Beautiful Things

Fine cracks were strikingly visible on the seamless ice-blue crystal.

Staring at those fissures, Xu Lanqing touched one with his finger in astonishment, feeling a sharp sensation against his skin.

"No way? I only touched it lightly; this shouldn't be my fault, right?"

"Crack, crack—"

As if responding to his words, the cracks widened in an instant, and more and more fissures appeared in their wake.

White freezing mist spilled out from within, and the temperature in the air plummeted to zero, continuing to drop even further.

Xu Lanqing pulled his finger back as if electrocuted and instinctively took a few steps back, his Snow Maiden martial soul manifesting on its own as if triggered.

He could be certain now that it definitely wasn't his fault; looking at the situation, it was clearly the Ice Empress about to emerge.

The cracks spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they covered the ice-blue crystal. What was once hard was now like a Prince Rupert's Drop, shattering at the slightest touch.

"Clatter—"

Countless shards broke off from the outside in, and a pillar of snow-white light shot into the sky, a terrifying pressure instantly filling the entire space.

A thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of drifting snow.

Everything within sight was a vast expanse of white.

Yet, Xu Lanqing did not feel the slightest discomfort; instead, he felt a sense of comfort and warmth, as if bathed in a spring breeze.

His eyes were fixed blankly ahead. After the ice-blue crystal completely shattered, it revealed a breathtaking scene within.

The Ice Empress's eyelids were closed, and her familiar, peerlessly beautiful face came back into Xu Lanqing's view. While it was shocking, he had seen it enough to have developed some immunity.

The most important thing was that she was currently not wearing any clothes!

He saw a vast expanse whiter than the snow itself. There was no light in this space, yet she radiated a divine brilliance before his eyes.

Her exquisite features, slender jade-like neck, and the undulating, enchanting scenery below—her snow-white skin, bare of any covering, emitted a soft, gentle halo that was dazzling and intoxicating.

She was like a fairy descended from the heavens.

His heart skipped a beat.

Mom, I'm in love!

He couldn't help but wonder how the heavens had created such a flawless work of art; no matter the angle, it was enough to leave one in awe.

However, it seemed to have grown larger than before.

It was fuller and more prominent.

His memory had always been excellent, not to mention the boost to his mental power as a Soul Master; he could usually remember anything he had seen once, but right now, he found himself a bit hazy.

Seeing that the Ice Empress had yet to open her eyes, a worried Xu Lanqing naturally stepped forward a few paces.

As a companion, one naturally had to show concern.

Of course, it was inevitable to steal a few glances during the process.

Looking across, it was a ridge; looking from the side, it was a peak; the distance and height varied from every angle.

Hmm, he could be certain now—it was definitely larger than before.

"Mmm~"

As if just waking from a deep sleep, the Ice Empress's eyelashes fluttered, and a lazy, husky moan escaped her moist, red lips.

Her snow-white, holy body trembled along with her consciousness, causing a sudden, surging swell.

Xu Lanqing's body stiffened. He stared at this scene in a daze, his footsteps halting as he stood rooted to the spot.

"Hum, hum, hum—"

The space trembled, and a blood-red Soul Ring filled with endless, terrifying majesty suddenly appeared around the Ice Empress. Seven golden patterns circled the blood-red ring, beautiful yet carrying lethal danger.

Not only that, but then a second, a third...

A full nine blood-red Soul Rings circled up and down. The space was compressed by the terrifying soul power, unable to bear the burden, as deep black spatial rifts appeared, healed, and appeared again.

Xu Lanqing swallowed hard and silently pulled back his right foot.

"Hoo—"

The Ice Empress exhaled a breath of white freezing mist and slowly opened her eyes, her slightly confused sky-blue pupils heart-stoppingly beautiful.

She stretched her body, and a series of "crackling" sounds echoed out.

She raised her right arm and clenched her delicate fist; the soul power within her felt infinite, as if it could never be exhausted no matter how much she spent.

The feeling of being reborn made her want to look up and let out a long roar.

However, upon seeing Xu Lanqing, she forcibly restrained herself.

"How long have I slept? Also, where is this? I can feel this space rejecting my existence. With my current strength, I can hold on for a few minutes at most."

