Dark clouds pressed down overhead in the scene, and the oppressive might of the lightning tribulation seemed capable of passing through the illusory image itself.
At the very center of the scene, a white-haired woman was embracing a black-haired man. They seemed to be speaking about something.
Then, crystalline tears fell from the white-haired woman's blue eyes, transforming into transparent, flawless ice crystals in midair.
The black-haired man reached out and caught the ice crystal. He gently kissed the white-haired woman's forehead before they parted in silence.
Ice Empress naturally recognized the white-haired woman as Snow Empress. Though the black-haired man was handsome, she could vaguely make out that he was the grown-up version of the human before her.
Before Ice Empress could ask anything, heaven and earth fell silent. Even the raging wind and snow froze in place. A white figure slowly emerged from the sky, stepping upon the wind and snow.
Her snow-white hair flowed down her back, and her ice-blue eyes carried an innate pride and indifference. Her legs were fair and slender, stepping through the air without touching a speck of dust.
Snow Empress's gaze fell upon the scene, and when it reached that flawless ice crystal, her heart suddenly trembled.
The golden light around the scene grew increasingly dazzling, and faint cracking sounds seemed to echo from the void.
Huo Yuhao's face was pale, but he still struggled to extend a hand and gently clenched it toward the illusory scene.
With a crack, the scene shattered like a mirror and vanished without a trace. Everything around them returned to normal, leaving only an ice crystal radiating a gentle warmth, quietly floating in his palm.
Snow Empress appeared before Huo Yuhao almost instantly. She stared intently at the young man before her, her ice-blue eyes filled with emotions too complex to discern.
The warm ice crystal seemed to sense Snow Empress's aura and slowly floated before her.
Snow Empress silently extended a hand and gently caught the ice crystal, saying softly:
"It seems she fell in love with you."
"But I only understood it at the very end."
Huo Yuhao looked at the woman before him, who resembled an ice-and-snow spirit, his golden eyes brimming with tenderness.
Snow Empress's thoughts stirred slightly. With a light wave of her hand, the flawless ice crystal traced a graceful arc through the air. In an instant, it became the centerpiece of an exquisite necklace, quietly floating between them.
"Yuhao, can you put it on for me?"
Her voice was gentle, carrying a barely perceptible expectation.
Huo Yuhao stepped closer to Snow Empress and gently placed the ice crystal necklace around her fair, slender neck.
"Xue'er, don't you want to ask more?"
Snow Empress gently stroked the ice crystal, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. Even her originally cold temperament softened somewhat. Yet she shook her head and said softly:
"Yuhao, she has already given me the answer. What comes next is the future you and I will walk together."
Not far away, Ice Empress watched the warm scene unfold before her and anxiously paced in circles.
She had no idea what was happening. Why was Snow Empress allowing that human to get so close? She had even let him put a necklace on her?
Even she herself rarely had the chance to be so close to Snow Empress.
Why did she suddenly feel completely unnecessary?
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, gently held Snow Empress's hand, and said seriously:
"Xue'er, I need your strength."
As a Heavenly Snow Woman and the incarnation of Ultimate Ice and snow, Snow Empress nevertheless felt an unprecedented warmth from Huo Yuhao's palm. Her ice-blue eyes softened even further, and her voice became gentler.
"But Yuhao, with your current body, I'm afraid you still can't withstand all of my strength."
Although Snow Empress was now wearing Snow Woman's Tears and could have "intimate contact" with Huo Yuhao without reservation, if Huo Yuhao were to accept all her origin power and make her his Soul Spirit, his current physical condition was still far from sufficient.
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly.
"Xue'er, of course I know that. I'm not asking you to become my Soul Spirit right now. I hope you can accompany me to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
"Alright."
Snow Empress did not ask Huo Yuhao anything further. She simply trusted him, just as she trusted herself.
"However, Yuhao, wait for me a moment. I need to temporarily entrust some matters in the Far North to Bing'er. Once I've finished giving her instructions, I'll go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with you."
When Ice Empress saw Snow Empress come before her, she immediately waved her two front claws excitedly. But upon hearing Snow Empress's instructions, a bitter expression appeared on her face.
Seeing Ice Empress's troubled look, Huo Yuhao spoke to reassure her.
"Don't worry, Ice Empress. Xue'er and I will be back soon."
Is that what I'm concerned about?
Looking at the intimate pair before her, Ice Empress suddenly wanted to ask Huo Yuhao, Can't I go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with you too?
Is Snow Empress the only one who can help you?
The Far North lay at the northernmost edge of Douluo Continent. Previously, traveling from Shrek City to the Far North had taken Huo Yuhao nearly a week.
The Sunset Forest, where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located, lay near Heaven Dou City of the Heavenly Soul Empire, in the north-central region of Douluo Continent.
Now, with Snow Empress's power, only a day had passed since they set out from the Far North before the outline of a vast forest entered Huo Yuhao's sight.
At the sight of the Sunset Forest, Huo Yuhao could not help recalling how, in his previous life, he had suffered terribly in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and had nearly been crippled.
How could he have known then that Wang Dong'er had no hidden ailment at all, and that the Lovesick Heartbreak Red had never been meant to save her? It had merely been a self-righteous test Tang San had set for his "son-in-law." All the emotions he had felt back then had ultimately turned into nothing but bubbles.
Huo Yuhao forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart. He would visit the Clear Sky Sect sooner or later, but only after he had become stronger.
After all, the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape possessed true strength at the level of God Officials. Even Limit Douluo were beneath notice before them. Even Snow Empress of the Far North would likely find it difficult to contend against the two of them.
However, compared to the Clear Sky Sect, obtaining the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would be relatively easy with Snow Empress's help.
The reason Huo Yuhao had come to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well so early was also because, while he had been living in Heaven Dou City, the Golden Dragon King Divine Core in his sea of spirit had constantly reminded him that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well likely concealed secrets he had failed to discover in his previous life.
For the Golden Dragon King Divine Core to care so much about it, combined with those peculiar ice-and-fire springs, Huo Yuhao could only come to one conclusion: a god level expert might have fallen beneath the springs, perhaps even a member of the dragon race.
This was also why Huo Yuhao had abandoned the idea of making Ice Empress his second martial soul. Even the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion of Ultimate Ice could not compare to a martial soul produced by a god level dragon.
Of course, Huo Yuhao was not certain whether it could truly produce a second martial soul. But as long as it could increase his chances of victory in the final battle against Tang San, he was willing to give it a try.
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