I Knew It, Her Heart Belongs to Me!

The scent of those chasing me seems to have lessened... Could it be Big Brother's scheme?

Outside the Starry Forest, in a hidden spot, a series of cracks split the ground, and a faint white-gold light flickered within them from the Dao of Space.

Following the emergence of the cracks, a biting chill spread out, and a massive, bloated body climbed out of the rift with some difficulty.

It was a giant cocoon, pure white like jade and crystal-clear, over seven zhang long, its surface flowing with light, topped with a pair of small golden eyes that sparkled brilliantly.

The Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon, the first creature in history to cultivate through sleep for a thousand years.

Having barely escaped the Ghost King's clutches, the Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon began a life of hiding and dodging, every day living in fear as that madman named Mu Ling relentlessly hunted for its trail.

It knew well that to him, it was nothing more than a moving cultivation treasure bag; he would never easily let it go.

But what puzzled it was that today, the number of searchers seemed... fewer?

"Could it be a trap? Or is this just a tactic to confuse Big Brother?"

Thinking this, the Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon wriggled its massive body and, with some difficulty, retreated back into the rift.

"No matter what, Big Brother must be cautious. It's better to be safe. Next, we just need to patiently wait for a soul with a mental breakdown, and then we can begin our grand plan!"

"The Grand Plan to Become a God!"

The Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon's sparkling little eyes rolled around, filled with anticipation.

With its thousand years of wisdom as a wise demon, plus the second martial demon it had devoured, becoming a god was well within reach!

Hidden deep within the rift, the Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon carefully reviewed its plan, finally nodding its head in certainty.

"To succeed, the only variable in Big Brother's plan is Ice Empress. As long as we can convince Ice Empress, becoming a god is no pipe dream! Ice Empress and I will soon be together~ hehehe~"

The Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon started daydreaming again, laughing foolishly.

Whenever Ice Empress was mentioned, the entire cocoon acted like a lovesick fool, its thoughts scattering uncontrollably.

But the next moment, the fat body of the Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon instinctively shuddered.

"Wait! Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling? This... this doesn't seem right, does it? My plan shouldn't have any flaws! Why do I suddenly feel so uneasy?"

The Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon completely concealed its aura, its small eyes filled with confusion.

"Those idiots like the Dao of Space and the Bear King haven't let up; they're still searching for me. No, no... Big Brother has already lost track of their auras, and besides, I've already escaped, so I can't be caught by them again."

"Then what could be the reason?"

The Heaven-Devouring Ice Cocoon could not figure it out, so it decided to stop thinking. The crack on the ground slowly healed, the rift disappearing as if it had never existed.

...Extreme North Land.

In the great hall, the aura on Mu Ling's body had just dissipated, but Ice Empress, standing beside him, showed no panic; instead, a hint of joy flickered across her face.

Could it be because the content on that diary has come to life?

I knew it, Mu Ling does have me in his heart!

He's angry because of me!

Ice Empress's heart suddenly surged with sweetness, and even the anger she felt when she saw the diary's content faded significantly.

However, Ice Empress's silent and reserved demeanor, as seen by Mu Ling, was interpreted by him as her still brooding over the diary's contents. Without hesitation, he directly comforted her:

"For the next period of time, I will be by your side."

Hearing this, Mu Ling's tone instantly turned cold: "If that damned bug dares to set foot in the Extreme North Land, I will grind his bones to dust!"

As soon as the words fell, a prompt sound suddenly rang out.

[The Heaven-Devouring Diary mission has concluded. System calculating...]

[Congratulations to Ice Empress for having the highest number of appearances in the diary, earning a reward: one thousand years of cultivation, breaking through the Heavenly Tribulation. Rewards being distributed... Reward has been distributed.]

[Today's group activity level is insufficient. Bringing forth the special event: Flood Dragon King. Please continue your efforts, fellow members.]

The system's prompt sounded abruptly, catching both Ice Empress and Mu Ling off guard.

Before they could react, a surge of pure energy instantly flooded into Ice Empress's body.

This pure energy... was indeed a thousand years of cultivation!

"What..."

Before Ice Empress could even speak, the energy rapidly merged into her cultivation. With the addition of this thousand years of cultivation, Ice Empress's cultivation age directly reached forty thousand years.

Forty thousand years of Heavenly Tribulation, descending instantly!

In an instant, the sky over the vast Extreme North Land grew even darker, massive tribulation clouds gathering swiftly, shrouding the entire region in shadow. Within the clouds, lightning seemed to flicker.

Seeing this, a hint of panic appeared on Mu Ling's face.

She knew that relying on Ice Empress alone, she probably couldn't withstand the forty-thousand-year Heavenly Tribulation. What was worse was that this thousand years of cultivation and the tribulation came too suddenly; they had no time to prepare!

And this tribulation was Ice Empress's destined calamity; she simply couldn't intervene!

In the sky, thunder roared, as if at any moment a terrifying heavenly strike would fall. The dreadful sound of tribulation caused all the demons in the Extreme North Land, except for the three great heavenly kings, to tremble in fear. Even the Ice Bear King, Little White, had to lower his head, only occasionally lifting it to glance fearfully at the terrifying tribulation clouds.

And Ice Empress, the one destined for the tribulation, bore all the pressure.

Nine waves of tribulation thunder; with her actual strength, she probably couldn't even hold out for half of them!

This year of cultivation is absolutely deadly!

The Ice Empress couldn't help but curse inwardly.

But what struck her as strange was that the tribulation lightning and pervasive chill in the sky continued unabated, yet never descended—as if... as if they had lost their target.

After a long moment, a single bolt of thunder crashed down from the heavens.

But its target was not the Ice Empress within the Hall of Frozen Cold, but rather a crystalline expanse of ice plain.

That bolt of lightning seemed to be fleeing.

In the next instant, the countless thunderbolts in the sky vanished with a roar, and the tribulation force clinging to the air above the Extreme North dissipated completely.

Within moments, the shadow that had loomed over the Extreme North was wiped clean away.

So... it's over?

The Ice Empress blinked her azure-blue eyes in bewilderment, the panic in her heart gradually fading, replaced by a surge of wild joy.

She had truly succeeded in breaking through to forty years of cultivation!

She had actually evaded the heavenly tribulation!

"Yue... I really broke through! That miraculous Solar Scripture truly helped me avoid the tribulation!"