Subduing the Ice Empress

Although Ice Empress knew that even if the heavenly tribulation were delayed by a hundred years she would likely still fail to survive it, she was unwilling to accept this fate. After all, knowing a fact was one thing, but facing it directly was another; who could say for certain that she wouldn't find a way to break the deadlock within those hundred years?

"Heh." Jiang Che didn't mind Ice Empress's words, merely chuckling softly, for in her eyes, he was the very reason the tribulation had descended early.

"Ice Empress, what do you think of my talent?" Jiang Che asked, looking at the despairing Ice Empress before him.

"Hmph! It's merely passable." Ice Empress had no desire to answer his question, so she gave a perfunctory reply.

"Ice Empress, don't be impulsive. I was asking you quite seriously just now. What do you think of my talent? Do I have a chance to become a god?" Seeing her distracted state, Jiang Che had no choice but to ask again.

This time, Jiang Che also manifested the Holy Sword of Light, and his two hundred-thousand-year soul rings appeared alongside it.

Ice Empress raised her eyes, her topaz-like gaze sweeping over the Ice Dragon soul power and Ultimate Light soul power swirling around Jiang Che. Looking at that 560,000-year soul ring marked with five golden lines and the four other hundred-thousand-year soul rings, she remained silent for a moment before saying coldly: "Your talent is exceptional. At such a young age, you have already reached the Title Douluo realm and possess an Ultimate Martial Soul. Your future is promising, but the path to godhood is so ethereal and elusive—how many in the entire Douluo Continent have been able to touch it in the last ten thousand years?"

Having lived for nearly four hundred thousand years, she had witnessed countless soul masters and soul beasts with peerless talent fall. She had long since seen through the difficulty of the so-called path to godhood, and now, with the heavenly tribulation pressing down upon her, her heart was filled only with despair and unwillingness.

Jiang Che stepped forward slowly, his soul power calm and restrained. There was no hint of battle intent, only complete sincerity. Meeting Ice Empress's guarded gaze, his tone was steady and firm: "I know you don't believe me, but look at me: a 22-year-old level 92 Ultimate Ice Title Douluo, wielding an Ultimate Martial Soul, and possessing opportunities and foundations far beyond the average person. I dare to assert that if anyone in this Douluo Continent is to step into the God Realm and attain a godhood in the future, then I, Jiang Che, will certainly be among them."

"You are currently facing a four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation, and the old wounds from your previous three-hundred-thousand-year tribulation have yet to heal. Your origin is damaged. On your own, you have absolutely no power to resist. Once the tribulation falls, there is only one path: total annihilation, leaving not even a shred of your soul behind."

Jiang Che's words struck at the most painful part of Ice Empress's heart. Her body trembled, and the luster on her carapace dimmed slightly. She looked up at the increasingly thick curtain of tribulation light in the sky, her heart filled with a sense of powerlessness.

She was the ruler of the Far North, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion that shook the continent, yet before the heavenly tribulation of soul beasts, she was still as insignificant as dust.

"How could I not know that? But so what? Soul beasts are born to face the heavenly tribulation; there is no escaping it, no hiding from it. Even if I am to be annihilated, I, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, will never bow my head to a human, nor will I become your subordinate!" Ice Empress shouted sharply, her eyes filled with the proud bones of a fierce beast—better to be shattered as jade than to remain intact as a tile.

"I never intended for you to be my subordinate." Jiang Che shook his head, his tone solemn. "I have a secret contract method here."

"After signing the contract, you do not need to sacrifice your life, nor will you lose your self-awareness. You will remain the same proud Ice Empress, only your physical body will be reshaped, and you will accompany me as a Soul Spirit. You can still control your own power and remain the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion of the Far North; it is simply a different way to continue living."

Jiang Che paused, then continued, every word striking at Ice Empress's heart: "You are unwilling to die like this. You have guarded the Far North for hundreds of thousands of years; you cannot let go of everything here, and you do not want your race or your own life to end here."

"If you are annihilated, all your obsessions will vanish like bubbles. But if you become a Soul Spirit, you will not only survive, but you can also cultivate alongside me. By borrowing my path to godhood, you can reach heights you could never attain in this lifetime, and perhaps even ascend to the God Realm together to obtain eternal life."

