Elsewhere.
After accepting the bizarre fact that he had transmigrated to Douluo Continent, been born in the Far North—a human forbidden zone—and been taken in and raised by the Ice and Snow Empresses, Xue Bingchen adapted remarkably well and quickly came to terms with it all.
Or rather, he had no reason not to accept it. He should have been hiding under the covers and laughing to himself.
After all, among all transmigrators, whose starting point could possibly be more fantastical or more heaven-defying than his?
The moment he was born, Snow Empress—one of Douluo Continent's ultimate powerhouses—had raised him by her side as if he were her own son.
Every little moment of the past three years replayed continuously in his mind like scenes from a movie.
He clearly remembered that whenever the Far North was swept by the most violent Nirvana Gale, it was Snow Empress's seemingly delicate yet unbreakable embrace that shielded him from all the cold and danger.
He clearly remembered how, in order to let his frail meridians withstand the energy of heavenly treasures, Ice Empress had cast aside the dignity of a four-hundred-thousand-year soul beast and carefully brewed batch after batch of priceless medicinal baths for him in the frozen wilderness like an old nanny.
He remembered even more clearly that whenever he cried his lungs out from hunger, a trace of helplessness and affection would flash across Snow Empress's peerless face. Then, without hesitation, she would venture deep into the Ten-Thousand-Zhang Ice Abyss to retrieve the most precious Millennium Ice Marrow Milk.
To keep him from suffering frostbite, Snow Empress would always hold the Ice Marrow Milk in her mouth first, nurturing it with the power of her seven-hundred-thousand-year origin until it reached the most suitable temperature before gently passing it into his mouth mouth-to-mouth...
At that thought, Xue Bingchen's face reddened, and he hurriedly shook his head.
No matter what, in a sense, my current status practically makes me the "young master" of the Far North!
Xue Bingchen secretly reveled in it.
Two of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North were not only his "mother" and "aunt," but also his most dependable backers.
The countless heavenly treasures of the Far North, Millennium Ice Marrow, and even those Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had to detour around him when they saw him.
Here, he could take whatever he wanted from the Far North. He was a hundred times more overbearing than the young masters born into Spirit Hall or the Upper Three Sects!
Just as Xue Bingchen was immersed in his beautiful fantasy of being the "Young Master of the Far North," his grin nearly reaching his ears, a bucket of cold water was suddenly dumped over his head.
"Hey, brat, what are you grinning stupidly about all by yourself? You're practically drooling!"
Ice Empress had somehow moved right in front of him. A particularly wicked smirk hung on her cute, doll-like face.
She stretched out her fair little hand and unceremoniously pinched Xue Bingchen's chubby cheeks, pulling them apart.
"Ow, ow, ow... Aunt Ice Empress, let go!" Xue Bingchen protested indistinctly.
Ice Empress released him, planted both hands on her slim waist, and looked down at him. Deliberately putting on a stern expression, she frightened him in a sinister tone:
"Little Bingchen, don't think that just because Snow Empress protects you, you can strut around the Far North however you please.
"Let me tell you, there are conditions attached to all the treatment you're enjoying right now!"
Ice Empress leaned closer, danger glinting in her emerald-green eyes:
"For the past three years, to build your foundation, I have scoured the Far North for every treasure I could find.
"The condition for all this is that when you turn six, you must awaken the Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul for me!"
Ice Empress suddenly waved her little fist and said viciously:
"If you reach six and fail to awaken the Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul, or awaken some useless martial soul... heh heh, then that proves you're a worthless human good-for-nothing with no value in raising! When that happens, not only will I reclaim every heavenly treasure you've eaten over the past three years, principal and interest included, I'll also throw you into the Ice Bear King's den and let you learn what it means to 'look good'! Did you hear me?!"
"Ah?!"
Although he knew Ice Empress was most likely joking, her lifelike ferocious expression and the faint, terrifying pressure she exuded as a four-hundred-thousand-year soul beast still startled Xue Bingchen. Instinctively, he shrank deeper into Snow Empress's embrace.
"Ice Empress! Don't talk nonsense!"
Before Xue Bingchen could beg for mercy, a clear, stern rebuke rang out beside Ice Empress's ear.
Snow Empress furrowed her delicate brows and shot Ice Empress a displeased glare. Then she extended a jade-like hand and held Xue Bingchen tightly in her arms, like a mother lion protecting her cub.
Her ice-blue eyes were filled with determination as she said solemnly:
"What do you mean, make him look good? Chen'er is my child. Even if he truly fails to awaken the Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul when he turns six, even if he is merely an ordinary person incapable of cultivation, I will never do anything to him. I will protect him for his entire life and let him spend it carefree in the Far North. Whoever dares touch a single hair on his head will become an enemy of me, the Heavenly Snow Woman!"
At those words, Ice Empress's gem-like green eyes instantly widened round, her face full of disbelief.
She pointed at Snow Empress, mouth agape, just about to retort loudly:
"When you planned to adopt him, that wasn't what you said at all! You clearly said that if he failed to awaken the Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul, you'd let him fend for himself and make sure he had a miserable time!"
This frantic complaint, lodged in Ice Empress's throat, nearly burst out.
After all, Ice Empress remembered perfectly clearly Snow Empress's cold, ruthless, businesslike manner as the Ruler of the Far North during that "adoption meeting" in the Extreme North Core Zone three years ago.
How had only three short years passed, yet the decisive, battle-hardened Heavenly Snow Woman with seven hundred thousand years of cultivation had completely turned into a "human mother" with no principles whatsoever, desperately protective of her child?!
The contrast was far too great! Was this really the Snow Empress who made countless soul beasts tremble at the mere mention of her name?
However, before all of Ice Empress's grievances and shock could pour out as words, they were forcibly swallowed back down.
Because Snow Empress turned her head and gave her a casual glance.
What incomparably beautiful yet oppressive eyes they were.
Those deep ice-blue pupils no longer held their usual cold killing intent. In its place were thirty percent warning, thirty percent reproach, and forty percent majestic authority that said, "Just try undermining me."
Before you continue