Little... Little Aunt

"..."

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

Every passage he had read in his previous life, every fantasy he had held about Douluo Continent—

had now become reality.

"Little one?"

Seeing no response from Ling Xiao, Snow Emperor rubbed his chubby cheek and asked softly,

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

Ling Xiao snapped back to his senses from her rubbing.

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

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

Clearly, even now, Ice Empress still could not accept the fact that there was suddenly a baby in Snow Emperor'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 whipping her in the face.

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

"He can talk at such a young age? What exactly is he? Where did you pick him up?"

Ice Empress's reaction was so intense

that even Ice Crystal Palace trembled slightly.

Snow Emperor 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 really transmigrated to Douluo Continent.

Snow Emperor was his mother.

Ice Empress was his little aunt.

He was an innate Chaos Thunder Spirit.

He was finally no longer alone.

Inside Ice Crystal Palace, cold air permeated everything.

Snow Emperor 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 find him?"

Snow Emperor recounted the matter from beginning to end.

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

The two of them had known each other for countless tens of thousands of years and had long since become the closest people in each other's lives.

There were no pleasantries or formalities in their conversation. Like true sisters, they chatted casually about this and that.

Ice Empress listened intently as well.

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

"An innate Thunder Spirit? Then isn't he an innate elemental spirit like you?"

"Mm."

"And he's actually lightning-attributed?"

"Mm."

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

"Perhaps."

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

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

"May be greater than mine."

Snow Emperor's tone remained as calm as ever, as though she were discussing something insignificant.

But Ice Empress did not react calmly.

"What!"

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

Greater talent than Snow Emperor?

Snow Emperor was an innate ice-and-snow spirit, condensed from the purest origin of ice between heaven and earth.

In terms of talent, throughout the entire Extreme North—

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

Yet now, Snow Emperor had personally admitted that this little thing possessed even greater talent than she did?

At that moment, Ice Empress's gaze toward Ling Xiao instantly became complicated.

There was shock, curiosity, and a hint of indescribable scrutiny.

However...

When Snow Emperor mentioned that she had been feeding him with soul power all this time, Ice Empress's expression changed instantly.

"Xue'er!"

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

"How could you do that? You still have to face your seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation soon!"

Ice Empress's tone was filled with concern.

But Snow Emperor did not seem overly bothered.

"Don't worry."

"Soul power doesn't involve my origin. The little fellow merely eats a bit too much."

After Snow Emperor 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 Ice Crystal Palace, she could come cuddle Snow Emperor whenever she wanted.

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

Even more infuriating was that

this little thing had actually made Xue'er expend so much effort, personally feeding him soul power!

"You little thing, you're such a burden! You don't put anyone's mind at ease at all!"

Ice Empress said with a look of disdain.

"..."

Ling Xiao said nothing.

Because Ice Empress was right.

At this moment, Snow Emperor's origin was damaged, and she was about to face her seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation.

Every bit of soul power was critically important to her, yet he was like a bottomless pit, endlessly devouring Snow Emperor's soul power.

He truly was a burden.

When Ling Xiao thought of this, his mood inevitably sank.

Snow Emperor noticed the little fellow's change.

She lowered her head to look at Ling Xiao, and her brows furrowed slightly.

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

"Little one."

Snow Emperor's voice was soft, but her tone carried an exceptionally intimate tenderness.

She slowly comforted him, "It has nothing to do with you. Don't think so much."

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

Those eyes were cold and clear, yet at this moment, they held a barely noticeable softness.

Ling Xiao's nose stung slightly.

"Mom..."

He called out softly, then tightly clutched Snow Emperor's lapel.

Seeing this, Ice Empress could not help but freeze slightly.

"Xue'er."

Ice Empress's expression became somewhat strange.

"This little thing... can understand us at such a young age?"

Snow Emperor nodded at her words.

"Mm. The little one is very smart."

After receiving Snow Emperor's answer, Ice Empress sized Ling Xiao up once more.

A baby could understand adults speaking? He could even display emotional fluctuations? That truly was not something an ordinary elemental spirit could do.

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

"So what if he's smart?"

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

Ling Xiao: "..."

As they kept talking,

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

"Xue'er."

Ice Empress lowered her voice, her tone carrying a rare seriousness.

"The seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation... are you confident you can get through it in your current state?"

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

Facing a seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation under such circumstances was no different from smashing an egg against a rock.

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

However...

Snow Emperor was still bouncing Ling Xiao in her arms. The little fellow bobbed up and down, letting out "yiyaya" sounds.

Snow Emperor's expression was as calm as still water, showing none of the tension one should have before undergoing a tribulation.

"No."

Snow Emperor spoke calmly.

Two words, spoken lightly, as though she were discussing something insignificant.

"What!"

Ice Empress's pupils suddenly contracted.