Meeting the Snow Empress

A few days ago, Huo Yuhao had also found a few Illusionary Heavenly Silkworms, but their ages were not ideal. The most powerful one was only around seventeen thousand years. When they left, Ice Empress had placed some markers on that silkworm—just in case they couldn't find a better one later. If it came to that, Huo Yuhao could still locate it easily thanks to her markers.

But now, there was no need. The one before them now had a cultivation of just over twenty-one thousand years—already near Huo Yuhao's absorption limit.

Huo Yuhao didn't rush to absorb the spirit ring. As long as it was absorbed within an hour after its appearance, it was fine. He sat down to recover his strength and listened to a few final pointers from Skydream Iceworm and Ice Empress.

Half an hour later, fully recovered, Huo Yuhao began absorbing the spirit ring. The black ring trembled slightly around his body, while Huo Yuhao's expression remained calm, as if everything was progressing naturally.

In the Extreme North, at its core, the cold wind howled. Goose-feather-like snowflakes danced chaotically through the sky. At the foot of a snowy mountain stood a giant tree about five hundred meters tall. Its branches were thick and full, and perhaps to match the icy environment, the entire tree radiated a stunning crystalline white, including the leaves.

At that moment, two figures broke through the air from the distant sky.

"Bing'er, why are you here again? Didn't I make myself clear last time? Also, why did you bring a human with you this time?" A celestial female voice rang in their ears, laced with a touch of helplessness.

While Huo Yuhao was absorbing his spirit ring, the split spirits of both Ice Empress and Huo Yuhao had arrived at their destination. They hovered in mid-air. Huo Yuhao looked up at the giant crystalline tree, feeling a sense of familiarity—as if he'd seen it in an ancient book—but he couldn't quite place it.

What was magical was that within a kilometer of this tree, the elemental energy was so thick it almost felt tangible. Huo Yuhao had a strong sense that if he could cultivate here, his progress would double.

"Sister Xue, it's a long story. Let us enter first," said Ice Empress.

Huo Yuhao was curious. Enter where? He didn't see any tree holes or the like. Based on human knowledge of soul beasts, they usually lived in caves. He had the same expectation.

But in the next moment, a pitch-black vortex appeared before them. Huo Yuhao had no idea what it was, so he looked at Ice Empress, only to see her dive straight into it.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao no longer hesitated and followed right behind.

The next moment, the two appeared inside a palace. A quick glance showed the interior was rather simple—just basic tables and chairs, all seemingly carved from solid ice.

With just a glance, Huo Yuhao's eyes locked onto a woman seated ahead. She had long, snow-white hair flowing past her waist and sky-blue eyes that looked ethereal and transparent, as if they could pierce through the world. Her figure was graceful and curvaceous, and although her white dress was plain and unadorned, it did nothing to diminish her peerless beauty.

She stood above the mundane, proud and untouchable—like a fairy descended to the mortal world.

Huo Yuhao stared dumbly, a phrase coming to mind: "This woman must have come from the heavens." Though he was born into a duke's household and held low status, he had still seen nobles, heiresses, and stunning beauties at Shrek Academy like Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and even the cross-dressing Wang Dong.

But none could compare to the woman before him. They were all outclassed. Her beauty overshadowed the entire world itself.

After a moment of stunned silence, Huo Yuhao realized things had gotten awkwardly quiet and snapped back to himself. Ice Empress merely smiled and didn't tease him.

"Bing'er, did something happen? Your aura feels off," asked Snow Empress, concern in her voice.

At those words, Ice Empress sighed lightly and began recounting all that had happened recently—including matters involving the Skydream Iceworm. Since she had originally wanted to keep Skydream to herself, Snow Empress had never known about his existence.

It wasn't that Ice Empress didn't want to share, but rather because she had always liked Snow Empress. Unfortunately, Snow Empress had no such feelings for her. Ice Empress had hoped to dominate her one day after achieving a leap in cultivation.

While the two conversed, Huo Yuhao quietly reflected on their entrance. Though his cultivation was low, thanks to his dual-spirit fusion, his insight was far beyond that of ordinary soul masters.

From what he could tell, the black vortex that had brought them in was likely a form of spatial transmission. The power of space was something only rank-99 Title Douluo could begin to grasp among humans. At her peak, Snow Empress must have been terrifyingly powerful.

A million-year Iceworm, the path to godhood, and Ice Empress becoming a spirit ring—even the aloof Snow Empress couldn't remain calm after hearing it all.

"So you're saying… you were forced to become his spirit ring?" After a long pause, Snow Empress's pure, emotionless eyes turned toward Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao met her gaze without fear. He and Ice Empress were now on the same side. As long as Snow Empress wasn't a fool, she wouldn't do anything mutually destructive.

"Human, did you come here for me?" As expected, Snow Empress was restrained and didn't swat him like a fly.

"Senior, I do have something important to share with you, but this isn't the right place to say it. If I may be so bold… could I enter your sea of consciousness to explain in detail?" asked Huo Yuhao respectfully.

For beings as powerful as Snow Empress, their spiritual power was essentially divine in nature.

She instinctively wanted to reject him, but seeing Huo Yuhao's resolute expression and his unwavering gaze, the words caught in her throat. To her, this human was insignificant, but due to her connection with Ice Empress, she paused.

"There's no need for concern, Senior. This is just a mere sliver of my spirit," Huo Yuhao quickly added, seeing that she hadn't outright refused.

"Concerned? You're overthinking it. Since you insist, fine—enter. I'd like to see what kind of nonsense you've come up with," Snow Empress said casually, shooting him a dismissive glance.

Huo Yuhao nodded, hesitated briefly, then turned and said, "Ice Empress, come with me."

Without further words, his small figure transformed into a ball of white light and entered Snow Empress's forehead.

Inside was a world of white mist, dense and hazy. Nothing could be seen clearly. This was Snow Empress's sea of consciousness. Huo Yuhao looked around; his spiritual power seemed useless here. All he could feel was a profound sense of insignificance—his own insignificance.

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(End of Chapter)