Snow Empress: Should I Call You Master

A low roar echoed in Jiang Mian's ears. He didn't even dare to look back. He briskly pulled up his pants and threw a Sky Rend Claw behind him.

This Sky Rend Claw was just a probe, using less than a tenth of the Soul Power of a normal strike. Even so, it wasn't something ordinary creatures could withstand.

The Sky Rend Claw struck the creature's tough jaw behind him. Sparks flew, but it didn't even break through its defense.

"Crystal Emperor Lion?" Using the recoil, Jiang Mian returned to Cross's side. He kicked Cross's body hard and yelled, "Wake up! We're being attacked by a Crystal Emperor Lion!"

"Huh?" Cross's eyes were still blurry. He glanced carelessly and happened to meet the Emperor Lion's gaze. "Whoa, what a huge tabby cat?"

"Its defense is very high," Jiang Mian said, frowning slightly. "My Sky Rend Claw couldn't even budge it."

"Interesting." Cross suddenly dropped to the ground. He exerted force with his limbs and shot forward like a cannonball towards the Crystal Emperor Lion.

Jiang Mian was dumbfounded. How tough must one's physique be to be used like this?

The Crystal Emperor Lion's defense was comparable to a Soul Douluo, and it was a Soul Douluo specializing in defense.

A dull sound, like a massive bell, echoed through the land. Cross's physical body was as hard as steel. He collided with the Crystal Emperor Lion, feeling evenly matched.

"If we disregard the methods, Cross's strength is already at the Soul Douluo level." Jiang Mian inexplicably thought of the Titan's Strength Clan's methods, which were very similar to Cross's.

The Strength Clan pursued the ultimate power. They would absorb Soul Rings from only one type of Spirit Beast to maximize their effects. Cross had a similar inclination.

"Emperor Palm, Great Cold Without Snow!"

Seeing Cross stalemated with the Crystal Emperor Lion, Jiang Mian's hands instantly emitted extreme cold.

He quickly stepped forward and struck the Crystal Emperor Lion with both palms. In an instant, the Crystal Emperor Lion was frozen all over. This Emperor Palm was the Snow Empress's signature skill; at its peak, it could instantly kill a Titled Douluo.

Even the mighty Beast God Di Tian had been severely injured by this Emperor Palm in the past!

With this palm strike, the Crystal Emperor Lion's internal organs were directly shattered by ice and snow. Although Jiang Mian couldn't unleash the Snow Empress's true power, the damage amplified by a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and four Fierce Beast Soul Rings was not something this Emperor Lion could resist.

Moreover, this Emperor Lion was only tough on the outside, with very weak internal organs, and it had no protective measures. It was only natural for it to be killed by Jiang Mian's palm.

Thousands of miles away, the Snow Empress suddenly opened her eyes. She had sensed Jiang Mian's aura, as he had just unleashed his signature skill, a sensation she was all too familiar with.

The Snow Empress exhaled softly, and the surroundings immediately became overcast. A blizzard descended without any warning, and the Snow Empress's figure slowly disappeared into the blizzard.

"Jiang Mian, who exactly are you?" Cross looked at the now lifeless Emperor Lion, his neck stiff as he stared at Jiang Mian, dumbfounded. "A Diamond-grade creature, and you killed it with one palm?"

"That palm also consumed a lot of my energy." Jiang Mian sat down on the ground, feigning exhaustion. He didn't want to reveal his trump cards too early.

"That's amazing." Cross swallowed, looking at Jiang Mian with admiration. "To kill a Diamond-grade creature with one palm, you're definitely the champion of this Warrior Competition."

"I hope so." Jiang Mian wasn't really interested in the championship. He just wanted to find the Snow Empress quickly and leave this place. Participating in the Warrior Competition was just a side effect.

"Do we need to carry this Crystal Emperor Lion to the Adventurers' Guild to exchange for a rank?" Jiang Mian asked.

"No need." Cross took out a dagger and cut off the Crystal Emperor Lion's teeth and claws. "It's enough to exchange these. They can identify them."

"That's convenient." Jiang Mian laughed. The Desolate Beast Wilderness, without such a terrifying existence guarding it, would likely soon regain its vitality.

Jiang Mian hadn't expected the Crystal Emperor Lion to come to him. In fact, with Jiang Mian's current strength, what could even a Titled Douluo do?

He could attack at any range, had both offense and defense, and wasn't lacking in magical and mental attacks. He was a complete all-rounder.

Cross and Jiang Mian stayed by the Crystal Emperor Lion's corpse until dawn. They didn't delay and set off for the Adventurers' Guild.

