Upon hearing this, Snow Empress fell silent for a moment.
Yes, there's no choice but to try.
If they don't give it their all, how can they pass the second trial?
Snow Empress let out a soft sigh. It seemed that there were still more hardships ahead.
Thinking about it, Snow Empress couldn't help but cast a slightly resentful glance at Su Yu.
It was all this annoying man's fault for running his mouth. If he hadn't been so full of himself, the second trial wouldn't have been this difficult.
It appeared that the Ice God was determined to make her and Su Yu suffer this time.
Noticing Snow Empress's slightly resentful look, Su Yu felt a little guilty and turned his head away.
He knew Snow Empress too well—one glance at her, and he could tell what she was thinking.
Seeing Su Yu turn his head, Snow Empress snorted lightly but didn't press the issue.
After all, she and Su Yu were now one. This was her man—she might complain about him, but she would never truly blame him.
Taking a few hits? Upon closer thought, it wasn't such a big deal.
Her real concern was how exactly they could pass this second trial.
The Ice Spirit Clan was simply too strong. Even their sensory abilities were incredibly sharp. Trying to obtain the Crystal of Frost while surrounded by them was undeniably a daunting task.
If she were in her prime, she might have stood a chance. But with her current level of strength, even with Su Yu's help, their chances were still slim.
Even someone as proud as Snow Empress felt a bit lost, unsure of what to do.
She glanced at Su Yu, a trace of doubt flashing in her beautiful eyes.
Why was this guy always so confident?
They had just been beaten, yet he didn't seem too affected. Although he complained about the pain, he still appeared energetic and full of determination.
Was this what they called mysterious self-confidence?
But, she had to admit, seeing Su Yu remain so undeterred eased some of the worry in her heart.
Su Yu stretched lazily, moving his hands and feet. Thanks to the nourishment from the Life Gold, he had mostly recovered.
He scanned his surroundings, preparing to call Snow Empress to head back, when a beam of light shot toward them, and Mu Wu's figure appeared.
"Young Master!"
Mu Wu bowed respectfully to Su Yu.
Su Yu looked at him in confusion and asked, "Weren't you in seclusion cultivating? Why are you here all of a sudden? Has something happened?"
Mu Wu replied, "Young Master, the hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo that Second Brother and the others brought back earlier has shown signs of activity."
"Oh?"
Su Yu raised an eyebrow.
That hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo had been placed in the Ice God's main hall ever since Lu Yuan and the others brought it back, where it was illuminated by the Ice God's Light.
This was because the embryo was unstable.
Like Snow Empress, it had been captured during its transformation process. This interference would inevitably make a successful transformation unlikely, even if it were released back into the wild.
However, with the Ice God's Light illuminating it, the situation was different.
The Ice God's Light was a divine power. Unlike the trials Su Yu and the others had to endure, pure exposure to the Ice God's Light brought only benefits, not harm.
Under the soothing influence of the Ice God's Light, the hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo had gradually stabilized.
Now that Mu Wu had come to report in person, it was clear the soul beast embryo had fully recovered.
Perhaps…
With a glint in his eyes, Su Yu immediately said, "Senior Mu Wu, let's go take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yu nodded to Snow Empress and the others before heading toward the Ice God's main hall.
Shui Lingguang quickly followed.
Bing Bing hesitated for a moment before diving into the waters of Frost Abyss with a splash.
She needed to warn the Ice Spirit Clan not to hit Su Yu's face during their next encounter.
How dare they strike the Young Master's face! She felt this group had gone too far and needed to be taught a lesson.
Meanwhile, Su Yu and the others arrived at the Ice God's main hall once more.
The towering palace stood grand and majestic.
However, Su Yu and his group had no time to admire its splendor and went straight inside.
Upon entering the hall, they were greeted first by the massive statue of the Ice God.
The statue radiated an icy blue light, sacred and solemn.
Su Yu's gaze swept past the statue and landed in the northwest corner of the hall.
In the northwest corner was a faint golden barrier.
Upon closer inspection, a white tray could be seen beneath the barrier. On the tray was a golden metal stand, from which the golden barrier emanated.
Within the golden barrier, a deep blue stream of energy swirled and pulsed.
The energy surged violently as if attempting to break free from the golden barrier.
