Chapter 72: The Shocked Jiang Li’er
He concluded: "In their respective domains, they are both beings of ultimate, unparalleled beauty. To force a comparison would be like asking whether the sun or the moon is more beautiful; they represent two distinct forms of ultimate radiance, and one cannot simply judge one as superior to the other."
As the Snow Emperor listened, the tips of her ears flushed ever so slightly—a change barely perceptible to the eye.
Yet, she maintained her aloof expression; only the hand holding her spoon seemed to steady itself a little. She lowered her head to continue sipping her soup, though the corners of her lips curled upward in a smile so faint it was almost invisible.
The Ice Emperor raised an eyebrow, glanced at Jiang Bai, and curled her lip in mild disdain.
However, this entire conversation—every single word—had drifted into the ears of Jiang Li’er, who was seated at the neighboring table.
The sun and the moon? Ultimate radiance?
Was Qian Renxue truly that important to him?
An inexplicable emotion—a tangled blend of resentment and competitive spirit—began to take root and coil within her heart.
She abruptly set down the menu she was holding and rose to her feet.
"Li’er?" Bi Ji looked up, a puzzled expression on her face.
Jiang Li’er offered no reply; instead, she walked straight toward Jiang Bai’s table.
She stopped beside Jiang Bai, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked down at the seated young man with a haughty, commanding air.
Upon her exquisite face, her crimson eyes now appeared particularly sharp and piercing.
"In that case," she began—her voice clear and crisp, carrying a distinct note of provocation—"tell me: who is more beautiful? Me, or your girlfriend, Qian Renxue?"
"???"
Jiang Bai looked up, gazing at the stunning face before him—a face that felt simultaneously unfamiliar and yet possessed a strange, subtle sense of familiarity—and for a moment, he was utterly bewildered.
"...Who are you?"
"My name is Jiang Li’er." Jiang Li’er lifted her chin slightly.
"Do you dare to fight me? The rules are simple: if you lose, you have to admit that I am more beautiful than Qian Renxue; if I lose, I’ll admit that Qian Renxue is more beautiful than me. How about it?"
"???"
Jiang Bai was even more bewildered.
What on earth was this?
A completely nonsensical challenge with equally nonsensical conditions?
Moreover, in their conversation just now, he had only referred to her as "Sister Xue’er" and hadn’t mentioned her full name!
Unless...
Jiang Bai scrutinized Jiang Li’er closely.
He had formed a suspicion in his mind, yet his expression remained completely impassive.
"This challenge is utterly meaningless," he said, shaking his head with a calm tone.
"Beauty is inherently subjective—like drinking water, only the drinker knows if it is hot or cold. Why insist on ranking one above the other? Furthermore, using the outcome of a battle to settle such a subjective judgment is simply absurd."
He looked at Jiang Li’er. "As for you—did you run off on your own? Aren’t you afraid that if you were discovered and targeted by certain human powerhouses with ulterior motives, the consequences would be unimaginable?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li’er’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"You... you recognize me?"
At that moment, Bi Ji also silently rose and positioned herself behind Jiang Li’er, casting a gaze—gentle yet laced with vigilance—upon Jiang Bai, while also sweeping her eyes over the Snow Empress and Ice Empress standing beside him.
The Snow Empress set down her spoon, her ice-blue eyes narrowing slightly as she observed Jiang Li’er with keen interest, a faint, almost imperceptible curve forming at the corners of her lips.
The Emperor Beast of Fortune—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion... To think I would encounter one here.
The aura of destiny and the surging vitality radiating from this little creature would be an irresistible temptation to any Soul Beast... I need to find a way to spirit her back to the Extreme North.
"I guessed," Jiang Bai replied with an ambiguous answer, nodding. "I won’t accept the kind of challenge you proposed earlier. However..."
He shifted gears, a glint of battle intent flashing in his eyes. "If you truly wish to fight me—to test your strength against mine—then I would be more than happy to oblige."
"Once we’ve finished eating, let’s head out to the outskirts, find an open space, and have a proper spar. What do you say?"
Jiang Li’er stared into Jiang Bai’s eyes; within those profound depths, she perceived composure, confidence, and—was that a hint of... the helpless indulgence a senior might show toward a mischievous child?
That particular look rubbed her the wrong way, yet the proposal for a fight suited her perfectly.
"Fine! It’s a deal!"
She accepted decisively, then turned around to return to her seat with Bi Ji, where they began ordering their meal—though her gaze would occasionally drift over toward Jiang Bai.
