The Snow Empress raised her slender hand.
A mass of pure-white essence appeared in her palm.
"Since I cannot survive the tribulation, I will take another path."
Golden text appeared on the screen.
[The Snow Empress sensed that she could not survive the 700,000-Year Heavenly Tribulation.]
[She decided to seal her own cultivation.]
[She would transform her seven hundred thousand years of essence into a human embryo.]
[By taking human form and cultivating anew, she would evade the heavenly tribulation.]
A flood of comments immediately appeared across the continent.
[Even a seven-hundred-thousand-year soul beast has to take human form and cultivate anew?]
[Soul beast tribulations are actually this terrifying!]
[If the Snow Empress becomes human, what happens to her original cultivation?]
[Her seven hundred thousand years of essence won't disappear!]
[As long as she cultivates again, she might very well become a god outright in the future!]
The white essence in the Snow Empress's palm continued to expand.
Her long hair and the hem of her dress gradually turned into ice and snow, while her body grew transparent in the white light.
All seven hundred thousand years of cultivation gathered deep within the essence.
The tribulation clouds in the sky lost their target.
The heavenly tribulation began to slowly disperse.
Just as the Snow Empress was about to complete her transformation.
Several figures rushed out from behind a distant snowy mountain.
They wore heavy Soul Tool Armor.
Each held a long metal pillar.
The metal pillars struck the ground simultaneously, and a silver barrier rapidly unfolded.
The Snow Empress's essence, its transformation still incomplete, was trapped at the center of the silver barrier.
The Ice Empress's expression changed.
"Humans!"
She charged straight at those Soul Masters.
A Soul Tool Shield rose from beneath the snow.
Hundreds of soul tools activated at once.
A dense barrage of beams blasted toward the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress was forced to stop.
At that moment, the Snow Empress's essence also fully transformed into an embryo.
One Soul Master took out a transparent container, and the silver barrier rapidly contracted.
The embryo the Snow Empress had become was sealed inside the container.
[An accident occurred while the Snow Empress was taking human form.]
[Human Soul Engineers had set up a Sealing Formation in advance.]
[The Snow Empress lost the protection of her seven hundred thousand years of cultivation.]
[She was captured by the God Sealing Platform.]
Comments instantly blanketed the firmament.
[They struck while the Snow Empress was taking human form?]
[These humans had their eyes on her all along!]
[A seven-hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo is worth far more than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!]
[Whoever gets the Snow Empress Embryo might obtain a seven-hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone!]
[The Ice Empress is still outside. She'll definitely save the Snow Empress!]
On the screen.
The God Sealing Platform was already being moved.
The Ice Empress unleashed her true form as the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
Jade-green light illuminated the snowfield.
Ultimate ice froze dozens of soul tools.
But the Soul Engineers did not linger.
They activated a Space Soul Tool, preparing to leave with the God Sealing Platform.
The Snow Empress's consciousness gradually awakened inside the transparent container.
She had already lost her original body.
Her seven hundred thousand years of essence were suppressed by the God Sealing Platform.
She could not even release her spiritual power.
A spatial passage was opening, but a hand reached out from its other end.
That hand pressed against the edge of the rift.
The passage, not yet fully formed, stopped outright, and the Soul Engineers' expressions changed drastically.
"Who's there?"
Mystic Yellow Radiance surged from the depths of space.
The silver passage shattered inch by inch.
A white-robed figure stepped out of the shattered space.
His black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin.
As his sleeve fell, all the surrounding soul tools stopped working at once.
Ning Xian stood upon the snowfield.
He glanced at the embryo inside the God Sealing Platform.
"It's been a few years."
"How did you get yourself into this state?"
Across the Douluo Continent.
Countless people looked toward that white-robed figure at the same time.
The Ancient Bronze Small Tower in Ning Rongrong's hand suddenly blazed with light.
"Ning Xian!"
Dugu Yan also looked beside her.
Ning Xian on the Sky Screen was no different from the man standing beside her at that moment.
He had looked that way centuries ago.
