Chapter 90: The Path to Godhood

Word Count: 3,053 Words

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"Despicable and shameless humans! All of you, die for this Empress!"

A sharp cry rang out along with the shattering of the Class 9 God Sealing Altar. Ultimate Snow erupted in the snow-capped lotus pond, and a piercing cold enveloped Ling Bai's body.

Ling Bai had scarcely been affected by the Extreme North's frigid temperatures along the journey by using Ultimate Death to annihilate ice elements. Yet now he truly sensed the cold; it felt as though both body and soul were freezing, and even the spirit power coursing within him turned sluggish.

The mass of white gas broke free from the God Sealing Altar and immediately shifted from its embryonic form back into the Snow Empress's original body. Her beauty outshone frost and snow, imbued with the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, like a solitary winter plum flower blooming in the Extreme North.

Goose-feather snowflakes fluttered down. Empress's Chill: Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice descended upon them. Ling Bai remained tranquil as still water as he stood atop the head of the Death Abyss Bone Dragon. Facing the ruler of the Extreme North caused no discernible emotional fluctuation in him. However, the scarlet soul flames in the Death Abyss Bone Dragon's eyes grew more intense, those blood-hued candlelight sparks blazingly conspicuous in the snowbound world.

"Snow Empress, your show of force is meaningless. Forcibly terminating your reborn must have damaged your origin. How much spirit power remains within you now?"

Ling Bai's clear voice spread in all directions. A furious roar from the Snow Empress reverberated through the swirling snow.

"The spirit power this Empress has left is more than enough to slaughter you!"

The Snow Empress had ruled the Extreme North for nearly seven hundred thousand years. All beasts submitted wherever she passed. When had she ever been subjected to a human's provocation? The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice swiftly began to contract, and the falling snowflakes tripled in speed, their edges spinning razor-sharp as they whirled toward Ling Bai. If even a tiny bit of the snowflakes touched him, not to mention whether his flesh-and-blood body could withstand it, even a spectral creature like the Death Abyss Bone Dragon would have a layer of bone powder scraped off!

The Death Abyss Bone Dragon raised its head and let out an earth-shaking dragon roar. The intense Ultimate Death attribute, combined with the innate domain of the Death Abyss Spider Emperor, the Death Realm, forcefully claimed a blood-red territory within the Snow Empress's innate domain.

The Snow Empress felt a tremendous humiliation. A sky-blue longsword condensed in her white jade-like palm. It was one of her Three Ultimate Techniques: Empress' Sword: Unparalleled Chill!

Unparalleled Chill unleashed a hundred-meter-long sword beam. The blood-red dragon claws of the Death Abyss Bone Dragon, fused with the Death Abyss Demon Scythe, formed the mark of Extreme Punishment from the Dark Emperor Demon Vine. The two ultimate attributes collided violently.

A gash of interlaced sky-blue and blood-red tore open the land, as if a single sword had split the glacier that had lain frozen for countless millennia. Ling Bai, standing atop the Death Abyss Bone Dragon's head, could clearly see the cross-section of the land. The Snow Empress's figure hidden within the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice suddenly appeared above the Death Abyss Bone Dragon, her fair palm emitting dazzling light!

Empress' Palm: Snowless Glacier!

"Snow Empress, you'd better think carefully. If you strike with this palm, it will be an irreconcilable situation between me and the Extreme North."

As his words fell, the Snow Empress actually paused. She silently gazed into those pitch-black eyes fixed upon her, seeing within them a surging killing intent akin to mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The surrounding air pressure seemed to sink. The Snow Empress understood that this was no illusion; it was truly happening. A creature far surpassing the Death Abyss Bone Dragon seemed to quietly stare at her, waiting for Snowless Glacier to strike, after which it would retaliate madly against her and the Extreme North without regard for consequences.

"There's an old human saying: 'Once is tolerable, twice is acceptable, but thrice is too much.' I'll give you face this time; I hope you won't treat my goodwill like a doormat under your feet."

