Ice Emperor Submits

The Ice Emperor fell silent for a few moments, then let out a cold snort.

"Do you really think this Emperor would believe that the thing in your hand is comparable to a Heavenly Tribulation?"

The corners of Luo Yun's mouth curved slightly.

The arc was very shallow; it wasn't a smile, but rather more of a "then let me show you."

He raised his hand slightly and pointed a finger gently in the direction of the Ice Emperor.

In the sky, the purple-red thunder vortex shook violently, and a bolt of lightning as thick as a giant dragon crashed down from the center of the vortex, striking straight at the Ice Emperor.

The speed was so fast that the Ice Emperor had no time to dodge; she could only raise her pincers above her head, concentrating all her soul power into them in an attempt to tank the blow.

The thunder slammed into her pincers.

In the first second, cracks appeared on the Ice Emperor's pincers.

In the second second, the cracks spread across the entire surface, and emerald-green fragments scattered in all directions.

In the third second, the thunder pierced through the pincers and struck the Ice Emperor directly.

"Ah!"

The Ice Emperor let out a miserable scream as she was blasted off the ground by the thunder, slamming heavily into the ice wall behind her, creating a deep crater.

She slid down from the ice wall and collapsed onto the ground, emerald-green blood seeping from the cracks in her pincers and dripping onto the ice, emitting a faint hissing sound.

Luo Yun withdrew his finger, walked up to her step by step, and crouched down to look her in the eye.

"Submit, or die."

The Ice Emperor raised her head and looked at the child before her.

The other party was not threatening her, nor was he trying to scare her; he was seriously giving her two choices.

The corners of the Ice Emperor's mouth twitched, wanting to say "die."

She was the Ice Emperor, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, having lived for three hundred and ninety thousand years; her pride did not allow her to bow her head to a six-year-old human child.

But before that word could escape her lips, Luo Yun's left hand reached out.

An emerald-green light surged from his palm, flowing into the Ice Emperor's body like a gentle stream.

Wherever that light passed, the meridians torn by the Destruction Thunder began to heal, the shattered bones began to knit back together, and the withered energy began to revive.

Warm, gentle, and full of vitality.

The Ice Emperor looked at Luo Yun, her eyes filled with shock.

The power that had just destroyed everything, and this power that now healed everything—did they actually come from the same person?

Could two such extreme powers exist within the same person?

Luo Yun withdrew his left hand and stood up.

"Stay by my side and submit to me."

"I can make you a god."

The Ice Emperor's body trembled slightly.

It wasn't out of fear; it was because those four words struck like a hammer against the softest part of her heart.

To become a god.

She had lived for hundreds of thousands of years for the sole purpose of one day breaking through her limits.

But she knew that with her talent and bloodline, that path was almost impossible.

Four hundred thousand years was likely her limit.

But if what this human said was true...

The Ice Emperor raised her head and looked at Luo Yun.

Those scarlet eyes were watching her, without urging or coercion, just looking at her quietly as if waiting for an answer.

The Ice Emperor was silent for a long time.

She spoke slowly, her voice very soft.

"Can you guarantee it?"

"No," Luo Yun answered crisply and cleanly, "but you can take a gamble."

The Ice Emperor was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Fine," she said, her voice returning to calm, "I'll gamble."

Luo Yun nodded slightly.

The Moon Eclipse Sword emerged from his palm, and on the purple-black blade, lightning danced between the runes.

He touched the tip of the sword to the ground, and a complex magic circle spread outward from the point of contact.

The lines of the circle were ancient and precise, emitting a deep purple light as they slowly rotated on the ice.

This was not his own power; it came with the God Trial.

The fifth trial of the Destruction Nine Trials and the Life Nine Trials involves the application of contracts, allowing the inheritor to establish a soul-level connection with soul beasts that have submitted.

Ice Emperor looked at the magic circle, her azure vertical pupils constricting slightly.

It contained a power she could not resist.

"Come in," Luo Yun said.

Ice Emperor hesitated for a heartbeat, then stepped into the magic circle.

Purple light swallowed everything.

Luo Yun could feel a cold and powerful soul establishing a connection with him. The sensation was wondrous, as if something had taken root in his sea of consciousness, or as if his own consciousness had extended a tentacle to touch the deepest part of another life.

Ice Emperor also felt what was coming from Luo Yun's side.

Half an hour later, the light of the magic circle dissipated.

Ice Emperor's body became transparent, transforming into a beam of emerald light that submerged into the blade of the Moon Eclipse Sword.

Luo Yun could feel her right there, within the contract space inside the sword.

Moreover, most of her strength had been preserved, though it would take time to fully recover.

Luo Yun withdrew the Moon Eclipse Sword into his body, closed his eyes to sense her, and only reopened them once he confirmed that Ice Emperor's state was stable.

He summoned Ice Emperor out from the contract space.

Emerald light surged from his palm, condensing into that beautiful yet dangerous Jade Scorpion.

Ice Emperor stood on the ice, flexed her pincers, and felt the power within her body that connected her to Luo Yun, her expression complex.

"Where is Snow Emperor?" Luo Yun asked.

Ice Emperor froze for a moment, looking into Luo Yun's scarlet eyes, and suddenly understood something.

"You intend to target her as well?"

"Rest assured," Luo Yun said indifferently, "she will be just like you."

Ice Emperor was silent for a moment, then sighed. She raised one of her pincers and pointed toward the far north.

She told Luo Yun the route to Snow Emperor's territory in full detail.

After finishing, she looked at Luo Yun, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." Ice Emperor withdrew her gaze and transformed into emerald light, returning to the contract space.

Luo Yun followed Ice Emperor's directions and walked further north.

The further in he went, the lower the temperature dropped.

The wind was no longer wind; it was blades.

The snow was no longer snow; it was shards of ice.

A layer of white frost formed on Luo Yun's eyelashes, and every time he blinked, he could hear the faint sound of ice crystals shattering.

After walking for about another two hours, the world ahead suddenly opened up.

Luo Yun stood at the edge of the ice plains, looking at the Ice Palace, his scarlet eyes devoid of any ripples.

"We've arrived," he said softly.

He then held his right hand out in front of him and splayed his fingers.

Emerald light surged from his palm, condensing into that beautiful yet dangerous Jade Scorpion.

Ice Emperor landed on the ice, her six slender legs firmly supporting her body, her pincers slightly open, and her tail hook raised high as she vigilantly scanned her surroundings.

"Snow Emperor's territory."

"Mm." Luo Yun withdrew his hand and looked at Ice Emperor. "Go and speak to her."

Ice Emperor turned her head, her azure vertical pupils staring at Luo Yun for a long while. "You want me to help you persuade her to surrender?"

"Not persuade her to surrender." Luo Yun's voice was flat, as if he were stating something very ordinary. "Just tell her the situation. How she chooses is up to her."