Chapter 169: The Snow Empress Escapes from Spirit City
Qian Xunji soon dispatched people to investigate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's various industries, determined to squeeze a large sum out of them this time. Afterward, he headed to a lavishly appointed room. Within, a figure of near-flawless beauty sat cross-legged on the ground, cultivating. Draped in snowy-white hair cascading behind her—some even trailing onto the floor—she was absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Yet oddly, there wasn't the slightest fluctuation of soul power within her.
That person was, of course, the Snow Empress, whom Qian Xunji had brought to Spirit Hall as a "guest." She still wore a simple white one-piece gown with refined, elegant patterns. Just as Ah Yin loved the color blue after spending so many years in the Blue Silver Forest, the Snow Empress, having dwelled in the Extreme North, naturally preferred white.
The moment she sensed Qian Xunji's arrival, the Snow Empress promptly stood, regarding him warily and with disgust.
Qian Xunji clasped his hands behind his back. "You've stayed in my Spirit Hall for so many days. I've treated you with the highest courtesy, not restricting you in anything, and I haven't asked you to pay a thing. Couldn't you at least try for a better attitude?"
The Snow Empress answered coldly, "Who wants your hospitality? Kill me or chop me up if you like!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
A terrifying soul power surged from Qian Xunji, no less powerful than Qian Daoliu's—because he had completed the last two of the Angel's Eight Trials, becoming a Guardian of the God Ancestor, one of the Angel God's worshippers. The soul power swept out, directed solely at the Snow Empress and leaving the room's furnishings unharmed. Her long hair, trailing all the way to her feet, was whipped upward, and a flash of golden light shot forth. The Snow Empress's hair was sliced evenly at the level of her hips.
Originally reaching her ankles, it now draped neatly over her shapely rear. The severed locks fell to the floor and quickly reverted to their true form—several clumps of frost jade marrow, pure ice-element energy that instantly lowered the room's temperature. If an ice-attribute soul beast absorbed it all, it could likely rise from zero to ten-thousand-year cultivation.
Qian Xunji's hand moved in a pulling motion, gathering up the scattered ice-element lumps and pocketing them.
"You—!"
The Snow Empress was beside herself with rage, fixing Qian Xunji with a furious glare. Though she was a soul beast, she had cultivated for countless years. She cherished her hair deeply, and having it cut was a grievous humiliation.
Qian Xunji put away the frost jade marrow and walked slowly toward the Snow Empress. Step by step, as if merely strolling, he released an unseen pressure that made her unconsciously back away. The fury on her face gave way to dread.
Though she could mouth off when death wasn't imminent, true danger now bared its fangs. Fear leaked through her every expression.
Before long, the Snow Empress found her back against the wall. Qian Xunji halted half a foot from her, looking down as if towering over her. If she moved even slightly forward, her firm chest would collide with him.
"You don't have much time, Snow Empress. These days, Ah Yin has often whispered in my ear, asking me not to kill you. But my terms remain the same: become Spirit Hall's partner. Tell me how to form that solid crystal core in your body. Behave yourself, and I'll treat you like a human. You'll be free to wander the human world, just as you strolled around Spirit City with Ah Yin earlier."
"But if you continue opposing me at every turn, constantly plotting to recover your strength and take revenge, I'm sorry—I'll see you as a soul beast in human form. Your hair, your flesh… everything shaped by pure ice-element energy will be peeled away piece by piece for cultivation resources, like cooking up soul beast meat for slow consumption."
Qian Xunji leaned close to the Snow Empress's ear and spoke calmly. She couldn't stop trembling, her ice-blue eyes shrinking to pinpoints, her exquisite face aghast with terror.
With that, he folded his hands behind him once more and left the room. It took the Snow Empress a long while to recover from her fright, her face filling once again with resentment.
Just wait, Qian Xunji. Don't think the Snow Empress will let you handle her so easily. In these past few days, I've already found a way to escape Spirit City. Once I return to the Extreme North and dissolve the Angel God power, regaining my peak, I'll never step out of the Extreme North again!
Recently, her outings with Ah Yin around Spirit City were not a show of submission. She'd been quietly observing the guards at Spirit City's gates. Though her cultivation was sealed and she might at best fight on par with a Soul Elder, her spiritual power was still that of a Limit Douluo, scanning everything within a range of several thousand meters. She refused to believe that a Limit Douluo would shadow her nonstop.
Two days later, late at night, the sky was dark, only a few stars visible. Clouds obscured the moon, and aside from scattered glowing stones of various hues, the darkness outside Spirit City was near absolute.
Seated cross-legged, the Snow Empress slowly opened her eyes, spreading her spiritual sense over Spirit Hall. Qian Xunji wasn't in the conference chamber; scanning further, she glimpsed certain rooms or small groves where pairs of naked figures were entwined. Her cheeks reddened; inwardly, she cursed them as lewd.
Searching through all of Spirit Hall, she failed to locate Qian Xunji anywhere but one specific room. Likely he was resting with Ah Yin, or busy with something else equally indecent. She sprang to her feet, face lighting up with anticipation. This was a rare, golden chance to escape.
Rather than climbing the several hundred steps from the Pope's Mount, which would attract attention, she took a small, inconspicuous path through a dark forest behind the mount.
Rip, rip!
Her dress tore here and there as it snagged on branches in the little forest. But the Snow Empress ignored it. All that mattered was fleeing Spirit City and this demon called Qian Xunji.
As she dashed through the forest, she couldn't help being grateful Qian Xunji had cut her hair. Had it still hung to her feet, it would have been even more of a nuisance among the brush.
Once down from the Pope's Mount, the hem of her white gown was ripped in several places, and filth stained her body in many spots. She looked like a celestial maiden who'd fallen to the dusty mortal world.
After half an hour of evading patrols, she finally reached a small alley near Spirit City's gates. She waited for the right moment to slip away. In truth, if she'd gone openly down the main street, no one would have dared stop her. Everyone in Spirit City knew the Snow Empress was traveling with the Pope's entourage and had gained a reputation as the city's top beauty. But not knowing that, she remained hidden, waiting.
At last, after two hours' wait—when one guard went off to relieve himself and another dozed—she seized the moment, skirting the walls and sneaking out.
Once clear of Spirit City, she felt as though a heavy mountain had lifted from her shoulders. She lengthened her stride and bolted northward, adrenaline fueling her speed, faster with every step.
She had made it out! She had escaped Spirit Hall at last, free of Qian Xunji's clutches!
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