Murmurs

One day earlier, in the room of the Snow Empress and Ice Empress in Spirit City.

Ice Empress was transformed into a human by the mysterious Purple Seal when Yu Tianshuang and the others were still Soul Grandmaster, and has followed them ever since. When Ye Lingling firmly said "It can be cured!" in the war room when everyone was silent, she understood that Ye Lingling was planning to sacrifice herself to heal Qian Renxue, who was a god.

Ice Empress's figure and appearance hadn't changed with time; she still had that same dark green hair and the physique of a young woman. At this moment, she gazed through the window towards the Worship Hall. The emerald green life energy there was so dazzling, coloring everything green. Ice Empress's expression was sorrowful, and she couldn't help but murmur, "Lingling..."

The Snow Empress sat on the bed, her beautiful face showing no sign of sadness, though her gaze was somewhat vacant, as if she were lost in thought. Hearing the Ice Empress's voice, her eyes focused, and seeing her worried expression, she rose and walked over, patting her shoulder. They both looked towards the Worship Hall, and after a moment, she spoke, "Go back. Go back to the Far North, back to the Ice and Snow Divine Hall. You once passed the God Trial, and even... even if Shui Yue'er is gone, you can hide there. It's absolutely safe there..."

Ice Empress was somewhat surprised. She had never considered leaving this place. Snow Empress's words left her bewildered. She turned around, looked up at her resolute eyes, lowered her head, and took a step back, saying, "Xue'er... you should go... From the day I chose to become Ferocious Beast, my purpose in living each day has been to survive that damned Ferocious Beast Heavenly Tribulation. Ten thousand years, two hundred thousand years, not a single day has been peaceful. Countless times I've been awakened in terror from my dreams. I've actually lived in this fear for so long..."

"I only lived with Yu Tianshuang for a little over ten years, but every day was filled with joy. I didn't have to worry about waking up to a sudden thundercloud, or being hunted down by some human. They were so good to me. Yue'er... Yue'er loved to drag me around to eat delicious food, and I loved being with her. When she pulled me to taste my first bite of pudding, I realized how wonderful the world was, and how delicious the food was."

"Lingling is very quiet and doesn't like to talk. Even though she's so young compared to our age, she always makes a lot of delicious food for Yue'er and me, like a gentle older sister. She would also protect us when Bing'er scolded us. Speaking of Bing'er... she's really strict. And even though I was so powerful back then, and I was a Ferocious Beast, when Yue'er caused trouble with me, she would scold me too. She didn't treat me like an outsider, like a Soul Beast, but like the eldest sister in the family. This indiscriminate strictness made me unconsciously blend in. When I came to my senses, I realized... it seems like they already regarded me as a partner, as family. And I... it seems like I feel the same way."

"Go. You haven't spent much time with them. If it's to repay Yu Tianshuang's kindness, then you fought desperately in this battle. Go, no one will blame you, and you don't need to blame yourself..."

Ice Empress's words left Snow Empress speechless for a moment, but listening to her, she understood and empathized. This reminded her of the few troublemakers she had taken in. It was as if she had only felt alive during the short time she spent with them. Therefore, she could fully relate to what Snow Empress said.

"I will risk my life to buy time until Bing'er returns as a god. Then I will fulfill all the things we promised Yue'er we would eat together, watch together, and play together. I don't want this world to become Yue'er, and I will no longer hide away. Living like that is no different from being dead!"

Ice Empress's words silenced her. Yes... this world is so beautiful, with so much to cherish, so much to protect and fight for. Thinking of this, she smiled with relief, and those brief moments of her life in the human world kept replaying in her mind. "Damn it, if only Tianshuang were awake, he would definitely have a way, he can do anything!"

Snow Empress looked at Ice Empress clenching his small fists, his expression one of blind trust, and couldn't understand. He was just a mortal, currently unconscious and his fate unknown, so why did Ice Empress have such faith in him? "Why do you think that way? Right now, only the gods can control the situation. Even if he wakes up, what can he do?"

Snow Empress's words left her somewhat confused, unsure how to respond. She could only scratch her head and say, "I don't know what he can do, but I just feel that if he were here, he would definitely find a way. He can do anything!"

Perhaps because they were both transformed by Yu Tianshuang's Purple Seal, she and Ice Empress shared this inexplicable feeling. That unseen connection gave her a strange illusion. "Really? Maybe. I... I seem to have the same feeling. That little guy... seems to be able to do anything, even something as outrageous as turning us Ferocious Beast into humans. Even gods can't do that. Maybe he really can!"

"I need to go back. When I get back, I'll wake him up, if... if he really can do anything..."

Snow Empress's words puzzled her for a moment, then she realized something, her eyes widened, and she grabbed Snow Empress's arm. "Xue'er..."

"Alright... didn't you say he can do anything? Actually... that's what I think too. So, only I can wake him up. You, a Little Scorpion, can't do it!"

After speaking, the Snow Empress affectionately patted her head, then transformed into a streak of white light and disappeared into the sky. "Yes... you have a special connection with the Purple Seal, you are the Heavenly Snow Woman... while I am just Little Scorpion..." As one of the ten most Ferocious Beast in the Far North, she naturally understood what the Snow Empress wanted to do.

Where am I? My head hurts so much... The style of this ceiling above me... Hiss... I slowly sat up from the bed, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar interior of the room. Am I back? Oh right, I was killed by Tang San... I immediately sensed the situation inside my body. The Purple Seal was still there, but I couldn't contact it or call it. My cultivation was also stagnant. No, it wasn't stagnant, it was back to the day when the Purple Seal brought me to the Douluo Continent.

Was it a dream? It really feels like a dream, so real, so long... Senior sister, teacher, was it all just a dream? But why do I remember everything in the dream so clearly?

"Senior brother, Master summons you to the main hall!"

A voice came from outside the door, "Okay, I'll be right there!"

He rubbed his head, suppressing the countless questions in his mind, pushed open the door, and looked at the young Daoist before him. A sense of unreality washed over him; where exactly was this dream...?