Tian Shui Academy had been bustling for several consecutive days.
The continuous clamor only quieted down somewhat from morning until dusk.
Shui Ningbing looked at the stacks of student files and their contents, then fell deeply into thought, looking as if she had been completely worn out.
Meanwhile, the others were each busy with their own tasks, wishing they had twenty-five hours in a day instead of twenty-four for work.
This left the ever-leisurely Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress feeling somewhat bored. After some consideration, the two decided to head to the Extreme North to begin perfecting the God Trial.
The others felt some reluctance toward their decision but had no reason to refuse.
Xiao Bai did not choose to stay in Element City any longer but instead decided to return to the Extreme North for a while.
The Snow Empress and Shen Hanyu did not refuse. The forces left guarding Element City were now extremely powerful, not to mention the Demon Empress, whose strength rivaled that of a Limit Douluo; even You Mengchu at rank 96 and Shui Ningbing at rank 93 were enough to fend off most threats. As for even stronger ones, they probably had no interest in coming to cause trouble...
...
Returning once more to this cold and desolate world of ice and snow, both Shen Hanyu and the Snow Empress felt an indescribable sensation.
The Snow Empress squatted down and gently stroked the thick layer of snow. The icy touch lingered on her fingertips, and in that instant, she seemed to feel the long-absent land expressing surprise and attachment at her return.
Shen Hanyu's gaze swept across the vast snowy plains, a trace of nostalgia appearing in his eyes. He was no stranger to the Extreme North; if anything had to be said, his rise had begun here, and this place was also the origin of his destiny.
The Snow Empress slowly stood up and said softly:
"Though the human world is countless times more vibrant and prosperous than here, it's still the wind and snow of the Extreme North that can truly put my heart at ease..."
Shen Hanyu nodded and said:
"You are the purest ice and snow spirit of the Extreme North, and likewise its daughter and co-ruler. Returning to your homeland is naturally incomparable to the outside world, even if this place once brought you pain and confusion..."
The Snow Empress nodded slightly, then said:
"Let's head straight to the core zone. There's no more meaning in lingering in the outer or mixed zones. I also want to check on the recent situation in the Extreme North..."
Shen Hanyu glanced at the blizzard filling the sky, then nodded. Together with the Snow Empress, they transformed into streaks of light and vanished from the spot...
...
Core zone.
Snow Empress Palace.
Even though the Snow Empress had left the Extreme North for several years, this palace still stood tall, and everything inside remained completely unchanged, exactly as it was when she left.
In the human world these past few years, for the former Snow Empress, it hadn't even amounted to a single hibernation period. Probably no soul beast would believe that their ruler had undergone such a complete transformation in just a few short years.
The Snow Empress slowly returned to her throne. Shen Hanyu couldn't help but feel dazed, as if he were seeing that aloof and noble figure from back then once again.
Seeing Shen Hanyu somewhat stunned, the Snow Empress curved her lips slightly, then suddenly pulled Shen Hanyu over. The two of them fell onto the cold throne, one on top of the other.
An invisible atmosphere of ambiguity swirled between them. Shen Hanyu suddenly snapped back to his senses and, with some reluctance, gently bit the Snow Empress's neck.
The Snow Empress let out a muffled hum, her red lips parting slightly as she lightly licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. Those eyes, usually filled with frost, were now brimming with dense affection and fervent longing.
Shen Hanyu immediately sealed her red lips. Their ten fingers intertwined, accompanied by the sound of the wind and snow outside, the scene was incomparably beautiful...
...
The next morning, Shen Hanyu slowly awoke on the enormous ice bed. He shook his somewhat groggy head, then took out a fresh set of ice silkworm silk clothes from his soul guide device, casually put them on, and walked outside.
At this moment, the Snow Empress was leaning against her throne with her eyes closed in rest. Between her brows lingered a trace of residual pleasure from the previous day, but at the same time, there was a faint worry.
Sensing that Shen Hanyu had woken up, the Snow Empress slowly opened her eyes. She allowed him to pull her into his embrace before speaking softly:
"It seems something strange has happened in the Extreme North..."
Shen Hanyu was slightly stunned, then said:
"What happened? I sensed quite a few powerful soul beast auras. Did you summon them?"
The Snow Empress did not deny it and nodded, then explained:
"They are all soul beasts I once rescued. Afterward, they have always obeyed my orders and stayed near the core zone to keep watch. They serve as my eyes and ears left behind in the Extreme North..."
"According to them, shortly after we left, powerful disturbances began emanating from deep underground in the core zone of the Extreme North. These disturbances didn't feel like ordinary earthquakes. Later, they discovered that they were caused by intense energy fluctuations. Yet in the tens of thousands of years I spent in the core zone, I never detected such powerful energy existing deep beneath it. One could even say this energy source appeared out of nowhere..."
Shen Hanyu furrowed his brows slightly, then released his spiritual power to penetrate the thick, hard frozen soil, spreading continuously deeper.
Only when his spiritual power reached an extremely deep region did Shen Hanyu pause slightly before slowly withdrawing it.
After a moment of silence, Shen Hanyu said:
"This thing... with my spiritual power alone, I can't determine whether it's a living being or an inanimate object... The energy radiating from it interferes with my perception. It could even be said to be constantly absorbing all surrounding energy. My spiritual power simply can't reach it..."
The Snow Empress's gaze darkened slightly as she said:
"Could it be the corpse of an ancient fallen deity, with its residual energy triggered and erupting due to the divine power in your body...?"
Shen Hanyu shook his head, not agreeing with the Snow Empress's speculation, and explained softly:
"Unlikely. After a deity falls, portions of their divine power and spiritual power would uncontrollably diffuse, altering the surrounding environment—like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well formed after the deaths of the Fire Dragon King and Ice Dragon King. Moreover, how could a deity that fell so long ago still retain consciousness and actively absorb surrounding energy..."
The Snow Empress nodded slightly, then said:
"But letting it remain deep underground in the core zone isn't a solution either. At this rate of energy absorption, in just a few years the entire core zone will become a true wasteland..."
Shen Hanyu glanced at the ground, then let out a low sigh, somewhat helplessly saying:
"Let's go. I originally wanted to relax and cultivate peacefully in the Extreme North for a while, but right after arriving, we ran into this..."
The Snow Empress also sighed lightly and said:
"Ever since I started being with you, I've discovered that there are still so many hidden secrets on the continent. Even in the core zone that I thought I knew completely, such an existence was lurking deep underground. Indeed, sometimes feelings and eyes can deceive..."
Shen Hanyu gently took the Snow Empress's hand and softly comforted her:
"Alright, don't worry. We'll face everything together. Rest assured..."
The Snow Empress felt the warmth in Shen Hanyu's hand and her gradually calming breathing. She slowly nodded...
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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