Ice Empress: Have You Agreed, Snow Empress?

Faced with Snow Empress's tone, Huo Yuhao did not know how to respond for a moment and silently gathered his thoughts.

"Snow Empress, even if you do not eat my Grilled Fish, why would I be unhappy? Whether you eat it is entirely up to you. Just like the way you addressed me earlier—if you are willing to call me that, then call me that. If not, forget it. Either way is fine with me."

Huo Yuhao waved his hand, looking easygoing, as though Snow Empress could call him whatever she wanted and he would accept it.

Snow Empress extended her fair, slender fingers and examined them carefully. She looked quite serious, but her tone remained strange as she continued to needle Huo Yuhao.

"When this Empress became a cute little girl, you seemed to enjoy it as well... Heh. If that is the case, why should this Empress grow up afterward?"

Snow Empress glanced sideways at Huo Yuhao. "Would it not be better for you if this Empress remained a little girl forever and called you Dad?"

Huo Yuhao felt as though he had been choked and could not help coughing a few times. "Snow Empress, you may have misunderstood what I meant."

"As long as it is voluntary." Huo Yuhao immediately changed the subject.

"For example, I came here this time to obtain a Soul Ring, but I could never force you to become my Soul Spirit. Everything depends on whether Snow Empress can acknowledge me, whether you think I am worth investing in, and whether you are willing to do it."

Snow Empress half-closed her eyes, seemingly weighing the matter. Since she now knew that, when she took human form, a Ninth-Level Soul Engineer carrying the God Sealing Platform would appear in the Far North Land...

Then, if she took greater precautions and arranged for Xiao Bai and other powerful soul beasts to protect her during her transformation, assuming she successfully rebuilt herself as a human and cultivated the Snow Empress Martial Soul, would her chances of becoming a god truly be so slim?

Yet she seemed to sense from Huo Yuhao an icy aura whose quality was no weaker than her Ultimate Ice and Snow—perhaps even superior.

Moreover, Huo Yuhao had Electrolux, a teacher whom even she held in solemn respect, at his side.

"Huo Yuhao, the fact that you can show this Memory Light Orb to this Empress means that you already know of this Empress's plan to rebuild herself as a human?"

Snow Empress slowly rose from her seat and drifted before Huo Yuhao, gazing at him quietly.

Being stared at made Huo Yuhao's back turn cold. "Snow Empress, you are not about to sneer and say, 'This Empress's rebuilding, the entire Far North Land keeping it hidden and unspoken'—such a secret cannot be allowed to fall into your hands, so you must be eliminated."

"You would not say something like that, would you?" Huo Yuhao met her eyes, putting on an uneasy expression.

Snow Empress froze, unable to understand why Huo Yuhao would ask such a question.

"Of course not. This Empress merely wishes to see your Martial Soul."

Snow Empress then pointed at the Light Orb, her tone cold. "Also, if the 'Huo Yuhao' inside this comes to this Empress and asks me to become his Soul Spirit, there will be absolutely no room for negotiation. This Empress will make him remain in the Far North Land forever."

"But you..." Snow Empress moved closer, lightly lifting Huo Yuhao's chin. A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "This Empress will not become smaller this time, so naturally I cannot call you Dad."

"This Empress would like to hear how you intend to persuade me." Snow Empress's tone carried a hint of teasing, though she still smiled calmly.

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment. "First, the matter of forms of address is not included in the scope of persuasion for now."

"Second, if you are willing to become my Soul Spirit, I will not impose any mandatory requirements on what you call me in the future."

"Then what should this Empress call you?"

"Just call me Yuhao, like Brother Sky Dream does."

"Hmph~"

Snow Empress did not tease Huo Yuhao further. She raised a hand, signaling for him to begin persuading her.

After all, Huo Gua in the Original Work truly had rather poor mental fortitude when he went on the Extreme North Journey to obtain his Second Martial Soul.

After Sky Dream Ice Silkworm confessed his love story to Huo Gua, Huo Gua thought Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had brought him to the Far North Land to use him, using the excuse of obtaining a Second Martial Soul to fulfill his love affair with Ice Empress.

This caused Huo Gua to develop a feeling that he had been deceived, leaving him extremely heartbroken. At the time, Electrolux had even privately remarked that the child was far too emotionally fragile.

"Snow Empress, did you not want to see my Martial Soul? This is it."

Huo Yuhao released his Second Origin Ice Martial Soul, a wisp of pale icy flame.

"What do you think of the cold aura contained within it compared to the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's Ultimate Ice?"

Snow Empress's expression turned serious. She carefully sensed it with her Mental Power. Ice Empress was her close friend, and she could be said to be thoroughly familiar with Ice Empress's aura.

