Chapter Summaries

Wriothesley, Sigewinne, and Shui Binger met Snow Empress in the Extreme North, where Sigewinne revealed that she was a Melusine born from Erebus. Wriothesley said they had come to find someone and pointed out the Ice God's Ruins behind Snow Empress, just as the Ice Empress approached.

• Sigewinne told Snow Empress and Shui Binger that she was a Melusine born from the flesh and blood of the giant beast Erebus.
• Wriothesley said the group had come to find someone, then pointed out the large doors behind Snow Empress and asked to see what was inside.
• Snow Empress reacted angrily when Wriothesley noticed the entrance to the Ice God's Ruins, which she forbade anyone from touching.
• Wriothesley pushed Shui Binger forward, and Snow Empress sensed that the girl was no ordinary person.
• The Ice Empress arrived in a rush of terrifying ferocious beast aura, while Wriothesley and Sigewinne remained calm.

Wriothesley and Shui Binger met the Ice Empress after arriving in the Extreme North, where the Snow Empress recognized Shui Binger’s unusual Martial Soul as connected to an Ice Feather Phoenix legend. The Ice Empress grew hostile when Wriothesley admitted they had come seeking the Ice God’s inheritance, leaving the group’s welcome uncertain.

• The Ice Empress arrived and reunited warmly with the Snow Empress, though she grew suspicious of the humans accompanying her.
• The Snow Empress asked Shui Binger to release her Martial Soul, and both empresses reacted with surprise at its unusual nature.
• The Snow Empress explained the legend of an Ice Feather Phoenix and its connection to the Ice God worshiped by Extreme North soul beasts.
• The Snow Empress asked whether Wriothesley had come for the Ice God, and he admitted that he had come seeking the inheritance.
• The Ice Empress angrily challenged Wriothesley and his companions, while Wriothesley insisted they meant no harm.

Shui Binger followed the call of her awakened Martial Soul to the Ice God Ruins, and Snow Empress allowed her to enter as the Ice God’s chosen successor. Shui Binger disappeared inside while Wriothesley and Sigewinne remained outside with the guardians of the ruins.

• Shui Binger told Snow Empress that a whisper had guided her to the ruins since her Martial Soul awakened.
• Snow Empress overruled Ice Empress’s objections and let Shui Binger approach the Ice God’s inheritance.
• Snow Empress dismissed the restless soul beasts, and Wriothesley left with Sigewinne while encouraging Shui Binger to enter.
• Shui Binger stepped into the ruins, wondering what upheaval the Ice God’s return might bring.
• Snow Empress and Ice Empress left the ruins, while Wriothesley watched the Ice God Palace Ruins through the snow.

Shui Binger entered the Ice God Palace and viewed murals depicting the Ice God’s role in an ancient war against divine beasts and the Dragon God. Wriothesley recognized the battle as the war of the gods, while Sigewinne noticed two distinct powers; then a voice declared, “Chosen by the Ice God!”

• Shui Binger touched the stone door, which opened to reveal the Ice God Palace and its statue.
• Shui Binger studied murals showing the gods fighting divine beasts and the Dragon God.
• The mural revealed that the Ice God fell in the battle and used her remaining divine soul power to create the inheritance land.
• Wriothesley concluded that the mural depicted the Ice God fighting alongside the divine beasts ten thousand years earlier.
• Sigewinne focused on two different powers, and a voice announced, “Chosen by the Ice God!”

Shui Binger met Frost, guardian of the Ice God Palace, who revealed that Shui Binger was chosen to inherit the Ice God’s divine position. Frost explained how Wriothesley’s gift of the Ice Dragon King’s Dragon Pearl had awakened the Ice God’s bloodline, then announced that Shui Binger would need to pass a trial to qualify for the inheritance.

• Frost appeared before Shui Binger, identified herself as the Ice God Palace’s guardian, and examined Shui Binger’s unusual Martial Soul.
• Frost thanked Wriothesley and Sigewinne for bringing Shui Binger and confirmed that Shui Binger was the Ice God’s chosen successor.
• Frost explained that the Ice God had scattered her bloodline to find a human successor, but Shui Binger received the Ice God’s hint only after Wriothesley helped her fuse with the Ice Dragon King’s Dragon Pearl.
• Frost told Shui Binger that passing the Ice God’s trial was required before she could accept the inheritance.

