"Darkgolden Terrorclaw!" Facing Little White's all-out palm strike, even Tianlin could not afford to be careless. He unleashed the Darkgolden Terrorclaw to block Little White's bear paw.
The Ice Bear King's strength was several times greater than that of the Demon Bear Douluo from before. Even Tang Hao, with his Martial Soul True Body activated, would likely be inferior. Since Tianlin hadn't activated his soul bone armor, he could barely hold his ground.
Seeing Skydream Ice Silkworm and Snow Empress still making sarcastic remarks, he snapped, "You two, could you save your chat for later? Let's calm down this Ice Bear King first, okay?"
"Haha, no need to rush, Xiao Tian. Rongrong, let me borrow your body for a bit," Snow Empress said with a smile.
Ning Rongrong nodded and, following the method Tianlin had previously taught her, temporarily handed control of her body to Snow Empress. In an instant, the mischievous Ning Rongrong transformed into the noble and aloof Snow Empress.
"Little White, your mother is here. Aren't you going to stop immediately?"
"Mother?" Little White immediately regained composure upon hearing Snow Empress's voice. He looked at Ning Rongrong—though the appearance was someone else, the soul inside was unmistakably his mother's.
Although Little White wasn't very smart, his cultivation was profound, reaching the level of a Fierce Beast. He certainly wouldn't fail to recognize his own mother.
"Mother, it really is you! This is great—Mother's not dead!" Little White bounced around joyfully. Despite his massive size and strength, his voice was as adorably childish as a little kid's.
"Little White, you're too big. Take human form and talk to me," Snow Empress commanded.
"Yes, Mother!" Little White obediently replied. His body shrank, transforming into an incredibly cute little boy—a round, chubby human with a huge belly, plump white flesh, and even a round head, looking utterly silly and amusing.
Watching from her sea of spirit, Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled. "Wow, so this is the Ice Bear King Little White's human form. He's so cute!"
Girls always have a soft spot for cute things.
Snow Empress looked proud. "Of course! Little White was raised by me. Not only is he powerful, but also obedient and devoted—a truly good son."
"Come, Little White. Greet your uncle and aunt."
Little White bowed politely to Tianlin and Ning Rongrong, "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunt. I apologize for my earlier behavior, please don't be angry!"
Hearing Little White call him "Uncle," Tianlin felt a little uncomfortable. "Snow Empress, isn't Little White almost three hundred thousand years old? Having him call me and Rongrong uncle and aunt seems a bit off. At most, brother or sister would be fine."
"What are you saying? If he calls you brother and sister, then you'd have to call me aunt. Do I look that old?" Snow Empress laughed.
Everyone inwardly agreed—yes, no matter how beautiful she appeared, she was still nearly seven hundred thousand years old. But none dared say it aloud. If they angered Snow Empress, she could make their lives miserable, even as a soul.
"Mother, why are you in a human's body?" Little White asked, puzzled.
"I sacrificed myself to a human, seeking greater strength and immortality. From now on, I will leave the Extreme North." Snow Empress gently stroked Little White's round head.
Little White became anxious. "Mother, you're leaving? You don't want Little White anymore?"
"Of course not. I will never abandon you. I came back just to ask if you want to come with me. If you do, then sacrifice yourself to that uncle and, using Skydream's method, become his intelligent spirit ring. In the future, we can become gods together. If you wish to stay in the Extreme North, I'll immediately declare you my successor as the new king, and as for that Ah Tai, let him go die for all I care." Snow Empress's tone was gentle.
She cared deeply for her son but wouldn't restrict his choices—though her favoritism was obvious.
Titan Snow Demon King courted Snow Empress and got his bones broken, while Little White could inherit the throne and seize the chance to become a god without doing anything. Connections really do matter.
Little White didn't hesitate. "I'll go with Mother!"
To him, the throne meant nothing. He had no ambition or grand ideals, only the desire to stay by his mother's side.
"Good, Little White. Don't worry. When we reach the God Realm, Rongrong and I will help rebuild you a god-beast body ten times stronger than before." Hearing Little White agree, Tianlin was delighted—his eighth soul ring was finally within reach.
"Thank you, Uncle!" Little White looked fierce but was actually very cute and polite. Snow Empress's education was truly effective—much better than Uncle Ning's, whose disciple was... well, hard to describe.
Tianlin subconsciously glanced at Ning Rongrong, this little girl who had been spoiled into a little troublemaker by Ning Fengzhi and her grandfathers.
Noticing Tianlin's look, Ning Rongrong protested, "Sword brother, what's with that look? Are you thinking Little White is much better mannered than me and that you dislike me now?"
"Not that much—just a little." Tianlin raised his left hand, leaving a tiny gap between his thumb and forefinger.
"That's better." Ning Rongrong was self-aware—she knew she couldn't match Little White's manners. But just a little bit worse was acceptable.
Pity she'd never heard of the saying "the universe between the fingers," or she might have thrown a tantrum.
"All right, Little White. Sacrifice yourself as I instructed!" Skydream Ice Silkworm said. The sacrificial method for intelligent spirit rings was his invention; no one knew it better.
Little White listened quietly and quickly understood. He was naive, not stupid—otherwise he couldn't have survived two beast tribulations and cultivated for nearly three hundred thousand years.
"Uncle, I'm ready!" Little White announced. A red barrier spread—a sacrificial formation several times larger than Xiao Wu's.
After all, whether in cultivation or strength, Xiao Wu was worlds apart from Little White.
With Tianlin's current physique, absorbing Little White's over two-hundred-thousand-year-old ring was effortless—he didn't even need to activate the Holy Spirit Domain.
Waves of red energy surged into Tianlin's magic sword. Little White sacrificed both his soul ring and bone to Tianlin. To match, Tianlin's other soul bones appeared and formed soul bone armor.
Except for his torso and left leg, Tianlin now had all other parts. Ning Rongrong was curious—which part would her sword brother get this time, torso or left leg?
Either way, his soul bone armor would become more complete.