Chapter 20: Persuasion to Surrender
"Alright! Master, just you watch!"
Having received affirmation, Bear Lord acted as if he'd been injected with chicken blood. His massive paws beat against his chest in excitement, producing a dull, drum-like thumping.
He turned around to face Ah Tai, who had just managed to pull his upper body out of the ice crater. Ah Tai was huffing and puffing, his eyes filled with a mixture of terror and rage. Bear Lord immediately adopted the air of a wise senior who understood the times, his voice booming so loud that ice shards rattled down:
"Hey! Big dummy! I'm talking to you! Titan Snow Devil King!"
Ah Tai's massive blood-red eyes glared death at Bear Lord, a threatening low growl vibrating in his throat.
"What are you staring at? Haven't had enough of a beating yet?"
Bear Lord intentionally puffed out his chest, wearing a smug 'my boss is backing me' expression:
"Look at old Bear! Back in Star Dou, I wasn't doing any worse than you, right? And look at the Master I'm following now! That's a supreme existence, one-of-a-kind in heaven and earth! Do you understand what a 'God Realm position' means? Qingtian True Lord! It's within reach!"
He used a giant claw to point at Lin Yu on his back, then pointed to the ethereal, fairy-like clone of Gu Yuena standing nearby:
"Now look at you! Guarding this godforsaken ice cube, blown by wind and snow every day, can't even get a good night's sleep because you have to worry about stronger ones coming to snatch your territory! What's the point?"
Bear Lord got more excited as he spoke, his saliva (if a bear has any) freezing into ice crystals in the cold wind:
"A heavenly opportunity has just smashed into your head! Hurry up, do as I did—kneel down, kowtow, and acknowledge the Master as your Lord! In the future, you'll be eating the best and drinking the finest, following the Master to conquer the God Realm. Isn't that a hundred times better than being some crummy Heavens King here? Master said it: follow him, and you're guaranteed to become a god! Do you understand? This overwhelming fortune is a 'once-in-a-lifetime' deal!"
Bear Lord felt that this speech was truly the peak of his bear-life wisdom and eloquence! It was logically sound (in his mind), immensely tempting (a Godhood!), and full of persuasive power (look, even I, Bear Lord, knelt!).
He looked at Ah Tai with full confidence, waiting for the big dummy to bow down in submission.
However, the moment he finished speaking, the brief confusion in Ah Tai's massive blood-red eyes was replaced by a stubborn, almost foolish loyalty!
"ROAR—!!!"
Ah Tai suddenly let out an earth-shattering roar, his giant head shaking violently, sending ice chips flying:
"Bullshit! I, Ah Tai, was born a soul beast of the Far North, and I will die an ice soul of the Far North! I only swear fealty to Lady Ice Empress and Her Majesty Snow Empress! You outsiders wounded me and actually expect me to surrender?! In your dreams!"
He struggled even harder, his massive arms trying to prop up his body, his voice full of stubborn honesty:
"If you have the guts, kill me! Lady Ice Empress and Her Majesty Snow Empress will surely avenge me! They are much more powerful than I am! Don't think you're leaving the Far North alive! Her Majesty will tear you to pieces!!"
Bear Lord: "???"
His smug expression instantly froze on his face. His dark-golden bear eyes bulged, filled with disbelief.
Wait... is this guy's brain filled with nothing but ice chunks?! A Godhood! A Godhood!! I even brought out the Godhood! And he isn't even moved?! Still 'Ice Empress' and 'Snow Empress'?! Can they give you a Godhood?! They can't even become gods themselves!!
Bear Lord felt his bear-brain wasn't quite enough to process this; he was deeply shocked by the Snow Devil King's wooden-headed logic. He even felt a sense of powerlessness, like playing a lute to a cow. He instinctively turned his head toward Lin Yu on his back, his eyes filled with grievance and a 'Master, this really isn't my fault' plea for help.
Lin Yu watched this absurd scene—especially the vividly bewildered expression on Bear Lord's face—and almost burst out laughing. He shook his head helplessly; Ah Tai's level of thick-headedness had indeed exceeded his expectations and Bear Lord's calculations. It seemed pure intimidation and bribery didn't work well on this kind of single-minded brute.
"That's enough, Bear Lord."
Lin Yu waved his hand, interrupting Bear Lord's confusion. "It seems our brother Ah Tai's loyalty to the Three Heavens Kings of the Far North is truly heart-wrenching and admirable."
His tone was clearly mocking. His gaze swept over Ah Tai's 'rather die than submit' look, then glanced at Gu Yuena's clone, who remained expressionless, though a trace of helplessness seemed to flicker in the depths of her eyes as well.
Lin Yu paused for a moment, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful arc:
"Since he is so deeply devoted to the Ice Empress, let us fulfill that loyalty. Bear Lord, take him with us."
"Eh? Take him?" Bear Lord was stunned, not understanding. Since he wouldn't submit after a beating or a scolding, why take him? As baggage?
"Yes, take him."
Lin Yu nodded with certainty, his gaze seemingly piercing through the heavy snow toward the center of the Far North core circle—the heart of cold and majesty:
"In a moment, we'll wait for that Lady Ice Empress to personally come and 'enlighten' him. Let him see with his own eyes how the Empress he serves stands up for him."
His words were calm, yet they carried an unquestionable confidence that suggested he was about to control everything. Having the Ice Empress persuade her own number-one enforcer to surrender? The thought of that scene was quite amusing.
Bear Lord suddenly understood, and a ferocious, gloating smile appeared on his face:
"Hehe, Master is brilliant! I get it now!"
He wasted no more words. Extending his massive Dark Golden Terrorclaws like he was picking up a chick, he directly pinched one of Ah Tai's giant arms. Although Ah Tai was massive, his strength had been heavily damaged by Lin Yu, and in the face of Bear Lord—who possessed bloodline suppression—his struggling was futile.
Bear Lord crudely ripped him out of the ice crater and slung the still-uselessly-shouting Ah Tai—who was yelling "Let me go!" and "Her Majesty will kill you!"—over his mountain-like back like a giant ice pillar.
The group set off once more.
Bear Lord carried the constantly struggling and roaring Ah Tai; Lin Yu and the Silver Dragon King's clone stood atop Bear Lord's back, while Huo Yuhao huddled carefully behind them. The wind and snow howled, carrying an "ice pillar" that kept clamoring for revenge, as they rolled toward the Ice Empress's territory.
Gu Yuena's clone remained silent, her silver hair fluttering slightly in the cold wind. She looked at Lin Yu's back, then glanced at the swearing Ah Tai being carried along. A complex thought flashed in the depths of her purple eyes.
This Golden Dragon King truly didn't act according to common sense. However, using the Ice Empress to deal with the Ice Empress's own people... that was indeed an efficient and heart-wrenching method.
She began to look forward to what kind of expression the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress—known for her cold arrogance—would have when faced with this situation.
The biting wind of the Far North, carrying sub-zero temperatures and ice crystals capable of slicing through anything, diverted automatically before Bear Lord's massive dark-golden body. This Star Dou Ferocious Beast was currently carrying heavy "luggage"—the Titan Snow Devil King Ah Tai, who was crudely slung over his back. Ah Tai continued to roar in vain, his giant body struggling and causing Bear Lord to let out dissatisfied low growls, tightening his Dark Golden Terrorclaws and eliciting even more miserable wails of pain from Ah Tai.