The Mystic Ice Earth-Splitting Dragon's eyes held no warmth. If it had a choice, it would rather die than offer itself in sacrifice to a human.
But this was, after all, a request from the ruler of the Far North... It had no idea how this human had gotten so lucky as to earn the favor of both the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress!
A pained growl escaped the Mystic Ice Earth-Splitting Dragon's mouth. Then its body slowly began to fade. Its fur, bones, flesh, and blood gradually lost their substance, turning into a stream of pure Soul Power that flowed toward Yu Tianjue and Xiao Hei.
In the final moment of its life, it raised its eyes as if to memorize Yu Tianjue's face forever. Then its enormous beastly form slowly dissolved and scattered away.
A Thousand-Year Soul Ring glowing with a purple aura slowly took shape before Yu Tianjue.
Guided by Yu Tianjue, the purple Soul Ring seeped into his body along his meridians. A surging yet measured wave of Soul Power instantly coursed through every part of him, while Xiao Hei's form seemed to be undergoing a subtle change as well.
Under the wash of Soul Power, Xiao Hei seemed to grow stronger and more solid, and a hint of authority entered its expression.
Seeing this, the Snow Empress narrowed her eyes. She seemed to murmur to herself, yet also to be speaking for the Ice Empress to hear:
"His Martial Soul... is rather unusual."
"When ordinary humans release their Beast Martial Souls, they take on an attached form. But his Martial Soul exists separately from him. What surprises me even more is that the Soul Power from the Mystic Ice Earth-Splitting Dragon's sacrifice seems to have flowed not only into Tian Jue's body, but also affected it."
Listening to the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress nodded repeatedly, then added, "It's like an independent being. A Martial Soul this wondrous really is completely different from... from him."
The Snow Empress said nothing more, merely watching Yu Tianjue in silence. Now and then, tenderness showed in her eyes.
But the Ice Empress seemed restless.
After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help asking, "Are we really going to let him leave? Can't we raise him like we did in the dream?"
"No..."
The Snow Empress slowly shook her head. "His life is completely different. He was born in the human world, and he belongs there. We shouldn't interfere in his life again. As long as we can watch him grow up safely and make up for the regret we felt in the dream, that's enough."
Watching the Snow Empress, so focused and tender as water, the Ice Empress parted her lips.
She wanted to say that the Snow Empress's feelings for Tian Jue didn't seem like the familial love born from years of companionship. But when the words reached her lips, she didn't speak them. Instead, she buried the thought in her heart.
Before long, Yu Tianjue opened his eyes again.
A layer of cool frost now covered Yu Tianjue, and Xiao Hei seemed to have grown a little larger. But before Yu Tianjue could carefully experience the changes from absorbing the Soul Ring, the Snow Empress spoke softly:
"Now that you've absorbed the Soul Ring, you should leave."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Ice Empress stepped forward again and, without a word, tucked him beneath her arm.
Feeling the Ice Empress's grip, Yu Tianjue couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Seriously, couldn't she carry him in a way that was a little more dignified?
This time, though, Yu Tianjue felt no panic. By now, he was more or less certain that neither the Snow Empress nor the Ice Empress would harm him.
As for whether he should come clean to the Snow Empress and Ice Empress about the simulated life...
After thinking it over briefly, Yu Tianjue decided against it.
At least, not now.
Besides, the Snow Empress and Ice Empress didn't seem inclined to bring it up themselves. He could wait and find a time to clear things up later.
"The human who brought you here is a few hundred meters ahead. Keep going in this direction and you'll meet up with him. There are no other Soul Beasts within a thousand meters, so you don't need to worry about danger."
The Ice Empress set Yu Tianjue down. She gave him one last, lingering look, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Yu Tianjue didn't hurry to find his grandfather either. He silently watched the Ice Empress leave, and only when she had disappeared from sight did he head in the direction she had indicated.
What Yu Tianjue didn't know was that the Ice Empress hadn't left. Instead, she had turned around to watch him go.
The Snow Empress was there too.
The Ice Empress wasn't surprised to see her. She merely asked softly, "Are we really going to let Tian Jue leave just like that?"
"Of course. I want to see what kind of life he can live without the two of us constantly at his side. I'm looking forward to it."
"Besides, we don't have a good enough reason to keep him, do we?"
The Snow Empress smiled faintly. "Unless you plan to tell him everything. Whether he'd believe you is another matter."
"I just feel like he might already know..."
Before the Ice Empress could finish, the Snow Empress interrupted her. "What if he doesn't? Besides, you were the one who said we shouldn't repeat our mistakes. If you're worried about his safety, you can do what you did in the dream and follow him, protecting him in silence."
The Snow Empress had only mentioned it in passing, but the Ice Empress's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Tianjue!"
"Tian Jue!"
Seeing the small figure in the distance, Yu Yuanzhen's whole body jolted. He hurried over and looked Yu Tianjue up and down several times.
"Are you all right, Tian Jue? What did that Soul Beast do to you? Did she hurt you?"
As he spoke, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help letting out a long breath.
He had almost thought he would never see his grandson again. After Tian Jue had been snatched away by that unknown Soul Beast, Yu Yuanzhen had raced in the direction it had gone, consumed with fury. He had wanted to rescue Yu Tianjue, but halfway there, he encountered another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Ice Bear King.
With that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast harrying him, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't get away and had no choice but to fight it.
But just as he'd managed to work up a fighting rage, the Ice Bear King had turned and left, without the slightest hesitation or wasted motion.
After losing so much time, Yu Yuanzhen had assumed his grandson had probably already met with disaster. He hadn't expected the tide to turn—Tian Jue had actually appeared right in front of him!
"No, Grandpa."
"Not long after that terrifying Soul Beast took me away, it ran into another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. The two of them started fighting, and I escaped while they were distracted. I was lucky on the way here and didn't run into any Soul Beasts. Instead, I killed one that had been knocked unconscious by the fight between the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and absorbed its Soul Ring."