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After Qian Renhan's Fallen Angel's Burial and the Ice and Snow Empresses' Pride neutralized each other, two thunderous booms echoed through the frozen peaks. The Titan Snow Demon King and the Ice Bear King, massive and powerful like towering hills, charged in from the left and right, swinging their massive arms. Space itself twisted wherever their limbs passed.
"You two aren't even worthy of being my soul ring or soul bone."
Qian Renhan swung both fists, unleashing twin black shockwaves. With two explosive crashes like war drums, the Titan Snow Demon King and Ice Bear King were sent hurtling through the air. They crashed into distant snowy cliffs, vomiting blood, and triggered two massive avalanches in the process.
"You're not bad."
Qian Renhan's eyes returned to the Ice Empress among the two Empresses.
Determination was etched on the Ice Empress's face. "Sister Snow Empress, since we can't escape—let's self-destruct. We absolutely won't let this human get his way!"
Just as the Snow Empress opened her mouth to respond, her pupils suddenly shrank, and she shouted in horror, "Bing'er!"
The Ice Empress lowered her gaze. A blood-red longsword had pierced clean through her chest. Her life force was draining rapidly, and all her meridians and internal organs had been shredded by the sword's power.
"You really thought you could play tricks in front of me? Little scorpion, your brain truly is lacking."
Qian Renhan had silently appeared behind the Ice Empress, clutching the Shura Sword that skewered her. His expression didn't change—he didn't even blink.
Feeling the last of her life slip away, the Ice Empress used her remaining strength to look toward the Snow Empress, who was already in tears. A gentle smile spread across her face.
"Sister Snow Empress… I love you. If there's a next life, and I'm born male, even if you beat me to death, I'll still cling to you. I want to be with you."
Those words broke the last of the Snow Empress's composure. Already weeping, she now sobbed uncontrollably. She had always known about the Ice Empress's forbidden feelings toward her, but had chosen to pretend not to notice because of their same gender. But in this moment of life and death, there was nowhere left to run from the truth.
"Bing'er, even if we're the same gender… if there is a next life—I'll still marry you!"
"Sister Snow Empress… really? You mean it…?"
The Ice Empress gave a final, trembling smile before closing her eyes forever. The form of the green-haired loli vanished, reverting back into the body of a 1.5-meter-long Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor.
Immediately afterward, a crimson soul ring bearing three golden lines appeared, along with a trunk soul bone radiating both emerald green and icy blue hues.
"A 300,000-year soul bone, barely acceptable. But I've already set my sights on something greater. All I need now is to complete my collection of soul rings."
Qian Renhan casually reached out and stored the Ice Empress's soul bone into his soul tool.
"Bing'er… AHHH—!"
The Snow Empress shrieked in anguish, her cry cut short as Qian Renhan grabbed her throat and lifted her off the ground.
"Enough screaming. I'll send you to meet that scorpion right now."
His eyes lit up with a crimson glow as pitch-black soul power surged from the Snow Empress's eyes, ears, and nostrils, flooding into her brain and beginning to sift through her memories.
"Human… HUMAN!"
These were the last words the Snow Empress roared before her strength was entirely drained. She could feel her memories, her knowledge, her very consciousness disintegrating at terrifying speed.
Qian Renhan selectively absorbed only the useful knowledge, careful not to overwhelm his own mind with tens of thousands of years' worth of memory. He focused on harvesting information about the twin soul cores of yin and yang, as well as the Snow Empress's profound understanding of ice.
Once he obtained everything he wanted, Qian Renhan let go. The Snow Empress collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were vacant and lifeless, as though her soul had been stripped away. Her tall, flawless, and captivating body was now exposed through the tattered remains of her long white dress.
Qian Renhan's heartbeat quickened slightly, his blood circulation subtly sped up. His kun stirred faintly in response—a sign of his "respect" for the Snow Empress's perfect form.
