As Zhang Lexuan was knocked unconscious by the Ice Empress's aura, Lin Yun officially began his spiel.
"You could, of course, tear me to pieces right now, only to be manipulated by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm into sacrificing yourself to a human named Huo Yuhao, and then be manipulated by the gods a second time, becoming the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's wife."
Then Lin Yun recounted what had happened in the original story from his previous life. The Ice Empress's pupils repeatedly contracted and dilated.
"Is what you're saying true?"
Seeing that the Ice Empress's attitude had softened, Lin Yun continued.
"The way to verify it couldn't be simpler. You only need to wait a little. Within a day or two at most, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm will provoke you with its spiritual power and trick you into taking the bait."
The Ice Empress murmured to herself,
"If what you say is true, then this is bad. Xue'er..."
As she spoke, the Ice Empress grabbed Lin Yun and turned to run back. Lin Yun said,
"Take that girl with us too. Otherwise, if I don't help you, you won't be able to fight fate, and you'll still have no choice when the time comes."
The Ice Empress didn't argue. Her scorpion tail gently hooked Zhang Lexuan's clothes and tossed her into Lin Yun's arms.
"I'll take her, but make sure she behaves."
The Ice Empress's cold voice rang out. Then she took Lin Yun and Zhang Lexuan deeper into the Extreme North.
As it happened, the two had only made it halfway when they heard a voice of the mind resound across the Extreme North Snowfield.
"Ice Empress! Do you dare come out and meet me?"
"Do you dare come out and meet me, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm?!"
The Ice Empress abruptly stopped. Her whole body trembled like a sieve, and then she said sternly,
"What you said is true."
Lin Yun looked at the Ice Empress.
"Believe me now?"
The Ice Empress looked at Lin Yun. After a long pause, she said,
"Come with me to see the Snow Empress first."
Deep in the Extreme North Snowfield, inside a naturally formed cavern, the Snow Empress looked at Lin Yun and said,
"So you're saying that after I reincarnate, someone will catch me at my most vulnerable, and in the end I'll be forced to become someone else's puppet, parasitizing them?"
Lin Yun nodded, then looked at the Snow Empress.
"That's right. I won't hide it from you: I did come here today to find a suitable Soul Beast to hunt for a Soul Ring. But the Ice Empress should know..."
"I revealed myself voluntarily, so I'm no threat to you."
"Instead, you should think about how to deal with that Huo Yuhao. He seems to possess some kind of destiny's favor, and ordinary people can't deal with him. At least, you can't. You were already destined to be unable to overcome your tribulations; fate was against you from the start."
The Ice Empress looked at the Snow Empress and suddenly said,
"By the way, Xue'er, something happened with little brother A-Tai's side yesterday. I haven't had a chance to ask what it was."
The Snow Empress slapped the table.
"I've been too caught up talking with you about all this! A-Tai was competing for the position of clan leader in his tribe last night. He was injured, and he's still waiting for me to treat him."
Lin Yun narrowed his eyes, then said,
"You don't need to go."
The Snow Empress looked at Lin Yun. He spoke unhurriedly.
"From what I know, the Titan Snow Demon King wasn't supposed to suffer this tribulation. I presume fate made a correction because I warned the Ice Empress."
The Snow Empress said,
"That happened last night. What does it have to do with you?"
Lin Yun rubbed his head, then said,
"We can only move forward, because we mortals can't see the future in any true sense. But fate is different. It sees the big picture and has no concept of time or space. If it wishes, fate can superimpose the present, past, and future at any moment."
The Snow Empress narrowed her eyes, apparently considering whether any of this made sense. After a long while, this third-ranked Soul Beast sighed.
"Thank you for warning us. We'll send you back. You can hunt any Soul Beasts in the Extreme North, except those belonging to the clans of us Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North."
Lin Yun said,
"You're giving up?"
The Snow Empress said,
"We've already reached the time when we're about to face tribulations we can't overcome. As you put it, our days are numbered. It's already too late to think about changing things now."
Lin Yun said,
"I don't think that's necessarily true. Though there's only one of those things that can take human form, and you really don't like sacrificing yourselves to humans, I think there's a relatively optimal solution."
The Snow Empress looked at Lin Yun. The Ice Empress watched him even more intently, her gaze stern as she asked,
"What do you mean?"
Lin Yun raised a hand. The bones of the Sub-Dragon he had killed to obtain his Second Soul Ring, and the Terror Demon Dragon King he had killed for his third Soul Ring, appeared beneath his palm.
The Snow Empress and the Ice Empress frowned. Lin Yun said,
"According to the rules of the Douluo Continent, a sacrifice can produce a Soul Ring for a Soul Master. Later, when the Soul Beast's soul leaves the Soul Ring, its Soul Skill can still be used, and the Soul Ring itself remains."
"So the Ice Empress could sacrifice herself to me, placing most of her spiritual power in my Sea of Consciousness like the Sky Dream did, and becoming a Wisdom Soul Ring. Then I could bring out the Ice Empress's corpse and let her control it herself, allowing her to live a second life in another form."
"Even if I don't become a god, she can still exist in this form after I die. The only price the Ice Empress would pay is working for me for a while. If I fail to become a god, it won't even be four hundred years. Four hundred years isn't very long for you."
"As for you, since the Ice Empress hasn't sacrificed herself yet, you can reincarnate in peace under her protection. Here in the Extreme North, that so-called Titled Douluo won't be a match for the Ice Empress."
"That way, Snow Empress, you can safely reincarnate as a human, the Ice Empress can survive her tribulation, and I can obtain a Soul Ring without killing any Soul Beast. We'd all have a bright future."
The Snow Empress looked at Lin Yun. The Ice Empress said,
"Xue'er, he does have a point. If it really works like that, there's room for cooperation."
The Snow Empress looked at the Ice Empress, then said to Lin Yun,
"Fine, but I have two conditions. First, swear on your Martial Soul that everything you've said is true, and that you'll really do as you've described. Second, let the Ice Empress sacrifice herself first, and then have her use the method you described to come out and protect me while I reincarnate."
Lin Yun looked at the Snow Empress and said,
"I don't mind if you don't trust me. I don't have any ulterior motives anyway. But Ice Empress, don't do anything pointless. I can't be sure that you'll retain your consciousness if you sacrifice yourself when you don't trust me."
The Ice Empress looked at Lin Yun, then said firmly,
"As long as I can help Xue'er, I don't care what happens to me."
The Snow Empress coughed, then said,
"Then go ahead."
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm cursed under its breath.
"I can't believe I can only trick the Titan Snow Demon King in the end. Where did my Bingbing go?!"
Huo Yuhao had just endured the pain of absorbing the bone before the Soul Ring. He immediately asked sternly from within his Sea of Consciousness...
Before you continue