Snow Empress, Leader of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North!

Lu Xiao slowly walked to the massive corpse of the Titan Snow Demon, sat cross-legged, and entered meditation.

Soul Power gradually rose around him. A humanoid Martial Soul phantom gleaming with Bronze Treasure Light emerged from his body, its pale golden meridian patterns shining brilliantly.

An invisible force of attraction spread out, locking onto the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring floating in midair.

The heavy black Soul Ring trembled slightly, then slowly spiraled downward under the pull of the Body Martial Soul.

Lu Xiao closed his eyes and focused, circulating his Soul Power with all his might as he guided the Soul Ring's energy into his limbs, bones, and Martial Soul.

Buzz—

The Ten-Thousand-Year Titan Snow Demon Soul Ring differed from ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings. Its foundation was immense, its power frigid and tyrannical, carrying the attribute of Ultimate Ice.

The moment the Ultimate Ice energy entered his body, it wildly coursed through Lu Xiao's meridians, washing over every channel within him.

Bone-piercing cold instantly swept through his body. A thin layer of frost formed across Lu Xiao's skin, yet his expression did not change in the slightest. His heart remained as steady as stone.

The Bronze Treasure Light released by his Body Martial Soul resisted that chill.

His Golden Dragon Bloodline was like a warm furnace, firmly enveloping the fierce Ultimate Ice Soul Power and refining that vast force bit by bit.

The Soul Ring spiraled, descended, and fused with him. Rings of black light flowed like water, washing over Lu Xiao's body.

Nearby, Du Busi quickly inspected the giant beast's corpse. After confirming that no Soul Bone had formed, he stood silently to the side and guarded him.

Half an hour later, the wind and snow throughout the Ice-Sealed Rift suddenly fell deathly still.

The howling gale froze in midair, and the snowflakes drifting through the sky hung motionless.

All the wind and snow between heaven and earth congealed. An ice element surpassing that of the Titan Snow Demon suddenly blanketed the entire valley.

Du Busi's pupils contracted sharply. His Body Martial Soul instinctively possessed him, his Soul Power instantly tensing as unprecedented vigilance rose in his heart.

This aura...

Rumble—!

The frozen earth across the rift cracked layer by layer, and countless shards of ice exploded into the air.

A spotless white figure slowly took shape from the void.

Du Busi's breathing stopped, and his eyes were filled with dread. Damn it! Why had the Snow Empress come here?!

The Snow Empress, leader of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, ranked third among the Ten Great Beast Kings.

The Snow Empress had been born with unparalleled gifts. She was a lifeform condensed from the purest ice-attributed natural essence within the Core Region of the Far North, only gaining her own thoughts and wisdom after countless years of gestation!

In the Far North, even ten Du Busis might not have been her match if they encountered the Snow Empress!

The Snow Empress had been born in human form. Her snow-white hair fell from behind her head all the way to her feet, while her sky-blue eyes were ethereal and clear, as though they could see through everything in the world.

Her slender, delicate body was flawless. Though her white dress bore no ornament whatsoever, it made her seem incomparably pure and breathtakingly beautiful.

Her posture was immaculate, like a cold plum blossom amid winter snow—distinctive, proud, and unbowed by frost.

Looking at the Snow Empress in the air, Du Busi forced himself to step forward and cupped his hands. "Du Busi of the Body Sect greets the Snow Empress!"

If Bone Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo had witnessed this scene, they would definitely have been shocked.

The ever-dominant Du Busi had actually lowered his head!

There was no helping it. The Snow Empress's "fist" was bigger than his!

The Snow Empress's gaze was as cold as snow as it slowly descended. She first swept her eyes over the Titan Snow Demon's lifeless corpse on the ground, then looked at the half of its body and slowly said, "Was it you who killed... those Soul Masters who invaded the Far North?"