Shui Binger learned that the Ice God's inheritance required her to pass two trials, beginning with defeating ice sculptures or surviving their attacks for one shichen. She entered the first trial and began fighting the sculptures while Wriothesley and Sigewinne watched without interfering.

• Frost explained that the inheritance trials tested the challengers against her power and the Ice God's will.
• Frost summoned ice sculptures and set the first trial: defeat them or endure their attacks for one shichen.
• Shui Binger released her Martial Soul and entered the Battle Soul Stage as Wriothesley and Sigewinne agreed not to interfere.
• An Ice Sculpture Rhinoceros and Lion attacked Shui Binger while a Tiantian Hunter fired freezing arrows at her.
• Shui Binger blocked the arrows with ice shields, evaded an Ice Sculpture Knight's sword, and counterattacked with an ice spike and icy feathers.

Shui Binger used the ice sculptures’ shared ice nature to restrain them and strike their healer, holding out until the trial’s hourglass ran out. Frost declared that Shui Binger had passed the first trial and urged her to proceed to the second.

• The Ice Sculpture Knight, Ice Sculpture Lion, and healer pressured Shui Binger while Wriothesley, Sigewinne, and Frost watched from the ruins.
• Shui Binger realized that the ice sculptures were vulnerable to ice and fused the Ice Sculpture Lion’s jaws shut with her icy-blue halo.
• Shui Binger exploded an ice spear into fragments and linked them into an Ice Net that restrained the Ice Sculpture Knight and the sculptures behind it.
• Shui Binger used Limitless—Ice Blade to sever the healer sculpture’s arms, leaving the enemy sculptures unable to defend themselves as time expired.
• Frost ended the trial, declared Shui Binger the Ice God’s chosen one, and directed her to begin the second trial.

Shui Binger completed the first Ice God trial and learned that the second required her to climb the temple stairs and obtain the Ice God's Heart. Encouraged by Wriothesley and Sigewinne, she stepped onto the first stair as they followed to watch her trial.

• Frost explained that a divine inheritor needed a Gnosis and revealed that the Ice God's Heart waited at the top of the temple stairs.
• Shui Binger vowed to pass every trial and inherit the Ice God's legacy, while Wriothesley and Sigewinne encouraged her.
• Frost urged Shui Binger to advance, then dispersed into the cold air.
• Shui Binger approached the stairs, and Wriothesley and Sigewinne followed her through the ruins.
• Shui Binger took a deep breath and stepped onto the first stair as the surrounding chill intensified.

Wriothesley and Sigewinne watched Shui Binger enter the Ice God Palace’s staircase to seek the Ice God’s Heart, trusting her to face the trial alone. They considered what would happen if she became the new Ice God and agreed to respect her choice if she failed to inherit the divine position.

• Sigewinne asked Wriothesley whether Shui Binger could endure the trial, and he said she did not give up easily.
• Wriothesley told Sigewinne that Shui Binger’s success depended on herself and that they could only trust and support her from the sidelines.
• Sigewinne asked what Shui Binger would become if she obtained the Ice God’s Heart, and Wriothesley admitted he did not know.
• Wriothesley said he would clean house if Shui Binger were replaced by someone else, and Sigewinne pledged to support him.
• Wriothesley said that if Shui Binger failed to become the new Ice God, they would have to respect her choice.

Shui Binger struggled through the Ice God Palace’s freezing staircase, determined to endure the trial and inherit the Ice God’s legacy. Wriothesley realized the palace was deliberately keeping him and Sigewinne from interfering as Shui Binger continued toward the unseen top floor.

• Shui Binger climbed the icy steps and entered a dark corridor, enduring increasingly intense cold and pressure.
• Wriothesley told Sigewinne that the Ice God Palace had offered no guidance about the inheritance since the second trial.
• Wriothesley sensed something watching them and told it to get lost, realizing it intended to keep him and Sigewinne there.
• At the thirty-fifth stair, Shui Binger encountered twisting space, blurring walls, and a blue pattern that intensified the freezing trial.
• Unable to move as the cold invaded her body, Shui Binger refused to give up because she could not disappoint her teacher.
• The stairs widened and glowed blue as Shui Binger pressed onward, reaching the fortieth stair without finding the top floor.

