"Bing'er, join this evolution of light!"
Although the Snow Maiden didn't explicitly say who this "person on the brink of death" was, Zhongli knew that she was referring to the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, the Ice Empress.
In the original timeline, the Ice Empress had tried to persuade the Snow Empress to join this evolution.
Now, it was the Snow Empress who was persuading the Ice Empress to join.
Both were attempts at persuasion, but the Snow Empress's words were clearly more effective.
Of course, this also had to do with the "hardware" facilities.
Could Huo Yuhao compare to Zhongli?
"You mean that 390,000-year-old Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion?"
Gu Yuena slightly tilted her head, looking at the Snow Maiden.
She had some understanding of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
One of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, ranked just below the Snow Empress, her strength was quite formidable.
Hearing this, the Snow Maiden nodded and said, "Yes, Bing'er is about to face the 400,000-year tribulation. With her current foundation, she has no chance of surviving it."
Aside from this reason, the Snow Empress also had some personal motives in wanting the Ice Empress to join the "evolution of light."
The opportunity to become a god was right before their eyes, how could she forget the Ice Empress?
If it weren't for Little White's relatively "low" strength, she would have tried to bring him along as well. (Xiao Bai Bear)
"I will personally persuade Bing'er to participate in the research of spirit souls."
The Snow Maiden said this with a calm expression.
The method of spirit souls had basically been confirmed as feasible. Moreover, Zhongli had a 98% certainty, so there was no need to worry.
The Ice Empress's chance of breaking through to 400,000 years was less than 5%, so the 98% certainty was more than enough.
"Mm, that would be for the best."
Gu Yuena nodded slightly. The Ice Empress was on the brink of death, and contributing one last time for the sake of the spirit beasts would be her perfect ending.
If she succeeded, she would ascend to godhood.
If she failed, she would die sooner or later anyway.
Her time was running out, she had less than 10,000 years left!
For spirit beasts, especially high-level ones, 10,000 years might seem like a long time, but in reality, it wasn't long at all.
As if remembering something, Gu Yuena turned to Zhongli and asked softly, "What do you think?"
They could discuss it all they wanted, but they still needed to respect the opinion of the person involved.
As for Paimon... she was just a weak and helpless little creature. Her opinion didn't matter.
Hearing this, Zhongli stroked his chin and said after a moment of thought, "I welcome her, of course."
With Zhongli's approval, the Snow Empress's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "I know where Bing'er is. Should we set off now?"
Delays could lead to complications, so it was best to "secure" the Ice Empress as soon as possible.
Neither Zhongli nor Gu Yuena had any objections to the Snow Maiden's suggestion. Finding the Ice Empress wouldn't be difficult for them, but having the Snow Maiden lead the way would save them some trouble.
In a short while, the group of four left the Ice and Snow Palace, with the Snow Maiden leading the way and Zhongli and the others following closely behind.
At this moment, even without Zhongli's protection, Paimon didn't feel the slightest bit of cold in this icy, snowy environment. Instead, she felt a sense of warmth.
"Zhongli, Paimon doesn't feel cold anymore!"
Paimon put her hands on her hips, looking quite proud.
This strange experience was quite miraculous for Paimon, and she couldn't help but show off to Zhongli.
She was no longer just a unit of measurement equivalent to one-fifth of a wild boar's strength!
Zhongli glanced at her, a faint smile on his lips, and explained, "The Snow Maiden's attributes, according to this world's definition, are considered the pinnacle of ice and snow. Since you've merged with her, you've also gained these attributes, so naturally, you don't feel the cold."
On the path of ultimate ice, the Snow Maiden had gone further than even the Ice Empress.
But the Snow Maiden's attributes were indeed the pinnacle of snow, and describing them as the pinnacle of ice and snow was quite accurate.
Gu Yuena also looked at Paimon and said, "Paimon, the Snow Maiden's strength ranks among the top three in the entire spirit beast world. Of course, this is based on human rankings of known spirit beasts, and it doesn't include sea spirit beasts."
"Ten thousand years ago, there was a sea spirit beast that almost broke through to the god level, but unfortunately, it was killed by the inheritor of the Sea God..."
At this point, Gu Yuena's expression wasn't very pleasant.
A spirit beast that could potentially break the rules had finally appeared, only to be snuffed out!
Were the gods of the divine realm really so hostile to spirit beasts?
When Paimon learned how powerful the Snow Maiden was, her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she exclaimed, "Wow, Miss Snow Maiden is that amazing?"
The Snow Maiden smiled without saying a word. She was indeed very powerful. Even when facing a 99th-level Limit Douluo, she had no fear and was very likely to win.
But when it came to gods... she was still just an "ordinary spirit beast."
"The Snow Maiden is now your spirit soul. You can ask her for guidance on how to use spirit souls and combat techniques."
Zhongli said this nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Paimon quickly nodded and flew over to the Snow Maiden, giving her a sweet smile as she said, "Miss Snow Maiden, please guide me in the future!"
"Of course, Paimon!"
The Snow Maiden's eyes softened as she looked at Paimon.
She didn't know if Paimon could learn, but she would definitely teach her seriously.
Paimon looked like a little sprite, and the Snow Maiden felt a sense of connection with her.
Looking at Paimon was like looking into a mirror of her past.
She remembered how she had been as a child, innocent, lively, and cheerful, playing and frolicking in the snow.
If it weren't for the passage of time, if it weren't for the departure of her "old friends," perhaps she wouldn't have become the Emperor of the Extreme North.
The Extreme North needed someone to protect it, and as a sprite born of the snow and the daughter of the Extreme North, she had to shoulder this responsibility!
"Paimon, I will teach you everything I know!"
If Paimon really couldn't learn, the Snow Maiden could always take over as the spirit soul!
After becoming a spirit soul, her strength hadn't diminished, in fact, it had increased slightly!
After all, Paimon was Zhongli's spirit soul, and her energy was connected to his. In other words, Paimon's combat power depended on the "authority" Zhongli granted her.
As for energy, there was no need to worry.
So, if the Snow Maiden took over, Paimon's combat power would receive an epic boost!
The Ice Empress's residence was quite a distance from the Snow Empress's. The four of them chatted and enjoyed the snowy scenery as they traveled, finally arriving half a day later.
When they reached the Ice Empress's territory, the Snow Maiden nodded to the other three and then released her aura!
The Ice Empress would definitely come as soon as she sensed her presence!
Sure enough, after a short while, a 1.5-meter-long, jade-green scorpion came into view.
"Wow~ such a big scorpion!"
Paimon exclaimed in surprise. She had never seen, let alone heard of, such a huge scorpion!
Gu Yuena and Zhongli, however, remained expressionless and unfazed.