Chapter 75: Just Stop Thinking About Me
Bi Ji gazed into the Snow Emperor’s icy-blue eyes—eyes that seemed capable of seeing through anything—and alarm bells began to ring loudly in her heart.
She subtly shifted Jiang Li’er further behind her, maintaining a gentle demeanor on her face, yet her voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible note of tension.
"Snow Emperor, Di Tian is well aware that we have ventured out on this occasion. If we fail to return for an extended period—or if... some unfortunate accident were to befall us—Di Tian would certainly not let the matter rest. I presume you, too, would not wish to lightly.. risk a war with the Star Dou Great Forest?"
She was, in truth, merely bluffing.
Di Tian had no idea that they had ventured into the human world on a "journey."
Yet, at this moment—facing two of the Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, and the Snow Empress in particular—her own combat prowess was limited. She could only invoke the name of Di Tian—the Beast God and Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King—in an attempt to make the Snow Empress hesitate.
Upon hearing this, the Snow Empress’s exquisite face showed not a hint of fear; instead, a faint smile—subtle yet tinged with a distinct air of arrogance—bloomed upon her lips.
"Di Tian?" she repeated softly, her tone carrying a faint trace of disdain. "Why would I fear him?"
Before her words had even fully faded, the previously restrained, icy aura surrounding her underwent a sudden, drastic transformation!
A vast, majestic, and terrifying pressure erupted outward from the Snow Empress, serving as its epicenter!
The invisible pressure surged like a tangible tidal wave, instantly engulfing the entire valley!
The layer of ice coating the ground cracked and groaned under the strain, growing thicker and harder by the moment.
Bi Ji bore the brunt of the impact; she let out a muffled grunt, her face turning slightly pale as she involuntarily stumbled back half a step, her emerald eyes wide with shock.
"Seven hundred thousand years?!"
She cried out in astonishment, her voice ringing with sheer disbelief.
"You broke through?! When did this happen?!"
It was simply astounding!
For Fierce Beasts, every hundred thousand years represented a monumental chasm—a celestial barrier where the difficulty of breaking through increased exponentially.
She had previously heard that the Snow Empress had been stalled at the six-hundred-thousand-year threshold for a very long time; how, then, could she have suddenly—and so silently—broken through to the seven-hundred-thousand-year mark?
Moreover, her aura appeared perfectly stable, devoid of any hollowness or instability; clearly, this breakthrough had occurred naturally, a culmination of solid, deep-rooted foundations!
The Snow Empress slowly reined in the pressure she had unleashed, and the suffocating weight within the valley began to subside.
A deep, profound glint flashed within her ice-blue eyes as she gazed at Bi Ji’s stunned expression, her voice carrying an indescribable nuance.
"Do you want to know?"
She paused, her gaze falling once again upon Jiang Li’er—who stood behind Bi Ji, wide-eyed and wearing an expression of both curiosity and wariness—and spoke in a voice laced with seduction: "Bring this little one along and come visit us in the Far North... stay for a while, and I’ll tell you."
Her words were a mix of truth and falsehood.
Naturally, the secret regarding the small world within the tower—and its ability to evade Heavenly Tribulations—was not something she would reveal lightly; however, her desire to use this as a lure to entice the Imperial Auspicious Beast to visit was entirely sincere.
As for Di Tian?
The Snow Empress had recently surpassed the 700,000-year cultivation mark, and her power had surged significantly.
Even outside her home turf in the Far North, she was confident she could hold her own against Di Tian without falling into a disadvantageous position.
Given the potential opportunities that the Imperial Auspicious Beast might bring, taking a certain amount of risk was well worth it.
Bi Ji’s heart sank.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm as she sought an excuse: "The Far North is a land of bitter cold—a harsh environment where ice and snow persist year-round. Li’er and I have long resided in the Star Dou Great Forest, accustomed to its warm and humid climate; were we to travel there, I fear we might... struggle to acclimate to the local conditions and find it difficult to adapt."
The Ice Empress, who had remained largely silent until now, curled her lip. Her azure eyes swept over Jiang Li’er with a hint of provocation as she spoke:
"What is there to fear? You are the illustrious Emerald Swan—a being with over 500,000 years of cultivation; surely you aren’t afraid of a little cold? As for this little one..."
