After leaving the cave dwelling and entering the bone-chilling spring, Shu Yan nodded to the two of them. He followed behind the Snow Empress as they descended, while the Ice Empress consciously brought up the rear.
The closer they drew to the spring's source, the lower the temperature dropped. Leading the way, the Snow Empress slowly extended her spiritual power into the spring's eye. A glint flashed through her eyes, and after nodding to the two behind her, she was the first to enter.
Once they truly stepped into the heart of the icy spring, the temperature plunged again. A gentle wave of spiritual power enveloped Shu Yan and the Ice Empress, and the Snow Empress's voice sounded beside their ears:
"The depth of this spring is beyond expectations. There's still at least fifty meters below. I can sense the presence of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cavern down there, but the space is extremely small, and it contains an enormous amount of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow. The temperature below is practically indistinguishable from absolute zero."
"Ice'er, this is your specialty. Protect Shu Yan in a moment. Although he possesses Ultimate Ice to guard his body, his strength and soul power reserves are still lacking. In that environment, he won't last long without assistance."
The Ice Empress poked Shu Yan at the waist and nodded, indicating she had no objections.
The Snow Empress grasped Shu Yan's and the Ice Empress's wrists. A terrifying surge of soul power rose behind them. The temperature of the freezing spring plummeted once more, and massive bubbles streamed upward. Shu Yan frowned slightly—he had to admit, the cold below exceeded even his expectations.
Under the Snow Empress's lead, their descent accelerated. Before long, they reached nearly forty meters beneath the spring's eye. Even with Ultimate Ice soul power protecting his body, Shu Yan felt bone-piercing cold. The circulation of his soul power seemed to slow.
The Ice Empress released the Snow Empress's hand and moved to Shu Yan's side. Emerald light blossomed, forming a crystal-clear membrane over his body. At the same time, an incomparably pure surge of Ultimate Ice soul power flowed into him. Shu Yan squeezed her arm and gave her a thumbs-up. In response, she rolled her eyes at him, slightly speechless.
The upward surge of frigid currents grew increasingly violent, yet it could no longer affect the three of them. The Snow Empress guided the way, with the Ice Empress bringing Shu Yan close behind. As they neared fifty meters deep, a sudden sensation of weightlessness struck. The rising current vanished, replaced by an extreme cold that, in theory, approached absolute zero.
It was a cavern.
The space was not large. A strange force separated the water outside from the interior. Looking upward, visible currents of icy flow surged past overhead. At that moment, emerald light flared again, and the Ice Empress's voice rang out:
"Hey, Shu Yan—how do you feel?"
He stretched his body. Though he could still sense terrifying cold, it was not unbearable.
"I'm fine. My soul power is beginning to churn. This extreme cold is actually beneficial to me. If I could cultivate here in seclusion for a while, the gains would be tremendous."
Floating midair, the Ice Empress patted his shoulder and smiled.
"Not bad. I thought one layer of protection wouldn't be enough. Seems I underestimated you."
As they spoke, a gentle ice-blue radiance illuminated the entire cavern. The Snow Empress gazed around with emotion.
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cavern… truly a treasure of this world."
The Ice Empress looked toward the far side of the cavern. Instantly forgetting Shu Yan, she darted forward at astonishing speed.
"It really is Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow! And so much of it! We've struck it rich—oh yes!!"
The cavern ceiling was low. At nearly 1.9 meters tall, Shu Yan felt cramped standing upright and had to stoop slightly. Seeing this, the Snow Empress smiled faintly.
"There are roughly forty-five strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow here. Enough for the three of us to absorb and break through. Keep a portion for yourself. I'll take the rest. How about it?"
Watching the jagged formations above to avoid hitting his head, Shu Yan replied:
"Works for me. The Ice Marrow is a great treasure, but its side effects are obvious. Absorb too much and you'll fall into deep slumber. I'm not about to sleep here for hundreds or thousands of years—that would be disastrous."
The Snow Empress chuckled softly.
"You know quite a bit. But bringing us here shows you truly trust Ice'er and me. Don't worry—we won't break our oath. We've discussed this many times. In the end, she's come to terms with it."
"As you once said, even if we survive one heavenly tribulation after another—even if we become true million-year soul beasts—the examples of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King and Di Tian are right before us. Compared to that… I place more faith in you."
Shu Yan was momentarily stunned. Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you, Snow Sister…"
She shook her head and looked at him with unwavering seriousness.
"If anything, we should be thanking you."
Shu Yan said nothing more. His gaze shifted to the Ice Empress, who was cheering excitedly among the strange crystalline ice pillars. A hint of excitement surfaced in his eyes as well.
Following behind him, the Snow Empress placed a hand upon one of the radiant ice pillars, its interior shimmering with flowing light.
"Begin absorbing them. The ice-attribute energy within the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow is incomparably pure, brimming with vitality and life force. Absorb two strands first and raise your soul power to Rank 60. Take the rest gradually. If your body cannot handle it in the short term, I will seal the excess within your origin, to aid your future cultivation and even the condensation of a soul core."
Shu Yan nodded without refusal.
With the Snow Empress's help, he could fully absorb the surrounding dense Ultimate Ice energy—an immense benefit to him. By comparison, the Snow Empress and Ice Empress required only a portion of the Ice Marrow to prepare for their next heavenly tribulation. The remaining Ice Marrow would be divided according to their earlier agreement.
For all three of them, it was the best possible outcome.
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