The light of Snowless Glacier had yet to dissipate. The Snow Empress snorted coldly and said, "Do you think this Empress will allow herself to be threatened by a human?"

"You should understand that your current strength is less than one-tenth of its peak with your origin severely injured and your spirit power thrown into chaos. Even with the Extreme North's advantages, you still cannot defeat the Death Abyss Bone Dragon, which likewise possesses an Ultimate attribute."

Ling Bai's entire being exuded an ominous and calamitous aura of death. He did not panic by fleeing or retreating; rather, he stepped audaciously along the Death Abyss Bone Dragon's skull. Coming within a single meter of the Snow Empress, they looked at each other; one was smiling, while the other was coldly furious.

"If not for this despicable and shameless human, you would have been sold to the human world in your most vulnerable embryonic form, reduced to becoming some Spirit Master's spirit ring and spirit bone. In theory, I'm your lifesaving benefactor, am I not?"

Ling Bai's smile felt colder than the howling blizzard of the Extreme North. "If you insist on ingratitude, your race shall pay the price in blood on your behalf."

The Snow Empress fell silent. A gentleman was judged by his deeds, not his intentions. Though his tone was harsh, he indeed had done her a favor.

"Why don't you stop holding back and happily strike with Snowless Glacier?" Ling Bai counted on his fingers as he calculated for the Snow Empress. "The Ice Empress will face her fourth Heavenly Tribulation within a hundred years, and the chance of surviving that is practically zero.

Your 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation should come earlier than the Ice Empress's; otherwise, you wouldn't be absorbing the 100,000-year Snow Lotus at this time. As a result, your attempt to transform into a human failed, and your origin was severely injured instead. Truth be told, you don't even have the Ice Empress's slim chance. The word 'death' is practically etched on your forehead in glowing letters.

I'll return to the human world and cultivate diligently for a hundred years. When you and the Ice Empress die from the heavenly tribulation, do you think the Ice Devil Titan King and the Ice Bear King, those two blockheads, could stand in my way?

Rest easy—I promise that the Extreme North will vanish from the map, and every spirit beast egg will be shaken until its yolk scatters."

After this, the Snow Empress's delicate body trembled violently for an instant. The glow of Snowless Glacier, which had been on the verge of releasing its destructive strike, dissipated. Then, gathering her spirit power, she flung to Ling Bai the remaining seven 10,000-year Snow Lotuses in the lotus pond. Having calmed down, she sighed and said:

"Leave. I'll pretend you never set foot in the Extreme North."

She conceded defeat. In her current terrible state, Snowless Glacier could not kill Ling Bai and the Death Abyss Bone Dragon, and Ling Bai's threats had hit their mark.

In a hundred years, when the Ice and Snow Empresses perished and Ling Bai broke through to Rank 99 spirit power, there was no need to mention how terrifying a Limit Douluo with Ultimate Death would be. The Ice Bear King and the Ice Devil Titan King would certainly be strung up and whipped. A moment of impulsiveness could bring about the catastrophic annihilation of the Extreme North. This was a result the ruler of the Extreme North did not wish to see.

Plop.

A soft splash sounded. The snow lotuses fell back into the snow-mountain pond, sending droplets into the air. A trace of puzzlement rose in the Snow Empress's sky-blue eyes as she spoke:

"These are the Snow Lotuses I spent tens of thousands of years cultivating. They brim with Ultimate Ice. You won't find a more precious Heaven and Earth Treasure in the Extreme North. Consider them a small token of my gratitude."

She thought Ling Bai didn't recognize their value and was looking down on them.

"Though the Snow Lotuses are rare, thinking that the one who cultivated them will soon be gone makes holding onto them seem meaningless."

Ling Bai slowly began revealing his true intentions. When dealing with a ruler-level spirit beast like the Snow Empress, one could not rely solely on threats or flattery. Combining both favor and might to build rapport was the best strategy.

Hearing this, the Snow Empress shook her head and actually let out a tiny laugh. "You humans are indeed interesting. Would my death not be a blessing to humanity, ridding you of an enemy among the Great Beasts?"

