The Temptation of an Immortal Herb

Ultimate Ice Spring! An Immortal Herb capable of resisting the Heavenly Tribulation!

Those two temptations were immense—great enough to make her temporarily leave this territory she had ruled for countless years.

She did not regard that so-called "Poison Douluo" as a threat.

A human Titled Douluo might be a top-tier existence in the Human World.

But before her, the Northern Extreme Heavenly King with nearly four hundred thousand years of cultivation, he was not worth mentioning!

What was more, her Ultimate Ice was innately capable of countering most poisons.

The only thing she needed to consider was whether this human kid's words were true.

But... the Ultimate Ice on him 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 possessed such heaven-defying luck, allowing him to learn of such secrets?

The risk 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 decisive, icy gleam.

She lifted her chin, resuming that proud and frigid demeanor, though her voice now 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."

That meant she had agreed!

Jiang Zhen's heart settled, but his expression became even more respectful and sincere.

"This junior has not spoken a single false word and is willing to swear upon his Martial Soul. If this journey succeeds, Senior will gain the means to overcome the tribulation; as for this junior, it will be an opportunity to make up for the flaws in my Martial Soul. We will each obtain what we need—a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Ice Empress nodded faintly in satisfaction, clearly pleased with his answer.

She glanced at Jiang Zhen. "At least you know what's good for you. Then let us set out at once."

She seemed even more eager than Jiang Zhen.

Yet Jiang Zhen said, "Please wait, Ice Empress. This junior has a younger sister waiting for me in Dragon City, near the Extreme North. The journey ahead is long, and I must make some preparations.

"But I would not dare trouble Ice Empress to wait alone in this wilderness. If you do not mind, could you accompany this junior to Dragon City for a brief rest? We can head south together afterward."

Having Ice Empress wait for him out in the wilds would be disastrous if she grew impatient or changed her mind.

Ice Empress furrowed her delicate brows at his words.

But on second thought, staying on this icy plain was indeed boring. It would not hurt to visit a human city. Besides, she could keep a closer eye on this human kid and ensure he did not try anything.

"Hmph, fine. I shall go with you and see what this human city looks like. Lead the way."

Her tone was one of bestowing a favor, as though agreeing to visit Dragon City had granted Jiang Zhen an enormous honor.

"Please follow me, Ice Empress."

Jiang Zhen laughed inwardly, though nothing showed on his face. He made an inviting gesture, then turned and shot toward Dragon City.

Ice Empress's petite figure drifted gracefully into the air. Without using any Spirit Skill, she seemed as though she had always been part of the wind and snow, silently following behind Jiang Zhen.

Her jade-green eyes curiously observed the rapidly receding scenery around them, 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 grow much gentler.

Two figures sped across the boundless ice plain, one before the other.

Jiang Zhen led the way in front, his figure swift as lightning, his deep blue cloak snapping behind him.

Ice Empress followed not far behind. Her petite body floated as if weightless, her dark green hair and emerald dress dancing in the wind.

She even carried an air of leisurely strolling as she curiously examined this territory she had ruled for countless years, yet rarely observed with the mindset of merely "passing through."

After flying for roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick, Ice Empress seemed to grow bored. She accelerated and flew alongside Jiang Zhen.

She turned her head, her jade-green eyes glancing at him as her crisp, icy voice broke the silence.

"Hey, human kid."

Jiang Zhen tilted his head slightly. "What instructions do you have, Ice Empress?"

Ice Empress wrinkled her dainty nose, a trace of impatience appearing on her face. "Enough, enough. Stop calling me 'Senior' every other word. It sounds strange. Just call me Ice Empress."

She had lived for nearly hundreds of thousands of years and possessed almost four hundred thousand years of cultivation. Being called "Senior" was only natural.

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 complied, the corner of his mouth lifting almost imperceptibly. "All right. Then Ice Empress can simply call me A Zhen."

"A Zhen?"

Ice Empress repeated it, curling her lips.

"Your human names really are simple. Still, it sounds better than 'human kid.'"

She fell silent for a moment, apparently searching for another topic. Her gaze swept over a patch of ice forest below that had been destroyed by a storm, and she suddenly asked, "A Zhen, you said before that you had visited many human cities?"

"Yes, I've visited a few." Jiang Zhen nodded.

"What... is there to do for fun?"

The Ice Empress tried to make her tone sound casual, but the faint gleam in her eyes betrayed her curiosity.

Though she had occasionally snuck to the outskirts of human cities to watch from afar, she had never truly mingled with them.

