Atop the desolate, solitary peak, the night wind howled.
Primal Kyogre hovered in midair, its colossal body wrapped in the phantom image of the Primordial Sea. High above, Mega Rayquaza's golden dragon pupils shone like twin searchlights, locked firmly onto the crater below.
Amid this suffocating pressure, Liu Yuan's voice rang out with unusual clarity.
"Shall we talk?"
Hearing those three words, the Snow Empress—who had just climbed out of the rubble in a disheveled state—curled her lips into a sneer that looked almost human.
She brushed the dust from her skirt, her deep blue eyes filled with mockery and disdain.
"Human, put away your hypocritical act."
She lifted her head. Though her body was small, the pride born of being the ruler of the Far North showed no sign of weakening.
"What do you want to talk about? Talk about how I'll become your spirit ring? Or how you'll squeeze every last drop of value out of my seven hundred thousand years of cultivation?"
"Or maybe…"
Her gaze swept across Liu Yuan, disgust flashing in her eyes. "You're harboring even filthier, more shameless thoughts about me?"
In the perception of spirit beasts, no human Spirit Master was ever innocent.
Especially someone like the man before her, who possessed such terrifying spirits—he was the most dangerous kind of all.
Facing the Snow Empress's icy sarcasm, Liu Yuan remained calm.
Standing atop Primal Kyogre's back, he looked down at her and spoke evenly, "If I truly wanted your spirit ring, or if I had any improper thoughts about you, do you think you'd still be standing there talking to me?"
"Besides…"
He paused, meeting her gaze directly, each word deliberate.
"I saved you."
"Ha!"
The Snow Empress laughed coldly, as if she'd just heard the most ridiculous joke imaginable.
"You saved me? Are you saying that locking me inside that cursed ball counts as saving me?"
"Otherwise?" Liu Yuan replied, his tone sharpening slightly. "Snow Empress, you should know your previous condition better than anyone."
"You failed at the critical moment of your transformation and rebirth, were forced to regress into an embryonic state, and were then captured by human soul engineers and sealed inside a ninth-rank spirit tool—the God Sealing Platform."
At the mention of the God Sealing Platform, the Snow Empress's expression shifted subtly.
Liu Yuan continued, "That platform could lock your vitality in place, but it was also constantly wearing down your divine consciousness. Without outside intervention, you only had two possible outcomes."
"First—being absorbed by some Titled Douluo as their ninth spirit ring."
"Second—once your divine consciousness completely dissipated, you'd become an empty energy shell, used as the core power source of a spirit tool."
As he spoke, Liu Yuan pointed at her current body.
"And now, look at yourself."
"Your physical body is no longer that fragile embryo. You've returned to your original spirit beast form."
"Your meridians, bones, and soul have all received unprecedented restoration and nourishment."
"All of this is because I placed you inside that Heal Ball."
"If not for the immense life energy it used to reconstruct your body, do you really think that with your shattered Origin you could've recovered so quickly—quickly enough to stand here yelling at me?"
Liu Yuan's words struck like heavy hammer blows, pounding against the Snow Empress's heart.
She opened her mouth, wanting to refute him, but found herself unable to speak.
Because she knew—better than anyone—that what he said was true.
Before being sealed, her rebirth path had been completely severed, her Origin gravely damaged.
Yet the moment she awakened, she had been shocked by how perfect this new body felt.
Not only were there no hidden injuries, her vitality was even stronger than during her peak.
Such a miracle was impossible through ordinary means.
That pink ball… truly possessed heaven-defying healing power.
As these thoughts surfaced, uncertainty appeared on the Snow Empress's face.
The hostility in her eyes faded significantly, replaced by conflict and embarrassment.
"Even so…"
She bit her lip, stubbornly pressing on. "Even if you repaired my body, that doesn't change the fact that you imprisoned me!"
"And…"
As if recalling something difficult to voice, her small face flushed red as she glared angrily at Liu Yuan.
"There's something wrong with that ball!"
"Ever since I entered it, a sense of closeness toward you inexplicably appeared in my divine consciousness!"
"Even when I wanted to kill you just now, my subconscious was resisting, telling me I couldn't hurt you!"
"You're corroding my mind! Enslaving my soul!"
This was the domineering nature of Poké Balls.
Even a supportive type like the Heal Ball carried the hidden effect of increasing intimacy.
In truth, the Snow Empress's favorability toward Liu Yuan was increasing every moment.
But for someone as proud as her, this uncontrollable closeness was more unbearable than death itself.
Yet upon hearing her accusation, Liu Yuan responded calmly.
"Corroding your mind? Enslaving your soul?"
"Snow Empress, as a spirit beast, you should have some sense."
"That's called a bond. Do you understand?"
"While the Heal Ball was repairing your body, it established a mental connection between us. Its purpose was to prevent you from biting the hand that saved you and launching a violent attack the moment you woke up."
He gestured at the frozen terrain around them. "And clearly, that mechanism was necessary."
"I let you out, and the first thing you did was try to kill me."
"I saved your life and gave you a chance at rebirth, yet because of this minor side effect, you want me dead? You even think I'm harming you?"
"What—by your logic, I should've left you to rot in the God Sealing Platform, or let you be turned into a spirit tool? Would that have made you happy?"
"Even among the spirit beasts of the Extreme North, none are this ungrateful."
"You—!"
The Snow Empress was left completely speechless.