Soon, a blue-white light flashed around her body. The Snow Empress began to change. Her humanoid appearance, her white hair—everything reverted to her most primitive form: ice.
She finally transformed into a block of Cold Marrow Ice, radiating infinite ice energy—so pure it seemed to embody the very essence of cold. If not for the torn yet still fragrant white dress beside it, no one would believe that this cold jade relic had once been a stunning beauty—so mesmerizing in face, figure, and grace that even Qian Renhan had nearly lost himself in her.
It could be said that if this piece of Cold Marrow Ice were left undisturbed—unabsorbed and unharmed—for long enough, it would eventually give birth to a new sentient being. A reincarnation of the Snow Empress.
Just as Qian Renhan was about to absorb the Ice Empress's soul ring, the ice beneath his feet suddenly trembled. A titanic figure surged toward them at incredible speed, emanating a boundless vitality and soul power that rivaled even the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
"A creature on par with the Deep Sea Demon Whale King? Such a beast exists in the Extreme North?"
Qian Renhan's eyes flickered with suspicion. He had already decided on the final three soul rings for his Asura Sword—Ice Empress, Bear Lord, and Ten Thousand Demon King. But now, with the sudden appearance of such a formidable soul beast, he began to wonder if killing the Ice Empress had been a waste of valuable resources.
However, as the figure approached, Qian Renhan quickly dismissed that thought. What emerged was an enormously bloated snow-white silkworm, wrapped in a glowing white aura. Its perfectly round head alone was over a meter in diameter, and its chubby body—over seven meters long—wriggled furiously as it charged toward them.
Its entire form shimmered like fine white jade, translucent and smooth, with pulses of light flickering beneath the skin. Atop its massive head were a pair of dazzling golden eyes. The most striking feature, though, was the series of golden rings around its body—starting from half a meter behind its head, spaced evenly along its length. There were nine golden rings in total.
Who else could it be but the luckiest beast in the Extreme North, the slumbering god of fortune—the 990,000-year-old Skydream Iceworm?
"Bingbing—!"
"Bingbing—!"
Another voice roared out hoarsely, filled with anguish and fury no less than the Snow Empress's.
The Skydream Iceworm had been peacefully sleeping, but the moment it sensed the death of its most beloved—Ice Empress—it snapped awake and rushed madly toward the scene.
As it stared at the dazzling 100,000-year soul ring that had floated up from Ice Empress's fallen form, it felt as if its heart had been torn apart. If it had the ability to cry, it would've already been sobbing uncontrollably.
"Human! Who are you?! Why did you kill Bingbing?! I'm gonna take you down with me!"
The Skydream Iceworm lunged straight at Qian Renhan, unleashing a vast sea-like wave of spiritual energy.
"Scram."
Qian Renhan responded with a single palm strike from afar. He had no interest in killing the Skydream Iceworm. Though its soul ring age was sufficient, its quality was far too low. As for its head and torso bones—he already had better options lined up, though they would require him to ascend to godhood to obtain.
As for the Skydream Iceworm itself? He would deal with it later—after absorbing the Ice and Snow Empresses. He'd haul it back to the Spirit Hall as a living nutrient tank and extract every last drop of value.
"AHHH—!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed across the snowy plains. Just like the Ice Bear King and the Titan Snow Demon King before it, the Skydream Iceworm was sent flying by Qian Renhan's slap, smashing into a distant snowy mountain and unable to rise again.
Compared to the other two soul beasts, however, the Skydream Iceworm's fate was even more pitiful. Its plump body bounced repeatedly against the icy terrain, tumbling through the Extreme North like a helpless ball of fat.
With all the interfering soul beasts now dealt with, Qian Renhan plunged the super divine weapon—Asura Demon Sword—into the ground beside him, then sat cross-legged to begin absorbing the Ice Empress's soul ring.
In less than half an hour, the Ice Empress had become the Asura Sword's seventh soul ring.
(End of Chapter)