Centuries later, he remained the same.
Inside Spirit City.
Bibi Dong watched the white-robed figure on the screen.
"Who is he?"
Inside the Worship Hall.
Qian Daoliu was likewise recalling the continent's powerful figures.
Yet he had never seen Ning Xian.
In the Star Dou Great Forest.
Gu Yuena gazed at the Sky Screen, her purple eyes no longer able to remain calm.
She took a step forward.
Broad silver ripples spread across the lake.
In the Evil Demon Forest.
The Evil Emperor watched Ning Xian emerge from space.
The Crystal Divine Crown released a spiritual radiance.
It wanted to see Ning Xian's cultivation level clearly.
The moment its spiritual power approached the Sky Screen, the Mystic Yellow Radiance erased it outright.
The Evil Emperor's pupils contracted.
"Who is this human?"
In the Far North.
Upon the throne of ice.
The Snow Empress watched Ning Xian on the Sky Screen.
She slowly raised her slender hand.
Her experiences from a century ago appeared before her eyes once more.
On the Sky Screen.
The Soul Engineers attacked Ning Xian simultaneously.
Dozens of soul tool beams streaked across the snowfield.
Ning Xian raised his hand.
Every beam stopped before his palm.
He gently closed his fingers, and the soul tool beams turned into specks of light that filled the sky.
The Soul Engineers still tried to retreat.
The Xuanhuang Ancient Tower had already appeared above them.
The tower descended.
All the Soul Engineers were pressed into the snow at once.
Their soul power and soul tools all ceased to function.
Ning Xian walked up to the God Sealing Platform.
He raised two fingers and tapped the transparent casing.
"Come out."
Nothing happened to the God Sealing Platform.
This Level 9 Soul Tool was specifically designed to seal powerful living beings.
Even a Titled Douluo trapped inside could not break free unaided.
Ning Xian's fingers descended again.
A crack appeared in the center of the casing.
The crack spread rapidly.
The entire God Sealing Platform shattered with a crash.
The white embryo flew out.
The Far North's frigid air converged from every direction.
The white essence gradually unfurled.
A pair of long, shapely legs was the first to emerge from the light.
Bare feet touched the snow, followed by a slender waist taking shape.
A snow-white dress draped down from her chest.
The soft fabric hugged her full curves, extending all the way to her ankles.
White hair spilled down her back.
The Snow Empress opened her eyes again.
She had taken human form.
Her seven hundred thousand years of essence remained within her, but the failed transformation had left her extremely weak.
The Snow Empress had barely taken a step when her legs lost their strength.
Ning Xian reached out and caught her around the waist.
Her snow-white dress slid up slightly, and her long, straight legs rested against the hem of his robe.
The Snow Empress lifted her pale-blue eyes.
"What brings you here?"
"I happened to be passing by."
Ning Xian helped her stand steadily.
The Snow Empress did not release his sleeve.
She looked at the Soul Engineers lying in the snow.
"Something went wrong with my transformation."
"My seven hundred thousand years of cultivation have already been sealed inside my body."
"I won't be able to recover anytime soon."
Ning Xian looked at her pale face.
"So?"
The Snow Empress took a step closer to him.
The hems of their clothes touched, and her white hair fell across Ning Xian's arm.
"I'm going with you."
"The Far North is no longer suitable for me as I am now."
"I need to start cultivating again in the human world."
Ning Xian lowered his head and glanced at her.
After taking human form, the Snow Empress had no Soul Beast aura.
She was tall and slender.
Her features still held the aloof pride of the Lord of the Far North.
But the way she clutched his sleeve made that aloof pride feel a little less distant.
"All right."
The Snow Empress nodded lightly.
She released his sleeve, only to offer her slender hand to Ning Xian.
"I can't walk steadily yet."
Ning Xian took her hand.
The two left the snowy plain.
The Ice Empress stood in the distance.
She watched the Snow Empress follow at Ning Xian's side and ultimately did not stop them.
The Snow Empress had once lived with Ning Xian.