Su Yu's eyes gleamed as he walked toward the northwest corner of the hall, followed closely by the others.
"So this is the hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo," Shui Lingguang said, her beautiful eyes shimmering.
The deep blue energy surged back and forth, exuding an indescribable vitality.
Snow Empress's gaze fell on the soul beast embryo, a flicker of anger appearing in her eyes.
She had experienced the same ordeal.
If Su Yu hadn't saved her back then, she couldn't imagine what kind of humiliation she might have endured.
Her love for Su Yu wasn't just due to his constant companionship and care—his act of saving her had been a crucial factor.
"Su Yu, can you not kill it?"
Snow Empress suddenly tugged at Su Yu's sleeve, pleading, "I can sense that its age isn't very high. While its energy level has reached the hundred-thousand-year mark, it's not a ferocious beast."
"With your current situation, ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beasts are of no use to you. Can't you just let it go?"
Su Yu paused in surprise, looking at Snow Empress with some astonishment.
Was Snow Empress suddenly feeling compassionate? That didn't seem like her.
She never cared much for non-ice-attributed soul beasts, let alone to the point of pitying them.
A flash of understanding crossed Su Yu's mind.
Snow Empress must have thought of her own experience, which stirred her sympathy for this soul beast.
Realizing this, Su Yu's lips curved into a slight smile.
"When did I ever say I'd kill it?" Su Yu replied with a soft laugh.
"If I wanted to kill it, I would've done so the moment it was brought back. Why would I let it bask in the Ice God's Light for nearly a year?"
"You want to save it?" Snow Empress asked in surprise.
Su Yu didn't answer directly.
Whether it would be saved or not depended on the soul beast embryo itself.
After all, this was a sea soul beast, and Su Yu harbored no goodwill toward them.
They were followers of Sea God, after all.
But the soul beast embryo had been illuminated by the Ice God's Light, which meant it should feel a natural affinity for the Ice God Palace.
If it chose to join them, Su Yu wouldn't mind sparing it.
He might even help it transform and ensure its safety as it grows.
After all, this was likely an arrangement by the will of the world, and Su Yu believed the embryo's origins were anything but simple.
Under the astonished gazes of Snow Empress and the others, Su Yu slowly crouched down.
The deep blue energy, which had been surging violently, suddenly stilled.
It condensed itself into a tight sphere, resembling a baby. It floated quietly, exuding an air of innocence.
Even through the golden barrier, Su Yu could sense the soul beast embryo observing him.
Fixing his gaze on it, Su Yu smiled lightly and said, "You heard what we just said, didn't you?"
"We don't want to kill you, but that depends on your choice."
"Though humans captured you, we've never harmed you."
"We've bathed you in the Ice God's Light to stabilize your condition."
"Now, I ask you—are you willing to join our Ice God Palace?"
"If you are, I'll release you and help you transform."
"But if you're unwilling, then I'm sorry. The 100,000-year soul beast embryo is our spoils of war, and we can't let you leave."
"As for what will happen then, I can't guarantee anything."
Su Yu extended one finger and pressed it against the golden light barrier.
"If you're willing, touch my finger with yours. I'll give you three minutes to think about it."
Su Yu's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable authority.
Snow Empress's eyelid twitched. She knew Su Yu never joked about such matters.
Once he made a decision, he wouldn't change it.
If this 100,000-year soul beast embryo ultimately didn't agree, Su Yu wouldn't hesitate.
The fate awaiting this soul beast embryo would inevitably be to become someone's soul ring and soul bone.
Though Snow Empress felt a trace of pity for the embryo, she wouldn't oppose Su Yu's decision.
Even though she sympathized with the soul beast embryo, if it truly refused, Snow Empress wouldn't stop Su Yu.
After all, compared to Su Yu, a 100,000-year soul beast embryo wasn't worth much in the grand scheme of things.
Three minutes passed quickly. Just as Su Yu was beginning to grow impatient, the golden light barrier stirred, and finally, the 100,000-year soul beast embryo responded.
A deep blue stream of energy condensed, forming what appeared to be a finger, which lightly touched Su Yu's fingertip.
For a moment, Su Yu felt as though a pair of innocent and pure eyes were gazing at him.
