The Snow Empress's legs were flawless, like carved jade, and left completely bare.
One of Neuvillette's hands was idly playing with her translucent jade foot.
His fingertips gently brushed her delicate ankle, making the beauty in his arms shiver now and then.
"Hmph. Shameless."
Furina sat cross-legged on the carpet nearby, holding a piece of cake. Though she sounded disapproving, her big eyes kept darting between the two of them.
"So this is what they mean by the 'adult world'?"
"Neuvillette, you've fallen into depravity."
Neuvillette paid her no mind.
He didn't even raise his eyelids. He merely grew a little more vigorous in his caresses, drawing a soft hum from the Snow Empress as she buried her face deeper against him.
His gaze fell on a corner of the room.
There stood a crystal-clear ice sculpture.
Inside it, the girl with the scorpion braid still wore an expression of terror and despair, frozen lifelike.
"This is a bit of a hassle."
Neuvillette looked at Xiao Wu inside the ice sculpture and gently rubbed his chin with his other hand.
"How did we end up bringing this rabbit back?"
"Having this thing in the house feels a little boring."
A small green head peeked in through the doorway.
The Ice Empress glanced timidly at Neuvillette, then at the Snow Empress, who was receiving his attention. A hint of envy flickered in her eyes before she glared fiercely at the ice sculpture.
"My lord, why not just kill her?"
The Ice Empress walked inside, her face full of murderous intent.
"She'll only cause trouble if we keep her around. It'd be easier to butcher her now."
At that, Neuvillette gave a slight shake of his head.
"Kill her?"
"That'd be a waste."
He turned his gaze away, his fingers still tracing circles against the sole of the Snow Empress's foot.
"It'd be a shame to kill this rabbit just like that."
Furina swallowed her mouthful of cake and leaned over curiously.
"A Soul Beast?"
"You mean this human-looking girl is actually a rabbit?"
She circled the ice sculpture twice, clicking her tongue in amazement.
"She doesn't look like one. Apart from that braid being a little tacky, anyway."
Neuvillette chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"She's not just any rabbit."
"She's also someone's 'medicine.'"
"Medicine?" Furina tilted her head, looking completely baffled.
Neuvillette shifted into a more comfortable position and spoke unhurriedly.
"Speaking of that, we have to mention that so-called Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao, and his dear son, Tang San."
"That father and son certainly inherited the same 'tradition.'"
The Snow Empress lifted her head, a hint of confusion in her ice-blue eyes.
"What tradition?"
Neuvillette's fingers slid gently down the Snow Empress's back. His tone was calm, yet he spoke of secrets that could shake the world.
"Back then, Tang Hao knew full well that Spirit Hall was hunting Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, yet he still took the newly transformed Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, everywhere with him."
"In the end, Spirit Hall surrounded them. With nowhere left to run, Ah Yin 'willingly' sacrificed herself and became Tang Hao's ninth Soul Ring."
"That let him break through to Titled Douluo in one fell swoop, and even challenge opponents above his level."
"What a profitable deal."
A mocking curve formed at the corner of Neuvillette's mouth.
"His wife died, and he got a Soul Ring, a Soul Bone, and a reputation."
The room fell silent.
Furina's mouth hung open. She'd even forgotten about the cake in her hand.
"That's just... just too shameless!"
"What about this rabbit, then?"
Neuvillette pointed at the ice sculpture.
"This is the handiwork of that dear son, Tang San."
"Like father, like son."
"He also fell in love with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and took her everywhere with him."
"Even more interestingly, he also made two Hundred-Thousand-Year Forest Kings his underlings."
"That makes three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in all."
"He made an even bigger deal of it than his father."
Crack—
A sharp sound rang out.
The jade cup in the Snow Empress's hand crumbled into powder.
She sat up in Neuvillette's arms, her beautiful face covered in frost.
As the ruler of the Far North and one of the highest-ranking members of the Soul Beast Clan, she despised humanity's despicable schemes above all else.
A hundred thousand years of cultivation—what an arduous journey that was.
After finally taking human form, they wanted to see the world, only to become "livestock" kept by someone else.
"Damn them!"
The Snow Empress's voice was cold enough to pierce bone.
"Those two humans are worse than beasts!"
"Ah Yin... Is her soul still there?"
Neuvillette nodded calmly.
"It is."
"Plant-type Soul Beasts have tenacious vitality. Even after a sacrifice, a single seed is enough for one to slowly recover."
"Though Tang Hao has probably planted her in some cave and is keeping her as a potted plant by now."
The Snow Empress stood up abruptly, murder in her eyes.
"I'm going to save her."
"She's one of our kind. I can't just watch her suffer like this."
Neuvillette reached out, gently took the Snow Empress by the wrist, and pulled her back into his arms.
"Why rush?"
He gently patted the Snow Empress's back, soothing the bristling big cat.
"We don't need to go looking for them."
"This rabbit is in our hands now."
Neuvillette glanced at the ice sculpture, his tone certain.
"Given the way that father and son are, they'll come to us themselves for this fat prize right in front of them."
"When they do, you can vent your anger however you like."
"As for Ah Yin..."
Neuvillette paused, his tone casual.
"We'll see."
"If Tang Hao brings her seed with him, we can save her while we're at it."
"There's no need to make a special trip for something like that."
The Snow Empress leaned against Neuvillette's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Her anger gradually ebbed away.
That was right.
He was here.
No matter how those insignificant clowns schemed, it would all come to nothing in the end.
Just then—
The sky outside lit up again.
Neuvillette lifted his head and looked toward the golden ranking list through the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.
"Something new has appeared."
Rumble—
Golden light tore through the clouds.
New words slowly appeared, radiating a sacred and imposing aura.
[Continent Rare Treasure Ranking, Eighth Place.] [Holder: Qian Renxue.] [Treasure: Angel Sacred Sword.] Then, a long sword radiating brilliant golden light appeared in the image. Its blade was slender, engraved with complex and sacred angelic runes. Each rune seemed to contain the radiance of the sun, making it impossible to look directly at. [Effect: An artifact of the Angel God.] [Divine Judgment: Deals double damage to all creatures with evil or dark attributes and adds a purification effect that cannot be dispelled.] [Angel Domain: When the domain is activated, all attributes of allies within it increase by thirty percent, enemies' Soul Power consumption doubles, and they are continuously scorched by holy fire.] [Sun's Attraction: Draws upon Sun True Fire to unleash a devastating attack. Ordinary flames cannot extinguish it; it burns until the target is reduced to ashes.]
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