Chapter 33: Ice Empress: Snow Empress, Did You Agree? (2300 words)
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Facing the tone of Xue Di's voice, Huo Yuhao found himself momentarily at a loss for words as he carefully crafted his response.
"Xue Di, even if you don't eat my grilled fish, how can I be unhappy? It's entirely up to you whether you choose to eat it or not. Just like the name you called me earlier, you can use it if you like, or discard it if you prefer. I'm fine either way."
Huo Yuhao waved his hand, adopting a very easygoing demeanor, as if to say, "You can call me whatever you want, I can accept it."
Xue Di stretched out her slender white fingers and admired them with a serious expression, though her tone remained oddly teasing as she continued to contradict Huo Yuhao.
"When I turned into a little girl and acted cute, you seemed to enjoy it too... Haha, if that's the case, why would I grow up later?"
The Snow Empress glanced at Huo Yuhao indifferently. "Would it be better for you if I kept calling you 'Daddy' in my little girl form?"
Huo Yuhao felt a lump in his throat and couldn't help but cough a few times. "Snow Empress, you may not fully grasp what I just said."
"It's fine as long as you are willing." Huo Yuhao quickly shifted the topic.
"For example, I came here to obtain a soul ring this time, and I can't force you to become my soul. Everything relies on whether you, Snow Empress, recognize me and find that I have sufficient value for investment, and if you choose to act willingly."
The Snow Empress closed her eyes slightly, seemingly judging the situation as she pieced together that this time a ninth-level soul guide with a Conferred God Platform had indeed appeared in the Far North.
If she took more precautions and arranged for Xiaobai and other high-powered soul beasts to protect her during her transformation, and assuming she successfully re-cultivated into an adult and trained with the Snow Empress's martial soul, would the probability of her becoming a god still be slim?
However, she sensed a cold aura from Huo Yuhao that equaled her extreme ice and snow, and perhaps even surpassed it in quality.
Moreover, Huo Yuhao was accompanied by Electrolux, a teacher whom she respected.
"Huo Yuhao, by showing me this memory ball, do you mean you already know my plan to become a human again?"
The Snow Empress slowly stood from her chair, floating in front of Huo Yuhao and gazing at him intently.
A chill crept down Huo Yuhao's spine under her scrutiny. "Xue Di, you won't be the type to say, 'I am rebuilding the entire Far North, and I won't let you go'? If you know this secret, I won't stand a chance."
"You wouldn't say such a thing, would you?" Huo Yuhao glanced at her nervously.
Xue Di looked surprised, not quite grasping why Huo Yuhao asked that question.
"Of course not; I merely wish to see your soul."
Then the Snow Empress pointed at the light ball, speaking in a cold tone: "Moreover, if the 'Huo Yuhao' inside this light ball were to approach me and desire me to be his soul, there would be no room for negotiation. I would ensure he stays in the Far North forever."
"But you..." The Snow Empress drew closer, gently lifting Huo Yuhao's chin while smiling slightly. "This time, I will not become small, so I naturally cannot call you daddy."
"I want to hear how you will convince me?" The Snow Empress's tone turned a bit teasing, though she maintained a calm smile.
Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment. "First, the title is not part of the persuasion for now."
"Secondly, if you are willing to become my soul, I won't impose any mandatory requirements on what you choose to call me in the future."
"Then what should I call you?"
"Just call me Yuhao, like Brother Tianmeng."
"Hmph."
The Snow Empress ceased teasing Huo Yuhao and raised her hand, signaling him to begin persuading her.
After all, Huo Yuhao in the original novel had a rather bad character when he traveled to the Far North to obtain his second martial soul.
After Tianmeng Ice Silkworm confessed his love story to Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao thought that Tianmeng Ice Silkworm brought him to the Far North to use him as a means to complete his love affair with Bingdi under the pretense of obtaining the second martial soul.
This made Huo Yuhao feel cheated and extremely sad. At that time, Electrolux had quietly commented that the child was too fragile.
