The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion

Just as Qian Qizhou was forcing himself to endure the torment of the taste and preparing to face the next spoonful of porridge, a faint ripple came from the spatial gate.

"It's me, Ning Fengzhi."

Qian Qizhou felt as though he'd been granted a reprieve. He immediately set down his spoon, then opened the spatial passage with a thought. "Come in."

Only after Ning Fengzhi walked over did Qian Qizhou notice the barely concealed gravity between her brows.

Ning Fengzhi first glanced at Snow Empress, who was sitting nearby, and politely inclined his head in greeting.

Then he turned to Qian Qizhou and handed him a letter. "This is an urgent battle report we just received. It concerns the Clear Sky Sect."

Qian Qizhou nodded and took the letter.

After all these years, they could not be called close, but they knew their neighbors well enough.

As his eyes swept across the words on the page, his expression gradually darkened, and his brows drew tightly together.

The letter was brief and to the point: Spirit Hall had launched a fierce assault on the Clear Sky Sect, and the two sides had fought a bloody battle.

The Clear Sky Sect's Great Elder had fought until his strength was spent, and ultimately fallen!

Sect Master Tang Wei had been gravely wounded and sealed off the sect. The Clear Sky Sect had suffered a devastating blow, and the title of the world's number-one sect had become nothing more than an empty name.

Spirit Hall had paid a price as well. One Titled Douluo had fallen in the fighting.

He had likely been taken down by the Clear Sky Sect's Great Elder in his final counterattack. Several Titled Douluo had been wounded, and the Soul Masters had suffered heavy casualties.

Qian Qizhou slowly lowered the letter and fell silent for a moment.

Though he had no ties to the Clear Sky Sect, hearing that a colossal power—the foremost of the Upper Three Sects—had been all but wiped out in such a short time, with one of its top experts dead and another gravely wounded, still sent a chill through him.

Spirit Hall's iron-fisted methods and terrifying strength were enough to make the entire continent tremble.

Ning Fengzhi sighed. "The Clear Sky Sect will probably struggle to recover from this."

"Spirit Hall's thunderous strike was far beyond anyone's expectations. The continent's balance of power is about to change completely."

Qian Qizhou remained silent for a long while. In the end, he only sighed softly and set the report on the table. "What's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it."

"This storm won't affect us for now, and probably won't for quite some time. Take it easy."

His gaze passed over the bowl of porridge on the table, and a sly glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

He picked up an empty bowl, ladled it full of porridge from the pot, then smiled as he offered it to Ning Fengzhi. "Sect Master Ning, you came at just the right time. Care to try some?"

"Snow Empress made it herself, using the finest ingredients. It's very nourishing."

Ning Fengzhi looked surprised. His gaze shifted between Snow Empress and Qian Qizhou.

He truly hadn't expected that she could... cook porridge?

Though he found the thought a little strange, politeness and respect for Snow Empress won out. He smiled warmly and accepted the bowl. "Thank you. I'd be rude to refuse."

He picked up the spoon, scooped up a spoonful of porridge that looked crystal clear and quite appetizing, and put it in his mouth.

The next moment—

Ning Fengzhi's refined expression froze instantly.

His pupils contracted sharply, and the hand holding the spoon began to tremble.

What kind of taste was this?!

It was as though countless clashing flavors had exploded in his mouth at once, savagely assaulting his taste buds and nerves.

Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty... all mixed together in a way that defied comprehension, with a chill on top of it???

Only his formidable willpower and the composure he'd cultivated over many years kept him from spitting the porridge out in front of everyone. Instead, he swallowed it with difficulty.

"...Ahem... Truly... extraordinary..." Ning Fengzhi set down the spoon, his smile turning painfully strained. "Your Excellency, Snow Empress... you certainly have... a distinctive touch."

That was no exaggeration. He felt as though his tongue had gone numb.

If he hadn't known Qian Qizhou, Ning Fengzhi might have thought he was an assassin sent by Spirit Hall to poison him.

Watching Ning Fengzhi's remarkably expressive face as he struggled to maintain his composure, Qian Qizhou nearly burst out laughing. He hurriedly raised his own bowl to hide it.

It was a little unethical, but he really couldn't drink any more. He'd have to leave it to Ning Fengzhi, the hapless man who'd walked right into it.

Ning Fengzhi was just trying to think of a suitable excuse to take his leave with dignity, head back, and rinse his mouth thoroughly while letting his battered taste buds recover.

Before he could get a word out, the smile vanished from Qian Qizhou's face, replaced by a grave expression.

"Something's wrong. There's someone at the spatial gate. Their Soul Power is strong, and I don't recognize it."

He stood up and said to Sister Snow, "Sister Snow, something's happening. An unknown powerhouse has entered through the spatial gate, and they're no weakling. Shall we go take a look?"

Then he turned to Ning Fengzhi, who was staring at him in astonishment. "Sect Master Ning, this happened suddenly. You're not equipped for combat, so please wait here for a moment."

Snow Empress nodded and stood up as well. "Let's go take a look."

The two passed through the portal and appeared outside the mountain gate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

But the sight before them left Qian Qizhou stunned.

Outside the spatial gate, beyond the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's mountain gate, the atmosphere was so tense it felt suffocating.

Every disciple guarding the gate was deathly pale, their eyes filled with undisguised terror.

Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo looked grim as they stood on guard.

And the reason for this show of force was a scorpion!

A gigantic scorpion, its entire body seemingly carved from the purest jade!

It lay motionless on the ground outside the mountain gate, its enormous body radiating a bone-chilling cold.

Its aura was so powerful that it even overshadowed the two Titled Douluo, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.

Magnificent golden patterns ran across its jade-green carapace, and its long, segmented tail, like a string of emeralds, was raised high behind it.

"Is that... the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion?!" Qian Qizhou gasped, recognizing the legendary super Soul Beast.

Judging by its oppressive aura, its cultivation was certainly over a hundred thousand years.

Why had this Soul Beast, which should have lived in the Far North, suddenly appeared outside the mountain gate of a human sect?

Snow Empress also showed a flicker of surprise when she saw the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.

The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion did not attack. It only slowly surveyed the people at the mountain gate, and at last, its gaze seemed to settle on... Snow Empress?

Snow Empress sighed softly. "Bing'er, what brings you here?"

At those words, not only was Qian Qizhou stunned, but even Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, who had been standing ready for battle, froze.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's disciples exchanged bewildered looks, their faces full of astonishment.

Seeing Qian Qizhou's confusion, Snow Empress explained, "This is Ice Empress. She came looking for me. She means no harm."

She glanced at the people still standing on guard and said helplessly, "Tell them to go back."