Intentions

"Do you know about Soul Cores?"

Ice Empress asked in return.

"Of course I do. To advance to a Title Douluo, one must condense a Soul Core; that's hardly a secret. Why do you ask?"

Xu Lanqing felt a bit strange. Was she testing his knowledge as a Soul Master?

"Then what about Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores?" Ice Empress continued.

"That is what one condenses when advancing to a Limit Douluo..."

Xu Lanqing's voice gradually trailed off as if he had realized something. He stared at Ice Empress with a look of surprise and joy, waiting for her confirmation.

"You certainly know quite a bit."

Ice Empress offered a word of praise. Then, even with her usually indifferent temperament, she could not hide the joy radiating from her delicate face. She felt intoxicated by that fascinating power, her eyes shimmering.

"That's right. With the help of that energy from before, I successfully condensed Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores and advanced to a Limit Douluo.

Back then, I failed to condense the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores while attempting to survive my seventh heavenly tribulation, and I was forced to choose to reincarnate as a human.

I never expected to succeed again in such a way. Fate is truly unpredictable."

Regarding her own background, Ice Empress spoke without the slightest reservation, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"That's great! Hahaha!!!"

Xu Lanqing jumped up in excitement, laughing happily. His laughter was smug and unbridled; he looked even happier than when he had obtained his first Soul Ring.

This was a top-tier expert at the Limit Douluo level! The heart that had been hanging in his chest ever since the assassination attempt finally settled. How could he not be happy?

"What is meant to be will be; what is not, should not be forced. What is yours will eventually be yours; it just happened to be a different method this time."

Xu Lanqing wiped the corner of his eye, unable to stop the smile on his face.

"So, can you beat Di Tian now?"

He was very curious. After all, as far as he knew, only the Beast God Di Tian had successfully cultivated Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores.

As for the Limit Douluos among humans, they all possessed ordinary Isotopic Resonance Dual Soul Cores, which were much weaker than the former. This was part of the reason why Di Tian could be the number one expert in the world.

Of course, now that Gu Yuena had come out of seclusion early, he was no longer the number one.

Hearing this, Ice Empress lifted her exquisite face slightly, her eyes flashing with confidence: "I will not lose!"

"So that means you can't win, then." Xu Lanqing curled his lips.

But this was already good enough. Di Tian didn't just have Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores; he also possessed the trump cards passed down by the Dragon God. Surpassing him wouldn't be that simple.

But while she might not be the best, she was certainly better than the rest—at the very least, she was much stronger than human Limit Douluos.

Ice Empress rolled her eyes at Xu Lanqing, her good mood instantly ruined.

Crystalline snowflakes were still drifting in the air. She took small, elegant steps, her snow-white skirt swaying slightly with her movement, revealing her slender calves.

She was like a pure white elf in the snow, heart-stirringly beautiful.

Xu Lanqing stared at her without blinking.

What should he do? The more he looked, the more beautiful she became, and his heart began to thump uncontrollably.

"The repulsive force is getting stronger. Are we leaving now?"

Xu Lanqing withdrew his gaze and looked into her eyes, which reflected the blue sky: "How much longer can you hold on?"

"One minute, maybe less," Ice Empress estimated.

"Then can you detect anything in this space?"

An invisible ripple spread out with Ice Empress at the center, bypassing Xu Lanqing. A few seconds later, she looked toward the center, her tone filled with surprise:

"There is a dragon skeleton. I can feel it; its strength when it was alive was immense. Even the current me is likely far inferior to it."

"Take me over to see it."

Ice Empress nodded and raised her fair wrist, resting it on Xu Lanqing's shoulder.

The next second, she felt that something was wrong.

She, the absolute ruler of the Far North, had always been the one to order others around, but this time, she was the one being ordered.

However, she lowered her fan-like eyelashes and swept her gaze over Xu Lanqing.

This feeling was somewhat novel, and unexpectedly, she didn't hate it.

White light flashed, and the figures vanished.

Looking at the skeleton half-buried in the ground before him, Xu Lanqing gasped. It was massive; even a single exposed claw was larger than he could fathom.

Upon seeing this skeleton, his left arm had been burning, feeling restless and uneasy.

He had a guess: his own soul bone and Soul Ring must have originated from this very skeleton. There was nothing else here.

A dragon skeleton preserved this perfectly had too many uses. If melted down to be used as material for a Soul Guidance Device, it would not only be incredibly strong but also highly versatile.

What a pity.

He shook his head and turned to Ice Empress: "Let's go."

Although the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon had been killed by the Dragon God, it was still a member of the dragon race, and this was an internal matter for them.

If he, an outsider, were to privately make use of the dragon bones, the nature of the act would change. Even Gu Yuena had only taken the spirit bone Dragon Pearl and left the skeleton untouched; this was the proper respect due to the deceased, even if it had been a sinful dragon.

If there was an opportunity in the future, he would communicate with Gu Yuena to see if they could be put to use.

Ice Empress nodded her head; she also recognized the value of the dragon bones and did not understand why he would leave them unused.

As a fellow Soul Beast, she felt nothing toward the dragon bones; they were not her subjects, so why should she feel anything?

Although she was somewhat surprised by Xu Lanqing's choice, she did not voice her thoughts.

Just as she was about to raise her hand, she suddenly asked:

"Should I continue to stay in that Undead Plane of yours?"

It was difficult to explain the sudden appearance of a person, which would lead to many troubles. She was not someone who liked to inconvenience others, so staying in the Undead Plane as before was for the best.

Xu Lanqing was stunned for a moment, then said with a beaming smile:

"Why go to the Undead Plane? It's dead and gloomy there, full of underworld things—what's good about that? Since you've awakened and become a human, don't you want to see what the human world is like?"

"It will be very troublesome," Ice Empress said, her crimson lips parting slightly.

"It is indeed troublesome, but that applies to others; you are different."

Xu Lanqing waved his hand dismissively, not caring in the slightest:

"In the face of absolute strength, nothing is a problem. Besides, I am a prince, after all; I can certainly make decisions about keeping a few people in the imperial palace. At worst, I'll just go beg my father."

His tone was heroic, but the content left one speechless.

"Let me tell you, the dishes cooked by the imperial chefs in the palace are delicious. Plus, Mingdu is so big, and there are plenty of fun places to visit. I haven't been there either, so we can go together.

Seriously, don't just spend all day in bitter cultivation. Relax appropriately and experience life. Who knows, if your state of mind relaxes, you might even have unexpected gains..."

Ice Empress watched him talk eloquently, her eyes slightly unfocused.

"Alright, if you keep talking, we're going to get kicked out."

The sound, clear and melodious like a spring, interrupted Xu Lanqing's words.

Ice Empress gently met Xu Lanqing's dark, clear eyes, appearing as if she had let go of her worries.

Her sky-blue eyes curved slightly, carrying a myriad of charms, and the smile at the corners of her lips blended with the mist, sketching out a distant, ethereal beauty.

Xu Lanqing stared at her unblinkingly once more; he had fallen for it again.