Snow Emperor Submits

On the Ice Plains, the collision of the two domains had been ongoing for half an incense stick's time.

The black-red Domain of the God of Slaughter and the ice-blue Domain of Ice and Snow seesawed at the boundary, neither side willing to concede a single step.

Cracks on the ice surface grew increasingly numerous and dense.

Shattered ice was swept up by the shockwaves, spinning and colliding in the air, emitting a crisp, tinkling sound.

Ice Emperor stood upon an Ice Hill, her azure vertical pupils fixed unblinkingly on the purple-black figure in the arena.

She could tell that Luo Yun's Soul Power was being consumed, but his recovery speed was simply too fast.

The Source of Life replenished his losses every single moment, like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

Snow Emperor realized this as well.

Watching the child wreathed in purple-black Destruction Thunder, a trace of unwillingness flashed through her ice-blue eyes.

Her Domain of Ice and Snow was stronger than his Domain of the God of Slaughter, her cultivation was higher, and her combat experience was far richer.

Yet, even here in the Far North, a place uniquely favored by nature, her Soul Power recovery speed could not match his.

This child operated both the Origin of Destruction and the Source of Life within his body simultaneously—one responsible for offense, the other for sustainability. He was unkillable and inexhaustible.

It was not that she wasn't strong enough; it was that this child was simply unreasonable.

Snow Emperor took a deep breath and retracted her Domain of Ice and Snow.

"I concede." Her voice was not loud, but it was clear.

Luo Yun was stunned for a moment.

He had expected Snow Emperor to keep fighting; after all, given her strength, she could have held out for at least a few more hours.

If he had shown even the slightest flaw, he might have been the one to lose.

The Domain of the God of Slaughter surged around him before slowly withdrawing into his body, the purple-black mist dissipating across the Ice Plains.

He planted the Moon Eclipse Sword into the ice beside him, his scarlet eyes watching Snow Emperor. There was no triumph, no mockery, not even any excess emotion; he simply waited quietly for her next words.

Snow Emperor stood there, her ice-blue long dress fluttering gently in the wind.

"Bing'er was right; you have the potential to become a god," she said, her voice calm.

"I, Snow Emperor, keep my word. I accept the loss."

She knelt on one knee, her ice-blue hair cascading to her side, her right hand placed over her chest as she bowed her head slightly.

This was the most solemn rite of submission among the fierce beasts of the Far North.

Luo Yun looked at her, silent for a moment, then nodded.

He said nothing more, pulling the Moon Eclipse Sword from the ice with his right hand and resting the tip against the ground.

A deep purple magic circle unfolded once more, ancient patterns spreading outward from him as the center, enveloping both him and Snow Emperor.

This time, the circle expanded faster, its light burning brighter.

The power of the contract established a connection between the two. Luo Yun could feel a soul, more powerful and ancient than Ice Emperor's, opening itself to him, containing hundreds of thousands of years of memories.

The birth of ice and snow, the shifts of the Far North, and countless lonely days and nights.

Snow Emperor also felt what came from Luo Yun's side: the ruins of Frost Ridge City, the burning sky, familiar faces in pools of blood, and a hatred so intense it threatened to drown everything.

Her heart trembled slightly.

Half an hour later, the magic circle dissipated.

Snow Emperor's body turned translucent, transforming into a beam of ice-blue light that merged into the blade of the Moon Eclipse Sword, coexisting with Ice Emperor's emerald light within the contract space.

In his mind, two voices rang out simultaneously.

"Destruction Nine Trials, Fifth Trial complete. Reward: 20% affinity with the Origin of Destruction."

"Life Nine Trials, Fifth Trial complete. Reward: 20% affinity with the Source of Life."

As the voices faded, Luo Yun's pupils abruptly changed color.

His left eye was emerald like jade, his right eye deep purple like an abyss.

Two beams of light erupted from his body simultaneously; his left hand surged with rich life energy, while his right hand crackled with purple-black Destruction Thunder.

Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor both extended their senses from the contract space, and in that instant, they shared the same illusion.

This human's aura was even stronger than before.

It was not an increase in Soul Power, but an elevation at the level of the origins, as if something had awakened deep within his soul.

Luo Yun closed his eyes, feeling the new power within him, then opened them.

In his mind, two voices sounded once more.

One was deep and cold: "Destruction Nine Trials, Sixth Trial: Find your parents and accompany them for six years. Time limit: seven years. Reward: 30% affinity with the Origin of Destruction. Failure penalty: erasure."

The other was gentle and clear: "Life Nine Trials, Sixth Trial: Complete the Sixth Trial of the Destruction Nine Trials. Time limit: seven years. Reward: 30% affinity with the Source of Life. Failure penalty: erasure."

Luo Yun was stunned.

Accompany.

The content of his God Trial, from the Slaughter Arena to the massacre of cities, from encountering fierce beasts to conquering kings, was entirely about slaughter, conquest, and destruction.

He had assumed his path forward would continue this way, cutting through every enemy standing in his way until he ascended to godhood.

But this time, the God Trial demanded "companionship."

Not conquest, not hunting, but companionship.

Luo Yun remained silent for a long time.

In his scarlet eyes, that intense killing intent seemed to have been hit with a pause button by something.

"Have you seen any humans enter the Far North?" he asked, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Ice Emperor poked her head out from the contract space, her emerald phantom hovering beside Luo Yun.

She thought for a moment, then tapped the ice surface with her pincer.

"I have." Her tone turned serious.

"Half a month ago, my kin told me that several Title Douluo humans had intruded into the depths of the Far North. They all carried a scent of blood—not the kind from hunting Soul Beasts, but the kind left behind after killing many people."

Luo Yun's pupils contracted slightly.

"The direction they were heading seemed to be the territory of the Titan Snow Demon King."

Luo Yun's breathing suddenly quickened.

He didn't speak, but Ice Emperor could feel the Soul Power within him fluctuating violently.

"Take me there." Luo Yun's voice was very flat, but Ice Emperor could tell that whatever was suppressed beneath that calm could explode at any moment.

"Alright."

Ice Emperor did not hesitate.

Emerald light surged from her body as she restored her true form.

An Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, entirely emerald and crystal clear, nearly two meters in length, stood steadily on the ice with its six slender legs. Its tail hook was raised high, the azure tip gleaming with an eerie light under the faint illumination of the Far North.

Luo Yun leaped, landing on Ice Emperor's back.

He gripped the protrusions on her carapace to steady himself.

"Hold on tight." Ice Emperor's voice came, and then she moved.

Her six legs sprinted across the ice at an astonishing speed, turning the surrounding scenery into blurred white streaks in Luo Yun's eyes.

The wind whistled past his ears, stinging his face.

Meanwhile.

The territory of the Titan Snow Demon King.

The deepest part of the Far North, where the temperature was lowest and the environment most brutal.

Inside an ice cave.