Chapter 136: The Wrath of the Snow Empress

A flash of emerald-green scorpion shadow streaked across the sky, and the vast life aura of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion gradually weakened until it finally disappeared.

In the end, the presence that had accompanied the Snow Empress for countless years was… completely and utterly gone.

No matter how hard she tried, she could no longer sense even the faintest trace of that familiar aura.

She knew all too well what that meant.

This wasn't because the Ice Emperor was deliberately concealing her presence or anything else. This was—

This was all my fault.

This was all my fault. All my fault—ALL MY FAULT!!!

She had clearly noticed Bing'er's cry for help earlier! But she hadn't gone to confirm her safety!!! This was all my fault!!!

The Snow Empress didn't even dare to think too deeply about it. Overwhelming guilt, accompanied by sheer terror, pierced through her in an instant, and a sharp buzzing filled her ears. For a moment, even though she had a body of ice and snow, she almost tasted something akin to blood in her mouth.

She didn't even realize that she was letting out a shrill, grief-stricken wail.

She had long since accepted that one day, the Ice Emperor would die. After all, after such a long existence, they would inevitably part ways. But what she absolutely could not accept was that the Ice Emperor had died due to her own negligence!

The Snow Empress's emotions were being flayed alive, agonizingly painful, but as the ruler of the Extreme North, a small, near-coldly rational part of her soul still maintained logical thought.

However, she could not avoid being affected by her emotions.

Why had Di Tian and the Auspicious Beast come to the Extreme North at this exact moment?To delay her, to divert her attention, to prevent her from rescuing the Ice Emperor in time.

It had to be.

In truth, even before the Snow Empress's rational mind completed its analysis, the pain of her emotions had already driven her body to action.

A terrifying frost exploded from her delicate figure. Out of nowhere, vast, pristine snowfall blanketed the sky, obscuring the sunlight above.

The Three Ultimate Techniques of the Snow Empress—Snow Dance Shining Sun, Emperor's Cold Heaven!

The extreme cold brought an oppressive weight, making even the air seem thinner.

…No, the thinning of the air wasn't just an illusion!

The Extreme North was already a place of extreme cold, and the moisture in the air had long since frozen, becoming snowflakes mixed in the icy wind. The Extreme North was as dry as a desert—but under the terrifyingly low temperatures of Emperor's Cold Heaven, what was being frozen into solid form wasn't just water vapor.

It was air itself.

Under the unique environmental conditions of the Extreme North, the power of Snow Dance Shining Sun was at its most terrifying.

Each floating "snowflake" was infinitely more dangerous than ordinary snow, seemingly capable of freezing even one's very soul!

Within the Snow Empress's Snow Dance Shining Sun domain, even spiritual power slowed down, severely hindered!

Hidden within the boundless snowfall of Emperor's Cold Heaven, a deep-blue longsword, seemingly formed from pure ice crystal, silently condensed. The Snow Empress raised her hand, and the sword tip flicked forward like a venomous serpent, striking directly at Wang Rui!

That unassuming azure glow traced an incredibly thin arc through the air, yet it silently tore space apart, cracks appearing noiselessly along the sword's edge. This was the literal embodiment of a chilling blade!

A sword wind that could freeze space itself—directly targeting Wang Rui, standing half a step ahead of Di Tian.

At the same time, the Snow Empress's other hand, left unoccupied, slammed toward Di Tian's chest!

In an instant, the Snow Empress unleashed all three of her ultimate techniques!

No buildup. No probing. The Ice Sky Snow Woman unleashed her full power in absolute silence, just like falling snow—declaring the traitors' death sentence amidst the boundless frost.

Her mind was crystal clear.

The Snow Empress knew she couldn't defeat Di Tian in a short time. She couldn't escape from him, who was skilled in spatial abilities. She couldn't rescue the Ice Emperor—but as long as she could seize control of the weak Auspicious Beast, Di Tian would no longer be a threat!

Emperor's Cold Heaven froze space, Snow Dance Shining Sun concealed the killing intent, the Emperor's Sword struck at the Auspicious Beast, while the Emperor's Palm slammed toward Di Tian.

At such close range, facing the full-force Emperor's Palm of the Ice Sky Snow Woman, even Di Tian might not be able to spare the attention to protect the Auspicious Beast!

However, what she didn't know was—

The Auspicious Beast was far from the weakling she imagined, one that Di Tian had to shield and that she could simply seize!

…If that were the case, how could Di Tian have brought him deep into the Snow Empress's domain?

The moment before Emperor's Cold Heaven spread, Wang Rui, attuned to the attribute of fate, already sensed the incoming danger.

In the blink of an eye, fierce light and flame ignited across the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's body, interwoven like flowing magma forming an armor.

Then, Wang Rui uttered an ancient, unfathomable incantation—one that seemed to exist outside this world.

This was a Seventh-Tier defensive spell, of both the Fire and Light elements, modified from a Seventh-Tier Light defensive spell taught by Electrolux. It was perfectly suited to the Emperor Auspicious Beast's attributes. Though the spell was unnamed, according to the assessment of the Necromancer God of Laws, its strength rivaled an Eighth-Tier spell—the strongest spell Wang Rui could instantly cast.

And among all his trump cards—this was the most insignificant one.

