319. I Can Help You

As Qian Renjue looked at Snow Empress with slightly embarrassed expression.

Snow Empress, with her ethereal and unmatched beauty, gave a faint and almost imperceptible smile.

Her pale lips, unlike those of humans, lacked blood color, and the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

In her pure, ethereal eyes, ripples of joy finally stirred after a long absence.

For countless years, she had grown accustomed to her companions and adopted children.

There was barely any emotional fluctuation when she interacted with them.

This blond human personality, however, seemed even more amusing than the silver-haired one and even more interesting than Bing’er and the others.

Having honed the "Eye of Insight," Qian Renjue’s keen gaze could capture even the smallest shifts in Snow Empress' expression.

Reflecting on his previous comments about her ice sculpture, he suddenly realized she was indeed upset and was now retaliating.

Understanding this, Qian Renjue smiled even wider.

Looking at Snow Empress, his gaze was filled with amusement over her minor temper.

Noticing his smile, the faint curve on Snow Empress's lips quickly disappeared. A hint of confusion rippled in her clear, beautiful eyes.

"Human, aren't you angry?"

Snow Empress' voice was wrapped in a chill and carried a faint scent of snow lotus, refreshing and invigorating.

Qian Renjue, sitting cross-legged on the ground, gently shook his head, smiling. "It was my fault earlier. I'm sorry."

Snow Empress was momentarily stunned. This was the second time this human apologized to her.

The first was when they had first met, and he had even called her "evil."

Snow Empress' dormant thoughts slowly began to stir again, her initial sense of triumph fading.

Gazing softly at Qian Renjue, her shimmering pink lips parted slightly, and she murmured, "I'm sorry."

"Hm?" Qian Renjue leaned in, a bit confused but quickly understanding. Snow Empress was merely imitating him.

He smiled again, realizing that without the Ice Emperor Scorpion, communication with her was indeed much easier.

Following his example, Snow Empress leaned closer, her face as cold and detached as ever. "Why are you smiling?"

"Uh…" Qian Renjue’s smile froze momentarily before becoming smooth again. "It's a way of showing friendliness."

"Friendliness?" Snow Empress studied him.

"Yes, I mean no harm. I’d like to have a proper talk."

With that, Qian Renjue extended the six-winged fallen angel carving he had been working on to Snow Empress. "This is for you."

After a moment of hesitation, Snow Empress took the ice sculpture, replying calmly, "Okay."

Looking back at him, she asked, "What do you want to say?"

"Let me introduce myself first," Qian Renjue said, unaffected by the cold around him, his voice strong. "I'm Qian Renjue from Spirit Hall. My spirit is the six-winged fallen angel, and I'm currently a seventy-fifth-level Soul Saint."

"Qian Renjue," she whispered, studying his outstretched hand before slowly extending her own.

"I'm Snow Empress, born of nature itself. I'm a 690.000-year-old fierce beast."

Qian Renjue grasped her delicate, cold hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before releasing it, moving directly to the main topic.

"As a 690.000-year-old beast, do you have the confidence to survive your seventh tribulation?"

"…"

At the mention of the tribulation, Snow Empress's elegant brows furrowed, and she shook her head. "I don’t know."

From her expression, Qian Renjue already understood her answer.

"Do you think you have a better chance of surviving or… of dying?"

A solemn look crossed Snow Empress's face.

Pressing her pale lips together, she replied quietly after a long pause, "I may very well die."

Her face still troubled, Snow Empress's long-forgotten anxieties resurfaced at Qian Renjue's words, bringing a sense of unease.

Confronting mortality, even with her cold nature, she felt a trace of fear.

The air grew colder as she looked up, her voice laced with ice. "Human, what are you trying to say?"

"I can help you," Qian Renjue promised confidently.

"Help me?" A flash of doubt appeared in Snow Empress's eyes.

Though naïve about the world, she understood the enmity between humans and spirit beasts, something Qian Renjue’s spirit rings testified to.

Why would this human offer to help?

"Yes, I have a way for you to avoid the seventh tribulation and even ascend to the Divine Realm," Qian Renjue affirmed solemnly.

"Ascend to the Divine Realm?!" Snow Empress's suspicion deepened.

She was aware of the Divine Realm’s existence, but how could this mere Soul Saint claim he could help her reach it?

"How?"

"All you have to do is offer yourself as my eighth spirit ring," he replied calmly.

At his words, a frigid storm erupted in the cave, swirling violently around him.

Snow Empress, though slow to understand human ways, wasn’t a fool.

Sacrificing herself would mean death!

Staring at Qian Renjue, cold breath escaping her lips, she sneered, "Bing’er was right—humans are indeed despicable!"

Qian Renjue’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately entered his spirit form.

Black wings unfolded, his golden hair turned silver, and his Evil God Hook shimmered ominously, as a dark fallen angel’s aura enveloped him.

At that moment, Snow Empress unleashed an overwhelming cold, freezing everything around Qian Renjue as the icy pressure made even the space around them appear frozen.

With crimson eyes narrowing, he activated the [Evil God’s Heart] between his brows.

In an instant, Qian Renjue’s body shifted through space, reappearing behind Snow Empress as the front of the cave froze solid, creating an entire mountain of ice within the palace.

Qian Renjue looked on in awe. Without even moving, she wielded such immense power.

The [Divine Oracle’s Reverse Mark] on his forehead glowed darkly, firing a jet-black beam.

"Human!" Snow Empress, though curious about Qian Renjue, was merciless toward an enemy.

With her combat instincts reignited, she turned, her ice-blue eyes filled with lethal intent.

Suddenly, the cave’s remaining space filled with ice, and Qian Renjue, encased within the transparent mountain, sat motionless until the icy barrier around him shattered into fragments.