The Snow Empress slowly turned back and looked him squarely in the eye.
This time, a trace of seriousness finally entered her gaze.
"At least you're honest."
"There's no reason to lie."
The corners of the Snow Empress's lips curved almost imperceptibly.
That faint smile vanished in an instant, as fleeting as a glimmer of light sweeping across ice.
"Ice Empress."
She turned toward the Ice Empress,
"You trust this human?"
"I trust Tian Meng."
The Ice Empress's voice was crisp and decisive,
"That fellow Tian Meng may have a silver tongue, but this is the only thing he's done in ten thousand years."
"I'll take a gamble on the person he chose."
The Snow Empress closed her eyes.
The wind over the ice fields lifted her snow-white hair. Those ice-crystal strands brushed against one another in the wind, giving off faint, clear chimes like a string of wind bells.
After a long while, she opened her eyes.
"Very well."
"I'll go to Dragon City with you."
"But there's one thing-"
Her gaze settled on Zhang Lan, cold and sharp.
"If even a fraction of what you've said is false, I won't kill you."
"I'll freeze you beneath these ice fields and leave your consciousness awake in the ice for a thousand years, ten thousand years."
Zhang Lan raised his head and met those eyes that looked down upon all creation.
"Rest assured, Lady Snow Empress."
"I, Zhang Lan, never let my words come to nothing."
The Snow Empress said nothing more. She merely tilted her head slightly and looked south of the Far North.
In that direction, beyond a thousand miles of ice fields and Northreach Pass, lay Dragon City in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Beneath the northern half of that ancient city, the Earth Dragon Sect had guarded a deep well for generations.
Far below, Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow slumbered within the Ice Soul Domain, awaiting a being truly capable of entering it.
"Let's go."
Dragon City, Heaven Dou Empire.
Zhang Lan and his companions soon arrived.
Dragon City's walls were built from black iron stone and rose more than a hundred feet high. The blocks were covered in defensive inscriptions left by generations of Soul Masters, giving off a cold blue-green glow in the dusk.
As the largest city on the Heaven Dou Empire's northern frontier, Dragon City was both the first line of defense against the soul beasts of the Far North and the only trade passage between the empire and the Far North.
Long merchant caravans queued at the gates, with an endless stream of wagons laden with ice crystal stone, snow ginseng, and cold iron ore, yet an indescribable tension marked every face.
"So this is a human city?"
Having taken human form, the Ice Empress stood outside the gates. Her emerald gown swayed gently in the wind, her dark green hair fell to her waist, and four emerald demonic markings adorned each cheek.
She tipped her head up slightly and studied Dragon City's walls, a trace of scrutiny flashing through her crystalline yellow eyes.
"Doesn't look like much."
"The inscriptions on the walls are rather good."
The Snow Empress stood beside her, her robes whiter than snow and her expression cold as frost,
"It has at least a thousand years of history behind it."
"But the soldiers guarding the city have mediocre cultivation. Even the strongest is only a Soul Ancestor."
"It's a border city, after all. The truly powerful are all in the heartland."
Zhang Lan walked ahead, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers conducting inspections at the gates.
The soldiers were unusually thorough. They lifted the curtains of every wagon to inspect it, and everyone entering the city had to present proof of identity.
Although the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress had taken human form, their bearing was far too striking, drawing sidelong glances from many passersby.
Fortunately, the Snow Empress had already shrouded the three of them in a thin layer of icy mist that blurred others' perceptions. The soldiers let them through after only a cursory glance.
Once inside the city, the atmosphere became even more apparent.
Pedestrians hurried along the streets, and most shops had their doors half shut.
Occasionally, groups of Soul Masters passed by with Soul Tools openly displayed at their waists, their wary eyes scanning their surroundings.
The teahouses and taverns were packed, yet strangely quiet, with only occasional hushed whispers drifting out.
Zhang Lan frowned slightly and approached a roadside vendor to ask what was happening.
The vendor was an older man in his fifties, his face covered in wrinkles. Seeing a young boy like Zhang Lan accompanied by two women, he hesitated before lowering his voice:
"You're from out of town, aren't you? Finish your business and leave as soon as you can. Dragon City hasn't been peaceful lately."
