The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion was incredibly powerful, possessing ultimate attributes. In this world, there were no more than twenty creatures capable of defeating her.
Among humans, there were five, and the Ice Empress could take on three of them!
However, whether it was the Snow Woman, Gu Yuena, or Zhongli, the Ice Empress was no match for any of them...
"Snow... Snow Empress!"
Upon recognizing the Snow Woman, the Ice Empress exclaimed in surprise, clearly caught off guard.
She didn't even pay attention to Paimon's earlier provocation.
She remembered the last time she had seen the Snow Empress was many years ago. She hadn't expected the Snow Empress to seek her out this time.
Could it be that something major had happened?
Or was the Snow Empress preparing to face her 700,000-year tribulation?
"Bing'er."
The Snow Woman wore a faint smile as she walked toward the "giant scorpion."
At that moment, a green light flashed around the "giant scorpion," and in an instant, a flat-chested girl about 1.5 meters tall appeared.
As a "scorpion," being flat-chested was normal. After all, she was clad in "heavy armor," so her development couldn't be too exaggerated.
After transforming into her human form, the Ice Empress glanced at the Snow Empress, a fleeting look of admiration and concern in her eyes.
Even though the woman standing beside the Snow Empress was stunning, even more beautiful than the Snow Empress herself, the Ice Empress's gaze remained fixed solely on the Snow Empress.
"Snow Empress, what brings you here to find me?"
The Ice Empress looked up at the Snow Woman, her voice filled with curiosity.
Before the Snow Woman could respond, the Ice Empress glanced at Zhongli, Gu Yuena, and Paimon, her brow furrowing as she asked, "And who are they?"
"There is indeed something I need to discuss."
The Snow Woman nodded, then paused before continuing, "But first, let me introduce these three to you."
"This is Gu Yuena, one of the Dragon God's avatars, the Silver Dragon King..."
Hearing this, the Ice Empress's eye twitched, and she looked at Gu Yuena with a hint of confusion.
Wasn't the Silver Dragon King a legendary existence?
How could she be here with the Snow Empress?
For a moment, the Ice Empress's mind was flooded with questions.
"As for this one, he is the Geo God Morax, also known as the Martial God who recently appeared in human society."
As soon as the Snow Woman finished speaking, the Ice Empress instinctively grabbed her hand and took a few steps back, her expression wary as she looked at Zhongli.
"Bing'er, there's no need to be so cautious. If the Martial God wished us harm, we wouldn't be able to stop him."
The Snow Woman gently patted the Ice Empress's head, smiling.
The Ice Empress: "..."
That made sense. She had no retort.
Suddenly, the Ice Empress seemed to sense something, her face paling.
"Snow Empress, what's wrong with your current state?"
In the entire North Pole, the Ice Empress was the soul beast who knew the Snow Empress best. Before making contact, she hadn't noticed anything amiss, but now she could tell something was wrong.
The Snow Empress's condition was off!
The Snow Woman shook her head, saying, "Bing'er, I'm fine..."
Before the Ice Empress could press further, the Snow Woman explained everything in detail.
"The path of reincarnation through transformation has been cut off, and the gods are targeting us..."
"Soul rings, soul spirits?"
The more the Ice Empress listened, the more confused she became. She looked at the Snow Woman, her mind in a whirl.
"Yes, though I am now a soul ring, I am a soul ring with consciousness. If it weren't for the ice-attribute soul ring provided by Tianmeng, I would likely be in the form of a soul spirit now."
"Bing'er, are you willing to become a soul spirit for the future of soul beasts?"
At this point, the Ice Empress finally snapped out of her daze. She looked at the Snow Empress, then glanced at Zhongli.
"Snow Empress, you don't need to make it sound so noble. I understand what you're saying."
"My time is running out. If I follow a god and become a so-called soul spirit, there's still a chance for me to be revived in the future."
"Thank you, Snow Empress, for giving me this opportunity, and thank you, Martial God, for allowing it!"
"I am willing to become a soul spirit!"
The Ice Empress waved her hand, not in refusal, but because there was no need for further words between sisters.
Even if Zhongli wasn't a god, the Snow Empress's choice was her choice!
"Ice Empress, this matter might have..."
"A 98% chance of success, right?"
Before Zhongli could finish, the Ice Empress waved her hand and said, "Even if there's only a 10% or 20% chance of success, I'm willing to try!"
The Ice Empress looked at the Snow Woman, her eyes filled with deep affection.
To be able to stay with the Snow Empress in this way—what more could she ask for?
This was love!
Zhongli's eye twitched slightly.
First, there was the brotherly bond between Ju and Gui, then the life-and-death devotion between the Snow and Ice Empresss, and now the endless cycle of unrequited love...
Truly, this was the Douluo Continent!
"In that case, I shall form the contract for you."
"Thank you, Martial God!"
Having done this once before, Zhongli was now quite skilled. As the contract formation appeared, Paimon looked utterly bewildered.
"Ah... do I have to bleed again?"
She hadn't even introduced herself yet, hadn't said a single word, and now another contract was being formed?
Fortunately, Paimon had some experience this time. She didn't scream or tremble but simply closed her eyes and cooperated.
Time passed, and in just half an hour, the fusion process neared its end.
Similar to the Snow Woman's state but slightly different, the Ice Empress became a soul spirit, while the Snow Woman remained a soul ring.
As a red soul ring with four markings appeared around Paimon, the fusion process was complete.
After the fusion, the Ice Empress didn't feel any weakness. Instead, she felt as though her body was being nourished by an inexplicable force.
In the next moment, her figure vanished from Paimon's consciousness and reappeared in the outside world.
"Another success?!"
With just one glance at the Ice Empress, Gu Yuena understood her current state.
Clearly, this fusion had been a complete success.
Truly, the man with a 98% success rate!
"It seems the soul spirit method is indeed viable and can be popularized to ease the conflict between soul beasts and humans."
Gu Yuena murmured to herself.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, her brow furrowed.
As Zhongli had said, soul spirits could indeed ease the conflict, but they couldn't completely resolve the issue.
Creating soul spirits required consuming soul beasts, but how long was a human's lifespan?
Once a human died, the soul spirit they possessed would also perish.
Humans would seek out new soul beasts to create soul spirits, breaking through their limits, and the cycle would repeat. Soul spirits were merely a replacement for soul rings and couldn't solve the fundamental problem.
In the end, soul beasts and humans would inevitably clash.
"Zhongli, the soul spirit method is indeed viable. I can also find some soul beasts willing to become soul spirits to promote this method."
"But the lifespan of humans..."
Gu Yuena voiced her doubts to Zhongli.
She truly wanted to foster peace between the two races, but reality didn't allow it.
Hearing this, Zhongli stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Soul spirits were products of the soul. If that was the case, was there a possibility of creating an independent space for soul spirits to go to after their human partners died?
At this thought, a glint of golden light flashed in Zhongli's eyes as he recalled the Netherworld!
What if, when forming the contract between soul spirits and soul masters, an additional clause was added to transport the soul spirits to the Netherworld after the soul master's death…