The scene changed again.
A human town appeared on the Sky Screen.
Shops lined both sides of the streets.
Pedestrians came and went in an endless stream.
Ning Xian took the Snow Empress to stay in a quiet courtyard residence.
To keep the Snow Empress's identity from being exposed, they told others they were from out of town.
When the neighbors in the courtyard saw them coming and going together, they soon asked about their relationship.
Ning Xian did not explain much.
"Husband and wife."
The Snow Empress stood beside him.
She wore a pale blue dress.
Her white hair had been pinned up, with two strands falling beside her face.
A white ribbon tied around the waist of her dress accentuated her slender waist.
Only after the neighbors left did she turn to Ning Xian.
"What does husband and wife mean?"
Ning Xian pushed open the courtyard gate.
"People who live together."
The Snow Empress followed him into the courtyard.
"We lived together before, too."
"So were we husband and wife before, too?"
Ning Xian stopped walking.
The Snow Empress stood before him, her pale blue eyes studying him earnestly.
She knew little about the human world.
Naturally, she did not know what being husband and wife truly meant, either.
The bullet comments across the firmament fell silent for a moment.
The next instant, countless golden words filled the Sky Screen.
[Who exactly is this Ning Xian?]
[He shattered the God Sealing Platform with a raise of his hand!]
[He knew the Snow Empress hundreds of years ago, yet his appearance hasn't changed at all?]
[Wait, he just tricked the Snow Empress into coming home with him like that?]
[The Snow Empress asked what husband and wife meant, and he actually said people who live together!]
[What an absolute beast!]
[He even tricks Soul Beasts who have only just taken human form!]
[Snow Empress, don't believe him!]
[Living together doesn't necessarily make you husband and wife!]
[Ning Xian, do you dare tell her what husband and wife really means?]
High in the firmament.
Bullet comments continued sweeping past.
[The Snow Empress has no idea what husband and wife means!]
[Ning Xian actually dared to nod, too!]
[Living together makes you husband and wife? How could he even say that?]
[The Snow Empress has only just taken human form. She knows nothing about the human world!]
[Ning Xian, you really dare teach her that!]
[Snow Empress, get away from him!]
In the courtyard.
The Snow Empress stood before Ning Xian.
Her pale blue dress hugged her slender waist, with the white ribbon tied behind her.
She thought earnestly for a moment.
"Since we're husband and wife, what should I do?"
Ning Xian pushed open the door.
"Whatever you like."
The Snow Empress followed him into the room.
There was only one bed inside.
She looked at the bed, then at Ning Xian.
"There's only one bed."
"I know."
"Do husbands and wives have to sleep together?"
Ning Xian stopped in his tracks.
The bullet comments across the firmament also paused for a moment.
The next instant.
Countless golden words covered the entire scene.
[Ning Xian, do you dare answer?]
[Hurry up and tell the Snow Empress that husbands and wives should, of course, sleep together!]
[This senior Soul Master isn't really going to trick the Snow Empress, is he?]
[The Snow Empress doesn't even know what husband and wife means!]
In the scene on the Sky Screen.
Ning Xian took out a set of bedding and spread it on the other side of the room.
"You sleep in the bed."
"I'll sleep here."
The Snow Empress looked at the bedding on the floor.
"Why?"
"You can't control the Ultimate Snow inside you right now."
Ning Xian raised his hand and pointed at the bed.
A layer of white frost had already formed along its edge.
"If I stay too close, I won't be getting any sleep tonight."
The Snow Empress lowered her head and looked at her palm.
A wisp of snow-white cold energy swirled around her fingertips.
She walked up to Ning Xian.
Her slender hand pressed gently against his chest, and white frost rapidly spread across his white robes.
Ning Xian caught her wrist.
Mystic Yellow Radiance enveloped their hands.
The cold energy had barely appeared before the Mystic Yellow Radiance gathered it in.
The Snow Empress did not withdraw her hand.
She lifted her pale blue eyes.
"You're not afraid of the cold."
