Chapter 49: Snow Queen's Preparations: Hundred Thousand Years of Ice and Fire LotusAfter absorbing the spirit ring, Youheng's spirit power was replenished, and his injuries were fully recovered. Although his spirit power and mental force had not returned to their peak state, he was completely fine.At this moment, Xiao Bai, who had been holding her breath and cautiously guarding him, finally dared to speak in a muffled voice. Her giant ice bear face was filled with confusion and worry, "Mother? You… how are you in this human's body?"The Snow Empress's will seemed to "glare" at her, then briefly recounted what had happened: how she chose to take human form under the pressure of the heavenly tribulation, and how, at her weakest moment, she was ambushed by a despicable human Ninth-Rank Soul Engineer. Ultimately, she had no choice but to entrust her origin to Dai Youheng, who just happened to fall from the sky, killing the Ninth-Rank Soul Engineer, and possessed a special constitution.After the narration, the Snow Empress's will instantly carried a hint of anger, and she reprimanded sternly, "You are also at fault in this matter, Xiao Bai. It was such a critical moment when I transformed. Where did you, this unfilial child, run off to play? If you had been by my side to protect me then, how could a mere Ninth-Rank Soul Engineer have harmed me in the slightest? You caused me to fall into such a predicament!"Xiao Bai's giant head shrank back from the scolding. Her normally fierce bear eyes were now filled with grievance and guilt, emitting a few low, whimpering sounds.Her mountain-like massive body now looked somewhat clumsy and at a loss, forming a comical contrast with her status as one of the overlords of the Extreme North Land.She deeply revered her mother, and now, knowing her mother had suffered misfortune while she failed to protect her, her self-reproach and lingering fear were imaginable.Xiao Bai's huge ice-blue eyes blinked. Although her mother being safe and sound relieved her, being honest did not mean being stupid.She tilted her giant head, spoke again in a muffled voice, which echoed in the empty main hall of the ice fortress, "Mother, do you have other urgent matters for your sudden return this time?"She gently pointed with her thick paw at the corpse of the Abyssal Ice Prison Tiger on the ground, which had already lost its spirit ring and was completely dead. "Encountering this unlucky fellow seems like an accident. You and Uncle Youheng surely didn't come all the way to the core of the Extreme North Land just for it, did you?"The Snow Empress's will fluctuated slightly in Dai Youheng's mind, carrying a hint of approval, "You big oaf, you're not entirely stupid after all."At this point, there was indeed no need to hide anything from Xiao Bai. The Snow Empress's will turned to Dai Youheng, her clear voice carrying a hint of solemnity, "Youheng, the hundred-thousand-year spirit ring I prepared for you is not from any giant beast of the ice plains, but a very special, even unique, plant-type Spirit Beast."Dai Youheng's expression became serious, listening intently. A hundred-thousand-year plant-type Spirit Beast? This was extremely rare in the Extreme North Land.After all, very few plants could survive in this wretched place."Its name is the ice fire twin lotus," the Snow Empress continued. "Its main body is a gigantic and wondrous lotus, with a single root deeply embedded in a rare underground fire vein beneath the extreme cold ice plain. But at its top, it branches out, simultaneously nurturing and blooming two distinctly different lotus flowers.""One is scorching like the sun, like an eternally burning flame, presenting the purest crimson and brilliant gold, radiating astonishing heat.""The other is bone-chillingly cold, as if carved from ten thousand years of cold ice, appearing entirely ice-blue and translucent, with an eerie chill capable of freezing the soul.""Ice and fire, these two absolutely opposing forces, achieve a kind of ultimate balance and symbiosis on this twin lotus, complementing each other and forming its unique origin."The Snow Empress's will revealed a trace of recollection and emotion, "Initially, this balance sustained its growth. However, everything has its biases, and with the passage of long years and cultivation, environmental influences gradually become apparent. It was born in the Extreme North Land; infinite ice elements should have been dominant. Logically, the ice lotus would gradually suppress the fire lotus, absorbing more power, eventually causing the entire twin lotus's attributes to completely lean towards extreme ice.""When I traveled through the Extreme North and discovered it by chance, I was also overjoyed," the Snow Empress said. "For me, this ice fire twin lotus was an unparalleled treasure. I did not rush to pick it, but let it grow naturally. The original plan was to wait until I faced the heavenly tribulation, then harvest and consume its fully mature 'ice lotus seed.' With the vast original power contained within it, tempered by extreme ice, it would be enough to greatly boost my cultivation, allowing me to break through and safely pass the tribulation."At this point, the Snow Empress's will showed a hint of helplessness and confusion, "However, fate plays tricks. For some unknown reason, deep within the Extreme North Land, in some hidden secret realm or stratum, there was a source of extremely ancient and powerful fire divine force. The roots of this ice fire twin lotus, by an extreme coincidence, touched that faintly leaking divine force.""It was this trace of external, extremely high-grade fire divine force that completely broke the ice fire twin lotus's own balance. It was profoundly influenced and infected, causing its attributes to rapidly shift towards fire. Now, the core it condensed, the most precious 'ice fire lotus seed,' is not the anticipated ice-blue and translucent 'ice lotus seed,' but rather an incredibly scorching 'fire lotus seed' with flowing red light!"The Snow Empress's tone carried a hint of vexation and regret, "I am the embodiment of wind and snow. If I were to forcibly consume such a fire lotus seed, filled with violent fire attribute origin, it would not only be useless but would instead trigger a conflict of ice and fire within my body. Greatly reduced cultivation would be minor; damage to my foundation would be the major problem!""In desperation, I had no choice but to act. Before its power completely stabilized due to attribute conflict, I captured it and brought it back to my ice fortress. I sealed it in the deepest part of this castle, slowly nourishing and harmonizing it with my extreme ice cold power, hoping that with the environment here and my power, I could gradually wear down the influence of that fire divine force, allowing its ice attribute to regain dominance and reverse the fire lotus seed into an ice lotus seed."She sighed, "Unfortunately, although that trace of fire divine force is weak, its essence is extremely high and remarkably stubborn. Over a thousand years have passed, with very little success. It is still an ice fire twin lotus with a fire-biased attribute. Fortunately, as long as you don't consume the snow soul condensing ice pill, you are not an ice attribute Spirit Master, so whether it's fire attribute or ice attribute, it won't affect you much.""Now, I have sacrificed myself to you, Youheng, and this ice fire twin lotus is useless to me," the Snow Empress said. "Youheng, I will give it to you. The Spirit you possess is not purely ice attribute, and your cultivation method is all-encompassing. Whether this twin lotus leans towards ice or fire, its hundred-thousand-year immense original power will be a great tonic for you. Absorbing its spirit ring might bring you unexpected surprises, especially the special effect pill, which will most likely possess abilities similar to that lotus seed, and then it will certainly be able to solve your most urgent problem."Dai Youheng listened to the lengthy narration, his eyes flashing with intense interest and anticipation.A hundred-thousand-year plant-type Spirit Beast influenced by divine force, with a shifted attribute? This indeed far exceeded his expectations, and was much more challenging than hunting an ordinary hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast, also implying greater potential benefits."ice fire twin lotus… fire lotus seed…" he murmured to himself, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth, "Sounds very interesting."His gaze fell upon the deep passage of the ice fortress, as if he could already see the scorching miracle sealed deep within the extreme cold.Xiao Bai listened on the side, half understanding, but she grasped one point: Mother had given a very powerful treasure, one she couldn't use herself before, to this newly recognized Uncle Youheng.She shook her big head, letting out a low purr, seemingly indicating that she understood and would help.