Upon hearing that, Du Busi's eyes lit up. He respectfully replied, "Those Evil Soul Masters intended to refine the Titan Snow Demon into a blood corpse. My disciple and I could not stand by, so we wiped them all out. But this Titan Snow Demon was already at the end of its strength! So..."

Yet before Du Busi could say more, the Snow Empress's figure suddenly flickered.

Without the slightest spatial fluctuation, her figure seemed to melt like ice and snow. In an instant, she crossed dozens of meters and appeared directly before Lu Xiao, who was absorbing the Soul Ring.

She was so fast that Du Busi could not react in time, much less stop her!

"Snow Empress!"

Du Busi's face was full of panic. "Lu Xiao is still just a child! Don't hurt him! Whatever this is, come at me! One life for one life!"

The Snow Empress gazed at Lu Xiao. She had noticed the boy from the very beginning.

She had only felt that he was unusual. He somehow gave her a sense of closeness, a feeling she had never experienced before.

But the instant she drew near Lu Xiao, a faint, gentle fragrance—clean and untouched by worldly smoke—wafted from within the boy's body.

The Snow Empress's body gave a nearly imperceptible tremble.

She had been born from the frigid ice of the Far North and had existed for hundreds of thousands of years. Her seven emotions and six desires had long been frozen over, just like this land of the Far North.

Yet at this moment, that strange, gentle fragrance was like a spring breeze breaking through ice, lightly brushing across her silent, lifeless heart.

Du Busi stood frozen nearby, his heart in his throat. He did not even dare breathe.

A faint flush flashed across the Snow Empress's flawless, peerlessly beautiful face.

No.

The Snow Empress abruptly withdrew her gaze from Lu Xiao's face and forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart, not daring to linger for even another moment.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Snow Empress's figure scattered like broken snow in the wind. Like melting ice, she vanished in an instant without leaving a trace!

The terrifying ice-attributed pressure in the valley instantly dissipated. The frozen wind and snow began moving again, and the valley returned to normal.

Du Busi stood there blankly, his face filled with disbelief. He was completely dumbfounded.

The Snow Empress, born of heaven and earth and cold by nature... had simply left?

Just then, the dormant Soul Power around Lu Xiao suddenly surged!

Buzz—!!!

A clear hum erupted thunderously from within Lu Xiao's body!

The black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring that had been circling him suddenly shone brilliantly!

His first and second Thousand-Year Soul Rings slowly rose, nesting layer upon layer with the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and locking together in perfect formation!

Lu Xiao kept his eyes tightly shut. His brow twitched slightly as every muscle and meridian in his body stretched out, greedily devouring the pure Soul Power contained within the Soul Ring!

The frost covering his body melted away completely as his Soul Power circulated!

The Soul Power barrier at level thirty shattered in an instant.

His Soul Power immediately soared: level thirty-one... level thirty-two... level thirty-three!

In the blink of an eye, he broke through the next bottleneck, his cultivation stabilizing firmly at level thirty-four.

[Congratulations to the host for becoming a Soul Elder! Reward: "Soul Elder" gift pack!]

Lu Xiao slowly opened his eyes. His Body Martial Soul withdrew into his body, and the aura around him completely settled.

He slowly stretched his limbs. Fine crackling sounds rang from his bones and joints, while a sense of immense power far beyond before filled his entire body, leaving every part of him incomparably full and refreshed.

"Feels great!" Lu Xiao's face was full of delight.

Before he could tell Du Busi about his third soul skill, Du Busi had already grabbed him.

Du Busi did not dare waste a moment. Soul Power erupted beneath his feet, and his body turned into an afterimage as he raced at full speed toward Extreme Ice City.

"Master, did something happen?" Lu Xiao asked in confusion.

"Today was cursed. I don't ever want to come to the Far North again for the rest of my life!"

Du Busi shot Lu Xiao an annoyed glare and said with lingering relief, "Brat, if you're still alive right now, thank the ancestors of the Body Sect for watching over you!"