Not far from the three of them stood two women, one tall and one short.
The taller woman was extraordinarily beautiful, with white hair, a white dress, and delicate features. She carried the dignity of one accustomed to command, yet a sorrow that would not disperse lingered between her brows:
"Bing'er, I don't have the slightest confidence in facing the Seven Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation. Fortunately, heaven took pity on me and let me find a Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus that is nearly mature."
"I'll use the snow lotus to seal my origin, take human form, and live another life, so I can try to break through to that realm."
The Snow Empress looked up at the wind and snow. Reflected in her clear blue eyes was the Far North, which she had protected for seven hundred thousand years.
"Xue'er, must it really come to this? Why not wait a little longer? There must be another way."
The Ice Empress clung to one of the Snow Empress's arms, blinking her large eyes as she gazed pleadingly at the woman before her.
The Snow Empress shook her head. "Bing'er, I've made up my mind. Your Four Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation is still a few hundred years away, but I... I don't have that much time left to wait."
"No! We said we'd stay together for a lifetime."
The Ice Empress tightened her grip, her expression agitated:
"We said a lifetime. One year, one month, one day, one hour short... and it doesn't count as a lifetime!"
The Snow Empress looked at the Ice Empress's tear-streaked face, cradled the back of her head in both hands, and drew her into her embrace, gently patting her back:
"While I'm gone, I'll leave the position of Lord of the Far North to you. If I fail, I'll bring my body back to the Far North. Eat me and absorb my origin. That way, we can be together forever, and you'll surely survive the Four Hundred Thousand Year Heavenly Tribulation."
"No! I don't want that. Xue'er, please don't leave me, all right? Boo-hoo-hoo."
Hearing the Snow Empress speak as though she were giving her last words, even someone as fierce as the Ice Empress broke down crying.
Over her long life of nearly four hundred thousand years, she had grown accustomed to seeing life and death. Yet when the person she cared about most was about to leave, she cried like a child who would never grow up.
Tears streamed from her eyes, soaking a patch of the white dress over the Snow Empress's chest, but the Snow Empress paid it no mind.
She lifted the Ice Empress's pretty little face and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes with her fingertips:
"Bing'er, you'll be the king of the Far North. How can a king shed tears?"
"Promise me that after you've cried today, you won't cry anymore. I'll need you to stand guard for me when I take human form. Until then, let me have a good look at you and at this beautiful Far North."
"Mm, all right. Xue'er, don't be in such a hurry either. Wait a little longer. I'll definitely find another way. Like that big worm-if I'd caught him back then..."
A finger rose in front of the Ice Empress's lips, telling her to say no more.
The Ice Empress sniffled, trying to stop crying.
As though she had suddenly noticed something, her eyes lit up. She sniffed again, and after confirming that she was right, her spirits lifted. The demonic markings on her cheeks brightened several times.
"What is it, Bing'er?"
"Xue'er, I can smell it. That familiar scent-it's Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow. Is it that worm Tian Meng? No, it's not him, but I'm sure it's the scent of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow."
The Ice Empress took the Snow Empress's hand and jumped up and down on the spot.
Then she let go of the Snow Empress and raced into the distance, following the scent.
"Xue'er, there's a way for you to survive the heavenly tribulation! We don't have to part anymore! Hahaha!"
"Dragon Transformation!"
Golden scales covered his arm, and his sharp claw tips drew out golden arcs of electricity.
The arcs lengthened and condensed,
and as Yu Tianqing swung his arm, a golden longsword slashed forward.
"Thunder Sword!"
The shrieking shards of ice were cleaved apart, bursting into fragments,
which were swept up by the wind and quickly scattered.
Yu Tianqing closed in. Before him was a Soul Beast shaped like a diamond of ice, over a meter tall and floating slowly in midair. It had no eyes or brows.
If it hadn't been able to move, no one would have taken it for a living creature at first glance.
An Ice Spirit.
An innate Soul Beast born only where the ice element was abundant, it had already reached ten thousand years of cultivation.
Here in the Far North, its strength was in no way inferior to that of a Soul Beast with thirty thousand years of cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, Yu Tianqing had reached the Ice Spirit.
He raised the Thunder Sword in his hand and brought it down, striking the thick ice crystal.
The Ice Spirit's body began to tremble, and a great cloud of white mist rose where the Thunder Sword met the ice.
The white mist billowed upward, then quickly condensed into ice crystals that rained down.
Before long, the Ice Spirit fell at Yu Tianqing's feet, completely unable to move.
Ling Luochеn's red lips parted slightly, and her eyes went wide, her gaze somewhat vacant:
"Is that... a Self-Created Soul Skill?"
"It doesn't really count as a Self-Created Soul Skill. It's just a way of using the power of lightning. Tianqing is very strong, isn't he amazing?"
The corners of Nan Shuishui's mouth curled up as she raised an eyebrow at Ling Luochеn.
"Isn't he from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon? An Ice Spirit shouldn't conduct electricity, should it? How could it be so powerful?"
"Tianqing actually has Twin Martial Souls. This is his Yang Thunder Dragon Martial Soul. As for the specific difference between the Yin Yang Thunder Dragon..."
Nan Shuishui paused, as though recalling something unpleasant, but still managed to explain with difficulty:
"Tianqing said one is high voltage, and the other is high current. What was that move just now... using high voltage to ionize the air, the extremely high temperature produced by the air molecules, a pla... plasma beam to cut..."
Nan Shuishui's voice grew quieter as she spoke. She waved a hand helplessly:
"Never mind, I can't remember it all either. Go absorb the Soul Ring first. If you're interested, you can discuss it with him. You're both young, so you should have plenty to talk about."
Ling Luochеn wiped the nonexistent sweat from her forehead:
Just hearing Nan Shuishui repeat it was enough to make her head spin. She couldn't imagine how painful it would be to actually try to understand it.
She walked slowly over to Yu Tianqing and saw him crouching down, poking the Ice Spirit with a finger, his expression intent.
Ling Luochеn braced her hands on her knees and bent down to ask curiously:
"Is... something wrong?"
"Nothing." Yu Tianqing turned and glanced at her. "I'm just curious how this thing grows. Also, your Soul Skills are all ice-attribute, right? The Ice Spirit's resistance to the ice attribute is extremely high, and ordinary swords and blades probably can't kill it directly. What are you planning to do?"
"Uh-"
Ling Luochеn was at a loss for words. She hadn't considered that question:
A Soul Ring had to be absorbed by the Soul Master who delivered the final blow. The Soul Beasts she had hunted before all had weak points, but this Ice Spirit was like one big block of ice all over...
Seeing that Ling Luochеn still hadn't answered, Yu Tianqing waved a hand nonchalantly and smiled:
"Step back a little. I'll help you."