Shui Binger continued climbing the Ice God Palace stairs while Wriothesley and Sigewinne watched, trusting her to face the trial alone. At the fifty-first step, the cold brought forth a vision of her childhood fears, leaving her trapped in a dark forest with only a lantern.

• Shui Binger struggled onward through the snow as Wriothesley refused Sigewinne’s offer to help, saying the trial had to test Shui Binger’s will.
• The chill around the ruins intensified, but Wriothesley’s God's Eye dispersed it; he and Sigewinne then chose to observe rather than intervene.
• Shui Binger reached the fifty-first step, where the stairs blurred and an illusion began to engulf her.
• Shui Binger saw herself as a child in a dark forest, reliving memories of her parents and past while whispers and shifting ice threatened to pull her into the Abyss.

Wriothesley demonstrated his control over extreme ice in the Ice God Palace, drawing out the palace’s hidden presence. The Ice God’s phantom revealed herself as Skadi and acknowledged that Shui Binger’s arrival had surprised her.

• Sigewinne asked Wriothesley whether he was worried about obtaining the Ice God’s Heart, and Wriothesley dismissed the trial as too easy.
• Wriothesley contained a sphere of extreme ice while the palace’s cold intensified around him.
• Wriothesley called out the hidden presence, and Skadi emerged from the shadows as a phantom.
• Skadi said she was effectively dead but remained present because of the palace, and identified herself as Skadi.
• Skadi said Shui Binger’s arrival had truly surprised her.

Skadi revealed that she had planned to use Shui Binger’s trial and body to regain her divine power, but changed her intentions after seeing Shui Binger’s character and encountering Wriothesley and Sigewinne. She admitted she had prepared to possess Shui Binger if the trial failed, though she no longer needed that contingency.

• Sigewinne asked why Skadi had not appeared during Shui Binger’s trial, and Skadi explained that Shui Binger had to overcome the trial herself.
• Wriothesley confronted Skadi, who admitted she had originally planned to use a human inheritor to return as a god by possessing their body.
• Skadi explained that her trial had been intended for beasts, and that she had hoped a beast would inherit her power because the God Realm could still recognize soul beasts who cultivated in human form.
• Skadi said Shui Binger’s purity had led her to give the girl a chance, despite her original plan to possess a talented inheritor.
• Skadi admitted that if Shui Binger failed the trial, her consciousness would return to the Ice God Palace and she would possess Shui Binger, but she no longer needed to do so.

Skadi revealed that the Dragon God’s actions had caused the Ice God Palace’s beast-side inheritance to disappear, and gave Wriothesley an item for Shui Binger. Shui Binger overcame the memories and illusions on the fifty-second stair, woke in the ice palace, and met Skadi.

• Skadi told Wriothesley and Sigewinne that the Dragon God had severed her connection to the divine temples and destroyed the beast-side inheritance.
• Skadi gave Wriothesley an item to deliver to the Snow Elf who had guarded the ruined hall.
• Shui Binger faced memories of her family’s affection, expectations, and hidden conflicts, then drew strength from her father’s support.
• Shui Binger refused to submit and climbed onto the fifty-second stair, dispelling the illusions around her.
• Shui Binger woke in a pure-white ice world, greeted Wriothesley and Sigewinne, and met Skadi, whom she recognized as the Ice God.

Skadi revealed that she was a ghost and offered Shui Binger the Ice God's Heart, choosing her as the next Ice God despite Shui Binger believing she had failed the trial. Shui Binger accepted the inheritance, and the Ice God's Heart entered her forehead as its message appeared in her mind.

• Skadi explained that she had died on the battlefield of Twilight of the Gods and was now a ghost.
• Skadi showed Shui Binger the Ice God's Heart and said it had chosen her as its heir.
• Shui Binger questioned whether she deserved the inheritance because she had not climbed all the steps, but Wriothesley told her to accept it.
• Skadi said she trusted Shui Binger's courage, conviction, and kindness, then sent the Ice God's Heart toward her forehead.
• The force surrounding the group vanished, and Shui Binger received the Ice God's Heart's message: “Chosen by the Ice God, you are the one I ultimately chose.”

