Please, let me go!

Hehehe... A-Tai has been severely wounded by the aftermath of the battle, and Xue'er is nowhere to be found.

In the Far North, only this Emperor remains.

But so what!!

As the leader of the Far North and the sovereign of my race, how could I tolerate humans wantonly intruding into the core area to slaughter A-Tai's kin!!

So what if he is a Limit Douluo! This is the Far North!!

My territory!!

Not to mention he brought a dead weight along, hehehe... a mere level 40 Spirit Ancestor...

"Um... comrade, you aren't wearing shoes."

Xu Qing's words were like a thunderclap on a clear day; Du Busi nearly lost his composure.

Who else could face such a situation without a shred of fear, with a calm face, and even utter such an arrogantly provocative remark!!?

Only my precious disciple! That's the spirit!! He has the style my Body Sect should have!

Yes, in Du Busi's eyes, this simple greeting was the most naked provocation!

Is he worried that his master might be outmatched, so he did this on purpose to distract the enemy?

Hehehehaha! Master appreciates the sentiment!

"Hehehe... human."

Ice Empress held it together! Not only did she hold it together, but she also looked extremely angry!!

Her originally fair little face was now flushed red.

"This Emperor has never seen someone so... thick-skinned and shameless!!!"

She gritted her teeth, forcing the words out, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

No, it did—well, it seemed to have angered her.

However, it was precisely this sentence that snapped Ice Empress out of her urge to launch an immediate attack.

Meanwhile, Du Busi, who had been waiting for the right moment to strike, remained silent following Xu Qing's mental transmission.

[Master, that Titan Snow Demon King has been knocked unconscious by the shockwaves.]

[I'll just absorb any random one for my fourth ring later; let's stick with a Titan Snow Demon. The spirit skills produced by this spirit beast are quite stable and suit me well.]

[By the way, I want her. Capture her so I can use her for my fifth ring.]

Ice Empress looked at Du Busi, whose aura was refined and terrifyingly sinister; the pressure emanating from him was comparable to Xue'er!

She felt a desire to retreat.

But could she flee from the battlefield?

I think she could.

As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood.

"Thanks for the compliment, Ice Empress."

Xu Qing continued to perform steadily, his main strategy being to infuriate others without taking the blame.

"If you weren't busy cultivating, why would you disturb me while I'm obtaining my spirit ring?"

"Do you know that we humans aren't like you spirit beasts, who can grow stronger just by eating and sleeping, all while possessing extremely long lifespans?"

"In your eyes, what difference is there between us humans and mayflies?"

"A mere hundred years, gone in a flash."

"...So, you see... blah blah blah... it's really hard, you know?"

His gaze was locked firmly onto Ice Empress's feet.

The moment he detected any sign of movement, he would have the old man strike! Suppress her with force!

This spirit beast transformation is truly realistic; her feet are even frozen red from not wearing shoes.

"Pah! Nonsense!"

Ice Empress had already put away her desire to attack, her mind racing.

She knew that the key to escaping at this moment lay with this human who seemed to be missing a screw!

"If you hadn't kept coming to the Far North's core area, would A-Tai and I have sought trouble with you?"

"If you hadn't kept targeting A-Tai's kin, would he have been blinded by rage and foolishly challenged a Limit Douluo?"

Her eyes were clear as she looked at Du Busi; her voice lacked its previous killing intent, though it remained cold.

"We spirit beasts have always respected the strong, but you cannot act like this!"

"Titan Snow Demons are already difficult to breed; you don't see a new member added even in a hundred years. Over these past five years, you've specifically hunted those who have already matured—the pillars of our race..."

"What does that have to do with you?"

A faint blue light quietly ignited in the palm of Xu Qing's hand, hidden behind his back, as he said indifferently:

"What does any of this have to do with you?"

"Have I ever hunted a single member of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan?"

"..."

Ice Empress tightened her small hands, then relaxed them. Her little head was completely devoid of the knowledge required to debate with a human.

"Sigh, whenever you encounter a difficult question, you just stop talking."

"...This Empress..."

"Survival of the fittest is a law of nature. It applies not only to soul beasts but to the human world as well."

Xu Qing continued to micro-manage his ring-fusion technique, pouring the majority of his soul power and spiritual energy into the piece of Mystic Ice Marrow.

"Tell me, what was your purpose in coming here to stop me?"

"Heh, heh, heh. Now that you've succeeded in stopping me, you've taken on the karma of that Titan Snow Demon King who dared to defy his superior."

"Tell me, should I go ahead and hunt an Ice Jade Scorpion to serve as my fourth soul ring?"

"No!"

"Heh, whether it's a 'no' or not isn't for you to decide. A mere 399,800-year-old fierce beast dares to challenge a level 99 Limit Douluo?"

"Do you really think you are invincible just because you are in the Far North?"

"Call the Snow Empress here!!"

Xu Qing was acting like a villain who had just gained power!

Hoo...

Ice Empress's tense shoulders slumped, as if she had accepted her fate.

Heh, heh, heh... I never imagined I wouldn't die under a heavenly tribulation, but rather at the hands of a greedy human.

Fate is truly cruel...

Damn it!! This Empress doesn't want to die... Wuwuwu...

Xue'er isn't here either, hmph, hmph, hmph... Xue'er...

Sigh...

Farewell, Far North.

Farewell, Xue'er.

Farewell, my kin.

No!

I cannot die!!

I must find Xue'er!!!

She snapped her eyes open. Instead of choosing to flee, she braced her spirit, preparing to fight to the bitter end!

"How foolish."

Those were the last words Ice Empress heard before losing consciousness. Immediately after, she felt something enter her mouth.

It was icy cold—a sensation she had never felt before, a taste she had never encountered...

"Let me go!! You bastard!!"

"Beg me?"

"I beg you, please let me go..."

"That won't do."

"Shameless, shameless, shameless!! Xue'er won't let you get away with this! With one slap, Xue'er will turn you and that Green Baldy into a mist of blood!"

Xu Qing didn't listen at all, continuing to shove the Mystic Ice Marrow into Ice Empress's mouth.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."

"Mmph?"

Chew, chew, chew...

What kind of heaven-sent treasure is this? It is definitely not just Mystic Ice Marrow!

It must be some supreme ice-attribute treasure disguised as ice marrow!

This Empress's sealed and stagnant soul power is actually starting to stir!

Although it is very faint, this feeling—it cannot be wrong!!

Xu Qing continued to feed her, determined to see the limits of her stomach!

The Ice Empress naturally accepted everything, even feeling that he was a bit too slow.

Hmm... although I don't understand what this human is trying to do.

But my intuition tells me...

Fine, even my intuition can't figure it out.

As things stand, I might as well just eat.

"Tsk, you really can eat, can't you!!"

Xu Qing was unhappy; feeding the little scorpion was too exhausting, leaving his back and waist aching.

Perfect opportunity!!

The Ice Empress seized the moment Xu Qing stretched his back and threw a punch straight at him!