The Snow Empress's Question About Souls

"Yes, I promised her I'd go check on her before school."

Dai Huabin spoke casually.

For Dai Huabin, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was a treasure he absolutely had to obtain.

Zhu Lu was taken aback. "Auspicious Beast? What's that?"

Ice Empress immediately perked up, flicked her emerald green twin tails, moved closer to Zhu Lu, grabbed her arm, and began to talk.

"Lulu, you probably don't know, but there's a Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Emperor Auspicious Beast, in the Core Area of Star Dou Great Forest!"

A unique being on the entire continent, possessing two Ultimate Attribute: Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light. Although only having 15,000 years of cultivation, its actual combat strength is equivalent to that of a hundred thousand years old.

Zhu Lu listened attentively and nodded slightly.

Ice Empress became more and more excited as he spoke, patting his chest, which was barely rising or falling.

"And she's incredibly gullible. No, I mean, incredibly naive. Last time Huabin grilled a few pieces of meat, she chased after him, insisting he come again."

"Bing'er." Dai Huabin turned around and glanced at her.

Ice Empress scoffed, "I'm just stating the facts."

Zhu Lu thought for a moment and then spoke.

"To have the combat power of a hundred thousand years after fifteen thousand years—that's truly the physique of Auspicious Beast. There are very few records of such a Soul Beast in the entire continent's records."

"That's right!" Ice Empress swung her arm around Zhu Lu's.

"And she's quite pretty."

Zhu Lu couldn't help but chuckle.

In just one month, Zhu Lu and Ice Empress's relationship has changed from the initial polite and distant one.

The Blood Pact made Ice Empress naturally close to Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu, as Dai Huabin's fiancée and someone Ice Empress saw every day, naturally grew closer over time.

Especially after Zhu Lu and Snow Empress signed Blood Pact, Ice Empress's attitude towards Zhu Lu took another big step forward.

In Ice Empress's logic, Zhu Lu and Snow Empress are bound together; they are each other's own people.

Snow Empress walked at the very back of the group, the hem of her white dress swaying gently at her ankles.

She listened quietly as Ice Empress chattered on to Zhu Lu about the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, then, as if remembering something, suddenly spoke up.

"Huabin."

Dai Huabin didn't stop walking and turned around. "What's wrong, Xue'er?"

Snow Empress paused for two seconds before speaking:

I want to ask you something.

"You say."

What are your thoughts on humans and the Soul Beast Clan?

Upon hearing this, Ice Empress closed his mouth and turned his emerald green eyes toward Dai Huabin.

Zhu Lu also quieted down, walking half a step behind Dai Huabin without making a sound.

Dai Huabin slowed his pace.

He didn't answer immediately, but instead looked up at the sky in front of him.

"Why did Xue'er suddenly ask this?"

Snow Empress didn't beat around the bush.

"I am Ice Snow Spirit born and raised in the Far North, and also the ruler of the Far North. In the years I have lived here, I have seen too many human Soul Master enter the Far North to hunt Soul Beast. Low-level Soul Beast are slaughtered, high-level Soul Beast are besieged, and those over 100,000 years old are seen as mobile treasure troves by humans."

Snow Empress's tone was calm, without anger or accusation; he was simply stating a fact.

"Bing'er signed Blood Pact with you, and I also signed Blood Pact with Zhu Lu."

I trust Bing'er's judgment and am grateful for your saving my life. But that doesn't mean I can completely let go of everything that belongs to the Soul Beast."

Ice Empress opened their mouths, as if to say something, but then held back.

Snow Empress continued speaking.

"There is a powerful being by your side who was a god in life, whose abilities far exceed the comprehension of this world."

"And you yourself possess Immortal Herb and Life Gold —things powerful enough to change the fate of the continent. I'd like to know, from your perspective, what do you think the future holds for the relationship between humans and Soul Beast?"

Dai Huabin stopped in his tracks.

The four people stood still on the official road.

Zhu Lu looked at Dai Huabin's profile without saying a word.

She didn't need to hear Dai Huabin's answer to decide her stance; her stance would always align with Dai Huabin's. But she could sense that this issue was very important to Snow Empress.

Even the Ice Empress became serious, which was uncharacteristic of her. She was Soul Beast, and one of the Three Great Kings of the Far North.

She understood the conflict between humans and Soul Beast better than anyone else.

For the past ten thousand years, she hated humanity to the core. But since following Dai Huabin, that hatred has been gradually diluted.

It hasn't disappeared; it's just been temporarily put on hold.

