The Snow Empress Arrives! Peerless Grace!

Shui Bing'er and Liu Ruyan felt everything before them turn gray and sluggish, as if they had been dragged into an isolated space cut off from the rest of the world.

The wind and snow came to a standstill.

The roaring Titan Snow Demons froze in their tracks.

Immediately after.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Countless phantoms of Shark Blades, identical to the short blade in Lan's hand, emerged from the ground of the Darkness Domain and the distorted air, silently piercing through the bodies of those colossal beasts.

There were no screams, no struggles.

Those few ten-thousand-year soul beasts, which had been ferociously savage just a moment ago, collapsed to the ground like puppets drained of all their life force.

Their massive bodies slammed into the snow, not even kicking up much powder.

The darkness receded like a tide.

Everything returned to normal.

The wind and snow continued as before, only now, several giant corpses lay upon the snowy plains.

The battle had ended the moment it began.

A series of cold, mechanical prompts rang out in Lan's mind.

[Ding! Hunted Titan Snow Demon, rewarded with God-Given Soul Ring.]

[Ding! Hunted Titan Snow Demon, rewarded with one level increase in soul power.]

[Ding! Hunted Titan Snow Demon, rewarded with mental cultivation technique, God-Slaying Demon Eyes.]

The string of rewards caused Lan's eyes to flicker slightly.

A warm current surged from the depths of his body, and Lan could clearly feel his soul power bottleneck being shattered in an instant.

Level seventy.

As for the rest...

A God-Given Soul Ring!

It was perfect; he could use it to absorb his seventh soul ring.

With his current physical constitution, reaching one hundred thousand years for this seventh soul ring would be no problem.

Lan calmed his mind, taking stock of this bountiful loot.

Just then, the other soul beasts in the distance, which had also been in a frenzy, saw their blood-red eyes instantly regain clarity.

They glanced at the corpses of the Titan Snow Demons on the ground, then looked in terror at the silver-haired youth standing there with his blade.

The next second, they turned in unison and fled frantically in every direction, scrambling and stumbling as if they wished they had grown extra legs.

Shui Bing'er watched this bizarre scene, her delicate little mouth hanging open in an "O" shape.

What was happening?

An instant kill?

A single domain-type soul skill had instantly killed several ten-thousand-year soul beasts?

And that soul ring configuration at his feet—two purple and four black...

What kind of monster was this man?!

"Teacher..."

Shui Bing'er helped up Liu Ruyan, who was standing beside her in a state of equal shock.

Liu Ruyan steadied herself, suppressing the raging waves in her heart, and pulled Shui Bing'er along as they cautiously stepped forward.

"Thank you... young hero, for saving our lives."

Liu Ruyan bowed, her tone filled with gratitude and awe.

She knew very well that if it weren't for the youth before them, she and her disciple would surely have been buried here today.

Shui Bing'er hurriedly followed suit, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Thank you..."

Lan retracted his soul rings and finally turned around, his pure, flawless eyes falling upon the two of them.

Shui Bing'er's long, water-blue hair danced in the snow, making her ice-sculpted, jade-carved face appear even more exquisite. She was a proud daughter of heaven, naturally possessing a cold and aloof temperament, but at this moment, a moving flush of red stained her cheeks due to her excitement and the relief of surviving a disaster.

As for Liu Ruyan beside her, although she was injured and pale, it did nothing to hide the charm of a mature woman. Her gaze toward Lan held both gratitude and deep wariness.

A youth handsome to the point of being bewitching.

A cold and stunningly beautiful girl.

A teacher still possessing lingering charm.

The scene appeared somewhat peculiar amidst the wind and snow.

Lan's gaze swept over them and finally settled on the corpses of the Titan Snow Demons.

"Just a passing convenience."

His voice was indifferent, devoid of any discernible emotion.

"A passing convenience..."

Shui Bing'er muttered to herself, though her heart was speechless.

You call this a passing convenience?

Then what were we doing just now, fighting for our lives? Scratching an itch?

She gathered her courage and looked up, her beautiful blue eyes filled with curiosity and admiration.

"My name is Shui Bing'er, and this is my teacher, Liu Ruyan. May I ask your name, sir?"

"Lan."

A single word, crisp and decisive.

"Lan..."

Shui Bing'er repeated the name in her heart, feeling an inexplicable emotion sprout from within.

She looked at Lan's flawless profile and his tall, solitary back, her heartbeat quickening involuntarily.

This person is so strong, so handsome...

Liu Ruyan watched her disciple's expression and sighed inwardly, yet she still spoke up.

"May I ask, young hero Lan, why you have appeared in the depths of this Far North?"

This place is riddled with danger; it is no place for a youth to be.

Lan did not answer, instead turning his head to look at the teacher and student with his blue eyes.

"And you?"

He countered.

"Here to throw your lives away?"

"..."

Shui Bing'er and Liu Ruyan were instantly choked for words.

Why is this person so blunt?

Shui Bing'er's pretty face flushed red, and she puffed out her chest in defiance, her cold, aloof temperament returning slightly.

"We are here to find my fourth spirit ring!"

"Oh?"

The corners of Lan's mouth seemed to lift in a subtle, playful arc.

"Just you two?"

"You!"

Shui Bing'er was instantly stifled with anger. As a once-in-a-century genius of Skywater Academy, she had never been looked down upon like this.

But the moment she thought of his six outrageous spirit rings and his strength in instantly killing a ten-thousand-year spirit beast, all her retorts stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Her pretty face turned beet red, looking quite adorable.

Seeing this, Liu Ruyan hurriedly tugged on her disciple's sleeve, signaling her not to say anything more.

The youth before them possessed unfathomable strength and an unpredictable temperament; it was best not to provoke him lightly.

Meanwhile.

The territory of the Titan Snow Demon.

This is one of the true forbidden zones of the Far North, shrouded year-round in violent energy and bone-piercing gales.

The massive glaciers were stained a dark red—the color of dried blood.

The white bones of countless spirit beasts were piled like mountains, forming grim mounds of remains.

The air was permeated with an aura of bloodthirst and brutality.

"Roar--!"

"Roar--!"

Titan Snow Demons, each the size of a mountain, were rampaging across the land.

They pounded their solid chests, emitting deafening roars as they vented the madness and tyranny in their bones.

Just then.

Every sound in the world seemed to be instantly cut off by an invisible hand.

The wind stopped.

The roaring ceased.

The colossal beasts, previously busy beating their chests and stamping their feet, froze in place, their massive eyes revealing a primitive terror that welled up from the depths of their bloodlines.

They raised their heads in unison, gazing toward the sky.

A figure descended silently.

It was a woman.

She was dressed in a simple white palace gown, the hem of which drifted slightly in the stagnant air, unstained by a single speck of dust.

Three thousand strands of snow-white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, each strand crystalline and translucent, shimmering with the luster of ice crystals.