Little... Little Aunt

"..."

Ling Xiao, cradled in Snow Empress's arms, opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Every passage he had read in his previous life, every imagination he had held of Douluo Continent.

Had now become reality.

"Little thing?"

Seeing no response from Ling Xiao, Snow Empress rubbed his cheeks and asked softly,

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about? Your little aunt is here. You need to call her Little Aunt."

Ling Xiao came back to his senses from the rubbing.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the woman before him with emerald-green twin ponytails.

Ice Empress stood with her hands on her hips, staring at him suspiciously. Her emerald-green eyes were filled with curiosity and shock.

Clearly, Ice Empress still could not accept the fact that there was suddenly a baby in Snow Empress's arms.

Ling Xiao stammered,

"L-Little Aunt."

The moment Ice Empress heard Ling Xiao's voice, the air fell silent once more.

Then...

"Ahhh! He can talk!"

Ice Empress warily took two steps back, her twin ponytails nearly slapping her in the face.

"Xue'er! He called me Little Aunt! This thing can actually address people?"

"He can talk when he's this small? What exactly is he? Where did you pick him up?"

Ice Empress's reaction was so intense.

That even the Ice Crystal Palace trembled slightly.

Snow Empress merely looked at her calmly, a somewhat smug smile appearing on her face.

"His name is Ling Xiao."

"I picked him up a few days ago."

Ling Xiao, still in her arms, remained dazed. He had truly transmigrated to Douluo Continent.

Snow Empress was his mother.

Ice Empress was his little aunt.

He was an Innate Chaos Thunder Spirit.

He was finally no longer alone.

Inside the Ice Crystal Palace, cold air permeated everything.

Snow Empress sat on an ice bed with Ling Xiao in her arms, while Ice Empress sat beside her.

Ice Empress pressed on from the side. "So... how did you pick him up?"

Snow Empress recounted the matter in detail.

The strange Heavenly Thunder, entering deep into the ice cave, discovering an Innate Thunder Spirit—she explained it all briefly.

The two had known each other for countless tens of thousands of years and had long become the people closest to one another.

There was no need for pleasantries or formalities between them. Like true sisters, they chatted idly about this and that.

Ice Empress listened very attentively as well.

When Snow Empress mentioned that Ling Xiao's origin was that of an Innate Thunder Spirit, Ice Empress's eyes lit up slightly.

"An Innate Thunder Spirit? Wouldn't that make him an Innate Elf like you?"

"Yes."

"And he's actually thunder-attributed?"

"Yes."

"If he's like you, doesn't that mean he can naturally devour Heavenly Thunder?"

"Perhaps."

Ice Empress's expression shifted from curiosity to surprise, then from surprise to shock.

She raised a hand over her small mouth. "Doesn't that mean... his cultivation talent..."

"May be greater than mine."

Snow Empress's tone remained as calm as ever, as though she were talking about something utterly insignificant.

But Ice Empress's reaction was anything but calm.

"What!"

Her already large eyes widened even further upon hearing those words.

Greater talent than Snow Empress?

Snow Empress was an innate ice-and-snow elf, condensed from the purest Ice Origin between heaven and earth.

In terms of talent, throughout the entire Extreme North.

No, throughout all of Douluo Continent, there were probably only a few beings who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

Yet now, Snow Empress had personally admitted that this little fellow possessed even greater talent than her?

At that moment, the way Ice Empress looked at Ling Xiao instantly became complicated.

There was shock, curiosity, and a faint, indescribable scrutiny.

However...

When Snow Empress mentioned that she had been feeding him Soul Power all this time, Ice Empress's expression changed instantly.

"Xue'er!"

Ice Empress's voice suddenly rose several degrees, and a trace of anxiety flashed through her emerald-green eyes.

"How could you do that! You'll soon have to face the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation!"

Ice Empress's tone was full of concern.

But Snow Empress did not seem to care much.

"Don't worry."

"Soul Power doesn't involve my origin. It's only that the little one eats quite a lot."

After Snow Empress said that, Ice Empress still shot Ling Xiao a fierce glare.

This little thing!

He had stolen her Xue'er away.

Back when there had only been the two of them in the Ice Crystal Palace, she could come cuddle with Snow Empress whenever she wanted.

Now, there was a little thing in Xue'er's arms, and she even had to think twice before getting close.

Even worse!

This little thing had actually made Xue'er expend so much effort, personally feeding him Soul Power!

"You little thing, you really are a burden! You don't spare anyone any worry at all!"

Ice Empress said with a look of disdain.

"..."

Ling Xiao said nothing.

Because Ice Empress was not wrong.

Snow Empress's origin was damaged, and she was about to face the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation.

Every bit of Soul Power was crucial to her, yet he was like a bottomless pit, continuously devouring Snow Empress's Soul Power.

He truly was a burden.

Thinking of this, Ling Xiao could not help feeling somewhat downcast.

Snow Empress noticed the little fellow's change.

She lowered her head to look at Ling Xiao and saw his brows furrow slightly.

Then, she gently lifted Ling Xiao's chin with one hand, making him raise his head.

"Little thing."

Snow Empress's voice was soft, but it carried an exceedingly warm gentleness.

She slowly comforted him, "It's not your fault. Don't think so much."

Ling Xiao raised his head and met Snow Empress's ice-blue eyes.

Those eyes were cold by nature, but at that moment, they carried a faint softness that was difficult to detect.

Ling Xiao's nose tingled slightly.

"Mom..."

He called softly, then tightly grabbed Snow Empress's collar.

Seeing this, Ice Empress could not help freezing slightly.

"Xue'er."

Ice Empress's expression became somewhat strange.

"This little thing... can understand what we're saying at such a young age?"

Snow Empress nodded at her words.

"Yes, the little thing is very smart."

After receiving Snow Empress's answer, Ice Empress examined Ling Xiao again.

A baby could understand adults talking? He could even show emotional fluctuations? That truly was not something an ordinary elf could do.

However, with Ice Empress's proud and stubborn personality, she clearly would not allow herself to praise someone so easily.

"So what if he's smart?"

With her hands on her hips, Ice Empress said stubbornly, "He's still a little burden."

Ling Xiao: "..."

As they continued chatting.

The topic gradually turned to serious matters, and Ice Empress's expression became increasingly solemn.

"Xue'er."

Ice Empress lowered her voice, and her tone carried a rare seriousness.

"The Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation... are you confident you can get through it now?"

Ice Empress understood better than anyone Snow Empress's current condition. Her origin was damaged, her cultivation had regressed, and her strength had been greatly reduced.

Facing the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation under such circumstances was no different from striking a stone with an egg.

But she wanted to hear Snow Empress say it herself. Perhaps Snow Empress had some hidden trump card she did not know about?

However...

Snow Empress was still bouncing Ling Xiao in her arms. The little fellow bobbed up and down, babbling, "Yiya yaya."

Snow Empress's expression was as calm as still water, utterly lacking the nervousness one should have before undergoing a tribulation.

"No."

Snow Empress answered lightly.

Two words, spoken casually, as though she were talking about something utterly insignificant.

"What!"

Ice Empress's pupils suddenly contracted.