Oh Ho!

The seventh-ranked Great Beast, the second of the three Great Kings of the Extreme North, the empress of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, Ice Empress.

As if falling into an abyss, her heart surging with turbulent waves, Bai Cai could barely think.

He was alive, alive and unscathed, alive in a way that defied all reason.

Ice Empress was indecisive and soft-hearted? How could that be possible?

A terrifying Great Beast with cultivation approaching four hundred thousand years, her cold-blooded, ruthless nature and cruel, tyrannical methods of slaughter had forged the illustrious reputation of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.

Any human who had the misfortune of encountering Ice Empress, regardless of age, cultivation, or motive, had without exception been buried in the Extreme North.

Standing just a step away from such an existence, any pretense of bravery or fearlessness was merely self-deception.

Avoiding the sharp gaze of Ice Empress, Bai Cai lowered his head and eyes, "Can you let me go?"

Those who understand the times are heroes; those who adapt to circumstances are wise. Ice Empress, he had to admit, you are the stronger one right now.

"Very well, I shall send you on your way."

Her long emerald tail lowered slowly, and the cold, sharp stinger suddenly sliced through his cotton clothes, pressing tightly against his violently pounding heart. Ice Empress mocked Bai Cai, "Shall we go now?"

With the cold, sharp foreign object pressing against his chest, Bai Cai suddenly came to his senses, "No, I won't go, I won't go."

"Enough idle talk. Because of the hundred-thousand-year Ice Mountain Snow Lotus, Snow Empress is about to undergo transformation."

The long emerald tail slowly lifted, and Ice Empress's eyes were complex, "If the worst happens, we will help you ascend to godhood."

Having accompanied each other for hundreds of thousands of years, she could not lose Xue'er; no matter what, she could not lose Xue'er.

If Snow Empress succeeded, he would die; Bai Cai knew this clearly. Naturally, Ice Empress hoped for Snow Empress's success, while Bai Cai hoped for summer vacation.

For a soul beast to transform into a human requires a full year, and from the summer vacation of Shrek Academy, it was only seven months away.

By then, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm would have lured Ice Empress away, Snow Empress would not yet have completed her transformation, and he would be able to leave this place safely.

To lull Ice Empress into a false sense of security, Bai Cai pretended to be submissive, eating and sleeping, wallowing in his own degradation.

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, and considering their future harmony, Ice Empress readily promised not to restrict his range of activity and to satisfy his needs as much as possible.

Shortage of water? Nectar and ice marrow.

Dry rations and smoked meat too bland? Fresh fish and fresh meat.

Lonely? Ice Empress would recount the heartwarming daily life between her and Snow Empress, overflowing with the scent of citrus.

Time flew like a white horse passing a crack in the wall; three months passed in the blink of an eye.

"Ice Empress, what about those ice statues?"

In the corner of the palace, countless exquisite ice statues were lined up neatly, lifelike, leaving Bai Cai puzzled.

"Those?"

Ice Empress glanced at the ice statues and said indifferently, "Soul beasts and humans who offended Xue'er."

Bai Cai remained silent. Raising a New Year pig was a traditional custom in Cainong Village; the New Year pig ate better and lived better than ordinary fat pigs, with the whole village taking turns to care for it.

When the time for slaughter came, the New Year pig's struggle was particularly violent, its cries shrill. This was because the New Year pig always believed it was extraordinary and would not be slaughtered by humans.

The New Year pig was a sacrifice offered by the villagers to Cainong Village; he was a sacrifice offered by Ice Empress to Snow Empress. The two were so similar.

Trembling, a violent tremor, a series of roars and cracking sounds came from the depths of the palace.

Had Snow Empress succeeded?

Bai Cai suddenly summoned Ralts, but his waist and abdomen were already tightly clamped by a thick right pincer. The Psychic Shield was as brittle as paper, and Ralts was instantly crushed by the overwhelming pressure.

With eyes like yellow gemstones brimming with mist, Ice Empress carried Bai Cai and headed rapidly toward the depths of the palace.

No matter how Bai Cai struggled, Ice Empress never loosened her grip by even a fraction.

For a soul beast to become human, it must go through three different steps: first, compress soul power; second, return to the origin; and finally, shape the body.

