Dark clouds had unknowingly filled the gloomy sky, and a heavy, oppressive aura swept across every inch of the core region of the Extreme North.
Low thunder rumbled through the heavens. Countless soul beasts scattered and fled in panic. They could sense the terrifying power hidden within the clouds—power strong enough to easily annihilate them.
Some of the more intelligent soul beasts looked toward the center of the core region with shock in their eyes. After letting out long, resonant roars, many of them dropped to all fours and bowed in that direction, as if paying homage.
Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu appeared on a snow-covered mountain behind the Ice God Palace. Nearby, Xiao Bai had already returned to his original form and was anxiously stomping his feet. His massive size already made him intimidating, and in this agitated state it felt as if the ground itself were trembling—he nearly crushed the entire snow mountain beneath him.
Shu Yan called out helplessly,
"Xiao Bai, stop stomping. Sister Xue will be fine. With the help of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, passing the seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation shouldn't be difficult for her. Stop worrying. If you keep this up, I'm afraid we'll be buried under this mountain before she even finishes the tribulation."
Hearing this, Xiao Bai finally calmed down. He sat down heavily, lowered his head, and muttered quietly,
"Uncle… I'm just worried about Mom…"
Although Xiao Bai had been calling him "uncle" for nearly two months now, Shu Yan still couldn't help twitching his lips. The title always felt a little strange to him.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen. If she wasn't confident, the Snow Empress wouldn't have chosen to face the tribulation today."
Shu Yan reassured him again. As he spoke, he led Xu Jiujiu a little farther back.
After all, a seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation was no joke. Any single bolt of lightning from it could easily kill a Soul Douluo. Shu Yan wasn't particularly afraid of it, but no one wanted to get struck for no reason.
He wasn't some kind of masochist, after all.
Thinking about that reminded him of Xu Jiujiu's strange idea from earlier. Glancing at the elegant golden-haired girl beside him, Shu Yan quickly shook his head and forced away those odd thoughts.
BOOM—
A thunderclap exploded across the sky.
Far away on the icy plains, the Snow Empress stood solemnly, staring at the deep vortex slowly forming in the heavens. Her aura had already reached its peak. Facing such terrifying pressure, she showed not the slightest hint of fear—instead, her eyes burned with boundless fighting spirit.
The first bolt of lightning crashed down.
Instantly, violent winds swept across the entire ice field. Snow and ice whipped through the air like countless sharp blades. Xiao Bai shifted his body slightly, standing in front of Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu to shield them.
Lightning roared continuously as the storm grew even more violent. The incoming gusts now carried not only snow, but fragments of lightning as well.
Xiao Bai roared angrily. Blue soul power surged around him before forming a protective barrier that enveloped the three of them.
At the same time, on a barren land not far from the ice field, the Ice Empress was also undergoing her own four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation.
Compared with the Snow Empress, however, her tribulation was far easier.
Back when she faced her three-hundred-thousand-year tribulation, she had already sensed the limits of her potential. That was why she had once desperately hunted the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm—only by absorbing its nearly million-year-old pure energy could she hope to cross that barrier.
But now everything had changed.
With an abundant supply of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow, the damage to her origin had been repaired, and her natural limits had risen significantly. By her own calculations, if everything went smoothly, the ice marrow she possessed would allow her to cultivate safely until she reached five hundred thousand years.
As for the six-hundred-thousand-year tribulation, that would depend entirely on luck.
For now, the four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation would probably only leave her with some physical injuries. After all, every tribulation inevitably meant being blasted by lightning until one's flesh was torn open.
Fortunately, the Ice Empress possessed extraordinary willpower. Having already endured two such tribulations, she was well prepared.
Back on the Snow Empress's side, Shu Yan withdrew the spiritual power he had been using to monitor the Ice Empress and focused fully on the Snow Empress again.
Between the two, her tribulation was far more dangerous.
Thunder roared without pause. The blizzard had turned into a towering tornado of ice and snow, completely blocking their vision. Even spiritual power could not penetrate the chaotic storm to detect the Snow Empress's presence.
Looking at the faint crimson hue spreading across the sky, Xiao Bai spoke in a deep voice,
"The lightning tribulation is entering its final stage. Its power is still increasing. That means Mom is still holding on… but the last few bolts will probably be stronger than all the previous ones combined."
Standing on Xiao Bai's shoulder, Shu Yan patted his head.
"Relax. Nothing will go wrong. The Snow Empress already possesses unparalleled talent, and with the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, she might even have a chance to break through to nine hundred thousand years. There's no way a mere seven-hundred-thousand-year tribulation could stop her."
Xiao Bai gave a quiet response, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the raging blizzard.
Suddenly, the entire world darkened.
