Chapter 48: Journey to Meet the Snow Emperor
"Oh! Are we really going to meet Xue Di next? But she shouldn't have to become someone else's protector just like that," Tianmeng said with a hint of reluctance.
"Shut up, Tianmeng!" Bing Di snapped, kicking him aside. "I would do it for Xue Di even if it meant sacrificing my life."
"Woo woo woo…"
Xiao Qiang sighed and turned to Tianmeng. "Alright, Brother Tianmeng. Meeting the Snow Emperor is necessary. Now that the God-making plan has been partially realized, my talent is enough to support our next moves. But we have a problem—we're still too weak. If we encounter a Titled Douluo, we wouldn't even have time to escape."
He continued calmly, "Normally, cultivating with Extreme Ice is incredibly slow. If I use conventional methods, it'll take me 20 to 30 years to reach the level of a Titled Douluo. That's far too risky. So many uncontrollable variables could lead to failure, even death. If I die midway, the God-making plan ends with me."
"But even so, the Snow Emperor shouldn't be forced to lower herself and protect others," Tianmeng muttered.
"I don't intend for her to be 'inferior' to me. This will be a partnership—a mutually beneficial deal."
Tianmeng curled up into a ball. "Why don't you check your strength first? I'm afraid she'll slap you into the snow the moment she sees you."
"Don't worry. I've thought of a plan. Bing Di, where is the gathering place of your Ice Jade Scorpion clan? We'll find a lone Ice Jade Scorpion. You'll talk to it and pass on a message to the 100,000-year-old soul beasts of the clan."
"Using the clan as messengers, even if the Snow Emperor tries to kill me on sight, I'll at least have a chance to speak. If I can get a word in, things won't be that difficult."
"You sure?" Tianmeng asked timidly. He'd once experienced the terror of powerful soul beasts—especially those ranked among the top ten fierce beasts—and he was naturally terrified of the ruler of the Far North.
"I'm sure. You know me, Brother Tianmeng. After spending so much time with me, you should know I wouldn't take such a risk lightly unless I truly felt the danger was unavoidable without Xue Di's help."
"You can sense danger?" Tianmeng asked in surprise.
"Compared to opportunities, my danger sense is weak, but I can feel it occasionally. It's difficult to explain. Besides, the Sun-Moon Empire isn't entirely safe either. Internal issues are manageable, but Shrek's future is unpredictable."
"That's why we must be prepared. I just need Snow Emperor to intervene at critical moments. After that, we can peacefully walk the path toward godhood without worrying about a random Extreme Douluo showing up and smacking me to death—or dragging me into something like 'Nine Swords and Eighteen Holes.'"
"Alright… but Bingbing, are you sure there won't be a problem using the Ice Jade Scorpion as a messenger?"
"Get lost! Since when did my clan need a loser like you commenting on it?" Bing Di snapped. "Xiao Qiang, let's go. Ignore this useless worm."
"Woo woo, Bingbing bullied me…"
Xiao Qiang: "…"
...
With Tianmeng's spiritual detection and Bing Di's familiarity with the area, it wasn't difficult to locate the Ice Jade Scorpion clan's gathering site.
"Ice Emperor, which one of them is more reliable? You pick one, and I'll use mental interference and psychological suggestion to draw it out of the group."
"Any of the ten-thousand-year-level ones will do. They're smart enough to communicate with me. Just grab any."
Bing Di finished speaking, but then noticed Xiao Qiang's helpless expression in the sea of spirits.
"What's wrong?"
"Ice Emperor… I just want to ask. How exactly am I supposed to know which one is a ten-thousand-year-level Ice Jade Scorpion?"
Until now, Xiao Qiang had relied entirely on others to identify soul rings. The fourth ring was chosen by both Ice Emperor and Tianmeng. The third was from Tianmeng. The second was from the well-known Ice Silkworm. Only the first soul ring had been chosen by Xiao Qiang himself. As someone born with level five innate soul power, he had little experience recognizing soul beasts. Ice Jade Scorpions didn't even exist in the Sun-Moon Empire, and he only recognized them thanks to Bing Di. But how could he identify their ages?
"The third one from the bottom on the right," Bing Di said flatly.
"Alright then."
Activating his first soul skill, Psychological Suggestion, and the third ring's Mental Interference, Xiao Qiang targeted the selected Ice Jade Scorpion. The soul beast gradually slowed down and drifted away from the group without alerting the others.
Once it was isolated, Xiao Qiang revealed himself. The moment the Ice Jade Scorpion spotted a human, it was about to attack. But in the next second, Bing Di instantly took control of Xiao Qiang's body. The aura of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion emanated from him, making the ten-thousand-year-old scorpion tremble in fear.
Xiao Qiang used Mental Sharing to project Bing Di's true image into its mind.
The Ice Jade Scorpion became visibly agitated.
"I'm fine," Bing Di said calmly through Xiao Qiang's mouth. "I only have about a hundred years left. I won't survive my next tribulation, so I accepted this guy's god-making plan."
Her explanation was meant to reassure the soul beast and prevent it from attacking Xiao Qiang out of anger.
"Now go gather the elders. I have something to discuss."
The Ice Jade Scorpion sped away. Soon after, seven 100,000-year-old Ice Jade Scorpions arrived, led by the strongest one, who even spoke human language.
"Chief, are you alright?"
"I am. You all already know what's happened."
"Yes. We failed you, Chief. We couldn't find a treasure strong enough to help you overcome your limit."
"It's fine."
After a brief conversation, Bing Di ordered one Ice Jade Scorpion to seek out the Snow Emperor, while instructing the others to lead their clans away. On the snowy plains once belonging to the Ice Jade Scorpions, Xiao Qiang waited.
Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure descended from the sky, forcing Xiao Qiang to his knees. Even in the sea of spirits, Tianmeng shrank back in terror.
"B-Bingbing, I don't want to die!"
"Calm down, Brother Tianmeng. This pressure is powerful, yes, but not lethal. She's just showing off. That's actually a good thing for us."
"How can you say that?!" Tianmeng cried.
"In business, the one who haggles the most is the true buyer. She's showing her strength to establish control in our negotiation. If she didn't want to talk, she could've just told me to scram—no need for theatrics."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Hmph. Not only is he weak, but he's also dumb," Bing Di muttered.
Finally, after all the pressure and waiting, Xiao Qiang laid eyes on the ruler of the Far North—the majestic Snow Emperor.
"I surrender!" Xiao Qiang called out quickly. "But can you remove this pressure first?"