"That was what led me to him."
The Scarlet King said gravely:
"Di Tian explained that this was the Master's token, imbued with a trace of the Master's original aura.
Once it drew near its target, the scale would sense them and glow. There could be no mistake."
It held out the scale, pointing it toward Xue Chen.
Sure enough, the light on the scale seemed to grow brighter. An invisible link even seemed to connect it to Xue Chen.
Snow Empress fixed her gaze on the strange silver scale. She could sense the ancient, noble aura within it—a presence far beyond that of any dragon Soul Beast she had ever seen.
The three parts doubt in her heart dwindled to one.
She had long known that Xue Chen was no ordinary child, that an earth-shattering secret lay hidden within him.
But she had never imagined that his origins might be tied to Star Dou Forest's core, thousands of miles away—the heart of the land that stood at the pinnacle of the Soul Beasts.
As she watched the silver scale faintly resonate with Xue Chen, a deep gravity settled over Snow Empress's exquisite features.
What the Scarlet King had said was probably no baseless rumor.
Chen'er's origins were likely even more astonishing than she had imagined, and the turmoil and unknowns that followed would surely be greater still.
Silence fell over the hall. Everyone's gaze focused on the glowing scale and the bewildered Xue Chen.
The Scarlet King's words were backed by the token and sounded plausible, but Snow Empress, as the Lord of the Far North, was far too thoughtful and steady to be easily swayed.
She would never hand over Xue Chen, whom she had raised for years and cherished as her own, on the strength of the other party's word and a glowing scale.
Too much was at stake, and behind it all lay a secret that made even her heart tremble.
Light shifted in Snow Empress's eyes. After careful consideration, she raised her gaze to the Scarlet King, her ethereal voice carrying an unquestionable resolve:
"Scarlet King, I will keep your words in mind for now.
But Xue Chen belongs to the Far North. He is my child, too.
You and this scale alone are not enough to make me hand him over."
She paused slightly, her tone even but laden with invisible pressure:
"Return and inform Di Tian. If this matter is truly of great importance and concerns the core of Star Dou Forest, then let him come to the Far North himself and discuss it with me face-to-face.
Otherwise, there is nothing more to discuss."
The expressions on all three of the Scarlet King's heads stiffened at once. It knew that with Snow Empress having put it that way, there was no chance of taking Xue Chen away today.
Frustration and anger surged in its heart. It was one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts—when had it ever been treated with such disdain?
But the strong ruled here. Facing the three overlords of the Far North, it did not dare show its feelings and could only force them down.
It drew a deep breath, trying to keep its voice steady:
"Since Snow Empress has said so, I will relay your words exactly."
It turned its gaze to Xue Chen and held out the silver scale with one enormous claw:
"Wait. Snow Empress, I can refrain from taking him for now.
But this object was specifically entrusted to me by the Master to give to the young master.
Since the Master bestowed it upon him, it must serve some very important purpose.
I ask that the young master accept it."
The silver scale hung quietly before Xue Chen, radiating a familiar warmth that stirred something deep in his blood.
He instinctively reached out. The scale drifted lightly into his palm, cool to the touch, and the feeling of kinship in his blood grew clearer.
Xue Chen looked up at Snow Empress, his eyes asking for permission.
Snow Empress studied the scale. She could sense no malice in the power it contained.
She gave a slight nod, signaling that he could accept it.
Only with Snow Empress's permission did Xue Chen carefully hang the strange silver scale around his neck.
Pressed against the skin of his chest, its coolness seemed to flow straight into his blood, filling him with an inexplicable sense of security.
Seeing Xue Chen accept the scale, the Scarlet King secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least it had completed part of the Master's orders.
It did not linger. Turning its massive body toward the hall's entrance, it cast Xue Chen a deep look before leaving. All three of its heads lowered at once as it delivered a solemn message:
"Young master, take care!"
With that, the Scarlet King wasted no more time. A flash of dark-red light enveloped it, and it shot southward toward Star Dou Forest.
It needed to report everything that had happened here to the Beast God Di Tian as soon as possible.
With the Scarlet King gone, the tension in Ice Crystal Palace eased somewhat, but a far greater mystery now weighed on everyone's hearts.
Xue Chen touched the cool scale against his chest, his young face full of confusion and thought.
The young master of Star Dou Forest? What on earth was going on?
Snow Empress looked at the bewildered, uneasy Xue Chen, her eyes filled with nothing but tenderness and resolve.
She gently drew Xue Chen to her side and said in her ethereal voice:
"Chen'er, don't worry, and don't be afraid.
As long as you don't want to go, Mother will do everything in her power to keep you safe.
No matter who they are—the Scarlet King or Di Tian—they're all the same to me."
Her voice was soft, but her resolve was absolute.
Ice Empress came over too. For once, she set aside her usual haughtiness and patted Xue Chen on the back, offering a few reassuring words:
"You brat, don't scare yourself.
Going by what that Scarlet King said, you must be incredibly important to Star Dou Forest.
If that's the case, they won't hurt you. They might even do everything they can to protect you.
Look on the bright side—you've got an even stronger backer now."
Hearing the comfort and promises of the three closest to him, Xue Chen finally felt the taut string in his heart loosen a little. He let out a long breath.
But his mind was still a mess, as if it had been stuffed with a lump of paste.
Everything that had just happened had muddled his identity as a transmigrator and his already shrouded origins even further.
The matter had been set aside for the moment when Ice Empress suddenly seemed to remember something.
A cold glint flashed in her jade-green eyes. She swept her gaze across a corner of the empty hall, and her spiritual power, charged with anger and impatience, spread like invisible ripples. Her cool voice echoed through the hall:
"Tian Meng! Get out here this instant!"
Xue Chen jumped at the sudden shout;
Only then did he remember that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who had hidden to escape Ice Empress's wrath earlier, was still inside Ice Crystal Palace!
Deep in the heart of Star Dou Forest, beside the Lake of Life.
The Scarlet King had returned and was now prostrating itself as it reported every detail of what had happened in the Far North to the Beast God Di Tian, who had taken the form of a black-armored man with golden eyes.
Di Tian listened in silence, his golden eyes deep and unreadable. He merely furrowed his brow slightly; Snow Empress's refusal had clearly been within his expectations.
But going there in person to negotiate also meant the matter had grown more complicated.
However, when Xiong Jun heard that Snow Empress had dared to refuse to hand over the young master and had even demanded that Di Tian come negotiate in person, he flew into a rage.
Its mountain-sized body sprang to its feet. Its dark-golden fur bristled as it let out a thunderous roar:
"How dare Snow Empress put on such airs! She dares to defy the Master's command!
Scarlet King, come with me to the Far North! We'll snatch the young master back!"
Before you continue