"Who are you people?" The Snow Empress questioned coldly. Although the human who had ambushed and sealed her was now dead, her vigilance did not relax in the slightest.
The wooden altar that had once imprisoned her was now under the control of another human. Suspicion filled her heart—even whether the other party was truly human, she could not be sure.
"So, you're the Snow Empress? To end up in such a sorry state... It seems the one you chose wasn't so impressive after all. Why not take you back as my lab rat instead?"
A teasing glint flashed in Möbius' eyes as she mercilessly mocked the Snow Empress, then her gaze lazily shifted to Lu Jingming.
"You know, there aren't many suitable candidates, Snake." Lu Jingming sighed helplessly. He knew Möbius' style too well—always taunting future companions right from the start. Wasn't this just intensifying the conflict?
He could already sense the surging anger radiating from the Snow Empress.
"Whoever you are, you'd best just kill me now. Otherwise, I'll make you regret it!" The Snow Empress was supremely proud; how could she tolerate such humiliation?
Though she didn't know what lab rat meant, instinct told her it was nothing good.
Even in her dire straits, her unyielding aura remained as sharp as ever.
"Snow Empress, there's no need for this. We're not your enemies—on the contrary, we might become comrades who fight side by side." Lu Jingming did his best to make his tone gentle and sincere, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.
"Comrades? What a joke! Become comrades with humans? I'd rather self-destruct and die than do something so impossible!" The Snow Empress sneered, her laughter full of disdain and finality.
Even as a prisoner, she would never accept threats or compromise. If given the chance, she would choose self-destruction without hesitation.
"Snow Empress, aren't you curious why this human appeared at just the right moment—carrying a ninth-level soul tool perfect for sealing you?" Knowing her pride, Lu Jingming realized gentle persuasion wouldn't work. He had to try another angle.
"What do you mean by that?" The Snow Empress' brows knitted tightly, her heart suddenly alert.
She had always been puzzled by it: why had that human appeared at her weakest moment, armed with a tool that could seal her? Coincidence? She simply couldn't believe it—there were too many coincidences, there must be a hidden plot.
"You carry the fortune of the Extreme North. For countless years, everything went smoothly for you, with only the seventy-thousand-year heavenly tribulation as your concern. Even then, you found a way, obtaining the hundred-thousand-year snow lotus. With such fortune, yet you ended up in this crisis in the Extreme North—do you really think it's just chance?"
Lu Jingming guided her, trying to make her consider the conspiracy behind it all.
"Who exactly are you?" The Snow Empress' heart trembled—this human's knowledge of her was far beyond imagination.s might list her as one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, but in reality, their understanding was minimal.
But Lu Jingming not only knew she was blessed by the fortune of the Extreme North, but also knew the details of her cultivation, her heavenly tribulation, and more. This made her deeply uneasy. Compared to the mysterious figure plotting against her, these two were just as formidable.
"Let me introduce you. This is Möbius, Infinite Ouroboros and Master of the Demon King Alliance." Lu Jingming's lips curled up with a respectful smile as he introduced her.
"And I am her subordinate, the Sixth Throne of the World Serpent: the King of Tranquility, blessed with the divine robe, bearer of death's wine, and bringer of sweet dreams."
The Snow Empress said nothing, only staring suspiciously at Lu Jingming.
She had clearly heard him call the green-haired girl "Snake," hardly how a subordinate would address a superior. Did they take her for a fool?
"Fine—subordinate isn't quite right. You could say companion. Once you join the World Serpent, we'll all be equals—no absolute hierarchy." Seeing his trick had failed, Lu Jingming shook his head helplessly and smiled nonchalantly.
"I won't join you." The Snow Empress' tone was icy, her refusal absolute.
"You've already failed your transformation, your origin is damaged, and you're about to face your seventh tribulation. Death is almost certain. If you join us, we can help you." Lu Jingming continued to persuade her patiently.
