Chapter 172 The Snow Empress Compromises, I Will Protect You.
The gray soul chains inside the council hall still emitted a faint glow, firmly imprisoning the Snow Emperor's illusory figure in mid-air.
The chill of the ultimate ice clashed with the soul laws of the Death Saint God within a small area, producing subtle cracking sounds.
Snow Empress's icy blue eyes were filled with coldness and contempt. Even in dire straits, her imperial majesty from the far north remained undiminished.
Upon hearing Liu Yuan's words that he wanted to "have a chat," she merely let out a cold laugh tinged with icy chill.
"Humans, put away your hypocritical words."
The Snow Emperor's voice was like ice that had never melted for ten thousand years, exuding a sense of aloofness that kept people at a distance.
"In your eyes, soul beasts are nothing more than vessels for soul rings and soul bones."
"You went to great lengths to release me from that iron box, and then used this unprecedented soul technique to suppress me. Wasn't it all so that you could absorb my essence at the most opportune moment to achieve your own goals? Insidious and cunning are simply human nature."
Liu Yuan did not show any anger in the face of Xue Di's hostile accusations.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his three pupils staring straight ahead at the illusory figure of the woman, his tone unusually calm.
"Snow Empress, I must admit that I did have ulterior motives, but what I wanted was not your soul ring."
Liu Yuan took a small step forward, the purple-gold divine light in his three pupils flowing even more profoundly: "Rather than turning you into a lifeless soul ring, I prefer to make a deal with you. A deal that can give you a new life and also give me assistance."
"A deal?" Xue Di scoffed. "What deal can a prisoner like you make?"
"Let's talk about your fate and your future path." Liu Yuan's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, each word carrying immense weight.
"You know best what state you're in right now."
"The reincarnation and cultivation were forcibly interrupted, the physical body was completely destroyed, and the origin was damaged."
"Right now, you are nothing more than a mass of spiritual energy that could dissipate at any moment. Without external intervention, even if I don't kill you, you will be completely annihilated by the internal consumption of energy."
Liu Yuan stared at Xue Di's slightly contracted pupils and continued, "But I can help you gradually recover to your peak condition. Although this will take time, I am absolutely confident that I can help you reshape your origin."
"In exchange, all you need to do is protect me for a hundred years."
"A hundred years is but a fleeting moment for soul beasts like you who cultivate for hundreds of thousands of years, but for you now, life is only once. If you die, the hundreds of thousands of years of arduous cultivation in the far north will have been completely in vain."
Xue Di remained silent for a moment, and a slight crack seemed to appear in the coldness in her eyes.
Liu Yuan was right. A hundred years was indeed insignificant to her. Compared to her complete demise, the price was even cheap.
However, what Liu Yuan said next truly touched upon Xue Di's deepest fears.
"And, most importantly," Liu Yuan's voice became deep and penetrating.
"Snow Emperor, your 700,000-year lifespan is almost up, isn't it? If it weren't for sensing the irresistible destructive power of the heavens about to descend, with your arrogant personality, why would you risk trying to transform and rebuild your cultivation with such a low success rate? The reason you're in such a hurry to transform into a human is precisely because you lack the confidence to survive the upcoming 700,000-year tribulation, isn't it?"
These words were like a sharp blade, precisely cutting open the wound that the Snow Emperor had been trying to hide.
Her face instantly turned extremely pale, and her soul fluctuations also experienced a violent upheaval.
"What if I told you that I have a way to increase your chances of surviving the great calamity that will last for seven hundred thousand years?"
Liu Yuan threw out his final trump card.
"As long as you can successfully overcome the tribulation, you can live for another 100,000 years."
Trading a mere century's worth of guardianship for a sliver of future hope—you should know very well whether this deal is worthwhile.
In that instant, Xue Di was indeed moved.
The promises Liu Yuan made were incredibly tempting; whether it was restoring her original essence or surviving the great calamity, they were exactly what she had been dreaming of.
But this feeling of attraction only lasted a few seconds.
Xue Di quickly realized what was happening. She looked at Liu Yuan, her eyes filled with mockery and suspicion once again.
"Hahaha, what a huge joke!" Xue Di looked at Liu Yuan with sarcasm.
"How dare a mere human junior, who isn't even level 60, presumptuously claim that he can help me overcome that world-destroying tribulation?"
"Humans are indeed the most treacherous and cunning creatures in the world. They'll fabricate any lie to gain my trust. You're not even a Title Douluo, so why should I believe you can interfere with the laws of Heaven?"
Faced with Xue Di's sarcastic remarks, Liu Yuan did not waste any words. He simply turned his head slightly and looked at the void behind him.
"Old Yi, let her see our strength."
As Liu Yuan finished speaking, Electrolux, who had been standing quietly behind him, opened his eyes again.
A holy light flashed in those deep, star-like gray eyes.
Electrolux slowly extended his hand, and a soft, life-filled gray mist condensed in his palm.
This was the essence of life, refined by the origin of the Death Saint after absorbing two pieces of living gold. He pressed it lightly against the Snow Empress, and the mist ignored spatial distance, directly entering the Snow Empress's illusory soul body.
Buzz—!
The Snow Emperor's soul light, which had been dimmed due to damage to its origin, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling, extremely cold light the moment it came into contact with the mist.
At that moment, Xue Di felt her withered and nearly shattered life core being revitalized under the nourishment of this gray energy. Those previously unhealable cracks in her soul were closing at a visible speed.
This restoration is not a temporary suppression, but a true, fundamental repair.
"This...how is this possible?"
Xue Di was utterly shocked. She stared blankly as the primal power within her surged forth again. This immediate effect even surpassed all the rare and precious treasures she knew.
"This pure life force... who exactly are you?" Xue Di suddenly looked up at Ilex, her tone finally carrying a hint of awe.
Liu Yuan took another step forward, his three pupils locked onto Xue Di's face, his tone becoming cold and harsh.
"I have proven my abilities. Now, this is your only chance, and it's up to you to choose."
Liu Yuan pointed to the Conferred God Platform on the ground, and then to his own sea of consciousness: "Either you agree to my conditions, become my friend, stay in my sea of consciousness and I will help you restore your strength and protect me for a hundred years."
"Otherwise, I'll lock you back in the Conferred God Platform and kill you completely when I need to use your soul ring or soul bone."
Although his voice wasn't loud, it carried an undeniable sense of finality.
"Snow Emperor, my patience is running out. Will you choose to live and witness a higher realm, or will you choose to cling to your meaningless dignity and wait to die in that iron box?"
A long, deathly silence fell over the hall. Poison Immortal and the elders held their breath, all the pressure focused on Snow Empress.
Xue Di looked at the young man in front of her.
Although the other party's cultivation level was still shallow, the methods displayed by the old man named Electrox behind him did give her a glimmer of hope.
More importantly, the calmness and decisiveness revealed in Liu Yuan's three pupils made her realize that he was truly capable of doing something so short-sighted as to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
As the ruler of the far north, she was not afraid of death, but she dreaded this kind of meaningless and utterly humiliating death.
After a long while, Xue Di's tense shoulders finally slumped down slowly.
She closed her eyes, and the extremely cold aura that had previously kept people at a distance subsided.
"A hundred years…" When the Snow Empress opened her eyes again, her icy blue eyes were filled with complex emotions. She looked at Liu Yuan and finally exhaled a breath of turbid cold air. "Alright. I promise you. As long as you can help me recover my strength and overcome the great calamity, I will protect you for the next hundred years."
(End of chapter)