Because she discovered that, at least, Dai Huabin wasn't that kind of person.

But if it's just that "Dai Huabin isn't that kind of person," then it's just an isolated case.

The Snow Empress was asking about the whole picture, about the future, and about the fate of all the Soul Beast.

Dai Huabin turned around to face Snow Empress.

"Xue'er, let me answer one premise first."

Snow Empress nodded slightly.

"The core of the conflict between humans and Soul Beast is not hatred, but the Soul Ring system."

Upon hearing this, Ice Empress's ears perked up.

"As you know, a human Soul Master must obtain a Soul Ring every time they break through a level 10 bottleneck."

Where do Soul Ring come from? They can only be obtained from Soul Beast. In other words, the entire human cultivation system is built on the foundation of hunting Soul Beast.

As long as this system remains unchanged, humans and Soul Beast will never be able to coexist peacefully.

Snow Empress's pupils contracted slightly.

She understood this principle, of course, but hearing it from a human being gave her a completely different feeling.

"So what?" Snow Empress pressed, "You mean, this system can't be changed?"

Dai Huabin shook his head.

"I didn't say it can't be changed. I meant that if you want to change it, you need to have an alternative."

"An alternative?" Ice Empress couldn't help but interject, "What alternative?"

Dai Huabin considered his words.

He knew some things. In the original novel he had read in his previous life, in the legend of the Douluo, there appeared an artificial Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit.

The Soul Tool technology at that time was already much more advanced than during the Peerless Tang Sect Legend of Tang Dynasty.

But it's too early for these things, and no one would understand even if I explained them.

Currently, Elder Yi has not yet developed the Soul Spirit Contract. If he could develop Artificial Soul Spirit ten thousand years earlier, it would indeed be great news for the Soul Beast Clan.

Dai Huabin was silent for a moment before speaking:

"It's not time to discuss specific plans now. But I can tell you the direction."

Snow Empress waited for him to continue.

"If one day, human Soul Master can obtain Soul Ring without hunting Soul Beast, then the biggest conflict between humans and Soul Beast will disappear. At that time, even if the two races cannot be as close as family, their situation will at least be much better than it is now."

Ice Empress was stunned.

"You can obtain Soul Ring without hunting Soul Beast?"

Ice Empress repeated the sentence, their tone filled with disbelief.

"How is that possible? Soul Ring come from Soul Beast; that's a law of nature!"

"Laws are dead, but people are alive."

Dai Huabin chuckled. "Ten thousand years ago, no one thought that Soul Tool could replace Martial Soul in battle. What about now?"

Ice Empress was speechless.

Snow Empress remained silent for a long time.

The wind blew from the north, stirring her waist-length white hair.

"Can you really do what you're saying?"

Dai Huabin did not give a definite promise because he knew that making such boastful statements would only make him sound cheap.

"I don't know how long it will take. But I have Elder Yi by my side; his understanding of the laws governing the soul of the world is deeper than anyone else's. And..."

He paused, glanced at Ice Empress and Zhu Lu, then looked back at Snow Empress.

Do you believe me?

Ice Empress was the first to speak, in a matter-of-fact tone, "Nonsense."

Zhu Lu gently tugged at Dai Huabin's sleeve, saying nothing, but her meaning was clear.

Snow Empress looked at the human boy in front of her.

Through the shared memories of the Blood Pact, she saw many sides of Dai Huabin.

In Zhu Lu's memory, the boy suddenly changed one day, becoming gentle, responsible, and no longer treating those around him as tools.

The long years of life had made Snow Empress see through too many things. She had seen thousands of false promises, but Dai Huabin was different.

Snow Empress let out a breath.

"You saved me, Bing'er believes you, Lulu believes you too. I have no reason not to believe you."

Dai Huabin glanced at Snow Empress and said seriously:

"Xue'er, some things can't be rushed, but they won't be delayed for too long either. The most important thing right now is for us to become stronger. When we have enough strength to stand at the top of this continent, then people will listen to us."

Snow Empress didn't press the matter further. She noticed that Dai Huabin had used "we," not "I." Dai Huabin had already included both her and Ice Empress in the conversation.

"Let's go," Dai Huabin started walking again, "Let's go to the Star Dou Great Forest first and find Lulu's fourth Soul Ring."

Zhu Lu quickly followed and walked to his side.

Ice Empress and Snow Empress were both deep in thought, their minds preoccupied with Dai Huabin's words.

The four continued north along the official road, gradually approaching the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.