Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, Ice Empress

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment before nodding."Alright, I understand. But you have to hurry — it's too cold here. I have to constantly release soul power to protect my body. At my current soul power consumption, I don't think I can last even an hour."

"Heh, that's more than enough. You've already exceeded my expectations. Seriously though, you're a freak — not even at three rings and your soul power's already comparable to a Soul Ancestor."

"Tian Meng, let's get down to business. Everything else can wait until we're out of this area," said Huo Yuhao, spreading out his frozen, stiff hands helplessly.

Tian Meng nodded. Then, nine balls of golden light flew out from Huo Yuhao's body and rushed toward Tian Meng, merging into him. His once fading form now became more solid.

Those nine golden orbs were in fact Tian Meng's original power sealed in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea. Now that even this power was being used, it showed how serious he was about what came next.

Tian Meng slowly floated upward. This time, he deliberately didn't suppress his aura. A terrifying pressure spread out in all directions. Nearby soul beasts fled in terror. Some collapsed on the spot, trembling, soiling themselves.

Tian Meng ignored it all, only gazing into the distance. After a moment, he spoke."Ice Empress, I know you've sensed my presence. I, Tian Meng, have returned for revenge. Do you dare to meet me?"

No one responded. The only sound was the howling wind. But Tian Meng wasn't impatient. He simply floated there, untouched by the wind and snow.

Roughly ten breaths later, a jade-green light appeared on the horizon — just a small dot at first. But in a blink, it crossed the sky at an unimaginable speed, stopping a hundred meters in front of Tian Meng, high in the air.

Its arrival bathed the entire sky in emerald green. The special effects were off the charts — budget well spent.

Below, Huo Yuhao strained to look up and saw that the newcomer was a scorpion, just under three meters long. Its front body had four segmented layers, about half a foot long. Silver-white mandibles gleamed with icy light as they opened and closed. Its entire body, including six powerful, slender legs, was covered in shimmering hexagonal scales.

But the most eye-catching part was its rear — no, the hind part. The long tail was made of five segments, each like a priceless gem. The segment closest to the body was the widest, narrowing as it went up. At the top, the stinger sparkled like a jewel.

Words couldn't do it justice. "Exquisitely crafted, a masterpiece of nature." These phrases floated through Huo Yuhao's mind. The scorpion was so breathtakingly beautiful it didn't seem to belong in the natural world.

"Tian Meng, you're actually still alive... and you walked right into my lap. Hahaha! The heavens truly don't abandon those who are fated! Ahahahaha…" The scorpion actually spoke — in a crisp, pleasant female voice.

Despite the Ice Empress's clear hostility, Tian Meng looked at her with utter affection."Bing'er, I'm back. It's been ten thousand years... have you missed me?"

The Ice Empress didn't respond. Her crystalline yellow eyes scanned Tian Meng, then turned to Huo Yuhao. Under her gaze, Huo Yuhao felt a chill run down his spine, as if no secret could be hidden from her.

"Hahaha, Tian Meng, you're really regressing with age. Willingly submitting to a human as weak as an ant?"

Even under the cutting sarcasm, Tian Meng remained calm, his face still full of love."Bing'er, why ask what you already know? You must be nearing your tribulation, or you wouldn't have come into this obvious trap."

"You're right. This is my last chance. If I devour you, I'll have a 70% chance of surviving the tribulation. But since you lured me here, I'm guessing you're prepared. Let's settle it with our hands. I want to see how much you've improved — bold enough to appear before me."

"You're so heartless, Bing'er... Fine. Let's begin. After today, we'll never be apart again."Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's eyes glowed with deep emotion. He gently stepped forward, walking through the air toward the Ice Empress.

The Ice Empress, sensing something was off, prepared to strike first — but then golden threads surged from Tian Meng's body. The two were only about thirty meters apart.

Tian Meng moved with impossible speed. The golden light blinked forward, instantly appearing in front of the Ice Empress, binding her like silken threads. In a flash, her figure vanished — replaced by a golden cocoon.

It wasn't over. A white blur followed the golden threads and merged into the cocoon without any visible motion. From Huo Yuhao's perspective, all that remained was the golden cocoon.

Tian Meng looked at his hands, feeling like he could control the heavens and earth. He murmured,"Now this... this is the power a million-year soul beast should have had. If I'd been this badass back then…"

After a moment of self-satisfaction, Tian Meng didn't dare linger. Fearing the Ice Empress' clan would arrive, he raised a hand. Huo Yuhao felt an overwhelming force pull him into the air toward Tian Meng.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's shocked expression, Tian Meng grinned smugly."So, how was it? Satisfied with the soul ring I picked for you?"

Huo Yuhao swallowed hard and gave a bitter laugh."Tian Meng, I knew you had an appetite, but I didn't think you'd go this big. That was the Ice Jade Scorpion, right? And not just any — at least a hundred thousand years old. You called her Ice Empress... so she's the second-ranked of the Extreme North's Three Great Heavenly Kings?"

Tian Meng looked surprised."Huh? How'd you know that? I don't remember telling you. Eh, whatever — we'll talk after we leave. The Ice Empress' clan must be losing their minds right now."With that, he waved his sleeve, taking Huo Yuhao and the golden cocoon as they tore through the sky in the direction they came from.

Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's flying speed was nothing like Huo Yuhao's earlier crawl. In just half an hour, they reached the outermost edges of the Extreme North. A few more kilometers ahead and human towns would be visible.

They descended from the sky, cocoon in tow.

"Yuhao, I know you've got a lot of questions. Ask away," said Tian Meng Ice Silkworm.

After a pause, Huo Yuhao spoke."I just want to know... what exactly are you here for?"

"Alright, since you asked, I'll ramble a bit. First off — like I've always said — you and I are one. I would never harm you.

As for my purpose: I want the Ice Empress to become the soul ring of your second martial soul. Strictly speaking, the second martial soul I gave you hasn't fully formed yet. You can think of it as an unhatched embryo. In this state, the first soul ring it absorbs will determine its final form and grade.

In other words, if you absorb the Ice Empress' soul ring, your second martial soul will take the form of the Ice Jade Scorpion."For once, Tian Meng spoke plainly and directly.

"But I'm only level 30... The Ice Empress has at least 100,000 years of cultivation. How could I possibly absorb her soul ring?"

"Hehe, that's what you don't know. She's not just 100,000 years old — she's got 390,000 years under her belt! Just one step away from 400,000! But don't worry. Haven't I already shown you that it's possible?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Complete PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!

Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!

patreon .com/UIGOD

(End of Chapter)