For some reason, a faint sense of closeness welled up in Su Yu's heart, and his gaze softened.
"Senior Mu Wu, release it. Ling Guang, bring the Soul-Nurturing Lotus Platform to help it take form."
Su Yu stood up and gave his instructions.
"Understood!"
Mu Wu and Shui Ling Guang responded in unison. In the next moment, Shui Ling Guang's figure suddenly disappeared.
Snow Empress looked puzzled and asked, "Doesn't it need a Transformation Herb?"
Su Yu shook his head and replied, "It's different from you. You forcibly took human form, and your transformation was interrupted midway. Without the Transformation Herb, there was no way to save you."
"But its transformation is a natural process. Although it was interrupted, the Ice God's Light stabilized the state, so continuing the transformation shouldn't be an issue."
"Plus, I've already asked Ling Guang to fetch the Soul-Nurturing Lotus Platform. With its protection, success is practically guaranteed."
"Of course, the most important thing is… I don't have any more Transformation Herbs."
Su Yu puffed out his chest, speaking with a justified tone as if completely confident in his reasoning.
Snow Empress rolled her eyes at him but felt a warmth in her heart.
A divine treasure like the Transformation Herb—Su Yu likely only had one of them.
And yet, he had given it to her.
On this journey, Su Yu had given her so much. One could say that her current freedom and health were all thanks to Su Yu.
Towards Su Yu, Snow Empress felt not just love but also deep gratitude.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have tolerated Su Yu's flirtatious behavior without much reaction.
While it was normal for strong members of the soul beast race to have multiple partners, Snow Empress, as the ruler of the Extreme North, surely had some sense of possessiveness, didn't she?
In truth, it was precisely because she remembered Su Yu's kindness that she chose to let him be. As long as Su Yu didn't go too far, she could overlook it.
Didn't she see how another ruler, Gu Yuena, thought about such things compared to her?
Gu Yuena was so domineering that she wouldn't even allow Su Yu to like anyone else.
If it weren't for Su Yu arguing his case, Gu Yuena would never have relented.
Even so, Gu Yuena hadn't fully given in.
To truly win over Gu Yuena, Su Yu would still have to become a god first.
Though Snow Empress was weaker than Gu Yuena in both strength and status, her current level of acceptance was already quite remarkable.
As Su Yu and Snow Empress were talking, Mu Wu had already opened the soul device, releasing the 100,000-year soul beast embryo.
A deep blue stream of energy rose into the air, floating weightlessly.
The energy condensed into a mass, faintly resembling the form of an infant.
It drifted toward Su Yu, circling around him a few times.
The deep blue energy swirled around Su Yu, exuding an intensely pure water aura, accompanied by a sacred and radiant light.
"Strange."
Su Yu frowned slightly and muttered.
"What's strange?"
Snow Empress looked at Su Yu.
The 100,000-year soul beast embryo seemed particularly interested in Su Yu, circling him nonstop.
"This soul beast seems unusual. I can sense the presence of two ultimate elemental attributes."
Su Yu murmured.
"How is that possible?"
Snow Empress was startled. Two ultimate attributes?
How could a soul beast with two ultimate attributes even exist?
Even she and Ice Empress only had the single attribute of Ultimate Ice.
Not even Ice Dragon Bing Bing had more than one ultimate attribute.
Two ultimate attributes—was that possible?
But Snow Empress had forgotten that such a soul beast did exist, and she had even seen one before.
"Little one, what exactly are you?"
Su Yu reached out his hand into the deep blue energy, seemingly trying to touch it.
The energy scattered like a startled rabbit, only to reform into a mass shortly after.
It watched Su Yu, exuding a strange emotion.
"What's going on?"
Su Yu asked in confusion.
Snow Empress hesitated for a moment before saying, "It seems… it seems to be… shy."
As a soul beast herself, Snow Empress could understand certain things better than Su Yu.
Su Yu's mouth twitched. Shy?
Don't tell me this is a female soul beast.
It seemed Snow Empress was right. As soon as the word "shy" was spoken, the deep blue energy darted away as if its thoughts had been exposed.
"Why does it feel like a little girl? Is this really a 100,000-year soul beast?"
Su Yu muttered skeptically.
PS: Take a guess. The shark girl from Soul Land 4, perhaps?