Chapter 159: A Taste One Must Try

"Daddy!"

A small white figure leaped out of the deep snow like a little fish, precisely clinging onto the fiery mane of the dragon-lion, completely ignoring the furious shrieking of that annoying female voice in her mind.

"He's not your daddy! He's a bad thing that wants to eat you—" Snow Empress shrieked in exasperation, but what use was it? She had originally intended to take over this snow lotus's body, but the innocent and young consciousness within it was as firmly bound to the body as if it were tied up. Moreover, she was gravely injured and could do little more than grumble in this snow lotus's mind—and the worst part? The little one might not even listen!

The little snow lotus retorted crisply, "He is my daddy! You're the one who wants to eat me! Don't think I don't know!"

"I never wanted to eat you—"

"Pah! You just want to steal my body! How is that any different?"

"I've protected you for tens of thousands of years! Without me, you would've been eaten by other soul beasts long ago—let alone lived to a hundred thousand years! That three-eyed golden lion is only a little over ten thousand years old. You're not allowed to call him daddy!" Snow Empress was nearly furious to death at the stubborn little snow lotus.

She was currently parasitizing the snow lotus's sea of consciousness. If the snow lotus called that auspicious beast "daddy," then what did that make her?!

Absolutely unacceptable!

Snow Empress still didn't understand why her reincarnation plan had gone wrong.

Due to her severe injuries and the premature arrival of her tribulation, she had been forced to reincarnate hastily. Some hundred-thousand-year soul beasts from the Extreme North had taken advantage of this opportunity and swooped in like vultures!

The entire Extreme North had witnessed the battle between Snow Empress and Di Tian in midair, and once the outcome was decided, those hundred-thousand-year soul beasts had gathered like scavengers.

If Snow Empress had won, they would have immediately offered their congratulations. If she had lost but wasn't too severely injured, they would have come to express their concern. But if she were gravely injured, as she was now, teetering on the brink of death—then they were here to divide the remains of the Queen of the Extreme North!

After all, the corpse of a pure elemental spirit was an unparalleled treasure for ice-type soul beasts—far more precious than even profound ice marrow.

The first to arrive were the Great Snow Lord, with an eighteen-hundred-thousand-year cultivation, the Silver Ridge Beast with fourteen-hundred-thousand years, and the Ice Sea Dreadbird with thirteen-hundred-thousand years.

In the distance, numerous high-level Ice Jade Scorpions, Snow Demon Kings, Ice Bears, and even individual Snow Women observed the scene—restrained only by the presence of their tribal leaders. But if Snow Empress truly fell, they too would rush forward to compete for her remains!

These soul beasts had all come to feast upon the dying whale!

Even with her heart of ice and snow, Snow Empress felt a chill at that moment.

She had guarded the Extreme North for so many years, yet when she was injured, the very soul beasts under her command were preparing to devour her!

If not for the Ice Bear King, Xiao Bai, arriving in time… she might not even have had the chance to reincarnate, let alone escape unnoticed from the ensuing battle.

However, she had never considered that the Extreme North remained undisturbed by humans not just because of her protection, but because it was already a natural fortress.

Now, as planned, her original energy had been entirely absorbed by the embryo, becoming its first soul ring and an essential torso soul bone. However, she was unable to control this body.

Still, Snow Empress did not suspect anything. No fierce beast had ever attempted reincarnation by seizing the body of a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast embryo before. No one knew what unexpected changes might arise during multiple tribulations…

Though her consciousness remained intact, she simply couldn't understand—no matter how badly she was injured, how could her spiritual power possibly be suppressed by a mere ten-thousand-year-old flower, one that had never faced any tribulations? Not even gaining the slightest control over this body?

Had she known the result beforehand, she would rather have self-destructed. But now, as a surviving Snow Empress, her fighting spirit had waned. After all, she was still alive, and as long as she lived, there was still a chance. That was better than vanishing in the thunder tribulation.

Perhaps, if she nurtured this newborn little snow lotus, she might even have a chance to ascend to godhood and achieve eternal life together.

Yet on the other side, the little snow lotus, upon whom Snow Empress had placed her hopes, was currently clutching onto the golden-red mane of the Auspicious Beast, arguing fiercely in her sea of consciousness.

"You say all these nice things, but aren't you just trying to lock me up and eat me? How are you any different from other soul beasts!"

"You think the Three-Eyed Golden Lion doesn't want to eat you?"

"He's a fire attribute beast! Why would he eat me? To counteract his own attributes, or to treat menstrual irregularities?!"

"What if he gives you to someone else to eat?! Are you stupid? What do you think he's taking you for?! You need to go back to the Ice Bear King—he's the only one who can protect us!"

"Daddy! Daddy, why won't you talk to me?" Snow Lotus called out loudly as she continued bickering with Snow Empress

Meanwhile, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, having let his guard down too much after coming out with Di Tian and finding no opponents, finally lowered his gaze.

