"How can it be such a coincidence?" Tang San's brows were tightly furrowed. Just moments ago, the Golden Dragon King, sealed in the Forbidden Divine Realm, began to impact its seal.
As one of the enforcers of the entire Divine Realm, he had no choice but to personally go to the Forbidden Divine Realm to check on the situation.
Yet, precisely within this short period, so many changes had occurred in the lower realm, and Huo Yuhao had completely slipped out of his control!
It was important to note that time flowed differently in the Divine Realm compared to the lower realm; one day in the Divine Realm was equivalent to one year in the lower realm.
Although he had only gone to the Forbidden Divine Realm to check the specific situation, for the lower realm, this time had been enough for many matters to settle.
Through the feedback from his divine sense on the Golden Tree and Wang Dong, Tang San had a rough understanding of what had happened in the lower realm.
He already had some conjectures about the Snow Empress's sudden display of formidable strength.
After all, the Snow Empress was the first existence to step outside his calculations, so some unforeseen changes were actually within his expectations.
As for why the divine sense clones on the Golden Tree and Wang Dong did not intervene, this was a rule he had set beforehand.
One of those divine sense clones was responsible for guarding and transforming the Golden Tree, while the other was specifically tasked with protecting Wang Dong.
As long as these two were not under substantial threat, the divine sense clones would not easily manifest and interfere.
Now, with such a significant deviation in his plan, Tang San's face grew increasingly grim. However, having weathered many storms and being deeply cunning, he did not become exasperated. Instead, he quickly calmed down and began to ponder how to salvage the current situation.
It was just that the God of Destruction constantly monitored his every move, forcing him to temporarily set aside many means he could have used. He could only proceed one step at a time and adapt as needed.
"Heh, Tang San must be quite confused, right?"
Upon receiving the news from Mobius that Huo Yuhao had been taken away by a powerful individual from the Spirit Cult, Lu Jingming couldn't help but reveal an expression of anticipating a good show. The corners of his mouth curved slightly, and a hint of playful mockery flickered in his eyes.
"That Golden Dragon King is quite interesting. It's been sealed yet it can continuously accumulate power. If it really breaks the seal, it might take several Divine Kings to deal with it, right? It's much stronger than that little silver dragon next to you."
Black Tower lightly adjusted the iconic witch hat on her head, her tone filled with interest.
"Well, unlike Gu Yue, the Golden Dragon King inherited the Dragon God's power, so it's normal for it to be stronger. But, Black Tower, how did you do it?"
Lu Jingming tilted his head slightly, his eyes full of curiosity.
He was curious about what method Black Tower used to make the Golden Dragon King impact its seal, thus forcing Tang San to personally go to the Forbidden Divine Realm to investigate.
"Simple, I fed it some Honkai energy to help it perk up a bit," Black Tower said nonchalantly, as if she had done something trivial.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingming quickly checked his accumulated Honkai energy and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Leaving aside how Black Tower managed to quietly enter the heavily guarded Forbidden Divine Realm—after all, with the Thousand Worlds on a Single Ride in hand, she certainly had a way to do it.
But the key was, could that be called "a bit" of Honkai energy? He had just checked, and the Honkai energy he had painstakingly accumulated recently was suddenly gone by more than half.
However, on second thought, being able to briefly divert Tang San's attention and successfully disrupt his plan was not too much of a loss.
Now that Huo Yuhao had entered the Spirit Cult, Tang San's original plan had completely gone off track.
Moreover, Lu Jingming knew in his heart that after this series of events, Huo Yuhao was probably no longer the naive Huo Yuhao he once was.
Recalling that pseudo-Herrscher gemstone, Lu Jingming's lips twitched again.
That gemstone was originally given by him to Mobius, for her to use in selecting suitable World Serpent executives from among many candidates.
But who would have thought that Mobius would actually give this gemstone to Huo Yuhao?
Based on his understanding of Mobius, she would never give equipment to others for no reason.
That gemstone had most likely been heavily tampered with by her; it would be strange if there wasn't some huge hidden trap on it.
"Your little Snow Empress is here."
Suddenly, Black Tower spoke abruptly. Immediately after, she casually waved her hand at Lu Jingming, and in an instant, the surrounding space began to fold and distort.
Amidst these strange spatial changes, Lu Jingming's figure instantly vanished, as if he had never been there.
Outside the luxurious villa by the sea cliff in Sea Abyss City, the Snow Empress, who had been quietly standing and meticulously sensing Lu Jingming's aura, keenly caught his presence the moment he appeared.
She unhesitatingly launched herself, rapidly soaring towards Lu Jingming's direction, like a white streak of light cutting across the sky.
Before, Lu Jingming was in Black Tower's laboratory, so it was normal for the Snow Empress to be unable to sense his aura.
After all, Black Tower's laboratory had special spatial shielding devices that could block external perception.
"Lu Jingming, I have something I need your help with!" The Snow Empress landed steadily in front of Lu Jingming, getting straight to the point. Her eyes conveyed urgency, with no intention of beating around the bush.
"It's for the Ice Empress, isn't it? I heard from Mobius that I can indeed help her reshape her physical body."
Lu Jingming slightly lowered his head, glancing at the white orb of light carefully held in the Snow Empress's hands. Encased within it was the Ice Empress's pure spiritual essence.
At this time, the Ice Empress had not been acquainted with Huo Yuhao for long, so a deep bond had not yet been established.
