Elder Mu's voice rang out:
"Five hundred thousand years... She jumped straight ahead by a hundred thousand?"
"Well, would you look at that. I got to witness it with my own eyes today."
He looked at the Ice Empress, his eyes full of shock:
"And still, no Heavenly Tribulation?"
The Ice Empress looked at him and nodded.
"None."
"No Heavenly Tribulation came when I evolved."
Elder Mu fell silent.
Five hundred thousand years, and no Heavenly Tribulation.
What did that mean?
It meant her age was acknowledged by the laws of the world!
She hadn't forcibly increased her power. It was truly hers!
The Ice Empress looked down at her hands.
Behind her, the phantom of a pair of Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings fluttered gently.
She raised her head and looked at the Snow Empress.
"Can you feel it?"
The Snow Empress said nothing.
But of course she could feel it.
That aura.
Five hundred thousand years.
More than twice as powerful as before.
And yet.
No Heavenly Tribulation.
She had taken on an entirely new appearance!
Her long, jade-green hair had grown even longer, falling past her waist. Each strand was encrusted with tiny Ice Crystals that refracted rainbow-colored light.
Her hair drifted without a breeze. Now and then, a few Ice Crystals fell and dissolved into delicate snowflakes in midair.
Her features were still cold and striking, but there was a hint of softness between her brows.
Her jade-green eyes had grown deeper, and the scorpion-shaped mark in her pupils was more distinct. It seemed almost alive, slowly swimming with each breath she took.
Her skin was as pale as snow, with a faint jade-green sheen.
The most astonishing change was behind her.
The faint image of a pair of wings formed from Ice Crystals could be seen. They were the mark of the Ice Jade Empress, a symbol that she had surpassed the ranks of ordinary Ferocious Beasts.
Her figure had grown taller and more graceful. A long jade-green dress appeared on her, its hem embroidered with intertwined scorpion tails and Ice Crystals.
As she stood there, the air around her froze, and frost spread across the ground at her feet.
Bai Lan looked at the Ice Empress.
"Are you ready?"
"Next comes the second evolution."
The Ice Empress looked at him.
A light unlike any she had ever shown before shone in her jade-green eyes.
It was anticipation.
And longing.
"I'm ready. Let's continue," she said.
Bai Lan nodded.
"Then let's begin!"
He focused his thoughts once more.
Ice Empress, second evolution, confirmed!
Boom!
This time, the light was even more violent!
Jade green and ice blue intertwined, surging into the sky!
The entire ice plain trembled!
The distant snow-covered mountains began to shake, and snow cascaded down their slopes!
The Snow Empress's expression changed.
She had lived for seven hundred thousand years and had never seen anything like this.
Was this an evolution?
This was clearly—
A metamorphosis!
Five hundred and ten thousand!
Five hundred and twenty thousand!
Five hundred and thirty thousand!
Five hundred and forty thousand!
Five hundred and fifty thousand!
Five hundred and sixty thousand!
Five hundred and seventy thousand!
Five hundred and eighty thousand!
Five hundred and ninety thousand!
Six hundred thousand years!
The numbers continued to climb wildly!
All the way to—
Six hundred thousand years!
Boom!
The light exploded once more!
When it faded—
Bai Lan lowered his head and looked at the Contract Book.