Skadi completed Shui Binger’s Ice God inheritance and asked Wriothesley to protect the soul beasts after she vanished. Shui Binger revealed she had not wanted the inheritance because she feared causing trouble for Wriothesley, but Skadi chose her anyway, leaving her marked as the next Ice God.

• Skadi told Shui Binger to undertake the divine trials once she reached Title Douluo level and asked Wriothesley to protect the soul beasts after Skadi left.
• Skadi began to disappear and asked Shui Binger to tell her what the outside world was like before her memories were reset.
• Shui Binger told Wriothesley she had never intended to accept the inheritance because she feared the danger and trouble it would bring him.
• Skadi confirmed Shui Binger had already accepted the inheritance and said she believed Shui Binger would become the next Ice God.
• A snowflake mark appeared between Shui Binger’s brows as Skadi vanished, and the Ice God Palace completed its mission.

The Ice God Palace began collapsing after Skadi disappeared, trapping Wriothesley, Shui Binger, and Sigewinne with their only route out destroyed. The Ice and Snow Empresses rushed to the shrine but arrived as the trio escaped, leaving the palace in ruins.

• The Ice God Palace's top floor shook and crumbled after Skadi vanished, while Sigewinne urged Wriothesley and Shui Binger to flee.
• Shui Binger asked Wriothesley how they could escape after their only path collapsed.
• The Ice and Snow Empresses sensed the disturbance and hurried toward the palace, fearing the humans had harmed the sacred shrine.
• The palace roof collapsed before the Empresses could reach it, shocking them with the destruction.
• Wriothesley, Shui Binger, and Sigewinne burst out of the collapsing shrine as the Ice and Snow Empresses watched.

The Ice and Snow Empresses confronted Wriothesley, Shui Binger, and Sigewinne over the collapsing Ice God Palace. When the Empresses attacked, Sigewinne disrupted the Ice Empress’s domain, leaving the Snow Empress nearly off balance.

• The Ice and Snow Empresses accused Wriothesley and his companions of causing the Ice God Palace to collapse.
• Wriothesley stayed calm while Shui Binger hid behind him and Sigewinne faced the Ice Empress’s accusations with a smile.
• The Snow Empress demanded an explanation, but Wriothesley did not answer, and the Ice Empress urged her to attack.
• The Snow Empress summoned the Emperor Sword as the Ice Empress unleashed her Domain of Eternal Freeze.
• Wriothesley called to Sigewinne, and she dispersed the Ice Empress’s domain with an unfamiliar device, nearly making the Snow Empress stagger.

Sigewinne knocked Ice Empress unconscious with an anesthetic, and Snow Empress demanded an explanation as the Ice God Palace collapsed. Before Wriothesley could explain the Ice God, the Ice Bear King appeared, mistook him for a threat, and attacked.

• Sigewinne used her Anesthetic Gun to put Ice Empress to sleep, and Snow Empress caught her and demanded to know what had happened.
• Sigewinne explained that the weapon had delivered an anesthetic, while Wriothesley reproached her for using too much.
• The Ice God Palace finished collapsing, and Wriothesley began to address Snow Empress about her Ice God.
• The Ice Bear King arrived, saw Snow Empress holding Ice Empress, and attacked Wriothesley and Sigewinne despite Snow Empress's warning.

Wriothesley and Sigewinne faced Xiao Bai’s attack in the Extreme North, but Wriothesley stopped it and presented Snow Empress with the Ice God Bow left by Skadi. Snow Empress recognized the bow as a gift from the Ice God and mourned the loss of her spiritual home.

• Xiao Bai attacked Wriothesley and Sigewinne, but Wriothesley’s Gauntlets cut through the ice storm and halted his paw.
• Snow Empress calmed Xiao Bai and demanded that Wriothesley explain why he had come.
• Wriothesley presented Snow Empress with the Ice God Bow and said Lady Skadi had left it for her.
• Snow Empress recognized the bow as the Ice God’s divine artifact, accepted it, and wept as she remembered the Ice God.