Lin Shuo walked to the well and peered down. Its bottom was pitch-black, and a wave of icy air rushed up to meet him. He turned to Snow Empress and Ice Empress, his tone calm.
"Go down. If there's any Ice Extreme Divine Crystal down there, please mine it for me. Di Tian and I will guard you from up here."
Ice Extreme Divine Crystal was a rare, top-grade ice-attribute metal, but it was useless to Soul Beasts.
Snow Empress gave a slight nod. Her ice-blue eyes lingered on Lin Shuo for a moment before she leaped into the ancient well. Ice Empress followed close behind.
Lin Shuo sat cross-legged beside the well and closed his eyes. Chilling mist continued to billow from the mouth of the well and coil around him, but it couldn't come within three feet of him—the pressure of his Seven-Colored Dragon King Martial Soul instinctively held the cold at bay.
With Di Tian beside them, Earth Dragon Sect naturally couldn't discover them.
Time drifted by in silence. The entire rear courtyard was so quiet it seemed cut off from the world.
After an unknown length of time, the cold air pouring from the well suddenly intensified. The temperature around them plunged in an instant. Di Tian's brow twitched, and he raised a hand to strike, but a moment later he lowered it again. The wave of cold was fierce, but it held no hostility.
Two figures flew out of the well one after the other, landing lightly in the courtyard.
Snow Empress still wore her snow-white gown, her bare feet touching the ground. Wherever her toes brushed, crystalline lotuses bloomed in the ice. Her cool, otherworldly face showed little emotion, but deep in her ice-blue eyes, the faintest trace of satisfaction could be seen. Her aura was deeper and more restrained than before she had entered the well. With the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow now integrated into her body, it was only a matter of time before she overcame her seven-hundred-thousand-year tribulation.
Ice Empress landed close behind her, her jade-green dress fluttering lightly in the chill. Her transformation was even more apparent than Snow Empress's. Her emerald eyes were clearer and brighter, while the cold swirling around her was purer and more concentrated. Her proud face was alight with undisguised delight, and the corners of her mouth were raised high, like a cat that had stolen a fish.
"My lord." Snow Empress walked up to Lin Shuo and handed him a storage ring.
"There really was a great deal of Ice Extreme Divine Crystal inside. We've finished mining it and put it all in here."
"There was more Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow than we expected," Snow Empress said. Her voice was still cool, but warmer than before. "Ice Empress and I have absorbed it all, and we've taken the rest with us as well."
Lin Shuo took the Storage Soul Tool, opened it for a glance, nodded, and put it away.
"Thanks for your efforts."
"You're too kind, my lord." Snow Empress gave a slight shake of her head. "For Ice Empress and me, the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow is a lifeline we could search for and never find. If you hadn't shown us the way, we still wouldn't know that such a thing existed in this world. The Far North won't forget your kindness."
Ice Empress stepped forward. A rare trace of gratitude appeared on her proud face. She parted her lips as if to say something, but swallowed the words before they could leave her mouth. Instead, she thumped her chest. Her emerald eyes were full of earnest conviction. "My lord, if you ever need me, just say the word."
"What do you plan to do now?" Lin Shuo asked.
"Return to the Far North," Snow Empress replied. "The Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow has merged with our bodies. Ice Empress and I plan to go into seclusion and face our tribulations."
Lin Shuo nodded. "Then go back and enter seclusion. The tribulations are something you'll have to face on your own."
"Thank you, my lord." Snow Empress bowed slightly, then raised her eyes. Lin Shuo's reflection shone in her ice-blue pupils. "If you ever need us, you may come find us in the Far North at any time. The Far North will always make way for you. Also..."
With a flash, an Ice-Blue Soul Bone appeared in Snow Empress's palm. "Humans can hardly use Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow, but Ice Empress and I can't simply take something so precious from someone else without giving anything in return," Snow Empress said coolly. She flicked a finger, and the Soul Bone turned into a streak of light. "Give this Soul Bone to them." The streak shot straight toward Nan Shuishui, the most powerful cultivator in the Earth Dragon Sect.
"My lord, until we meet again." Snow Empress bowed slightly to Lin Shuo.
Ice Empress waved vigorously at Lin Shuo, her emerald eyes shining brilliantly in the morning light. "My lord, once I break through my four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation, I'll definitely come find you!"
Lin Shuo gave a slight nod. "Go. Focus on your seclusion."
Snow Empress and Ice Empress bowed once more, then transformed into two streaks of light, one white and one jade-green, and shot away.
Lin Shuo withdrew his gaze. "Di Tian, let's return to the Star Dou Great Forest first."
"Yes, my lord."
Di Tian raised a hand and swept it through the air. A pitch-black spatial rift silently tore open.
Lin Shuo stepped into the rift, and Di Tian followed close behind.
The familiar scent of grass and trees washed over them in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Lake of Life was still as smooth as a mirror.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was lying by the lakeshore. The moment the spatial rift opened, it sprang to its feet. But when it saw Di Tian right behind Lin Shuo, it still managed to restrain its urge to pounce on him. It simply sat where it was, its tail swishing rapidly behind it as its bright amber eyes fixed on Lin Shuo.
"My lord." Scarlet King rose nearby, all three heads bowing in unison.
Lin Shuo walked up to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and rubbed its head. "Have you been good these past few days, little one?"
"I have. I've stayed by Lake of Life the whole time." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded vigorously, then finally couldn't resist rubbing against his palm.
"My lord," Di Tian stepped forward and said steadily, "what are your plans now?"
"I'll rest for a day, then return to the academy tomorrow." Lin Shuo stood up. "Di Tian, go take care of your duties. Scarlet King, take the Auspicious Beast out to play for a while, and keep it safe."
"Yes." Di Tian bowed, then vanished amid ripples in space.
Scarlet King nodded. Though reluctant to part from Lin Shuo, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion obediently followed Scarlet King toward the Mixed Zone. Lin Shuo turned and walked deeper into Lake of Life.
The moment Lin Shuo entered the private space, Gu Yuena's violet eyes settled on him. Having returned to her usual composure, she asked calmly, "You're back?"
"Yeah." Lin Shuo walked over to her. "Snow Empress and Ice Empress got the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow. Now all they have to do is face their tribulations."
Gu Yuena gave a slight nod. Once she had confirmed that he wasn't hurt, she looked away.
"Leaving tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I've done what I needed to do." Lin Shuo paused, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "I'll spend all of today here with you, Sister Nana."
Gu Yuena's eyelashes fluttered faintly. She said nothing, but she didn't look away either. On her cool, otherworldly face, the corners of her lips curved in the faintest smile, so slight that no one else could have noticed it.
The next morning, Lin Shuo stood and looked at Gu Yuena.
Her silver hair fell like a waterfall, her violet eyes were like water, and a hint of reluctance colored her cool, otherworldly face.
"Sister Nana, I'll come back when the academy goes on break." Lin Shuo stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
Gu Yuena didn't push him away or say anything. She simply felt the warmth of the embrace in silence. When he let go, she raised a hand and brushed her cool fingertips across the crown of his head, so lightly and quickly that it was like a passing breeze.
"Go."
Her voice was calm as still water.
Lin Shuo gave her one last look, then drew on spatial power and left the Star Dou Great Forest.