Separation, First Entry into the Core Circle

Snow Empress's voice carried a noble, unquestionable authority. Even its lingering force made the two Titled Douluo involuntarily take a step back, and the atmosphere around them sank further.

Xu Jiujiu gripped Shu Yan's hand tightly. She desperately told herself to remain calm, but before Snow Empress, it was clearly futile.

Shu Yan's pupils contracted slightly, his throat dry as a bead of cold sweat slid down from his temple. The bloodline within him churned and boiled, and even his Martial Soul seemed to have been summoned. The next moment, an intense cold descended. Frost and snow covered the flowers and grass, while a blurry ice-blue figure appeared behind Shu Yan. Four soul rings rose beneath his feet. Snow Empress stared fixedly at that blurry figure behind him, her expression darkening slightly. Shu Yan felt as though the entire world had turned pale in that instant. From Snow Empress, he sensed absolute coldness and overwhelming, undisguised killing intent!

A terrifying aura surged from Snow Empress's body. Blood seeped from the corner of Shu Yan's lips as he staggered several steps back uncontrollably. Xu Jiujiu, whose Soul Power was even lower, was directly crushed until she could barely breathe, collapsing limply onto the ground.

A trace of astonishment and gloom flickered in Snow Empress's eyes. A moment later, the pressure around them receded once more. Shu Yan coughed violently twice, his body swaying slightly. Xu Jiujiu was trembling all over, her eyes unfocused as she stared blankly at the scene before her.

"Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul? Hehe... A human can actually possess a bloodline sharing the same origin as mine. The heavens truly are unfair."

For some reason, Snow Empress's voice carried a trace of self-mockery. But in the next instant, her tone sharply turned cold, and she spoke in an almost irrefutable manner:

"You cannot remain in the human world. Return to the Extreme North Land with me. I do not wish to kill you. If you obey obediently, these three humans may yet have a chance to live."

Shu Yan's thoughts raced wildly. He considered every possible way to break the situation, only to discover miserably in the end that he seemingly had no choice at all...

Looking at Xu Jiujiu, collapsed on the ground behind him, a trace of reluctance flashed through Shu Yan's eyes. He forced himself to calm down, then glanced sideways. When his gaze fell upon Xu Jiujiu again, it softened. He silently formed a few words with his lips. Xu Jiujiu's pupils suddenly contracted, but before she could speak, she let out a muffled whimper and fell straight down.

Shu Yan then turned to the two Titled Douluo and silently mouthed the same words:

"Leave quickly. Don't worry about me. I have a way to protect myself."

Nebula Douluo and Shattered Star Douluo's eyes were bloodshot, their Soul Power circulating frantically within them. But the next moment, Snow Empress merely gave a soft snort, and blood seeped from the corners of both their mouths. After forcibly calming themselves, the two rapidly assessed the situation. Then, gritting their teeth hard, they gave Shu Yan a guilty look before swiftly fleeing with Xu Jiujiu.

Only after the figures of the three vanished completely beyond the horizon did Shu Yan let out a slight sigh of relief.

He might once have imagined such a thing happening, but he had never expected it to come so suddenly and fiercely. As his thoughts swirled, Snow Empress's cold voice rang out behind him again, abruptly interrupting his complicated emotions.

"You seem to care greatly about that human woman."

Shu Yan slowly turned around and looked at Snow Empress. Though she was a head shorter than him, her presence surpassed his by a hundredfold. He then nodded gently.

"We have known each other since childhood. She was both the older sister I relied on in my youth and the lover I have now."

Snow Empress snorted coldly before speaking again.

"I never dreamed that the Heavenly Snow Woman bloodline would appear in a human, much less in a man. But since you possess a bloodline that shares the same origin as mine, then no matter what, you can be considered one of my kin. Return to the Extreme North Land with me. This is where you truly belong."

Shu Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. His white hair, transformed into the same style as Snow Empress's due to the awakening of the Heavenly Snow Woman origin, fluttered gently. A serious look flashed through his eyes as he said:

"Snow Empress, I think we should have a proper talk..."

