Once she transforms, the Snow Empress will become like a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast becoming a human, able to start anew.
With a human body, she seeks to break through to the eternal realm of immortality.
Moreover, due to the special method the Snow Empress used to transform, her growth rate will surpass that of an ordinary human-soul beast.
The Snow Empress is a proud soul beast.
Even if it means giving up everything to transform into a human and attempting to reach level 100 to become a god, she would rather take that risk than spend her final centuries struggling to survive, eventually succumbing to divine tribulation.
Yes, perhaps transforming into a human might not allow her to live as long as simply waiting for death.
After all, humans have short lifespans, and as a human-soul beast, who knows what dangers she might face?
But even if it costs her everything, she would rather fight with all her might than accept her fate easily.
She lacks no adventurous spirit in her bones.
However, as Su Yu once said, unpredictable things happen in life.
The world changes, and it doesn't always follow human will.
The Snow Empress is destined to face catastrophe, whether natural or man-made.
In the grand scheme of fate, the Snow Empress is also part of the opportunities granted to the chosen Child of Destiny.
Here, the Snow Empress obtained a hundred-thousand-year-old snow lotus, enabling her to transform.
Meanwhile, as the Snow Empress was transforming, a rank 9 soul engineer accidentally wandered into the core of the Extreme North.
By sheer coincidence, he stumbled upon the Snow Empress during her transformation.
To call it a coincidence would be an understatement—the scent of fate was unmistakable.
"This... Is this a hundred-thousand-year soul beast transforming?"
"Hahaha, what great fortune!"
The rank 9 soul engineer from the Sun Moon Empire laughed heartily.
Such a rare opportunity had fallen into his hands; it was indeed a stroke of incredible luck.
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast transforming was already rare enough, and to encounter one at this exact moment—this fortune was meant for him.
With this in mind, the soul engineer took out a soul tool.
It was a tray—a wooden one inlaid with over a hundred colorful gems that occasionally emitted a faint golden glow.
Although the wooden tray appeared simple, it was a rank 9 soul tool known as the God Sealing Altar.
It was the proud creation of this rank 9 soul engineer.
At this moment, the Snow Empress was in the midst of her transformation, utterly incapable of attacking.
The soul engineer seized the opportunity and trapped the white mist, the essence of the Snow Empress, within the God Sealing Altar.
The white mist swirled frantically inside the platform but was contained by a pale golden barrier, unable to escape.
Inside the golden light, the Snow Empress was filled with overwhelming rage.
These despicable humans ambush her at such a critical moment.
For a soul beast of nearly seven hundred thousand years, being captured by such a weakling was a humiliation.
But unlike the Snow Empress's fury, the rank 9 soul engineer laughed even harder.
"I've got it. A hundred-thousand-year soul beast in transformation—this treasure is priceless!"
The soul engineer was ecstatic.
If he sold this hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo, wouldn't he make a fortune?
Then he could have all the rare metals and funds he needed to continue his research on soul tools.
For these soul engineers, their obsession with soul tools bordered on madness.
"Who should I sell it to?"
"I can't sell it to the Empire. Not only would that be hard to explain, but the Empire is more focused on soul tools, so the price might not be as high."
"No, I should sell it on the Douluo Continent. I'll use this hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo to make a fortune off those foolish soul masters."
The soul engineer made up his mind to sell the embryo to the Star Luo Empire.
The Star Luo Empire was the strongest of the three nations on the Douluo Continent, making them the best target to exploit.
Sigh, there aren't many patriots like me left.
The soul engineer chuckled to himself as he stowed the God Sealing Altar into his soul tool and turned to leave.
Having obtained the hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo, there was no reason to linger in the Extreme North.
...
Not long after the rank 9 soul engineer left, the Ice Empress arrived with Su Yu.
"Hm? Where is she?"
A trace of confusion flashed across the Ice Empress's gem-like eyes. Where was the Snow Empress?
Su Yu carefully sensed the surroundings, and his face darkened.
"Something's wrong. There's been an incident."
The area was filled with a strong aura, indicating that the Snow Empress had been there for a long time.
That wasn't surprising, as this was the Snow Empress's territory.
