The Snow Empress's favorability was currently only 20 points.
She was merely curious about Zhang Yang and felt nothing else in particular toward him.
So when she noticed his strange behavior, her first reaction was negative, and she mistakenly thought he intended to kill the Soul Beasts.
But the next second, she saw Zhang Yang take something out, smash the formation inside the cave, and then stuff the items into the Soul Beasts' mouths one by one.
Wait! Those seemed to be human medicinal pills?
The Snow Empress narrowed her eyes slightly and watched with curiosity to see what would happen.
Could it be that this human blessed with auspiciousness had no intention of killing them, but instead wanted to save and heal them?
That didn't fit her preconceptions, but how could she have known that Zhang Yang was here "farming favorability"?
Those pills were, of course, a gift from Zhang Lexuan.
Given eldest senior sister's background, she had no shortage of them.
Although none were particularly high-grade, they were more than enough to stop the bleeding of the Soul Beasts around them.
Regardless of whether Zhang Yang was being kind or whether his motives were pure, what the Snow Empress saw was bound to earn him a positive response.
Together with his max-level charm and the first impression created by his Auspicious Aura, he had laid a solid "foundation," making it easier to farm favorability later.
[Snow Empress favorability +5, current: 25 (check-in unavailable)]
Things unfolded as expected. The Snow Empress wasn't stupid, but she was quite simple-minded.
She hadn't noticed Zhang Yang's hidden intentions at all and saw only that he was treating the Soul Beasts.
Her favorability immediately rose by 5 points. It wasn't much, but it was a decent start.
As the saying went, he had to carry the act through to the end. If he was going to help, he had to see it through, so Zhang Yang didn't stop and continued treating the remaining Soul Beasts.
At the same time, eldest senior sister had already fought her way to the enemy.
The ice-attribute Soul Emperor was utterly dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief.
"Who are you? How did you find this place?" He had thought he was well hidden and had never imagined he would be discovered.
"Hmph, Shrek Inspection Corps. We're under orders to execute Evil Soul Masters!" Zhang Lexuan announced who she was and wasted no more words, charging straight at him.
An Eight-Ring Soul Douluo powerhouse!
The Evil Soul Master's hair stood on end.
How could he dare face her head-on? He dodged frantically in a panic, activating several Soul Rings in succession.
A strange blue-and-white skull emerged above his forehead, surrounded by a blood-colored halo.
In an instant, it unleashed a dense barrage of beams. It wasn't clear exactly what Soul Skill it was, but it was certainly an attack.
Zhang Lexuan was completely unafraid.
Moonlight shone, and silver light flashed.
As her Martial Soul lit up, she decisively used a Soul Skill to meet the attack. Eight rings against six left no doubt about the outcome.
But she didn't notice that the ice-skull Evil Soul Master had been keeping Zhang Yang in the corner of his eye.
What a joke. He couldn't win even if he fought with his life on the line. His only chance was to take that handsome brat with just two Soul Rings hostage.
He didn't know that Zhang Yang had a law to protect himself. Judging by his apparent cultivation alone, he imagined a plan for survival and seized an opening to close in.
The auspicious one is in danger!
In secret, the Snow Empress was stirred.
She had only just developed a little positive feeling toward Zhang Yang.
Naturally, she didn't want him to be killed by the Evil Soul Master just like that, so she summoned the elemental power of heaven and earth with a thought.
It silently enveloped him in protection, faint blue threads drifting through the air, their presence dim and extremely subtle.
"You dare touch my man? Be reduced to ashes!"
Almost at the same time, Zhang Lexuan had flown into a rage.
She knew Zhang Yang had a trump card and wouldn't necessarily be hurt.
But through her carelessness, she had let the man she loved face danger. As a devil king's protector, she couldn't stand it!
Furious with embarrassment, she naturally held nothing back. Her Eighth Soul Ring shone as she decisively unleashed her strongest Soul Skill.
Her translucent moon Martial Soul materialized behind her. As though merging with the surrounding Blood Qi, it gradually took on a bloody presence.
In an instant, it transformed into a special blood moon form. The entire cave shook violently, and space seemed to be sealed shut, leaving the Evil Soul Master frozen in place.
At some point, a streak of blood-colored light flashed into existence.
How could a mere Six-Ring Soul Emperor withstand such killing intent?
Not only was his life snuffed out in an instant, but just as she had shouted, he was physically reduced to ashes.
His body was enveloped in blood-colored light and dissolved as if evaporating in the blink of an eye, leaving not a trace that he had ever lived.
"Zhang Yang! Are you all right?" Zhang Lexuan darted toward her boyfriend, her face full of anxiety and concern as she frantically felt him all over.
"I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for that." Although he could protect himself, Zhang Yang still looked at her tenderly, cared for by his girlfriend like this.
As he spoke, he readily wrapped an arm around her waist.
He leaned forward and kissed her deeply on the lips.
Zhang Lexuan, who had been slaughtering her way through the enemy like a valkyrie a moment ago, immediately became docile.
Not only did her face turn red, but even the roots of her ears flushed. She offered no resistance at all and could only make muffled sounds.
After quite a while, the two could no longer hold out without drawing breath. Only then did she widen her eyes and say coquettishly, "What are you doing? Is that my reward? That doesn't count!"
Zhang Yang immediately understood what she meant. A great battle was destined to take place tonight, but not now; they still had work to finish. "Ha, when have I ever let you down? Let's clean up the scene first."
The surroundings were filled with a sickening stench of blood.
Naturally, it wasn't the place for flirting.
Zhang Lexuan nodded and began checking the cave, helping the remaining Soul Beasts break free along the way.
When hunting Soul Rings in the Star Dou Great Forest, she had deliberately spared Soul Beasts that weren't her targets, and she did the same in the Far North.
It all came naturally, with no need for Zhang Yang to remind her. A man and woman working together never tired, and together they soon rescued and released all the Soul Beasts.
The Snow Empress, hidden outside, finally felt reassured. She had a good impression not only of Zhang Yang, but of Zhang Lexuan as well. These two humans were quite interesting.
As the saying went, without comparison, there was no hurt.
The Evil Soul Master's actions set off their kindness perfectly.
Unfortunately, Zhang Yang waited a long time but still received no second notification. The Snow Empress's favorability was quite hard to farm.
Of course, he wasn't too surprised. After all, it had only been a small effort, and five points was good enough. A person couldn't be too greedy.
A good beginning is half the battle.
But it looks like I'll have to stay here a few more days.
If I can farm her favorability up to a certain value, perhaps I'll have a chance to trick the Snow Empress into leaving the Far North!
Come to think of it... why is she the only one here? What about the Ice Empress? Did she not come, or has the system not triggered yet?
Zhang Yang muttered inwardly.
With that, they finished cleaning up the battlefield.
The Inspection Corps mission Zhang Lexuan had used as an excuse to bring him out had thus come to an end.
It was clear from eldest senior sister's flickering gaze that she seemed to have thought of this and felt it was almost time to return.
"Since we're already here, how about helping me get a spiritual-type Soul Ring?" Zhang Yang thought for a moment and decided to use that as an excuse. A normal hunt shouldn't affect her favorability.
"Uh... huh? Of course! Wait, you should be level 30 now? When did that happen?" Zhang Lexuan had been a little absent-minded and took a moment to react.
His first and Second Soul Rings had been gifts from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
When they left the Star Dou Great Forest, he hadn't been level 30 yet.
Between traveling and "fighting" lately, she hadn't noticed at all. When had Zhang Yang made his breakthrough?