"So what? Even if I die, I will never submit to anyone, especially not you humans." Her resolve was unshakable; she would rather die than yield.
"Is that so? You really aren't afraid of death. But… don't you want to know where the Ice Empress is?" Lu Jingming played his trump card, his tone slightly mocking.
This hit the Snow Empress' sore spot—he knew all too well how much the Ice Empress meant to her.
"Ice? What have you done to her?" The Snow Empress' expression changed dramatically; she could no longer maintain her composure.
The Ice Empress was one of the few she cared about in the Extreme North. Death could not move her, but the Ice Empress' fate could shake her heart of ice. "Don't misunderstand—we haven't even seen the Ice Empress, much less harmed her," Lu Jingming quickly explained.
"So where is she now?" A strong sense of foreboding surged in the Snow Empress' heart.
She had long suspected something was wrong when she couldn't find the Ice Empress. The Ice Empress never left the Extreme North lightly, and always kept in touch. She had planned to look for her after her transformation, but now she received this news.
"She's already become a human's soul ring, and her soul bone has been refined, too." Lu Jingming told the truth, omitting only a few details.
"Impossible! With Ice's cultivation, who in the Extreme North could kill her?" The Snow Empress was shocked, unable to believe it.
In her eyes, with the Ice Empress' strength and the advantage of the Extreme North, not even a human Ultimate Douluo could kill her, let alone absorb her soul ring and soul bone without her noticing.
"Heh, you're even stronger, yet didn't you get trapped here by a human?" Lu Jingming's words had a slight edge, but they were also the truth.
"You…" The Snow Empress was momentarily speechless.
It was true—even she, in her own territory, had been forced into a desperate situation by a weak human Title Douluo. If not for Lu Jingming and Möbius' timely intervention, her fate would have been tragic.
"So, Snow Empress, don't you want to know who plotted against you, and who took the Ice Empress' soul ring and bone?" Lu Jingming pressed his advantage.
"Fine, I'll join you! But you must help me avenge myself and Ice." After a long silence, the Snow Empress finally lowered her proud head.
She wasn't afraid of death, but she refused to die without knowing the truth. She wanted vengeance for the Ice Empress.
She knew clearly: to be plotted against so thoroughly by someone unnoticed, their strength must far exceed hers.
Lu Jingming and Möbius knew so many secrets; this so-called Demon King Alliance must have the means to fight back. Maybe, just maybe, they could help her avenge her hatred.
"Very good—welcome to the World Serpent." Lu Jingming smiled in relief. At last, he had recruited the tough Snow Empress.
"Now, can you tell me who plotted against me, and who killed Ice?" The Snow Empress pressed for the truth.
"The one who set you up is a god from the Divine Realm. As for the Ice Empress—I never said she was dead." Lu Jingming's expression was calm, with no intent to deceive.
"You lied to me?" The Snow Empress' tone grew even colder, a flash of anger in her eyes.
"No, I didn't. The Ice Empress' soul ring and bone were indeed absorbed by a human, but her soul still remains with that human and hasn't perished." Lu Jingming quickly explained.
"Why would a god from the Divine Realm scheme against me? And who is that human?" Her questions only multiplied, and she grew more anxious for answers.
"It's because of your fortune. You probably don't know yet—fortune can help a god cultivate and break through to higher realms.
"As for that human, you'll meet him yourself in the future."
"Alright, I'll trust you this time."
In the end, the Snow Empress chose to believe Lu Jingming.
With her current situation, if he'd meant her harm, he would have attacked directly, not bothered to deceive her.
"Snake." Lu Jingming looked at Möbius, who was now idly fiddling with the sealing altar, seemingly uninterested in their conversation.
"So it's settled. Honestly, if you let me train this little snow girl for a few days, I guarantee she'd be docile." Möbius flashed a crazed, sickly smile, green lightning crackling in her hand as she instantly reduced the golden platform to ash.