Sacrifice, Fusion

The instant Huo Yuhao took Snow Lady's hand, he felt a clear yet warm power spread through his palm, like sunlight held in a handful of melting snow. Ice crystals from the Ice God Palace still danced through the sky, landing on his hair and shoulders, yet he did not feel cold. Instead, they seemed like tiny starlight leaping around him.

"The first?" Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, a trace of confusion flashing through his Spirit Eye. "The first what?"

Snow Lady muttered softly, "No matter how many times it happens, you're still a blockhead."

Huo Yuhao did not hear her. Snow Empress did not answer his question either. Instead, she blinked her red eyes mischievously and simply pulled him floating toward the exit of the Ice God Palace. "Never mind that. It's not important. Come with me first."

She moved incredibly fast. Her ice-blue skirt swept across the frozen ground, kicking up a trail of glittering ice blossoms. Dragged along by her, Huo Yuhao was practically carried through the ice mist without his feet touching the ground. The once-solid ice walls became transparent phantoms before them, vanishing in an instant.

"Slow down..." Huo Yuhao could not help saying, only to choke on the wind and snow rushing at his face.

Once they left the Ice God Palace, the night sky of the Northernmost Land opened before them. With no ice mist obstructing the view, the stars were so clear that they seemed within reach. Moonlight spilled over the snowy plains, reflecting a vast silver glow. In the distance, the outlines of icebergs appeared and vanished in the darkness like slumbering beasts.

Snow Lady stopped and turned to face him, her red eyes dazzling beneath the starlight. She released his hand, retreated several steps, and began to spin gently.

Her ice-blue skirt unfurled with her movements like a blooming ice lotus. Her long silver-white hair traced graceful arcs through the air, and the ice crystals among the strands reflected the moonlight, scattering flecks of golden brilliance. There was no deliberate technique to her dance, yet it carried a natural rhythm, as though the wind and snow of the Northernmost Land were dancing, as though glaciers that had stood for ten thousand years were stretching awake. Every turn and every raised hand sent snowflakes flying around her, weaving shifting curtains of light in the air.

Huo Yuhao watched in a daze.

The Snow Empress in his memories had been peerlessly elegant. After recovering her memories, she would not act coquettishly toward him, and her face was always calm and detached. Yet the Snow Empress before him possessed Snow Empress's majesty while also carrying Snow Lady's innocent charm. She had both the grandeur of ice sealing ten thousand miles and the warmth of melting snow.

"Is it beautiful?" After finishing her final movement, Snow Empress stepped closer. An intensity Huo Yuhao could not understand burned in her red eyes, along with a hint of nervousness as she sought his praise.

"Of course it is." Huo Yuhao's voice grew gentler. "There probably isn't anyone in this world whose dancing is more beautiful than yours."

Snow Empress's eyes instantly curved into crescents. She moved even closer, her tone carrying a trace of sadness but even more hope for the future. "Actually, I just wanted you to remember that the Northernmost Land will always be your home. If you ever run into trouble, run to the Northernmost Land. This place will definitely help you resolve your crisis."

As she spoke, Snow Empress said in a joking tone, "After I'm gone, if anything happens in the Northernmost Land, you'll have to take my place and handle it."

Huo Yuhao's heart jolted. "What do you mean by that?"

"The World Will has already made its choice, and I have memories of the future now. You won't drive me away, will you?"

"Besides, this was originally why you came to the Northernmost Land, wasn't it?"

Looking at Snow Empress's flawless face, Huo Yuhao unconsciously tightened his fingers. "You want to become my soul ring?"

Snow Empress did not answer. She only stared intently at Huo Yuhao's face. "Yuhao, do you know? The time when I became your soul spirit was actually the happiest time of my life."

"The Northernmost Land may be wonderful, but it is too lonely. And besides, you have always been different."

"Moreover, after becoming your Wisdom Soul Ring, we'll be one in body and soul. I can help you even more now. Isn't that better than waiting for my origin to dissipate in the future?"

Huo Yuhao's heart felt as though an ice spike had pierced it. The Snow Empress from the future, imprisoned within the God-Sealing Platform—the Snow Empress who had been so desperate after breaking free that she had wanted to self-destruct—overlapped with the red-eyed woman before him, tightening his throat.

"That is the future!" Huo Yuhao reached out and grasped Snow Empress's hand. "I never intended to restrain your freedom. And now you have memories of the future, and so do I. We can change it. Whatever calamities come, we can get through them together."

Snow Empress looked into his stubborn eyes. Her red gaze gradually softened, and a faint smile curved her lips. "That's why I asked whether you would drive me away!"

She stepped closer, close enough to almost feel Huo Yuhao's warm breath. The tension in her tone disappeared, leaving only pure trust. "With memories of the future, I know which pitfalls to avoid and how to protect the Far North. But what I want most is still to follow you. If you find me troublesome, or think this 'old soul beast' of seven hundred and eighty thousand years is an eyesore..."

"What nonsense." Huo Yuhao cut her off, the resolve in his Spirit Eye as firm as the ten-thousand-year black ice of the Far North. "The Far North is my home, and so are you."

He paused, looking at Snow Empress's flawless face and at his own reflection in her red eyes. His voice softened further. "You protected the Far North before. From now on... I'll protect you and the Far North. No matter what the World Will chooses, no matter what the future holds, I will not let you suffer another calamity."

Snow Empress's red eyes widened sharply, then misted over, sparkling beneath the starlight. Suddenly, she smiled, like ice and snow melting completely. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Huo Yuhao's waist, burying her face in his chest. Her voice came out muffled, though a cunning smile of success appeared on her face. "Then it's settled. From now on, everything concerning the Far North, and everything concerning me, is yours to handle."

Huo Yuhao's body stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He raised a hand and gently patted her back. A few snowflakes clung to her ice-blue skirt and brushed against his cold-weather coat. The icy sensation, however, left his heart burning hot.

The night wind of the Far North continued to blow. Starlight fell upon their embracing figures, scattering a gentle silver glow. The distant icebergs stood in silent witness to their promise.

"Mm," he answered softly. His voice scattered in the wind, yet it carried a weighty promise. "It's all mine to handle."

"Then should you support my decision too?" Snow Empress suddenly raised her head and asked.

"Your affairs are my affairs. I support you a hundred percent."

Hearing the resolve in Huo Yuhao's voice, Snow Empress murmured, "I really want to keep holding you like this forever..."

"What?" Huo Yuhao did not hear her clearly. Just as he lowered his head, two soft lips pressed against his. A streak of red light ignited around Snow Empress.

The sacrifice had begun...

Huo Yuhao's eyes flew wide open. He did not know whether it was because of the kiss or because Snow Empress's sudden sacrifice was so unbelievable. Then he heard her say beside his ear, "If we sign another Spirit Soul Contract, there won't be another chance."

Instinctively, Huo Yuhao set up the Spirit Soul Conversion Formation. A streak of red light merged into his body, and Snow Empress's seven-hundred-and-eighty-thousand-year soul power transformed into a skull bone that forcefully imprinted itself upon Huo Yuhao's head.

A heart-rending pain struck him, yet Huo Yuhao seemed not to feel it at all. With grief filling his eyes, he looked at Snow Empress before him. "Why did it have to come to this? Why?"