"True. All the more reason for you to consider the aftermath. Once you die, what becomes of the Ice Empress?

When the Ice and Snow Empresses fall one after another, what hope is left for the Extreme North?

As Spirit Guidance Devices in the human world keep rapidly advancing, it's inevitable that Spirit Masters will one day invade the Extreme North with their help. The Ice Devil Titan King and the Ice Bear King won't be able to stop them. They'll likely end up like you did just now, reduced to being test subjects for various Spirit Guidance Devices like the God Sealing Altar.

Snow Empress, you wouldn't want the Ice Empress and the Extreme North to meet such an end, would you?"

At the mention of the God Sealing Altar, the Snow Empress couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. That Class 9 Spirit Guidance Device had left a deep impression on her, as it had prevented even her self-destruction. She and Ling Bai, though they had met in strife, could now be considered to share an understanding. Tentatively, she asked, "Is it convenient to tell me about the current level of human Spirit Guidance Device development?"

"They advance by leaps and bounds. Without you, the Extreme North will surely fall within ten thousand years."

"Ten thousand years..."

Though that might seem an eternity, for spirit beasts, ten thousand years passed in an eye's blink—open and close your eyes, and a millennium is gone.

Ling Bai said in a deep voice, "Since your path of rebirth is abolished, Snow Empress, have you considered a different path?"

"What insights do you have?" The Snow Empress was curious.

"The Extreme North is connected to the sea. Have you heard the story of one of the oceanic overlords, the Demon Spirit Great White Shark Queen?"

The Snow Empress's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. "The sacred guardian beast who accompanied two generations of Sea Gods in their growth."

"Ten thousand years ago, when the world changed color and Gods emerged, the Demon Spirit Great White Shark Clan became the sacred beasts of the ocean. Two 100,000-year spirit beasts from the Star Dou Forest followed the Gods and attained immortality."

Here Ling Bai paused, then his tone grew deeper and more beguiling. "Snow Empress, the lifespan of Gods is endless, but the Divine Realm has placed a bloodline restriction on spirit beasts. Spirit beasts can never become Gods! No matter how mighty the Ten Great Beasts are, no matter how supreme the Heavenly Snow Woman who rules the Extreme North might be, or even if the Beast God Di Tian accumulates eight hundred thousand years of cultivation, they are all doomed to perish under the Heavenly Tribulation!

I know you yearn to break that destiny—to rebuild as a human, to change your race and chase that slim chance for both yourself and the spirit beasts of the Extreme North. Unfortunately, you failed.

However, Snow Empress, you have encountered me. This is your fortune, and mine as well. If you and I join forces, the path to Godhood shall open wide!"

Clouds of snow drifted across the sky like a vast tide. Ling Bai stood atop the Death Abyss Bone Dragon's skull, unmoving in the raging storm, like a towering mountain peak.

The peerlessly beautiful face of the Snow Empress showed little expression; one could say it was cold as frost. It felt as though she might utter the word 'Scram' at any moment. Yet this couldn't conceal her breathtaking, ethereal beauty. She slowly said:

"You speak of the path to Godhood as though it were a trifling matter. I do not dispute that spirit beasts cannot ascend to Godhood, but throughout human history, how many Gods have appeared? If you wish to cooperate with me, show me a bit of sincerity."

Ling Bai suddenly laughed. The Snow Empress's heart had been moved. Two rays of light abruptly rose behind him, the brilliant golden Seraphim and the purple-black Death Abyss Spider Emperor. Though his spirit power compared to the Snow Empress was as meager as a droplet in the sea, the pressure emanating from his life essence made her involuntarily exclaim:

"Divine! Power!"

"You can tell."

Ling Bai dispersed the light. The Snow Empress almost instinctively reached out, as though trying to seize that fleeting chance of divinity. She was completely moved and eagerly asked:

"You are the successor of a God? Which God? How can we cooperate?"

