Return to the Extreme North, Ice Empress's Sacrifice

"Snow Empress, don't look at me like that. I'm doing this for your own good too. When the time comes, I hope you'll help Bing'er achieve something great."

Meng Chen said with a soft laugh.

Shui Bing'er looked utterly baffled, but Meng Chen seemingly had no intention of explaining. He merely instructed, "Bing'er, hurry and thank Senior Snow Empress first."

Although she did not know what was happening, her Master would never harm her.

Thus, Shui Bing'er obediently said, "Thank you, Senior Snow Empress."

Snow Empress: "..."

"Bing'er, don't listen to your Master in everything. Otherwise, he might sell you off and you wouldn't even know it."

Hearing Snow Empress's words, Bing'er blinked. "No. Whatever Master does, it must be for my own good."

Snow Empress: "..."

Meng Chen was instantly overjoyed as a teacher and dearly wished he could give his obedient disciple a thorough ruffling.

Deep within the Extreme North Ice Plains.

Wind and snow blew in from some unknown distance, sweeping up ice crystals that glimmered in the moonlight.

There were no traces of life here, only an endless expanse of frozen plains.

The temperature was so low that one's breath froze. Even the circulation of Soul Power seemed a little slower than elsewhere, as though this land suppressed every force that did not belong to it.

This was a temperature capable of freezing a Soul Elder to death.

Yet the orange-gold Soul Ring revolving around Shui Bing'er kept all the cold at bay.

Just as Shui Bing'er stepped into the depths of the Extreme North Ice Plains, within Ice Empress's territory at the deepest reaches of the Extreme North Core Circle.

Ice Empress's heart was filled with shock.

She had actually sensed Snow Empress's aura once more.

In that instant, Ice Empress's heart skipped a beat. Her body transformed into a streak of jade-green light and shot toward the source of Snow Empress's aura.

Ice Empress was frantic with worry, desperately wanting to know what had happened to Snow Empress.

When Ice Empress finally reached the source of Snow Empress's aura, she found a human little girl.

Ice Empress was instantly enraged. Could this little girl be the one who had harmed her Snow Empress?!

Ice Empress immediately mobilized her Soul Power, preparing to kill Shui Bing'er.

But Snow Empress suddenly appeared.

The moment she saw Snow Empress, Ice Empress's body halted in midair.

Her jade-green eyes stared fixedly at Snow Empress. Snow Empress's illusory silver-white figure was reflected in them, while her pupils trembled violently.

On the day of Snow Emperor's Sacrifice, she had thought Snow Empress was dead, thought she would never see Snow Empress again.

"Snow Empress..."

Ice Empress's voice was hoarse, and tears shimmered in her eyes.

"Bing'er, it's been a long time."

Snow Empress smiled faintly. In that moment, she was like a spring breeze thawing winter ice, breathtakingly beautiful.

Ice Empress was even more entranced. If she were in human form now, she would surely have blushed.

She almost thought she was dreaming.

Hundreds of thousands of years had passed. Those hundreds of thousands of years had made Ice Empress believe her emotions would no longer fluctuate so greatly.

Yet the joy of regaining what she had lost at this moment left her heart surging, nearly making her weep.

Snow Empress looked at her, her ice-blue eyes as calm as ever.

But she slowly extended her hand, reaching toward Ice Empress's back.

Unfortunately, Snow Empress's Soul Body could not let Ice Empress feel anything.

Only after confirming that Snow Empress was still alive did Ice Empress ask, "Snow Empress, what exactly happened? How did you..."

At this point, killing intent suddenly overflowed from Ice Empress.

If this human little girl had forced her Snow Empress into this, she would pay any price to avenge Snow Empress.

"It's a long story..."

Snow Empress recounted everything: how she had met Meng Chen and Shui Bing'er, and why she had ultimately become Shui Bing'er's Wisdom Soul Ring.

"Wisdom Soul Ring..."

Ice Empress murmured, for even to her, all of this was somewhat unbelievable.

"Then that Lord of Heavenly Court..."

Hearing Ice Empress mention him within the Sea of Consciousness, Meng Chen appeared on his own. "I am Meng Chen. Ice Empress, a pleasure to meet you."

Ice Empress looked at Meng Chen. This was the man who had turned her Snow Empress into a Wisdom Soul Ring!

Yet Snow Empress did not seem resistant to it.

Snow Empress looked at Ice Empress and fell silent for a moment.

"Bing'er, you aren't confident that you can survive your next Heavenly Tribulation either, are you? She is now at the threshold of level seventy. Perhaps you can take a gamble like I did."

Hearing Snow Empress persuade her like this, Ice Empress turned an appraising gaze toward Shui Bing'er, who stood not far away.

Shui Bing'er was lovely in appearance and indeed seemed to be a rather good host.

And besides...

Ice Empress looked gently at Snow Empress.

Snow Empress would be with her too.

She just did not know what this man did or what his motives were.

Ice Empress shot Meng Chen a sidelong glance.

Although this man looked like he had nothing but good looks, for some reason, Ice Empress felt that if she attacked him, she would die.

Ice Empress considered it for only a moment before quickly making up her mind. "All right, Snow Empress. I agree."

Only then did Shui Bing'er understand. Her Master wanted her to obtain another Wisdom Soul Ring.

As expected of Master!

Hearing Ice Empress's answer, Meng Chen immediately broke into a grin. "All right, Bing'er. Get ready."

"Yes, Master."

Then, without waiting for Meng Chen's instructions, Shui Bing'er gave Ice Empress a graceful bow. "Thank you for your trust, Senior Ice Empress. I will not disappoint your expectations."

Meng Chen immediately nodded. She was indeed teachable.

Seeing how respectfully Shui Bing'er treated her, Ice Empress could not help but feel satisfied. Still, she said coldly, "Then I shall trust you for now. Make your preparations!"

At those words, Shui Bing'er sat down cross-legged.

Once Shui Bing'er was ready, Ice Empress's jade-green body floated into the air and shone brilliantly, as though illuminating the entire night sky.

Within that radiance, Ice Empress's body gradually shifted from solid to ethereal, transforming into countless streaks of jade-green light.

They were the final proof of Ice Empress's existence, and also the beginning of her new existence.

Then the countless jade-green streams of light abruptly contracted into a single beam and entered Shui Bing'er's body.

The instant the stream of light entered her body, Shui Bing'er shuddered all over.

Though Ice Empress, like Snow Empress, had sealed away most of her strength, it still caused Shui Bing'er unbearable pain.

Fortunately, Shui Bing'er was no longer a little Spirit Master at level forty, but a Soul Saint capable of standing against armies of thousands.

Moreover, after experiencing the bone-shattering agony brought by Snow Empress, the pain of merging with Ice Empress was comparatively much lighter.

With Snow Empress and Meng Chen, two great experts, guarding her, nothing could naturally go wrong during the process.

At the final moment, Meng Chen's soul power transformed into an invisible giant hand, peeling Ice Empress's fading consciousness away from the light of the Sacrifice and guiding it into the Chaos Bead.

The small world within the bead.

A jade-green Soul Body slowly solidified amid the Chaos Qi—her fair, beautiful face was cold and proud as frost and snow; four jade-green markings grew along both cheeks, and her hair was green as well.

Looking at Ice Empress's green hair, Meng Chen could not help but wear a strange expression.

Love was a light, green enough to make you panic.

Seeing Meng Chen's strange expression, Ice Empress's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "What? Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

Meng Chen replied solemnly, "Nothing. The Chaos Bead welcomes you and shall create a world for you."

As Meng Chen spoke, he manifested a landscape of ice and snow within the small world of the Chaos Bead.