Qian Renxue: Ten Thousand Years Later, Really?!

Gu Yuena's gaze fell on the Golden Rankings' description.

"Six hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine years."

"Her seven-hundred-thousand-year Tribulation Lightning is almost here."

Di Tian nodded.

The higher a Soul Beast's cultivation, the more terrifying its Tribulation Lightning became.

Reaching six hundred ninety thousand years meant the Snow Empress had already survived six trials of life and death.

"Master, even with the Snow Empress's strength, she only ranks tenth."

"What sort of beings could the nine above her be?"

Gu Yuena looked up at the sky, a thoughtful glint in her violet eyes.

"Those above her had better not disappoint me."

The Far North.

A blizzard blanketed the land as far as the eye could see.

Mountains, ice plains, and forests all lay buried beneath thick snow.

A woman in white stood at the heart of the storm.

Snow-white hair fell all the way to her ankles.

Her exquisite face was untouched by dust, her fair skin delicate. Her long dress traced a slender waist and tall figure.

Snowflakes drifting near her dissolved into tiny ice crystals on their own.

Her cool, distant presence seemed to soften even the cold around her.

She was the Snow Empress.

Beside her stood another woman in an emerald-green dress.

The woman was petite.

Emerald hair fell to her waist, framing a lovely, fair-skinned face and bright, lively eyes.

She looked up at the Golden Rankings, froze for a moment, then opened her eyes wide.

"Snow Sis, you're on the rankings!"

"Tenth place!"

The Ice Empress turned and circled the Snow Empress.

"I can understand not making the list. I'm not even at four hundred thousand years yet."

"But Snow Sis, you're already at six hundred ninety thousand years. How are you only tenth?"

"That's so unfair."

The Snow Empress remained calm.

"The rankings have their own judgment."

"But you're the ruler of the Far North!"

The Ice Empress raised a hand toward the sky.

"Six rounds of Tribulation Lightning, Ultimate Snow, and the Snow Empress's Three Absolutes."

"What gives those humans the right to rank above you?"

The Snow Empress glanced at her.

"Perhaps those above me are stronger."

"Then let them come to the Far North and try."

The Ice Empress folded her arms, defiance written across her fair face.

"Once they set foot here, Snow Sis can draw on the power of heaven and earth."

"Once Emperor's Cold Heaven is unleashed, no one will get away unscathed."

The Snow Empress did not argue.

Her gaze settled on the rewards.

[Reward: One Tribulation-Transcending Pill!]

[Taking the Tribulation-Transcending Pill allows a Soul Beast to survive one round of Soul Beast Tribulation unconditionally!]

[Reward, divine artifact: Snow Empress Sword!]

The Ice Empress's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"A Tribulation-Transcending Pill!"

"Snow Sis, claim your rewards, quick."

"With that pill, you won't have to worry about the seven-hundred-thousand-year Tribulation Lightning."

The Snow Empress raised a slender hand.

A golden light descended from the sky and stopped before her.

When it faded, a white pill hovered in midair.

It was no bigger than a thumb, yet snowflake patterns slowly revolved across its surface.

Pure power flowed from within it.

The Ice Empress looked at the pill, delight filling her face.

"Take it, quick."

The Snow Empress did not reach for it.

"There's only one."

The Ice Empress paused.

"My four-hundred-thousand-year Tribulation Lightning hasn't come yet."

"My next great tribulation is still a long way off."

The Snow Empress looked at her.

"But you'll face it eventually."

"We can worry about that later."

The Ice Empress stepped closer and took the Snow Empress's hand.

"As long as Snow Sis survives her seven-hundred-thousand-year Tribulation Lightning, I'll be happy."

"As for whether I survive mine, I'll leave that to fate."

The Snow Empress watched her quietly.

The Ice Empress met her gaze, her smile unwavering.

"Snow Sis, you're not going to ignore me, are you?"

The Snow Empress did not answer.

She took the Tribulation-Transcending Pill and placed it in her mouth.

It dissolved the instant it touched her tongue.

The next moment, vast golden light surged from within her.

The blizzard across the Far North abruptly froze in place.

The power of ice and snow from a thousand miles around converged on her through the earth, mountains, and ice plains.

The Snow Empress's white robes fluttered, her snow-white hair spreading behind her.

Her aura climbed steadily.

Six hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine years.

The barrier that had stopped countless Soul Beasts shattered beneath the pill's power.

Rumble!

Dark clouds swiftly gathered over the Far North.

Bolts of lightning flickered within them.

The seven-hundred-thousand-year Tribulation Lightning had arrived.

The Snow Empress raised her head.

She made no move to fight.

Golden light spread from her body and enveloped every storm cloud.

Before the lightning could fall, the golden light gradually erased it.

The pressure that had gripped heaven and earth for so long slowly dissipated.

The Snow Empress's aura settled completely.

She had become a seven-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast.

The Ice Empress rushed to her and threw her arms around her.

"You did it!"

The Snow Empress stiffened slightly.

Then she rested a hand on the Ice Empress's back.

"I'm all right."

"I knew you could do it, Snow Sis."

The Ice Empress hugged her tighter, emerald hair spilling over the Snow Empress's shoulder.

At last, a hint of warmth touched the Snow Empress's fair face.

"You can let go now."

"No."

The Ice Empress lifted her face.

"I'm happy."

The Snow Empress looked at her for a moment, then let her keep holding on.

After so many years together, they had long grown used to each other's presence.

To the Ice Empress, the Snow Empress was not only the ruler of the Far North, but also the person who mattered most to her.

Another pillar of light descended from the Golden Rankings.

A longsword slowly emerged from within it.

Its blade was pure white, with a crystal-clear shard of ice set into its hilt.

No cold radiated from its edge, yet all the snow and ice across the Far North stilled for an instant.

The Snow Empress gently drew free of the Ice Empress and grasped the hilt.

The instant the sword settled into her hand, the power of ice and snow throughout the land surged toward her.

The Snow Empress Sword.

A divine artifact attuned to her very essence.

The Snow Empress raised her arm and swept the sword through the blizzard.

A white sword scar cut across the ice plain, splitting the mountain ahead cleanly down the middle.

The Ice Empress gazed at the slash, her eyes shining.

"Snow Sis, you're even stronger now."

The Snow Empress put away the sword.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"Back to the Ice Palace."

The Ice Empress fell into step beside her.

"I want every Soul Beast to know Snow Sis has survived her seven-hundred-thousand-year Tribulation Lightning."

The Snow Empress did not object.

Their figures gradually vanished into the swirling snow.

Heaven Dou City.

Tang Ya, Ma Xiaotao, and Qian Renxue walked along the street.

Oil lamps hung outside the shops on both sides, while vendors displayed all manner of goods along the roadside.

Tang Ya stopped outside a shop and picked up a wooden hairpin, examining it closely.

"Everything here is so different from our time."

Ma Xiaotao glanced at a carriage by the road.

"They don't even have Soul Guidance Cars."

"People have to travel by carriage."

Qian Renxue walked ahead of them.

She had changed into a pale-gold dress, her golden hair falling over both shoulders.

As she walked, her hem swayed gently, revealing long, fair legs.

"Soul Tools hadn't developed yet ten thousand years ago."

"Ordinary people still used things like these for the most part."

Tang Ya set down the hairpin and looked toward a restaurant across the street.

"Heaven Dou City really is fascinating in this era."

"By our time, many old buildings had already disappeared."

Qian Renxue turned back to her.

"Are you really from ten thousand years in the future?"