Past and Future

In that scene, dark clouds pressed down from above, and the oppressive weight of a lightning tribulation seemed to radiate directly from the illusory image.

At the very center of the scene, a white-haired woman was embracing a black-haired man, and they appeared to be conversing.

Then, crystalline tears fell from the white-haired woman's icy blue eyes, transforming into transparent, exquisite ice crystals mid-air.

The black-haired man reached out to catch the ice crystals and gently kissed the white-haired woman's forehead, followed by a silent farewell.

Ice Empress could naturally recognize that the white-haired woman was none other than Snow Empress. Although the black-haired man's features were handsome, one could vaguely discern that he was the grown-up version of the human standing before her.

Before Ice Empress could even ask a question, the world fell into a profound silence, and even the rampant wind and snow froze in place. A white figure stepped upon the wind and snow, slowly appearing from the sky.

Her snow-white long hair cascaded down, and her icy blue eyes revealed an innate arrogance and indifference. Her fair, slender legs stepped through the air, unstained by even a speck of dust.

Snow Empress's gaze fell upon the image, and her heart trembled violently, especially when it touched upon that crystalline ice crystal.

The golden light surrounding the image grew increasingly dazzling, and one could almost hear the faint sound of the void shattering.

Huo Yuhao's face was pale, yet he struggled to reach out his hand, gently closing it toward the illusory image.

With a crisp "crack," the image shattered like a mirror and dissipated without a trace. Everything around them returned to normal, save for a single ice crystal radiating a gentle warmth, which floated quietly in the palm of his hand.

Snow Empress's figure appeared before Huo Yuhao in an instant. She stared fixedly at the young man, her icy blue eyes filled with complex, inscrutable emotions.

The warm ice crystal seemed to sense Snow Empress's presence and slowly drifted toward her.

Snow Empress silently reached out, gently catching the ice crystal, and whispered softly:

"It seems 'she' fell in love with you."

"But I only understood it at the very last moment."

Huo Yuhao gazed at the woman who resembled an ice-snow sprite, his golden eyes filled with tenderness.

Snow Empress's heart stirred slightly. With a gentle wave of her hand, the crystalline ice crystal traced a graceful arc in the air, instantly transforming into an exquisite necklace with the ice crystal at its core, hovering silently between the two.

"Yuhao, will you put it on for me?"

Her voice was soft, carrying an imperceptible sense of anticipation.

Huo Yuhao stepped closer to Snow Empress and gently fastened 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, a faint smile appearing on her lips unconsciously, softening her originally cold temperament. She shook her head and said softly:

"Yuhao, 'she' has already given me the answer. What follows is the future that you and I will walk together."

Not far away, Ice Empress watched this intimate scene, pacing in circles in her anxiety.

She couldn't understand what had happened at all. Why would Snow Empress let that human get so close? She even let him put a necklace on her!

One had to know that even she rarely had such an opportunity to be this close to Snow Empress.

How did she suddenly feel like the third wheel?

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, gently took Snow Empress's hand, and said earnestly:

"Xue'er, I need your power."

As the Heavenly Snow Woman and the embodiment of Ultimate Ice, Snow Empress felt an unprecedented warmth emanating from Huo Yuhao's palm. Her icy blue eyes grew even softer, and her voice became gentler:

"But Yuhao, with your current body, I fear you cannot yet withstand the entirety of my power."

Although Snow Empress was now wearing the Snow Woman's Tears, allowing her to have "intimate contact" with Huo Yuhao without reservation, if she were to let Huo Yuhao accept her full origin and become his soul spirit, his current physical constitution was far from sufficient.

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly:

"Xue'er, I am naturally aware of this. I do not intend for you to become my soul spirit right now, but rather, I hope you can accompany me to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"Very well."

Snow Empress did not press Huo Yuhao for more details; she simply trusted him as she trusted herself.

"However, Yuhao, wait for me a moment. I need to temporarily entrust some affairs of the Far North to Bing'er. Once I have finished, I will accompany you to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

Ice Empress watched Snow Empress approach her and immediately waved her two front pincers in excitement. But upon hearing the task Snow Empress was assigning to her, her face immediately turned bitter.

Huo Yuhao looked at the dejected Ice Empress and offered some reassurance:

"Don't worry, Ice Empress. Xue'er and I will be back soon."

Is that what I'm worried about?

Watching the intimate pair before her, Ice Empress felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to ask Huo Yuhao: couldn't I go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with you too?

Is it only Snow Empress who can help you?

The Far North is located at the northernmost tip of the Douluo Continent. Previously, it had taken Huo Yuhao nearly a week to travel from Shrek City to the Far North.

The Sunset Forest, where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is located, is near Heaven Dou City in the Heaven Dou Empire, situated in the north-central part of the entire Douluo Continent.

Now, relying on Snow Empress's power, it took only a single day to travel from the Far North before the silhouette of a vast forest came into Huo Yuhao's view.

Seeing this Sunset Forest, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but recall his past life, where he had suffered immensely within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, nearly ending up crippled.

How could he have imagined back then that Wang Dong'er suffered from no hidden ailment, and that the Lovesick Heartbreak Red was never meant to save her? It was merely a self-righteous test Tang San had set for his "son-in-law," and all the emotions he had felt at the time had dissolved into nothingness in the end.

Huo Yuhao suppressed the turmoil in his heart; he would visit the Clear Sky Sect sooner or later, but only when his strength was greater.

One had to know that the true strength of the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape had already reached the level of a God Official, making even a Limit Douluo insignificant before them. Even the Snow Empress of the Far North would likely struggle to contend with the two of them.

However, compared to the Clear Sky Sect, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was much easier to secure with the help of the Snow Empress.

The reason Huo Yuhao wanted to reach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well so early was that while he was staying in Heaven Dou City, the Golden Dragon King Divine Core within his spiritual sea had been constantly reminding him that a secret he had never discovered in his previous life was likely hidden within that well.

Able to be held in such high regard by the Golden Dragon King Divine Core, combined with the peculiar ice and fire spring water, Huo Yuhao could only arrive at one conjecture: a god-level powerhouse, perhaps even a dragon, might have fallen beneath those waters.

This also caused Huo Yuhao to abandon the idea of making the Ice Empress his second martial soul. Even the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, with its Ultimate Ice, could not compare to a martial soul derived from a god-level dragon.

Of course, Huo Yuhao was not certain whether he could even manifest a second martial soul. But as long as it could increase his odds of victory in the final showdown against Tang San, he was willing to try.