Tianmeng had no idea that not far from them, a human had escaped his detection and was now watching their every move with an amused smile. At that moment, Tianmeng had successfully persuaded the Ice Empress and was fantasizing about the beautiful future where the two of them could live together in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea—just the two of them.
Meanwhile, the Ice Empress was focused on helping Huo Yuhao absorb her soul bone. Since she had already decided to trust Tianmeng's plan, she was giving her all. In her heart, she knew there was only one person who could stop her now or change her mind—but would that person really appear? It had been so long since she had last seen them. Bitterness welled up in her chest.
Huo Yuhao, of course, had no such emotional entanglements—nor could he afford them. He was pouring every ounce of strength into fusing with the Ice Empress's soul bone. The pain drilled into his bones and made him want to give up more than once, but giving up meant death. He couldn't die. He still had a deep vendetta to avenge!
"He's… absorbing a soul bone?" Zhu Ziyang muttered, beginning to understand the situation. "But why? The Ice Empress isn't resisting at all. In fact, she's cooperating—she doesn't look forced in the slightest."
As time passed, Huo Yuhao's fusion with the Ice Empress's soul bone progressed smoothly. Then, something happened that cleared up Zhu Ziyang's doubts.
Behind Huo Yuhao, an emerald green phantom of an Ice Jade Scorpion appeared—similar in appearance to a martial soul projection, but unlike normal projections, this one had sentience.
"He's fusing with a martial soul!" Zhu Ziyang gasped. "So this is their plan… but can Huo Yuhao really withstand it? That's the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress with nearly 390,000 years of cultivation! Even if he's a child of fate, this is way too reckless!"
As if in response, Huo Yuhao's body suddenly began to tremble violently. The once-stable Ice Jade Scorpion projection behind him began to waver and collapse.
"Tianmeng! This isn't working—Huo Yuhao can't handle my bloodline, even with my soul bone!" Inside his spiritual sea, the Ice Empress was alarmed. She had gone all-in on this plan, and now its foundation was collapsing—had she been tricked?
"Don't panic, Ice Empress! We have to believe in Yuhao. And I'm already working on a fix!" Tianmeng was just as frantic. Cracks were forming in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea—if it fully ruptured, he would die, and Tianmeng would be doomed as well. Desperate, Tianmeng prepared to release his soul origin to stabilize the spiritual sea.
"Don't worry about me, Tianmeng-ge! I can do it—I can endure!" Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and forced the words out. The pain was excruciating, but his will remained unshaken. He remembered what his mother once told him.
Tianmeng hesitated. The cracks in Yuhao's spiritual sea were indeed beginning to mend—but very slowly. Without full stability, the martial soul fusion would inevitably fail. Unable to stand it any longer, Tianmeng released his essence to help heal the damage.
For the moment, Huo Yuhao's condition stabilized, and the fusion process resumed slowly—but an irreversible mutation had already begun.
Zhu Ziyang watched the entire scene unfold from a kilometer away, feeling slightly moved. As the Ice Jade Scorpion projection gradually began to cocoon, he realized that the plan of Huo Yuhao and Tianmeng had likely succeeded.
Snow Empress kept urging him to intervene and rescue Ice Empress—but did she really need rescuing? Based on everything he'd seen, Ice Empress had clearly agreed to become Huo Yuhao's martial soul. If Zhu Ziyang forcibly interfered now, it would very likely kill Huo Yuhao—who was still just a Grandmaster.
That wasn't an outcome he wanted—especially since Huo Yuhao was bearing the hope of Tang Sect's revival on behalf of Sea God Tang San. If he caused Yuhao's death, Tang San would almost certainly take revenge.
So, Zhu Ziyang chose not to intervene. He simply observed from a safe distance, silently witnessing this turning point—this transformation of fate.
Was this about to change Huo Yuhao's destiny because of his innate luck, or was it the hidden arrangement of the Sea God in the Divine Realm? Zhu Ziyang didn't know. All he knew was that it was far from smooth sailing.