As his voice fell, a dazzling magic circle appeared beneath him. A platinum six-sided pillar of light, streaked with blazing flame patterns, shot skyward with a resounding hum.

In the next moment, the pillar of light split into six radiant golden shields, their surfaces adorned with intricate, fiery red patterns—shifting chaotically like flickering flames, like disordered, scattered feathers, making one's head spin.

The six shields lined up in formation, merging at blinding speed into a deep amber-red barrier, blocking the ice crystal sword at the last second!

"Sssssshhhh——!!!"

Thick white mist erupted as the extreme cold of the Emperor's Sword clashed against the Fire-Light Shield, the terrifying killing intent of the Ice Sky Snow Woman forcibly stopped!

But ultimately, the Snow Empress had seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, her absolute ice techniques renowned across the world. Even at full force, how could Wang Rui resist?

The Fire-Light Shield was soon covered in dense cracks, and the same spiderweb fractures spread across its backside!

Azure-blue radiance seeped through the fissures, becoming sharper, colder—the once-burning shield now lost its warmth, as bone-chilling frost seeped through!

"Crack."

With a faint snap, in less than three breaths, the scarlet-gold barrier shattered, dispersing into countless golden-red light fragments, floating in the air like scattered embers.

Thick clouds of white mist surged as the terrifyingly cold Imperial Sword pierced into the Firelight Shield. The overwhelming killing intent of the Ice Snow Empress was actually blocked!

However, Snow Empress had cultivated for seven hundred thousand years. Her ultimate technique was famed for its peerless ice attribute. When unleashed at full power, how could Wang Rui possibly withstand it?

The cultivation of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was ultimately no match for Snow Empress.

In an instant, a dense network of cracks spread across the surface of the Firelight Shield. Shortly after, the back of the shield also began to fracture like an intricate spider web.

A pure blue radiance seeped from the cracks, growing ever more piercing. The blazing Firelight Shield no longer radiated warmth as piercing cold seeped through every crevice.

"Crack!"

With an almost imperceptible crisp sound, in less than three breaths' time, the entire crimson-gold Firelight Shield shattered with a resounding explosion. Countless fine golden-red specks of light dispersed into the air like twinkling stars.

Yet, at the very moment the shield shattered, Wang Rui heard a deeply suppressed and agonizing breath.

It was clear—Di Tian had already freed himself to deal with Snow Empress. He had even grievously injured her.

However, the Imperial Sword remained utterly unaffected. Its ice-blue blade, carrying a bone-chilling cold, continued to thrust directly at Wang Rui.

As the ruler of the Extreme North, Snow Empress's strike, to some extent, was linked to the entire region's energy flow!

Without the Firelight Shield's protection, Wang Rui was now left with only a layer of elemental armor formed from Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire. Under the oppressive chill of the Imperial Cold Sky Domain, he was forced to confront the peerless ice energy of the Imperial Sword directly. His previously dazzling armor, akin to molten lava, gradually dimmed.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's brilliant golden beast pupils reflected the sharp gleam of the Imperial Sword, yet they did not show a trace of fear. Instead, there was an unwavering intensity—almost fanaticism.

The tail of the Imperial Auspicious Beast tensed like a coiled dragon. Every muscle in its body was taut, its razor-sharp claws extending, as though… it were a predator about to pounce in the midst of a hunt.

Meanwhile, Snow Empress's Imperial Sword, infused with an icy chill capable of freezing souls, gently descended.

The dreadful cold that could even slow down spiritual perception directly impacted Wang Rui's mind. Within his sea of consciousness, the lake he had constructed was freezing over at an astonishing speed. Above the illusionary Hogwarts castle, fierce winds howled, and heavy snowflakes drifted down.

Inside a room within his consciousness, Electrolux finally lifted his head from his desk. He placed his quill back into the ink bottle and, with a wave of his hand, ignited a roaring fire in the hearth.

"Do you need my help?"

"No need." Wang Rui's calm voice responded, carrying a subtle trace of exhilaration.

On the back of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, a soul tool turret suddenly materialized—gleaming with golden inscriptions and a dark red metallic sheen. The ominous barrel flickered with a sinister red glow.

However, at that very moment, a terrifying dragon roar, as if echoing from the void itself, erupted in Wang Rui's mental domain, resounding through the sky above his castle!

The roar was suffused with overwhelming bloodlust, filled with savagery and fury. Yet, beneath it all, there was a barely perceptible thread of fear.

In a distant prison, a father had sensed that someone was attempting to kill his one and only child.

Within the illusionary castle, which was no longer under Wang Rui's conscious control, reality twisted like a kaleidoscope—beams, walls, bricks, and even sculptures were dismantled and rearranged in a chaotic dance.

From a hidden corridor, a monstrous golden dragon forcefully squeezed its way out!

The dragon, trailing its gleaming golden tail, stumbled forward in sluggish steps, climbing onto the highest tower of the castle. With its massive wings, it stirred the external storm and snow before soaring into the overcast sky, blotting out the swirling blizzard!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wang Rui (excited): "Fire the cannon! Blast them to hell! Time to test my soul tool!"

Golden Dragon King (suddenly revived from his near-death state): "SOMEONE'S TRYING TO KILL MY SON?!"

(The original novel didn't show Snow Empress's full power, so I added my own interpretation.)

(End of chapter.)