An Agreement!

[Contract Beast: Lord of Eternal Freeze]

[Years: 700,000]

[Status: Contracted]

[Abilities: Origin of Ice · Initial Insight, Eternal Freeze Domain, Origin Sealing, Ice and Snow Rebirth, Space-Time Freeze, Ice Attribute Control · Extreme, Ultimate Ice · Extreme, Ice Abyss Domain · Extreme, Space-Time Ice Sealing · Extreme, Ice Empress True Form · Extreme, Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings · Extreme, Crown of Eternal Freeze]

[Origin of Ice · Initial Insight: Has touched the threshold of the Law of Ice and can call upon a sliver of the power of the Origin of Ice]

[Eternal Freeze Domain: When activated, all movement within the domain stops. Only the master can move. Lasts 5 seconds. Usable once per day]

[Origin Sealing: Can directly seal an enemy's origin, not just their physical body. The seal lasts until lifted]

[Ice and Snow Rebirth: As long as a single snowflake exists, can be reborn infinitely. After rebirth, returns to full strength]

[Space-Time Freeze: Freezes the surrounding space-time within a radius of 1,000 meters for 5 seconds]

[Ice Attribute Control · Extreme: Can freely control the surrounding ice and snow within a radius of 10,000 meters]

[Ultimate Ice · Extreme: Ice attribute purity has reached its utmost limit and can freeze all attributes below the divine level]

[Ice Abyss Domain · Extreme: Enemies within the domain are dragged permanently into the Ice Abyss until the master releases them]

[Space-Time Ice Sealing · Extreme: Freezes space-time. Usable five times per day]

[Ice Empress True Form · Extreme: Can transform into a thousand-meter-tall Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, increasing combat power tenfold]

[Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings · Extreme: Wingspan exceeds five meters; a single flap can freeze everything within a hundred miles]

[New Ability · Crown of Eternal Freeze: An Ice Crystal Crown forms above her head, symbolizing the recognition of the Origin of Ice. While wearing the crown, the power of all abilities is doubled]

[Evolution Attempts: 3/3 (Maximum reached. Must reach level 40 to unlock the next evolution)]

The light faded.

The Ice Empress stood there.

But she was no longer the Ice Empress from before.

Her hair had turned completely ice-blue.

Not an ordinary ice-blue.

It was the color of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice found in the deepest reaches of the Extreme North.

Every strand seemed to be formed from pure ice crystal.

With the slightest movement, snowflakes drifted down.

Her features were so perfect they seemed unreal.

All emotion had vanished from her eyes and brows.

It wasn't indifference.

It was transcendence.

It was impossible to tell whether her eyes were green or blue.

They were a color beyond description.

As if they held the sky above the entire frozen wilderness.

Her skin had become completely transparent.

Yet it wasn't the fragile kind of transparency.

It was as warm and translucent as jade.

Beneath her skin, faint patterns of ice crystals flowed slowly.

That was the origin of Ultimate Ice, surging through her body.

The Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings behind her had fully unfurled.

Their wingspan exceeded five meters.

Ancient runes of ice were etched into every feather.

She gently beat her wings.

The surrounding space froze, fine cracks appearing across it.

Most astonishing of all,

was the crown above her head.

A crown formed from pure ice crystal appeared on its own.

It was the mark of the Lord of Eternal Freeze.

It symbolized that she had touched the threshold of the Origin of Ice.

She simply stood there in silence.

The space-time around her seemed to have stopped.

It wasn't that she had frozen space-time.

Rather, space-time itself stopped before her.

As if submitting to her.

"Seven hundred thousand years..."

Snow Empress's voice rang out, trembling slightly.

It had taken her countless years and seven terrifying Heavenly Tribulations to reach that realm.

The other woman had achieved it in a fleeting instant.

This Contract Book Martial Soul was far too terrifying, far too domineering, and utterly beyond reason!

She looked at the Ice Empress, at the Ice Crystal Crown, at the Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings, and at those eyes that had transcended the mortal world.

Suddenly, she felt she no longer knew the person standing before her.

No.

It wasn't that she didn't know her.

She couldn't recognize her.

Was this still the Ice Empress who had lived alongside her for hundreds of thousands of years?

"Ice Empress..." she said, her voice hoarse.

The Ice Empress looked at her.

The Snow Empress's reflection appeared in those eyes that had transcended the mortal world.

"Snow Empress," she said.

Her voice was no longer cold.

It had an uncanny quality to it.

As if the ice and snow themselves were speaking.

"Can you feel it?"

Snow Empress fell silent.

Of course she could feel it.

That aura.

It wasn't suppression anymore.

It was submission.

With her seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, she couldn't summon even the slightest thought of resistance before the Ice Empress now.

"Seven hundred thousand years, without a Heavenly Tribulation..."

Mu En's voice rang out, grave in a way it had never been before.

He looked at Bai Lan, his expression more complicated than ever:

"Kid, do you know what this means?"

Bai Lan looked at him.

Mu En spoke each word slowly:

"It means the world recognizes her age."

"She didn't sneak across the boundary or rely on some trick."

"She truly is seven hundred thousand years old."

"She has been acknowledged by the Origin of Ice."

Bai Lan nodded.

He knew.

He had always known.

Bai Lan walked up to the Ice Empress.

He raised his head and looked at her.

The Ice Empress lowered her head to meet his gaze.

At that moment, those eyes that had transcended the mortal world reflected only one person.

"Master," she said.

Bai Lan smiled.

"How does it feel?"

The Ice Empress was silent for a second.

Then she smiled.

It was the first time she had smiled so tenderly.

"Wonderful," she said. "I've never felt better."

She raised a hand and gently placed it over her heart.

"I used to be the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion."

"The ruler of that territory."

"But now—"

She looked at Bai Lan, her eyes sparkling brilliantly:

"I am the Ice Empress."

"The true Ice Empress."

"Not a title."

"My name."

Bai Lan nodded.

"I know."

He turned to look at Snow Empress.

Snow Empress stood rooted to the spot.

She simply looked at the Ice Empress, at the Ice Crystal Crown, at the Ice Crystal Butterfly Wings, and at those eyes that had transcended the mortal world.

She remained silent for a long time.

Then she spoke:

"Ice Empress."

The Ice Empress looked at her.

Snow Empress asked, "Do you regret it?"

The Ice Empress shook her head.

"I don't."

She walked up to Snow Empress and held out her hand.

"Snow Empress, I've waited tens of thousands of years for you."

"Now it's your turn."

Snow Empress looked at the hand she held out.

She looked at the tenderness in those eyes that had transcended the mortal world.

Then she smiled.

It was the first time she had smiled in seven hundred thousand years.

"All right."

She took the Ice Empress's hand.

"I'll wait for him."

She turned to look at Bai Lan.

There was no suspicion or hesitation in her ice-blue eyes anymore.

Instead, there was

anticipation.

"Bai Lan," she said.

Bai Lan looked at her.

Snow Empress spoke slowly, word by word:

"Don't keep me waiting too long."

Bai Lan smiled.

"I won't."

He turned to the Ice Empress.

"Come on. Let's go back."

The Ice Empress paused.

"Back?"

Bai Lan nodded.

"Back to Shrek Academy."

"I'll show you how the human world has developed in this age."

Ice Empress fell silent for a second.

Then she smiled.

"Good."

She walked over to Bai Lan and stopped beside him.

Bai Lan looked up at Snow Empress.

"Wait for me. Once this is over, I'll help you evolve and fuse into one, so you can gain the power of a True God!"

Snow Empress looked expectant and nodded.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

"I'm really looking forward to the power of a True God!"