"..."
Inside the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Abyss.
Snow Empress hovered in midair, her beautiful face covered in frost. Yet her icy blue eyes were filled with complicated emotions—anger, shock, absurdity, and a trace of panic hidden deep within.
He just... left?
The human Pope, who had just brazenly declared that he wanted to become her partner, had actually walked away unscathed after making such a shocking proclamation.
Snow Empress slowly descended onto the unharmed Profound Ice Platform.
Her gaze fell uncontrollably on the three objects at her feet.
A jade box radiating a deadly allure. It was her means of resisting the heavenly tribulation.
A dazzling, ornate clothing box that still gleamed with astonishing beauty amid the snowstorm.
Snow Empress had always looked down on human clothing, but that man even had the Douluo Planet Companion Profound Ice Marrow Core, which made her unable to resist giving the box another look.
Last was the feather lying quietly atop the clothing box. It was as black as ink, radiating a pure and domineering dark energy.
"Holy Angel Disguise... yet he left behind a token brimming with depraved, dark power... Just what kind of oddball is this Qian Xunji...?"
Snow Empress furrowed her brows slightly.
Qian Xunji's boastful words as he left echoed involuntarily in her mind: I guarantee you'll become a god.
For Soul Beasts, this held an irresistible, deadly allure. Over the course of seven hundred thousand years, she had witnessed too many powerful kindred reduced to ashes by heavenly tribulations. Soul Beasts could not become gods—this was a deadly curse hanging over every Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Could that arrogant, unrestrained human Pope... really do it?
"Empty boasts..."
Snow Empress gave a cold snort, though the murderous chill in her voice had faded.
With a sweep of her sleeve, she gathered up the jade box, the clothing box, and the black feather. Then, with a flash, she disappeared into the snowstorms of the Far North.
A little later...
This dress... is so beautiful...
After blazing away in a streak of sparks and lightning until he had completely left the endless snowstorms on the outskirts of the Far North,
Qian Xunji finally slammed on the brakes atop a secluded barren mountain. He gasped for breath.
He looked back at the white forbidden zone, which seemed to have frozen solid, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken.
"Good grief. The Ruler of the Far North, with seven hundred thousand years under her belt, is no joke when she flies into a rage."
Qian Xunji quietly ran through the exchange in his mind. In that clash, he had used the [Original Sin Thorn Crown]'s counterattack mechanism to catch Snow Empress off guard and gain a slight advantage,
but if they had really fought to the death, with his current Soul Power at level ninety-three, he would have been utterly defeated.
"If the old man hadn't given me that Angel God Token, today's matchmaking session would've turned into a 'kill the husband to attain the Dao' scenario."
Qian Xunji rubbed his chin. His confidence, inflated by having conned the Upper Three Sects, had finally cooled.
The waters of the Douluo Continent ran deep. Although he had awakened the Transcendent God-Level Twelve-Winged Original Sin Fallen Angel, his foundation still fell short.
When he ran into a super Ferocious Beast like Snow Empress, who had lived for seven hundred thousand years, his lack of hard power had been laid bare.
"Power, huh... So what if I was reborn? If I know the future but don't have the strength to back it up, won't I still end up being bought and sold like Bibi Dong?"
He'd let things simmer for a while.
His top priority now was to hurry back to Spirit Hall and turn the tens of thousands of Subversion Points he had into real combat power.
Having made up his mind, Qian Xunji didn't linger. The Twelve Wings of Light on his back beat fiercely, and he shot toward Spirit City like a golden meteor.
Several days later, Spirit City, Elder Hall.
"Snip—"
Grand Pontiff Qian Daoliu was in an excellent mood as he used a delicate pair of jade scissors to prune a precious Immortal Orchid that had just been transplanted from Sunset Forest. He even hummed an unfamiliar tune as he worked.
He'd turned into a master gardener.
A breeze swept through, and Qian Xunji's tall figure appeared silently inside the hall.
"Oh, Ji'er's back,"
Qian Daoliu set down the scissors and turned around.
The old man's face fell at once. "Where is she? Where's my lovely daughter-in-law? Didn't you take God Ancestor's token to bring her here? So why have you come back alone, bare-chested again?"
Seeing the old man's furious expression at having failed to get a grandchild, Qian Xunji didn't even blush. He casually picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip.
"Father, why the rush? Haste makes waste, especially when you're dealing with a whole iceberg."
Qian Xunji leisurely began his con:
"I've already met her. Not only that, I left behind all the betrothal gifts I'd carefully prepared. You have no idea how stunned that young lady was when she saw our Spirit Hall's resources..."
"Then why didn't she come back with you?" Qian Daoliu asked with a frown.
"Shy, of course." Qian Xunji slapped his thigh, making it sound entirely convincing.
"She's as pure as ice and jade, and she's lived in seclusion for years. Then someone as outstanding as me suddenly proposed to her face-to-face. Her heart must've been racing like a startled fawn—she was so flustered that she whipped up a blizzard on the spot. Girls need a little modesty, after all. I couldn't just drag her back by force, could I? That wouldn't be very chivalrous."
Qian Xunji patted his chest and vowed:
"Don't worry. It's only a matter of time."
Qian Daoliu listened, utterly bewildered. Though something seemed a little off, seeing how confident his son looked—and having blind faith in his son's abilities—he finally nodded cheerfully.
"Good, good. As long as there's a chance, that's what matters. Since she accepted the gifts, the matter is already halfway settled. But Ji'er, even though you're at level ninety-three, you still need to work hard. After all, you have a divine opportunity."
"You're right, Father." Qian Xunji seized the opening and immediately played along.
"So I've decided to go into seclusion starting today. I'll have to trouble you and the other elders with Spirit Hall's daily affairs."
"Go on, go on. Cultivation comes first. I'll hold down the fort here at Spirit Hall." Qian Daoliu waved him off, readily giving his permission.
With the old man taken care of, Qian Xunji went straight into the secret chamber beneath Pope Hall.
The heavy Dragon-Severing Stone came crashing down, completely sealing the chamber off from the outside world.
"System, open the shop. I'm ready to spend."
[System Mall opened. Current balance: 49,000 Subversion Points.]
"Give me four [Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring Upgrade Vouchers]." Qian Xunji swept his hand out and shouted, flush with confidence.
His current configuration was two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red. Although that red Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring looked impressive, those first four yellow and purple rings really didn't sit well with him.
[Detected: Host is exchanging for four Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring Upgrade Vouchers] [Current price: 8,000 Subversion Points per voucher. Total: 32,000 Subversion Points. Confirm exchange?]
"Confirm!"
[Exchange successful. 32,000 Subversion Points deducted. Current balance: 17,000 Subversion Points. Four Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring Upgrade Vouchers have been issued.]
Four mysterious talismans, glowing crimson, appeared before Qian Xunji in an instant.
Without hesitation, he crushed them. They became four torrents of pure red energy and poured straight into the first, second, third, and fourth black Spirit Rings beneath his feet.
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