Twenty-Fifth Chapter

Who knew how much time had passed.

"Cough, cough. Um, Ice Empress, sorry to bother you, but could you take me outside first?"

Xu Lanqing spoke at a very inopportune moment, breaking the warm, tranquil scene.

There was no helping it. At this rate, Ice Empress might stay like this until the end of time. Was he supposed to wait here forever?

Besides, he had things he needed to do. He couldn't stay here indefinitely.

"Let's decide after Snow Empress comes out."

Ice Empress opened her phoenix eyes and glanced at Xu Lanqing.

"What if she doesn't come out for years? Am I supposed to wait here for years?

"I have things I need to do, and your tribulation is coming soon, isn't it? Aren't you worried? If Snow Empress comes out and sees that you failed to overcome your tribulation, wouldn't she be heartbroken?"

Xu Lanqing urged her earnestly. He'd known this wouldn't be so simple.

"What I do is none of your business."

Ice Empress's voice seemed to freeze the air. She looked at Xu Lanqing, then abruptly changed the subject, her tone domineering:

"What could you possibly have to do? Weren't you driven here by people hunting you?

"If it happened once, it could happen again, and again... Now that you've connected with Snow Empress, for her safety, you'd better stay here. Don't worry, I won't let you starve to death.

"As for the tribulation, I have at least another decade. We'll talk about it then."

A decade?

Xu Lanqing's face turned green. Who knew how many times the opportunity would have passed by then?

He puffed out his chest and argued his case:

"My teacher fell into a deep sleep to complete the ritual. How could I stay here without a care?

"Besides, the things my teacher and you need are in the same place. But I'm not the only one who knows about it. If we delay, things could change. What if someone else gets there first?

"And the Soul Spirit Method needs to be brought into the human world if it's going to be put into practice."

Ice Empress's beautiful eyes flickered. She remembered the scenes she'd seen in the images, then glanced at the ice-blue crystal.

Soul Beasts more than a hundred thousand years old were never lacking in intelligence. Some had even reached the level of humans after only ten thousand years.

She could be domineering, but she was reasonable, and knew how to repay a debt of gratitude.

Though the favor had been done for Snow Empress, Ice Empress considered Snow Empress's affairs her own.

She didn't want to put Snow Empress in an awkward position when she came out, and the Soul Spirit Method was all the more important.

Besides, her own life was at stake. She might make light of it, but she cared deeply.

After considering this for a while, she asked:

"What about Snow Empress? Besides, I can't stay in the human world for long."

Ice Empress was already one of the strongest in the world, but there were still plenty stronger than her.

It was one thing if she stayed in the Far North. But if she was discovered in the human world, she'd be a walking Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.

Countless people would be driven by greed to hunt her down. She was confident in her strength, but she wasn't foolish enough to take on the entire human world.

Xu Lanqing smiled, his tone easygoing:

"I've already thought about that. There's a way, though it might be a bit of an imposition."

"What way?"

"My teacher once created an Undead Plane, though it's incomplete. I can open the Undead Gate and let you and Snow Empress enter. But I'm too weak to control what happens inside, so I'll need you to look after Snow Empress."

Ice Empress's eyes flashed with shock.

As expected of someone with a divine consciousness. He could actually create a plane, far beyond anything she'd imagined.

She couldn't help but marvel at how blessed humans were. She had cultivated her Spiritual Origin for four hundred thousand years, yet condensing it into divine consciousness was impossible for her. Humans, however, could accomplish that in a mere century—and even surpass it.

Though she was envious, if she had to choose, she would still keep undergoing tribulations. Humans only lived a few hundred years, after all. How many could cultivate to that level? She knew she couldn't.

Xu Lanqing asked, "What do you think?"

Ice Empress had regained her composure, but she didn't answer. Hesitation showed in her eyes.

Xu Lanqing thought for a moment and guessed what she was worried about. He smiled faintly.

"Don't worry. I won't put you in there and then wash my hands of you. Snow Empress and I are bound together, for better or worse, and I need your help, too.

"I know you think humans are all vile and shameless. I won't claim to be a good person, either. I can't speak for what others might do, but I swear to Heaven in the name of my Martial Soul that I'll never deceive or betray you!

"So you can take a chance. Whether you believe me is up to you."

Ice Empress stared at his clear, sincere eyes, which didn't waver or look away. The boy's earnest voice reached her ears.

They said the eyes were windows to the soul.

At least, Ice Empress couldn't see anything wrong with him. Her wariness quietly eased.

Still, looking at Xu Lanqing's face, she had to admit he was handsome—but to her, he was rather unpleasant to look at.

Especially when she thought of what had happened between him and Snow Empress. Her irritation only grew.

Snow Empress was like a sacred, aloof snow lotus in her heart. But now, that lotus had been stained with specks of mud. It was an eyesore.

She also felt a little envy and jealousy.

She wanted to be connected to Snow Empress's soul, too. Why did it have to be this human?

Without a word, she walked toward Xu Lanqing, her pretty face expressionless but full of menace.

She wasn't going to kill him, but, well...

Xu Lanqing's eyelid twitched. Watching Ice Empress draw closer, he felt a sense of unease.

"Um, what are you doing?

"Y-You, don't come any closer!

"We can talk this out. Don't hit me!

"Ah!

"Fine, hit me if you want, but don't hit my face!

"Ah!!!"

"Phew."

Ice Empress let out a long breath. Much better.

The gloom that had been lodged in her chest vanished at once. Her rosy lips curled into a lovely smile, bringing a touch of life to the cold hall.

"You're too weak. I was training your survival skills."

"Hiss..."

Xu Lanqing had now thoroughly experienced Ice Empress's idea of getting physical.

He cowered in the corner, staring at his reflection in the gleaming ice: a swollen, purple-and-blue pig's head. He was close to tears.

I don't believe a word of that!

If you wanted to beat me up, just say so. Why make up an excuse?

He thought it, but didn't dare say it aloud. He was afraid she'd get another wild idea and decide to train him again.

Still, it was probably a good thing. At least they were closer now, and there wasn't as much of a barrier between them.

The way they'd gotten closer was a little unusual, though. His handsome face had taken a beating. He hoped he wasn't disfigured.

"Wait here. I'm going out to take care of something."

Ice Empress spoke calmly, as though nothing had happened. As soon as she finished, only an afterimage remained.

Xu Lanqing was delighted. He knew she'd agreed. The pain seemed to ease at once—though when he touched his face, it somehow hurt even more.

"Hiss... She really hit me hard."

Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu, Imperial Palace.

The curtains in Xu Tianran's bedchamber were still drawn tightly shut.

As usual, he sat behind his desk in the dark. A candle flickered on the desktop, rather than the light of a Soul Guidance Lamp.

He held a report delivered by one of his subordinates and read it carefully. His handsome, sickly pale face flickered in and out of the dim candlelight.

"My younger brother really is lucky. His life or death is unknown—which means he's still alive."

Xu Tianran smiled faintly. A flash of light passed over his hand, and the paper report instantly turned to ash.

"What did the Holy Spirit Cult say?"

The figure kneeling before the desk replied, "With their leader and several Titled Douluo dead, the Holy Spirit Cult is currently without a head. They said they'd wait for the Supreme Cult Master to come out of seclusion before making any decisions.

"According to the Holy Spirit Cult members who escaped, the ones who killed their leader were from Shrek—and one of them was a Limit Douluo."

As expected of Shrek, the best academy in the world. They never failed to surprise him.

On this continent, Soul Masters were still the strongest.

"Heh..."

Xu Tianran's eyes were deep and unfathomable. No one could tell what he was thinking.