At the very heart of the Far North, atop a massive mountain several thousand meters high, the Snow Empress watched the clouds suddenly disperse, her icy brows knitting slightly.
"A god?"
Even she could not affect the weather over such a vast area.
That golden light was definitely a divine miracle.
"Snow Empress!"
An emerald figure arrived in an instant. It was a scorpion over a meter long, as though fashioned from imperial jade.
"Let's go."
The Snow Empress floated away, heading toward the place where the golden light had vanished.
The voice had summoned them for an audience, so naturally they could not disobey.
Otherwise, the entire Far North might face a great calamity.
...Original timeline...
The moment the Snow Empress appeared on the sky screen, countless viewers stared wide-eyed.
"That's a Soul Beast? Isn't that a person?"
"Holy shit, what a beautiful Soul Beast."
"Actually, it doesn't matter whether she's a Soul Beast or not."
"That little scorpion is pretty too. Actually... I wouldn't say no."
Star Dou Great Forest.
The Silver Dragon King looked at the sky screen, a hint of surprise appearing on her face. "A Heavenly Snow Woman? It seems she can't escape this calamity either. What a pity."
Soul Beasts like the Heavenly Snow Woman were extremely rare and, as Qian Xunji had said, possessed immense potential.
Were it not for the suppression of the Dragon God's rule, that Heavenly Snow Woman could indeed have become a god with ease. She might even have threatened the Ice Dragon King's position.
"The Snow Empress is indeed very powerful. I fought her ten thousand years ago.
"At least in the Far North, there's little I can do to her."
Di Tian was immensely powerful and had inherited the Dragon God Claw. Even a Peerless Douluo had to give him a wide berth.
But against the Snow Empress in the Far North, he still held little advantage.
"Understandable."
A thoughtful look appeared in the Silver Dragon King's beautiful eyes. Then she said, "Go to the Far North and negotiate with the Snow Empress.
"If she is willing to help me become a god, I can promise her the position of Ice God in the future."
"Yes!"
Di Tian tore open the void and departed.
Far North.
The Ice Empress took the form of a woman in an emerald dress and buried her cold, aloof face deep in the Snow Empress's embrace.
"Mmm~ Snow Empress~, it looks like something bad is going to happen to us in the sky screen's timeline."
The Ice Empress was making the Snow Empress uncomfortable, so she reached out and pushed him away. "Perhaps it's an opportunity.
"The Dragon God forbids Soul Beasts from becoming gods. If we continue cultivating, we're certain to die.
"We might as well find another path.
"If you and I in the sky screen's timeline, as well as the two of us, all sacrifice ourselves for that woman,
"Her chances of becoming a god will be very high."
The Snow Empress held out a slender, snow-white hand, and a snowflake landed on her fingertip. "Besides, with our strength, if we sacrifice ourselves, we can actually retain our consciousness to a certain extent."
The coldness vanished from the Ice Empress's face when she heard this, only to be replaced by worry. "But what about my clan?"
"At most, in another ten thousand years, your clan will lose you anyway."
The Snow Empress did not know how to tend to her feelings, and her voice was flat and unruffled.
"A-Tai still has a chance of holding on for another three hundred thousand years, though."
The Ice Empress had to admit that the Titan Snow Demon King's bloodline power was stronger than hers.
Two hundred thousand years was definitely not his limit. His limit was at least five hundred thousand years.
"If that person wants all three overlords of the Far North,
"Xiaobai will be the only one left in the Far North."
Ice Bear King Xiaobai was strong too, but his future was limited to three hundred thousand years.
He was not even the Ice Empress's equal.
The Snow Empress's emotions remained undisturbed. She had no clan, and even her feelings were faint.
But the Far North was where she had grown up, after all, and she did have feelings for the place.
She simply did not realize it herself.
"Xiaobai is enough."
The Far North's environment was only suitable for ice-type Soul Beasts, and humans rarely ventured into its core region.
