Ice Empress Joins the Group, Reality

Under Snow Empress's forceful pressure, Ice Empress finally listened patiently to the entire chain of events.

Ice Empress then fell into a long silence and inner struggle. She knew her own situation and Snow Empress's very well. Neither of them had the strength to survive the next Heavenly Tribulation; that was an established fact. She had never approved of Snow Empress's idea of taking human form to seek a way out either. The risk was simply too great, and the chances of success were about as likely as a massive wildfire breaking out in the Extreme North Land—practically nonexistent...

But now, Snow Empress had chosen the Path to Godhood before her. For some reason, whenever Ice Empress heard the words "becoming a god," she felt an unfamiliar sense of familiarity. Even her subconscious held a trace of curiosity, though when she thought about it carefully, she found it rather baffling.

Ice Empress was somewhat unfamiliar with the word "god." In her eyes, godhood was a realm she could never reach even if she spent her entire life striving for it. Eternity and power were the best interpretations and descriptions of that word. Perhaps, deep down, she longed to become a god.

As her thoughts turned, the way she looked at Shu Yan gradually became somewhat different and more complicated.

The human boy before her was the most gifted and astonishing human she had ever seen. At thirteen, he possessed a Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul whose purity could rival Snow Empress's, complete Extreme Ice and Snow attributes, and five black soul rings. Setting aside his age, none of those were things an ordinary human could possess. Yet all these traits, enough to shock the world, had appeared in the same person.

Thinking of the less than hundred years remaining before her and Snow Empress's end, then looking at the boy before her, who seemed to have every advantage possible and only lacked the word "genius" written across his face, Ice Empress suddenly felt somewhat relieved. Perhaps this boy was a gift sent down by heaven after it had been moved by her wholehearted devotion to Snow Empress?

To that, Shu Yan could only say that sometimes, talking oneself into something really was quite effective.

The three sat cross-legged around the ice table. No one spoke first, and they faced one another in silence. Only after a long while did Ice Empress suddenly speak.

"If I choose to join, with my help and Xue'er's, what are your chances of becoming a god?"

Shu Yan was slightly stunned. Then he let out a soft breath before saying,

"If the chances of success are below ninety-eight percent, what's the difference between that and seeking death?"

"Everyone knows I'm someone who values his life very much."

"Of course, that's assuming nothing unexpected happens."

Shu Yan only repeated that last sentence in his heart and did not say it aloud.

After hearing his words, Ice Empress gave a slightly disdainful snort and said,

"Are all humans this arrogant? Why does becoming a god sound like such a trivial matter when you say it? Or have I overestimated the difficulty of becoming a god?"

Shu Yan was not angered by this. He merely replied calmly,

"The problem lies with you. You're mistaken."

Ice Empress froze, then was just about to flare up when Snow Empress stopped her from the side.

Snow Empress looked rather helplessly at the two, who seemed to be competing with each other, yet for some reason, a faint smile appeared in her eyes. She cleared her throat before saying,

"There is no point arguing about this now. The difficulty of becoming a god cannot be denied, but no matter what, since we have chosen a path, even if we know it leads to death, we must still venture down it. Life and death can turn on a single thought. Many people are stopped at the very first step because they fear death. That is an indisputable fact."

Snow Empress's words plunged Ice Empress into silence once more. Though her temper was much more irritable and explosive than Snow Empress's, that did not mean she lacked intelligence.

As the seventh-ranked among the Top Ten Fierce Beasts, her intelligence and strategic ability would have placed her among the very best even among humans. Some things did not need Snow Empress to spell them out; she had already made her decision.

"Hey! Your name is Shu Yan, right?"

Ice Empress suddenly asked.

Shu Yan nodded lightly and did not deny it.

"Heh heh..."

"Show this Empress more respect from now on. Don't think that just because you resemble my Xue'er, this Empress won't beat you into a pig's head. In the Extreme North Land, aside from Xue'er, no one has ever dared use that sort of attitude with this Empress. Little Shu, you should be proud..."

As Shu Yan listened to Ice Empress, a vein throbbed on his forehead. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.

Little Shu?

What kind of ridiculous name was that? It sounded like those authors from Qidian who always ran away halfway through writing...

But putting those irrelevant matters aside, Ice Empress's change in attitude made Shu Yan breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Though she had not stated it outright, judging by her attitude, joining them was basically settled.

While his thoughts turned, Ice Empress's little mouth was still chattering away. Shu Yan had not listened to a single word of the specific content, but he could roughly guess what she was saying. It was nothing more than Ice Empress boasting about herself while fervently praising Snow Empress.

Shu Yan considered his words for a moment before speaking again.

"Snow Empress, Ice Empress, perhaps we should have a proper discussion about the matter of race."

As soon as he spoke, Ice Empress parted her lips slightly and exchanged a glance with Snow Empress. Then both of them nodded together.

Seeing this, Shu Yan gave a light cough. His voice was calm, yet strangely compelling, and Snow Empress and Ice Empress gradually calmed down as well.

"The conflict between humans and soul beasts has lasted for tens of thousands of years. The accumulated hatred is too vast to resolve. But as I said, if there is a common goal, people of two races can still set aside their prejudices and reach an understanding."

"Perhaps, having lived in the Extreme North Land for so long, you do not know much about the development of the human world. But I must tell you that humans already possess powerful individuals capable of matching Fierce Beasts, and can even hunt Fierce Beasts."

"But humans will not do that unless they are driven to the brink, because everyone knows it would be no different from starting a war between the two races. When that time comes, countless lives will be lost, and it would not be impossible to provoke the wrath of the plane."

"At present, humanity has three Limit Douluo. All three are outstanding figures among humans, each a powerhouse who once shone throughout an era. Though seas have turned into fields and the world is ever-changing, they remain immensely powerful."

"And within a human nation called the Sun Moon Empire, they have even developed colossal Soul Tools capable of threatening Limit Douluo. Not to mention the unknown number of ninth-grade Soul Cannon Shells, each of which can easily destroy a small city. These Soul Tools truly exist and are genuinely controlled by humans. The gap between soul beasts and humans is shrinking, albeit slowly. That is a fact, and even Di Tian cannot change it."

"I hope you can try to change your prejudice against humans. This is not to guide you into abandoning your hatred. I merely want you to face reality. Among humans, there is no shortage of peerless geniuses and people of loyalty and deep feeling. Perhaps our emotions seem somewhat complicated to you, but I believe that once you truly understand them, you will develop entirely different views toward yourselves and Some Issues."

Snow Empress and Ice Empress listened intently. Even they themselves did not notice that, at some point, something else had appeared in their eyes—something called hope. Though it vanished in an instant, perhaps one day they would truly grasp that hope in their own hands. When that time came, perhaps they would look back on this ordinary afternoon and feel incomparably grateful for the choice they had made that day.