The journey, accounting for the round trip, would take another three to four days. Moreover, as Cross mentioned, this Warrior Competition was to be held in the Empress God's main city, which would take several more days to reach. All in all, they would barely make it in time for the competition.

Cross had mentioned that among the thirteen main deities here, the strongest were the Father God and the Empress God, who were born at the beginning of creation. The remaining eleven main deities were their children.

Jiang Mian's understanding of "the beginning of creation" was the time when that deity's body and consciousness had just formed this small space. He was currently contemplating whether he could claim these small spaces for himself and turn them into his private domains.

If that were the case, this small space would be extremely useful. Not only could Hu Liena and the others cultivate inside, but it would also be convenient for storing things.

After a dusty journey, Jiang Mian and Cross, having submitted the Crystal Emperor Lion's bounty to the Adventurers' Guild, successfully had their ranks upgraded to Emerald.

At the same time, Jiang Mian also learned that above the Diamond grade, there was the Grandmaster grade. The terrifying bounties of the Grandmaster grade included some that even Deities couldn't handle.

Jiang Mian felt that the Grandmaster grade bounties were equivalent to the strength of Titled Douluos. With his current strength, it was better not to provoke them, as a single misstep could lead to disaster.

If Bear Lord, Crimson King, or Auspicious Beast were here, Jiang Mian would dare to turn the entire space upside down.

"Let's go to the Empress God's main city," Cross said anxiously, calculating the time. "We still have six days of travel time, and the Warrior Competition starts in six days."

"Alright." Jiang Mian nodded. He felt a vague sense of connection, sensing that the Snow Empress's location was getting closer and closer.

The spatial shielding function was likely set up by the Deities on the Divine Mountains. He didn't know their purpose, but it had certainly caused Jiang Mian a lot of trouble.

Suddenly, a strange roar echoed from a distance. Before Jiang Mian could react, everyone in the Adventurers' Guild began to flee into the distance. Their speed was astonishing; it was like a real-life "temple run."

"What's going on?" Jiang Mian looked at Cross in surprise. The Adventurers' Guild wasn't lacking in powerhouses; there were three or four Diamond-grade experts. Why were they scattering and fleeing at the sound of this?

"Man-eating Horse Herd!" Fear flickered in Cross's eyes. He grabbed Jiang Mian's arm and shouted, "Run! Let's run!"

"Man-eating Horse Herd?" Jiang Mian scratched his head, confused, and ran along with Cross. "Are they Grandmaster-grade in strength?"

"No, they're only Emerald-grade," Cross said in terror. "You don't know, the most terrifying thing about the Man-eating Horse Herd is that no one dares to kill them."

"Why?" Jiang Mian asked, puzzled.

"They are pets raised by Deities. Killing them is equivalent to making an enemy of the Deities," Cross explained. "My master once told me that as soon as a Man-eating Horse dies, Divine Punishment will descend upon its place of death, turning an area of ten miles into dust, leaving nothing alive."

"What kind of bullshit Deity is this?" Jiang Mian immediately stopped, cursing angrily. "To raise such hateful creatures, to toy with human lives?"

"Let's run," Cross urged. "Do you really want to be eaten by the Man-eating Horses?"

"You think I'm afraid of them?" Jiang Mian let out a cold snort, his body unmoving like a mountain as he calmly waited for the man-eating horse herd to arrive. Seeing that he couldn't budge Jiang Mian, Kross took a deep breath and stopped beside Jiang Mian.

"You're not running anymore?" Jiang Mian smiled and asked, "Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"If you're not afraid, why should I be?" Kross clenched his fist, his legs still trembling, but his words were sharp. Seeing his reaction, Jiang Mian understood more clearly. The people of this world had been dominated by deities for too long that they dared not resist.

Deities were, after all, just flesh and blood. What was there to fear? Moreover, they even kept man-eating horse herds that fed on humans. Their hearts were wicked!

Jiang Mian pushed Kross away and looked at the dozens of strong man-eating horses charging at him. He waved his hands, his Sky Rend Claw overlapping layer by layer.

The leading man-eating horses instantly turned into chunks of meat. Those man-eating horses hesitated for a moment, then, in their madness, actually devoured the flesh of their companions. After eating, they rushed towards Jiang Mian even faster.

"Emperor Cold Sky, Snow Dance Shining Sun!"

Jiang Mian pressed his hands onto the ground, and in an instant, all the man-eating horses were frozen. Lifelike ice sculptures of the man-eating horses appeared before the two. Kross sat down on the ground. In fact, the courage he had mustered to help Jiang Mian had already exhausted him.

Jiang Mian wasn't in the mood to care for Kross. He was very suspicious now, wondering how his skills had become so powerful.

