Qian Xunji carried Qian Renhaotian out of the Pope Palace. He summoned Gui Mei and decided that from then on, Gui Mei would take care of Qian Renhaotian.
Qian Renhaotian was utterly exasperated. Why was a man carrying him?!
Look at his two older brothers, Qian Rentang and Qian Renzong, who had been born in the same month as him. Weren't they both surrounded by fragrant, soft warmth?
But him? He was being held by a man whose expression was so cold it looked like someone owed him eight hundred million.
He wanted a fragrant embrace too!
Qian Xunji was definitely biased against him!
Though he was helpless to do anything about it, Qian Renhaotian could only endure being carried by Gui Mei.
A month passed.
Qian Xunji felt it was time to set out for the Far North.
Douluo Continent, the Far North.
After a day of travel, Qian Xunji entered the Far North.
To other humans, the Far North was forbidden territory. To Qian Xunji, it was simply the perfect place to expand his harem of beauties.
He could come and go as he pleased.
Qian Xunji didn't know Snow Empress's exact whereabouts, so after entering the Far North, he had to search for her.
Three days later.
Qian Xunji found Snow Empress.
She was on an unnamed snowy mountain.
Snow Empress stood alone at the mountain's peak.
Sorrow clouded her eyes.
She had cultivated for more than six hundred thousand years. The next step would be the seven-hundred-thousand-year mark, but she felt she couldn't safely survive the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation.
She wanted to deepen her foundations and improve her odds of surviving the tribulation.
But she had searched every corner of the Far North and used every treasure she could find, save for the Immortal Herb that could let her transform and cultivate anew.
But transforming and cultivating anew carried far too many uncertainties. Snow Empress wasn't willing to take that risk lightly.
"Forget it. I'll wait until the seven-hundred-thousand-year tribulation arrives. Maybe I'll encounter a new opportunity before then?"
Snow Empress sighed softly. Her words were full of deep helplessness; she truly didn't want to entrust her life to some vague, elusive luck.
She didn't want to, but there was no better option now. She could only put her faith in that elusive luck.
"Snow Empress, are you troubled by the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation?" Qian Xunji suddenly appeared beside her.
"Who are you?" Snow Empress was startled. Her cultivation was already more than six hundred thousand years deep. The fact that Qian Xunji could appear beside her without a sound showed just how terrifying his strength was.
Qian Xunji didn't reveal his identity outright. Instead, he said mysteriously, "I'm one of the few Divine Beasts left among the Soul Beast Clan. My true form belongs to the Dragon Clan."
A dragon!
And a Deity, at that!
"You're a Divine Beast of the Dragon Clan who survived from ancient times. What is your name?" Snow Empress was deeply excited. She knew a little about the legends of the ancient Dragon God.
"Indeed." Qian Xunji nodded, then continued mysteriously, "As for my name, it isn't time for you to know it yet."
"Besides, the less you know, the safer you'll be."
Since Qian Xunji had put it that way, Snow Empress naturally didn't dare ask further.
She changed the subject and asked, "Senior, are you here to help me survive the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation?"
"Snow Empress, I can indeed directly raise your cultivation and strengthen your foundations. But if I do, your limit will be only nine hundred and ninety thousand years. You'll have no chance of becoming a god."
Qian Xunji clearly had more to say.
And he didn't keep Snow Empress waiting long. He soon explained, "Snow Empress, you've lived in this world of ice and snow, all alone and in hardship. I imagine you've never experienced the love, hatred, joy, and sorrow of the countless beings in this world."
"If you had, you surely wouldn't be unable to overcome this mere seven-hundred-thousand-year tribulation."
"Senior, can love, hatred, joy, and sorrow really deepen our foundations? Aren't they just feelings that living beings experience?" Snow Empress wasn't completely ignorant.
But the Divine Beast before her had lived from ancient times to the present. Snow Empress couldn't be sure that what she knew was right.
Qian Xunji already had a plan. He replied, "Snow Empress, you're right, and you're not. Love, hatred, joy, and sorrow are indeed common inner feelings, but they contain powerful Power of Heart. With enough insight, understanding even one of them will leave no one able to block your path to godhood."
"And I have unique insights into the Power of Love. If you wish to take the second path, I can guide you personally."
"Of course, if you want the first path, I'll help you with that too. A cultivation of nine hundred thousand years won't do much to aid us in the God War to come, but it will still strengthen the Soul Beasts as a whole."
"Snow Empress, now you must choose. Will you take the first path or the second?"
After listening, Snow Empress believed him. After all, he was a senior Divine Beast of the Soul Beast Clan. Why would he deceive her?
More importantly, Snow Empress couldn't think of any reason he would go to such lengths to trick her.
After careful consideration, Snow Empress said solemnly, "Senior, please help me comprehend the Power of Love. I don't want to let the chance to become a Divine Beast slip away, even if the odds are slim. I'm willing to try."
"Snow Empress, I knew I was right about you."
Qian Xunji smiled with satisfaction and continued to mislead her. "Snow Empress, the Power of Love is unfathomable. It isn't something I can explain clearly in a short time."
"From here on, you'll have to sense it for yourself."
"Cultivating the Power of Love can't be separated from desire."
"Normally, love comes first, then desire."
"But I'm different. With me, desire comes first, then love."
Snow Empress didn't know much about this, but she knew she could trust Qian Xunji. She said respectfully, "Please teach me how to cultivate love."
"Snow Empress, first find somewhere quiet. When we cultivate, we can't have anyone else interrupting us."
"I was too eager."
"Please follow me, Senior." Snow Empress gave him an apologetic look and led Qian Xunji back to her home.
It was a massive ice cavern.
It was breathtakingly beautiful, with nature's masterful handiwork and delicate carvings made by hand.
"Senior, shall we begin now?"
"Let's begin!"
Qian Xunji began guiding Snow Empress to lie down.
At first, Snow Empress felt nothing.
But under Qian Xunji's expert technique, her expression gradually began to change.
"Senior, this feels so strange. Why does it hurt?"
"Snow Empress, it's right that it hurts. This is the first sign of the Power of Love emerging. You must carefully sense the subtle power within it."
"Once you feel that subtle power, you'll have taken the first step toward comprehending the Power of Love."
"All right, Senior. I understand."
"Mm, Snow Empress, I'm coming in."
"Mm, please instruct me, Senior."
Snow Empress wasn't much different from a human woman. Her body was just as soft and full.
The only difference was that Snow Empress's body temperature was far lower than a human woman's.
To Qian Xunji, it felt like stepping into a sixteen-degree air-conditioned room on a sweltering summer day.
Snow Empress had never experienced such a marvelous sensation. Involuntarily, she let out a sound.
She didn't know why. She just couldn't help herself.
Of course, she hadn't forgotten Qian Xunji's instructions. She was doing her utmost to catch the subtle feeling he'd mentioned and comprehend the Power of Love.
Time slipped away amid sounds of pleasure. Snow Empress gradually began to understand. She felt she'd grasped something, but hadn't quite caught it.
Snow Empress was in a state of half-understanding.
After their first exchange ended, Qian Xunji smiled and asked, "Snow Empress, how did it feel?"
Snow Empress's face was no longer her usual snowy white. It was flushed, and her eyes gleamed with a longing for new knowledge.
She replied, "Senior, I think I've understood something."
"But I can't quite grasp it."
"Please help me cultivate again, Senior."
Before you continue