The Frozen Forest lay in the bitterly cold lands to the north of the continent. It was covered with ice and snow all year round. The number of plants and animals able to survive here was pitifully small,only a few powerful soul beasts could move about freely in such an environment.
For this reason, it was known as a forbidden zone for humans. Yet, because humans rarely ventured into this place, the soul beasts of ice and water attributes lived here quite comfortably.
However, there were still some soul masters who came to such perilous lands seeking treasures or hunting rare ice-attributed soul beasts to sell, as they were highly valuable.
A tall, broad-shouldered young man with a massive frame was walking alone through the forest.
His appearance was ordinary, his short black hair clean and neat. He stood over two meters tall, dressed only in a thin black outfit that seemed unaffected by the freezing cold.
Oscar's sharp eyes scanned the map in his hand. Once he crossed the Frozen Forest, he would reach the innermost region of the Extreme North.
After leaving the City of Slaughter, Oscar had created a clone at the Soul Sage level using his Clone Sausage and sent it to the Extreme North.
The Extreme North was extremely dangerous,its unique environment made it even more perilous than the Star Dou Great Forest.
Oscar had long wanted to explore it, but his strength back then was limited, so he had only ventured into a small part of the area. Now that he had reached the seventy-fifth level and become a Soul Sage, he was confident enough to delve deeper.
His current appearance was not a disguise; it was the result of consuming a Clone Sausage made from the blood of Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
He had chosen to copy Gu Rong's Bone Dragon spirit rather than the Seven Kill Sword of Sword Douluo because of the Bone Dragon's unique traits.
The Bone Dragon was a mutated spirit, possessing unmatched defensive power as well as a rare spatial attribute. Combined with Gu Rong's sixth soul skill, Gate of Space, it was the ideal spirit to use when exploring the dangerous and unknown Extreme North.
Oscar's main purpose in venturing into the Extreme North was to seek out the Three Great Kings of the region and establish contact with them through the method of spirit souls. He hoped to form an alliance similar to the one the Star Dou Great Forest had with humans.
What Oscar needed most now were allies. If the Extreme North would cooperate, then even if Bibi Dong launched another soul-hunting campaign, Oscar could at least protect himself,and perhaps even strike back.
But Oscar was unfamiliar with the Extreme North. Without an intermediary like Xiao Wu, he had no certainty of success.
Still, he had to try. If the beings of the Extreme North refused to cooperate, then once Oscar became powerful enough, everything would proceed according to his will.
After swallowing a Swift Rain Swallow Sausage, Oscar turned into a streak of light, flying toward the depths of the Frozen Forest. He didn't want to waste time on the journey.
Before departing, he left a hundred of each of his first three spirit skills, as well as ten Beyond-Limit Black Gold Sausages in his storage device for emergencies.
Since this clone had copied the Bone Dragon spirit, it could no longer produce sausages.
With a speed comparable to a fifty-thousand-year Sharp-Tailed Swift, Oscar could cross one-fifth of the Frozen Forest in fifteen minutes. That meant five sausages would be enough to cover the entire distance.
However, after using only three Swift Rain Swallow Sausages and crossing two-thirds of the forest, Oscar stopped,he had encountered a group of soul masters.
There were seven of them, clearly a hunting party specializing in soul beast hunts in the Extreme North. Among them were two Soul Emperors, three Soul Kings, and two Soul Elders.
Such a combination was already considered powerful even by continental standards. At that moment, they were jointly battling a forty-thousand-year Ice Bear.
Oscar hadn't planned to interfere, but he paused when he noticed one of the Soul Emperors had a Snowfury Bear spirit.
That martial spirit, that level, and this location,it immediately reminded him of a familiar figure from the original story.
Haote. In the original tale, when Oscar went out to train alone, he came to the Frozen Forest. Back then, he was only around level forty but met a loyal older brother figure who protected and guided him during his training.
However, Haote only appeared once in the story. After Oscar rejoined the Shrek Seven Devils, he was never mentioned again. It seemed Oscar had never repaid that kindness.
Perhaps he had, and it simply wasn't told in the story, which followed Tang San's perspective.
In any case, if this man was truly Haote, Oscar decided he could lend him a hand.
Not out of a sense of repaying debts from the original tale,Oscar wasn't that sentimental,but because Haote was someone worth befriending.
In the story, Oscar's sixth spirit ring came from a twenty-thousand-year Mirror Beast, which also provided him with an extremely rare head bone.
When their hunting team obtained that head bone, it caused internal conflict and a deadly fight. Only Haote resisted greed, stood by Oscar's side, and even gave him the soul bone.
Even if Haote had some personal motives for investing in Oscar, such generosity and integrity were admirable.
To recruit such a kind-hearted and capable soul master into his sect would be a huge gain.
Oscar approached swiftly. In an instant, he was near the group. Despite their strong lineup and two high-level Soul Emperors, their opponent,a forty-thousand-year Ice Bear,was still difficult to handle.