There were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts among both the Ice Bear and Ice Jade Scorpion clans. That was enough.
"It seems you've already made up your mind.
"In that case, I'll go with you."
The Ice Empress threw herself into the Snow Empress's embrace once more.
The Snow Empress was icy cold, but her body was soft.
Besides, she did not understand why the Ice Empress did this, and she did not stop her.
...Sky screen timeline...
As the Ice Empress approached Qian Xunji, she transformed into a cold, beautiful queen in an emerald dress and walked beside the Snow Empress.
"You're here?"
Qian Xunji used holy light to create a barrier that kept out most of the bitter cold, and was boiling water and enjoying tea in the castle.
Shui Bing'er, meanwhile, studied the Snow Empress and Ice Empress curiously.
The two women were so beautiful that even she felt somewhat overshadowed.
Their temperaments in particular were similar, yet not quite the same.
The Snow Empress's gaze also fell on Shui Bing'er, her placid eyes still betraying no emotion.
"An Ice Phoenix Martial Soul?"
"Yes."
Shui Bing'er answered. The Snow Empress said nothing more and turned her gaze to Qian Xunji.
"May I ask what instructions you have for summoning me here, my lord god?"
She had spent years in the Far North and possessed a pure, untainted mind, but she was not ignorant of everything.
"Your time is almost up. I have come to show you a path to survival."
Qian Xunji spoke, then told them of the Dragon God's rule forbidding Soul Beasts from becoming gods.
"Bing'er possesses a pure Ice Phoenix Martial Soul and extraordinary talent, and with my guidance,
"She will surely become a god in the future.
"You need only lay bricks and tiles along her path to godhood, and you can be resurrected in the Divine Realm in the future."
Qian Xunji's objective was clear, and he spoke very directly.
"Sacrifice?"
The Snow Empress understood and did not grow angry.
But the Ice Empress was furious. This human god actually wanted her to sacrifice herself and become a Soul Ring...
In her fury, the Ice Empress had a moment of fury.
She couldn't beat him.
The pressure Qian Xunji naturally gave off was enough to rob her of the courage to attack.
The Titan Snow Demon King was still kneeling outside.
"Is there a god in the Far North?"
The Snow Empress asked. Qian Xunji sensed for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, but not a very active one.
"It takes a strong stimulus at close range to activate it."
The Snow Empress fell silent. After a moment, she said, "With her current strength, it would be too wasteful for her to receive my sacrifice."
"Let the Ice Empress sacrifice herself for Bing'er first. I'll intervene and seal away the Soul Power Bing'er can't withstand.
"When Bing'er reaches level fifty, she can receive your sacrifice, Snow Empress."
The Snow Empress did not answer, merely looking at the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress froze. "Snow Empress, are you really going to sacrifice yourself?"
"There's no choice."
The Snow Empress's answer was curt.
They had no right to choose. They would die either way, so they might as well take the initiative. There was still a chance they could be resurrected in the future.
The Ice Empress was somewhat unwilling. After wrestling with it for a long time, she finally let out a breath. "All right."
"Since you've made up your minds, let's begin.
"Ice Empress, your body is strong, so become Bing'er's torso bone.
"When you sacrifice yourself, I'll intervene and help you retain a trace of consciousness."
The Ice Empress snorted. "Then I suppose I should thank you?"
"You're welcome."
Qian Xunji did not get angry at the Ice Empress's sarcasm.
"Come outside."
The Ice Empress glanced at Shui Bing'er and walked toward the open space outside the castle.
The Titan Snow Demon King quietly raised his head to look at the Ice Empress, only for her to send him flying with a kick. "Get lost, get lost! Don't be an eyesore here."
The Titan Snow Demon King went with the momentum and rolled several dozen li away, fleeing as though freed from a burden.
Qian Xunji still said nothing about the Ice Empress's behavior.
It was an inconsequential little matter, not worth his attention.