Snow Empress's Expectations

Just as Ye Feng was about to absorb the remaining Whale Rubber, he suddenly thought of something.

He put away the Whale Rubber and swept his gaze across the unusual flowers and exotic herbs in the herb garden.

Snow Empress stood by and watched without saying much.

She still did not quite understand some human behaviors and was more often merely an observer.

Perhaps Bing'er would have handled things better if she were here.

At that moment, Ye Feng walked over to Snow Empress and smiled. "Sister Snow Empress, do you want some Immortal Herbs?"

As a spirit born of heaven and earth, Snow Empress existed somewhere between a human and a Soul Beast. She should be able to absorb natural treasures to increase her strength.

Snow Empress's icy eyes flickered. Her cool face showed little expression, but her voice softened slightly.

"It is kind of you. Though the spiritual energy here is abundant, I fear there are not many herbs whose attributes suit mine."

"Leave it to me!"

Ye Feng patted his chest and began wandering through the herb garden, muttering to himself.

"Sister Snow Empress has Ultimate Ice, and Sister Ice Empress is an Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, also Ultimate Ice... I need to find something ice-attributed, or something that can strengthen the foundation, nourish the vitality, and enhance spiritual power."

He arrived at the spot where the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had originally grown. Nearby were several accompanying ice-attributed spirit herbs.

With a sweep of his eyes, he immediately spotted a dark-blue Immortal Herb.

It resembled a lingzhi mushroom, yet its entire body emitted a soft, pure icy-blue glow.

Cold mist swirled around it, but it was not piercing. Instead, it carried a tranquil, profound feeling.

"I don't know what it's called, but it should suit Sister Snow Empress."

Ye Feng's eyes lit up. He condensed his Soul Power into a shovel and small blade, then got to work.

Before long, Ye Feng held an icy-blue, translucent spirit mushroom in his hands.

"Sister Snow Empress, what do you think of this one?"

Hearing this, Snow Empress drifted over.

She extended her slender hand and lightly touched the edge of the dark-blue lingzhi.

In an instant, a stream of pure, gentle icy power traveled up from her fingertips, faintly resonating with the frigid energy at the core of her being.

Not only was there no rejection, but it also gave her a comfortable sensation of nourishing her spirit.

"This thing... is indeed beneficial to me."

A trace of surprise flashed through Snow Empress's eyes. Her ethereal voice rarely carried such emotion. "It can nurture spiritual consciousness and stabilize one's foundation. How did you know?"

"Hehe, intuition. A man's intuition!"

Ye Feng laughed awkwardly and hurriedly changed the subject. "What about Sister Ice Empress? Her true body is a scorpion, so her shell and strength are crucial. It also has to have some ice attribute..."

A hint of surprise flashed through Snow Empress's eyes. "You even know Bing'er's true body?"

"Ahem, I read it in a book. In a book..."

Ye Feng quickly brushed past the subject, rose to his feet, and continued searching the herb garden.

Soon, he noticed an unusually shaped Immortal Herb that resembled a crystal scorpion tail.

Its layered leaves alternated between jade and blue, their tips sharp as scorpion-tail hooks, faintly emitting a keen, frigid aura.

Ye Feng crossed the distance in a few strides and rushed to the strange Immortal Herb. Carefully avoiding the ice thorns on its leaves, he lifted the entire plant, roots and soil included, into his hands.

"Sister Snow Empress, what do you think of this one?"

Snow Empress drifted closer, lowered her eyes to inspect it for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Its attributes are similar to Bing'er's. She should like it."

"Are you sure you want to give these two Immortal Herbs to us?"

As the ruler of the Far North, she had seen countless natural treasures.

It was no exaggeration to say that even if one searched the entire Far North, they would not find any treasure comparable to these two Immortal Herbs.

Yet now, this human youth was giving such precious Immortal Herbs to her.

In her hundreds of thousands of years of life, this had never happened before.

"Hmm..."

Ye Feng frowned slightly. "I really should think this through."

Just as Snow Empress thought Ye Feng was going to regret it, she saw him squat down in front of several spirit herbs.

Before long, Ye Feng returned carrying several spirit herbs of varying shapes.

"Is this enough? Their medicinal effects may not compare to Immortal Herbs, but they still count as high-grade spirit medicines. Their effects are quite considerable."

Snow Empress looked at the spirit herbs overflowing with spiritual energy in Ye Feng's arms, and an imperceptible flicker passed through her icy eyes.

"You..."

She paused. Her voice remained cool, yet it had softened somewhat. "There is no need for this. These two Immortal Herbs are already a generous gift."

Ye Feng grinned and pushed the pile of spirit herbs in his arms forward.

"Sister Snow Empress, don't stand on ceremony. Besides, it's a good thing for me if you become stronger."

Snow Empress's gaze settled on Ye Feng's resolute expression. After pondering for a moment, she softly said, "In that case, I will accept them on Bing'er's behalf."

As she spoke, she raised her jade-like hand. The Immortal Herbs and spirit herbs in Ye Feng's arms were wrapped in a thin layer of ice crystals, floated into the air, and then vanished.

"What kind of technique is that?"

Ye Feng watched from the side, utterly dumbfounded.

Snow Empress explained softly, "It is similar to a type of spatial power. Once you can cultivate to the level of a Three-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, you will naturally master it."

"Three hundred thousand years!?"

Ye Feng made a rough estimate.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was equivalent to a Titled Douluo, while a Two-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was equivalent to a Titled Douluo at around rank ninety-five.

Any higher than that...

Ye Feng could no longer find a suitable reference for their combat strength.

After all, in this era, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were already rare, let alone Three-Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

It could only be said that compared to Soul Beasts, the history of Soul Masters was far too short.

If all of Douluo Continent were compared to a book, human history probably would not even fill one-fifth of it.

After all, Soul Beasts began at ten thousand years as a matter of course, while a Soul Master's maximum lifespan was only around five hundred years.

Ye Feng counted on his fingers for a long time, then finally gave up and scratched his head. "Forget it. Sister Snow Empress, you're already so strong. I just need to cling tightly to your thigh!"

The corners of Snow Empress's lips seemed to lift ever so slightly before quickly returning to their usual coolness. "Smooth talker."

"I'm just telling the truth."

Ye Feng chuckled, turned, and walked over to sit beside the Ice-Fire Spring Eye. He took out the remaining Whale Rubber.

"I'll quickly improve my physique a little more. Once Dugu Bo finds the Soul Beast, I can directly absorb my Second Soul Ring."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Feng swallowed the remaining Whale Rubber in one gulp. Plumes of white smoke instantly rose from his head.

Snow Empress stood quietly nearby, her icy eyes resting on Ye Feng's back as he sat cross-legged in cultivation.

The ice plains had been lonely for hundreds of thousands of years, and she had seen the desires and schemes of far too many living beings.

Humans in particular seemed to have greed carved into their bones.

They slaughtered each other for a single spirit herb, betrayed one another for a Soul Bone, and even massacred their own kind for the illusory path to godhood.

Yet this red-haired youth before her...

He clearly possessed Immortal Herbs, yet casually gave them to Soul Beasts. He stood in a treasure land, yet took only what he needed...

"Cunning, yet not greedy."

Snow Empress murmured softly, a faint trace of confusion passing through her icy eyes.

The humans she had seen were either timid as ants or vicious as hungry wolves.

Yet Ye Feng was like a ball of fire.

Burning hot, bright, occasionally scalding, yet never dark.

So be it.

Since the contract had been formed, she would see just how far the human she had chosen... could go.