After returning once again to the world that was blanketed in endless snow, the reveal faint smiles. Their expressions relaxed noticeably.
The Extreme North was the place where they were born, and it was also their eternal home. Here, they felt a true sense of belonging, and only in this land could their strength be restored to its peak condition.
After placing a layer of soul power on as protection, the Snow Empress immediately led everyone back to the Snow Empress Palace located within the core region of the Extreme North.
It was Xu Jiujiu's first time entering the core region of the Extreme North. Everything around her filled her with curiosity and amazement. When she learned that entity["fictional_character","Shu Yan","Douluo Dalu fanfiction character"] had once lived here for half a year, she felt slightly dazed.
Both the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress needed time to refine and absorb the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow. At the same time, they would soon have to face their respective heavenly tribulations—seven hundred thousand years for the Snow Empress and four hundred thousand years for the Ice Empress. The burden on them was immense.
On the very afternoon they returned to the Extreme North, the Snow Empress summoned the entity["fictional_character","Ice Bear King Xiao Bai","Douluo Dalu character"] and the entity["fictional_character","Titan Snow Demon King","Douluo Dalu character"]. She distributed a portion of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow to them so they could better survive their next heavenly tribulation and eventually become the new guardians of the Extreme North after her and the Ice Empress.
However, Shu Yan did not bring Xu Jiujiu out to meet them.
Xiao Bai was wholeheartedly loyal to the Snow Empress, but the Titan Snow Demon King was far from easy to deal with. Not only did it deeply despise humans, but Shu Yan's fourth soul ring had originally come from a Titan Snow Demon. This practically meant their hostility was already at its peak.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Shu Yan simply asked the Snow Empress to completely conceal both his and Xu Jiujiu's presence. Later, he would meet Xiao Bai alone instead.
After the Titan Snow Demon King received his share of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow and left, Xiao Bai remained behind at the Snow Empress's request. Only then did Shu Yan bring Xu Jiujiu out from the side hall and approach the Snow Empress.
Looking out at the endless snowy plains beyond the palace, Shu Yan softly said,
"We killed three members of its clan before. Now that we've compensated it with the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, I suppose things are settled."
The Snow Empress didn't seem to care much about the matter. She smiled and shook her head before lazily sitting down on her icy throne. Then she gestured to Xiao Bai below.
"Xiao Bai, come here and meet them. These two are Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu. Shu Yan is like a younger brother to me, and Jiujiu is my friend. They'll be staying in the Extreme North for a while, so you should take good care of them during this time. Understood?"
Hearing this, the enormous ice bear below—huge like a small mountain—shook its thick white fur and curiously raised its head. Though it sensed the human aura from the two, Xiao Bai's expression didn't change. It grinned widely and said,
"Hello. I'm Xiao Bai…"
Shu Yan rubbed his forehead—not because of Xiao Bai's attitude, but because… well… most people probably couldn't imagine what a ferocious ice bear looks like when it smiles. Although Xiao Bai actually had rather good looks and even seemed somewhat cute, one must remember that his true form was an Ice Bear, one of the most powerful and bloodthirsty races in the Extreme North.
When Xiao Bai smiled, revealing rows of sharp, gleaming fangs, the contrast with his innocent demeanor created an oddly abstract feeling.
Xu Jiujiu covered her mouth and laughed softly. She hadn't expected such a fierce-looking soul beast to have such an honest, simple voice—one that even carried a hint of cuteness.
"Xiao Bai… Xiao Bai… maybe you should transform into your human form before smiling. With your current appearance…"
Shu Yan trailed off awkwardly.
Xiao Bai scratched his head, looking slightly confused, but he still nodded.
"I'll listen to Uncle."
A burst of white light suddenly erupted from his body. Within just a few breaths, the light rapidly shrank. From within it, a round-shaped human figure slowly stepped out.
His body was strong but somewhat chubby, and his skin was incredibly pale—perhaps even paler than the Snow Empress herself. Even after transforming, Xiao Bai still looked rather simple and naive. There was an almost comically innocent foolishness in his expression.
The more Shu Yan looked at him, the stranger it felt. For some reason, Xiao Bai reminded him of a chubby college roommate from his previous life.
Especially that particular aura… it definitely wasn't something an ordinary person possessed.
Noticing everyone staring at him, Xiao Bai smiled shyly and then turned to the Snow Empress.
"Mom, you asked me to stay. Is there something you wanted to tell me privately?"
Hearing this, the Ice Empress looked slightly surprised and said,
"Xiao Bai, we were only gone for a short while, yet you've become smarter. You're not as single-minded as before…"
Xiao Bai chuckled but didn't respond.
While the Snow Empress explained the situation to Xiao Bai, Shu Yan also began explaining to Xu Jiujiu why Xiao Bai called the Snow Empress "Mom." After quite a long explanation, Xu Jiujiu finally understood.
After a moment of silence, she softly said,
"So Xiao Bai was a bear cub raised by the Snow Empress… and now he's also only one step away from the three-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation, right?"
Shu Yan nodded.
Xu Jiujiu frowned slightly and continued,
"Then with Xiao Bai's cultivation—two hundred ninety thousand years, nearly three hundred thousand—and his powerful race, why isn't he on the Top Ten Ferocious Beasts of the Continent list? If I remember correctly, the ninth-ranked entity["fictional_character","Hell Dragon King Ziji","Douluo Dalu character"] only recently entered the ferocious beast level…"
Before Shu Yan could answer, the Ice Empress spoke first.
"I've heard about that human list of the Top Ten Ferocious Beasts. The reason Xiao Bai isn't on it is because the Snow Empress ordered him long ago not to compete for such things. Besides, most humans outside only know of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North and have no idea that Xiao Bai even exists."
"The real reason is that Xiao Bai never wanted to share the Snow Empress's fame. And of course, there were also other arrangements made by the Snow Empress."
"Besides, Ziji is a pure-blooded dragon on par with entity["fictional_character","Di Tian","Douluo Dalu character"]. The two of them are known as the twin Dragon Kings of the ferocious beast world. If they truly fought, Xiao Bai might not necessarily win. After all, the power and terror of the dragon race have long been legendary. Very few soul beasts of the same level can defeat them."
"Also, that human ranking list isn't entirely accurate or complete—at least, from what I know."
The Ice Empress's explanation was quite thorough. Xu Jiujiu nodded in surprise. Thinking back to the time she met Di Tian, she still felt a chill.
Beast God.
A title acknowledged by almost all soul beasts.
In this era, Di Tian's strength was nearly unsolvable—his power was infinitely close to that of a god, enough to suppress the entire world.
Moreover, from the few words spoken by Shu Yan and the others, Xu Jiujiu gradually realized an even more terrifying fact.
Behind the Beast God Di Tian, deep within the Great Star Dou Forest—in that forbidden land few dared to enter—there lurked an even more terrifying force…
PS: Read Advance Chapters at patreon.com/c/Xentronix