Only then did the Snow Emperor lean in and ask Jiang Bai in a low voice, "Do you know her?"
Her tone carried a note of inquiry.
Jiang Bai smiled. "I suppose you could say I do."
Hearing this, the Snow Emperor pressed no further, though her gaze lingered on Jiang Li’er for a moment longer.
...
After the meal, Jiang Bai settled the bill and, accompanied by the Snow Emperor and the Ice Emperor, left the restaurant ahead of the others.
They headed toward the mountainous terrain just outside the city—the very place where he had been cultivating not long ago.
Before long, a streak of flowing light cut across the sky; Bi Ji, carrying Jiang Li’er, descended gracefully onto this familiar stretch of desolate mountain terrain.
Jiang Li’er nimbly leaped onto a relatively flat clearing, her crimson eyes gleaming brilliantly beneath the moonlight.
"Let’s begin!" Her crisp voice echoed through the valley.
The moment the words left her lips, an aura of nobility and majesty surged forth from her being.
Amidst a swirling cascade of golden light, her body became encased in a dazzling suit of armor—one that appeared to have been forged from pure, golden glazed glass.
Her hands, too, transformed into razor-sharp claws, sheathed in a fine, intricate pattern of golden dragon scales; the tips of her claws glinted with a chilling, steely light.
Upon her forehead, a faint vertical mark flickered in and out of visibility, radiating mysterious ripples of destiny.
Golden Dragon Possession!
Four Soul Rings—two yellow and two purple—rose into the air around her.
She extended a dragon claw and pointed it at Jiang Bai, who stood opposite her looking completely at ease. Her voice rang out with unshakeable confidence: "Come on! Summon those three dragon beasts of yours! Let me see if you’ve made any progress lately!"
She was aware of the unique abilities of Jiang Bai’s Martial Soul, and she had also seen the appearance of those three dragon beasts.
A fire dragon, an earth dragon, and a wind dragon—at the time, they each possessed merely a thousand years of cultivation.
Even if Jiang Bai were to break through to the rank of Soul Sect, he would, at most, gain the aid of one additional thousand-year Soul Beast; his overall increase in strength would be limited.
In her view—endowed as she was with the bloodline of the Golden Dragon and possessing a cultivation level equivalent to that of a Soul King—her odds of defeating three (or at most, four or five) thousand-year-old dragon beasts were overwhelmingly high!
However, upon hearing her words, the corners of Jiang Bai’s mouth slowly curled upward, revealing a smile laden with deep significance.
"As you wish."
He raised his right hand, palm facing upward.
A nine-colored radiance swirled as a nine-story glazed pagoda materialized above his palm, rotating slowly.
The very next moment, Jiang Bai’s thoughts stirred.
The pagoda’s light flared brilliantly!
Four beams of light—each of a distinct color—shot forth from the tower’s body, landing upon the ground directly in front of him!
As the light dissipated, four colossal figures emerged abruptly, exuding a terrifying, heart-stopping pressure!
Jiang Li’er’s expression froze instantly.
Her crimson pupils contracted abruptly, shrinking to the size of pinpricks!
Even Bi Ji, who stood behind her and had maintained her gentle composure throughout, could not help but widen her eyes slightly; her exquisite face was etched with sheer, disbelieving shock!
A massive dragon—over ten meters in length and entirely covered in crimson scales—lay prostrate upon the ground.
Its aura had reached the staggering level of fifty thousand years!
Beside it stood an even more colossal creature—an earth-yellow dragon resembling a small mountain. Its limbs were as thick as pillars, and its heavy, armored scales were covered in rock-like textures. Merely standing there, it radiated a sense of stability and immovability—solid as the very earth itself.
The soul power fluctuations radiating from it indicated a cultivation of seventy thousand years!
Positioned slightly ahead and toward the center stood a wind dragon—relatively slender in build and entirely azure in color.
Its aura alone reached forty thousand years!
Yet, what caused Jiang Li’er and Bi Ji’s very souls to tremble most violently was the creature positioned directly in front of Jiang Bai—the largest of the four, radiating an aura of terrifying cold.
It stood there in silent stillness, wreathed in a visible, ice-blue mist of frigid air. The ground beneath its feet rapidly froze over into a thick sheet of solid ice, which continued to spread outward relentlessly.
Jiang Li’er’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
She swallowed hard, her crimson eyes locked unblinkingly upon the ice dragon. Her mind went utterly blank, save for a single voice echoing madly within her head:
"One hundred thousand years... a Soul Beast?"
"This... how is this possible?!"