Chapter 155: Exposed
The Snow Empress already possessed a soul core within her body, allowing her to roughly judge the authenticity of the method Qi Tian described.
As she listened to Qi Tian explain it, her understanding of condensing a second soul core grew deeper and deeper.
Only then did Snow Empress realize that if she were to rashly attempt to condense a second soul core, there was a very high chance of failure.
At that point, soul power backlash would damage her very origin. She might not even be able to preserve her life—let alone break through the seventy-thousand-year bottleneck and face her seventh heavenly tribulation.
'Could it be that my only choice is to transform into human form to evade the seventh heavenly tribulation?' Snow Empress thought.
She looked at Qi Tian, a trace of gratitude rising in her heart.
If Qi Tian hadn't passed this secret method to her, she might have suffered a devastating setback in the future.
This human… might truly harbor no ill intent toward her.
If she chose to transform, perhaps she could seek refuge by his side.
For transformed soul beasts, cultivation required absorbing human aura.
But when cultivating among humans, encountering a Soul Douluo or stronger could place them in extreme danger.
With a powerful protector by her side, even cultivating after transformation would go smoothly.
Qi Tian might be exactly the kind of human who could shelter her.
However, as the sovereign of the Extreme North, Snow Empress could not simply abandon the soul-beast cultivation path so easily.
Cultivating in human form was merely a fleeting thought.
Since she currently lacked the conditions to condense a second soul core, she would seek opportunities—opportunities that could give her such a possibility.
'Could Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well hold such an opportunity?' Snow Empress wondered.
After quite some time, Qi Tian finished explaining the methods of condensing several types of soul cores and noticed Snow Empress staring intently at him.
"Snow Empress, what's wrong? Did I explain something incorrectly?" Qi Tian asked.
Snow Empress shook her head and, as promised, shared her own experience with Qi Tian and the Ice Empress.
Afterward, the two continued their unhurried journey toward Heaven Dou City.
Just like that, an entire day passed.
Late at night, Qi Tian stayed alert. He didn't leave Ice Empress's body, merely returning control of it to her.
Ice Empress's behavior the previous night had been far too abnormal—Qi Tian had to guard against her causing trouble.
Sure enough, shortly after midnight, the Ice Empress and Snow Empress woke up. Their earlier "sleep" had seemed almost like an act.
"Big Sister, I succeeded!" The Ice Empress said excitedly.
She hadn't expected it to be so easy to pry the location of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well from that human—she had successfully outplayed him.
Snow Empress nodded. "Good. Then we shouldn't delay—let's set off immediately."
Without needing to keep up the act for Qi Tian, the two women wouldn't take long to reach the Sunset Forest.
'Hmph, I want to see how he plans to ambush us now. When the time comes, we'll turn the tables and ambush him instead!'
'He's controlled me for so long—this time, I'm definitely getting my revenge!' Ice Empress said through clenched teeth.
Snow Empress glanced at Ice Empress, hesitated for a moment, then advised gently, "Bing'er, forget it. He doesn't seem to have any malicious intent."
"He taught us the soul core method and even told us about that opportunity. He isn't our enemy."
The Ice Empress froze. Just two days ago, Snow Empress had said she would help her kill Qi Tian and free her from his control—so why had her attitude completely changed now?
"Alright then."
After thinking it over, Ice Empress felt Snow Empress's words did make some sense, and she didn't want to go against Snow Empress's wishes.
"Then I won't kill him. But once I find his true body, I'll definitely drag him back to the Extreme North, strip him naked, and make him tremble in the frozen wasteland!"
That human had not only taken advantage of Snow Empress using her body—he had taken advantage of her as well.
If she didn't take revenge for this, she would be unworthy of being the king of the Extreme North.
Watching Ice Empress in this state, Snow Empress could only shake her head helplessly.
"Bing'er, if he truly bears us no ill will, you should try to get along with him properly."
"Your fourth heavenly tribulation is approaching. If something unexpected happens and you fail to pass it, you can still choose to transform and cultivate in human form."
"When that time comes, you might very well need Qi Tian's protection," Snow Empress explained patiently.
Ice Empress had just successfully broken through the four-hundred-thousand-year mark. Within a thousand years, she would have to face the might of heaven—no one could guarantee everything would go smoothly during that period.
"Impossible. I'll definitely make it through!" Ice Empress retorted stubbornly.
She had absorbed half of Tianmeng Iceworm's origin—how could she possibly fail?
Unless she suffered a severe injury before the heavenly tribulation descended, there was no way she would be able to withstand it.
Still, better safe than sorry. After thinking it over, Ice Empress ultimately decided to heed Snow Empress's advice.
What the two of them didn't know was that every single move they made was being observed clearly by Qi Tian.
Qi Tian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So Ice Empress had already told Snow Empress everything about him.
And Snow Empress had still pretended to know nothing, eating and sleeping with him, letting him take full advantage of the situation.
The Ice Empress wanted revenge on him, while the Snow Empress was actually pleading on his behalf.
But Qi Tian also understood that this was perfectly normal. He hadn't possessed Ice Empress many times, and there wasn't much emotional bond between them yet.
Having one's body inexplicably controlled by someone else—anyone would want to eliminate such a hidden danger.
"Forget it. I still can't afford to provoke Ice Empress right now. Once my cultivation is strong enough to suppress her, we'll see how I deal with her then," Qi Tian thought inwardly.
After the Ice Empress told Snow Empress the location of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, the two of them moved at full speed toward the Sunset Forest.
Qi Tian didn't dare leave them, afraid they might come into conflict with humans.
If Dugu Bo or Chrysanthemum Douluo happened to be guarding the medicinal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and were injured by Ice Empress or Snow Empress, that would be disastrous.
...
At the heart of the Sunset Forest, poisonous miasma filled the air.
Dressed in a white gown, Snow Empress stepped into the poisonous fog like a celestial maiden descending into the mortal world.
To fully unleash her strength, the Ice Empress reverted to her true form—the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress—and followed closely behind Snow Empress.
One human and one beast cautiously entered the miasma, immediately sensing the dense energy of heaven and earth permeating the area.
"This is a poison formation? That Qi Tian really isn't a good person after all—he set up a trap to ambush us!" The Ice Empress said angrily.
Snow Empress shook her head. "Bing'er, don't jump to conclusions. This poison formation may have formed naturally, meant to protect the medicinal garden within."
As they stepped deeper into the valley, a vast medicinal field came into view.
"So many spiritual herbs!" Ice Empress exclaimed.
Unfortunately, as soul beasts of the northern regions, most of the herbs here weren't particularly useful to them.
The deeper they went, the denser the ambient energy became—and at the same time, the stronger the poisonous miasma grew.
Facing the cold poison in the fog, both of them—being ice-attributed ferocious beasts—felt little fear.
However, the fire poison was extremely fierce. After inhaling too much of it, both Ice Empress and Snow Empress began to feel a sense of suppression.
"Is this what you were looking for, big sister?" The Ice Empress asked.
The pool water Qi Tian had taken earlier had already returned to its original state under the spirit-gathering effects of the treasured land.
Snow Empress gazed at the milky-white spring and nodded.
"What incredibly pure ice energy!"
She was finally certain—this spring was indeed useful to her, and its benefits were far from small.
If used properly, she might even be able to take another leap forward.
—
End of Chapter