Yet in her perception, the icy aura of that pale flame was clearly a level above Ice Empress's.

Snow Empress shook her head and replied in her usual cool voice, "Bing'er's Ultimate Ice is inferior to it."

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and gestured with his eyes toward Huo Gua within the Light Orb as he slowly spoke to Snow Empress.

"His Second Martial Soul is the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, yet he can ultimately become a first-class god, the God of Emotion. My Second Martial Soul surpasses Ice Empress's in quality, so naturally becoming a god will be easier for me than for him."

"Moreover, this time, I will avoid the Path to Death, and my teacher, Old Yi, will not ignite his Divine Sense fragment and sacrifice himself."

"If I can find the necessary materials later, I am somewhat confident that I can reconstruct a body for Teacher before I become a god."

At the words "reconstruct a body," surprise flashed in Snow Empress's eyes. "The Huo Yuhao within this Memory Light Orb seems, in this Empress's view, to possess the fate needed to become a god—the so-called luck."

"Even if your luck is no better than his, as long as it is equal to his, coupled with the fact that your Second Martial Soul is superior to his and you can avoid Old Yi's calamity, it will indeed be easier for you to strive for a God Position."

"However, reconstructing a body for Old Yi before becoming a god is, in this Empress's opinion, somewhat wishful thinking."

Snow Empress could guess that Electrolux's strength during his lifetime had absolutely reached the level of a god. Yet on this continent, becoming a god alone was an unimaginably extravagant dream, much less reconstructing a body for Divine Sense before becoming one.

Huo Yuhao shook his head with a smile. "Snow Empress, you need not dwell too much on reconstructing a body for Old Yi. The technical aspects are rather complicated, but it is not without a way forward. I will certainly take Old Yi's matter seriously."

"The key now is that, with the conditions I possess—a higher-quality Second Martial Soul and some fairly powerful flames—I absolutely have a greater advantage in striving for that God Position."

"Therefore, I hope that Snow Empress can join us at this time and, together with me, Brother Sky Dream, and Old Yi, help pave my divine path and witness a future far greater than that of the God of Emotion."

Snow Empress folded her arms, a faint smile curling her lips as she continuously looked Huo Yuhao up and down.

She admitted that becoming Huo Yuhao's Soul Spirit at this moment was indeed an extremely reliable path compared with rebuilding herself as a human and cultivating anew.

Most importantly, whether in its current quality or its future potential, Huo Yuhao's Second Martial Soul surpassed the Martial Soul Bing'er could provide.

Huo Yuhao once more offered the Grilled Fish in his hand, seemingly speaking casually.

"Snow Empress, you have stayed in the Far North Land for hundreds of thousands of years, and you have seen the scenes carried by the Light Orb. Do you not want to view the outside world from your own perspective?"

A glimmer of light flashed through Snow Empress's eyes. She was truly moved. Taking the Grilled Fish Huo Yuhao offered, she began tasting it in small bites.

As a lifeform condensed from the primordial energy of heaven and earth, it seemed that from the moment she was born, her mission had been to continuously cultivate and endure one Heavenly Tribulation after another. Such a life was undoubtedly dull and lonely.

Yet after living for so long, when faced with the next Heavenly Tribulation that she could not possibly overcome, she was unwilling to simply perish and become a handful of dust between heaven and earth.

Throughout those lonely years, she could neither face death calmly nor avoid exhausting herself over the next Heavenly Tribulation.

Snow Empress ate the Grilled Fish elegantly in small bites as she pondered in silence for a long time.

Finally, as the Grilled Fish in her hand was nearly finished, she came to a decision. Snow Empress raised her eyes and looked into Huo Yuhao's.

His gaze was calm, yet it revealed a confidence that becoming a god was merely incidental.

"Yuhao, how should this Empress proceed if I wish to become a spiritual entity with independent consciousness like Sky Dream Ice Silkworm?"

"Also, what should be done about Bing'er? Her next Heavenly Tribulation is approaching as well. Every day, she cultivates frantically, trying to see whether she can gain even the slightest insight through cultivation into an opportunity to survive it."

Soul beasts of their level could sense within their hearts whether they could break through their next Heavenly Tribulation. For instance, Snow Empress had felt almost no great pressure from her previous tribulations.

The instant Sky Dream Ice Silkworm heard the words "Ice Empress," he lunged over, his tone full of heartache for her.

"Wuwuwu, Bing Bing is under the enormous pressure of a four-hundred-thousand-year Heavenly Tribulation, yet she still has to cultivate so hard. It breaks my heart."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked grief-stricken. "Snow Empress, I released my aura, but Bing Bing did not come over. Can you contact her?"

