For a brief moment, the restrained Ice Empress showed a flash of panic, but she quickly calmed down. Then, filled with rage, she shouted:
"Tian Meng, you actually colluded with humans to scheme against soul beasts!"
Tian Meng shook his head and said calmly:
"Bing'er, if I remember correctly, in another ten thousand years it will be your four-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation. Your origin has already been damaged, and the possibility of you surviving that four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation is almost zero…"
The Ice Empress snorted coldly and said with disdain:
"Even if this Empress falls under the heavenly tribulation, that would still be far better than you, a traitor who betrayed your own race. Tian Meng, enough talk. Make your move. This Empress believes the soul beasts of the Far North will avenge me."
Tian Meng sighed, somewhat helplessly:
"Bing'er, why do you think I, Tian Meng, would be that kind of soul beast? Everything I've done from beginning to end has been for us to become gods and achieve eternal life. As for the process… if in your eyes it makes me a traitor, then I accept that. But no one can stop my obsession with bringing you to godhood…"
The Ice Empress sneered:
"And this is the way you plan to bring me to fulfillment? Helping humans hunt me down? Your method is truly one of a kind…"
Tian Meng felt helpless and could only turn his head toward Shen Hanyu and say:
"Hanyu, she's all yours now. Big brother has already done his best."
Shen Hanyu nodded and said with a smile:
"Ice Empress, nice to meet you. My name is Shen Hanyu, and I guess you could say I'm Tian Meng's… companion…"
"Heh, human. Kill or torture me as you wish. With your mere Quasi-Title Douluo cultivation, do you really think you can absorb this Empress's soul ring? Or perhaps, once this Empress dies, you will face the wrath of the entire Far North. Leave now, and this Empress is willing to let you two dogs live."
The Ice Empress's voice carried no emotion at all, filled only with cold indifference and absolute confidence.
Shen Hanyu remained unfazed. Eight soul rings that defied common sense lit up around him, causing the restrained Ice Empress to freeze for a moment before her fury burned even hotter:
"Tian Meng! You filthy mongrel! You actually helped this human hunt down so many powerful soul beasts, even including a ferocious beast! I will definitely kill you, you traitor! I will definitely kill you!!"
"Enough!"
Shen Hanyu shouted coldly. Light flashed on his right arm, and an invisible, terrifying pressure descended upon the Ice Empress. It was complete suppression on both attribute and soul power levels. Even with all her might, the Ice Empress was firmly crushed by this aura.
"Ice Empress, the only reason I'm willing to explain anything to you is that you are Tian Meng's beloved. Otherwise, you would already be nothing but bones buried here."
"As you can see, I am Tian Meng's choice, and also the most correct choice he has ever made. I carry the inheritances of three God-level beings. The only hope to repair the completely severed path to godhood for your soul beasts lies with me. Don't provoke me while I still hold some hope for the soul beast race. Otherwise, for the sake of becoming a god, I wouldn't hesitate to slaughter every soul beast in the Far North to harvest life energy."
"The conflict between our races can no longer be reconciled. There is only balance. I am willing to be that thin thread of balance between both sides, and I am also willing to completely sever that thread. Right now you only have two choices: die, or listen to me finish speaking and then make your decision…"
"But in truth, I'm not giving you any choice. Your only path is sacrifice. If you choose to self-destruct here, there are countless others in the Ice Jade Scorpion clan that I can choose from. Let me tell you the truth: my second martial soul is formed from the remnant souls of two first-level godly Dragon Kings of your soul beast world, a martial soul with the potential to evolve into a true god-level martial soul. This also means I owe the soul beasts a favor, and I don't want to go too far…"
The Ice Empress fell silent. For a long time, she said nothing; only the howling wind remained.
"Human, is everything you said true?"
When the Ice Empress finally spoke again, her tone was no longer explosive, but ice-cold to the extreme.
"I do not need to lie to you. My right arm bone comes from the Ice Dragon King, my left arm bone comes from the Fire Dragon King, and I have also received the inheritance of the first-level god, the Ice God. I don't believe you can sense this aura…"
Shen Hanyu returned to his normal appearance, even showing a smile at the corner of his mouth, completely different from how he looked moments ago.
The Ice Empress carefully sensed it. Sure enough, she felt two extraordinary energies within Shen Hanyu. Those energies were far more powerful than soul power, and one of them made her instinctively want to submit, the purest ice-attribute divine power.
"Human, I need time to consider."
The Ice Empress's voice softened slightly, but still carried no emotional fluctuation.
"You don't have time to consider. You only have this one chance. I swear on my martial soul that I will definitely bring you all to godhood. Now, you can give me your answer."
…
Once again, only the sound of the wind remained for a long time.
The wind and snow transformed into a pure heavenly curtain that shrouded the world above, desolate yet magnificent, stirring the deepest, most untouchable corner of the heart.
"I accept…"
The Ice Empress's voice came out somewhat hoarse, completely different from the proud and imposing figure she had been not long ago, filled with a sense of finality and desolation.
"A wise choice. You will not regret your decision."
Shen Hanyu smiled and clapped his hands. Everything that had been restraining the Ice Empress vanished like smoke.
A blue bead slowly appeared in Shen Hanyu's hand. He forced the Ice Empress to transform into human form. An ice-blue mark shot straight into the Ice Empress's sea of consciousness and then fell silent.
The Ice Empress's expression changed dramatically as she asked:
"What is this?"
Shen Hanyu toyed with the blue bead and said with a smile:
"Just a simple insurance. This is a trace of divine power that I can control. I've placed it inside your sea of consciousness. If you ever make a move to harm me, it will detonate, and you will not survive."
The Ice Empress coldly stared at Shen Hanyu, feeling more and more that this young man before her was terrifyingly cold. For the first time in hundreds of thousands of years, she felt fear from another being.
"You truly are a terrifying human…"
The Ice Empress said softly. Her body slowly relaxed. Her petite figure floated upward until she was face-to-face with Shen Hanyu. Then she asked:
"The soul beasts you killed… were they all from the Far North?"
Shen Hanyu shook his head and helplessly summoned Shuangying:
"My sixth soul ring came from a hundred-thousand-year Fallen Sea Demon, a sea soul beast, unrelated to the Far North."
"My seventh soul ring came from Tian Meng, a voluntary sacrifice to accompany me to godhood."
"My eighth soul ring came from a two-hundred-thousand-year Ice Frost Serpent Demon. You should know her. Also a voluntary sacrifice."
Shuangying looked at the Ice Empress, the corner of her mouth curling into a slight smile as she said:
"Long time no see, Ice Empress."
The Ice Empress looked at Shuangying, a trace of reminiscence appearing in her eyes. After a long while, she said softly:
"It's you… I never thought you would choose to become a human's soul ring."
Shuangying shook her head and said:
"It was fate that led me to choose Hanyu, not humans. Before him, I never believed in fate. But since he appeared, my lifespan was already running out. Even if all of this is just a final struggle before death, I am willing to stay by his side until the end…"
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