Elsewhere.
The Snow Empress, having fled the bedchamber, stood amid the ice and snow of the Far North.
The bone-chilling wind swept past, but it could not dispel the scorching heat on her cheeks.
She covered her face tightly with both hands, feeling utterly bashful as she couldn't help scolding herself.
"I must be crazy."
"How could I have such shameless thoughts about Senior?"
The wind whipped up her white dress. Her long, shapely legs, glimpsed through its high slit, set off her full, curvaceous figure to irresistible effect.
After finally calming herself, the Snow Empress pictured Xue Tianyu's baby-like appearance.
The thought of successfully adopting Senior Ice Phoenix put her in an instantaneously splendid mood, like sunlight breaking through melting snow.
But in the next moment, a sly, wicked glint flashed through her eyes.
She instinctively reached back and touched her pert bottom.
Back when he was the Ice Phoenix, he'd often bullied her in the Far North, relying on his bloodline and cultivation. Sometimes, if she so much as resisted, he'd give her bottom a sound thrashing.
Even now, it still ached faintly when she thought about it.
"Hmph."
"You used to bully me, so now I'm going to bully you right back."
"Even if I can't bring myself to spank your bottom, I can certainly tease you a little while you're still a tiny baby."
Having made up her mind, the Snow Empress vanished in a flash and hurried off to find prey.
Before long, the Snow Empress returned to the bedchamber, carrying an exquisite jade bowl carved from ten-thousand-year-old black ice.
It was filled to the brim with warm beast milk, its tempting sweet fragrance wafting through the air.
The Ice Empress had been poking Xue Tianyu's cheek out of boredom. When she saw the Snow Empress return, she quickly waved her over.
The Snow Empress walked up and deliberately swayed the bowl beneath Xue Tianyu's nose.
The rich milky fragrance immediately wafted into Xue Tianyu's nostrils.
Seeing his reaction, the Snow Empress wore a mischievous, teasing grin.
"Little one, your big sister went through all that wind and snow to get you this milk."
"How about calling me 'good big sister'?"
"Call me, and I'll let you drink."
At her words, the eager look on Xue Tianyu's little face instantly darkened.
That girl was definitely getting revenge on purpose.
The dignified Ice Phoenix, calling some little girl big sister?
"Not a chance!"
Xue Tianyu turned his head with unyielding defiance, refusing to give in even if it killed him.
Seeing that he was truly upset, the Snow Empress immediately dropped the act and softened her tone.
"Aw, don't be mad."
"I was only teasing you. I'll let you drink."
"Come, I'll feed you myself."
Xue Tianyu turned back and reached out with both little hands, trying to take the jade bowl.
"No need."
"I can drink by myself."
He was a million-year-old overlord. What kind of dignity would he have if someone fed him milk?
But the Snow Empress lifted the bowl out of reach and defended herself with a perfectly straight face.
"You can't even hold a jade bowl steady right now."
"It'd be a shame if you spilled it."
"Better let me handle it."
With that, the Snow Empress sat on the edge of the bed and, without giving him a say, gathered Xue Tianyu into her exceptionally soft, ample embrace.
The jade bowl was brought to Xue Tianyu's lips.
The temptation was too much to resist, and with his stomach growling from hunger, Xue Tianyu eventually gave in.
He opened his little mouth and drank in great gulps.
The warm beast milk eased his exhaustion and hunger considerably.
Xue Tianyu drank with gusto, his cheeks puffing in and out with every swallow.
The sound of him gulping down milk echoed clearly through the quiet bedchamber.
Looking at the adorable little life in her arms,
the Snow Empress's eyes rippled with emotion. The softest place deep in her heart had been completely struck.
Her heart was about to melt.
Beside her, the Ice Empress propped her chin on both hands and sighed in rapture.
"Wuwuwu, Sister, he's just so adorable."
Hearing the two women's praise while he was busy eating, Xue Tianyu didn't even have the strength to roll his eyes.
Why did it feel like he had no privacy or dignity at all in front of these two women?
A heavy, helpless sigh rose in his heart.
Forget it, forget it.
The tiger had fallen on level ground and had to live under someone else's roof.
What did a little humiliation matter if it meant he could recover his cultivation sooner?
After he finished the entire bowl of beast milk, the Snow Empress carefully wiped the milk from the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, the Snow Empress remembered something and looked at Xue Tianyu seriously.
"Little one."
"We still don't know your name."
"What's your name?"
Now that he was full and content, Xue Tianyu didn't bother hiding it and told her directly.
"Xue Tianyu."
"Xue Tianyu."
The Snow Empress and Ice Empress repeated the name to themselves several times, committing it firmly to memory.
Then the Ice Empress's curiosity got the better of her again. She leaned closer and carefully sensed him.
"By the way."
"Why can't I feel any Soul Beast aura from you?"
"You're completely indistinguishable from a human baby."
Xue Tianyu lowered his eyes.
He had the priceless Ice Heaven Snow Lotus hidden inside him.
Such a peerless treasure perfectly concealed every trace of his Soul Beast essence.
Forget the Snow Empress and Ice Empress—even if a God King from the Divine Realm descended in person, they could never uncover the truth.
But of course, he wasn't about to reveal his greatest trump card.
Xue Tianyu looked at the two women's curious faces, pouted, and uttered four words.
"That's a secret."
Hearing his answer, the Snow Empress and Ice Empress exchanged a glance.
They immediately understood.
He was an eminent senior, after all. His methods for transforming and cultivating anew must be earth-shattering secrets, not to be shared with outsiders.
Not only did they refrain from pressing him, they were filled with anticipation.
With such unfathomable foundations, Lord Xue Tianyu will surely return to his peak soon, and once again...
Rule the Far North!
The howling winds of the Far North whipped up a sky full of snow, making the vast, boundless ice field seem even more desolate.
Atop a steep, rugged peak of ten-thousand-year-old ice, a small figure stood silently amid the snowstorm.
Six years had flown by in the blink of an eye.
The baby who had once lain on a crystal-ice bed, crying to be fed, had now shed some of his infantile softness.
Xue Tianyu had just turned six, yet his posture was as straight as a spear tempered through a thousand hammerings.
He wore a thin, moon-white robe, its hem snapping in the gale.
His small face, not yet fully matured, already possessed breathtaking beauty.
His sword-like brows swept toward his temples, his nose was straight, and his skin was even fairer and more flawless than the ten-thousand-year-old black ice around him.
His clear eyes were as still as an ancient well, carrying a maturity and composure utterly at odds with his age.
No matter how fiercely the wind howled, he stood there as though surrounded by an invisible barrier that kept every flake of snow and gust of wind at bay.
"Sister, look at that little fellow. He gets more handsome by the day."
Two peerlessly beautiful figures approached together through the falling snow, walking on air nearby.
It was the Ice Empress who had spoken.
Today, she wore an exquisite short skirt of emerald green. With her light steps, her signature emerald twin ponytails swayed playfully in the cold wind.
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