Ultimate Ice Spring! An Immortal Herb capable of resisting Heavenly Tribulation!
These two temptations were enormous, enough to make her temporarily leave the territory she had managed for countless years.
That so-called "Poison Douluo" was beneath her notice.
A human Titled Douluo might be a top-tier existence in the Human World.
But before her, the Northern Extreme Heavenly King with cultivation nearing four hundred thousand years, he was still not enough!
What was more, her Ultimate Ice inherently countered the vast majority of poisons.
The only thing she needed to consider was whether this human kid's words were true.
But... the Ultimate Ice on his body could not be faked, nor could the fact that he had withstood several of her casual attacks with the strength of a Soul Ancestor.
Perhaps he truly had such heaven-defying luck as to know of such a secret?
The risks seemed manageable, while the reward... might be the key to surviving her next Heavenly Tribulation!
A moment later, the last trace of hesitation in Ice Empress's eyes turned into a cold glint of resolve.
She raised her chin and resumed that proud, icy demeanor, though her tone carried an unquestionable edge.
"Human, if even half a word you have said is false, if you dare deceive me, the consequences will be beyond your ability to bear."
So she had agreed!
Jiang Zhen's heart settled, though his expression became even more respectful and sincere.
"This junior has not uttered a single false word and is willing to swear upon his Martial Soul. If this trip succeeds, Senior will gain the means to overcome the tribulation, while this junior will have the chance to remedy the flaws of his Martial Soul. We will each get what we need—a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Ice Empress nodded faintly in satisfaction, clearly pleased by his answer.
She glanced at Jiang Zhen. "At least you know what's good for you. Then let us depart at once."
She seemed even more eager than Jiang Zhen.
Yet Jiang Zhen said, "Senior, please wait. This junior has a younger sister waiting for me in Dragon City, near the Far North. The journey ahead is long, and I need to make some preparations.
"But I would not dare trouble Senior into waiting in this wilderness. If Senior does not mind, could you accompany this junior to Dragon City to rest for a while? Then we can head south together afterward."
It would be disastrous if Ice Empress waited out here and grew impatient, or changed her mind.
Ice Empress's delicate brows furrowed slightly at his words.
But on second thought, staying on this icy plain was indeed boring. It would not hurt to visit a human city, and she could keep this human kid under close watch to make sure he did not play any tricks.
"Hmph, fine. This King shall accompany you and see what that human city looks like. Lead the way."
She spoke as though agreeing to visit Dragon City were granting Jiang Zhen an enormous favor.
"Please follow me, Senior."
Jiang Zhen laughed inwardly but revealed nothing. He made a welcoming gesture, then turned and sped toward Dragon City.
Ice Empress's dainty figure floated lightly into the air. Without using any Spirit Skill, she seemed like a part of the wind and snow itself as she silently followed behind Jiang Zhen.
Her emerald eyes curiously surveyed the rapidly receding scenery, though most of her attention remained on the human youth leading the way ahead.
After leaving the Extreme North Core Circle, even the wind and snow around them seemed to become much milder.
Two figures raced across the vast icy plains, one before the other.
Jiang Zhen led the way in front, moving like lightning as his deep blue cloak snapped loudly behind him.
Ice Empress followed not far behind. Her petite body floated as though weightless, her dark green long hair and jade-green dress dancing in the wind.
She even carried herself with a leisurely air, curiously observing this territory she had ruled for countless years, yet rarely regarded with the mindset of merely passing through.
After flying for about the time it took to burn an incense stick, Ice Empress seemed to grow bored. She accelerated until she was traveling alongside Jiang Zhen.
She turned her head and glanced at Jiang Zhen with her emerald eyes. Her crisp, icy voice broke the silence.
"Hey, human kid."
Jiang Zhen tilted his head slightly. "What are your instructions, Senior?"
Ice Empress wrinkled her delicate nose, impatience appearing on her face. "Enough, enough. Stop calling me Senior every other word. It sounds awkward. Just call me Ice Empress."
She had lived for nearly four hundred thousand years, so being called Senior was not unreasonable.
Yet for some reason, hearing it from this human kid who had just fought her felt strange, as though he were calling her old.
Jiang Zhen readily went along with it, the corner of his mouth curving almost imperceptibly. "All right. Then Ice Empress can simply call me A Zhen."
"A Zhen?"
Ice Empress repeated it and curled her lips.
"You humans have such simple names. Still, it sounds better than 'human kid.'"
She fell silent for a moment, seemingly searching for another topic. Her gaze swept over an ice forest below that had been destroyed by storms, and she suddenly asked,
"A Zhen, you said before that you've been to many human cities?"