Her gaze lingered on Jiang Li’er for a moment before she continued, "I observe that her vital energy is vigorous; her life force radiates as brightly as a small sun. Wherever she goes, I imagine the air grows warm and cozy around her—how could she possibly be afraid of the cold?"
Jiang Li’er had been listening to their conversation with nervous intensity, but upon hearing the Ice Empress address her as a "little one"—and seeing the way she was being scrutinized with that particular look—she immediately took offense.
She was the Imperial Auspicious Beast, the cherished darling of the Star Dou Great Forest! When had she ever been regarded as something so "small"?
Especially when the person doing the regarding appeared to be nothing more than a tiny little thing herself—looking just like a loli!
"You’re the one who’s small! Your whole family is small!"
Jiang Li’er peeked out halfway from behind Bi Ji, defiantly puffing out her chest as she glared at the Ice Empress with her beautiful eyes, her tone brimming with pride.
When she had undergone her human transformation, she had meticulously sculpted this body of hers—even deliberately referencing Sister Bi Ji’s graceful curves for certain specific areas!
"..."
The Ice Empress was momentarily stumped by her remark; she subconsciously lowered her gaze to her own flat chest, then looked back up at the truly substantial curves of Jiang Li’er...
A surge of inexplicable embarrassment, mixed with sheer fury, instantly rushed to her head!
"You...!"
The Ice Empress’s delicate face turned crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye—whether from anger or shame, it was hard to say—and with eyes practically spitting fire, she gritted her teeth and snarled:
"You... you’d better not ever fall into my clutches! Watch out, or I’ll use my pincers to snip those things right off you!"
As she spoke, she even gave a provocative little wave of her slender, pale hands.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li’er shrank back further behind Bi Ji, leaving only her head exposed as she stuck out her tongue and made a huge, exaggerated face at the Ice Empress: "Nyah nyah nyah~ You can’t catch me! You can’t catch me!"
"You—!"
The Ice Empress stamped her foot in rage, about to charge forward.
"Bing’er."
The Snow Empress called out softly; her voice was quiet, yet it carried an unmistakable tone of absolute authority.
The Ice Empress froze mid-motion. She shot a fierce glare at Jiang Li’er, gave a disdainful huff, and turned her head away—though her small chest continued to heave with indignant agitation.
Just then, Jiang Bai—who had been observing the situation from the sidelines—stepped forward.
He could not simply stand by and watch the conflict between the two parties escalate any further.
After all, he had received a favor from them; he certainly couldn’t allow someone to be truly abducted right under his nose.
"Snow Empress, Ice Empress."
Jiang Bai spoke up, his voice calm and carefully measured.
"Regarding the Imperial Auspicious Beast... to the best of my knowledge, once she chooses to undergo human transformation, the cultivation-boosting effects she originally provided to the Soul Beast community will be drastically diminished—or may even vanish completely. I wonder... is this indeed the case?" "
His words were both a question and a reminder.
He was reminding the Snow Empress that the transformed Imperial Auspicious Beast might no longer have the "group value" it had imagined.
Jiang Li’er was taken aback by Jiang Bai’s sudden support, then quickly emerged from behind Bi Ji, nodding vigorously in agreement: "Exactly! He’s right! After I transformed, that aura that accelerated the cultivation of soul beasts was almost gone! Taking me to the far north now wouldn’t be of much use, and it would only offend Uncle Di Tian—it’s not worth it!"
"Don’t even think about me!"
Bi Ji immediately seized the opportunity, adding, "Snow Empress, what Jiang Bai said is true. I’ve been by Li’er’s side during this time, and I can clearly feel that the domain on her that could so broadly nourish and accelerate the cultivation of soul beasts has indeed become negligible, almost imperceptible."
Upon hearing this, the Ice Emperor looked at the Snow Emperor, her eyes questioning.
If that were truly the case, then antagonizing the Di Tian for a mythical beast that had lost its ’halo’ would indeed require a reassessment.
The Snow Emperor’s icy blue eyes silently observed Bi Ji and Jiang Li’er, as if judging the truthfulness of their words.
Her gaze was deep and penetrating, making even Bi Ji feel somewhat pressured.