Infiltration! The Ice Empress's Ice Cave!

Seven days later, deep within the Far North.

There lay a vast forest where the trees were encased in ice crystals, translucent and shimmering; from a distance, it looked like a palace of ice and snow.

The Frozen Forest.

"I told you it was this way!"

Tian Meng stood atop a snowdrift, her small hands clutching her hood as her golden hair whipped in the wind, her gaze fixed on the forest ahead.

This was the territory of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan, and deep within the Frozen Forest lay the cave of the Ice Empress.

"..."

Jiang Yi glanced at her, no longer wishing to say a word.

This fellow didn't know the way at all; three days ago, she had led him to the Ice Sea in the north, and the two of them had nearly been eaten by fish.

If they hadn't bumped into a passing Ice Jade Scorpion along the way, they might not have found this place at all.

"Hehe, that was an accident before."

Seeing Jiang Yi's expression, Tian Meng stuck out her tongue and scratched her head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

It couldn't be helped.

Her old home was in the northeastern part of the Far North, and she only knew the paths in that area.

"Are we going straight in?"

Jiang Yi turned his head to look at the distant forest, where, through the shadows of the trees, he could sporadically see a few mountain-sized emerald figures moving slowly.

Those were clearly Ice Jade Scorpions over ten thousand years old.

Although Tian Meng was a bit of a weakling, she should still possess the combat power of a hundred-thousand-year beast, and surely the Tang Sect techniques hadn't been learned in vain.

Even if she couldn't use Blue Silver Entanglement, couldn't she just glare someone to death with the Purple Demon Eye combined with her million-year spiritual power?

"Ahem..."

Meeting Jiang Yi's gaze, Tian Meng coughed lightly and said to him with a straight face.

"I am Bingbing's good sister, after all; I certainly can't harm her kin. I have another way..."

Jiang Yi looked at her suspiciously.

A few minutes later.

Inside the Frozen Forest, a white worm a few centimeters long wiggled across the snow, squirming like a maggot.

Jiang Yi: ...

He lay flat on the ground, his entire body buried in the snow, arching forward with a blank expression.

This was the "other way" Tian Meng had spoken of.

"Are you sure this will work?"

He asked silently in his heart, his voice tinged with a sense of despair.

"Rest assured! I've covered us in a layer of spiritual simulation; to anyone looking, you're just an unremarkable little Ice Silkworm."

Tian Meng huddled in his embrace, her small hands gripping his collar, the spiritual barrier pressed tightly against their bodies.

"Then why couldn't you let me stand up and walk? Surely there are large Ice Silkworms too?"

"The big ones are too conspicuous; wouldn't that just make us food for them? Besides, making too much noise would only alert the enemy..."

"Fine."

Jiang Yi shrugged helplessly.

Wiggling it was, then.

Fortunately, having passed through the tightest perimeter defenses, there were not as many Ice Jade Scorpions distributed deeper within the Frozen Forest.

The two of them proceeded without obstruction.

In the deepest part of the forest stood an ice mountain a thousand meters high.

The entire mountain was composed of ten-thousand-year black ice, shimmering under the aurora like a Crown of Ice.

Halfway up the mountain was a deep, dark cave, with translucent icicles hanging from the entrance like the fangs of a giant beast.

"This is Bingbing's little den."

The two revealed their true forms, and Tian Meng pointed toward the cave ahead, her tone growing increasingly cheerful.

"Let's go in!"

Jiang Yi blinked; why did that sound so strange?

Tian Meng, however, didn't seem to think anything was amiss and pulled him into the deep, dark cave.

The interior of the cave was not a straight, narrow passage, but a labyrinthine network of ice caverns, resembling an intricately carved underground palace.

The ice walls were adorned with natural crystalline patterns, shimmering with magnificent luster under a faint, mysterious glow of unknown origin.

Compared to the outside, however, Tian Meng seemed truly at home here, walking with an exceptionally arrogant gait.

"Rest assured! This is Bingbing's bedchamber; no Ice Jade Scorpion would dare enter... and Bingbing is likely still in hibernation."

Seeing the confusion on Jiang Yi's face, Tian Meng whispered an explanation.

The life of a soul beast was truly simple and unadorned: aside from cultivation, there was only sleeping—and, of course, more sleeping.

"So that's how it is."

Jiang Yi understood, his taut nerves finally relaxing a little.

Guided by Tian Meng, the two passed through several openings until, in the deepest part of the cave, they finally saw a jade-green scorpion.

It was a breathtakingly beautiful creature.

Yes, beautiful! Jiang Yi found it hard to imagine that he would ever use such a descriptor for a scorpion.

The Ice Empress was no more than 1.5 meters long, even more petite than Tian Meng's true form.

Her body was a translucent, icy emerald, with a pair of silver-white pincers at the front and a high, arched jade-green tail hook behind her.

However, the moment the two entered the cavern, those tightly shut beast eyes snapped open.

"It's you!"

