Jiang Che looked at the Ice Empress, now transformed into human form, and a flash of admiration passed through his eyes.
The girl was petite, yet carried the cool, proud bearing of the Ruler of the Far North. Her jade-green hair fell over her shoulders, wisps of frost swirling between the strands. The delicate Ice Jade crown atop her head was the very symbol of her status.
Her signature yellow-diamond eyes had shed the ferocity of her beast form and gained a touch of human liveliness, but the coldness and pride deep in their depths remained undiminished.
"Don't worry. I never make empty promises." Jiang Che looked away, his tone calm but firm. "From now on, we'll share life and death. When one prospers, both prosper; when one suffers, both suffer!"
The Ice Empress gave a soft snort. Though some reluctance still lingered in her heart, the heavenly tribulation had passed. She had completely escaped the fate of having her soul scattered, and had even attained a new life. This was an opportunity she had never dared hope for, even after nearly four hundred thousand years of cultivation.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission and successfully signing an advanced Soul Spirit Contract with the Ice Empress!]
[Mission rewards issued: Soul Power Level +1, Soul Ring age increased by ten thousand years, World Shielder ×1!]
[World Shielder activated automatically. It can permanently block all deities in the Divine Realm from detecting you. All your future actions will be completely hidden from the Divine Realm!]
The system's notification rang in his mind, and Jiang Che immediately felt relieved. The enormous stone weighing on him had finally fallen.
With the World Shielder, he no longer had to fear the secret gaze of that Tang-surnamed God King. From now on, he could do as he pleased in Douluo Continent, without having to hold back!
At the same time, he could clearly feel the Soul Power surging within him. His cultivation, which had been at level 92, had stabilized directly at level 93.
"My strength has grown again." Jiang Che clenched his fists, feeling the power within him surge to its utmost. A carefree smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
With two Ultimate Martial Souls, level 93 Titled Douluo cultivation, a top-tier Soul Ring more than five hundred thousand years old, and the Ice Empress, Ruler of the Far North, as his Soul Spirit, he could now contend with a level 98 Super Douluo even without using his trump cards. He was already one of the strongest people at the pinnacle of Douluo Continent!
The Ice Empress watched the surging Soul Power around Jiang Che, a flicker of surprise in her yellow-diamond eyes.
She could feel that this human's strength had made another clear breakthrough. She had once thought that becoming his Soul Spirit was a humiliating compromise, but now she increasingly felt that perhaps her choice had not been wrong.
"Hey, human, what are you planning to do next?" The Ice Empress spoke, her crisp voice carrying a hint of coolness as she broke the silence atop Ice Peak.
"Hmm... do you want to go and settle things with your clan?" Jiang Che had only just remembered that the Ice Empress still had an Ice Jade Scorpion clan.
At his words, the Ice Empress's yellow-diamond eyes shifted slightly, and her gaze unconsciously turned toward the depths of the Far North Ice Plains, where the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion clan had lived for generations.
She was, after all, the head of her clan. Though she had always kept to herself, the bond of blood remained. For nearly four hundred thousand years, her clan had been the root anchoring her in the Far North. Now that she was suddenly about to leave for good, an almost imperceptible ripple stirred in her heart, and she truly found herself thinking of returning once to bring things to a close.
But in the next instant, the frost curling around her fingertips condensed, and the hesitation in her eyes was swiftly replaced by cold pride.
She was the supreme ruler of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion clan, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North. Now she had humbled herself to become a human's Soul Spirit in order to gain a new life. If she returned to face her clan now, it would only invite trouble.
She had never been one to dither. Since she had made her choice, there was no need to look back, much less make pointless farewells that would only leave her with more attachments and undermine her dignity as a ruler.
Pressing her lips together, the Ice Empress turned her gaze from the distance and looked back at Jiang Che. Her tone returned to its usual indifference, with a hint of unwavering resolve. "Forget it. There's no need to go back."
"My clan has always lived by the law of the jungle, with its own rules for survival. It can continue just fine without me." She lifted her chin slightly, the Ice Jade crown atop her head glinting coldly, her aloofness on full display. "I've signed a Soul Spirit Contract with you. My ties to the clan are severed from this moment on. There's no need to go back and explain myself. That would only cause trouble."
As she finished speaking, the frost swirling around her faded. She put that fleeting attachment behind her and raised her eyes to Jiang Che. "Don't bring up the clan again. Just tell me where we're going next."
"Fine. Then let's return to Shrek Academy. We can take in a bit of the Heaven Dou Empire on the way." Jiang Che actually had no idea where to go, so he figured they might as well return to Shrek.
"Shrek Academy? Are you sure no one will discover me?" The Ice Empress still hadn't changed her way of thinking; instinctively, she still believed she was a Soul Beast.
"Of course. You can check for yourself. There's no trace of a Soul Beast about you anymore."
At that, the Ice Empress really did examine herself and found that apart from lacking a Soul Ring, all her other characteristics were just like those of an ordinary Soul Master.
After the Ice Empress finished checking, Jiang Che turned to leave.
"Wait!" Before Jiang Che could turn around, the Ice Empress called out to him.
At her words, Jiang Che stopped in his tracks. His body, just about to turn and move, came to an abrupt halt, and he looked at the Ice Empress beside him in surprise.
The girl stood upon the snow in her Ice Jade dress, petite yet still carrying the cool pride of the Ruler of the Far North. The cold wind stirred her jade-green hair, and her yellow-diamond eyes held no trace of reluctance, only a decisive certainty.
She raised a slender hand, and a wisp of warm Ice Jade Soul Power curled around her fingertips. Above her palm, a body slowly appeared, its surface woven with gleaming white and green. It was the body of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion she had shed earlier.
Though it had lost its soul and vitality, the body still radiated an intense, ultimate chill. The diamond-shaped protrusions on its carapace glittered, carrying the imposing weight unique to a Ferocious Beast that had just broken through the four-hundred-thousand-year mark.
The Ice Empress lightly tapped it with a jade finger. The enormous scorpion body slowly shrank, finally transforming into a streak of light. A smooth, lustrous Torso Soul Bone, shimmering with Ice Jade radiance, floated between them.
"Ice Empress, what are you doing?" Jiang Che asked. He knew this was the Ice Empress's Torso Soul Bone, but didn't understand why she had brought it out.
"This is my Torso Soul Bone. Take it and absorb it!" The Ice Empress spoke softly, but Jiang Che knew this was one of her ways out.
"Are you sure?" Jiang Che looked at the Ice Empress in confusion.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you still don't believe me!" Seeing that Jiang Che didn't believe her, the Ice Empress knitted her brows and asked him indignantly.
"Ahem! I didn't say that. How could I not believe you? You and I share life and death!" Jiang Che first reassured the Ice Empress.
Then he voiced his doubts. "But, Ice Empress, if you keep your old body, wouldn't it give you a way out if something really happened to me in the future?"
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