"Die!"
Ice Empress didn't give them a chance to explain.
Her jade-green scorpion tail, carrying the destructive power of Extreme Ice, pierced the air in an instant and shot straight for Gu Yuejin's forehead.
Even that simple strike seemed to freeze the surrounding space, which groaned under the strain.
Huo Yuhao's scalp tingled. He instinctively tried to activate his Spirit Eyes to help his master anticipate the attack, only to find that under this pressure, he couldn't even send his Spiritual Power outside his body.
"What a fiery temper."
Gu Yuejin raised an eyebrow and didn't try to meet the attack head-on.
Blue Silver Emperor Vines burst from beneath his feet, instantly forming a thick shield wall.
Though the vines were as fragile as paper before Extreme Ice, that momentary delay was enough for Gu Yuejin to dodge aside.
Holding Huo Yuhao in one hand, he retreated a hundred meters in a flash.
"Your Xue'er is in this state, and you still have time to fight me?"
Gu Yuejin stopped and brushed the ice shards from his sleeve, then spoke coldly.
His words froze Ice Empress in place.
"Bing'er... stop..."
A voice, weak to the point of near silence, came from beside the Platform of Deification.
It was Snow Empress.
Her figure had nearly faded away, so transparent that a gust of wind seemed enough to scatter her into nothingness.
Yet even so, the majesty of the Ruler of the Far North remained.
"Xue'er!"
Ice Empress trembled, and her overwhelming killing intent vanished in an instant.
She couldn't spare a thought for that detestable human. Turning into a streak of green light, she rushed to Snow Empress's side and held her foreclaws near her, careful not to touch her.
She was afraid that the slightest touch would scatter that final wisp of spiritual consciousness.
Ice Empress panicked.
She quickly sent her Soul Power into Snow Empress's body, but the more she examined her, the colder her heart grew.
It was bad. Very bad.
The transformation had been interrupted halfway, bringing down a severe backlash from the laws of heaven and earth.
On top of that, Snow Empress had burned her own source to send out a distress signal.
Now, less than one-tenth of Snow Empress's vitality remained. She was like a guttering candle, ready to go out at any moment.
"How could this happen... How could this happen..."
Ice Empress's voice quavered with tears. The usually dignified and domineering Ice Jade Scorpion was now as helpless as a child who had lost a beloved toy.
Tears welled in her jade-green eyes.
"What a pity."
Gu Yuejin walked over slowly, his gaze passing over the weakened Snow Empress. His voice was so calm it bordered on indifference.
"A generation's Ruler of the Far North. She survived the Heavenly Tribulation, only to die after staking everything on one desperate gamble."
"Do you want to live?"
At those words, Ice Empress whipped around.
Her jade-green eyes were full of wariness and hostility. She stood firmly in front of Snow Empress, her tail stinger raised high.
"Get lost, human!"
"If it weren't for you, Xue'er wouldn't be like this!"
"Don't pretend to be kind! You humans are not only greedy, but so hypocritical it makes me sick!"
In her eyes, there wasn't a single good human.
Even though Gu Yuejin had just fought that Soul Engineer, she figured it was nothing more than two humans turning on each other over how to split the spoils.
"Bing'er, don't be rude."
Snow Empress gently patted Ice Empress's pincer and forced herself to sit upright.
She might not like humans, but she knew right from wrong.
"If he hadn't stepped in, that human with the strange weapon would have taken me away by now."
"He saved me."
Then Snow Empress looked at Gu Yuejin. Her eyes held the acceptance of someone who had made peace with death, along with a trace of gratitude that was difficult to detect.
"Human, thank you."
"But I know my own condition. My source is exhausted, and my transformation failed. Even if the Ice God were alive, there would be no saving me."
"Go. While I'm still alive, I can keep Bing'er in check and stop her from making trouble for you."
That was Snow Empress's bearing.
Even in death, she wanted to meet it with dignity. She didn't want to owe anyone a favor.
"Go?"
Gu Yuejin laughed, his amusement unrestrained.
With his arms folded across his chest, he looked down at the two rulers of the Far North.
"I went to all that trouble to save you. It wasn't so I could watch you make your final arrangements."
"If I say I can keep you alive, then you'll live."
As he spoke, he turned toward Huo Yuhao, who was trembling nearby and wishing he could bury himself in the snow, and snapped his fingers.
"Come out, big worm."
"Time for your performance."
Huo Yuhao grimaced and touched his forehead. "Brother Sky Dream, quit pretending to be dead..."
Humm—
Golden light flashed.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's plump figure unwillingly emerged from Huo Yuhao's forehead.
It first stole a glance at Gu Yuejin. Seeing that he showed no sign of attacking, it finally gathered its courage and floated forward.
The moment it appeared, its distinctive Aura made Ice Empress freeze.
"That smell..."
Ice Empress stared at Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, her jade-green eyes widening as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Tian Meng?!"
"You useless Ice Silkworm? You're still alive?!"
Back then, this Ice Silkworm had been famous throughout the Far North as a "walking snack." It had later disappeared without a trace, and she'd assumed some Ferocious Beast had eaten it as a treat.
Who would've thought it had not only survived, but lost its physical body and become nothing more than a spiritual entity?
"Ahem... Bingbing, long time no see."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wriggled, its tiny eyes instantly turning into hearts as it stared fixedly at Ice Empress.
"After all these years, you're still as beautiful and domineering as ever. Even when you're angry, you're captivating..."
Huo Yuhao covered his face. This was so embarrassing.
Gu Yuejin rolled his eyes. There really was no end to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's simp act.
"Shut up!"
Ice Empress shuddered with revulsion, her tail stinger trembling. She was clearly disgusted.
"Why are you here? And why are you mixed up with humans?"
Although Sky Dream was a soul beast, following a human in this form was a betrayal in itself.
"I..."
Scolded by Ice Empress, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm didn't get angry. Instead, it took a deep breath and dropped its cheeky expression.
It floated into the air and looked at Ice Empress, its eyes filled with a seriousness and devotion it had never shown before.
"I came back for you, Bingbing."
"I know your time is almost up, too."
"You won't survive your four-hundred-thousand-year Heavenly Tribulation. Just as Snow Empress couldn't survive the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation."
Those words pierced Ice Empress right in the heart.
She fell silent.
Because Tian Meng was telling the truth.
The Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North seemed glorious, but in reality, they were all barely clinging to life.
"Then why did you come back? To laugh at me? Or do you want to die by my hand?"
Ice Empress gave a cold snort, but her tone had clearly softened, and a hint of sorrow entered her eyes.
"No."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shook its head, its gaze burning. Its voice wasn't loud, yet its words rang like thunder.
"I love you, Bingbing."
"Even though you've eaten members of my kind, and even though you've always looked down on me."
"I still can't bear to watch you die in the Heavenly Tribulation and turn to ash."
"So I went through untold hardships to escape, then risked my life to return here. I came to find you... er, Snow Empress a way to survive."
This sudden confession left Ice Empress at a loss. She even forgot to argue back.
Her brows furrowed. She glanced at Snow Empress behind her, then back at the Ice Silkworm she had once regarded as an insect.
"A way to survive? What way?"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm straightened its back and pointed at Huo Yuhao beside it. Word by word, it said:
"God creation."
Before you continue