Far North, core region.
Unmelting ice and snow blanketed the white wasteland. The wind howled, sweeping ice crystals across the sky.
Two figures stood side by side in the square before Snow Empress Palace.
Ice Empress wore a long jade-green dress, her twin ponytails fluttering gently in the wind. The crown atop her head shimmered in the sunlight.
She raised her head and gazed at the Sky Screen above, her eyes full of longing.
"Sister, it's been so long since I saw Brother Cao. I miss him so much!"
Snow Empress stood beside her, her snow-white dress trailing on the ground and her ice-blue hair falling naturally over her shoulders.
A helpless smile appeared on her cool, exquisite face. "Didn't you see him just two days ago?"
"Two days is already a long time!" Ice Empress pouted in displeasure. "I feel awful if I can't see Brother Cao for even one day. Two days—that's a whole two days! Do you know how I've been getting through them?"
Snow Empress: "..."
Two days counted as a long time? This girl was getting more and more ridiculous.
Ice Empress didn't notice her sister's expression and continued muttering, "When are we sisters going to make the ranking? That silly goose made it, even though she can't fight at all. In every dream, I bully her until she cries!"
Snow Empress lightly tapped her on the head. "You really are something. Why bully her? Brother Cao doesn't like us fighting among ourselves. Don't make him angry."
Ice Empress rubbed her head, unconcerned. "Brother Cao likes our Bingbing best. He'd never get angry. He even has us make an ice bed every time. He's so wicked!"
Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, and a blush crept across her face.
Thinking of those outrageous scenes in the dream, Snow Empress's face flushed faintly, too.
Just then, golden light surged across the Sky Screen once more!
A breathtaking yet dangerous figure slowly appeared!
It was a petite ice scorpion, only five feet long, its body crystalline and dazzling.
What caught the eye most was the last segment of its tail. Its diamond-studded stinger was raised high, beautiful and dangerous, radiating a bone-chilling cold.
Jade-green light flashed! The ice scorpion transformed into a charming young woman in a long jade-green dress. Her jade-green hair was tied into twin ponytails, and she wore a crown atop her head.
It was Ice Empress!
[Combat Power Ranking, Seventh Place: Ice Empress.]
[Identity: One of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North. Her true form is the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion (she can freely switch between human and Soul Beast forms).]
[Strength: Nine hundred and ninety thousand years.]
[Techniques: Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, Heavenly Demon Chaotic Dance.]
[Rewards: 10 Teleportation Talismans, allowing the user to travel to any location on the Douluo Continent; a ten-thousand-year increase in cultivation, exempt from tribulation; divine skill: Phantom Sting.]
"Hahaha! I made the ranking! Sister, I made the ranking!"
Ice Empress danced about in the golden light, laughing from ear to ear.
After examining the information about the divine skill in her mind, her eyes gleamed. "And I got a divine skill! Phantom Sting! Even a God King will obediently fall into an illusion if struck by it. Hehe!"
The more she laughed, the happier she became. She was already plotting how to use her new ability.
Snow Empress watched her and shook her head helplessly. "You really are incorrigible. You've loved teasing people since you were little. Don't go too far."
Ice Empress grinned, a sly glint in her eyes. "Hehe, I'll let Brother Cao taste the power of Phantom Sting. Then I'll make him kneel and lick my toes. Hehehe!"
Snow Empress: "...You certainly have an imagination."
That was what she said, but inwardly she, too, had begun to look forward to it. The scene would surely be thrilling!
Divine Realm, Goddess of Life Palace.
The hall had no golden decorations. It was filled only with lush green and vitality.
The Goddess of Life reclined on a soft couch, her long emerald dress trailing on the ground and her hair pinned up.
She gazed at Ice Empress's charming figure on the Sky Screen, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Brother Cao really is going too far," she sighed, her voice tinged with reproach and worry. "He's taking in Soul Beasts, too. The Emerald Swan, Hell Demon Dragon, Ice Jade Empress Scorpion... One after another. His appetite just keeps growing. The Divine Realm certainly won't stand by and do nothing."
God of Goodness sat opposite her, her snow-white dress as pristine as fresh snow, her face gentle as spring water.
She held a teacup, but didn't drink. She simply stared blankly at the Sky Screen.
"Exactly. It's a headache." Her voice was soft, laced with concern. "Fire God and the others have already gone. They're clearly doomed not to return, but the Divine Realm won't let this go. You know what Asura God is like."
Spirit Hall, Worship Hall.
Golden Crocodile Douluo watched Ice Empress's figure on the Sky Screen, his brow tightly furrowed. "Three Soul Beasts have made the ranking in a row. The Soul Beasts' side can't be underestimated. I wonder if Brother Cao can keep them under control. Otherwise, won't humanity be in trouble?"
Qian Daoliu glanced at him and said coolly, "You're fretting over nothing. It's true that Soul Beasts are stronger than humans at the same level, but the number of humans on the ranking is no smaller. Besides, Brother Cao is holding them in check. He's human, after all."
Golden Crocodile Douluo paused, then nodded. "That's true. No matter what, Brother Cao is one of us. He wouldn't help the Soul Beasts bully his own people, would he?"
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Yuanzhen watched Ice Empress's charming figure on the Sky Screen and couldn't help sighing. "Good heavens, so many Soul Beasts have made the ranking, and every one of them is an unparalleled beauty! The Emerald Swan, Hell Demon Dragon, Ice Jade Empress Scorpion... Each one more beautiful than the last, with a bloodline more noble than the last."
"If only I had that ability. The Soul Beast genes in our clan would surely evolve perfectly."
Yu Luomian chimed in beside him. "You're right, big brother! Why don't you go find a few Soul Beasts and try your luck? Maybe it'll work!"
Yu Yuanzhen nodded. Should he catch a few female Soul Beasts and give it a try? What if it worked?
Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi watched the Sky Screen and couldn't help laughing. "Good heavens, even Soul Beasts have made the ranking. Brother Cao really doesn't turn anyone away."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin sighed. "The Emerald Swan, Hell Demon Dragon, Ice Jade Empress Scorpion... These are all legendary beings. Who would've thought Brother Cao would take them all in?"
Bone Douluo Gu Rong roared with laughter. "Who cares if they're Soul Beasts? As long as they're pretty! We've long since gotten used to Brother Cao's tastes."
Ning Fengzhi smiled and nodded, but inwardly he felt relieved. It was a good thing Rongrong had followed Brother Cao. Otherwise, with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's strength, they wouldn't stand a chance against all these terrifying beings. Only Brother Cao could keep these Ferocious Beasts under control.
Three Soul Beasts had made the ranking in a row, leaving the entire continent thoroughly astonished by Cao's tastes.
"The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion! One of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North! Brother Cao's tastes are getting more and more extreme!"
"A swan, a demon dragon, an ice scorpion... What's next? Could it be a phoenix?"
"Who cares what it is? As long as it's pretty! Look at Ice Empress—what a beauty!"
"Exactly! If they're good-looking, who cares whether they're human or beast? We can't even imagine how much fun Brother Cao is having!"
"I bet the next one will be a Sea Soul Beast."
"Very likely! The ocean is vast and boundless, and Sea Soul Beasts are as numerous as cattle. There must be some beautiful ones!"