"Snow Empress, don't you want to see my martial soul? Here it is." Huo Yuhao released his second original ice martial soul, a wisp of white ice flame.
"How do you think the coldness it contains compares to the ultimate ice of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion?"
Xue Di looked serious and carefully sensed it with her mental power. As Bing Di was her best friend, she was already familiar with Bing Di's aura.
However, in her perception, the cold aura from this white icy flame was considerably colder than that of the Ice Empress.
Xue Di shook her head and responded in her cold voice, "Bing'er's ultimate ice is not as potent as this."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and signaled to Huo Yuhao in the light ball with his eyes, speaking slowly to Xue Di.
Huo Yuhao smiled softly. "Xue Di, you don't need to worry too much about rebuilding Yi Lao's body. The technical components are quite complicated, but there are ways. I will take care of Yi Lao's affairs."
"And the key now is that with the conditions I possess—a higher quality second martial soul and some powerful flames—I will certainly have an advantage in pursuing divinity."
"So I hope that Xue Di, you can join us, along with Brother Tianmeng and Yi Lao, to help pave the way to godhood and witness a future that exceeds even that of the God of Emotions."
Xue Di crossed her arms, a hint of a smile curving the corners of her lips as she scrutinized Huo Yuhao from head to toe.
She admitted that becoming Huo Yuhao's soul at this moment was indeed a far safer method compared to returning to adulthood and then practicing again.
Most importantly, Huo Yuhao's second martial soul, both in terms of current quality and potential future growth, was superior to the martial soul provided by Bing'er.
Huo Yuhao casually handed her the grilled fish he was holding again. "Xue Di, you've lived in the Far North for hundreds of thousands of years, and you've seen the scenes in the light ball. Don't you want to view the outside world from your perspective?"
Xue Di's eyes flickered with a strange light, and she found herself genuinely moved. She gingerly accepted the grilled fish from Huo Yuhao and took small bites.
As a being formed from the essence of heaven and earth, it seemed her mission from birth was to constantly practice and overcome one natural disaster after another. Such a life was undoubtedly monotonous and isolating.
However, having lived for so long, she was unwilling to perish and transform into mere dust between heaven and earth when faced with the next insurmountable calamity.
During her prolonged solitude, one could neither face death calmly nor cease worrying about the next imminent disaster.
Xue Di elegantly consumed the grilled fish while thinking quietly for an extended time.
Finally, as she neared the end of the grilled fish in her hand, she pondered deeply and raised her gaze to meet Huo Yuhao's eyes.
His calm demeanor belied the confidence emanating from him: becoming a god was merely a byproduct.
"Yuhao, what happens if I become a spiritual body with independent consciousness like Tianmeng Ice Silkworm?"
"And what about Bing'er? Her next heavenly tribulation is approaching quickly. She trains tirelessly every day, trying to find a way to successfully pass the heavenly tribulation."
Soul beasts of their level can sense whether they can break through the next heavenly tribulation; for instance, Xue Di didn't feel much pressure during previous tribulations.
Hearing the mention of the Ice Empress, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm immediately pounced forward, its tone filled with sadness for Bing Di.
"Wow, Bingbing is facing the immense pressure of the 400,000-year catastrophe, yet she still trains hard. I feel so sorry for her."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm looked dejected. "Xue Di, I released my aura, but Bingbing didn't come. Can you contact her?"
Xue Di already knew that Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had always missed Bing Di. However, considering that Bing Di had previously expressed feelings for her, she found the relationship to be somewhat peculiar.
She calmly replied to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, "Oh, I can contact Bing Di."
"You and Huo Yuhao suppressed your aura so much that you entered this emperor's habitat. I sensed your aura as soon as you released it."
"Perhaps Bing'er simply didn't have time to sense it and was too terrified when this emperor showed up."
Hearing this, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm felt relief wash over him. It turned out that fear of the Snow Empress was the reason Bingbing hadn't come. It was good that she was okay.
