"Please help me cultivate once more, senior."
The Snow Empress looked at Qian Xunji earnestly.
Qian Xunji was astonished. No way. I was just saying that offhand. You actually had an epiphany?
Was it really necessary to be this outrageous?
Though astonished inside, Qian Xunji would never say so aloud or let it show on his face.
With a look of satisfaction, he said, "Snow Empress, I knew I was right about you. It seems you have a real talent for love."
"You should know that it took me three attempts before I first comprehended love."
"You succeeded on your first try."
"That shows you'll surely go further than I did in matters of love. Don't give up too easily."
"Your help played a part in it, too, senior." Gratitude shone in the Snow Empress's eyes.
Qian Xunji changed the subject. "Snow Empress, since you've made your request, I'll help you cultivate once more."
"Thank you, senior."
The Snow Empress and Qian Xunji once again began exploring desire.
Seven days later.
Qian Xunji asked, "Snow Empress, how are you feeling?"
The Snow Empress shook her head. "This sensation is quite wondrous, but I still can't quite grasp it."
"Desire is only one part of cultivating love. Next, I'll guide you in cultivating the other part: affection."
"Once you've experienced affection, you should be able to grasp the Power of Love." Qian Xunji casually made it up as he rose to get dressed.
The Snow Empress had it much easier. Snow and ice covered her, and a fresh dress appeared on her body.
She asked, "Senior, where are we going next?"
Qian Xunji considered for a moment. "Snow Empress, next we'll go to the human world."
"Humans may be born with less strength and shorter lifespans than us Soul Beasts, but their intelligence is far beyond what Soul Beasts can match."
"They may have only a brief hundred years, but those brief hundred years are far more exciting than our lives as Soul Beasts."
"Besides, going to the human world to witness the many faces of humanity and experience its love, hatred, and tangled affections may help you comprehend the Power of Love more quickly."
"Very well, senior. Let's be on our way." The Snow Empress followed Qian Xunji out of the Far North.
Their first stop was Ice Town, just outside the Far North. It was a sizable town. Though the conditions were harsh, it was beyond the reach of the two empires, and its residents seemed quite content.
The Snow Empress felt a natural aversion to humans.
The first time she entered the human world, she had wanted to destroy Ice Town completely.
Fortunately, Qian Xunji stopped her.
He reasoned with her. "Snow Empress, don't forget why we're here. You're supposed to understand human love, hatred, and all the tangled feelings between them."
"As for these humans, let them off this once."
"All right, I'll listen to you, senior. I'll spare these humans for now." At last, the Snow Empress suppressed her murderous intent.
She and Qian Xunji walked the streets of Ice Town. They didn't blend into the human world; instead, they were like passing visitors to the mortal realm, watching the many different sides of human life.
At every turn, they encountered something new.
Quarrels, squabbles, insults, love, and all sorts of other things.
A month slipped by.
Though the Snow Empress had seen a great deal, with her current state of mind, she clearly couldn't grasp the subtle feeling inside her.
Do I really have to blend into the human world?
The Snow Empress furrowed her brow in thought.
It seemed she did.
She looked at Qian Xunji and said, "Senior, there's always something missing. I feel as if I'm only a hair's breadth away from grasping that subtle feeling."
"I'd like to talk with these humans. Would that be all right?"
"Snow Empress, whatever comes to mind, just follow your heart."
"Understood, senior." The Snow Empress nodded slightly. Changing the attitude she'd held before, she began approaching and speaking with the people of Ice Town, sensing the hearts behind their words.
Another month passed.
The Snow Empress was still in Ice Town.
Of course, during those two months, aside from contemplating the many sides of humanity, the Snow Empress had also been cultivating desire with Qian Xunji.
Naturally, Qian Xunji's aim was to help the Snow Empress conceive his child as soon as possible.
But since he had become a Deity, and the Snow Empress was a Heavenly Snow Woman by nature, getting her pregnant was no easy matter.
Still, the Snow Empress hadn't come away empty-handed during the second month.
She felt that if she had a little more time, she would comprehend the Power of Love that Qian Xunji had spoken of.
At first, the Snow Empress had been congratulating herself. Now, that feeling had completely vanished.
She had truly believed her talent for love was impressive, but after comparing herself with her "senior," she understood just how poor her talent really was.
Hopefully, she would eventually succeed in comprehending the Power of Love. After all, it was her hope of becoming a Deity!
Some time had passed since Bibi Dong left Spirit City for Slaughter City.
At this moment, everyone in Slaughter City was on edge.
A rumor had spread among them about a spider woman who ate people without batting an eye. She was even more ruthless than they were—the most vicious Fallen Soul Masters.
Douluo Continent, Slaughter City.
A shadowy corner.
A smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face. After several months of effort, she had finally raised her Soul Power from Level 85 to Level 90.
Next, she only needed to obtain a Soul Ring and become a Titled Douluo.
She had visited Slaughter City once before and knew that Soul Beasts existed there.
However, Bibi Dong wasn't in a hurry to become a Titled Douluo.
Before becoming one, she had decided to visit the Rakshasa God's inheritance site and meet the Fragmented Soul of the Rakshasa God.
She needed the Rakshasa God's help.
Otherwise, defeating the Nine-Headed Bat King with her current strength would be very difficult.
Bibi Dong rose and headed for the inner city of Slaughter City.
The Rakshasa God's inheritance site was wondrous. It had no physical form and existed only in the darkest desires buried deep within one's heart.
Bibi Dong happened to know how to enter it.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Douluo Continent, beyond the Far North.
Ice Town.
A tavern.
Qian Xunji and the Snow Empress sat facing each other.
As she warmed the wine, the Snow Empress continued contemplating the many different sides of the human world.
Suddenly, a gleam flashed in her eyes.
After three months, she had finally grasped that wondrous feeling within her.
In an instant, a heavy snowfall blanketed all of Ice Town, and the Snow Empress's domain enveloped a radius of ten thousand li.
The moment she grasped that wondrous feeling, countless strands of the Power of Heart converged on the Snow Empress—from humans and Soul Beasts alike.
The Power of Heart had neither shape nor color.
Though invisible, Qian Xunji was a Deity and could naturally sense it in a special way.
Qian Xunji was astonished once more. The Snow Empress had actually comprehended something.
At the same time, since he was a Deity and was standing so close to her, he benefited considerably as well. The power of his divine soul increased by half a level.
The Power of Heart continued to gather, gradually forming a storm of hearts.
When the storm of hearts dispersed, the Snow Empress abruptly broke through to seven hundred thousand years.
But what puzzled her was that she felt no sign of a tribulation.
In Qian Xunji's eyes, however, he saw the Snow Empress's transformation more clearly. After absorbing the Power of Heart, she was no longer a Soul Beast.
The Snow Empress had become an entirely new species.
She had also escaped the Dragon God's hold over Soul Beasts.
She truly had a chance of becoming a Deity.
The Snow Empress's eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, her voice full of joy. "Senior, I really did comprehend the Power of Love."
"But the Power of Love I comprehended feels different from the way you described it."
Before you continue