Atop the city wall, a gentle breeze brushed past.
After Huo Yutong's question, "But would a god choose me?" and Gu Xingyue's certain answer, "Yes."
The world outside fell quiet for a moment.
The wind still whispered, and colorful flags fluttered over the distant fortifications.
But that quiet remained only in the outside world.
Deep within Huo Yutong's spiritual sea, a classic cry of astonishment had already stirred up waves.
"Listen to that! What kind of talk is that?!" Tianmeng drifted back and forth in midair, waving her two short little arms excitedly, her white-jade body flailing through the air with her movements. "'Would they choose me?' Yutong, oh, Yutong, you possess the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor martial soul! You're the host of the world's number one, the sovereign of all beasts, the great Emperor Tianmeng!
"And you actually doubt whether you can get a place in a divine trial?
"If those old fossils in the Divine Realm won't even choose you, they might as well find a block of tofu and bash themselves to death against it!"
"Could you quiet down?" The Ice Empress stood to one side with her arms folded, casting Tianmeng a cold glance with her emerald eyes. The elaborate Lolita skirt on her petite body remained perfectly still. "Shouting and shrieking all day long. I really want to whip you to death with this scorpion tail."
"I'm just excited!" Tianmeng retorted with perfect confidence, deliberately ducking toward Huo Yutong's consciousness form. "Besides, that boy has so much faith in Yutong. What's wrong with me being happy about it?"
The Ice Empress snorted coldly and said nothing more. Her gaze, however, followed the edge of the spiritual sea and looked out through Huo Yutong's eyes.
She could see the profile of the boy named Gu Xingyue.