"I'm afraid of trouble."
"I won't cause you trouble."
"You already have."
The Snow Empress fell silent for a moment.
She lowered her head to look at their joined hands.
"Then why did you still let me follow you?"
Ning Xian released her wrist.
"You followed me before, too."
The Snow Empress took half a step forward.
Her white hair slipped from her shoulder and fell against Ning Xian's robes.
"So you don't dislike me."
"I wouldn't say I dislike you."
The Snow Empress nodded lightly.
She walked over to the bed and sat down.
Her pale blue skirt spread across the bed, her bare feet resting on the floor.
"Then I'll sleep in the bed."
"You sleep on the floor."
Ning Xian glanced at her.
"You've certainly adapted quickly."
The Snow Empress raised her hand and removed her hairpin.
Her snow-white hair cascaded down, covering her slender waist and back.
She placed the hairpin beside the pillow.
"Is this how human husbands and wives get along?"
"I'm not sure."
"You've never been husband and wife with anyone else?"
"No."
The Snow Empress turned her face toward him.
She watched Ning Xian finish laying out his bedding, the distance in her eyes fading a little.
"Then I'm the first."
Across the Douluo Continent.
Countless people watched this scene, their expressions varied.
In the Far North.
Outside the Ice Palace.
Great swaths of snowflakes hung motionless in midair.
The Ice Empress looked up at the Sky Screen, her emerald eyes wide.
"The Snow Empress really did live with him!"
Ice Bear King Xiaobai lay in the snow.
As he watched the room with only one bed in the courtyard residence, he could not help speaking.
"Boss Snow Empress didn't understand anything back then."
"This Ning Xian wouldn't bully Boss, would he?"
The surrounding Soul Beasts of the Far North all raised their heads.
An icefield bear patted the snow.
"How could Lady Snow Empress possibly be bullied by a human?"
Another Soul Beast looked at Ning Xian.
"But he shattered the God Sealing Platform with one hand."
"Lady Snow Empress hadn't recovered her cultivation then."
Listening to the discussions around her, the Ice Empress scraped a long groove through the snow with her scorpion tail.
"All of you, shut up."
The Soul Beasts immediately fell silent.
On the throne of ice.
The Snow Empress's cheeks had already flushed a faint red.
A hundred years had passed since those events.
She had thought no one would ever know about them again.
Now, the entire continent had seen her take the initiative to ask about matters between husband and wife.
Her self in the scene had even said that she was Ning Xian's first wife in name.
The Snow Empress raised a slender hand, covering half her face.
"Why must the Heavenly Dao show even these things?"
There were no other Soul Beasts inside the Ice Palace.
She still felt she had nowhere to hide.
Bullet comments appeared in the firmament again.
[The Snow Empress is embarrassed!]
[Even the Lord of the Far North blushes?]
[Sky Screen, hurry and show us the Snow Empress's reaction right now!]
[She hasn't really started thinking of herself as Ning Xian's wife, has she?]
[They were already living together a hundred years ago. Just what is their relationship?]
When the Snow Empress saw the final line of text, snow-white frost formed at her fingertips.
That bullet comment instantly froze into ice crystals.
The ice crystals fell from the edge of the Sky Screen and soon vanished into the wind and snow.
The Ice Empress froze for a moment.
Then she raised a hand to cover her mouth.
"Snow Empress, and you still say you don't care."
Inside the Ice Palace.
The Snow Empress shut the great ice doors outright.
"Ice Empress."
"Say one more word, and you can go back to your own territory."
The smile on the Ice Empress's face grew even more apparent.
She did not provoke the Snow Empress any further.
In the Evil Demon Forest.
The Crystal Divine Crown hovered above the Evil Emperor's head.
Silver divine runes slowly flowed within his enormous eye.
He watched the scene of the Snow Empress sitting beside the bed, several tentacles swaying gently.
"Human husbands and wives simply live in the same room?"
An Evil Eye Tyrant lay prostrate below.
"Lord Evil Emperor, there seems to be more to it than that."
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