"What happened?"
"The Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Earth Dragon Sect have started fighting."
The old man sighed and spoke as he packed up his stall,
"Who knows where the Heavenly Dragon Sect found themselves a Titled Douluo supreme elder? With their sect master, Yu Tiankuang, that makes two Douluos in one sect. No one's been able to rival their prestige lately."
"The Earth Dragon Sect has it rough. After their old sect master died, only Sect Master Nan Shuishui, a Soul Douluo, was left to hold things together."
"A few days ago, the Heavenly Dragon Sect announced that the Earth Dragon Sect occupied the northern city's dragon vein without making anything of it, and demanded that they merge into the Heavenly Dragon Sect."
"Naturally, Sect Master Nan Shuishui refused, and the two sides came to blows."
Zhang Lan's gaze shifted slightly:
"The Heavenly Dragon Sect's master is Yu Tiankuang?"
"That's right."
The old man lowered his voice,
"I hear Yu Tiankuang is only in his early forties, but he's already become a Titled Douluo. His martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and it's incredibly domineering."
"He declared that if the Earth Dragon Sect refused to submit, he'd personally lead his men to raze their sect gates."
"And what's even worse-"
The old man paused, glanced around, and lowered his voice further.
"He even said he wanted to marry Sect Master Nan Shuishui. Something about uniting the two sects and merging their bloodlines so their future children would surely be dragon martial soul geniuses."
"Sect Master Nan was so furious that she unleashed her martial soul on the spot and nearly slapped the Heavenly Dragon Sect's envoy to death."
Zhang Lan nodded, thanked the old man, and led the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress into a secluded alley.
At the end of the alley stood an unassuming little inn, its sign hanging crookedly.
The sign read "Northwind Inn."
The three of them rented a quiet courtyard.
After closing the door, Zhang Lan set up a Gravity Barrier inside the room, cutting off all outside eavesdropping.
"The situation is more complicated than we expected."
Zhang Lan sat down and poured a cup of hot tea,
"The Heavenly Dragon Sect has two Douluos, while the Earth Dragon Sect has only Nan Shuishui, a Soul Douluo."
"In a head-on fight, the Earth Dragon Sect won't hold."
"You want to help the Earth Dragon Sect."
The Ice Empress leaned against the window, her emerald gown fanning out around her, her tone casual,
"With your rank-twenty cultivation, plus me and the Snow Empress, dealing with two Titled Douluos would be more than manageable."
"But don't forget that we're soul beasts."
"If we fight in this human city and cause too much commotion, the Heaven Dou Empire's Worship Hall isn't going to sit back and do nothing."
"That's why we can't fight them head-on."
Zhang Lan took a sip of tea,
"The Heavenly Dragon Sect wants to swallow up the Earth Dragon Sect simply because they covet the northern city's dragon vein and the Earth Dragon Sect's accumulated resources."
"But the Earth Dragon Sect isn't the only sect in Dragon City. Won't the other sects have something to say about the Heavenly Dragon Sect doing this?"
The Snow Empress sat beside the table, her slender fingers caressing her teacup, her white-jade fingertips slowly tracing its rim:
"You mean to leverage the situation."
"Exactly."
Zhang Lan nodded,
"When the Heavenly Dragon Sect bullies the Earth Dragon Sect, the other sects know that once the lips are gone, the teeth will feel the cold."
"As long as someone takes the lead, those small and medium-sized sects will certainly stand with the Earth Dragon Sect."
"We don't need to defeat the Heavenly Dragon Sect head-on. We only need to help the Earth Dragon Sect weather this crisis and let Nan Shuishui retain her position as sect master."
"And then?"
The Ice Empress raised an eyebrow,
"Why would she hand the Cold Spring Secret Realm over to us?"
"Because we'll have saved her sect."
Zhang Lan set down his teacup, his gaze resolute,
"Nan Shuishui values loyalty and affection. In the original story, she was even willing to sacrifice herself for her sect."
"If we help her escape the threat of annihilation, she'll owe us an enormous favor."
"Discussing the Cold Spring Secret Realm then will be much easier than rashly showing up now and demanding entry."
Before you continue