Image Projection

In the ice valley where the sun never reaches, the Ice Crystal Palace was currently shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight.

Warm, gentle sunlight slanted in through the palace entrance, casting a golden halo over the pristine ice layers, dispelling some of the cold, frigid atmosphere and injecting vitality into the body of Xu Lanqing.

He squinted his eyes and looked up at the sky.

He saw that the biting white gale had been torn open to reveal a circular hole, through which golden sunlight poured down like a waterfall, not blinding in the slightest.

In the center of that golden opening, a figure was floating, but because the figure was silhouetted against the sun, she looked like a deity descending with light, making it impossible for him to see her clearly.

Judging by the rough outline, it appeared to be a scorpion.

"Snow Maiden?"

A crisp, melodious voice tinged with a trembling note of doubt echoed throughout the ice valley, the sound lingering in the air.

The next moment, the figure vanished abruptly, leaving only a trail of afterimages in her wake.

Xu Lanqing's heart skipped a beat; a chill crept up the back of his neck, and goosebumps rose involuntarily on his skin.

Almost subconsciously, he activated his martial soul, spun his body around, and slammed his cold, brilliant white palm toward the space behind him.

"Hum~"

Endless cold and soul power erupted suddenly from that figure, causing the air to freeze.

Xu Lanqing's swinging arm froze mid-air, and he was horrified to discover once again that both his body and soul seemed to have been frozen, covered in a thin layer of ice crystals.

It was at this very moment that a cool aura surged forth from his activated Snow Maiden martial soul, colliding with that layer of ice crystals.

As the two clashed, they unexpectedly merged together; the ice crystals melted, further enhancing Xu Lanqing's aura.

"Eh?"

The figure couldn't help but let out a sound of surprise.

Having regained control of his body, Xu Lanqing didn't care what had just happened; he retreated several steps, staring at the figure before him with a vigilant expression.

Only then did he clearly see her appearance.

She possessed a delicate and pretty face, lacking the arrogance of the Ice Empress but possessing more cold beauty, mixed with a hint of unruliness.

On both sides of her moving, fair face were four emerald-green demonic patterns, and a head of ink-green long hair cascaded down her back.

Her skin was as white as ice and snow, possessing a translucent texture, with green light faintly flowing beneath the surface.

After she appeared, the temperature of the surrounding air dropped sharply, and she was dressed in a long emerald-green dress.

He had to admit, he was stunned by her beauty once again.

It was none other than the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, the Ice Empress, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North.

The Ice Empress did not attack again, but her entire aura locked onto the human child before her.

Her amber eyes, as crystalline as gemstones, held a look of suspicion as she examined the three-meter-tall ice-blue crystal, which still held traces of the Ice Empress's aura.

Other than that, she couldn't discern anything else; she tried to probe it with her spiritual power, but it was blocked by the surface of the crystal.

Before the Ice Empress went into seclusion, she had spoken to her. She had sensed a change in the Ice Empress's aura and had come to check on the situation, only to find the Ice Empress gone from the palace and a human child in her place?

She turned her gaze back to Xu Lanqing, whose appearance had changed drastically after activating his martial soul.

"Human, why is your martial soul the Snow Maiden? How did you appear here? What happened here? And where did the original owner of this place go?

You had better tell me everything you know, otherwise..."

The Ice Empress spoke in a chilling tone, rattling off a series of questions, not forgetting to add a threat.

She hadn't struck with lethal force from the beginning precisely to interrogate Xu Lanqing and obtain the answers she wanted.

Otherwise, given her strength, killing a mere human child would be like crushing an ant; he wouldn't even have had time to react.

"Are you the Ice Empress?"

Enveloped once again by a similar terrifying pressure, Xu Lanqing asked in return, though his tone was one of certainty.

Then, he looked at the Ice Empress with teary eyes, appearing deeply moved: "You've come at the perfect time; you are my savior!"

The Ice Empress looked at him with a strange expression. Is this human an idiot?

It would be one thing if he weren't afraid, as he was so pitifully weak that it would be normal for him not to understand her terror, but what was with this joy?

What a pity; he was quite good-looking, a waste of such a vessel.

Her phoenix eyes stared coldly at Xu Lanqing, suppressing the urge to increase her pressure and crush him instantly, ignoring his question.

Her voice, crisp like a wind chime, rang out: "You haven't answered my questions yet. Do not attempt to test my patience."

"Hehe, I was just too excited."

Xu Lanqing chuckled, retracted his martial soul, reached into his robe with his right hand, and pulled out a palm-sized, circular white metal disc.

He injected his soul power into it, and the metal disc emitted a faint white light, which drifted upward and condensed.

"The answers you want are all in here. See for yourself."

The Ice Empress watched Xu Lanqing's actions calmly; although she didn't understand what that was, she didn't stop him.

In the face of absolute strength, what kind of trouble could he possibly cause?

A moment later, the white light on the metal plate finally condensed into shape, turning into a white screen two meters in length and width.

Images appeared on it, and they were none other than the conversation between Xu Lanqing and the Ice Empress.

It's a good thing I kept a backup plan, otherwise, with no proof, I wouldn't know how to face the Ice Emperor, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

This soul tool capable of recording was something he had asked others to make while he was bored in the imperial palace; he only needed to propose the idea, and as for how to make it, that was naturally someone else's business.

The person who made it eventually gave him this, even saying that his idea had inspired them or something similar.

Time passed bit by bit.

The air fell into a long silence.

The pressure permeating the space dissipated before anyone noticed. The Ice Emperor's clear, translucent amber eyes stared blankly at the screen, her rosy lips slightly parted, and her exquisite, pretty face was filled with shock and disbelief.

A moment later.

Her glossy, rosy little mouth moved:

"How is this possible... Is... is this real?"

She had lived for so long and had countless experiences, yet this was the first time she had ever seen such a situation.

"That is how things are. As for whether you believe it or not, I think you will have your own judgment."

Xu Lanqing spoke up, then he went on to explain everything that wasn't in the recording, as the footage had only started from when he and the Ice Empress began their negotiations.

This included the drawbacks of the contract, the old man's corpse, how he had arrived here, and so on, to save her from asking later.

The Ice Emperor seemed not to have heard what he said; from just a moment ago, she had been staring fixedly at the ice-blue crystal enveloping the Snow Maiden.

Her slender, delicate jade fingers gently stroked it, her long, narrow phoenix eyes shimmering with a luster, as if holding emotions as deep and bottomless as the ocean.

"Snow Maiden..."

Xu Lanqing looked at the Ice Emperor's back, which seemed rather desolate and lonely, and couldn't help but speak up:

"It's not like it's a final parting; you'll be able to see her once she wakes up."

"When will she be able to come out?"

"As for that, I don't know either, but she will definitely come out." Xu Lanqing said awkwardly.

Having received no answer, the Ice Emperor didn't react much.

A moment later.

Seeming unsatisfied with just the gentle stroking of her fingers, she leaned her entire body against it, snuggling up to the ice-blue crystal with her eyes closed, a look of satisfaction appearing on her exquisite, pretty face.

It was like a quiet and beautiful painting, indescribably warm and moving.