A crisp voice exploded through the cave, carrying undisguised fury. The entire iceberg began to tremble, and countless fine ice shards rained down from the vaulted ceiling.

"Tian Meng, you actually dare to return?"

The Ice Empress fully awakened from her slumber, her jade-green pupils burning with cold rage.

She rose slowly, her tail hook flicking gently, carving afterimages into the air and emitting a low, humming drone.

Rumble!

There was no need for idle chatter.

That magnificent jade-green tail suddenly straightened, striking toward Tian Meng like a bolt of green lightning!

Wherever the tip of the tail passed, countless fine ice crystals condensed in the air, leaving a long, ice-blue trail that was heart-stoppingly beautiful.

"Careful."

Tian Meng stepped forward, shielding Jiang Yi behind her, and pointed a slender finger at the incoming hooked tail.

Countless amounts of mental power condensed frantically, wrapping around the surrounding power of ice and snow to transform into an ice-blue beam of light.

Sky Dream's Finger!!!

Bang—!

A deafening roar erupted in the cave; cracks spiderwebbed across the surrounding ice walls, and countless icicles plummeted from above.

The ice-blue beam gradually dissipated, but the Ice Empress's tail was also forced back.

"Oh?"

The Ice Empress let out a surprised sound.

Tian Meng, that piece of trash with a combat power of five, could actually block her casual strike?

"Hahaha! Bingbing! I have already broken through to a million years!"

Seeing the change in the Ice Empress's expression, Tian Meng put her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly.

"Didn't expect that, did you? Today, Big Sister is here to claim you! Don't resist, and Big Sister might even give you preferential treatment~"

"Ridiculous."

The Ice Empress sneered, the rage in her eyes burning even brighter.

A layer of deep green fluorescence emerged from her body, and the temperature plummeted; Jiang Yi felt a chill seep from the depths of his bone marrow.

"So what if you're a million years old? You waste, how much of that power can you actually unleash?"

"Just obediently let me eat you."

Before the words had even faded, the Ice Empress swung her scorpion tail again, stabbing toward Tian Meng, while no beast cared about Jiang Yi standing to the side.

Whoosh!

The long scorpion tail whipped through the air, the cold light at its tip slicing through the void like a sharp sword stroke.

"Sky Dream's Finger!"

Tian Meng cried out, condensing her mental power once more to meet the attack.

However, this time, the ice-blue beam only held the scorpion tail back for a single breath before being ruthlessly shattered.

"Oh no."

Tian Meng gasped, turning to flee, but the Ice Empress was faster, a flash of green light streaking across the space.

The next moment, Tian Meng was struck by the scorpion tail, slamming into the distant ice wall and carving out a deep, "big"-shaped crater.

"Heh..."

Ice Empress let out a scornful laugh, emerald light swirling around her body as she gradually shrank, transforming into a petite green figure.

It was a little girl with green hair.

Her twin tails were a vibrant emerald, and her jade-colored eyes were like the purest gems, devoid of any impurity yet radiating a chilling indifference.

She wore a short green dress, her fair, tender calves bare as she stepped onto the ice with naked feet, walking toward Tian Meng step by step.

Every step she took carried an air of condescending composure.

"You are still as useless as ever."

Her voice was crisp, yet it carried a disdain that chilled one to the bone.

Reaching him, she raised her hand, and an emerald scorpion tail emerged from beneath her skirt, prying Tian Meng out from where he was embedded in the ice wall.

The long tail hook coiled around Tian Meng, bringing him before Ice Empress, the two little girls face to face.

"But if I eat you, I can become a god."

Ice Empress reached out, her fingertips gently grazing Tian Meng's cheek, a flicker of burning greed flashing in her eyes.

Although this little bug was a bit pathetic, its origin was sufficiently rich; eating it would be enough to sustain her through at least a few more lightning tribulations.

However, at this moment, Tian Meng, who had just been struggling, suddenly went still.

She raised her head, her eyes looking calmly at Ice Empress just inches away, and a smile slowly curled at the corners of her lips.

"Bingbing, you've fallen for it."

Before the words had even faded, Tian Meng's eyes suddenly turned purple, and two beams of divine purple light shot out from them.

Purple Demon Eye!

A powerful mental shockwave erupted.

"Despicable!"

Ice Empress was shocked and furious, but at such close range, even she had no time to react.

The next instant, her delicate body shuddered violently, and she froze in place, the scorpion tail that had been binding Tian Meng slowly loosening.

"Hahaha! It worked!"

Tian Meng broke free, landing on the ground and laughing heartily.

Then, she pointed at the dazed Ice Empress, raised her other hand high, and shouted with dramatic flair.

"Go! Jiang Yi Beast! Use Master Ball!"

Before the words were finished, a Master Ball flew out from the side, striking Ice Empress precisely on the forehead.

In mid-air, a silver vortex appeared, sucking Ice Empress inside.

Clatter!

The Master Ball fell, glowing with an emerald radiance, bounced a few times on the ground, and finally settled into silence.

Ice Empress, capture successful!