Logically speaking, no matter how powerful Emperor Cold Sky and Snow Dance Shining Sun were, with Jiang Mian's current strength, he shouldn't have been able to freeze all the man-eating horses in one go.

Jiang Mian couldn't figure it out. Just then, a fairy-like beauty suddenly appeared behind him. She was incredibly pure and elegant, as breathtaking as a snow lotus.

Seeing the beauty, Kross was instantly mesmerized, lost to the world. She was absolutely stunning!

Her slender hands rested on Jiang Mian's shoulders, her cheek pressed against his ear, and she said softly, "This range of freezing is what you call Emperor Cold Sky?"

"Snow Empress." Jiang Mian let out a soft breath and said with a smile, "I've finally found you."

The Snow Empress let out a soft hum. She walked to Jiang Mian, raised her hand, pinched his chin, and said, "Should I call you Master?"

"It's not wrong," Jiang Mian smiled slightly. He touched the Snow Empress's hand, feeling it like a piece of cold jade.

"Snow Empress, have you seen the deities here?" Jiang Mian asked curiously.

"No," the Snow Empress shook her head. "I only arrived in this world a few days ago. I happened to sense you using my skills, so I was able to track you down."

"Is there spatial superposition here?" Jiang Mian was stunned, asking in disbelief, "Could this be a God Tomb?"

"Something like that," the Snow Empress nodded. She walked on the ground, and ice and snow appeared wherever she stepped. Jiang Mian followed behind her, muttering to himself, "I also notified Di Tian to come and help. I wonder if he's arrived yet."

"Di Tian?" The Snow Empress frowned slightly. "With his strength, he should be able to find us easily."

After all, he was comparable to a demigod. Jiang Mian's mouth twitched slightly. No one knew Di Tian's strength better than him. If there was anyone, it would be the one before him, and the one in the Sun Moon Forest, as they were all old rivals.

"Since you're here, I can rest assured," Jiang Mian smiled. "I'm going to cause chaos here!"

"Do you want to kill those deities?" The Snow Empress said indifferently, "With me here, it might be very simple."

"This..." Kross felt as if the sky was about to collapse upon hearing their conversation. He had long suspected Jiang Mian wasn't an ordinary person, but he never imagined he'd be this extraordinary, talking about killing deities so casually. Was he bragging?

"And who is this?" The Snow Empress glanced at Kross, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She asked, "Little fellow, what is your purpose in staying by Jiang Mian's side?"

"He wants to participate in the Hero Tournament to obtain the God Fruit to save his master," Jiang Mian explained. "I thought the Hero Tournament might have good information, and perhaps there would be news of you, so I agreed to help him participate."

The Snow Empress nodded slightly. Judging by her reaction, Kross was not simple, or rather, Kross's master was not simple.

"Kross, I have a proposal," Jiang Mian said with a somewhat eerie smile. "How about we storm the Divine Mountain and directly snatch the God Fruit?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kross felt as if the sky had collapsed. He stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

The Snow Empress chuckled softly. She touched Jiang Mian's cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness. "The incident in the extreme north has been resolved. After this is over, I can stay by your side permanently."

"I'm honored to accept," Jiang Mian clasped his hands into fists and replied respectfully.

He truly couldn't ask for more than the Snow Empress's companionship. After all, having a wife who was also a bodyguard with strength comparable to a Limit Douluo was a blessing he couldn't find anywhere else.

"Something is coming," the Snow Empress turned her head to look at the sky. She saw that the previously clear sky was now heavily overcast, and a majestic voice boomed from the clouds, "Who killed my man-eating horse herd?"

"Is this a deity?" Jiang Mian felt the changes in the surrounding Soul Power and realized the approaching entity's strength had already surpassed that of a Titled Douluo above level 95, and not by a small margin. Otherwise, it wouldn't have caused such a phenomenon.

Although there was also a possibility that his Martial Soul specialized in controlling celestial phenomena, like clouds, this guy clearly didn't have such a Martial Soul.

"Your grandpa here killed them." Jiang Mian wasn't flustered at all. He pointed at the sky and yelled, "What kind of deity are you, raising man-eating horse herds and forcing the common folk to cry their eyes out? Today, your grandpa will teach you, the high and mighty deity, a good lesson."

"Arrogant."

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and a deity clad in golden armor, wielding a thunder spear, emerged from the clouds. He walked through the air, his expression solemn and reverent.

Jiang Mian cupped his chin and commented, "He doesn't have as much 'presence' as that Evil Spirit Master. He doesn't even know how to show off. What a loser."

Kross watched the deity's fury. He had already been paralyzed with fear and collapsed on the ground. The Snow Empress remained unfazed and said calmly, "My Master wishes to kill you, so I shall borrow your head for a moment."