Her delicate face turned bright red, her chest rising and falling sharply.
She wanted to argue back, but her own reasoning told her that Liu Yuan's words… had no real flaws.
If not for him, her fate would've been thousands of times worse.
Compared to death or being reduced to a living battery, this slight "side effect" truly didn't seem like much.
"Hmph!"
In the end, unable to win the argument, the Snow Empress let out a cold snort.
She turned away from Liu Yuan, found a relatively flat rock nearby, and plopped down heavily.
The tense, life-and-death aura dissipated completely.
At that moment, arms crossed and cheeks puffed out, she looked exactly like a sulking little girl next door—there was no trace left of the awe-inspiring ruler of the Far North.
Seeing this, Liu Yuan secretly let out a breath of relief.
As long as she was willing to sit down, it meant there was room to talk.
The hardest hurdle had been cleared.
He waved his hand, signaling Mega Rayquaza to slightly restrain its aura, then slowly walked over to the Snow Empress, his tone softening.
"Alright. Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, let's make a deal."
Without looking at him, the Snow Empress replied gloomily, "What deal? I'm just a prisoner now. What right do I have to negotiate?"
"Don't be so pessimistic."
Liu Yuan smiled lightly. "The deal is simple."
"First, from now on, you'll listen to me and be my partner. In exchange, I won't lock you inside the Heal Ball again—you'll be free to move around by my side."
At the words not locked in the ball, the Snow Empress's ears twitched slightly.
She was clearly tempted—but she still said nothing.
Liu Yuan knew this wasn't enough.
So he revealed his true trump card.
"Second—and most importantly."
Lowering his voice, he spoke enticingly. "Snow Empress, the reason you chose to transform and re-cultivate was because you knew you couldn't survive the seven hundred thousand-year Heavenly Tribulation, right?"
The Snow Empress's body stiffened, and she snapped her head up to stare at him.
This was her greatest secret—and the shared pain of all ferocious beasts.
"What are you trying to say?"
Liu Yuan raised the Heal Ball in his hand. "Even though you hate this thing, have you carefully sensed it? When you're inside, the aura of the outside world is completely isolated."
"Even the laws of this world—even the Heavenly Tribulation—can't sense your existence."
The Snow Empress froze.
She truly hadn't noticed before… but thinking back now—
During her time inside the ball, that oppressive sense of heavenly might that had haunted her for hundreds of thousands of years had indeed vanished completely.
"You mean…" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Exactly."
Liu Yuan nodded. "This Heal Ball is a world unto itself. It can obscure the secrets of heaven."
"In other words, as long as you follow me, whenever you need to break through, you can hide inside the ball."
"Within it, you can ignore the Heavenly Tribulation entirely and safely cross the seven hundred thousand-year threshold."
"And not just seven hundred thousand."
"Eight hundred thousand. Nine hundred thousand."
"Even the legendary million-year realm."
"As long as I'm here, as long as this ball exists, you'll never need to fear being struck dead by lightning again."
Boom!
Liu Yuan's words exploded like thunder in the Snow Empress's mind.
Her breathing quickened, an unprecedented brilliance lighting up her deep blue eyes.
No tribulation.
What did that mean for a spirit beast?
It meant a clear road toward eternity.
It meant cultivating to a million years without risk—perhaps even touching the legendary divine realm.
Compared to this heaven-defying opportunity, freedom and dignity suddenly felt insignificant.
And besides… Liu Yuan had saved her life.
The Snow Empress took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm her surging emotions.
She looked at Liu Yuan, her gaze complex.
She knew she couldn't refuse.
Whether in terms of strength or benefit, she had no reason to.
"Are you… certain you're not lying to me?" Her voice was dry.
"I have no reason to lie," Liu Yuan replied, spreading his hands. "Frankly speaking, it doesn't matter to me whether you agree or not. I'm not lacking just one of you."
The Snow Empress fell silent for a long time.
Finally, she stood up slowly, seriousness returning to her youthful face.
"Fine."
"I agree to this deal."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Liu Yuan's lips. "A wise choice."
"However…"
The Snow Empress raised one finger. "I have one last request."
"Go on."
"If you agree, I'll follow you from now on and be your… partner."
Staring into his eyes, she spoke slowly, word by word.
"First—if one day you die, or you become a god and leave this world, you must set me free and hand full control of that ball over to me."
"Second—in our daily interactions, you are not allowed to force me to do anything I don't want to do!"
As she said the last part, she seemed to recall certain vulgar rumors from human society. Her face reddened again as she glared fiercely at Liu Yuan.
Hearing this, Liu Yuan burst out laughing.
"That's all?"
"I thought it'd be something harsher."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. I have no interest in forcing little girls. As for after becoming a god—once I leave this world, you can go wherever you want."
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal."
As the two lightly clapped palms in midair, the fate of the ruler of the Far North was finally decided.
Seeing Liu Yuan's open and honest smile, the last trace of resentment in the Snow Empress's heart faded away.
Perhaps…
Following this human really wasn't a bad choice.
And at that very moment, the long-awaited system prompt finally echoed in Liu Yuan's mind.
[Ding! Detected that the Host has successfully subdued the seven hundred thousand-year spirit beast, Snow Empress. Task completed with Perfection!]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the reward: one random god-bestowed spirit ring!]
[Note: This spirit ring will automatically adapt to the Host's second spirit (Primal Kyogre) and generate the optimal age based on the Host's endurance.]
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