The writing on the third page had updated again:
[Contract Beast: Ice Abyss Empress] [Age: 600,000 years] [Status: Contracted] [Abilities: Ice Attribute Control, Ultimate Ice, Ice Emperor Domain, Jade Crystal Body Protection, Ice Empress Pincer: Extreme, Ice Emperor Body Protection: Extreme, Ice Emperor's Wrath: Extreme, Ice Jade Empress True Form, Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings, Ice Abyss Domain, Space-Time Ice Sealing, Ice Empress True Form] [Ice Attribute Control: Freely control the surrounding ice and snow, with the range increased to 3,000 meters] [Ultimate Ice: Ice purity reaches its absolute limit; can freeze attacks of any attribute from opponents of the same level] [Ice Emperor Domain: Within the domain, Ultimate Ice suppresses all attributes, completely hindering the movements of enemies] [Jade Crystal Body Protection: Ice Crystals automatically protect their master and can withstand three full-power attacks from opponents of the same level] [Ice Empress Pincer: Extreme: Both arms transform into scorpion pincers, and attacks carry a space-time freezing effect] [Ice Emperor Body Protection: Extreme: Ice Crystal armor greatly enhances defense and can reflect most attacks] [Ice Emperor's Wrath: Extreme: Gather Ultimate Ice to unleash an area attack covering a radius of one thousand meters] [Ice Jade Empress True Form: Transform into the Ice Jade Empress's true form, greatly increasing combat power] [Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings: Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings become fully solidified, allowing high-speed flight; when the wings flap, they freeze the surrounding space] [New Ability · Ice Abyss Domain: Unleash the Ice Abyss Domain, dragging enemies within it into the abyss of ice and depriving them of all senses for 10 seconds] [New Ability · Space-Time Ice Sealing: Briefly freeze the surrounding space-time for 3 seconds; usable three times per day] [New Ability · Ice Empress True Form: Briefly transform into a hundred-meter-tall giant Ice Crystal scorpion, tripling combat power for fifteen minutes] [Evolutions: 2/3 (One more evolution available)]
The Ice Empress stood amid the light.
Her jade-green hair began to fade into ice blue, and deeper Ice Crystals formed at the ends, as if the entire Ice Abyss had been sealed within her strands.
Her features grew more exquisite and defined, and her gaze held the pride of one who looked down upon all living things.
Her eyes were no longer pure jade green, but jade with a hint of blue.
The scorpion-shaped mark in her pupils had disappeared!
In its place was the phantom of the Ice Abyss.
Bottomless.
Impossible to look at without fear.
The pair of Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings behind her had become completely solid.
Their wingspan exceeded three meters, and every feather was inscribed with ancient runes.
They were the manifestation of the Law of Ice.
She stood there.
A faint blue glow surrounded her.
Even the space-time around her seemed frozen.
Not even light could escape her domain.
"Six hundred thousand years..."
The Snow Empress murmured, a tremor entering her voice for the first time.
The Ice Empress looked at her.
The phantom of the Ice Abyss slowly swirled in her eyes.
"Snow Empress," she said. "Can you feel it?"
The Snow Empress fell silent.
Of course she could feel it.
That aura.
It wasn't merely powerful.
It was oppressive.
The Ice Empress's aura was suppressing her.
She was being suppressed by the six-hundred-thousand-year-old Ice Empress, despite being seven hundred thousand years old?
How was that possible?
"Still no Heavenly Tribulation."
Elder Mu's voice rang out again, more solemn this time. "Six hundred thousand years, and still no Heavenly Tribulation. This Contract Book has far exceeded my expectations!"
He looked at Bai Lan, his expression complicated:
"Boy, do you know what this means?"
Bai Lan looked at him.
Elder Mu drew a deep breath:
"It means her age wasn't stolen or seized."
"The laws of the world acknowledge it."
"Heaven and earth have accepted her."
Bai Lan nodded.
He knew.
He had always known.
He looked at the Ice Empress.
"One more evolution," he said. "Do you want to continue?"
The Ice Empress looked at him.
Brilliant light shone in her jade-blue eyes.
"Of course! Let's continue."
Bai Lan smiled. "All right!"
He focused his thoughts for the third time.
Ice Empress, third evolution, confirmed!
Boom—
This time, the heavens and earth changed color!
Ice-blue light shot into the sky, piercing the clouds!
The entire Extreme North trembled!
Countless Soul Beasts rushed out of their hiding places and fell to their knees in this direction!
Because that aura—
Was too terrifying!
It was an oppressive force unlike anything they had ever felt!
It was the call of the Origin of Ice!
Six hundred and ten thousand!
Six hundred and twenty thousand!
Six hundred and thirty thousand!
Six hundred and forty thousand!
Six hundred and fifty thousand!
Six hundred and sixty thousand!
Six hundred and seventy thousand!
Six hundred and eighty thousand!
Six hundred and ninety thousand!
Seven hundred thousand years!
The numbers surged wildly!
All the way to—
Seven hundred thousand years!
Boom—!
Light burst forth!
The entire ice field was illuminated!
The light was so dazzling that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open!
When the light finally faded—
Bai Lan lowered his head and looked at the Contract Book.
On the third page, the text updated one last time:
Heh heh heh, how was that?
See you next chapter!
Before you continue