But the problem was, there was a foreign presence here, one that didn't belong to the Extreme North—an aura tinged with the faint scent of metal.
With Su Yu's newly acquired super-sensing ability, he was more attuned to such things than before.
Under his careful observation, nothing escaped his notice.
"What!"
"What should we do?"
The Ice Empress's voice rose sharply. Something had happened to the Snow Empress?
"There's a scent of snow lotus here, and it's quite old."
"I'm afraid the Snow Empress consumed the snow lotus and underwent her transformation."
"But just at that moment, a human soul master appeared. The Snow Empress was likely taken by them."
Su Yu's tone was icy.
"How do you know that?"
The Ice Empress was shocked.
There's nothing here, and you figured that out?
"There's an unfamiliar soul engineer's aura here. I sensed it."
"Enough talk, Ice Empress. We need to move. That guy shouldn't have gone far."
Su Yu urged anxiously.
If the Snow Empress was taken out of the Extreme North, things would get tricky.
"Alright, let's go quickly. You lead the way."
The Ice Empress responded immediately.
"Let's go!"
Su Yu tracked the metallic aura, guiding the Ice Empress.
Naturally, the Ice Empress's speed was extraordinary.
Following the trail, they sped off.
After roughly half an hour, a faint figure finally appeared in the vast snow.
"There he is."
As Su Yu spoke, the Ice Empress had already surged ahead.
Daring to lay hands on the Snow Empress in the Extreme North was an unforgivable offense to the Ice Empress.
Her killing intent surged to an unprecedented level!
The Ice Empress transformed into a streak of emerald light, her terrifying and violent aura turning the sky a shade of green.
...
"Hmm?"
The rank 9 soul engineer sensed something amiss, and his face changed dramatically.
"Could it be that the hundred-thousand-year soul beast's companion has caught up?"
"This is bad. I need to get out of here."
The soul engineer turned to flee. Battling a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in this icy wasteland was not a wise choice.
But the Ice Empress wouldn't give him that chance.
"Domain of Perpetual Ice!"
Emerald green light surged from the Ice Empress's body, and a pillar of light shot forth.
Wherever the pillar passed, everything froze solid.
The rank 9 soul engineer felt a lethal threat as the freezing aura slowed his movements and decreased his speed.
He had no choice but to dodge.
But with that brief hesitation, the Ice Empress was already upon him.
"Human scoundrel, hand over the Snow Empress immediately!"
The Ice Empress shouted fiercely as an endless surge of ice elements rapidly condensed around her. A chilling aura swept across the area.
As the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, the Ice Empress was a powerful combatant, a super soul beast no less terrifying than the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Though she had cultivated for only 390,000 years, her combat strength was on par with that of a level-98 Super Douluo.
If someone like Xuan Zi were to fight the Ice Empress, it would be difficult for him to win. And if the battle took place in the Extreme North, Xuan Zi would likely retreat at the mere sight of her. The boost provided by the Extreme North was enough for the Ice Empress to face even the strongest level-98 Super Douluo head-on.
As for the rank-9 soul engineer standing before her, he was just an ordinary rank-9 soul engineer. Not every rank-9 soul engineer could match Jing Hongchen, who could fight a level-98 Super Douluo without being easily defeated. Jing Hongchen was the head of Illustrious Virtue Hall, a top-tier rank-9 soul engineer, but this one couldn't even be compared to him.
Feeling the Ice Empress's terrifying aura, the soul engineer's expression changed drastically.
"This is... the Ice Empress, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, one of the three kings of the Extreme North?"
The Ice Empress's name had long echoed throughout the soul master world, and this soul engineer was no exception to that knowledge. Immediately, he became extremely cautious.
But amidst his wariness, excitement surged. Based on what the Ice Empress had said, the soul beast embryo he had captured earlier was the Snow Empress. The leader of the three kings of the Extreme North?
An uncontrollable wave of joy welled up in him. If that was indeed the Snow Empress, how valuable would she be? A priceless treasure!
Driven by greed, his avarice swelled uncontrollably. Even with the Ice Empress standing before him, he was unwilling to give up the Snow Empress. This concerned his future fortune and happiness. Whoever tried to take her from him, would fight to the death!
"Ice Empress, there's no need to waste words with him. Let's attack."
