The Ice Empress's prediction proved correct. For nearly two and a half months, the myriad races of the Extreme North Land, following the joint decree of the Ice and Snow Two Emperors, acted in near-perfect coordination.
They thoroughly searched all areas, especially the Core Circle and the vicinity of the Ice Sea, turning the region upside down until not a single suspicious human was found.
During this period, Shu Yan's spirit power cultivation also advanced smoothly, reaching Level 53. He felt profoundly how much harder it became to gain even a single level the further he progressed. This difficulty of cultivating ultimate attributes became increasingly clear to him.
I must mention that his fifth Spirit Ring was especially unique.
After he absorbed the immense energy from the snow lotus, the Ice Sky Snow Woman bloodline within him began to vigorously boil. The pure aura released by this bloodline merged with the vast essence and energy of heaven and earth he absorbed. This fusion eventually transformed into his fifth Spirit Ring. This black, ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring now boasted a lifespan of approximately 45,000 years.
Logically, this ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring, born from his own bloodline aura and pure energy, was essentially comparable to a Spirit Ring produced by a 45,000-year-old Ice Sky Snow Woman. Since its most fundamental components were self-generated, Shu Yan was perfectly justified in viewing it this way.
This morning, Shu Yan stood on the snowy mountain behind the main palace, his gaze lost in the distance. The biting cold wind swept directly toward him, lifting a thin layer of fine snow from the ground. The swirling flakes blurred the distant view, making it difficult to see clearly.
A faint trace of melancholy flickered in Shu Yan's eyes, and he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
His concept of time had grown vague, but by his rough calculation, he had stayed in the Extreme North Land for a full eight months. To be precise, he had also grown another year older, officially reaching thirteen years old.
Just as he was lost in thought, the soft sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind him. Shu Yan turned his head at the sound and saw the Snow Empress. She wore an ice-blue long dress.
The Snow Empress's expression was calm. She walked directly to Shu Yan's side, her gaze following the direction he had been looking. She then spoke softly, "Are you thinking of home?"
Shu Yan was slightly startled, then he gave a light chuckle. "Something like that. But, for me, the word 'home' might be a bit of a luxury."
The Snow Empress paused briefly, then offered a helpless smile. "Alright. The affairs in the Extreme North Land have finally been resolved. I must apologize. As the ruler of the Extreme North, I naturally have to be responsible for the races who believe in me. What happened here was unusual and took up so much time. You've been inconvenienced."
Shu Yan shook his head, replying softly, "It's good that the problem is solved. What does a little more or less time matter? It's no big deal."
The Snow Empress nodded. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she produced a leg bone from somewhere and presented it to Shu Yan. It radiated a heavy, vast Earth attribute aura.
"This Spirit Bone was also obtained by Bing Er after she killed those Soul Masters," the Snow Empress explained. "It happened to be from that Titled Douluo. After those humans died, Bing Er's clansmen collected it, but she was too busy and forgot to hand it over to you. So, this time, she entrusted me to bring this Spirit Bone to you."
Shu Yan's expression turned serious. He reached out and took the Spirit Bone from the Snow Empress's hand.
As the Spirit Bone entered his grasp, a heavy and immense aura instantly filled Shu Yan's senses.
He pondered for a moment before speaking. "An Earth attribute Spirit Bone, with a lifespan of at least 50,000 years. The Spirit Beast that produced this Spirit Bone must have been a top-grade Earth attribute Spirit Beast, similar to an Earth Dragon. Otherwise, it wouldn't possess such an aura. I have to say, this is indeed a top-grade Spirit Bone, incredibly suitable for general pure strength-type Soul Masters or defense-type Soul Masters."
"These Soul Guiders who defected from the Sun Moon Empire aren't just ordinarily wealthy. Almost every one of them had a few Spirit Bones of average quality, more or less. It seems their status in the Sun Moon Empire before must have been quite considerable," Shu Yan observed.
As he spoke, he put the Spirit Bone into his storage. He wouldn't be foolish enough to reject a free, top-grade Spirit Bone. Even if neither he nor Xu Jiujiu could use it, letting it gather dust in his storage was better than leaving it with the Ice Empress. What if he decided to build a team in the future? This Spirit Bone might come in handy then.
The Snow Empress merely chuckled lightly but didn't comment further on the matter. After a brief silence, she suddenly announced, "Tomorrow, Bing Er will come find us. You'll lead the way then, as Bing Er and I are also going to make a trip to the human world..."
Shu Yan suddenly looked up at the sound, only to find the Snow Empress looking at him with a warm smile in her eyes. The wind and snow seemed to part for the Snow Empress; there was a circle of still, empty space around her. This kind of captivating scenery was hard for Shu Yan to describe with mere words.
The Snow Empress smiled and slowly extended her hand, but paused in the air for a moment before continuing the motion. Seeing that Shu Yan still hadn't reacted, the Snow Empress let out a light laugh, and her figure slowly disappeared into the wind and snow. This left Shu Yan, his body slightly stiff, standing in place.
After a long time, Shu Yan sniffed the faint cold fragrance lingering on his cheek. He unconsciously touched his cheek, then smiled silently to himself.
This action truly didn't suit the aloof, noble, and empress-like Snow Empress at all...
The departure from the Extreme North Land came even faster than Shu Yan had anticipated. Early the next morning, when the sky was still dimly lit, Shu Yan was woken up by the Ice Empress, who wore a look of utter displeasure. Seeing Shu Yan's tired appearance, the Ice Empress sneered and then said:
"What, already kidney deficient? Why do you look like you're about to die? That's not like you, little Shu boy..."
Shu Yan replied rather speechlessly, "Where did you learn those words? Remember, don't casually say those two words to guys in the future, or someone might get angry and fight you."
The Ice Empress raised her head proudly. "Your human language isn't difficult. This Empress pondered for a while and figured it all out. Coincidentally, there are still many items left by humans who have died in the Extreme North Land remaining among this Empress's clan. This Empress browsed through them in her free time, and naturally learned many interesting things..."
Shu Yan rolled his eyes, feeling that the things those humans left behind must have been nothing good.
Gazing at the dark and gloomy sky outside, Shu Yan sat up from the ice bed. He casually put on his outer robe and followed behind the Ice Empress, who was clearly in a good mood, out of the side hall.
In the main hall, the Snow Empress sat casually on the throne. Seeing the two figures, a smile curved on her lips. "Are you all ready?"
The Ice Empress skipped forward and hugged one of the Snow Empress's thighs, saying playfully: "Don't worry, Xue Er, everything's arranged. While we're away, Little White will lead their Ice Bear clan and our Bing Bi Scorpion clan members to continue patrolling the edge of the Extreme North Land. If they find anything abnormal, Little White will notify us through the means you left behind. Besides, aren't there still those strong but brainless Titan Snow Demon guys? You can relax..."
The Snow Empress smiled and gently pinched the Ice Empress's cheek. She then slowly stood up. With a single step, she had already arrived behind Shu Yan.
The Ice Empress skipped along, keeping pace with the Snow Empress. Before they officially set off, she seemed to remember something fun and leaned toward the Snow Empress, saying:
"Xue Er, you've been so tired these past few days. Don't bother flying with Shu boy. Leave this matter to this Empress. Don't worry, this Empress will take good care of him..."
The Snow Empress glanced with interest at Shu Yan behind her, who still didn't know what was about to happen, and then gently nodded.
Upon receiving the Snow Empress's permission, the smile on the Ice Empress's face deepened, tinged with a hint of malicious intent. Shu Yan didn't know why, but he felt a deep sense of malice, sensing that something bad was about to happen...