It is difficult for Great Beasts to transform into humans because their soul power is highly condensed, making compression arduous.

If they enter the steps of returning to the origin and shaping the body, it is equivalent to self-detonation, resulting in the soul scattering and the body being destroyed.

The Ice Mountain Snow Lotus can purify soul power, equivalent to compressing soul power; a hundred-thousand-year Ice Mountain Snow Lotus can even help a Great Beast transform into a human.

However, Snow Empress had nearly seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, and the hundred-thousand-year Ice Mountain Snow Lotus had already lost some of its medicinal efficacy, making the process of compressing soul power exceptionally dangerous.

In the depths of the palace, on the Frozen Throne, Snow Empress looked exhausted; her Frost-Colored Garment was dotted with pale blue patches, and her snow-white skin was covered in hideous cracks.

"Xue'er!" Ice Empress pressed close to Snow Empress, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bing'er..."

Snow Empress sensed Ice Empress and tried her best to maintain her dignity, "Leave this place..."

"No." Ice Empress refused flatly, her long emerald tail piercing shallowly into Snow Empress's tender forearm, beginning to absorb soul power to alleviate Snow Empress's burden.

"Bing'er! You must not!" Snow Empress raised her hand to stop her.

To absorb soul power, Bing'er would have to unseal her true cultivation, and the four-hundred-thousand-year Heavenly Tribulation...

"Xue'er, do you remember?"

Ice Empress stared at Snow Empress, "Agree to my conditions."

"Bing'er..."

Looking at Bai Cai, who was struggling incessantly, Snow Empress's elegant expression shifted as she realized the truth in an instant, "However, spirit is not my origin, and the attributes are incompatible, unless..."

"Unless what?" Ice Empress's eyes were brimming with tears, "Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Marrow? A Fierce Beast's origin?"

"No, it requires my sacrifice." Snow Empress pointed directly at herself.

"Returning to the origin, reshaping the form, and utilizing the power of creation to gestate a second martial soul—only then can it bear our origins and inherit the entirety of our power."

"Xue'er, what is the cost?"

Bai Cai struggled violently, and unable to bear the annoyance, Ice Empress slowly pierced her emerald tail into Bai Cai's abdomen, "Stop moving, or you'll have a hard time later."

Ice Empress's cultivation was nearly four hundred thousand years; if she intended to discipline Bai Cai, she could easily make him suffer during the fusion of the soul ring and soul bone by slightly lowering her protection.

"The cost?" Snow Empress was neither sad nor happy as her delicate hand slowly caressed Bai Cai's cheek, "Little one, look into my eyes."

Ice blue, azure, cerulean—the colors of her pupils flickered in succession, and Bai Cai immediately fell into a daze, gradually ceasing his struggles as ice-blue hues stained his black pupils.

In the legends of the Extreme North, the Heavenly Snow Woman represents cold; to look into her eyes is to have one's soul frozen, and one must never meet her gaze.

Ice Empress released her right pincer at the opportune moment, and Bai Cai fell into Snow Empress's embrace.

The beautiful young girl with snow-white hair slowly stood up, a faint flush rising on her cheeks, before she stumbled back toward the Frozen Throne to retrieve her Frost-Colored Garment and cover her exposed, fair skin.

"Xue'er, you cannot, or at least you shouldn't..."

As the girl-formed Snow Empress dressed herself, Ice Empress tactfully tried to persuade her, "Even if you pursued him for a while, or confessed once, it wouldn't take long."

"Bing'er, you're long-winded!" The girl-formed Snow Empress was both shy and angry, "I have already sacrificed; now it is your turn to offer yourself."

"Fine."

The emerald tail slowly lowered, piercing Bai Cai's coccyx, and Ice Empress looked up to ask, "The right arm bone?"

"The strongest Ice Jade Scorpion tail."

The girl-formed Snow Empress had already regained her former icy majesty, "The torso bone I provide will connect with the scorpion tail you provide; our origins will complement each other, allowing for the recovery of some strength."

The emerald scorpion tail flashed in an instant, and emerald light broke through the coccyx, extending outward and growing segment by segment.

At the same time, the spine shone with a snow-white radiance, extending downward to merge with the segment-by-segment growing emerald light.