After her mental power scanned the area, the Ice Empress's gaze fell upon Xu Lanqing, who had his back to her, and her clear, beautiful voice filled with confusion rang out.

"Why are you standing with your back to me?"

Xu Lanqing noticed that she didn't use "this seat" to refer to herself, but rather "I."

Very good, this is the first step toward a positive development.

He turned around with a smile: "Oh, I dropped something just now, so I turned back to pick it up."

However, upon seeing Ice Empress, his smile immediately stiffened, and his gaze couldn't help but drift downward.

It wasn't that his self-control was lacking; it was simply too eye-catching.

He had assumed Ice Empress would have put on clothes by now, but she was still completely uncovered when she called him to turn around. Was it really this stimulating?

Xu Lanqing coughed twice, reminding her:

"Ahem, um, you..."

Seeing Xu Lanqing's eyes darting around and avoiding contact, Ice Empress paused for a moment and followed his gaze downward.

Her eyes went blank. She had been so carried away that she hadn't felt anything was wrong, and then a blinding white light flared up.

Even with his eyes closed and covered by his hands, Xu Lanqing could still see the piercing white light; it almost brought tears to his eyes.

When he looked at Ice Empress again, she had already used her soul power to manifest a white dress to wear.

The dress was simple, without a single decoration, but the figure it outlined so perfectly was the best decoration of all.

However, that snow-white dress only served to highlight the crimson flush rising on her fair, tender, snowy face.

"You didn't see anything!"

The emotionless voice reached his ears, and seeing the murderous glint in Ice Empress's eyes, Xu Lanqing hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything at all."

Suddenly, Ice Empress thought of something, her fair face expressionless.

"You saw it before, too, didn't you?"

"People always harbor a sense of longing for beautiful things."

Xu Lanqing explained himself, then immediately changed the subject to answer her previous question.

"Ahaha, you haven't been asleep for long, only a few days. As for this place, it is the Ancestral Land of the Sun Moon Empire royal family. Only those who have awakened the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon martial soul can enter, which is why you were being repelled."

After speaking, he took a few more lingering glances at the beautiful sights that were now covered up.

Seeing him like this, Ice Empress was furious, gritting her teeth in secret. Her body, which she had protected for so many years—even Ice Emperor hadn't seen it—had actually been seen by a human first.

For a moment, she found it hard to accept.

Staring at Xu Lanqing's face for a while, she let out a cold snort and decided not to dwell on it, retracting the soul rings that had been floating around her, her soul power also receding within.

But there were still some fluctuations of soul power around her; she must have just emerged and hadn't had time to properly master her newfound strength.

"So, this is the imperial palace of the Sun Moon Empire?"

"Yes."

Xu Lanqing nodded. He noticed a hint of worry in Ice Empress's eyes and continued:

"You don't need to worry. Ice Emperor and the others already know about your situation. After the ritual is completed..."

Ice Empress pursed her lips, her eyes returning to calm as she quietly listened to Xu Lanqing recount everything in detail.

"Alright, that's how things stand."

"Thank you."

Ice Empress could feel that he wasn't lying. Because of the contract and the martial soul connection, they had a subtle link in their souls. Although she didn't know what he was thinking, she could at least judge the truth.

Xu Lanqing said with a chuckle: "I help you, you help me; it's mutual assistance."

"Mm."

Ice Empress didn't deny it. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Since the other party had put in so much effort, she would feel embarrassed if she didn't help in return.

"By the way, although I was in a deep sleep, I could still feel a massive amount of energy outside being supplied for me to absorb. It was because of that energy that I was able to wake up now. Do you know what happened?"

Xu Lanqing shook his head: "There was an accident at that time, and I fell unconscious."

He glanced at the space where the purple mist had vanished and realized in his heart that Gu Yuena must have transferred that energy to Ice Empress.

Seeing that Ice Empress was still confused, he said casually: "If you can't figure it out, don't think about it. It's a good thing anyway; perhaps this is your destiny."

Shifting his gaze to the endless expanse of ice, Xu Lanqing couldn't help but ask curiously:

"How strong is your power now?"