But the Ice Empress knew none of that. She was still absorbed in her little scheme.
When the Snow Empress said nothing, she assumed the sight had stunned her.
She trotted forward a few steps and said proudly,
"Don't panic, Xue'er!"
"I'm telling you, they're amazing!"
"That young man in the carriage said he could help us become gods!"
"We wouldn't have to face heavenly tribulations anymore. He called it something like... a Soul Spirit!"
"I couldn't keep such a great opportunity to myself, so I brought them all here. We have to become gods together."
The Ice Empress looked proud and earnest. She even blinked.
It was as if she were saying:
"See how good I am to you, bestie?"
The Snow Empress's mouth twitched twice. She took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth,
"...Bing'er... I really must thank your ancestors, all eighteen generations of them."
"No need to thank me! What are friends for?"
The Ice Empress swished her tail with a grin, completely missing the edge in the Snow Empress's voice.
The Snow Empress rubbed her temples and gave up trying to reason with this fool, whose mind worked differently from every other scorpion's.
The child was still young, after all—so many years younger than she was. A little indulgence was only right.
The Snow Empress composed herself and walked toward the carriage, stopping a hundred meters away.
"Humans."
Her voice was ethereal, yet it carried an inexplicable chill.
"You've made quite a spectacle of coming to my territory... What exactly do you intend to do?"
Ye Yuan stepped out of the carriage and looked at the Snow Empress, born of the world's ice and snow.
"I've come a long way to offer you both a chance to change your fate."
"A chance?"
A mocking