The core region of the Far North.
With the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's disappearance, the Far North's Three Great Heavenly Kings were now missing one of their number.
Sensing that her allotted time was nearly up, the Heavenly Snow Woman decided to condense yin-yang complementary dual soul cores, using them as the foundation to survive her seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation and rise to greater heights.
Unfortunately, luck was not on her side. Only Beast God Di Tian had ever successfully condensed yin-yang soul cores. Everyone else had failed, including the Far North's strongest queen, the Snow Empress.
At the dangerous moment when her soul core condensation failed and her true qi reversed its flow, the Snow Empress, deprived of the Ice Empress's assistance, was forced to activate her backup plan. Using a hundred-thousand-year snow lotus as a catalyst, she intended to cultivate anew, transforming into a human to evade the heavenly tribulation.
As everyone knew, soul beasts lost all their cultivation after transforming into humans. Only high-level ferocious beasts could switch between human and beast forms. Even then, while inhabiting human bodies, their strength would be drastically reduced, with less than a tenth remaining.
The Snow Empress's failed soul core condensation had already caused her strength to plummet, and it dwindled rapidly as she transformed. During this transitional embryonic stage, a Level 9 Soul Engineer miraculously ventured into the Far North, evaded the patrols of its other great lord, the Titan Snow Demon King, and penetrated deep into the core region.
This was no longer ten thousand years ago. Humanity had thoroughly explored the great danger zones. The moment he saw the Snow Empress Embryo, he did not dismiss it as an ordinary soul beast. He recognized at a glance that it was a priceless treasure: the transforming embryo of a ferocious beast over two hundred thousand years old.
Not only could it yield a soul ring and a soul bone, but it could also exist in a special form, becoming a Soul Master's second martial soul.
This method was the same as the one used for Huo Yuhao's artificial Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul: both achieved their goal through sacrifice. Unlike the Ice Empress, however, the Snow Empress was not sacrificing herself willingly. She retained her full consciousness and refused to become an offering that helped a Soul Master advance.
This Level 9 Soul Engineer came from the Sun Moon Empire. He had crossed the sea to try his luck, only to have his dream actually come true: he encountered a transforming ferocious beast as soon as he arrived.
According to the Sun Moon Empire's ancient records, the Far North had Three Great Heavenly Kings. Yet on this trip, he had seen only the Titan Snow Demon King, without catching so much as a glimpse of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion in the Core Circle.
To him, this was good news. With the Ice Empress, his greatest obstacle, gone, no one in the Far North could match a Level 9 Soul Engineer. Once he attacked with a fixed-shell soul cannon, even the two-hundred-thousand-year-old Titan Snow Demon King would come off badly.
Soul Engineers specialized in soul tools and were not well versed in the path of Soul Masters. Moreover, all his soul ring slots were already filled, so he had little interest in the Snow Empress Embryo and no intention of refining it into a second martial soul.
This Level 9 Soul Engineer had come to the Far North alone precisely because he wanted the entire prize for himself, unwilling to let outsiders have a share of the spoils. Taking it back to the Sun Moon Empire would certainly earn him a reward, but not much of one. At most, he would receive preferential access to resources, which meant little.
To maximize his profits, his only option was to sell it to the Douluo Three Kingdoms. Given their focus on cultivating their physiques and soul power through martial souls, they would certainly be interested in this embryo and pay a high price.
The two continents had shared a border for thousands of years. Despite barriers such as the Ming Dou mountain range, nothing could cut off exchanges between them. The soul tool trade was one example: quite a few Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire slipped across the border and secretly sold high-level weapons, circulating them through the three empires' auction houses or black markets to make their fortunes.
Among the Douluo Three Kingdoms, the southern Star Luo Empire was the strongest by far, well above the divided northern Heavenly Soul Empire and Dou Ling Empire.
The Soul Engineer soon settled on his target. He planned to sell the Snow Empress Embryo to the Starlight Auction House, which answered directly to the Star Luo Empire, and establish a close partnership with it. Whether he continued selling soul tools or switched allegiances in the future, the Star Luo Empire would be his best fallback.
Level 10 Soul Engineers existed only in legend. Level 9 was effectively the ceiling, earning the admiration of the masses... though not much of it.
After all, there were distinctions even among Level 9 Soul Engineers. Jing Hongchen, the dean of the Sun Moon Soul Engineering Academy, held the most prestigious position; everyone else merely served as his backdrop. People like this man were a dime a dozen. At best, he could become the commander of some soul engineer regiment, with limited prospects.
Now that he had the Snow Empress Embryo, he could use it as a bargaining chip to play both sides, securing enough profit to guarantee a comfortable retirement.
Taking out the Sealing God Platform, a Level 9 soul tool, he attempted to draw the embryo inside.
As a seven-hundred-thousand-year-old ferocious beast, the Snow Empress still retained a thread of consciousness. Sensing the fluctuations of soul power and the suction outside, she understood that they were directed at her. Utterly unwilling to be captured, she fought back with every ounce of effort, resisting with her remaining power.
"Don't even dream of struggling. In your prime, I would have treated you with some caution, but now that you're transforming into a human, less than a tenth of your cultivation remains. How could you possibly be my match? Sealing God Platform... seal her!"
The Level 9 Soul Engineer exerted himself to the utmost, pouring in soul power without pause to strengthen the seal, intending to finish everything in one stroke.
At first, the Snow Empress barely managed to resist. But her cultivation was draining away, and gradually her strength failed her, her aura dwindling.
Just as the Level 9 Soul Engineer was about to succeed, a light breeze swept past, bringing a bitterly icy chill... someone had arrived!
The Level 9 Soul Engineer, pouring every last ounce of strength into the seal, failed to notice this anomaly. He remained lost in the beautiful dream he had woven for himself, imagining that one day he would soar to greatness and be honored by all four empires as the father of Soul Engineers.
Even if he successfully sold the embryo, that would be impossible, let alone with an oriole lurking behind him, watching hungrily for so long.
"So this is the Sealing God Platform? It really is remarkable~"
An eerie voice sounded. Before the Level 9 Soul Engineer could react, a hand struck the crown of his head, bursting his brains apart and killing him beyond any doubt. He never even had time to leave a final word.
Deprived of its soul power supply, the Sealing God Platform did not collapse completely. Instead, someone else took over, replacing the Level 9 Soul Engineer.
The Snow Empress feared this newcomer even more than the previous man. He had appeared like a ghost. Despite being so close, he had only been detected when he struck!
"Who are you? Are you after my soul ring and soul bone too?"
The black mist surrounding him dispersed, revealing a handsome, sinister face opposite her. He was actually a youth!
The Snow Empress did not underestimate him in the slightest because of his age. However weak that Level 9 Soul Engineer might have been, he was still a genuine nine-ring Titled Douluo. Anyone who could sneak up on him undetected had to be at the same level, if not higher.
Strange black runes marked the youth's face, and she could not sense the slightest trace of life from his entire body. Yet amid her terror, the Snow Empress also felt a sense of familiarity.
The Heavenly Snow Woman had been born of heaven and earth, a spirit nurtured by the plane itself. The youth did not feel human to her, but rather like a being of life energy similar to herself.
Could it be... that he was also a soul beast who had transformed into a human?
The tiny spark of hope that had just arisen shattered into nothing the moment he spoke, turning once more into boundless despair.
The handsome youth continued supplying soul power to keep the Sealing God Platform running, showing no intention of rescuing her. At the same time, he spoke to the Snow Empress, his voice like a devil's whisper...
"I'd like to make a deal with you."