After leaving the Ice Jade Scorpion's cave, Dugu Yan looked at Ning Rongrong with a darkened expression and teased, "Why are we running so fast? It feels like we stole something and got caught. It's just a barely 10,000-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion. You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Hit and run—that's what makes it thrilling, isn't it?" Ning Rongrong grinned cheekily.
"I can't figure out what's going on in that head of yours," Dugu Yan said. As expected, Ning Rongrong could be quite erratic at times. She glanced around. Endless snow stretched in every direction, a boundless white.
"We're not lost, are we?"
"No way," Ning Rongrong replied. "We're near the Snow Empress's palace. I plan to visit her. If we can convince the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress won't be an issue."
The Ice Empress was like a volatile ice-and-fire powder keg, not fully mature, while the Snow Empress was beautiful and reasonable. Naturally, they'd approach the Snow Empress first. Given her relationship with the Ice Empress—where the Ice Empress's one-sided affection often went ignored—securing the Snow Empress's approval would make handling the Ice Empress a breeze.
…
Upon arriving at the Snow Empress's palace, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended from the grand, translucent hall. Ning Rongrong's expression shifted. The Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda materialized in her palm, while her right hand gripped a divine weapon transformed from the Killing God Sword. Infusing it with zhenqi, she unleashed a brilliant burst of sword light.
Swish!
The zhenqi surged like a tidal wave, tearing the incoming pressure in half.
"Hm?" The Snow Empress, sensing an abrupt presence, had instinctively released her pressure, only to have it countered. When she saw who it was, a trace of confusion crossed her face. "It's you two?"
"Long time no see, Snow Empress," Ning Rongrong greeted her cheerfully. Dugu Yan stood beside her, visibly tense. Unlike Ning Rongrong's carefree attitude, she wasn't so nonchalant. A 690,000-year-old soul beast, at the Limit Douluo half-god level—no one could stay relaxed facing that, especially a soul beast.
"What are you here for this time?" the Snow Empress asked, a hint of resentment in her tone. "It's because of the forbidden knowledge you brought that the Ice Empress has been acting strange these past few years, her mind filled with who-knows-what."
"Forbidden knowledge?" Ning Rongrong blinked, utterly confused.
What was with the Snow Empress's fiery resentment, tinged with a trace of hatred?
"You're still pretending? That book the Ice Empress has—wasn't it from you?" the Snow Empress snapped, glaring at Ning Rongrong. "She's been neglecting her cultivation, constantly running to me."
"Uh… I see," Ning Rongrong faltered.
Could it be the Ice Empress succeeded? No way. The Ice Empress and Snow Empress were separated by hundreds of thousands of years in cultivation—equivalent to a two- or three-level gap in human soul master terms. How could the Snow Empress have been won over? Was she that easy?
"Listen, let me expl—er, I mean, let me clarify," Ning Rongrong said, meeting the Snow Empress's murderous gaze. "The book I gave the Ice Empress is common in the human world, often circulated among nobles and occasionally collected by my father. That's all there is to it."
Ning Rongrong put on an innocent expression, but the Snow Empress gritted her teeth in frustration. "Do you know the Ice Empress is close to her 400,000-year tribulation? Her last one was already tough, and she's still injured. Instead of focusing on cultivation, she's obsessed with these pointless things. If something happens to her, are you going to make up for it?"
Ning Rongrong: "…"
What was wrong with the Snow Empress? Last time, she was a refined, literary maiden. Now she was like a raging dragon. The Ice Empress was facing her 400,000-year tribulation, but the Snow Empress had her own 700,000-year tribulation to worry about!
Well… thinking about it, Ning Rongrong might have caused a bigger mess than she realized. From another angle, though, this could be a win—helping humans eliminate two soul beasts with hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation. Quite the achievement, no?
Ning Rongrong shook her head, clearing out the jumbled thoughts. "Snow Empress, don't be so angry. Besides, you and the Ice Empress still have ten thousand years before your tribulations, right? For humans, that's a long time."
The Snow Empress's forehead twitched with a visible "#" mark. "The Ice Empress and I are soul beasts," she huffed, unwilling to argue further. With a snort, she said, "Fine, tell me. What do you want with us this time? I'll be blunt—the seal on that Black Phoenix below has weakened. Because of it, the Far North's climate has grown harsher. The canyon area nearby is now a forbidden zone for humans and most weaker soul beasts."
"Don't worry," Ning Rongrong said. She had sensed the sealed Black Phoenix's location upon arriving. There wasn't much time, but it should hold for another eight to ten years without issue. In a decade, Ning Rongrong would likely have broken through to the Four Realms of Perfection or even become a god. "You just need to keep that in mind," she added.
The Snow Empress's gaze lingered on the weapon in Ning Rongrong's hand for a moment before she looked away. "Here we go again," she sighed helplessly.
Suddenly, a loud boom echoed. The skylight of the Snow Empress's palace was smashed open, and the Ice Empress leapt down.
"Snow Empress, did you miss me?" the Ice Empress said, her twin tails swaying as she landed in front of the Snow Empress.
"No, I didn't. Don't want to. Don't bother me," the Snow Empress replied with a triple-dose of rejection.
"Come on, we're such close, close friends! How can you reject me so many times?" The Ice Empress dramatically wiped her eyes. "Wah, I'm so pitiful!"
"Be serious. We have guests," the Snow Empress said, black lines forming on her forehead. The Ice Empress was getting more shameless by the day.
"Hm?" Prompted by the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress turned and noticed the others. "It's you!"
"Yep, we meet again, Ice Empress," Ning Rongrong said, eyeing the livelier-than-last-time Ice Empress with a slight smile. "We're here to talk business with you."
"Business with me?" The Ice Empress dropped her playful demeanor, sizing up Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan. "What is it? Let's be clear—I'm not guaranteeing I'll help. And don't even mention anything about me or the Snow Empress sacrificing ourselves."
The thought of Ning Rongrong potentially trying to trick her into a sacrifice made the Ice Empress want to nip that idea in the bud.
"No way, I respect the soul beasts' principle of free will," Ning Rongrong said, clearing her throat. "Dugu Yan and I are here to borrow your clan's help."
"Borrow my clan?" The Ice Empress's brows furrowed. "Don't tell me you're after soul rings."
"Absolutely not! You can turn a blind eye to our business, but my clan is off-limits. That's a matter of principle."
"Not soul rings," Ning Rongrong clarified. "We're hoping your clan can provide us with enough venom."
"Venom?" The Ice Empress blinked, instinctively glancing at the Snow Empress, who looked equally puzzled.
"Well, Dugu Yan's constitution is a bit special…" Ning Rongrong explained the Misfortune Poison Body's cultivation and its connection to toxins. There was no need to hide it.
"There's such a peculiar constitution among humans?" the Snow Empress said, astonished. "That kind of ability should only exist among soul beasts!"
"That's how it is," Ning Rongrong said, spreading her hands. "Since we couldn't find a suitable soul beast group in the Star Dou Great Forest, I thought of your Ice Jade Scorpion clan, which seems adept with toxins. So, we came to check it out."
The Ice Empress fell silent for a long moment. Seeing no objection from the Snow Empress, she nodded solemnly. "Fine, but during the cultivation, the Snow Empress and I will watch. We're quite curious about this Misfortune Poison Body of yours."