Yao Shi Fishes for a Scorpion, Willing Bait Takes the Hook

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Before Ice Empress could even say the word "die," the human who had been standing before her suddenly vanished, leaving her shocked and bewildered.

She swept the surroundings with her spiritual power but found no trace of Yao Shi. She immediately revealed herself, withdrew the pressure she had released earlier, and said in an icy tone.

"Human, get out here this instant!"

Ice Empress could hardly believe it. With spiritual power rivaling that of a level 97 human Super Douluo, despite having nearly four hundred thousand years of cultivation, she had actually let a mere three-ringed Soul Elder escape right under her nose. It was simply the greatest humiliation.

"Let's make this clear first. If I come out, you can't attack me right away."

At that moment, Yao Shi's voice suddenly drifted from nearby, echoing beside Ice Empress's ears.

The instant she heard him, Ice Empress used her spiritual power to lock onto where the voice had come from, only to find that there was no one there at all. It was as though the voice had appeared from thin air.

Her tone remained frigid.

"You're negotiating terms with the Ice Empress?"

"Never mind that you made such a disturbance and interrupted my rest. You injured so many of my clan members. Do you really think I'll let you go?"

Yao Shi's irritating voice rang out. "Then I won't come out. You can just keep waiting there."

His tone was unhurried. Listening to that infuriating voice, Ice Empress truly wanted to kill Yao Shi on the spot. Yet she could locate him but not find him, leaving her with the helpless feeling of trying to hit something through a screen.

Ice Empress therefore suppressed her anger, intending to trick Yao Shi into coming out first, then freeze and kill him directly.

"Fine. I promise I won't attack you. You can come out now, can't you?"

Her voice was clear and calm, but Yao Shi decisively refused again.

"I don't believe you! Unless..."

As he spoke, Yao Shi opened a tiny slit in the Pure Land and extended a golden thread of energy before Ice Empress. Then he continued, "Unless you grab this thread, then I'll come out."

The moment Ice Empress saw where the golden thread had emerged, she fired an ice spike at it.

Boom—

The attack only blasted a huge crater at the spot where the thread had appeared. Other than that, the golden thread remained standing straight before her.

Yao Shi's voice rang out again. "See? You're getting impatient again. Give it up. As long as I don't show myself willingly, you can't hit me."

Yao Shi's provocative tone left Ice Empress with a bellyful of anger and nowhere to vent it.

I am the Ice Empress, one of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, yet I'm being toyed with by a three-ringed brat to this extent.

Fine. I'll endure it. Let's see what trick you're trying to pull.

Ice Empress began examining the golden thread before her.

Hm? There are no energy fluctuations, and it doesn't give off any dangerous aura. It looks like an ordinary thread.

Why does this brat think such a lousy thread can restrain me?

Thinking so, Ice Empress saw nothing unusual about the thread and decisively reached out with her left hand to grab it.

"I won."

Watching the scene outside from within the Pure Land, Yao Shi gave a sly chuckle.

Whoosh—

"What?!"

The instant Ice Empress grabbed the golden thread, it began winding around her arm. With a whoosh, her body was swiftly pulled away, and she was instantly dragged into a strange space.

"What is this place?"

The Glazed Abundance Pure Land overflowed with dense life energy, with lush vegetation everywhere. At its center stood a primordial Jianmu that seemed capable of piercing through the entire space. Its roots coiled throughout the Pure Land, crimson fruits hung from its branches and overflowed with sweet dew, while golden spiritual rain dripped from its boughs, transforming into streams imbued with healing power upon reaching the ground.

Standing within this strange space, Ice Empress felt confusion, shock, disbelief, and a faint, almost imperceptible longing.

Yao Shi's voice echoed through the Pure Land.

"Welcome to my world, Ice Empress."

"I think we can have a proper talk now."

As his words fell, Yao Shi slowly emerged from behind the Jianmu.

The instant Ice Empress saw Yao Shi, she flashed before him. However, she did not attack. Instead, she looked him up and down.

"So you're the little girl who dared to provoke me without knowing your place?"

"Male, male."

Yao Shi explained with a grin.

Ice Empress said impatiently, "I don't care whether you're male or female. You caused such a huge commotion earlier to lure me out, didn't you? Now that you've brought me here, say what you want to say."

It was not that Ice Empress did not want to attack Yao Shi. Had they still been in the Far North, she would never have spoken to him so politely. As one of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, no one would remain so courteous after being provoked like this.

However, after Yao Shi dragged her into this Pure Land and she sensed the powerful laws of life within it, she immediately abandoned her earlier intention to kill him. Any soul beast with eyes could see that there was no way a mere Soul Elder could create such a spectacle.

"Hehe, Ice Empress, don't be so angry."

Seeing that Ice Empress had not attacked him, Yao Shi moved closer with a playful grin.

"After all, the Far North is so vast. To find the beautiful and powerful Lord Ice Empress, I had no choice but to resort to this method and lure you out."

Facing Yao Shi's shamelessly smiling expression, Ice Empress turned her head aside. "Cut it out. Don't think flattery will work on me. Get to the point if you have something to say. If not, let me leave. I can overlook your earlier offense."

Ice Empress had lived for so long that she was no stranger to the world. This space clearly could not have been created by an ordinary Soul Elder. She guessed that Yao Shi must have a powerful force behind him. Killing him might bring her serious trouble. Besides, her clan members were indeed mostly fine; most had merely been knocked unconscious.

"Aww, listen to that. I traveled all this way to find Lord Ice Empress, so of course I have something to discuss—and it's an enormous blessing for you."

"Hmph. What could a mere Soul Elder possibly bring me—"

"Tribulation."

Before Ice Empress could finish, Yao Shi calmly uttered those two words.

At once, Ice Empress's gaze turned wary. She took several steps back, opening distance between herself and Yao Shi.

"How do you know? Speak! Who sent you here?"

Ice Empress had only told Snow Empress about her four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation, but she believed Snow Empress would not reveal it so casually.

Yet the person before her knew of her current condition. Clearly, he harbored no good intentions, and she could not help becoming wary of him.

"You don't need to worry about how I know. What matters is that I have a way to help you solve this problem."

Hearing Yao Shi's words, Ice Empress's furrowed brows relaxed slightly, though she remained vigilant. "What makes you think I would believe the words of a Soul Elder?"

"Is that so? Then after being here for so long, haven't you noticed anything different between this space and the outside world?"