Snow Emperor Arrives, the Oppressive Atmosphere within the Ice Crystal Palace!

Just as Ice Emperor let out a sharp cry and the emerald light around her surged, appearing ready to manifest the true form of her four-hundred-thousand-year-old Ice Jade Empress Scorpion self, her pincer about to strike down at Red King—"Stop!"

An ethereal, cold voice, yet one imbued with supreme majesty, seemed to descend from the nine heavens and resonate within the depths of everyone's hearts.

The voice was not particularly loud, yet it carried a strange, magical power that instantly smoothed out the violent turbulence of energy, causing even the terrifying aura Ice Emperor was about to unleash to falter.

A stunningly beautiful white figure was suddenly seen hovering in mid-air between Red King and Ice Emperor.

Surrounded by an extreme chill that made the very heavens and earth solemn, she was none other than the true ruler of the Far North—Snow Emperor!

"Snow Maiden?" Ice Emperor's movements paused, and she looked at Snow Emperor with some confusion.

"Snow Emperor!"

Red King's three heads lifted simultaneously, and as he looked at the white figure in the air, his expression turned incredibly grim.

The three great rulers of the Far North were actually gathered here!

Snow Emperor, Ice Emperor, Titan Snow Demon King... any one of these three, taken alone, was a presence capable of shaking a region. Now that all three had appeared, an invisible pressure weighed heavily on Red King's heart.

He did not doubt for a moment that if he failed to handle this correctly today, his life might truly end on this unfamiliar ice field!

Snow Emperor hovered in the air, first raising her hand slightly and shaking her head gently toward Ice Emperor.

Having spent tens of thousands of years together, Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor shared an incredible rapport and immediately understood her intent—now was not the time to completely burn bridges with Star Dou Forest, especially since the other party had come under the orders of Di Tian.

She took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to strike. The brilliant emerald light around her receded, and the massive phantom of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion slowly dissipated, returning her to the form of a dainty yet sharp-eyed green-haired girl, though her emerald eyes remained coldly locked onto Red King.

Seeing that Ice Emperor had retracted her aura, Snow Emperor slowly turned around, her ice-blue eyes looking down at Red King with calm, unruffled composure.

Her gaze was not sharp, yet it seemed to pierce through all appearances and reach the depths of the soul, making Red King feel that none of his thoughts could remain hidden under her scrutiny.

"Red King," Snow Emperor's ethereal voice rang out, devoid of any worldly agitation yet carrying immense majesty:

"For what purpose has Di Tian sent you here? Why do you seek to take away my son, Xue Chen?"

She went straight to the core of the matter. Her tone was flat, yet it made Red King feel a pressure even heavier than the fury Ice Emperor had displayed earlier.

Because Snow Emperor represented the will of the entire Far North!

Feeling the immense pressure beneath Snow Emperor's calm gaze, Red King dared not delay. His middle head spoke in a deep voice:

"Snow Emperor, I have not come to offend the majesty of the Far North; there is a reason for this."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words, before finally saying solemnly:

"I act under the orders of the Beast God Di Tian. I have come to this place to welcome back our clan's Young Master!"

"Young Master?!"

These two words exploded in the ears of Snow Emperor, Ice Emperor, and Xiao Bai.

The three great rulers of the Far North exchanged glances, seeing incredible astonishment and deep confusion in each other's eyes.

A human child who grew up in the Far North, raised by Snow Emperor herself... how did he suddenly become the Young Master of the soul beast clan of Star Dou Forest?

A flash of profound surprise crossed Snow Emperor's ice-blue eyes, but she quickly suppressed the turmoil in her heart.

This matter involved the Beast God Di Tian and concerned such an inconceivable title; it was no small affair and certainly could not be handled rashly here.

She made a prompt decision, her ethereal voice carrying an unquestionable tone:

"Red King, this is not the place for such a discussion. Follow me to the Ice Crystal Palace to talk."

With that, Snow Emperor turned gracefully. After exchanging a look with Ice Emperor and Xiao Bai, the three transformed into streaks of light and sped off toward the Ice Crystal Palace.

Watching their departing backs, Red King's three faces were filled with helplessness and conflict.

He was a hundred times unwilling to be saddled with such an inexplicable and thorny task.

But Di Tian's orders still rang in his ears, and the entrustment of the Lord, Silver Dragon King, weighed heavily on his heart.

For the sake of the soul beast clan's dim yet crucial future, he could only bite the bullet, lift his heavy feet, and walk toward the Ice Crystal Palace—the ten-thousand-year-old black ice structure that symbolized the core of power in the Far North.

Inside the Ice Crystal Palace.

Xue Chen was waiting anxiously. Seeing the figures of Snow Emperor and the others appear, he immediately ran up to them:

"Mother! Xiao Bai! Aunt Ice! You're back! Xiao Bai, you aren't hurt, are you?"

He looked at Xiao Bai with concern.

Xiao Bai shook his massive bear head, smiled honestly, and used his spiritual power to convey that he was fine, signaling that his thick hide and sturdy flesh meant he had suffered no real harm.

Just as Xue Chen let out a sigh of relief, his gaze shifted and landed abruptly on the figure following them into the hall;

It was a tall, burly man with dark red flame ripples faintly swirling around him. His aura was scorching and violent, completely out of place with the extreme chill of the Ice Crystal Palace, making him look exceptionally jarring.

Coincidentally, after the flaming man entered the hall, six sharp eyes instantly locked onto Xue Chen, carrying scrutiny, inquiry, and a trace of... indescribable, complex emotion.

Xue Chen felt extremely uncomfortable under this gaze and subconsciously leaned toward Snow Emperor, asking in a low voice:

"Mother... who is that man who's emitting fire all over?"

Before Snow Emperor could answer, Xiao Bai, standing to the side, spoke in a muffled, grumpy tone, still carrying a trace of lingering anger:

"He is Red King!"

"Red King?!"

Xue Chen was shocked by these words, his heart skipping a beat. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, eventually coalescing into a realization that sent a chill down his spine:

Could... could he be here to capture me?!

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the Ice Crystal Palace became exceptionally heavy and strange.

Snow Emperor sat upright on the main throne, her ice-blue eyes calm and ripple-free. She cut straight to the point, her cold, clear voice echoing through the hall:

"Red King, what exactly did Di Tian send you here for? Why are you so insistent on taking Chen'er away?"

Feeling the invisible pressure emanating from the three rulers of the Far North, Red King dared not hold anything back and recounted the words Di Tian had instructed him to say as clearly as possible.

Of course, he did not specify the exact condition of the Silver Dragon King or the deeper secrets that might involve Xue Chen, as even Di Tian likely did not fully understand the nuances of the matter; only their Lord, currently in slumber, knew the truth.

After nearly half an hour of conversation, although the true origin of Xue Chen's background remained shrouded in mist, the core message had been made clear.

"Wait," Ice Emperor said, crossing her arms and knitting her willow-leaf brows as she raised a crucial question.

"Even if your Lord has sensed something, everyone in the Star Dou Forest, including you, Red King, should have never seen Xue Chen before.

How can you be so certain that he is the young master you are looking for? What if you have the wrong person?"

This was also the doubt held by Snow Emperor and Xiao Bai.

To cross territories and demand a person based solely on a vague intuition was truly difficult to find convincing.

Red King seemed to have been prepared for this.

He lowered his central head slightly and raised a front paw, revealing the silver scale flowing with luster in his palm once more.

At this moment, the scale was emitting a soft, steady glow.