Seeing Snow Empress and Di Tian—sovereigns of the Extreme North and Star Dou Forest respectively—clashing in an instant, the Auspicious Beast panicked. She knew Di Tian's temperament too well. Most likely, he had misunderstood something because of his impulsiveness. She hurriedly shouted:
"Di Tian, stop! Don't attack! I didn't lie to you!"
Di Tian, now frozen solid, couldn't even muster a helpless smile. 'Child, I can't even move right now…'
Upon hearing the Auspicious Beast's plea, Snow Empress naturally stopped pressing forward. She only gave the frozen Di Tian a small, proud smile.
It took three or four whole seconds before Di Tian slowly regained his ability to move. He struggled to free his body from the icy bindings, his dragon blood boiling again within him. 'Snow Empress's extreme ice… it's terrifying beyond words!'
Di Tian looked at the slightly smug, icy expression of Snow Empress like she was some kind of monster. He muttered in disbelief:
"Absolute zero… freezing everything… Snow Empress, you've actually reached that realm."
Yes—if she were still just the third-ranked of the Ten Great Savage Beasts, how could she have frozen Di Tian so completely? Just those few seconds of paralysis were enough for her to land a full-strength Emperor's Palm strike, which would've seriously injured him, if not worse.
"Hmph, that's right. Otherwise, what makes you think I'd have the confidence to come to Star Dou Forest and face you?"
Di Tian sighed. 'So it's fortune… The world is about to change, huh? That you, ruler of the Extreme North, would step out of your domain… I misunderstood you all.'
"Come with me to the Lake of Life. This 'hope for soul beasts'—I want to hear what that actually means."
During the walk to the lake, Huo Yuhao remained completely silent, almost like he didn't exist. In fact, with Snow Empress's presence being so overwhelming, Di Tian subconsciously ignored him altogether.
It wasn't until they arrived at the lakeside and Di Tian stood ready to hear what this so-called hope for soul beasts was, that Huo Yuhao spoke, drawing Di Tian's startled attention for the first time.
"Di Tian, the hope for the soul beast race lies with me."
Huo Yuhao stood before Di Tian, his face calm and voice steady.
Di Tian's brow furrowed deeply. A weak human like this dared to stand beside the Lake of Life? That already made him uncomfortable. And now this boast? It was nearly infuriating.
"Who are you? Who gave you the right to stand before me?"
His voice was laced with dragon might—enough to crush someone of Huo Yuhao's level. But of course, with Snow Empress beside him, Huo Yuhao was entirely unaffected.
Before Di Tian could press further, Snow Empress floated to Huo Yuhao's side and snapped:
"Hmph. I gave him permission. Why else do you think I'm even here, Di Tian? Do you have a problem with that?"
"That's right, Di Tian. Please listen to what Yuhao has to say."
The Auspicious Beast also added her voice.
Di Tian was once again stunned. 'So… Snow Empress only came to Star Dou to protect this human? This "hope" has nothing to do with her directly? Honestly, with her newfound power, I had imagined she'd propose an alliance between the Extreme North and Star Dou Forest to rise up against the human world.'
"…Since Snow Empress and the Auspicious Beast both insist, human, speak. I'll listen."
There was no choice. Snow Empress was too much of a threat now. Having already made two bad calls, Di Tian decided to hear things out carefully.
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. 'As expected of the Beast God Di Tian. Willing to listen to someone like me is a testament to your magnanimity.'
"You must be wondering why someone like Snow Empress would go so far to protect a weak human like me."
Di Tian raised an eyebrow. "You're not wrong. I am curious."
"That's because Snow Empress signed a soul spirit contract with me—she is now my soul spirit."
And so began Huo Yuhao's now well-practiced explanation of what a soul spirit was.
As he spoke, Di Tian's expression shifted from confused to surprised, and finally, to wide-eyed disbelief.
"A method to allow soul beasts to survive as spirits and provide soul rings for humans…? You're serious?"
"Why would I go through all this trouble to play a prank on someone like you, Di Tian? If I were lying, the Auspicious Beast wouldn't have brought me to you, would she?"
Di Tian fell silent. 'True. If this were a lie, it would make no sense. But… I still can't believe something like soul spirits actually exists without seeing it myself.'
"Wait… you said Snow Empress is your soul spirit? I won't ask why she would agree to such a thing… but how is she still so strong?"
"Because the contract she and I signed is a fully equal one. Unlike the standard soul spirit contracts, an equal contract allows a soul beast to retain their original strength while also splitting off a portion of their power to become my soul ring. I introduced you to the lesser contract form first because that's what most human soul masters would accept."
Snow Empress nodded lightly to confirm Huo Yuhao's words.
Di Tian took a deep breath. For now, he chose to believe Huo Yuhao. 'But there's no way this is so simple. For a seventy-thousand-year soul beast like Snow Empress to enter an equal contract with such a weak human… there must be something he's hiding.'
He wasn't wrong. Without the support of Elder Yi in Huo Yuhao's spiritual world, a contract of this scale would've been impossible.
"Very well. If what you say is true, then this soul spirit system could indeed help ease the growing tension between soul beasts and humans."
Di Tian stroked his chin in thought, considering the potential benefits to the soul beast race.
"But tell me this—why should I use such an uncertain method to improve relations with humans, when I could simply rally our forces and launch a counterattack? With Snow Empress now as strong as me, we could retake the world for soul beasts. Snow Empress, are you truly willing to let your kind remain trapped in the frigid wastelands of the Extreme North, constantly hunted and slain by human soul masters?"
(End of Chapter)
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