I Want You to Be My Partner

Flowers bloomed on two branches; let us tell each story in turn.

When he saw the object in Qian Xunji's hand, Snow Empress's ice-blue eyes, still as an ancient well for tens of thousands of years, contracted sharply.

Even she, the seventy-hundred-thousand-year Ruler of the Far North, couldn't remain composed. The golden token radiated an energy that filled her with dread.

It was the aura of a true god. The Divine Realm's laws kept the Soul Beast Clan under a death grip, and as a Ferocious Beast who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, she was especially sensitive to that aura—and especially wary of it.

Meanwhile, from the jade box resting in Qian Xunji's other hand, even the faintest wisp of blue chill was enough to make the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Platform beneath Snow Empress's feet respond with a yearning resonance.

It was a Profound Ice Marrow core of unknown grade, its quality so extraordinary that even Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow paled in comparison. If she obtained it, let alone eight hundred thousand years—even nine hundred thousand would be within easy reach.

"A token from a god... and Profound Ice Marrow of unknown grade..."

The violent snow and wind around Snow Empress visibly calmed. She stared fixedly at Qian Xunji, her beautiful face full of gravity and wariness.

"Human, who are you? You've come to the Forbidden Zone of the Far North carrying a token from a god, and you've brought out such a treasure. What do you want?

"Do you want the Far North to submit to you? Or do you want to trade this for a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast from the Far North to make into your Spirit Ring?"

Seeing that Snow Empress was finally willing to talk things through, Qian Xunji secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ahem... Allow me to introduce myself. I am Qian Xunji, the current Pope of Spirit Hall."

Qian Xunji folded away the Twelve Wings of Light behind him and slowly descended onto the ice ten meters from Snow Empress. He straightened his collar, trying to appear more sincere and radiate the charisma of a man in power.

"As for my purpose..."

Qian Xunji opened his mouth. He had rehearsed his lines countless times in his head, but when he met Snow Empress's ethereal, pure eyes, untouched by any trace of worldly concerns, the words jammed like a gear that refused to turn.

How was he supposed to bring this up?

He was used to giving orders in Pope Hall. Now he had to bring up a match with a Soul Beast who had lived for seven hundred thousand years. The incongruity was off the charts.

"W-well..." Qian Xunji rubbed his nose, his eyes flickering for once as he stammered, "The scenery in the Far North is quite beautiful. I just... thought that with you as the Ruler of the Far North, holding everything together alone in this bitterly cold place, it must be... must be lonely at the top..."

Snow Empress's brows drew tightly together, visibly.

Was there something wrong with this human?

When he'd faced her Emperor Palm just now, his presence had been as deep and vast as the sea. So why was he now stumbling over his words like a useless fool?

"Human, my patience is limited." Snow Empress's voice frosted over again. The temperature, which had just begun to rise, plummeted once more, and fine ice crystals formed in the air.

"If you've come all the way to the Far North just to spout this nonsense, then you can get lost."

Though she was reluctant to give up that piece of Profound Ice Marrow, this man was barely at the ninety-third level of cultivation. His methods were bizarre, and there was something strange about him. Snow Empress wasn't confident she could keep him here.

"Damn it, I'm going all in. Either way, I'm doomed if I do and doomed if I don't!"

Qian Xunji steeled himself and gritted his teeth. He'd just have to get straight to the point.

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs to the limit, then blurted it all out in a torrent at a nearly inhuman speed:

"Simply put, I've been single for years and need an exceptionally talented, powerful partner to carry on my bloodline, and throughout the entire Douluo Continent, only you, Snow Empress of the Far North, are worthy of me, so I've come today to formally invite you back to Spirit Hall to become my partner and join forces as equals!"

Silence.

A deathly silence.

It was as if the air had been sucked from the entire Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Abyss in that instant. Even the ice chips suspended in midair seemed to have frozen in shock at his utterly deranged declaration.

Snow Empress was stunned.

In her full seven hundred thousand years of life, she had seen countless human powerhouses come to their deaths in pursuit of Spirit Bones. She had seen Ferocious Beasts fight until they were battered and bleeding over territory.

But she had never, ever, seen a human wearing a sacred angelic halo and carrying a token from a god storm into the absolute heart of the Core Circle of the Far North, withstand her attack, and then say to her, "I want you to be my partner."

A full three seconds passed.

At last, a violent flicker of human emotion appeared on Snow Empress's frost-cold, beautiful face.

It was a towering fury born of insult, the kind that made her want to freeze the lecher before her—and the entire world along with him—into an ice sculpture!

"You... want... to die!!!"

Rumble—

Snow Empress flew into a rage!

This pristine Heavenly Snow Woman went berserk. Her ice-blue eyes instantly turned a frigid, deep blue, and her white hair whipped wildly in the gale, making her look like a god of slaughter who commanded the bitter cold.

[Emperor Cold Heaven: Snow Dance Shining Sun]

Her ultimate domain skill activated at full force. The sky darkened in an instant, and countless terrifying blizzards, each more than ten meters across, surged up from the ground and swept toward Qian Xunji to tear him apart.

"This tigress has one hell of a temper."

Qian Xunji's scalp prickled at the sight of the world-destroying onslaught. He knew perfectly well that he had come to propose an alliance and a match, not to fight to the death.

If he really fought a berserk seven-hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beast to the death here, he'd probably never have a chance of making her his partner.

"Strategic retreat. I'll plant a seed today and come back to it later."

He abruptly waved a hand, sending the jade box containing the [Douluo Planet Companion Profound Ice Marrow Core] and the ornate clothing box containing the [Ice Dream Fairy Feather Divine Dress] safely down onto the Profound Ice Platform beneath Snow Empress's feet, wrapped in Soul Power.

At the same time, he drew upon the power Qian Daoliu had left in the Angel God Token. The Twelve Wings of Light behind him burst into dazzling radiance, blocking the first wave of the storm. Using the recoil to propel himself, he turned into a bolt of golden lightning and sped away, retreating toward the outskirts of the Far North.

As he shot backward, Qian Xunji's voice cut through the blizzard. The awkwardness was gone, replaced by an air of domineering confidence that looked down on all beneath the heavens.

"Snow Empress, I'm leaving these things behind. This isn't charity; it's a show of my sincerity."

"The jade box contains a Douluo Planet Companion Profound Ice Marrow Core, which will be of immense use to you. The other box contains a fine fairy dress. It offers little defense, but it suits the peerless beauty of the Far North. When you're alone, you might as well try it on."

"I know the Soul Beast Clan is kept under a death grip by the Divine Realm's laws and will ultimately be crushed by heavenly tribulations. But if you're willing to join forces with me, I guarantee you can become a god. If you don't believe me, you can ask around about the name Qian Xunji."

As he flew backward, Qian Xunji pointed behind him with one hand.

A tiny feather, pitch-black but shimmering with a dark golden sheen—the [Fallen Angel Feather]—turned into a concealed streak of light and landed precisely atop the ornate clothing box.

The feather's aura of absolute darkness and sin stood in stark contrast to the sacred angelic image he had shown before, carrying an unmistakable air of strangeness and unfathomable depth.

"This black feather is my personal token. Wherever you are on the continent, if you face a life-or-death crisis—or if you come around to my proposal—crush it. Snow Empress, think it over. I will be back."

"Boom—"

With one final sonic boom, Qian Xunji's poised and dazzling figure vanished completely into the endless blizzard of the Far North.