Su Yu said.
"He's not going to hand her over. Pay attention to the bracelet on his wrist—that's a storage soul tool, and the Snow Empress is probably inside."
Su Yu pointed at the bracelet on the soul engineer's wrist. It was likely a high-level soul tool capable of holding living creatures, which wasn't surprising for a rank-9 soul engineer.
"I understand," the Ice Empress nodded, her orange-yellow eyes gleaming with ferocity.
"I'll leave you to it, then. I won't interfere with your battle."
Su Yu leaped away, landing on the snow below. With that, the Ice Empress had no more concerns and unleashed her full power.
A frigid emerald-green light shot out, freezing everything in its path. The Ice Empress launched her attack, enveloping the soul engineer in her range.
However, the soul engineer wasn't defenseless. Thousands of cannons appeared from his body, with a seemingly endless array of metal tubes aimed at the Ice Empress. In an instant, they all fired. Countless beams of light shot toward her.
But the Ice Empress was unafraid. The thick, diamond-like layer of ice covering her body refracted all the beams. She emerged completely unharmed.
Seeing this, the soul engineer's expression darkened. A massive cannon suddenly materialized on his body, firing a fiery red beam with incredible penetrating power. Even the Ice Empress felt a trace of danger. However, she remained calm as emerald-green light burst forth, freezing the fiery beam in place.
This was the power of Ultimate ice—capable of freezing even energy itself!
"Scoundrel, prepare to die!"
An overwhelming wave of emerald light filled the heavens, transforming into a sea of green. The terrifying cold caused the soul engineer's face to grimace. The temperature dropped rapidly, plunging to more than a hundred degrees below zero in an instant.
When the Ice Empress unleashed her full power, she could freeze entire regions. Out of consideration for Su Yu, she was still holding back somewhat. She hadn't yet used her most powerful domain ability. Once unleashed, the full power of her absolute ice would be truly terrifying.
The temperature plummeted so quickly that even the rank-9 soul engineer had to use his soul power to protect his body. The cold couldn't be ignored—not even by someone of his rank—and it restricted his movements.
In an instant, the Ice Empress had altered the temperature across a vast area spanning dozens of miles. Her reputation was well-deserved.
Her figure flickered, fast as a stream of light, darting toward the soul engineer. The Ice Jade Scorpion race had always been aggressive, their Ultimate ice the ultimate form of offense. They not only wielded this power but were incredibly fast and strong. Their favorite tactic was close-quarters combat, and most of the Ice Empress's skills were suited for that.
Seeing the Ice Empress charge, the soul engineer became extremely vigilant. Soul engineers—nine out of ten—feared close combat. At a distance, they could put up a fight, but in close quarters, they were as good as dead.
The rank-9 soul engineer quickly distanced himself and activated a powerful soul tool, pulling out a stationary soul cannon. As a rank-9 soul engineer, how could he not have a stationary soul tool?
An eighth-rank stationary soul cannon shell was dangerous enough that even a Titled Douluo wouldn't dare ignore it. The soul engineer loaded and fired the cannon.
At the same time, Su Yu quickly retreated. Others might not understand the power of a stationary soul tool, but he did. The destructive power of these soul tools was truly terrifying.
Boom!
The stationary soul cannon shell exploded, sending ice and snow flying into the air. A small mushroom cloud rose, unleashing devastating destruction. Everything within hundreds of meters was obliterated, and the shockwave nearly knocked Su Yu over, even though he had retreated two miles away.
"Damn, that was intense. But now the Ice Empress is probably even angrier."
An eighth-rank stationary soul cannon shell posed a considerable threat to ordinary Titled Douluo, but it was still lacking against the Ice Empress. Only a ninth-rank stationary soul cannon shell could seriously injure her. An eighth-rank one wasn't enough.
As expected, the Ice Empress emerged from the explosion completely unscathed.
At that moment, the soul engineer felt a chill in his heart, realizing the true terror of a top-tier soul beast.
The battle resumed, and this time, the Ice Empress quickly overwhelmed the soul engineer. The unstoppable might of Ultimate Ice left him in utter disarray.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, the soul engineer let out a horrified scream as his protective barrier shattered, and his arm was severed, flying through the air.