The Snow Empress's voice carried an undeniable sense of majesty within its nobility; the sheer residual power made the two Titled Douluo involuntarily take a step back, and the surrounding atmosphere grew heavier.
Xu Jiujiu gripped Shu Yan's hand tightly. She desperately told herself to stay calm, but facing the Snow Empress, it was clearly useless.
Shu Yan's pupils contracted slightly, his throat felt dry, and a drop of cold sweat slid from his temple. The bloodline within him surged and boiled, and his Martial Soul seemed to be summoning itself. The next moment, a sudden, intense coldness descended. Ice and snow covered the plants, a blurry ice-blue figure appeared behind Shu Yan, and four Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet.
The Snow Empress's gaze locked onto the blurry figure behind Shu Yan, her expression darkening slightly. Shu Yan felt as if the world had turned completely pale. From the Snow Empress, he sensed an absolute, bone-chilling, and undisguised killing intent!
A terrifying aura surged out from around the Snow Empress. A trace of blood spilled from Shu Yan's mouth, and he uncontrollably stumbled back a few steps. Xu Jiujiu, with her lower Spirit Power, was instantly suppressed to the point where she couldn't breathe and slumped onto the ground.
A hint of astonishment and gloom flickered in the Snow Empress's eyes. A moment later, the surrounding pressure vanished. Shu Yan coughed violently twice, his body trembling slightly. Xu Jiujiu was shaking all over, her eyes somewhat vacant, staring blankly at the scene before her.
"The Ice Sky Snow Woman Martial Soul, huh? Heh heh... Humans can actually possess a bloodline that shares the same origin as this Empress. Truly, heaven is unfair." For some reason, the Snow Empress's voice carried a touch of self-mockery.
But the next moment, her voice took a sharp, downward turn, speaking in an almost irrefutable tone: "You cannot stay in the human world. Return with this Empress to the Extreme North Land. This Empress doesn't want to kill you. If you are obedient, these three humans might still have a chance to live."
Shu Yan's mind raced. He considered every possible way to escape the situation, but in the end, he realized tragically that he seemed to have no choice at all.
Looking at Xu Jiujiu, who was slumped on the ground behind him, a trace of unwillingness flashed in Shu Yan's eyes. He forced himself to calm down, then slightly turned his gaze. When his eyes fell upon Xu Jiujiu, they softened again. He mouthed a few words. Xu Jiujiu's pupils suddenly narrowed, but before she could speak, she let out a whimper and collapsed.
Shu Yan then turned his head to look at the two Titled Douluo, also mouthing softly: "Go quickly. Don't worry about me. I have a way to protect myself."
Xingyun Douluo and Suixing Douluo's eyes were bloodshot, and the Spirit Power within them circulated rapidly. But the next moment, the Snow Empress simply let out a light humph, causing blood to seep from the corners of their mouths. After forcing themselves to regain control, the two quickly analyzed the situation. They then gritted their teeth fiercely. After giving Shu Yan a guilty look, they quickly fled the area with Xu Jiujiu.
On the Way
It wasn't until the figures of the three had completely vanished into the horizon that Shu Yan finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
He might have once imagined all this happening, but he had never thought it would occur so suddenly and quickly. As his thoughts churned, the Snow Empress's cold voice sounded again from behind him, abruptly interrupting Shu Yan's complicated mood.
"You seem to care greatly about that human woman," she stated.
Shu Yan slowly turned his head, looking at the Snow Empress, who was a head shorter than him but whose presence surpassed his by more than a hundred times. He then gently nodded. "We met when we were young. She was the older sister I relied on in my youth, and she is my lover now."
The Snow Empress let out a cold humph, then spoke. "This Empress never dreamed that the Ice Sky Snow Woman bloodline would appear on a human, and a male one at that. However, since you possess a bloodline originating from the same source as this Empress, you are considered a member of this Empress's clan regardless. Return with this Empress to the Extreme North Land; that is the most suitable place for you."
Shu Yan gently exhaled a cloudy breath. His white hair, which had turned the same color as the Snow Empress's due to the awakening of the Ice Sky Snow Woman origin, gently fluttered. A hint of seriousness flashed in Shu Yan's eyes, and he then said, "Snow Empress, I think we should have a good talk."
