Yan Hongchen's Transaction: Clues from the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Cave

The Snow Empress had arrived too quickly—or Yan Hongchen and the others had come too slowly.

Yan Hongchen had thought they could take it before the Snow Empress arrived, but now that was clearly impossible. To the Snow Empress, they were intruders. If they had no value, they would never leave this place.

Yi Hongchen was in terrible condition. His battle with the Ice Soul Mystic Hoof Beast had already drained him greatly, and his soul power had yet to fully recover. Now, enveloped by the Snow Empress's pressure, he felt as though he carried a mountain of immense weight on his back. His legs trembled slightly, but his spine remained straight. He could not fall!

Although Liu Yueming had absorbed the soul ring and soul bone, she had concealed her condition. At this moment, she felt an unprecedented sense of helplessness. It was absolute suppression at the level of attributes. Before the Snow Empress, one of the rulers of the Extreme North, her Snow Jade Ice Toad martial soul was nothing more than a firefly before the moon.

As for Jing Hongchen... the moment the Snow Empress descended here, she sensed that his aura was the strongest. The Extreme North Icefield could directly respond to her will, and she immediately turned the flowing water beneath Jing Hongchen's feet into ice, freezing his legs in place.

The wings behind Jing Hongchen were still active, leaving him suspended in midair, but he could not break free from the ice around his feet, making him look rather awkwardly stuck.

The Snow Empress's gaze fell upon the blooming snow lotus at the center of the pool. A faint, nearly imperceptible trace of delight appeared in her ice-blue eyes.

To her, the seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation was like a sword hanging over her head, capable of falling at any moment. Yet she could not even form yin-yang complementary dual soul cores, leaving her no choice but to seek another path.

This snow lotus contained the purest life force of ice and snow. Though its age was limited, it might become the key medium that allowed her to suppress her cultivation, house herself within it, and undergo transformation.

But the Snow Empress had no intention of picking it. Instead, she turned her gaze back to the four uninvited guests. Only after driving them out could she feel at ease.

The Snow Empress ignored Jing Hongchen and Yi Hongchen, looking first at Liu Yueming and Yan Hongchen instead. One was a human who had gained the recognition of Extreme North soul beasts and now possessed the potential for an ultimate attribute. As for the boy behind her, his aura actually resonated with the snow lotus.

She frowned slightly. The boy's expression was far too calm. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and her figure suddenly vanished from where she stood. In the next instant, she appeared before Liu Yueming!

The Snow Empress's eyes were cold as frost. Liu Yueming desperately tried to struggle again, only to discover that she could not move even a single finger!

"You have gained the recognition of my Extreme North soul beasts, so I will not harm you. But the person behind you—this Empress wants him!"

The Snow Empress's jade-like hand passed through Liu Yueming's defenses as though through air, reaching directly for Yan Hongchen behind her!

"Stop!" Yi Hongchen roared, pouring all his soul power into a punch. Golden fist force tore through the air, only to silently dissolve three feet away from the Snow Empress, scattering into specks of golden light.

The Snow Empress did not even acknowledge him, reaching straight for Yan Hongchen. Yi Hongchen's expression changed drastically. He could not even touch the frigid aura protecting her body!

Liu Yueming could only watch as that hand passed through her and seized Yan Hongchen by the collar, yet there was nothing she could do!

"Little Yan!" Liu Yueming's cry froze in her throat, becoming a silent wail.

Yan Hongchen had already been lightly lifted by the Snow Empress, dangling in midair.

The Snow Empress stared at him from close range. There was no emotion in her gaze, only pure scrutiny and indifference.

Yan Hongchen could feel that gaze trying to pierce through his body and soul, as though it sought to see through every secret he possessed.

"Human." The Snow Empress spoke, her voice as cold and clear as an icy spring, without the slightest fluctuation. "You seem to know me?"

Strictly speaking, her arrival had directly brought the entire scene under her control. Even with Liu Yueming standing in front of Yan Hongchen, how could the Snow Empress fail to notice how unnaturally calm he was?

It was not that Yan Hongchen was unafraid. He knew that fear would be useless. This was the Snow Empress's domain; whether they could leave this place or not was a matter of a single word from her.

"You must be the Snow Empress or the Ice Empress, one of the Ten Great Savage Beasts, Senior." Yan Hongchen spoke steadily, then directly revealed, "You are injured. You want to use that snow lotus to heal yourself and survive your next tribulation!"

"How do you know that this Empress's heavenly tribulation is approaching?!" For the first time, intense ripples appeared in the Snow Empress's eyes. Her voice remained cold, but it carried a trace of barely perceptible gravity. Though she had not answered, she had exposed herself.

Moreover, she had not told anyone else about her heavenly tribulation—not even the Ice Empress. How did this human in her hand know?

Jing Hongchen was not especially perceptive, but he still caught that slight shift in the Snow Empress's tone. His heart jolted, and he immediately recalled what Yan Hongchen had mentioned before!

Yan Hongchen did not answer directly. Instead, he went straight for the point; otherwise, he might not get another chance to speak. When buying things, hesitation meant missing out. In this situation, speaking too slowly meant losing his chance. He shouted, "I know of a cave filled with ice marrow pillars..."

At last, a ripple appeared in the Snow Empress's eyes. Ice marrow pillars... a cave... that was the hallmark of the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Cave! Yan Hongchen's description was inaccurate, but if it truly contained ten-thousand-year ice marrow, it would be immensely useful!

"What do you want?" The Snow Empress finally spoke, her voice now carrying a hint that this could be negotiated. She needed ten-thousand-year ice marrow too badly. Even if there was only the slightest chance, she wanted to seize it tightly. If she could obtain ten-thousand-year ice marrow, why would she need to rely on a hundred-thousand-year snow lotus to reincarnate and cultivate anew? The risks of that were far too great.

There was another reason as well. The Snow Empress was taking Liu Yueming into consideration. Someone who could gain the recognition of her Extreme North soul beasts might be nothing more than an ant, but anyone who could accomplish that surely had something special about them.

What was more, Yan Hongchen could resonate with the snow lotus. Perhaps he could provide some important information as well.

Yan Hongchen let out a long breath inwardly. He knew he had passed the most dangerous hurdle. Now it depended on whether his words could persuade the Snow Empress.

He explained, "Senior, we do not have the strength to contend against you. I am willing to trade the location of this treasure land to you. You need someone who knows the cave's exact location, and I happen to know it."

Then he stated his request. "I only hope that you will swear in the name of the Ice God that, if you obtain the ice marrow pillars inside that cave, you will ensure that my family can safely leave the Extreme North."

"If you are willing, simply give us a little benefit. We will not demand anything else. We seek only the safety of our lives and a safe departure!"

Yan Hongchen did not dare make his demands too absolute. After careful consideration, this was the best proposal he could make.

As for soul-searching, the Snow Empress might not be able to do it without harming him. He had not even opened his spiritual sea yet. If powerful spiritual force were forcibly used on him in that way, Yan Hongchen would most likely collapse and die in an instant, yielding nothing at all!