Yu Tianqing wanted to say something, but closed his mouth again. He glanced at Ling Luochen, who was pressed tightly against him. Her consciousness had already grown hazy.
The Ice Empress was clearly furious right now. Even if he wanted to use the traditional art of "talk no jutsu," he would have to wait until she regained a little clarity.
There was no time to waste. The Ice Empress's release of her original power had affected Ling Luochen the most, and she had to leave this place as soon as possible.
And as for himself...
Yu Tianqing felt how stiff his frozen body had become and smiled helplessly.
Nan Shuishui wanted him to take Ling Luochen and flee. He could manage on his own, but if he had to bring Ling Luochen...
He really wanted to say: This concubine cannot do it.
"Aunt Nan..."
Yu Tianqing spoke softly. Nan Shuishui had never heard him speak so calmly before. Her heart tightened, as though something even worse was about to happen.
"The Ice Empress is probably here for me, and I can't take Luochen away from here either. The only way now is for me to lure the Ice Empress away while you take Luochen and leave first."
Nan Shuishui's pupils contracted, and her delicate body trembled, but her arms tightened around Yu Tianqing and Ling Luochen.
"No... I promised your mother I'd take good care of you."
"Aunt Nan, there's no time. This is the best way, and you know it."
Yu Tianqing set his feet on the ground and stood straight. He tried to push Nan Shuishui's arms away, but after two failed attempts, he could only give up.
He turned around and met Nan Shuishui's gaze.
"Thank you for taking care of me all these years, Aunt Nan."
Yu Tianqing reached out to caress Nan Shuishui's cheek and leaned close to her ear.
"I have a secret. The one I love most is actually you, Shuishui. I love you as a man loves a woman."
Nan Shuishui's red lips parted slightly. Before she could react, she felt a man's breath wash over her face, and Yu Tianqing pressed his lips against her two soft ones.
But their lips parted as soon as they touched. A tremendous force followed, pushing Nan Shuishui's delicate body violently into the distance.
Yu Tianqing underwent Dragon Transformation, golden scales covering his entire body.
Six Soul Rings appeared: one yellow, two purple, and three black. The purple Soul Rings lit up.
Three Thousand Lightning Movement.
His figure turned into a streak of golden lightning and fled in the other direction.
The Ice Empress watched everything unfold with cold eyes. Though her prey had split up, they were all ants. As the Far North's greatest hunter, no prey could escape her pursuit.
What she was thinking about now was how to toy with these people cruelly and make these humans regret targeting the Soul Beasts of the Far North.
"Ice Empress, if you want the Snow Empress to survive her heavenly tribulation unharmed, come after me."
Yu Tianqing's words reached her amid the howling wind and snow. His voice was somewhat indistinct, but the Ice Empress heard him perfectly.
Xue'er?
It was the human who had just turned into golden lightning.
How dare he?
Wait...
I came here because of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow.
After standing dazed for only a few seconds, the Ice Empress worked out which matter took priority. Her green figure turned into a streak of light and chased after Yu Tianqing.
Feeling that overwhelmingly powerful presence drawing closer behind him, Yu Tianqing could not help feeling a mountain of pressure.
He was only a minor Soul Emperor, truly little different from an ant before the Far North's second heavenly king. The only thing he could do was buy Nan Shuishui more time to escape.
His plan set, the golden lightning hesitated no longer.
It immediately split into three streaks, racing off in different directions.
"Paltry tricks! Stop right there!"
The Ice Empress's furious voice rang out behind him. Three ice crystals formed before her, but just as she was about to launch them, she hesitated. She adjusted their aim slightly and fired them in the directions the streaks of lightning were traveling.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two streaks of lightning slammed into icicles that had appeared abruptly in their paths, bursting into plasma. Only the streak on the left curved around and continued speeding into the distance.
"Futile struggling!"
The Ice Empress dug her six frantically moving feet into the snow to brake, skidding dozens of meters and sending snow dust billowing into the sky.
A green figure then shot out of the snow dust and sprang into the air, pursuing Yu Tianqing. Her speed was hardly any slower than before.
One human and one beast began a chase across the wilderness of the Far North.
Another icicle appeared in front of Yu Tianqing. The golden lightning tried to dodge, but it was moving too fast. This time, it failed to evade the icicle and crashed squarely into it.
The lightning dispersed, revealing Yu Tianqing's body.
His face was deathly pale, and his lips had turned purple from the cold. He tried to circulate the Soul Power in his body, but there was not a drop left.
All he could feel was how hard the ice crystal in front of him was. The collision had left his head spinning.
He turned around and leaned against the icicle. Looking up at the snowstorm that raged on as before, he smiled helplessly.
When Heavenly Emperor Qing was a Soul Emperor, he fought the Ice Empress for three minutes without losing. That's a record I wouldn't be ashamed to tell people about, right?
I hope Aunt Nan and Luochen have already left.
A jade-green figure slowly appeared in his vision. She was coldly beautiful and aloof. Most striking were the demonic markings on her cheeks: three on each side, all glowing with a deep green light. Another faint marking seemed ready to take shape at any moment.
A voice that seemed to come from the nine nether hells lingered in Yu Tianqing's ears.
"Ant, why aren't you running anymore?"
"Ah, how would I dare? You're the noble ruler of ice. Who on the entire continent hasn't heard of your mighty reputation? I never imagined I could escape from your grasp... cough, cough..."
Yu Tianqing was very weak. He coughed twice, but continued speaking.
"To become your prey is my highest tribute to the Ice God."
A thousand things might fail, but flattery never did.
Fine words cost nothing, and Yu Tianqing did not mind showing his generosity at a time like this.
It was also the first time the Ice Empress had heard a human flatter her. A trace of pride flashed through her eyes, but it quickly gave way to severity. She reached out, her small hand clamping around Yu Tianqing's neck like an iron vise, and lifted his entire body off the ground.
"Tell me, what is this method you mentioned for saving Xue'er?"
The Ice Empress lifted Yu Tianqing close to her and sniffed him. After confirming it, she asked in a low voice:
"Where did the scent of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow on you come from? Hand over the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow you're carrying, and I'll give you a quick death!"
Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow?
At the Ice Empress's question, it was as if an electric current exploded in Yu Tianqing's mind.
Damn it, I finally know why the Ice Empress is chasing me.
Because he had cultivated for years in the cold spring in the Earth Dragon Sect's secret realm, Yu Tianqing had inevitably picked up the scent of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow.
Was this Ice Empress born a wild dog?
How is her nose so sharp?!
Yu Tianqing sighed inwardly at his carelessness, but since the Ice Empress wanted something from him, the situation was not quite so bad.
"I do know where there's Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow,"
At the first half of his sentence, delight flickered in the Ice Empress's eyes, but the second half sent her into a rage.
"but I'm not carrying any."
"Are you playing with me?"
She clenched her free hand into a fist and swung it at Yu Tianqing's face.
Just as the Ice Empress's fist grew larger in Yu Tianqing's vision, a golden light rose from his chest and blocked her attack.
A majestic, imposing voice rang out across the Far North.
"Audacious fiend, cease harming him."