372. Surprise Attack

"Oh?"

Qian Renjue’s eyes held a trace of surprise as he watched Snow Empress step lightly forward in her new shoes, her graceful steps full of ease. Her icy face tilted up, radiant as ever.

She gently rubbed her delicate right wrist with her left hand, and a pure white snow lotus emitting a faint exotic fragrance appeared in her palm.

"Don’t humans need to eat?"

"This is a ten-thousand-year snow lotus I picked just for you. Want to try it?"

Snow Empress's beautiful eyes sparkled as she gazed at Qian Renjue, her usual cold demeanor softened by a warmth never seen before.

"Sure."

Qian Renjue smiled, nodding. He was just about to reach for the snow lotus when Snow Empress plucked off a petal and brought it to his lips.

"Well? Eat," she urged softly, noticing his hesitation.

"Thank you."

Qian Renjue chuckled, opened his mouth slightly, and bit into the snow lotus petal. As soon as it touched his lips, a cooling sensation spread through his body.

"..."

Snow Empress's pale finger gently pushed the petal further into his mouth, brushing against his warm, soft lips. Her heart skipped a beat, and a slight change appeared in her expression.

With just a taste, Qian Renjue’s purple eyes lit up. A surge of soul power flowed within him, equivalent to the results of half a day’s cultivation.

Watching him closely, Snow Empress plucked another petal and asked, "Does it taste good?"

"It’s excellent," Qian Renjue replied earnestly.

As expected of a ten-thousand-year snow lotus. If only he could take some back—it would be great for drying and brewing tea for Bibi Dong and Hu Liena, or even aiding cultivation.

Snow Empress continued to feed him, and before long, the snow lotus was gone.

Qian Renjue savored its lingering fragrance, feeling refreshed and energized, though he wore a look of longing for more.

Snow Empress tilted her head, the coldness in her brows and eyes fading as she noticed how much he enjoyed it. A faint joy welled up in her heart.

Her lips curved into a subtle smile. She cupped her hands together, and from the soul guide on her wrist, a clear, azure stream of icy water pooled in her flawless palms.

"Have some water," she said playfully, bringing her delicate hand toward his lips.

Caught off guard, Qian Renjue found the icy water already at his mouth. He parted his lips slightly, allowing the chill of the liquid to flow through him.

As he drank, a thought suddenly struck him. Grasping Snow Empress's wrist, he asked curiously, "Where did this water come from?"

Snow Empress's hands turned a faint shade of red as she tilted her head innocently and replied, "From my cave."

"Where?!"

Qian Renjue’s purple eyes widened, and his voice rose in alarm.

"It’s from the spring I soak in," Snow Empress began to explain, but before she could finish, Qian Renjue exclaimed in shock:

"Your bathwater?!"

"You want to drink it?"

Snow Empress looked at Qian Renjue, puzzled, her icy face faintly flushed.

"If you do, I can collect some for you next time. It’s very clean," she added sincerely.

"Ugh—cough, cough!"

Qian Renjue choked violently, realizing he had misunderstood her entirely. He waved his hands hurriedly in explanation.

"No, no! That’s not what I meant."

Snow Empress frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure rising in her heart, as if she had been rejected. However, she didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings.

"This is from the purest source," she explained softly, still holding the cold liquid in her hands.

"S-Sorry! Let me drink some more," Qian Renjue stammered, his face tinged with embarrassment as he bent forward slightly.

Silently, Snow Empress brought her hands to his lips once again.

In the swirling snow, the golden and white figures stood quietly together, serene and unbothered by the world around them.



It rose behind a massive block of ice, scaling its surface before transforming into a petite, vibrant green figure—a youthful girl with emerald hair and sharp eyes.

From her elevated vantage point, her emerald gaze fell upon the scene below. Instantly enraged, she unleashed a flurry of snow and icy winds, chilling the air further.

Snow Empress paused her feeding, momentarily stunned.

Qian Renjue raised his head just as a green light shot toward him from above.

His peripheral vision caught it, and his purple eyes darkened with a bloody hue.

Dark, sinister energy surged around him as six black wings unfurled from his back. Beneath his feet, seven soul rings—black, purple, black, black, black, and red—rotated ominously.

"Human! You dare show your face again?!"

A sharp voice echoed across the frozen plains.

"I knew it was you—this despicable creature stirring trouble between me and my sister!"

A streak of green tore through the storm as the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, sporting dark green twin ponytails, launched herself from above. She aimed a forceful kick at the side of Qian Renjue’s face.

"Ice!"

Snow Empress cried out in alarm, raising her hand to create a protective ice barrier around Qian Renjue.

Crack!

The barrier shattered instantly.

Qian Renjue’s gaze turned icy as the petite figure’s foot closed in. A purple-black mark flashed at the center of his brow, and his form vanished from sight.

Boom!

Though in human form, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, as a 400,000-year soul beast, still possessed immense power. The ground beneath Snow Empress began to split, sending snow flying into the air. The Ice Jade Emperor’s small figure crashed deep into the icy terrain.

In a flash, Qian Renjue reappeared in the sky. His blood-red eyes glinted with white light as he looked down at the shattered ice below. He hadn’t expected to encounter the meddling Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor again.

"Bing'er, stop this madness!"

Crack!

At Snow Empress's call, a translucent dome of ice formed around the Ice Jade Emperor.

However, the Ice Jade Emperor ignored it entirely and shot toward Qian Renjue once more, her small fists carrying tremendous force aimed at his face.

"Despicable human! How dare you deceive my sister? Die!"

To the Ice Emperor, Snow Empress's willingness to defend Qian Renjue so fiercely could only mean she had fallen for the lies and flattery of this human.

And to think he had even dared to expose the lies she had told her sister—unforgivable!

"Qian Renjue!"

Snow Empress raised her hand, about to intervene.

But just then, the mark at Qian Renjue’s brow shone again, and the Ice Jade Emperor’s body froze mid-air, immobilized.

"What’s happening?!"

The Ice Jade Emperor was shocked.

She looked up, only to see the sole of Qian Renjue’s boot descending rapidly toward her.

"Human! You dare—"

The Ice Jade Emperor broke free from the spatial restraint, but it was too late to dodge.

Bam!

Qian Renjue retaliated in kind, his kick landing squarely on the petite Ice Jade Emperor’s face.

"Ah!"

A cry of pain escaped her lips as her small figure shot downward like a cannonball.

Boom!

The massive ice block Qian Renjue had brought for sculpting with Snow Empress shattered upon impact, burying the Ice Jade Emperor beneath the debris.

"Bing'er!"

Snow Empress dissolved her protective snowstorm, looking worriedly at the icy rubble before her.

Qian Renjue, however, remained calm as he gazed down. The Ice Jade Emperor’s enraged roar soon echoed as her true scorpion form emerged from the debris.

"This place isn’t safe anymore," Qian Renjue muttered to himself.

Behind him, a tail extended as he glanced at Snow Empress and spoke coldly:

"Snow Empress, I’m already at level seventy-eight. You don’t have much time left."

"Damned human, die!"

The Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor roared, unleashing a green beam that tore through the ruins and pierced the heavens.

The entire icy plain seemed drawn to the beam, snow swirling endlessly in its wake.

Snow Empress looked at the now-empty sky, her delicate brows furrowing.

"Such bad manners," she muttered softly.

She glanced at the Ice Jade Emperor in frustration, blaming her reckless behavior for bringing this troublesome human back into her life.