Northern Glacier – Land of Eternal Ice
The wind here was cruel. Not biting, not sharp—merciless. A cold that could freeze even the soul. No spirit beast or human dared to approach the heart of the glacier.
Except for him.
Ren stood at the edge of the frozen cliff, his shadow cloak fluttering behind him. Yanyue shivered slightly beside him, her breath crystallizing in the air.
"She's down there," Mei whispered, her eyes narrowed. "The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion."
One of the most feared 400,000-year soul beasts.
A queen who ruled not with brute strength, but precision. Intelligence. Absolute control over the frozen domain.
And Ren wanted her.
Descent Into Silence
He leapt from the cliff, his shadow forming a staircase of darkness beneath him. As he descended into the glacier, the air grew heavier, his breaths slower. The temperature dropped past natural limits, approaching the realm of the divine.
Finally, he entered a chamber of blue light—ethereal, untouched by time.
There she stood.
Her human form was breathtaking. Long silver-blue hair, piercing emerald eyes, and skin like flawless jade. Her expression was calm, unreadable—like the frozen sea.
"You're not welcome here," she said simply, voice like a snowflake falling on glass.
Ren smiled. "Then I'll make myself welcome."
Ice and Shadow
Her attack was immediate. A blast of glacial energy shot toward him, freezing even light in its path.
But Ren met it head-on.
His shadow flame roared to life, devouring the ice, dancing across the chamber. Ice and darkness clashed, each one refusing to yield. The floor cracked, glaciers shattered.
She was powerful.
But Ren was inevitable.
And slowly, her expression changed. Not fear. Not awe.
Curiosity.
"Why do you want me?" she asked, breathing hard, her dress torn at the edges from the heat of his energy.
Ren stepped close. "Because your strength should not be locked away beneath a tomb of ice. You're a queen. I want you beside me—not as a servant. As a sovereign."
She looked into his eyes, searching for deception.
And found none.
"You'd challenge the heavens for me?" she asked.
"I already am," he replied.
The Ice Queen's Choice
There was a long pause.
Then she sighed softly, letting the last of her frost melt from her hands.
"Very well… Shadow Monarch. I will walk with you. But remember—my loyalty is earned, not taken."
Ren offered his hand. She placed hers in it, cold and warm all at once.
From the shadows, Yanyue smiled. "Another queen joins the court."
Shadow Citadel – Throne of Frost and Flame
Ren's palace now held a new chamber—carved from eternal ice, where cold and shadow coexisted in harmony. The Ice Empress stood tall among the others, regal and calm.
Though new to this life, she adapted quickly. And the others welcomed her.
Especially Mei.
The two powerful women, both queens in their own right, found mutual respect. And beneath that… something more.
Meanwhile – Tang San's Breaking Point
Tang San slammed his hand into the God Realm's divine table.
"He's taking the beasts. The women. Even the elements are answering him now!" he snarled.
His master looked away.
The other gods? Silent.
Some whispered now in private, in quiet corners of the divine palace: What if Ren wasn't a threat? What if he was the next balance?
But Tang San would hear none of it.
He had declared war.
End of Chapter 55To be continued…