She had always harbored a secret curiosity—and a faint... yearning—for those bustling places filled with human life.

Jiang Zhen understood at once and began describing them to her. "Human cities are very lively. There are markets selling all sorts of novel trinkets, food streets filled with tempting aromas, and stages where all kinds of plays are performed..."

He described the sugar figurines and masks at the markets in detail, the roasted meat and desserts on the food streets, and even the performances of street acrobats.

The Ice Empress listened with rapt attention, unconsciously slowing down a little.

"...There's also something called Candied Hawthorn. Red fruit coated in a glistening shell of sugar—it's both sour and sweet," Jiang Zhen added at last.

"Candied Hawthorn?" The Ice Empress imagined its crystalline appearance and thought it sounded somewhat like ice, immediately becoming interested. "Is it good?"

"It has a very unique flavor. I think you'd like it."

Jiang Zhen smiled. "Once we reach Dragon City, I can take you to try some."

"Hmph!"

The Ice Empress immediately withdrew her longing expression, putting on a stern little face again and lifting her chin with an air of, "This Empress couldn't care less."

"This Empress was merely asking! Who would be interested in those vulgar things humans have? They're just fruit!"

A typical tsundere remark.

Jiang Zhen did not expose her. He merely nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes, yes. Her Majesty the Ice Empress has seen much of the world, so naturally you wouldn't think much of such things."

His perfunctory response instead made the Ice Empress feel as though she had punched cotton.

She ground her teeth in irritation, but could not very well lash out again. All she could do was turn her head away and pretend to admire the scenery, while silently committing the name "Candied Hawthorn" to memory.

After traveling a little farther, they came upon an enormous ice crevasse stretching across their path. It was dozens of meters wide, and its depths could not be seen.

Biting winds surged upward from below the crevasse, forming powerful air currents that disrupted flight.

Jiang Zhen paused, preparing to channel his Soul Power and force his way across.

Just then, the Ice Empress beside him seemed to grow impatient. She gave a soft snort. "What are you dawdling for?"

With that, she casually waved a hand.

A gentle yet incomparably vast surge of ultimate Ice Elemental Energy arrived first and instantly enveloped the turbulent air currents ahead.

A startling sight unfolded—the howling wind and twisted currents were forcibly smoothed out and frozen in an instant by absolute power!

Above the crevasse, a temporary bridge seemed to form, composed entirely of calm icy breath—solid and stable.

"Are you going or not?" Without even looking at Jiang Zhen, the Ice Empress drifted across first. Her tone remained impatient, as though she had merely done something insignificant, and only because she found him too slow.

Yet Jiang Zhen clearly felt that, in that instant, the violent wind pressure that could have left a Spirit King scrambling had not affected him in the slightest.

Looking at the Ice Empress's petite back, which seemed to say, "You may thank This Empress," Jiang Zhen laughed inwardly.

Her words were full of disdain, but her actions had already instinctively cleared the obstacle for him.

Jiang Zhen did not point it out. He merely accelerated after her as instructed and softly said, "Thank you," while crossing the bridge of icy breath.

The Ice Empress ahead seemed to pause ever so slightly before replying even more impatiently, "So noisy!"

Yet there seemed to be less coldness in that rebuke, and a hint of barely perceptible... awkwardness?

The two continued onward, but the atmosphere between them seemed to have quietly eased somewhat.

From time to time, Jiang Zhen would point out unusual terrain or Soul Beasts in the distance and briefly introduce them.

Though the Ice Empress's tongue remained as sharp as ever, saying things such as—

"Is such a weak creature even worth mentioning?"

"This ice plain is hideous."

—she would still silently look in the direction Jiang Zhen pointed.

The sunlight of the far north stretched their shadows long across the snowfield.

One was a human youth, the other the Northern Extreme Heavenly King. One was human, the other a Soul Beast.

They should have been utterly incompatible, like fire and water, yet at this moment they formed a strange, harmonious picture as they traveled together.

The Ice Empress secretly glanced at Jiang Zhen beside her. His expression was calm, and he remained unhurried at all times. The rejection and suspicion she felt toward the Human World seemed to have unknowingly faded a little more.

Perhaps this spur-of-the-moment journey south would be a little more interesting than she had imagined?

(Thanks to Goethe the Ravenous, Forever the Minority, and Suiyuesheng_CE for their monthly votes.)

(Thanks to I Am a Songstress, Book Friend 20240313955974, Endless Starry Sky, Samigina Guxin, Book Friend 20230709846760, Suiyuesheng_CE, and Xiaoyao ae for their recommendation votes.)

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