Gu Wuchen's speed increased, and his Soul Power merged with his Dustless Sword Intent. His body seemed to become one with the world around him as well.
At that, Gu Wuchen called out to the Snow Empress, "Sister Xue, send an attack at me."
The Snow Empress immediately condensed a phantom Emperor Sword and sent it flying at Gu Wuchen.
Under the Snow Empress's gaze, the phantom Emperor Sword shot straight through Gu Wuchen's body.
The Snow Empress didn't panic at the sight. Instead, she was somewhat surprised.
Gu Wuchen had already dodged her attack, leaving nothing but an afterimage in his place.
The real Gu Wuchen had quietly appeared behind the Snow Empress. Just as he was about to tease her, her lips curved upward. She spun around, grabbed him with both hands, and lifted him high.
"Little Wuchen, how dare you sneak up behind the Snow Empress? What mischief are you planning now?"
"Sister Xue, you've got me wrong. I only wanted to test it."
"Really?"
Gu Wuchen nodded repeatedly. "Really!"
The Snow Empress chuckled. "Do you really think Sister Xue is that easy to fool?"
It wasn't as if they had just met, yet he still wanted to pull the wool over her eyes?
He really was disobedient. Did she need to teach him a proper lesson to uphold her dignity as Sister Xue?
Just as the Snow Empress was about to make her move, an idea flashed through Gu Wuchen's mind. "Sister Xue, don't you want to ascend to the Divine Realm?"
At those words, even the Ice Empress, who had been watching the show, came over.
"Ascend to the Divine Realm! Little Wuchen, are you sure you haven't had too much to drink?"
Ascending to the Divine Realm was nothing short of a fantasy.
Gu Wuchen was certain. "I haven't. There actually is a way to ascend to the Divine Realm. You could sacrifice yourselves to me, not by sacrificing your souls, but by becoming Soul Spirits."
This was also the God-Making Plan that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm would speak of ten thousand years later. As things stood, it did indeed offer a way to take the Snow Empress and Ice Empress to the Divine Realm.
Seeing that the Ice Empress and Snow Empress were still hesitating, Gu Wuchen continued, "In ten thousand years, Sister Xue and Sister Bing will have to face your seven-hundred-thousand-year and four-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulations. If I ascend to the Divine Realm by then, you won't have to face heavenly tribulations anymore."
"Little Wuchen, are you sure you can become a god?"
It wasn't that the Snow Empress didn't believe him, but in all these years, she had never seen a human become a god.
"Yes, I'm sure I can. I was born to become a god. Doesn't Sister Xue want eternal life?"
Gu Wuchen was brimming with confidence.
"I'm thinking of you too, Sister Xue. Even though you're sometimes bad and naughty, that's not a problem."
Wait... I think I let something slip.
Gu Wuchen looked at the half-smiling Snow Empress, cold sweat pouring down his face. This is bad, he thought. He tried to break free, only to find that she had a firm grip on his waist.
"Little Wuchen, when has Sister Xue ever been bad? That's my love for you."
The Snow Empress spoke in coquettish reproach and immediately pinched Gu Wuchen's cheek.
After some horsing around, the Snow Empress finally let Gu Wuchen go.
They returned to the God-Making Plan.
"Little Wuchen, Sister Xue believes you, but I can't sacrifice myself to you right now!"
She certainly couldn't sacrifice herself to Gu Wuchen now. If she did, it would have to be for one of his last few Soul Rings.
"Of course not now. I just wanted you to know that you have a place in my heart, Sister Xue."
Gu Wuchen gazed sincerely into the Snow Empress's eyes, stirring a small ripple in her heart.
"Don't be so sentimental. Sister Xue understands."
He held her in his heart. At such a young age, he could say something that made her heart flutter.
If that was how the God-Making Plan worked, they could also ask the other Soul Beasts whether they were willing. If they were...
That would also spare these Ferocious Beasts the trouble of facing heavenly tribulations later on, such as the Ice Bear King and the Titan Snow Demon King.
"And that second Soul Skill of yours just now-how did you get so fast?"
The Snow Empress's move hadn't been slow either, but Gu Wuchen had been fast enough to leave an afterimage behind.
"My second Soul Skill is an extreme speed amplification skill. My Soul Power merges with the Dustless Sword's Sword Intent, and my body becomes one with the ice dust and the light and shadows around me. It boosts my speed by eighty percent, letting me launch a surprise attack over a short distance at nearly instantaneous speed!"
Gu Wuchen was very satisfied with the effect of his second Soul Skill.
It allowed him to dodge any dangerous attack that came straight at him.
That would let him handle future battles with ease.
"Good. This second Soul Skill is very good."
The Snow Empress was quite pleased that he had gained such an evasive ability.
"Sister Xue, it's time for me to leave. If I stay too long, my parents will worry."
Now that he had obtained his Soul Ring, there was no need to stay here any longer.
The Ice Empress, however, was displeased. "What? You're leaving already? We haven't gotten to know each other nearly enough!"
He was leaving so soon?
That wasn't fair!
She was practically growing mold in the Far North!
"Bing'er, don't be willful."
The Snow Empress promptly admonished her. In any case, she had a way to go to Gu Wuchen's side, so she wasn't worried.
"Actually, Sister Bing could..."
Before he could finish, the Snow Empress immediately raised a small foot and gave Gu Wuchen a gentle kick.
Gu Wuchen glanced at the half-smiling Snow Empress and immediately understood what she meant.
Was she already being possessive?
"Could what?"
The Ice Empress was nearly frantic. He shouldn't stop halfway through a sentence!
She couldn't shake the feeling that the Snow Empress was hiding something from her.
Normally, the Snow Empress would surely be the one most reluctant to part with Gu Wuchen, but her behavior was just the opposite.
Gu Wuchen explained, "Sister Bing, actually, I could take you to visit the Gu Clan next time, but I definitely can't do it now."
"I see!" The Ice Empress was somewhat disappointed. "But Sister Bing still has a gift for you, a gift that can save your life!"
Although this was their first meeting, the Ice Empress didn't want Gu Wuchen to face danger out there.
"Little Wuchen, roll up your sleeve."
Gu Wuchen rolled up his sleeve, exposing his arm, while the Ice Empress bit herself, opening a wound.
A drop of blood fell onto Gu Wuchen's arm.
The blood was warm and quickly seeped into Gu Wuchen's body.
An Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion mark appeared where the blood had fallen.
As soon as it appeared, it quickly vanished again.
"Sister Bing, what is this?" Gu Wuchen asked.
"This is a drop of my origin essence blood. It contains my power. If you run into a problem, call my name in your heart, and your body will gain a portion of my power to help you resolve it."
The Ice Empress explained.
Gu Wuchen jumped down from the Snow Empress's hands and threw himself into the Ice Empress's arms. "Thank you, Sister Bing!"
Seeing how cute Gu Wuchen was, looking like such an adorable little boy, the Ice Empress felt her heart soften.
"That's our little Wuchen. Come, Sister Bing will give you a kiss!"
The Ice Empress picked Gu Wuchen up and kissed him on the cheek.
The Snow Empress wanted to stop her, but it was too late. Watching the Ice Empress, she felt an overwhelming ache of jealousy.
"Sister Bing, that's so sappy!" Gu Wuchen said, covering his face.
"Little Wuchen, that was Sister Bing's first time. If you liked it, next time I'll kiss you on the lips."
A blush appeared on the Ice Empress's cheeks. She had just gone ahead and kissed him like that; it was incredibly bold of her.