"At that time, you will not only be able to protect the Far North, but you will also be free from the fate of soul beasts facing the heavenly tribulation, no longer needing to fear the judgment of the God Realm. Isn't this better than throwing your life away for nothing?"

Ice Empress's body shook violently, and a flicker of hesitation flashed in her topaz eyes. She stared fixedly at Jiang Che, trying to detect a lie in his eyes, but his gaze was clear and full of sincerity, without a shred of calculation or contempt.

Having lived for nearly four hundred thousand years, she was not dull; she naturally understood that Jiang Che was telling the truth. With the tribulation at hand, she truly had no way out.

"Even so, why should I trust you? What if, after the contract is signed, you turn around and suppress me, erasing my consciousness? Wouldn't I be at your mercy?" Ice Empress's tone remained cold, but it lacked some of its former decisiveness and held a hint of hesitation.

Jiang Che chuckled, raising his hand to condense a wisp of pure Ice Dragon soul power. Within the soul power, the contract patterns of the advanced Soul Spirit method slowly emerged: "My contract is an equal contract, not a master-servant one. Once the contract is established, we will share life and prosperity. If I fall, you will also be harmed. It is merely that your range of activity will be limited to a certain radius around me."

"With my current strength, I can move forward steadily even without you. What I need is a partner, not a puppet that I have to guard against at every moment."

"Ice Empress, your Ultimate Ice and my Ice Dragon King Martial Soul share the same origin. If we join forces, our strength will only multiply. For us, this is a win-win situation."

The pressure of the heavenly tribulation in the sky grew heavier, and the clouds churned. The first bolt of lightning was already faintly visible. Ice Empress could clearly feel the approach of death, and the despair and unwillingness in her heart surged even more violently.

She looked at Jiang Che's young yet exceptionally firm face, at the aura of one who looked down upon the world and was confident in becoming a god, and then looked at her own impending destruction. The scales in her heart gradually tipped.

Yes, rather than being annihilated under the tribulation, it was better to gamble on this.

The human before her had heaven-defying talent and deep opportunities; perhaps he could really lead her down a different path, really help her escape her fate, and even reach the God Realm.

Ice Empress remained silent for a long time. The cold air around her gradually receded, and the hostility and decisiveness in her topaz eyes faded, replaced by complexity and hesitation. She spoke slowly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion: "What you said... is it true? An equal contract, I remain myself, and I can borrow your path to avoid the tribulation and gain a new life?"

A flash of joy crossed Jiang Che's eyes, knowing that the Ice Empress was finally moved. He nodded solemnly, the contract patterns at his fingertips becoming increasingly clear: "It is absolutely true. I, Jiang Che, swear here that if I break this oath, may heaven and earth destroy me and my cultivation be completely crippled."

As his voice fell, a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire Ice Peak. Ice Empress's expression changed drastically; there was no more time for hesitation.

"Fine, I will trust you once!" Ice Empress gritted her teeth and spoke sharply. "I agree to sign the contract with you, but if you dare to break your word, even if it means we both perish, I will never let you have an easy time!"

Jiang Che felt a sense of relief and immediately channeled his soul power, guiding the patterns of the advanced Soul Spirit contract to slowly spread toward Ice Empress: "Rest assured, I will never let you regret today's choice."

The glowing blue contract patterns slowly merged with the ice-jade light surrounding Ice Empress. There was no rejection; the two powers of Ultimate Ice echoed each other, and the power of the contract was quietly formed.

As the contract was established, Ice Empress began to detach from her original body, and the heavenly tribulation seemed to lose its sense of her presence and began to slowly recede.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, a new Ice Empress was born, though this time what appeared was not her soul beast form, but her human transformation.

The tribulation clouds dispersed, and the light of the contract faded. The Ice Empress's human form remained that of a charming twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. Her emerald green hair fell to her waist, and a small ice-jade crown pressed down on a few stray locks, fully displaying the pride of the ruler of the Far North.

Her topaz eyes were cold and sharp. A short skirt interwoven with icy white and emerald green wrapped around her slender body, her shoulders adorned with diamond-shaped scale decorations, and her emerald scorpion tail swayed slightly behind her, surrounded by a faint mist of ice.

She looked up at Jiang Che, her crisp voice carrying a chill: "The contract is complete. You had better remember what you said."