After several months, Shen Hanyu returned once more to the extreme northern region near the sea.
This was also the vicinity where he and Tianmeng first met, belonging to the territory of the ice frost snakes. Usually, few other lives existed here, making it a pure land that belonged solely to the ice frost snakes.
The wind and snow here were noticeably less intense compared to the outer areas, though the wind was still strong, even capable of blowing small to medium-sized rocks.
The sky was hazy, somewhat like the smoggy weather from his previous life. The air carried the salty tang of the sea breeze. If someone unaccustomed to this environment were here, they would likely have fallen ill by now...
Shen Hanyu did not feel any discomfort. Most of this region was covered in chaotic piles of rocks encased in ice and frost. In some places, one step could lead to a bottomless abyss below. Beneath the ice layers in many rock crevices, water flowed, producing tinkling sounds that echoed in the vast surroundings, adding a touch of mystery.
Tianmeng covertly extended his mental power and shared the scenes he perceived with Shen Hanyu. The reason he dared not use his mental power freely was likely because this area was not far from the core circle, and the true master of this region was a 200,000-year-old ferocious beast, though its lifespan was nearing its end...
Because this was a gathering place for snake-type soul beasts, many small soul beasts like snow rabbits and snow ferrets lived under the nearby chaotic rocks. These were one of the main food sources for the ice frost snakes.
This region was rarely visited by humans, so almost everything remained in its original state from the time of creation. The creatures here possessed the most primal wildness, something even the Star Dou Great Forest rarely had in such purity.
Besides the aforementioned soul beasts, there was another type: a large group of small Tianmengs, the true survival masters of the extreme north, at the bottom of the food chain—ice silkworms...
This type of soul beast could be found in almost every corner of the extreme north, and they could even survive outside it. They might not be strong, but their adaptability and reproductive abilities were top-notch.
Tianmeng felt an inexplicable pride in this and pulled Shen Hanyu along to tell him many stories about their ice silkworm clan, including some personal experiences.
Shen Hanyu was not particularly interested but did not want to dampen Tianmeng's enthusiasm. He listened quietly, occasionally offering his opinions when something caught his interest.
As they ventured deeper, the waves grew smaller, and the terrain along the shore began to flatten. Clusters of floating ice appeared on the sea surface, and in the distance, several massive icebergs could vaguely be seen.
From time to time, water spouts shot up from the sea. The soul beasts producing these spouts were naturally the largest in size in this sea area—the cold sea whales.
The cold sea whales were not inherently aggressive or brutal soul beasts. The largest could reach over seventy meters, truly super giants. Even newborn cold sea whale calves could easily surpass many shark-type soul beasts in size.
Moreover, do not assume their gentle nature meant weak combat ability. The enormous size of the cold sea whales represented unparalleled strength. Despite their massive bodies, their speed was terrifyingly fast, even surpassing soul beasts like the deep-sea swordfish, known for speed and attack power.
"Tsk tsk, Hanyu, there are quite a few rare soul beasts under this sea area. An 80,000-year iron-armed red crab, a 50,000-year blue devil octopus, and even a group of cold sea whales with cultivations around 30,000 years. Further out, there's a 90,000-year-old bloodthirsty mad shark. This ocean is deep and concealed enough, with abundant food, attracting many powerful soul beasts to settle here."
Tianmeng marveled. The density of high-level soul beasts here could rival the extreme north's core circle.
Shen Hanyu nodded, his figure swiftly moving through the ice-and-snow-covered piles of giant rocks, producing almost negligible noise.
After advancing about five kilometers, Tianmeng suddenly froze, then hurriedly said:
"Hanyu, hide quickly! A powerful soul beast is approaching us!"
Shen Hanyu was startled and immediately leaped into a snow layer several meters thick below. Tianmeng promptly used his mental power to create a camouflage effect and completely erased their auras and traces.
"What's wrong, Tianmeng? What soul beast is it that has you so nervous?"
Shen Hanyu asked in the sea of spirit.
"It's that 200,000-year ice frost snake demon! Bro didn't expect that just a sliver of bro's mental power being exposed would allow this guy's mental power to make full contact with mine. It also has decent mental attributes. This was bro's miscalculation. Who would've thought a mere 200,000-year ferocious beast could detect bro's mental power?"
Tianmeng said, somewhat panicked and anxious.
Shen Hanyu frowned, held his breath, and covertly observed the outside world through Tianmeng's mental power.
Amid the strong wind, the sound of a snake's tail scraping the ground slowly approached from afar. Then, a figure about two meters tall slowly appeared at the spot where Shen Hanyu had just been standing.
A hint of unusual color appeared in Shen Hanyu's eyes. This ice frost snake demon's body was unexpectedly small, and judging by its appearance, it was female.
Its upper body was completely humanoid, with a face that was not stunningly beautiful but possessed a unique charm. Pale blue long hair cascaded onto blue armor, exuding a wild beauty.
Its lower body, however, was entirely a snake tail, covered in ice-blue scales embedded with a water-blue crystal, giving it an inexplicably noble and elegant appearance.
Shen Hanyu unconsciously swallowed. He had seen many beauties, but this was the first time encountering one so uniquely special.
The ice frost snake demon stood on a giant rock, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings but finding nothing. A trace of doubt and ruthlessness appeared in her eyes before she slowly walked away into the distance, showing no lingering attachment.
Tianmeng spoke at this moment:
"She seems to have detected our traces through mental power, but could only pinpoint a general location. Plus, bro's mental power is stronger than hers, and she's injured with her body gradually decaying, so she only did a rough search and didn't truly investigate."
Shen Hanyu waited until she was far away before rising from the snow layer, slowly exhaling in relief, and said:
"Be more careful. There are many soul beasts with mental attributes here. Though your mental power is strong, mistakes can happen. This time, we were lucky—she didn't intend to pursue deeply, just a simple patrol..."
Tianmeng solemnly agreed. Only those involved knew how dangerous the situation had been; one couldn't truly empathize without experiencing it firsthand.
Shen Hanyu took a deep look in the direction the ice frost snake demon had left, feeling a strange sensation rise in his heart. From her, he sensed endless sorrow and pain, like a repository of negative energy, filled with despair without a trace of hope...
After one final glance in the direction she had departed, Shen Hanyu took a detour and left, re-entering this dangerous yet beautiful world...