"Then, if I continue releasing my aura, will Bingbing come over?"
"Well, you can go ahead and call Bing'er." Xue Di felt a bit strange and wasn't inclined to call Bing Di herself.
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm continued to release its original aura. The only ones daring to intrude into the habitat of the overlord of the Far North were the Ice Bear King Xiaobai and Bing Di.
Soon, a huge green curtain swept over from the horizon.
"Tian Meng, you're still alive... Hey, Xue Di, you're here too? Were you also drawn by Tian Meng..."
Bing Di arrived with a fierce demeanor one second only to find Xue Di present the next, prompting a swift restraint of her momentum as the large green curtain in the sky began to fade.
Before long, a large scorpion with a completely emerald green body gracefully crawled over.
The Ice Empress cast a curious glance at Huo Yuhao, wondering why this human was here and hadn't been killed immediately by the Snow Empress.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm shamelessly squeezed beside Bing Di's large pincers, speaking in a tone full of lingering affection, "Dear, I..."
(The same dialogue as the original book is omitted here, mainly due to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's corny words, so it's not spicy.)
Bing Di swung her pincers harshly and threw Tianmeng Ice Silkworm aside. "Tianmeng, step back. If Xue Di wasn't here, I would have sucked your essence dry."
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm landed a few meters away and crawled back to Bing Di's side, wearing a fearless expression. "Hehe, Bingbing, you will see how sincere my love for you is later."
Bing Di thrust her front pincers before Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, busying herself with a growing curiosity between Xue Di and Huo Yuhao, completely ignoring Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
"Xue Di, what's going on? How can a human linger in front of you for so long without being destroyed?"
Xue Di felt embarrassed to respond to her question. "Yuhao, I don't have a complete grasp of your divine creation plan. You can explain it to Bing Di."
Huo Yuhao called for Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, "Brother Tianmeng, why don't you elaborate?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm happily stepped forward, grasping the Ice Empress's massive claws to confess its deep love and the hardships it had endured along the way.
The Ice Empress glared fiercely and clapped her two large front claws together, causing her knuckles to crack in a stern warning to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
Huo Yuhao used his soul power to hold the memory light ball in front of Bing Di. "Bing Di, listen to Brother Tianmeng while watching this."
…
After a while, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm finished recounting its tragic experiences. In summary, it was able to endure until now because of its profound love for Bing Di.
"Tian Meng, your collaborative plan to create a god seems promising. We can all enjoy eternal life together." Bing Di regarded the scene within the light ball and felt herself soften.
"Despicable human, sneaking into seal the Snow Empress while she was transforming."
As the Ice Empress observed, the Snow Empress was on the verge of transforming into a soul and preparing to become a little girl calling someone by a special name...
Snap!
Xue Di forcefully smashed the light ball with one palm, saying nonchalantly: "It's not nice to see the end, Bing Di. Just look here."
"Huh?" Bing Di didn't catch on quickly and attempted to gather the light ball again with her two massive pincers.
"What happened next?" Bing Di still wondered about the recent events.
Xue Di replied calmly, "Later, Senior Yi will ignite the fragments of his spiritual consciousness to save us, which won't be a pleasant sight."
Bing Di's expression turned bitter, and she suddenly felt unwell all over.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm approached the Ice Empress, its eyes brimming with affection. "What do you think, Bingbing? Join us; when we assist Yuhao in becoming a god, we can remain together forever."
The Ice Empress raised her front claws as a warning to Tianmeng Ice Silkworm to remain at a distance. Tempted by the prospect of eternal life, she inquired, "Xue Di, have you promised them?"
Xue Di hesitated, deciding there was no need to hide it as she nodded. "Well, if our goal is eternal life, then Huo Yuhao is our greatest opportunity in this life."
But they soon encountered a problem.
Xue Di frowned slightly. "Yuhao, between me and Bing Di, who will merge with you first?"
(End of this chapter)