The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm saw the flicker of hesitation in the Ice Emperor's eyes and pressed the advantage. "How about it? You'd better think clearly—opportunity comes once in a lifetime."
"You should understand that since you're trapped by me, I have countless ways to end your life. It would only cost me a little time."
"One path leads to eternity, the other to destruction. Choose wisely."
His tone hardened, and a glint of killing intent flashed in his gaze.
He had already tried persuasion. If the Ice Emperor still refused, he would have no choice but to erase her consciousness completely, turning her into a true Soul Ring. It was not the outcome he desired—but it was necessary. Otherwise, his god-making plan would be disrupted, lowering its chance of success.
The boy Huo Yuhao, curled on the ground, seemed to forget the biting cold. He stared at the Ice Emperor with hope and excitement, waiting anxiously for her answer, his heart racing uncontrollably.
The Ice Emperor's eyes flickered, thoughts in turmoil. After several breaths of silence, she finally said coldly, "Do I even have another choice?"
Huo Yuhao's face broke into a wide smile, nearly leaping up in joy.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm exhaled softly in relief. This was the best possible outcome—he could preserve her consciousness and proceed with the plan.His features relaxed into a pleased smile, his gaze warm as he prepared to speak—but another voice suddenly cut through the scene.
"Actually," it said lightly, "you do have another choice."
A ripple of energy swept across the snow. Wei Xuan appeared slowly from the white haze, his presence calm and steady.
The sound of his voice startled both Huo Yuhao and the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm. They exchanged quick glances, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
Huo Yuhao shot to his feet, releasing a burst of spiritual probing, every sense alert, glancing toward his companion for answers. Wasn't this area supposed to be deserted for miles around? How could a human appear out of nowhere?
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's expression darkened. He had indeed scanned the surroundings earlier—there had been no one within a hundred miles. So how had this human slipped past his detection?
Unease crept into him. His gaze on Wei Xuan grew cautious, even heavy.
The Ice Emperor too was surprised. This human boy had evaded not only the Ice Silkworm's detection but her own—something almost unthinkable.
A being of her level had perception that extended naturally to everything nearby, even without active probing. And yet, this human had stood close by, listening in undetected.
That was terrifying.
"You there, human brat," the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm barked, his tone fierce but his confidence brittle. "If you don't want to die, leave at once!"
He projected a wave of terrifying spiritual pressure. The air trembled as the sound of a dragon's roar shook the heavens—violent and majestic.
It was the aura of the Black Dragon Emperor Di Tian, perfectly simulated through the silkworm's immense mental strength. Even a massive black dragon phantom loomed behind him, vivid and lifelike.
The Ice Emperor blinked in astonishment.
Under that oppressive might, Huo Yuhao felt terror grip his heart. His legs went weak, and he collapsed back to the ground.
The Ice Silkworm hadn't shielded him from the pressure—after all, the illusion had to feel real.
Had Wei Xuan been an ordinary Soul Sect, he might have been terrified. Unfortunately, he was far from ordinary.
A faint smile curved his lips as he regarded the Ice Silkworm with calm amusement, as though appreciating a clever trick.
Seeing that the human remained utterly unfazed, the silkworm intensified the pressure.
"You dare to mock my majesty?" he hissed, voice sharp.
"To me, a creature like you is an ant. With a flick of my will, I could reduce you to dust. Still, I'll grant you a chance—leave while you can."
Even as he spoke, he unleashed an invisible spiritual assault, a mental shockwave that stabbed toward Wei Xuan's mind. He had no intention of letting this human live—killing him was simply safer.
Wei Xuan felt the strike, smiled faintly, and answered with his own divine sense— a blade of invisible will that cleaved through the attack like silk.
"Ah!"
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm screamed, his consciousness convulsing under the backlash.
Agony exploded in his mind; his spiritual sea quaked violently, and the false aura he had conjured shattered instantly.
"Brother Tianmeng!" Huo Yuhao cried out, panicked, rushing to his side.
The Ice Emperor's eyes widened in shock. This human's spiritual power wasn't merely comparable to the Ice Silkworm's—it was stronger. Far stronger. It was inconceivable.
"I'm… fine," the silkworm managed, forcing the pain down with effort. His tone trembled slightly as he demanded, "How can you possess such powerful spiritual strength!?"
Wei Xuan didn't answer. His gaze shifted toward the Ice Emperor instead.
"You," he said evenly, "could consider becoming my Spirit of Wisdom. I'll take you to the God Realm myself."
His words carried absolute confidence—so firm, so certain, that they left no room for doubt.
It wasn't arrogance; it was conviction.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm and Huo Yuhao both paled. This man was trying to take the Ice Emperor from them.
"Isn't this going too far?" Huo Yuhao snapped. "This is between us and the Ice Emperor. Why are you interfering?"
Wei Xuan shook his head with quiet amusement. "How naïve. Just because you say it's between you and her doesn't mean others can't intervene. In this world, strength decides all."
"Besides," he added with a faint smile, "you've trapped her here. Did you ever ask her opinion when you called it your affair?"
The Ice Emperor's cold eyes flicked toward Huo Yuhao and the silkworm, filled with disdain.
Had she not been imprisoned, she would have struck long ago.
Now, her gaze shifted back to Wei Xuan. After a pause, she frowned slightly. "And why should I trust you? What makes you so sure you can do what you claim?"
She referred, of course, to his talk of godhood.
A deep dragon's roar echoed through the valley.
From the void, the Ancient Ice Dragon coiled around Wei Xuan, its massive body gleaming with frost. Four Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—three purple, one black—shimmering in rhythm with the dragon's power.
The pressure surged outward. The very air grew heavy. The temperature plummeted, freezing even the snow that was already frozen solid.
Another roar shook the air as his first purple ring lit up— and from it burst a six-meter-long Ice Flood Dragon, soaring skyward with chilling grace.
His second ring followed, releasing a deafening tiger's roar. A Saber-Tooth Ice Tiger leapt into the snowfield, five meters long, its blade-like fangs gleaming with lethal frost.
Then the third ring ignited.
The ground trembled as a colossal Ice Mammoth emerged, its eight-meter-tall form clad in crystalline armor, every movement radiating raw might. Its feet sank deep into the snow, shaking the land like a living glacier.
Towering, majestic, and unstoppable— they stood beside their master, radiating the aura of ancient beasts.
The Ice Emperor's eyes narrowed. This human commanded three Ancient Spirit Beasts of ice—each powerful, each utterly obedient.
In that frozen world, Wei Xuan stood among them, calm and unshaken. A lone figure surrounded by four manifestations of primordial strength—himself, the dragon, the tiger, the mammoth, and the spirit within his soul.
The sight alone was enough to shake heaven and earth.
(End of Chapter)