Her longest-held worries were the Ice Empress and the Extreme North she had protected for nearly seven hundred millennia. The hope that Ling Bai brought shone all too brightly. No wonder he could stand here without fear, for he had struck at her most vulnerable concern!

"Cooperation is based on sincerity. There are some things I don't intend to hide from you, lest you become angry with me later," Ling Bai said. "My Divine Power comes from the Angel God and the Rakshasa God. The Angel God's divine position shattered ten thousand years ago, and the Divine Realm is unlikely to have any God willing to pass their divine position to the direct heir of another God. The Rakshasa God's divine position still lingers, but the former Rakshasa God met an untimely death, and I do not know where that divine position now lies.

Reforging the Angel God's divine position and finding the Rakshasa God's divine position may not sound simple, but at least we have a direction and hope to strive for.

Come with me, become the only... one of the rare Intelligent Spirit Rings in the history of the Douluo Continent. Preserve your soul while providing spirit skills, and walk the path to Godhood with me. If we lose, you can consider me your Heavenly Tribulation; if we win, the Extreme North will be bright and clear from then on, and you can forever protect the land you love."

The Snow Empress fell into deep thought, lightly biting her red lips with her pearly teeth. There was no such thing as a free lunch or a huge bargain in this world; one must give before gaining. Her 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation would descend in ten years. This little time wasn't even enough to recover her origin. Transforming into an Intelligent Spirit Ring and cooperating with this human who possessed Divine Power was indeed an excellent method.

"All right. We can cooperate, and I can accept becoming an Intelligent Spirit Ring."

The Snow Empress decisively made her choice. Her sky-blue eyes sparkled enchantingly as she resolutely said:

"On the condition that you must establish a Soul Contract with me.

First, guarantee that what you said is not false.

Second, henceforth, you shall not harm any spirit beast of the Extreme North without cause.

Third, if we are unable to become Gods despite our joint efforts, I will not blame you. That would be our fate. But I ask that you protect the Extreme North for another hundred years in my stead. Bing'er's 400,000-year Heavenly Tribulation... if you can lend a hand, please help her too.

I swear this by the Ice God. As ruler of the Extreme North, I, the Snow Empress, speak in the name of ice: if you agree to these conditions, you and I shall walk the same path. If I break my oath, may all that belongs to ice be stripped away by the Ice God."

The spirit beasts of the Extreme North were the subjects of the Ice God. The Snow Empress made the most solemn oath a spirit beast could make. As the ruler of the Extreme North, her own life was secondary; she wanted to secure more guarantees for the Extreme North.

Ling Bai chuckled lightly and removed the disguise of Thousand Illusion Charming Appearance, revealing his true appearance with golden hair and golden eyes. The Snow Empress widened her eyes. Wait, are you humans so cunning that you even need to change your face just to go out?

"My name is Ling Bai. Since you and I will share life and death, naturally, I should show my true face."

The auroras seemed to cast heavenly radiance upon those golden eyes. When their gazes met, the Snow Empress saw a rising golden sun in those clear eyes.

A sign of dawn. 

A peerless talent.

For a moment, the Snow Empress suddenly felt, for no reason, that Ling Bai would definitely become a God in the future.

Ling Bai traced out a gray scroll in the empty air, engraved with the Snow Empress's three conditions.

Necromancy, Soul Contract.

After the Snow Empress read it, she nodded slightly to indicate no objections. Then the two left their spiritual imprints on the Soul Contract and simultaneously vowed:

"I, Ling Bai (Snow Empress), am willing to establish a Soul Contract with Snow Empress (Ling Bai).

Snow Empress shall become an Intelligent Spirit Ring and assist Ling Bai on the path to Godhood.

Ling Bai shall not betray the Snow Empress, shall not harm the people of the Extreme North, and if the goal cannot be achieved, shall protect the Extreme North for a hundred years, and if strength permits, shall aid the Ice Empress in passing her Heavenly Tribulation.

I hereby make this solemn and sincere oath, willing to forfeit this body. Should I betray it, let heaven, earth, spirits, and gods punish me all at once!"