan from Jiu Shen(God of Wine), reaching the level of a second-tier god with little trouble.

The current fierce beasts and the upper echelons of the Spirit Hall would likely form his short-term base in the future. Of course, that was assuming his success, but it was worth considering.

After retrieving Gu Yue's Reverse Scale, Di Tian's attitude had grown noticeably more respectful. Although he didn't fully understand his lord's intentions, it didn't stop him from obeying; such a strict hierarchy was deeply ingrained within the Soul Beast clan.

The blood-red pillar of light gradually faded, and the figure of the Blue Silver Emperor slowly dissipated, vanishing completely into the heavens and earth. This time, she was beyond salvation. Although a seed remained where she had perished, it had lost all its former luster and no longer held any trace of life.

This sacrifice had been a soul sacrifice—the most domineering kind—under Han Li's control. Performing sacrifices in quick succession, though over several decades apart, had finally taken its toll on the Blue Silver Emperor, even though she had regained her hundred-thousand-year status. But unlike before, this time, her recovery had been forcibly pushed by Han Li. Energy was one thing, but restoring a soul was far more difficult. No matter how resilient the Blue Silver Grass was, it couldn't withstand such repeated abuse.

Unconcerned, Han Li turned his attention to Ye Lingling, who was still meditating. Above her head, a new blood-red soul ring had already formed. He nodded with satisfaction. For her and the others, absorbing soul rings no longer brought significant improvements; now, what mattered most were the ring's age and energy.

"Next, try to use your bloodline to ascend to the rank of emperor," Han Li said casually, tossing the seed of the Blue Silver Emperor in front of the Blue Silver King.

"Once you ascend, if you wish, you can return to the Blue Silver Forest. Your clan is there, and it may be more suitable for your cultivation."

"Once you've made up your mind, you can have Di Tian assist you. There will be no obstacles to your return," Han Li added, glancing at Di Tian. The latter nodded in agreement—it was no trouble at all for him. Moreover, Di Tian would be glad to see another emperor rise among the soul beasts. Compared to Ah Yin, the Blue Silver King's concern for his clan was something Di Tian respected more.

Ye Lingling opened her eyes, her blue-green domain expanding around her and radiating a rich life force. After the Blue Silver Emperor's second sacrifice, her Blue Silver Domain had once again evolved. With the support of her Nine Heart Begonia martial soul, her healing abilities had become even stronger, and her power to drain other plants had also risen to a new level.

Of course, with Di Tian and the others present, she wasn't foolish enough to mention these changes aloud. Instead, she simply gave Han Li a sweet smile.

"Well, we'll be leaving now. Di Tian, give my regards to Gu Yue," Han Li said as he took Ye Lingling's hand and opened a spatial portal to Heaven Dou City. The portal was the same as the Silver Dragon King's, which only made Di Tian more respectful and filled his mind with new speculations.

Once Han Li and Ye Lingling returned to their residence, the others were already waiting for them. After a brief demonstration of Ye Lingling's new domain, their business was more or less concluded.

"Are we heading out immediately?"

Qian Daoliu asked. Yesterday, they had already said their goodbyes to Qian Renxue, so there was no need to notify anyone else.

"Of course," Han Li nodded. During their stay in Heaven Dou City, they had long since made all the necessary preparations. And with the others already progressing in their divine trials, it was imperative to get these three started as well.

"Wait a second," Han Li stopped Qian Daoliu, who was about to take flight, and closed his eyes, sinking into his spiritual space.

Now that he had mastered the rules of space, there was no need to fly to their destination. Why waste the energy?

As he locked onto the coordinates at the edge of the Extreme North, his eyes opened, and a silver portal appeared in front of them.

"All right, let's go. Once we pass through, we'll be within the borders of the Extreme North."

Han Li's face was slightly pale. His divine power was holding him back. Just this one long-distance teleportation had consumed a third of his soul power. The massive output in such a short time left him feeling quite uncomfortable. Though part of the energy had been used to stabilize the passage, ensuring it wouldn't harm the others, it still felt inefficient.

Sighing, Han Li's divine core quickly began absorbing and converting immortal energy to restore his condition. He glanced at the others.

Qian Daoliu took a deep breath, feeling somewhat useless. Without saying a word, he was the first to step into the spatial portal. Han Li extended a hand to the girls, and they followed, stepping into the portal behind him.

