The Past (Ice Empress Appears)

The Past (Ice Empress Appears)

After watching Wang Dong leave, Huo Yuhao also made arrangements to enter the Cold Sect. Ye Qingchen did not dare delay and headed straight north.

"Space Jump consumes a bit too much Soul Power. Without Divine Power, it's still rather taxing."

Ye Qingchen panted for quite some time before recovering. Under such circumstances, he had pushed the overlapping of space to its fullest extent.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Qingchen could clearly feel the air growing colder and colder. The biting chill forced him to slow his pace. He was currently within the Heaven Soul Empire; continuing north, once he reached its northern border, he would have essentially arrived at his destination.

Within a day, Ye Qingchen had completely entered the uninhabited Far North. The snow on the ground grew thicker and thicker, while the snow wherever he passed parted to either side.

Ye Qingchen's divine sense rapidly spread outward. Across the core region of the Far North, spanning tens of thousands of square kilometers, the light suddenly dimmed. An indescribable majesty blossomed outward from Ye Qingchen as its center.

"Ice Empress! I know you're here. Do you dare show yourself?"

The sky grew darker and darker. After speaking, Ye Qingchen merely stood there quietly. Fierce winds swept over him, yet he remained unmoving. He knew the Ice Empress would certainly come. Without help, she could never survive her four-hundred-thousand-year Thunder Tribulation. Her life was at stake; she could not possibly ignore him.

The pitch-black clouds were suddenly flooded by a layer of jade-green radiance, and the dark sky turned jade-green in an instant.

"Who exactly are you?! How dare you enter our Far North?" As that voice rang out, the snow on the ground instantly surged three meters high.

"Ten thousand years ago—Ice River Valley—Ice Spirit Grass."

After Ye Qingchen spoke, his thoughts returned to ten thousand years ago. When he had first arrived on Douluo Continent, Spirit Hall had not even appeared yet. He himself had been in a soul state, desperately searching for a body capable of housing his soul. After searching all over Douluo Continent without finding one, he had helplessly come to the Far North and searched without pause. Just as he was about to give up, a blade of grass caught his attention. Its body was surrounded by ice crystals, crystal-clear and translucent. The instant Ye Qingchen touched it, his soul was drawn inside.

When Ye Qingchen opened his eyes again, he discovered that he had become an Ice Spirit Grass. He had regained a body. Though it was extremely weak, it was still around the fifty-thousand-year level, and it would not be long before he could transform into a human again. However, that year, while cultivating in Ice River Valley, Ye Qingchen encountered two women, one tall and one short. The one who called herself the elder sister was the Heavenly Snow Woman, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the North Pole, while the younger sister was naturally the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. Ye Qingchen understood who they were the moment they met. After chatting with them, the three gradually became close.

He had thought time would pass like that. In less than a few years, Ye Qingchen's cultivation had stabilized at the hundred-thousand-year level, and he had taken human form. Yet after Ye Qingchen transformed, misfortune soon followed. While the three were cultivating that day, just as their cultivation could have broken through once more, an accident occurred, causing their blood and energy to flow in reverse. Ye Qingchen's cultivation was lower, so he suffered less of an impact, but the other two were not in good condition. The heavenly lightning showed them no mercy.

Seeing that all three were about to be wiped out, Ye Qingchen chose a method no one could have anticipated: he would withstand the heavenly lightning himself. But man proposes, heaven disposes. He had underestimated its might. Ye Qingchen turned to look at the injured women behind him, then resolutely gave up all his cultivation and merged it into their bodies, allowing them to safely overcome the Thunder Tribulation.

"Xue Er, Bing Er, I'm leaving. Don't waste the cultivation I left you. Cultivate well. Perhaps we'll meet again in the future. When that time comes, I'll return."

As his final words rang out, the Ice Spirit Grass that carried Ye Qingchen's soul shattered and ultimately dispersed between heaven and earth.

"Qingchen, wait for us. We'll cultivate diligently and definitely revive you." Snow Empress watched Ye Qingchen, who had shielded her from the Thunder Tribulation, vanish between heaven and earth, muttering to herself.

"Xue Er, Qingchen... will he come back?" Ice Empress helplessly clung to Snow Empress and wept.

"He said he would definitely return. Perhaps we'll meet again in the future. Before then, we must cultivate diligently."

"Who exactly are you?! Why do you know about that place?" Ice Empress asked as she looked at the youth before her.

"Bing Er, don't you remember me? I told you I would return." Ye Qingchen said with a smile.

"Qingchen? You're Ye Qingchen? You came back... you idiot, you finally came back." The Ice Empress, now in human form, instantly threw herself into Ye Qingchen's embrace, her tears soaking his clothes.

"Bing Er, don't cry. Haven't I come back?" Ye Qingchen looked at the Ice Empress clinging to him, reached out to wipe away her tears, and smiled.

"Where have you been all these years, Qingchen?" Ice Empress asked.

Based on his current circumstances, Ye Qingchen explained everything about his situation in full, except for the system.

"So that's how it is. It seems you've encountered a fortunate opportunity, Qingchen, and gained strength no less than that of a god. The Dragon God actually exists in another world as well, and you even obtained the power belonging to the Silver Dragon King..."

"Let's not talk about that. I returned this time for you, Bing Er—to help you overcome your four-hundred-thousand-year limit." Ye Qingchen patted Ice Empress's shoulder as he spoke.

"Qingchen, you have a way?" Ice Empress asked doubtfully.

"It's just a small matter. This is an Extremely Cold Twin Lotus. Once you consume it, overcoming four hundred thousand years will be effortless." An ice-blue twin-stemmed lotus appeared in Ye Qingchen's hand.

"Alright. Once I break through, I'll go with you to the human world and search for my sister." Ice Empress said after accepting the Extremely Cold Twin Lotus.

Day turned to night, and night turned to day. The jade-green radiance around Ice Empress grew increasingly intense, while thunderclouds churned overhead. The Thunder Tribulation continued gathering strength, ready to strike. Ye Qingchen looked up at the clouds and smiled faintly.

"It's been four hundred thousand years. This Thunder Tribulation is just the reminder I needed. God Slaying Spear, suppress." A pitch-black spear appeared in Ye Qingchen's hand. Though he had refined less than sixty percent of it, it could still be used against the Thunder Tribulation.

A pitch-black Moon Blade immediately slashed fiercely toward the thunderclouds overhead. The instant it touched them, the thunderclouds were annihilated. Ice Empress naturally broke through to four hundred thousand years, and her potential was cleansed by the Extremely Cold Twin Lotus. With the body of a soul beast, becoming a god would now be effortless.

Ding, the host has changed the Ice Empress's fate. Reward: Enhancement Points ×5. Does the host wish to enhance?

Enhance, Ye Qingchen thought.

Enhancement successful. Host's current enhancement level: 33+ (Do not rush in recklessly)

"Alright, I understand. You may withdraw," Ye Qingchen said.

(End of Chapter)