Suddenly, the cocooned scorpion shadow burst apart. Without warning, Huo Yuhao coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed, his face going pale and his life force flickering.
The sudden change startled Zhu Ziyang. Inside Yuhao's spiritual sea, both Tianmeng and Ice Empress were in full panic mode.
Everything had been going smoothly. The fusion was nearly complete—until Tianmeng's earlier attempt to stabilize Yuhao's mind with his soul origin backfired. The interference disrupted the integration of Ice Empress's soul, causing the entire fusion process to fall apart. Worse, it had now pushed Huo Yuhao to the brink of death.
"Bingbing… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Tianmeng was overcome with guilt. He never imagined that a single misjudgment could lead to such disastrous consequences.
"Ahh…" Ice Empress sighed. She was angry, but what could she do? She knew she couldn't blame Tianmeng. "Forget it. It's better for one of us to die than all three. Tianmeng, your plan was brilliant. I hope you can carry the will of soul beasts into the Divine Realm."
With that, she prepared to leave Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
There were only two ways to resolve their crisis now. One was to get help from a higher existence—but that was impossible, as Divine Realm deities were forbidden from interfering in the mortal world. Especially not for soul beasts.
The second was for Ice Empress to leave Yuhao's spiritual sea. If she did, her bloodline would remain and naturally generate a new martial soul for Yuhao.
However, without a body—just her soul—leaving the spiritual sea meant only one thing: death.
"Bingbing… I failed you!" Tianmeng wept bitterly. He wanted to stop her, but his soul was now deeply bound to Huo Yuhao's. He couldn't leave Yuhao's spiritual sea even if he wanted to. He could only watch helplessly as Ice Empress drifted away.
In Yuhao's eyes, pain was mixed with gratitude. Tianmeng could only collapse in despair. Ice Empress, expression calm and resolute, left Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
But there was no time to grieve. Huo Yuhao and Tianmeng immediately began repairing the damage—working to refine the bloodline Ice Empress had left behind and forge a new martial soul.
As Ice Empress floated into the world outside, she turned toward the deepest part of the Extreme North, her eyes full of longing. She moved in that direction, hoping to see that person one last time—perhaps even die in their arms, ending this twisted life.
The moment her soul emerged into the world, Zhu Ziyang noticed immediately. Snow Empress, her tone almost pleading, begged him to save her.
"Teacher… please," Zhu Ziyang whispered after a moment of thought. Finally, his heart softened. He turned to Electrolux, who had been silently watching the drama unfold.
"Leave it to me," Electrolux said with a laugh. "That big scorpion isn't just a soul. Looks like you've stumbled onto a real treasure, Ziyang."
"Huh?" Zhu Ziyang blinked in confusion. Before he could ask further, Snow Empress reminded him, and he quickly activated his Heavenly Frost Saint White Dragon Martial Soul, revealing four soul rings belonging to Snow Empress.
As they appeared, Ice Empress's soul—previously drifting toward the core of the Extreme North—abruptly stopped. Then, as if magnetized, she turned and flew directly toward Zhu Ziyang.
The moment her soul hovered overhead, Electrolux extended a massive gray hand. With ease, he grabbed her spirit and pulled her into Zhu Ziyang's spiritual sea.
It was then that Zhu Ziyang understood what Electrolux meant.
Ice Empress's soul was not just a soul—it was bound to a glowing emerald bead. Just like Snow Empress's snow pearl, this was Ice Empress's life origin—her ice pearl.
Startled by the sudden capture, Ice Empress instinctively tried to resist. But the giant hand carried Snow Empress's aura. Upon sensing it, she immediately relaxed and allowed herself to be drawn into the unfamiliar space.
The moment she arrived, surrounded by Snow Empress's comforting energy, she forgot all her regrets and fears. Her only thought was:
"Tianmeng, don't come looking for me—I'm afraid Snow Empress will misunderstand!"