"So beautiful," one of the girls exclaimed. Except for Shui Bing'er, who had been there before, the sight of the snow-covered landscape was a novelty to them.

"The scenery is nice, but you might grow tired of it soon," Han Li remarked, looking at Dugu Yan. They were all still in their casual attire, as the cold here couldn't affect them. Even the weakest of them was close to the Soul Sage level. As for Shui Bing'er, she didn't even need to worry about the temperature. She thrived in such an environment.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even know there were soul beasts over a hundred thousand years old here," Qian Daoliu said, gazing at the scenery with a hint of nostalgia.

He had traveled the continent before, but that was before he became a Title Douluo. In human records, the Extreme North was known for its harsh environment, and the soul beasts there were poorly documented. After achieving the rank of Title Douluo, he spent most of his time in Wuhun City, only leaving for places like Seagod Island on rare occasions.

"Isn't it nice to have the secrets of the world revealed before your eyes?" Han Li responded with a smile, already focused on their destination. With a flap of his wings, he took off in the direction he had set.

"It certainly has its charm," Qian Daoliu replied, smiling as he flew ahead, opening a barrier of soul power to shield the younger ones from the wind and snow. Although it wasn't really necessary, it was a subconscious act on his part.

"Haha, Grand Uncle, maybe after this trip, you'll feel a few hundred years younger!"

Han Li's laughter echoed in the air, startling the soul beasts below and sending them diving into the snow, leaving only their tails exposed.

"Is that so? I hope so," Qian Daoliu replied, his voice fading as their banter continued over the snow-white ice plains.

…

In the heart of the Extreme North, a beautiful castle crafted from ice and snow stood tall. Inside, a young girl opened her eyes, her sky-blue irises filled with curiosity.

"Humans? Coming for me?"

Han Li and the others hadn't bothered to hide their presence, and their auras were fully exposed. On this ice field, there was no way they could escape Snow Empress's attention. Their trajectory hadn't changed since she first sensed them—they were heading straight for her.

"Spirit Hall members? Such a strong aura… I might not be able to beat him," she muttered as she stepped out of the castle. She fixed her gaze on the empty sky and gently waved her right hand, sending several snowflakes in different directions to alert other beasts.

Recently, too many strange things had been happening, so it was better to stay cautious. A slight frown creased her brow as she recalled the vision that had appeared in the minds of all soul beasts two days earlier.

What a joke. If it were about worshipping the Dragon God or the Beast God, that would be understandable. But a human? How absurd. If not for Ice Empress and the others confirming that it wasn't an illusion, she would have thought it was a test from the tribulation lightning.

She reached out and caught a snowflake in her hand. Instead of melting, the flake grew even more crystalline. She released it, watching as it drifted to the ground before raising her head again.

A group of humans was approaching directly, without any attempt to conceal their advance. They didn't seem to have peaceful intentions. She could only hope they wouldn't disturb the peace of the ice plains.

In the sky, Han Li and his group rapidly approached the snow castle. Elsewhere, several beast kings had already received Snow Empress's signal and were rushing to her location.

The rulers of the Extreme North were ready to defend their land to the death. They held no love for humans.

"What a grand welcoming party! They don't look too friendly," Han Li remarked, shaking his head as the commotion caused by the approaching beast kings was impossible to miss.

"We're the intruders," Qian Daoliu responded, glancing at him. He still wasn't accustomed to Han Li's way of speaking.

Han Li gave him an awkward yet polite smile, thinking to himself that Qian Daoliu was truly stiff. What a waste of such good looks. No wonder he couldn't compete with Tang Chen.

If he could resolve Qian Daoliu's issue and things went well, Han Li thought he might even arrange for Goddess of Lust to be his match, just to see if the Angelic Paladin could withstand such an assault.

"All right, Grand Uncle, the hostess is already waiting. Time for us to make our entrance," Han Li said with a grin. A few streams of green wind wrapped around the group, transforming them into streaks of light that shot swiftly toward the snow castle.

He had only scratched the surface of wind rules, but it was enough to give them a speed boost.

In front of the snow castle, three figures had already gathered beside Snow Empress.

"Snow, where are they?"

Ice Empress asked.

"They're coming," Snow Empress replied, glancing at the girl in front of her before looking toward the sky. A green streak of light was rapidly descending toward them.