Then, as if he had just seen a cucumber, he suddenly shot into the air like a startled cat, leaping behind Di Tian with a boing.

"Damn it! Stop calling me that!" Wang Rui shrieked from behind Di Tian, his fur standing on end. "I don't have a daughter!"

How was he supposed to explain this to Huo Yuqing?!

"Then… then are you my mommy?" The little girl blinked her icy blue eyes innocently.

"I'm not! I'm neither your dad nor your mom! We have no blood relation whatsoever!" Wang Rui hunched his back, fur still bristling, even his tail puffed up.

The little girl's face fell, her mouth quivered—she looked like she was about to cry.

"This is Snow Empress?" Di Tian turned to look at Wang Rui in bewilderment.

"I'm not that old hag!" the little girl shrieked. "I'm just me! I'm not anyone else!"

Di Tian raised an eyebrow, lifted the little girl by the arm, and sized her up. Judging by human growth rates, she appeared to be around five or six years old, still carrying baby fat.

This chubby little thing was only wearing a loose, thin white dress—one that felt very much like flower petals, likely conjured during her transformation.

Di Tian quickly grasped the situation and scoffed inwardly.

A terrifying wave of dark soul power pressed down. The little girl scrunched her face like a steamed bun, and the next moment, a faint icy-blue light emanated from beneath her skin, outlining the shape of a torso bone. An extreme chill surged from her body… A bowl-sized, pure white flower appeared in her hands, slowly spinning and exuding an astonishing cold aura.

Behind her, a blood-red soul ring with six golden patterns emerged as well.

Perhaps due to the snow lotus's inherently harmless and pure nature, the crimson soul ring did not exude Snow Empress's usual domineering presence. Instead, the cold aura carried a gentle, almost graceful touch.

Snow Empress had suffered a spectacular failure.

Attacking an Auspicious Beast? Serves her right. Pure karma.

Tsk, of all the beings to offend, she had to offend an Auspicious Beast.

Meanwhile, the little girl was struggling wildly in Di Tian's grip, even he felt a little sorry for Snow Empress.

"When's the next human culture training class?" Di Tian muttered

"I'll have them start as soon as we get back," Wang Rui replied with a pained expression.

This flower had grown in isolation in the Extreme North, knowing nothing. Releasing her into the world as she was would definitely spell disaster.

"Daddy, don't you want me?" The newly-formed Snow Lotus squirmed in Di Tian's grip, looking pitiful—completely unaware of the supplementary class nightmare awaiting her.

"Why exactly are you calling the Auspicious Beast 'Dad'?" Di Tian casually dropped her onto the ground, looking at her with some confusion.

"..." The little Snow Lotus furrowed her brows in distress. "I don't know… I just feel very close to him, and I really like him…"

Wang Rui, however, knew the reason.

This hundred-thousand-year-old Snow Lotus should never have been able to be born, nor should she have been able to retain her consciousness. It was Wang Rui who had used the power of fate to help her triumph over Snow Empress in their struggle.

In a way, Wang Rui was the one who had directly brought her into existence.

From a karmic perspective, she was indeed Wang Rui's child. At the same time, Wang Rui would also have to bear the consequences of the ripples her existence would create in the flow of fate.

That being said, for an old, single dragon-lion to suddenly have a child appear out of nowhere—absolutely not!

"I'm not your dad." The dragon-lion scowled, frantically hiding behind Di Tian. "Stop calling me that!"

The little girl's mouth wobbled, and to everyone's shock, she actually burst into tears, sobbing pitifully.

"You're crying?! What are you crying for?! You're just a flower! Flowers don't have parents! Stop trying to stick yourself onto that dragon-lion!" Snow Empress roared in her sea of consciousness.

In response, she only cried even louder.

Di Tian felt the veins in his temple throbbing painfully. He suddenly regretted not bringing Bi Ji or Zi Ji along. Sure, he had raised children before, but he had never encountered one who could start crying at the drop of a hat!

Seeing how resistant the Auspicious Beast was, it was obvious that his "eldest son" was completely unreliable in this situation. As the "old father," he had no choice but to steel himself and take charge of soothing the child.

"What's your name? You must have a name, right?"

The little Snow Lotus only shook her head.

"Then how about 'Ah Xue'?" Di Tian suggested.

"No," the little Snow Lotus sniffled. "Ah Xue sounds like a Snow Girl. I'm not a Snow Girl."

Di Tian frowned down at her, his towering three-meter frame giving him an air of visible distress. He thought for a long moment before saying, "Then how about 'Lian Xue'? That settles it."

"Hmm, now I see where this lack of naming creativity comes from," Electrolux, watching the scene unfold in Wang Rui's spiritual sea, rubbed his chin and commented sharply.

[T/N: Lian Xue means Lotus Snow]