421. She's Not Dead

"Bing'er~"

The Snow Empress hesitated, staring at the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion lying motionless on the ground.

Its lifeless appearance stirred unease in her heart.

"Mother, what’s going on?"

The Ice Bear King, Xiao Bai, looked perplexed, unsure of what to make of the situation.

A faint sense of grief arose in his heart but quickly disappeared without a trace.

Boom!

The next moment, A Tai, who had just been knocked away, emerged from a pile of shattered ice and strode back, shaking his head.

He looked at the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion now lying in the clearing, his large, bronze eyes filled with confusion.

Why was the Ice Emperor back again?

Atai glanced at the Snow Empress, then at Xiao Bai, and slowly approached the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. He tapped its shell lightly with the back of his hand.

Clang, clang.
After knocking twice and seeing no reaction, his confusion deepened.

Qian Renjue looked at the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion and the audacious Atai with an odd expression.

"Uh... Is the Ice Emperor dead or not?"

Atai raised a finger, pointing at the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion lying on the ground, but his gaze turned to the Snow Empress and the others.

The Snow Empress frowned, about to raise her hand to teach him a lesson, when a cry of pain rang out nearby.

"Ah—!"

Under Qian Renjue’s watchful gaze, A Tai, who had just returned, was once again sent flying.

However, this time, it wasn’t the Snow Empress who struck him but the scorpion lying on the ground.

The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion had risen, waving its massive pincers as it angrily bellowed:
"Are you that eager for me to die?! Hmph!"

"Bing'er!"

The Snow Empress let out a delighted cry, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Seeing the Ice Emperor brimming with life again, she paid no attention to the airborne Atai and immediately ran forward to embrace the scorpion’s head.

"Aunt Bing'er isn’t dead?!"

Xiao Bai was dumbfounded, glancing uncertainly at the soul ring beneath Qian Renjue’s feet.

If the Ice Emperor wasn’t dead, then who had just sacrificed themselves?

Crunch!

Ah Tai poked his head out from the pile of shattered ice, looking equally bewildered.

Finally, he understood why the Ice Emperor had chosen to sacrifice herself.

"Bing'er, how are you feeling?"

The Snow Empress gently caressed the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion’s exoskeleton, her face full of concern.

"Elder Sister, I’m fine—just a bit weaker."

The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion shook her head.

Her hexagonal yellow eyes reflected the Snow Empress’s beautiful face and Qian Renjue standing beside her, revealing no clear emotion.

"Weaker?"

The Snow Empress’s icy blue eyes carried a trace of inquiry.

Indeed, her aura had grown much fainter, almost falling below the threshold of a 300,000-year-old soul beast.

"She has already produced a soul ring and a soul bone," Qian Renjue reminded her.

When he accepted the sacrifice earlier, he had sensed that the process wasn’t fully completed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t merely be an eighty-fourth-level Soul Douluo now.

Still, this wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

Given the Ice Emperor’s personality, she’d likely make an excellent combat partner.

"I see!"

A flash of wisdom crossed the Snow Empress’s eyes.

She turned to Qian Renjue, her previously cold expression softening.

"Thank you, Qian Renjue."

"Ha, you’re welcome," Qian Renjue replied with a dry laugh, pulling the corners of his mouth into a forced smile.

Truth be told, he felt a bit helpless about the unexpected change in the sacrificial subject.

His gaze toward the Snow Empress now carried a touch of concern.



Thinking about the divine core, Qian Renjue felt reassured again.

With him here, the Snow Empress would never be destroyed by the thunder tribulation!

“...”

The Snow Empress froze slightly.

She noticed the concern in Qian Renjue’s eyes, and her clear, beautiful gaze brightened. The heart that had been frozen in the Extreme North softened.

Pressing her red lips together, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

“Hmph!”

The Ice Emperor snorted coldly, displeased by the mutual affection in the air between the two.

Looking down at her massive pincers, she still felt a sense of amazement.
She hadn’t expected to survive after the sacrifice!

“Uh… Snow Empress, could you maybe remove this chain?”

Qian Renjue chuckled awkwardly, pointing at the chain around his neck.

“Oh! I-I’ll help you with that right away.”

The Snow Empress snapped out of her thoughts, quickly leaving the Ice Emperor to approach Qian Renjue.

Standing in front of him, she tilted her head upward and stretched out her hand.
Qian Renjue lowered his gaze to her jade-like face, and memories of their first meeting surfaced in his mind.

In that cave, amidst two towering snowy peaks, the Snow Empress had pressed her red lips together, her purple gaze seeming to burn with intensity.

It was so overwhelming he had almost avoided her gaze.

Buzz!
A greenish-blue light, mixed with icy blue hues, emanated from the Ice Emperor.

A petite figure with twin green pigtails appeared—a green-haired girl standing delicately amidst the snowstorm.

She glanced at Qian Renjue.

“Ice Emperor Aunt! It’s so great that you’re still alive!”

The round and chubby Ice Bear King Xiao Bai rolled over to the Ice Emperor, congratulating her joyfully.

“Hmph! Spare me the act.”

The Ice Emperor glared at Xiao Bai disdainfully.

“Such pretense. You didn’t even shed a single tear just now.”

“Hehe!”

Xiao Bai grinned sheepishly, a flattering smile on his face.

“Ice Emperor Aunt, don’t blame me unfairly.”

“Mother and I hadn’t even had time to cry yet before you came back to life.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Mother.”

The Ice Emperor twitched at the corner of her mouth, her expression odd as she looked at Xiao Bai.

When did this bear become so shameless?

But deep down, she knew Xiaobai wasn’t entirely without grief.

In a cold voice, she snapped, “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out!”

“Alrighty!”

Xiao Bai’s chubby face jiggled as he shamelessly pointed at the snacks nearby.

“Ice Emperor Aunt, do you still want these snacks?”

“...”

The Ice Emperor was momentarily stunned before clenching her teeth.

She resisted the urge to smash Xiao Bai’s head, took a deep breath, and said coldly,

“If you want them, take them. I won’t miss such trivial things in the future.”

“Haha! That’s awesome!”

Xiao Bai raised his pudgy arms in celebration.

Suddenly, his fat trembled.

Feeling the chilling aura emanating from the Ice Emperor, he quickly added cheerfully,

“It’s so wonderful that Ice Emperor Aunt is alive~ Hehe!”

“...”

The Ice Emperor’s face turned frosty.

She kicked Xiao Bai’s chubby body and pointed into the distance, furious.

“Get lost! Roll as far away as possible!”

“Got it!”

Xiao Bai cheerfully rolled toward the snacks like a ball.

“Ice Emperor Sis, let’s catch some snowball beasts together next time!”

“Hmph! There won’t be much time for games in the future.”

The Ice Emperor snorted coldly and was about to look toward Qian Renjue and the Snow Empress when she sensed a shadow looming over her.

Swoosh—

Annoyed, the Ice Emperor inhaled sharply and glanced up, freezing in place.

Her face showed a hint of disgust.

“Atai! Don’t think I’ve gone weak and can’t deal with you!”

“If you keep staring at me, I’ll twist your head off!”

“Cough, cough.”

Ah Tai coughed awkwardly, his towering three-meter figure standing beside the Ice Emperor. His face had a goofy expression as he glanced toward Xiao Bai, rubbing his hands.

With a sheepish grin, he asked, “Uh… Ice Emperor, can I get some of those snacks too?”

“You all…”

The Ice Emperor gritted her teeth in frustration.

Her life as a scorpion was worth less than a pile of snacks?!

“Get lost, all of you!”

“Ice Emperor, can I still eat them—”

“Eat your stupid snacks!”

“...”