Snow Empress snorted again. Immediately afterward, Shu Yan felt the world spin around him. When he opened his eyes again, the scenery around him was retreating at a speed beyond the naked eye's ability to follow, while Snow Empress's cold voice echoed by his ear.

"If you have anything to say, wait until we return to the Core Circle and tell me slowly. Other than that, I advise you to keep your mouth shut."

Shu Yan:...

Extreme North Land, Core Circle.

Unlike the outer region and the Mixed Circle, the Core Circle did not possess the violent blizzard barrier found outside. It could even be said to be frighteningly quiet.

Looking out into the distance, all he could see was ground blanketed in snow. Several continuous ice-covered mountain ranges could vaguely be seen afar. Occasionally, the long roar of beasts rang across the empty ice plains. Layer upon layer of snowstorms swept through the air, and the chill was so heavy that even Shu Yan could not help feeling cold.

Snow Empress looked ahead with her sky-blue eyes, her expression calm. Her right hand gripped Shu Yan by the collar, carrying him like a chick. Wherever she passed, fierce winds howled, and snow scattered in all directions like shattered waves. Even when they occasionally encountered soul beasts moving across the ice plains, every one of them would drop to all fours and lower their heads in worship upon sensing Snow Empress's aura. These soul beasts all had cultivation of at least fifty thousand years, making it clear just how lofty Snow Empress's status was within the Extreme North Land.

When they reached an ice plain devoid of any sign of life, Snow Empress descended. Through gaps in the clouds, Shu Yan vaguely saw a palace-like structure. At the same time, the already frigid temperature plummeted once more, reaching a level where the cold alone could kill anyone below the Soul Ancestor rank.

Snow Empress slowly landed with Shu Yan, and he saw the palace in its entirety for the first time. Looking at the magnificent ice palace before him, Shu Yan could not help but stare in a daze.

While he was distracted, Snow Empress had already started walking toward the palace. Seeming to notice that Shu Yan had not followed, she frowned slightly and turned back, speaking in an unpleasant tone:

"Those creatures in the Core Circle have always been extremely sensitive to and disgusted by the scent of humans. If you do not want to die too quickly, stay close to me."

Shu Yan suddenly came back to his senses and quickly followed Snow Empress's footsteps. The instant he entered the great hall, bone-piercing cold crawled over his entire body. The temperature within this hall was actually even lower than outside, to the point that even he, who possessed the Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul, felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Snow Empress's steps remained elegant and measured. In the blink of an eye, she was seated upon the throne at the head of the hall. The hem of her white dress lay casually across the floor, her long right leg crossed over her left, revealing a stretch of flawless, jade-white calf.

Her ice-blue high heels radiated a cold aura. From Shu Yan's angle, he could clearly see Snow Empress's immaculate, perfectly proportioned feet, as white as jade.

Perhaps Shu Yan's unconscious gaze made Snow Empress uncomfortable. A visible shadow passed over her face. The next moment, Shu Yan felt an incomparably terrifying pressure descend upon him. He was forced directly to one knee, his knee smashing a small depression into the floor forged from ice, while blood once again seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Human, you had better put away that filthy gaze. Otherwise, I do not mind solving the problem for you at its source."

Snow Empress's words were like piercing ice. Shu Yan coughed lightly, and the pressure on him suddenly eased. Only then was he able to slowly rise.

What kind of nonsense was this? It was not as if he had meant to look. With Snow Empress sitting like that, anyone who had to look up at her would inevitably notice...

After forcibly suppressing the churning blood and energy within him, Shu Yan took a deep breath and wiped away the blood from his mouth before speaking.

"Snow Empress, I think it is necessary for us to have a proper discussion..."

Snow Empress supported herself with one hand, her posture somewhat languid. She looked down at Shu Yan from above before speaking.

"You are one of my kin. Remaining in the Extreme North Land, or better yet, by my side, is the most suitable destiny for you. This is the land best suited for your growth. I can provide you with endless cultivation resources, enough for you to cultivate to the so-called Titled Douluo realm without any pressure at all. As for the Soul Bones your humans crave, I can also satisfy you to the best of my ability..."