The Snow Empress let out another cold humph. Immediately, Shu Yan felt the world spin. When he opened his eyes again, the nearby scenery was receding at a speed invisible to the naked eye. The Snow Empress's cold voice also echoed in Shu Yan's ears.
"If you have anything to say, wait until we return to the Core Circle before telling this Empress slowly. Other than that, this Empress advises you to keep your mouth shut."
Shu Yan was speechless.
The Core Circle
The Extreme North Land, Core Circle.
Unlike the outer and mixed circles, the Core Circle did not have the violent wind and snow barrier found outside. In fact, it was terrifyingly quiet.
Looking out, all that met the eye was ground covered in white snow. In the distance, a few continuous ice and snow mountain ranges were vaguely visible. Occasionally, a long and distant beast roar would echo across the vast ice field. Layers of wind and snow piled up, and the cold air was thick. Even Shu Yan couldn't help but feel a chill.
The Snow Empress's sky-blue beautiful eyes looked straight ahead, her expression calm. Her right hand gripped Shu Yan's collar, carrying him like a small chick. Wherever they passed, fierce winds howled, and ice and snow scattered in all directions like broken waves.
Even when they occasionally encountered a few Spirit Beasts active on the ice field, upon sensing the Snow Empress's aura, every single one of them knelt with all four limbs on the ground and lowered their heads in worship. The age of these Spirit Beasts was at least fifty thousand years or more, which showed just how high the Snow Empress's status was in the Extreme North Land.
As they reached an ice field devoid of any signs of life, the Snow Empress lowered her altitude. Through the gaps in the clouds, Shu Yan vaguely saw a palace-like building. At the same time, the already cold temperature plummeted again, almost reaching a point where the temperature alone could kill powerhouses below the Spirit Grand Master level.
The Snow Empress slowly landed with Shu Yan. Shu Yan also saw the full appearance of the palace for the first time. Looking at the magnificent ice palace before him, Shu Yan couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
While he was stunned, the Snow Empress had already taken steps and walked towards the inside of the palace. As if sensing that Shu Yan hadn't followed, the Snow Empress frowned slightly, then turned back and said in a less-than-pleasant tone: "Those fellows in the Core Circle are always extremely sensitive and hate the aura of humans. If you don't want to die too quickly, keep up with this Empress."
Shu Yan suddenly snapped back to his senses and quickly followed the Snow Empress's steps. As soon as he stepped into the main hall, a bone-chilling cold instantly spread throughout his body. The temperature inside this hall was actually even lower than outside, causing him, who possessed the Ice Sky Snow Woman Martial Soul, to feel a temporary discomfort.
The Snow Empress's steps were elegant and measured. In the blink of an eye, she was already seated on the throne at the head of the main hall. The hem of her white dress casually spread across the floor, and her long right leg rested on her left, revealing a section of her calf as white as jade.
The ice-blue high-heeled shoes exuded a cold aura. From Shu Yan's angle, he could just see the Snow Empress's flawless, moderately sized, jade-like feet.
Perhaps Shu Yan's unconscious gaze made the Snow Empress feel a bit uncomfortable. A visible gloom flashed across the Snow Empress's face. The next moment, Shu Yan felt an utterly terrifying pressure suddenly descend. He was pressed straight down into a half-kneel, his knees creating a small dent in the ground forged from ice, and a trace of blood simultaneously overflowed from the corner of his mouth again.
"Human, it's best you withdraw your filthy gaze, otherwise this Empress doesn't mind helping you solve the problem from the root." The Snow Empress's words were like bone-chilling ice.
Shu Yan coughed lightly, and the pressure on his body suddenly eased. Only then was he able to slowly get up. What kind of situation was this? He hadn't looked intentionally. With the Snow Empress in that posture, anyone who needed to look up at her would inevitably notice...
After forcibly suppressing the surging qi and blood within him, Shu Yan took a deep breath, wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, and then said: "Snow Empress, I think it's necessary for us to have a good talk."
The Snow Empress supported her body with one hand, her posture slightly lazy. She looked down at Shu Yan and then spoke: "You are a member of this Empress's clan. Staying in the Extreme North Land, or even staying by this Empress's side, is your most suitable destiny.
This is the land most suitable for your growth. This Empress can give you infinite cultivation resources, enough for you to cultivate to the so-called Titled Douluo realm without any pressure. As for the Spirit Bones that you humans crave, this Empress can also satisfy you to the best of her ability..."