"Mm, I've visited a few." Jiang Zhen nodded.
"Then... what's fun there?"
Ice Empress tried to make her tone sound casual, but the faint gleam in her eyes betrayed her curiosity.
Though she had occasionally sneaked to the outskirts of human cities to watch from afar, she had never truly mingled among them.
She had always held a secret curiosity, and a slight... longing, for those bustling places filled with human life.
Understanding her thoughts, Jiang Zhen began describing them to her. "Human cities are lively. There are markets selling all sorts of novel trinkets, food streets filled with enticing aromas, and stages where all kinds of plays are performed..."
He vividly described the sugar figurines and masks at the markets, the grilled meat and desserts on the food streets, and even the performances of street acrobats.
Ice Empress listened with rapt attention, unconsciously slowing down.
"...There's also something called Candied Hawthorn. Red fruit coated in a glistening shell of sugar, sweet and sour at the same time," Jiang Zhen added at last.
"Candied Hawthorn?" Ice Empress imagined its crystalline appearance and thought it sounded a little like ice. Her interest was immediately piqued. "Is it tasty?"
"It has a very distinctive flavor. I think you'll like it."
Jiang Zhen smiled. "When we reach Dragon City, I can take you to try some."
"Hmph!"
Ice Empress immediately withdrew her longing expression, put her little face back into a stern mask, and raised her chin as though This Empress could not care less.
"This Empress was merely asking! Who would be interested in those mundane things of yours humans? They're just fruit!"
A classic tsundere remark.
Jiang Zhen did not expose her. He merely nodded with a smile. "Of course, of course. Ice Empress has seen the world, so naturally you would not care for such things."
His perfunctory response instead made Ice Empress feel as though she had punched cotton.
She gritted her teeth in irritation, but could not very well lose her temper again. She could only turn away and pretend to admire the scenery, while silently remembering the name "Candied Hawthorn."
After traveling some farther, a massive ice crevasse appeared ahead, stretching across their path. It was dozens of meters wide and bottomless.
Biting cold wind surged upward from beneath the crevasse, creating powerful currents that interfered with flight.
Jiang Zhen paused, preparing to activate his Soul Power and force his way across.
At that moment, Ice Empress beside him seemed somewhat impatient. She snorted lightly. "Why are you dawdling?"
As she spoke, she casually waved a hand.
A gentle yet incomparably massive surge of Ultimate Ice Elemental Energy arrived first and instantly enveloped the turbulent currents ahead.
An astonishing scene unfolded—the howling wind and twisted air currents were forcibly calmed and frozen in an instant by absolute power!
Above the crevasse, a temporary bridge seemingly formed entirely of tranquil icy aura, solid and stable.
"Are you coming or not?" Ice Empress did not even look at Jiang Zhen before floating across first. Her tone remained impatient, as if she had merely done something trivial, and only because she disliked how slow he was.
Yet Jiang Zhen could clearly feel that, in that instant, the violent wind pressure that would have left even a Spirit King scrambling had not affected him in the slightest.
He looked at Ice Empress's petite back, which practically seemed to say, Thank This Empress, and laughed inwardly.
Her words were full of disdain, but her actions had already instinctively cleared away the obstacle for him.
Jiang Zhen did not point it out. He simply accelerated as instructed and, while crossing the icy bridge, softly said, "Thank you."
Ice Empress's figure ahead seemed to pause almost imperceptibly. Then an even more impatient voice came from her.
"Talkative!"
Yet that rebuke seemed to carry less coldness and a little more barely noticeable... awkwardness.
The two continued onward, but the atmosphere between them seemed to quietly soften.
Occasionally, Jiang Zhen would point out unusual landforms or Soul Beasts in the distance and briefly introduce them.
Although Ice Empress's tongue remained as sharp as ever, saying things like,
"Is such a weak creature even worth mentioning?"
"This ice plain is ugly as hell."
She would still silently look in the direction Jiang Zhen pointed.
The sunlight of the Far North stretched their shadows long across the snowfields.
One was a human youth, the other the Northern Extreme Heavenly King. One was human, the other a Soul Beast.
This pairing should have been utterly irreconcilable, yet at this moment, they formed a strange and harmonious scene of traveling together.
Ice Empress secretly glanced at Jiang Zhen beside her. His expression was calm, and he remained composed at all times. The rejection and doubts she felt toward the Human World seemed to fade a little more without her realizing it.
Perhaps this spontaneous journey south would be a little more interesting than she had imagined?
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