Shui Bing'er had seen a sacrifice on the sky screen before.
But she had never imagined that one day, she would receive the same treatment.
When the Ice Empress sacrificed herself, nearly the entire Far North Ice Plains froze over.
Even a Peerless Douluo could not interfere under these circumstances.
"When the two of you reach level sixty,
I'll find suitable Soul Beasts to sacrifice themselves for you too.
After all, if you relied on your own cultivation, it would take you at least a dozen years or more to become Titled Douluo or gods.
That's too slow."
...Original timeline...
Countless people stared at the sky screen in a daze, then gave up on trying altogether.
"Becoming a god in a dozen years or so, and he thinks that's slow?"
"Heh heh heh, comparing yourself to others can make you die of frustration."
"If two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts sacrificed themselves for me, I could become a Titled Douluo in a dozen years too!"
"Where's the justice in that? Boo-hoo, I have to make every possible preparation just to obtain a Soul Ring that suits me.
And yet... boo-hoo~ I can't go on living."
Countless people wailed. By now, the sky screen had existed over Douluo Continent for half a year.
Whether Soul Masters or ordinary civilians, people would glance at it whenever they had a moment.
But... his excellency was simply too good at crushing people's spirits.
Slaughter City.
Tang San walked over corpses strewn across the ground, several bodies impaled on each of the Eight Spider Lances on his back. An endless stream of life energy replenished what he had expended.
A Bloody Mary never left his hand, and a dark red light filled Tang San's eyes. "It doesn't matter. When the time comes, I just have to kill them all.
Then their Soul Bones will naturally become mine."
Tang San retracted his Eight Spider Lances and swept a cold gaze over the people in the street, unable to resist charging at them again.
But his actions ultimately provoked everyone's anger.
He had grown too quickly, and the Eight Spider Lances on his back in particular were blood-red and crystalline, beautiful yet full of eerie strangeness.
At night.
No one knew how many people gathered at Tang San's residence.
The slaughter began again.
But they had underestimated Tang San's luck. They left corpses all over the ground, and Tang San escaped.
"Damn it! If I survive, I'll slaughter every last one of you!"
Tang San slipped into a stone house like a ghost, only to find that some indescribable activity was taking place inside.
The slaughter had already left Tang San's sanity hanging by a thread. He instinctively activated his Eight Spider Lances and cleared away the chaos in the house.
But in the end, for some unknown reason, he spared a few extremely rugged-looking men.
"I-I'll just give it a try!"
An inexplicable influence magnified the depravity in Tang San's heart without limit.
The dark Blue Silver Emperor covered the entire stone house as the men stared at Tang San in terror.
"If you don't want to die, behave yourselves."
Tang San pulled down one man's pants and bit down.
"Ah~"
The scream made one's scalp crawl. Immediately afterward, Tang San's devilish laughter rose and fell.
Rip.
He tore his own pants to shreds and sat directly on one of the men.
Even in Slaughter City, the scene was too appalling to look at.
It made one's scalp crawl and stomach churn.
Tang San had fallen.
This fall was like opening Pandora's box; there was no stopping it.
...Sky screen timeline...
The emerald light shrouding the Far North gradually dissipated.
The Ice Empress transformed into a phantom and entered Shui Bing'er's brow, appearing in her spiritual sea.
"Ice Empress?"
Shui Bing'er called out with her mind. A little scorpion cast from gemstones had appeared in her mind.
The little scorpion transformed into a woman in an emerald dress, shock spreading across her cold, beautiful face.
"My consciousness actually survived."
"His excellency intervened."
Shui Bing'er replied, and the Ice Empress nodded coldly. "I don't need you to remind me.
Cultivate diligently, and don't bother me for no reason."
"Oh."
Having received such a cold response, Shui Bing'er did not press the matter and invite further embarrassment.
She returned to her senses and felt the changes in herself.
"I'm already level fifty?"
She now possessed a four-hundred-thousand-year-old Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion torso bone, as well as a four-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring.
After taking the Immortal Herb, she had already had excess Soul Power, and with the Ice Empress's Soul Power poured into her, Shui Bing'er's cultivation had broken straight through to level fifty.
Moreover, with the Ice Empress's sacrifice, the power of her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul's attributes had grown even stronger.
She had also awakened an Innate Domain.
"How do you feel?"
Qian Xunji's voice rang out, and Shui Bing'er's beautiful eyes filled with delight. "It's incredible, your excellency.
I'm already level fifty.
And I feel like I still have plenty of room to improve."
Shui Bing'er felt that there was still a great deal of Soul Power in her body that had not been refined.
Once she obtained her fifth ring, her cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds again.
"Is it my turn next?"
The Snow Empress spoke, but Qian Xunji stopped her. "Let her consolidate herself. Wait a month.
Will you stay in the Far North, or come with me to Sea God Island?"
Qian Xunji was not afraid that the Snow Empress would run away. She pondered for a moment, then said, "I'll stay in the Far North.
I'll go to Sea God Island in a month."
"Good!"
Qian Xunji nodded, then looked at Ah Yin and Ye Qingxian. "Do you two want to spend a couple of days sightseeing in the Far North?"
"May we?"
Ye Qingxian blinked, but she could not hide the delight on her face.
This world of ice and snow was so beautiful.
Of course she wanted to spend a couple of days here.
"Yes."
What Qian Xunji had in abundance was time. He took Ye Qingxian and Ah Yin sightseeing in the Far North for two days, until the two women lost interest in the snow that filled the sky.
"Your excellency, let's go back.
There's nothing here but snow. It's no fun at all."
Ye Qingxian clung to Qian Xunji's arm and wheedled. The Far North was not as much fun as Sea God Island.
At least around Sea God Island there was a Demon Soul Great White Shark population, as well as oases and deserts.
It was not so monotonous and dull.
"Then let's go back."
Sea God Island.
Zhu Zhuqing was doing her utmost to push through the Sea God's Light.
"Zhu Zhuqing works so hard at her cultivation."
Ye Qingxian watched Zhu Zhuqing bounce back from the Sea God's Light. Her Twelve Begonias Martial Soul appeared, and a rich breath of life flowed into Zhu Zhuqing's body.
"Thank you."
Zhu Zhuqing hurried to her feet and stood stiffly to one side, stealing occasional glances at Qian Xunji, with a little fear and a little admiration in her clear eyes.
Bo Saixi was not on Sea God Island; she had probably gone to look for a suitable Sea Soul Beast.
When night fell, Ah Yin and Ye Qingxian exchanged a glance and left together, giving Qian Xunji and Shui Bing'er plenty of privacy.
Shui Bing'er also knew that it was probably time for the mosaic.
"Your excellency, let Bing'er attend you in your bath."
Shui Bing'er lowered her eyes, her cheeks bright pink, but she still mustered her courage and took Qian Xunji's hand of her own accord.
Qian Xunji raised a hand and gently lifted Shui Bing'er's delicate chin. With a soft chuckle, he said, "You're very clever."
"Am I not pretty?"
"You're very pretty too."
...Original timeline...
Skywater Academy.
Xue Wu and the others watched the sky screen turn into a mosaic again, mischievous grins in their eyes.
"The captain's so bold! She actually made the first move.
That's our captain for you."
"Heh heh heh, what time do you think the captain will be able to get up tomorrow morning?"
"I think we should guess whether the captain can get pregnant with his excellency's child within a year.
If it were me, I'd definitely bring a little one back in my belly."