"Pfft..."
Ice Empress finally couldn't hold back her laughter at the sight of her handiwork.
She extended a finger and tapped the solid ice encasing Lan with great interest, producing a crisp "knock, knock."
"Oh my, this really is... a splendid living ice sculpture."
Just then, another figure, even more aloof and dignified, came slowly toward them.
A snow-white gown trailed along the ground, immaculate and untouched by dust. The newcomer was none other than Snow Empress.
Snow Empress glanced at Lan, frozen in ice, then at Ice Empress, who was laughing so hard she could barely stand. A rare hint of amusement flickered in her cool eyes.
She walked up to the ice sculpture, extended a jade-like hand, and gently laid her palm against Lan's frozen chest.
The chill seeped through the ice, making Lan's body tense involuntarily.
Feeling the smooth, powerful lines of muscle beneath her palm, Snow Empress gave a slight nod and offered a calm appraisal, as if admiring a work of art.
"Mm. The form is quite nice."
The form was quite nice?
The corner of Lan's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
He felt like some rare animal on display.
As soon as Snow Empress finished speaking, she gave a light wave of her hand.
"Crack."
The indestructible Mystic Ice shattered inch by inch, from the bottom upward, turning into the purest ice-element energy and flowing back into every part of Lan's body.
Steam rose from the hot spring once more.
Lan moved his slightly stiff limbs, then stood up in the water.
Droplets slid down the well-defined lines of his muscles, and his long silver hair clung wetly to his back.
He looked at Ice Empress, whose smile had yet to fade, then at Snow Empress, whose expression had returned to its usual coolness, and spoke calmly.
"Aunt Xue. Aunt Bing."
His greeting held not a trace of his earlier embarrassment, as if nothing had happened.
Ice Empress was about to tease him again, but Snow Empress suddenly let out a soft sigh, making her swallow her words.
The atmosphere quietly grew heavy.
"What's wrong, Aunt Xue?"
Lan keenly sensed the change.
Snow Empress looked into the distance, toward the land blanketed by endless snow and wind. Her gaze turned profound.
"It's the Titan Snow Demon Clan."
She spoke slowly, her voice as cool as ever, but now tinged with gravity.
"They've been very unruly lately."
Ice Empress picked up the thread, her tone full of disdain and anger.
"Unruly is putting it mildly! Those brutes have been burning, killing, and looting, committing every kind of evil. They've already wiped out several weaker icefield clans!"
Lan's brow furrowed slightly.
"What about the Titan Snow Demon King... A-Tai?"
A-Tai was Snow Empress's most loyal warrior, the king of the Titan Snow Demon Clan, and immensely powerful.
With him around, the Titan Snow Demon Clan had always known its place.
"A-Tai went to the deepest part of the Far North Ice Plains."
Snow Empress spoke softly.
"He's undergoing his two-hundred-thousand-year tribulation. We haven't heard from him in many years."
Ice Empress snorted.
"So those Titan Snow Demons all think A-Tai died in the heavenly tribulation. The clan's replaced him with some upstart as their leader, and the little brat's ambitious enough to dream of unifying the entire Far North."
Snow Empress's gaze returned to Lan.
"I've been wondering how to deal with them."
Lan remained silent, listening quietly.
This matter seemed more complicated than he'd imagined.
Ice Empress continued, her voice lowering, fury barely contained.
"The most important thing is that the Titan Snow Demon Clan has a powerful bloodline. Their only weakness is that they reproduce very slowly, so their numbers have always been small."
"But..."
She paused, revulsion flashing in her emerald eyes.
"That new leader came up with a vile scheme. They've begun slaughtering the human Soul Masters who enter the Far North, capturing some of the women alive and taking them back to their clan..."
Lan's white eyes suddenly narrowed.
He instantly understood what Ice Empress had left unsaid.
"They... forced those human women to bear their offspring."
Ice Empress's voice was cold as ice.
"The mixed-blood offspring inherit the Titan Snow Demons' formidable physiques and talent for ice and snow, as well as humans' rapid growth and cultivation speed. In just a few short years, the Titan Snow Demon Clan's population has exploded, and their strength has soared along with it."
"Now, their clan's overall strength has probably surpassed that of my Ice Jade Scorpion Clan."
Silence fell beside the hot spring.
Only the soft sizzle of fine snowflakes falling into the water remained.
After a long pause, Snow Empress's cool voice broke the silence, carrying an unquestionable resolve.
"Since A-Tai isn't here,"
"I'll take his place and teach these insolent wretches a proper lesson."
The instant her words fell,
a cold, emotionless mechanical voice abruptly rang in Lan's mind.
[Ding!] [Key story event detected. Main quest triggered: Cleaner of the Far North.] [Quest description: The actions of the Titan Snow Demon Clan have crossed the line. Assist Snow Empress and Ice Empress in purging the rebellious Titan Snow Demons and hunting their newly appointed leader.] [Quest rewards: Soul Power Level +3, Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, one random Soul Bone, system permissions upgraded.]
Lan slowly raised his head.
His pure white eyes reflected the falling snowflakes, fathomless and deep.
He looked at Snow Empress, then at Ice Empress. His thin lips curved in the faintest of smiles.
"Aunt Xue. Aunt Bing."
"Count me in."
Lan's voice was quiet, but it was like a pebble dropped into the brief silence.
Ice Empress's emerald eyes widened instantly, as if she'd just heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Huh?"
She burst out laughing, planted her hands on her hips, and walked to the edge of the hot spring, looking down at Lan.
"Little Lan, are you still dreaming?"
"Do you know what we're going to do? We're going to raid an entire clan's lair! This isn't a trip to the Back Mountain to catch snow rabbits."
Ice Empress pointed a finger at Lan's forehead and jabbed it without the slightest courtesy.
"What could a little fellow like you possibly do there? Be someone's snack?"
Lan didn't dodge.
He let Ice Empress's finger poke his forehead, simply looking at her calmly.
"Aunt Bing, I'm not a child anymore."
"Oh?"
Ice Empress raised an eyebrow, amused by his grown-up act.
"Still talking tough. Xue'er, listen to this. The boy's grown wings and dares to challenge us now."
Snow Empress said nothing.
She simply gazed quietly at the boy in the water.
His silver hair clung to his shoulders. Through the rising steam, his pure white eyes were clear and resolute, without the slightest hesitation.
He didn't look like he was joking.
Nor did he seem to be acting on a sudden impulse.
Lan's gaze passed over Ice Empress and settled on Snow Empress.
"Aunt Xue, I can help."
His tone was calm, yet filled with unquestionable confidence.
"The system gave me a quest."
He said the last part silently in his heart.
Before you continue