Therefore, facing the Snow Empress, she almost unhesitatingly abandoned Huo Yuhao.
However, in fairness, Huo Yuhao didn't suffer a loss; at least, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion spirit and its accompanying spirit rings and spirit bones he obtained from the Ice Empress remained perfectly intact on him.
"Whatever your conditions are, I can agree to them," the Snow Empress said, seeing that Lu Jingming merely stood there, not yet taking out his white lance to help.
Of course, one must offer compensation when asking for help. It was just that for some reason, a hint of bitterness arose in the Snow Empress's heart.
"You've misunderstood, Snow Empress. Helping the Ice Empress reshape her physical body is merely a small expenditure of spirit power for me; no compensation is needed. We are comrades, aren't we? I just have a better suggestion."
Lu Jingming gently shook his head helplessly, a gentle smile on his face.
His words were sincere. Helping the Ice Empress reshape her physical body was merely a trivial matter for him, possessing the Abyssal Black Lotus and Pure White Flower. He wasn't the type to be calculating or stingy; there was truly no need to demand compensation from the Snow Empress.
"What suggestion?" The Snow Empress realized she had misunderstood Lu Jingming. Instantly, a blush quietly crept onto her cheeks, adding a rare touch of shyness to her usually cold demeanor.
To hide her embarrassment, she quickly asked.
"You must have heard of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, right?" Lu Jingming looked at the Snow Empress's slightly reddened cheeks, finding the sight very pleasing, but he wisely did not foolishly point it out, merely speaking softly.
"Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, the supreme treasure of the ice element. Of course, I've heard of it. Why do you bring it up?" The Snow Empress frowned slightly, her eyes showing confusion.
She was naturally very familiar with the famous Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow. Didn't that big worm smoothly and easily break through to become a million-year spirit beast precisely because it fortuitously consumed a large amount of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow?
"Compared to me helping the Ice Empress reshape her physical body with the Abyssal Black Lotus and Pure White Flower, using Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow to help her will have a better effect, and the Ice Empress will also be able to recover her full strength at the fastest speed."
Lu Jingming patiently explained.
"I know that, of course, but Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow is a rare treasure. It's difficult to find even a single piece on the entire Douluo Continent."
The Snow Empress couldn't help but frown.
She naturally understood that for the Ice Empress to reshape her physical body, Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow would have a far superior effect than the hundred-thousand-year snow lotus she had obtained back then.
If a physical body were to be molded using Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow as a foundation, with the Ice Empress's hundreds of thousands of years of profound accumulation, she would quickly be able to break through to the Limit Douluo level.
Afterward, fusing with a Stigmata would allow her to officially prepare for becoming a god.
"I know where there's Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, and quite a lot of it."
Lu Jingming didn't deliberately keep her in suspense, getting straight to the point.
"Really!" The Snow Empress's eyes instantly brightened. Usually cold, aloof, and showing little emotion, she now couldn't hide her excitement.
If there truly was a large amount of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, it wouldn't just mean that the Ice Empress could create a nearly perfect physical body. For herself, it would also save a lot of time, allowing her to condense her divine position at a faster pace and reach that coveted divine realm.
"Why would I lie to you?" Lu Jingming couldn't help but roll his eyes, saying helplessly.
He indeed knew the hiding place of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow: it was in the outer regions of the Far North, within Dragon City in the Heaven Soul Empire.
In that city, deep beneath the Earth Dragon Gate, a large amount of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was hidden.
Moreover, it was also accompanied by many top-tier spirit tool metals—Ice Extreme Divine Crystal.
Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was not only of great use to the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, but it was also beneficial for Jingliu, March 7th, Ganyu, and others. He had long planned to find a suitable opportunity to retrieve that Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow.
"Where is the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow? I'll go now."
The Snow Empress said impatiently. Her current eagerness was a stark contrast to her usual cold and aloof demeanor, her impatience clear.
"Don't rush. The location of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow is already occupied. This matter needs to be considered carefully. First, I'll help the Ice Empress create a temporary body for use." Lu Jingming gently shook his head, speaking seriously.
Although with the Snow Empress's strength, forcibly seizing the Earth Dragon Gate's Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was not difficult, he didn't want to use such a crude method. He had a more proper plan in mind.
"Why bother with so many considerations? I'll do it myself, you don't need to show your face. Even if it's at Shrek Academy, or the Body Sect, or even the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, I can seize it."
Having experienced single-handedly suppressing Shrek Academy, the Snow Empress now had a very clear understanding of her own strength. She was fearless, her words filled with domineering confidence.
"Listen to me!" Lu Jingming stared into the Snow Empress's eyes, softly uttering these three words.
Though brief, his words carried an undeniable dominance.
Yet, being stared at so directly by Lu Jingming, the Snow Empress inexplicably felt a little flustered.
She instinctively averted her gaze, her eyes darting around. After a moment of hesitation, she finally nodded gently and whispered, "Okay!"
"Don't worry, the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow will definitely be obtained. No need to be so anxious. Come, give me the Ice Empress's spiritual essence."
Seeing the Snow Empress obediently listen, Lu Jingming's face broke into a gentle smile, as if the strong and domineering person from moments ago wasn't him. At this moment, he returned to his usual gentle and approachable self.
"Mm!"
The Snow Empress softly hummed in agreement, handing the white orb of light in her hands to Lu Jingming. It was evident that she still deeply trusted Lu Jingming.