Snow Empress now knew that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had always yearned for Ice Empress, but Ice Empress had previously revealed her feelings to her as well. This relationship made her feel that something was rather strange.

She calmly said to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, "Oh, this Empress can contact Ice Empress."

"You and Huo Yuhao concealed your auras and walked too far, arriving at this Empress's habitat. The moment you released your auras, this Empress sensed them."

"Perhaps Bing'er had not had time to sense it yet. Then you saw this Empress charging over and immediately wilted."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm relaxed upon hearing that. So it was because Snow Empress had scared him limp. As long as Bing Bing was fine, that was all that mattered.

"Then if I continue releasing my origin aura, will Bing Bing come over?"

"Yes, go call Bing'er over." Snow Empress found the situation somewhat strange and did not intend to call Ice Empress herself.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm continuously released his origin aura. Within the habitat of a Far North overlord, the only ones who normally dared intrude were Xiao Bai, the Ice Bear King, and Ice Empress.

Before long, a vast emerald-green curtain swept in from the horizon.

"Tian Meng, you are actually still alive... Eh, Snow Empress, you are here too? Were you also drawn here by that fellow Tian Meng...?"

Ice Empress had arrived aggressively one moment, but the next, upon discovering Snow Empress was present, she immediately withdrew her momentum. The immense emerald-green curtain in the sky gradually faded away.

Soon, a large emerald-green scorpion crawled over elegantly.

Ice Empress gave Huo Yuhao a strange look, deeply curious as to why a human had come here—and why Snow Empress had not immediately destroyed him.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm shamelessly squeezed himself beside Ice Empress's massive claw, his voice filled with desolation and deep affection. "My dear, I..."

(The same dialogue as in the Original Work is omitted here, mainly Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's mushy lines. No need to pad the word count.)

Ice Empress violently flung her claw, sending Sky Dream Ice Silkworm flying. "Tian Meng, get lost. If Snow Empress were not here, I would have already devoured your origin."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had barely been flung several meters away before he crawled back to Ice Empress's side, looking utterly fearless. "Hehe, Bing Bing, you will soon know just how sincere my love for you is."

Ice Empress drove one foreclaw into the ground before Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. She had no time to pay attention to him, her gaze shifting repeatedly between Snow Empress and Huo Yuhao in utter confusion.

"Snow Empress, what is going on? A human can survive before you for this long?"

Snow Empress was embarrassed to answer that question. "Yuhao, this Empress does not understand your God Creation Plan thoroughly enough. Explain it to Bing'er."

Huo Yuhao instructed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, "Brother Sky Dream, you explain it."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was more than willing. He stepped forward, wanting to hold Ice Empress's massive claw and tell her of his true love and the hardships he had suffered along the way.

Ice Empress glared fiercely. Her two enormous foreclaws pressed together, their joints cracking as she sternly warned Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Huo Yuhao used Soul Power to float a Memory Light Orb before Ice Empress. "Ice Empress, listen to Brother Sky Dream while watching this."

After some time, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finished recounting his miserable experiences. In summary, the only reason he had endured until now was his deep love for Ice Empress.

"Tian Meng, your plan to work together and create a god seems rather good as well. Everyone can enjoy endless lifespans together."

Ice Empress watched the scenes in the Light Orb, somewhat moved.

"Despicable humans, sneaking in to seal Snow Empress while she was taking human form."

When Ice Empress saw that Snow Empress was about to become a Soul Spirit, about to turn into a cute little girl and call someone by a special form of address...

Smack!

Snow Empress shattered the Light Orb with one strike of her palm and said nonchalantly, "What comes afterward is not good. Bing'er, it is enough that you have seen this much."

"Eh?" Ice Empress did not react at first and even wanted to gather the Light Orb back together with her two massive claws.

"What happened afterward?" Ice Empress was still savoring the plot she had just watched.

Snow Empress said calmly, "Old Yi will ignite his Divine Sense fragment to save us afterward, so it is not good."

Ice Empress's face fell, and she instantly felt terrible all over.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm moved close to Ice Empress, his eyes full of affection. "So, Bing Bing, join us. Once we help Yuhao become a god, the two of us can stay together forever."

Ice Empress raised her foreclaw in warning, telling Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to stay away. She was deeply tempted by the prospect of endless life and asked, "Snow Empress, have you agreed to them?"

Snow Empress hesitated briefly, feeling there was no need to hide it, then nodded. "Yes. If our goal is immortality, then Huo Yuhao is the greatest opportunity of our lives."

But they quickly discovered a problem.

Snow Empress frowned slightly. "Yuhao, between this Empress and Bing'er, who will fuse with you first?"