The Ice Bear's strength and defense were both top-tier, and it was fighting on home ground without restraint.
Fortunately, one of the Soul Emperors had a Flame Lion spirit, which countered the Ice Bear's element. Their teamwork gave them a chance to win.
When Oscar appeared, everyone tensed up. Their teamwork barely held the Ice Bear down,if this newcomer caused trouble, they might lose their prey or even their lives.
The Ice Bear also grew wary.
It had intelligence enough to sense danger. A group of human soul masters was already troublesome, but now a powerful new arrival had come at incredible speed,clearly not weak.
From the newcomer's speed alone, even an agility-type soul master would need to be at least Soul Sage level.
If it were a soul beast, that would mean a fifty-thousand-year agility-type beast.
From the moment they noticed Oscar to his arrival took only a few breaths. His speed was astonishing.
Both sides froze, momentarily halting their attacks, each ready to flee.
The soul masters thought, "We can find another soul ring later, but if we die, it's over."
The Ice Bear thought, "I can avenge myself anytime,but if I die, that's the end."
Without a word, Oscar spread his white wings and hovered ten meters above the ground, about ten meters away from the group.
All eyes turned to him as seven brilliant spirit rings appeared around his body,yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.
The oppressive aura of a Soul Sage filled the air, leaving no doubt about his power.
The group was stunned. Oscar looked no older than thirty. When had such a young Soul Sage appeared on the continent?
As the seven rings pulsed rhythmically around him, Oscar spoke calmly: "May I ask you all for a small favor?"
Everyone was taken aback. The Snowfury Bear Soul Emperor stepped forward and said, "Honored Soul Sage, junior Haote greets you. It's not that we're unwilling to help, but I'm in the middle of obtaining my seventh spirit ring. If we delay, then,"
Before he could finish, the heavily wounded Ice Bear suddenly turned and fled. Without the soul masters blocking its way, it dashed across the snow for over ten meters.
It wasn't stupid,seeing a Soul Sage arrive, staying would be suicide.
Its only goal now was to escape. Once it recovered, it could seek revenge later.
Seeing the Ice Bear fleeing, Haote instinctively moved to chase,it was the perfect seventh spirit ring for him.
His luck had been extraordinary. Their team could normally handle at most a thirty-thousand-year beast, but this Ice Bear had been injured beforehand, giving them a rare chance.
If he lost it now, he might never get such an opportunity again.
But just as he was about to give chase, the Flame Lion Soul Emperor grabbed his shoulder and transmitted his voice: "Are you going to offend a Soul Sage over a spirit ring? We're already not at our best. What if he's here to rob us? Let's deal with him first."
"He showed up right in the middle of our hunt,he's probably not here with good intentions."
Hearing that, Haote forced himself to calm down. A spirit ring could be replaced,but life could not.
He took a deep breath and said respectfully, "Senior, please speak your request."
Oscar smiled slightly. For someone to remain composed after losing a spirit ring,this was rare.
The others were calm too, but that was mostly because the spirit ring wasn't theirs. And considering the Ice Bear's strength and the danger they'd already faced, most had already been thinking of giving up.
After all, they were here for profit, not to die.
Oscar smiled. He had confirmed this man was indeed Haote.
"It's nothing major," Oscar said. "If you agree to help me with something, I'll help you hunt down that Ice Bear you just lost."
The group exchanged uncertain glances. Haote's eyes brightened, but the others looked wary.
The Ice Bear was Haote's target, not theirs, and if a Soul Sage wanted their help, the task was surely not simple.
After some thought, Haote asked, "May I ask what Senior needs from us?"
Oscar replied with a gentle smile, "No hurry. I see you've reached level seventy. That Ice Bear should be your seventh ring, right? Let me help you get it first, and then I'll tell you what I need. How about that?"
Haote's eyes lit up in joy. "Senior, are you serious?"
He looked around,the Ice Bear had vanished without a trace,and asked, "Can you still find it?"
In this snowy land, the Ice Bear had countless ways to hide its tracks.
Oscar only smiled, nodded, and flapped his white wings, soaring into the sky and vanishing in an instant.
Seeing that astonishing speed, the team members thought that maybe he really could find the Ice Bear.
And with the strength of a Soul Sage, dealing with a wounded beast shouldn't be difficult.
As the group began to rest and recover their soul power, Haote said, "Brothers, let's follow him. Maybe we can help when the time comes."
The Flame Lion Soul Emperor laughed. "Help? He's a Soul Sage. You think he can't handle an injured Ice Bear?"
A Soul King beside him added, "Brother Haote, our soul power is almost exhausted. Let's take this chance to meditate."
The Flame Lion Soul Emperor added, "We don't know this man's intentions. If we don't keep our energy up, we'll be at his mercy later. Don't let a single soul ring cloud your judgment."
Haote nodded, realizing the sense in his words. "All right. You all meditate. I'll keep watch."
No one objected. Haote was well known as a good man,always considerate of his teammates.
If not for his strength, that kind-hearted nature might have already gotten him killed many times over.
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