Di Tian Descends Upon the Far North, Ice Sky Snow Maiden, Long Time No See!

Her brows furrowed instantly, a flicker of gravity and coldness flashing through her eyes.

She immediately cut off the conversation and said to Xue Chen:

"Let's go... we are heading back first."

With that, without waiting for Xue Chen to react, a swirl of white light enveloped Snow Emperor, lifting him into the air and transforming them into a streak of light returning the way they came.

However, after flying for a moment, the sharp-witted Xue Chen immediately sensed that the direction was wrong.

"Mother, this... this doesn't seem to be the way back to the Ice Crystal Palace, does it?"

Xue Chen looked at the unfamiliar ice valley passing beneath them and asked in confusion.

Snow Emperor did not slow down, her ethereal voice ringing in his ears:

"Indeed. I have some urgent matters to attend to today.

An honored guest... has arrived at the Ice Crystal Palace."

She paused slightly on the words "honored guest," her tone subtle.

"You go stay with your Aunt Ice Emperor for a while; she should be at her Ice Jade Pool cavern right now.

Once I have finished, I will come to fetch you."

Although Xue Chen was young, he had experienced much, and his mind was far more sensitive than his peers.

From Snow Emperor's grave expression, the sudden change in route, and her arrangement to keep him from returning to the Ice Crystal Palace, he immediately caught a whiff of something unusual.

The fact that even someone as powerful as Mother Snow Emperor did not want him involved or even aware suggested that the matter at hand was likely extremely serious, or perhaps... it might be related to his own complex origins and the Star Dou Forest.

He suppressed the curiosity and faint unease in his heart, nodded obediently, and without asking another question, replied softly:

"Alright, I understand, Mother. Please... take care."

Feeling her son's maturity and concern, Snow Emperor felt a warmth in her heart. She gave a soft hum and increased her speed once more, racing toward another core area of the Far North—the residence of Ice Emperor.

Leaving Xue Chen temporarily with Ice Emperor was the safest choice for now.

As for her, she needed to return to the Ice Crystal Palace alone to face that uninvited guest—the Beast God, Di Tian!

The winds and clouds gathered once more in the Far North.

After safely settling Xue Chen in Ice Emperor's cavern at the Emerald Deep Pool, Snow Emperor did not linger for a second.

White light erupted around her, and she pushed her speed to the limit, racing back toward her Ice Crystal Palace.

Almost the moment her beautiful figure landed on the mirror-like ice field before the Ice Crystal Palace and stood firm—"HUM!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended from the sky!

The sky over the entire Far North seemed to darken suddenly, not from storm clouds, but from a deeper, more soul-trembling aura of darkness spreading across the horizon.

The space above the Ice Crystal Palace twisted violently, then was suddenly torn open by an immensely brutal force, creating a massive rift!

From within the rift, a dragon of unimaginable size thrust its body out!

Its entire frame was covered in shimmering black scales, and a pair of massive leathery wings unfurled, truly blotting out the sun.

The shadow it cast enveloped most of the Ice Crystal Palace and the surrounding miles of ice field.

Its enormous golden vertical pupils were currently locked precisely onto the solitary, cold white figure standing outside the Ice Crystal Palace.

The massive dragon head lowered slightly, and a voice like rolling thunder echoed through the heavens and earth, causing the ice field beneath their feet to tremble:

"Ice Sky Snow Maiden... long time no see!"

There was no joy or anger in the voice, only a sense of vicissitudes accumulated over endless years and an unquestionable power.

Snow Emperor stood tall before the palace, her ice-blue hair fluttering in the gale brought by the dragon's might, yet the aura surrounding her blocked that terrifying pressure entirely.

Her face remained calm, save for a flicker of gravity deep within her ice-blue eyes.

She parted her red lips, her ethereal voice not loud, yet it clearly pierced through the remnants of the dragon's roar, reaching the high heavens:

"Since the Beast God has come, why hover above the nine heavens?

Why not descend for a chat?"

In the sky, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King—Di Tian—saw a flicker of movement in those massive golden dragon eyes.

He said no more; his massive dragon body began to emit a dense black halo, the light rapidly shrinking and condensing.

The next moment, the black light dissipated.

The dragon that had blotted out the sun was gone.

In its place stood a tall, cold-faced man in black robes.

The Beast God Di Tian, having taken human form, had descended upon the Far North!

With his hands behind his back, he walked with a composed gait. With a single step, he traversed the distance, moving from the high sky directly onto the ice field before the Ice Crystal Palace, standing dozens of yards away from Snow Emperor, facing her from afar.

Two beings standing at the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent's soul beast hierarchy stood in confrontation once more upon this vast ice field.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy to the extreme.

Di Tian's golden pupils narrowed slightly, and the invisible dragon might around him intensified.

His voice was low, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness:

"Snow Maiden, hand over that child."

The Snow Emperor stood amidst the swirling snow, her robes fluttering as if she had merged with the very chill of the Far North.

Her gaze was cold and clear, showing no sign of retreat:

"Give me a reason."

Golden light swirled in the depths of Di Tian's eyes; the secret regarding The Master, the Silver Dragon King, was top-secret and must never be spoken aloud.

His tone deepened, carrying a hint of indisputable majesty:

"Red King should have already delivered the message.

My personal arrival already demonstrates my stance. Further words are useless."

Upon hearing this, not only was there no fear on the Snow Emperor's exquisite face, but a trace of an icy, sharp curve flickered across it:

"And if I refuse?"

Di Tian did not grow angry; at their level, emotions were long since mastered and easily controlled.

He merely took a slight step forward, and the entire ice plain seemed to tremble with that single movement:

"If I were to take him by force, could you... stop me?"

The words were plain, yet they contained absolute confidence and power—the foundation of his status as the Beast God.

The coldness surrounding the Snow Emperor suddenly became biting and bone-chilling, her long ice-blue hair stirring without a breeze.

Beneath her feet, countless complex and magnificent ice-crystal patterns instantly spread across the ice surface, and the snow and ice of the entire Far North seemed to resonate with her:

"You are more than welcome to... try."

Their gazes met in the air, their invisible auras colliding violently; the air seemed to solidify, and even the howling wind came to a standstill.

One was the Beast God who ruled the Star Dou and shook the continent with his might.

The other was the Snow Emperor who dominated the Far North and froze all things; at this moment, they stood toe-to-toe, neither willing to yield a single inch.

After a few moments of stalemate, the golden light in Di Tian's eyes softened slightly. He reined in some of his outward dragon might, his tone remaining low but carrying a warning that seemed like a concession yet was, in reality, even more oppressive:

"Snow Maiden, you and I are both of the soul beast race, the last remaining ancient bloodlines on this continent.

This Seat does not wish to see our kin slaughtering one another and wasting our vitality for nothing.

My journey here is not to engage you in battle."

He paused, a trace of indescribable depth flashing through his golden pupils:

"Do not force this Seat... to use the means I least wish to employ."

Di Tian's words were already very clear; this was nearly a final ultimatum, carrying a faint, underlying threat.