In the next moment, a bolt of black-and-crimson lightning slammed down from the heavens.
The already devastated ice field exploded, forming a massive crater at least thirty meters deep. Realizing the danger, Xiao Bai immediately slid down a nearby snowy slope with Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu before shielding them with his enormous body.
After countless rocks and snow tumbled down, two more tremendous booms echoed from outside.
Then… the world fell silent again.
Xiao Bai suddenly shook his body violently, throwing off the rocks and snow piled on him. He quickly climbed back up the snow mountain with the other two.
What greeted their eyes was an enormous crater still emitting thick smoke. At the bottom of the pit, they could even see traces of magma.
But soon, snow and ice descended once again, covering the smoke and exposed rocks.
At the edge of the cliff stood the Snow Empress.
A few drops of bright red blood slowly slid from her wrist, staining the snow beneath her. She gradually came back to her senses, smiled gently at the three of them, and said,
"Everything went smoothly."
The three hurried forward. Shu Yan quickly swept his spiritual power across her somewhat disheveled body.
He soon discovered that not only were her meridians damaged—she had also suffered serious internal injuries.
"Cough… cough…"
The Snow Empress coughed softly. She noticed Shu Yan's probing spiritual sense but did not stop him.
"I didn't expect the last two bolts of lightning to fall together. Their combined power exceeded what I could withstand. Fortunately, I held on. My origin wasn't damaged—just some internal injuries. With some rest, I'll recover."
Shu Yan sighed softly. He tapped his forehead with two fingers.
A brilliant emerald light suddenly bloomed.
In the next moment, a drop of Life Gold, slightly smaller than a tear, flew out and slowly floated toward the Snow Empress.
She hesitated for a moment before reaching out to accept it.
"Place it in your Sea of Consciousness and let it heal your injuries naturally," Shu Yan instructed. "Don't forcibly absorb its life energy. That would backfire and could even endanger your life."
The Snow Empress followed his instructions and placed the drop of Life Gold into her spiritual sea.
Only then did she look at Shu Yan and say softly,
"Thank you."
She did not resent him for not sharing the Life Gold earlier. After all, it originally belonged to Shu Yan. She and the Ice Empress had only helped remove some of the resentment within it.
Now, Shu Yan had already helped them obtain the incredibly precious Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow. In truth, they owed him far more than he owed them.
Whether human or soul beast, greed was part of their nature.
But the Snow Empress had always known where to draw the line.
Some things could be taken—but some things were never simply about whether one wanted them or not.
While Xiao Bai and Xu Jiujiu gathered around the Snow Empress with concern, a sudden cough sounded behind them.
Shu Yan turned around—and immediately burst out laughing.
"What kind of look is that? How did you end up with an explosive hairstyle after crossing a tribulation? Even your face is as black as coal."
Facing Shu Yan's merciless teasing, the already battered Ice Empress became furious.
She lunged forward, knocked Shu Yan to the ground, and sat on his chest while smearing the soot from her body onto him. Shu Yan was suppressed by her soul power and could only struggle helplessly.
Soon enough, both of them ended up looking even more miserable than before.
In the end, the Snow Empress had to separate them using her soul power.
The Ice Empress snorted, finally smiling when she saw Shu Yan's handsome face now just as dirty as hers.
Shu Yan wiped the soot from his face, looking rather speechless.
See? This was what a "little loli" was like. Couldn't she be a little more mature like him?
Before their argument could continue, Shu Yan handed the Ice Empress another drop of Life Gold, the same size as the one he gave the Snow Empress.
The Ice Empress froze for a moment before pouting and accepting it.
"Since you showed such filial devotion, this Empress will reluctantly forgive you this time… But if you dare mock me again, I'll cut off your third leg."
As Xu Jiujiu laughed and helped wipe the soot from his face, Shu Yan said helplessly,
"What filial devotion? I only gave it to you because you looked pitiful. And by the way, that last sentence offended both Jiujiu and me."
The Ice Empress snorted again as she wiped her face clean.
"This Empress is the same generation as Xue'er. You call her sister, so naturally you should call me sister too. Am I wrong?"
The Snow Empress, now having stopped the bleeding, watched the two arguing and smiled softly.
For her, watching Shu Yan and the Ice Empress bicker like this was quite entertaining.
Shu Yan glanced at the Ice Empress—who seemed to have grown perhaps two centimeters taller—and chuckled.
"With your current appearance, people might believe you're my little sister. 'Big sister'? Let's talk again after you grow a bit taller."
"Shu Yan!"
The Ice Empress gritted her teeth, looking utterly furious.
This shameless man always loved poking right at her sore spots. The tiny bit of gratitude she had just felt vanished instantly.
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