Two and a half years later.
"Hahaha! You lot who used to bully me—how does it feel to see how powerful I am now?"
"You're all gonna die!"
In the Star Dou Great Forest, a woman who looked aloof was laughing wildly without a care for appearances.
All around her, the silhouettes of beasts were frozen in ice, each one terrified.
"That idiot Tian Meng. I swear, I'll never let her touch the crystallization of Snow Empress and me again."
With her dark green hair tied into two pretty ponytails, Ice Empress looked at the Ice Snow Empress being piloted by Tian Meng with disdain.
She never should have let that idiot Tian Meng take control of the Ice Snow Empress.
Just look at what she'd become!
"All right, Bing'er. She may look a little rough while piloting her, but she can still fight."
Beside Ice Empress, Snow Empress, her long white hair loose and her pale feet bare, reached out and took Ice Empress's hand.
She gave Ice Empress a look, urging her not to get so worked up. Tian Meng was still one of them, so they should at least show each other some consideration.
They could just stop letting Tian Meng take the controls next time.
"Yuhao's Martial Soul is quite fascinating. It can actually let us fuse into her body and fight using it," Snow Empress said.
Ice Empress pouted. "It is fascinating, but next time, I absolutely refuse to let Tian Meng possess her and fight."
"Her piloting is awful, and where exactly are her supposedly brilliant combat skills?"
"All she did was freeze everything in sight! I could do that too!"
"And she burns through Soul Power without restraint. How long can Yuhao's Soul Power last like that? Don't forget, we're supposed to be training right now!"
"Ice Empress has a point. Sister Tianmeng fused with her for just a few minutes, and she used up at least half my Soul Power."
Behind the two beautiful figures, a handsome, refined young man about one meter seventy tall spoke up.
"Half your Soul Power? Yuhao, are you joking? Those few Hundred-Year Soul Beasts shouldn't have taken half your Soul Power," Snow Empress said.
Huo Yuhao replied helplessly, "Sister Tianmeng used the most powerful Soul Skill you gave me from my third Soul Ring: Pride of the Ice Snow Two Empresses!"
Snow Empress held her forehead. "Why would she use a cannon to kill a mosquito?"
Ice Empress looked eager. "I'm going to drag that idiot out of the Ice Snow Empress."
"Yuhao, give me permission!"
As Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul, the Ice Snow Empress was completely under his control.
Whether Ice Empress, Snow Empress, or Tian Meng wanted to possess the Ice Snow Empress and fight, they could only do so with Huo Yuhao's permission.
If Huo Yuhao didn't want them inside the Ice Snow Empress, he could drive them out whenever he wished.
By a stream outside the Star Dou Great Forest,
Huo Yuhao summoned his Ice Snow Empress Martial Soul and formed a trident of ice in his hand. He thrust it fiercely into the crystal-clear stream at his feet, aiming at the fish swimming leisurely beneath the surface.
A moment later, seven plump, fresh fish were skewered on the ice-blue trident.
He walked over to the grill he had prepared earlier and began cleaning and roasting the fish.
Huo Yuhao had learned plenty about grilling fish from his mother, Huo Yun'er.
His fish now tasted only a little less delicious than Huo Yun'er's.
After all his hard work, seven crispy, fragrant grilled fish were ready, sprinkled with salt reserved for nobles and a few extra seasonings!
Huo Yuhao picked up one of the cooked fish and opened his mouth to take a bite.
"Yuhao!"
The sudden shout startled Huo Yuhao, nearly making him drop the fish in his hand.
"Sister Tianmeng, it's you. Could you stop appearing out of nowhere? You scared me."
Huo Yuhao patted his chest and looked at Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's little face was pitiful, and her voice was almost breaking into sobs. "Yuhao~!"
Huo Yuhao's expression darkened. "Don't look at me like that. What happened this time?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice cracked. "B...Bingbing said she's going to revoke my right to use the Ice Snow Empress."
"She mocked my piloting skills and said all I know is how to use a cannon to kill a mosquito."
"All I can do in a fight is dodge and use skills!"
"She even said she could control it better with her tail!"
"Yuhao, you have to stand up for me!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm pressed her chin against her hand, pleading with him.
Huo Yuhao stared at Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. This scene seemed strangely familiar!
Would the next thing be...
"Tianmeng! You useless little thing, running to Yuhao to complain again."
"Besides sleeping, eating, and tattling, what can you even do all day?"
A mass of emerald-green light rose from Huo Yuhao, and Ice Empress appeared, pointing at Tianmeng's nose as she scolded her!
"Ah, Yuhao, did you see that? She called me useless right in front of you."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm threw herself into Huo Yuhao's arms, but as a spirit, she couldn't touch him.
Ice Empress chased after Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, trying to kill her. "Hmph! You little coward, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm! Whenever there's trouble, all you know how to do is hide behind Yuhao."
"You're a million-year-old Soul Beast. Can't you show a little backbone?"
"You were so good at talking when you recruited me. Where'd all that silver-tongued eloquence go? Hmph."
After giving Tianmeng a thorough scolding, Ice Empress felt much better.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was in tears. This was too much—Ice Empress chased her down like this every time.
She had completely lost the tiny shred of dignity she had as big sister in front of Yuhao.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm realized she couldn't go on like this. She had to turn the tables.
"Bingbing, I like you a lot, but you can't use my affection as an excuse to act spoiled. Watch out, or I'll reveal your biggest secret."
Ice Empress looked unconvinced. "You? You know my biggest secret?"
"Tianmeng, that's not how you make up a lie. If you had dirt on me, you'd have told everyone already. You wouldn't have waited until now."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's little face turned serious. "I'm not joking this time, Bingbing. Don't make me reveal that secret!"
"Then say it!" Ice Empress's voice suddenly rose. "Go on, if you dare! Let's see what dirt you have on me."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm bit her lip. "Bingbing, don't burn your bridges. We might meet again someday. Don't make me do this!"
Ice Empress lazily kicked her slender, pale legs. "We aren't making you do anything. Go on, say it if you dare!"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm took a deep breath. "You forced me to do this, Bingbing!"
"For the past two and a half years, I've seen you and Snow Empress in the Sea of Consciousness at night, using your mouths on each other to..."
"Shut up!"
A sharp cry cut Tianmeng off.
Ice-blue light surged around Huo Yuhao as he ate his grilled fish and listened to the gossip.
Snow Empress, with her striking figure and a distinctly uneasy expression, used her own ice-and-snow power to seal Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's mouth.
"Do you know what you're saying, Tianmeng?"
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