Guh, Kill

"Bingbing, why aren't you talking now? I liked that unruly look you had just now."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm circled the Ice Empress, whom she had tied into a twisted knot, wearing a smug grin. Every so often, she even reached out to touch one of the Ice Empress's enormous front claws.

The Ice Empress grew increasingly irritated by her antics. She desperately twisted her body, trying to break free from the golden threads binding her, but they were extraordinarily tough. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not budge them in the slightest.

"All right, Bingbing, don't waste your strength." Tian Meng watched the Ice Empress struggle futilely, her tone full of pride. "These are formed from my shed shell. Even if you struggle until you're exhausted, you'll never break free."

The Ice Empress stopped struggling and looked coldly at the petite blonde girl before her.

"Heh, even if I can't break free, do you really think a piece of trash like you has any way to kill me?"

In a head-on fight, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm might struggle even against a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. Though she had cultivated for a million years, she was like a mountain of treasure, possessing priceless riches without knowing how to use them.

Measured by the standards of human Soul Masters, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was a powerhouse with terrifying Soul Power, yet she did not possess a single Soul Ring or Soul Skill.

When facing opponents whose cultivation was vastly lower than hers, she could still defeat them through the absolute strength of her spiritual power.

But once she encountered an enemy with any real strength, she had no way to deal with them. No matter how immense her spiritual power was, its destructive force remained limited if it could not be condensed into an effective means of attack.

If that had not been the case, then with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million years of cultivation back then, even if she possessed only one skill, there probably would not have been many Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent capable of threatening her.

Tian Meng did not respond to the Ice Empress. Instead, she ran back to Huo Yuhao's side, then flashed and merged into the two orange-gold Soul Rings.

A powerful, solid wave of spiritual power surged out like a tide, instantly blanketing the entire area.

The Ice Empress's heart suddenly trembled violently. I'm going to die. I'm definitely going to die.

Though she did not understand what had happened or what Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had done, that human whom she had once considered utterly insignificant now unquestionably possessed the ability to kill her.

Yet as one of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, the Ice Empress had her own pride. She could not possibly bow her head to a human, much less submit to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm she had always looked down upon.

She simply closed her eyes and spoke coldly.

"Guh, kill me."

"Ice Empress, we came with good intentions."

"Heh, good intentions? Is tying me up like this what you call good intentions? How fitting for creatures like humans."

The Ice Empress clearly did not believe Huo Yuhao's words, and her tone was filled with mockery. "But how are you any better than me? You actually became a puppet controlled by Tian Meng."

Before Huo Yuhao could respond, Tian Meng, who had merged into the Soul Rings, poked her head out and loudly retorted.

"Bingbing, Yuhao isn't my puppet! Yuhao is my most important partner. We're going to become gods together."

"Become gods?"

A flash of surprise passed through the Ice Empress's eyes when she heard those words. When she had broken through the three-hundred-thousand-year bottleneck, she had already damaged her foundation. Now, she could not even survive the heavenly tribulation at four hundred thousand years.

Hearing the words "become gods" from Tian Meng now made her find them rather laughable. "With trash like you, Tian Meng?"

Perhaps because of that inexplicable sense of familiarity from earlier, or perhaps because Tian Meng had said that Huo Yuhao was not her puppet, the Ice Empress unusually did not mock Huo Yuhao along with her.

The smile on Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's face did not change in the slightest. Clearly, she was highly immune to the Ice Empress's venomous sarcasm. Instead, she revealed an excited expression and began explaining the grand God-Making Project she had envisioned.

At first, the Ice Empress looked disdainful, but as Tian Meng continued, her expression gradually turned solemn. At last, she asked, "Tian Meng, how confident are you that this will succeed?"

Clearly, the Ice Empress had been swayed by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's words. She had less than a hundred years left to live and no ability to survive the next heavenly tribulation. She had no choice but to consider other paths.

But in the next moment, Tian Meng suddenly said something else.

"Unfortunately, the plan has been disrupted. Now Yuhao wants to find Snow Empress through you."

The further Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke, the quieter her voice became. Clearly, she also understood the complicated and delicate relationship between the Ice Empress and Snow Empress.

Unexpectedly, the Ice Empress did not become angry because of this. After a moment of silence, she instead asked.

"Human, what do you think? According to Tian Meng's plan, I can indeed agree to become your second martial soul and become a Soul Spirit to help you become a god."

"But Snow Empress absolutely won't. She is even prouder than I am. If she sees the two of you, you might not even be able to keep your lives."

The Ice Empress herself did not know why she had spoken up to warn Huo Yuhao. Perhaps it was because of that inexplicable sense of familiarity around him.

"It's fine. I have a way to persuade Snow Empress. Please help me contact her."

A gentle smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's face.

"All right. If Snow Empress gets angry when the time comes, I'll do my best to preserve your lives."

The Ice Empress did not try to persuade them further. Curiosity had also arisen within her. She wanted to know what method this human would use to convince Snow Empress.

After all, Snow Empress's seven-hundred-thousand-year limit was also approaching. She did not want to watch Snow Empress turn to ashes beneath the heavenly tribulation.

After Huo Yuhao and the Ice Empress formed their contract, Tian Meng put away the shed shell that had bound the Ice Empress.

Then the Ice Empress's entire body shuddered. A dazzling jade-green light erupted from her tail, dyeing the originally gray-white sky a brilliant green as it continued spreading toward the deepest reaches of the Far North.

"Snow Empress, are you there?"

The Ice Empress's voice traveled outward through Soul Power, drifting into the distance.

A moment later, a cool voice sounded beside her ear.

"Bing'er, what is it?"

"Can you come to my location for a moment?"

"All right."

The reply was brief and direct. That was Snow Empress's style.

At that moment, a vertical eye appeared on Huo Yuhao's forehead. Brilliant golden light blossomed forth, and the phantom of a Golden Giant Pupil emerged behind him.

The two orange-gold Soul Rings on Huo Yuhao's body embedded themselves within the Golden Giant Pupil, making the phantom somewhat more solid.

Having just finished relaying her message to Snow Empress, the Ice Empress froze in place. Her eyes stared fixedly at the phantom behind Huo Yuhao, filled with disbelief.

An artifact?!

Before the Ice Empress could react, the Golden Giant Pupil emitted golden radiance. Amid the flowing, shimmering light, a blurry scene appeared, only to become clear in an instant.