Chapter 149: Contracting the Ice Empress, a 400,000-Year Soul Spirit!
"Alright then."
Zhang Lexuan still trusted Ye Chen deeply. Although he often kept secrets, he never acted recklessly, and she believed he wouldn't this time either.
The two continued venturing deeper into the Extreme North, even encountering one of the three great kings of this land—the Titan Snow Demon King.
While the Titan Snow Demon King was immensely powerful and could have made a suitable ring for Ye Chen, it was nothing compared to the Ice Empress.
Besides, the Ice Empress could become a soul spirit and even manifest a physical body—a far more practical advantage.
As for the Titan Snow Demon King… Ye Chen honestly couldn't think of much use for it.
…
They pushed onward through the endless glacial fields beneath a deep-blue sky. Jagged ice crystals glittered in the cold wind as it swept over bare stone.
But even with his soul spirit contract scroll's hundred-kilometer perception range, it wasn't nearly enough to cover the vastness of the Extreme North.
Ye Chen had no idea where exactly the Ice Empress resided, so he focused his search around the known territory of the Ice Jade Scorpion colony.
The last hues of daylight vanished behind the overlapping mountain ridges, and the wind grew sharper, colder.
By the time the world was swallowed by darkness, Ye Chen still hadn't found the Ice Empress.
"Seriously… don't tell me the Ice Empress isn't home today?" Ye Chen muttered in mild frustration.
"Now, don't be so discouraged," Zhang Lexuan soothed gently, patting his head. "Hunting for a spirit beast can take several days. It's rare to find the right one on the first day."
Her voice was soft and reassuring. "Let's find an ice cavern to rest for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll continue searching with you."
Even though Ye Chen hadn't told her what he was really looking for, she intended to accompany him until he succeeded.
In fact, she was a bit secretly pleased—every extra day spent searching meant more time alone with Ye Chen.
Back at the academy, her responsibilities kept her busy.
But here, she could leave all that behind and devote her full attention to him.
Yes, he could be a little wicked sometimes, but she couldn't deny how much she loved it.
…
Night soon blanketed the icefields, though the sky above glimmered with countless stars, their light washing the frozen plains in pale silver-blue.
They found a large ice mountain, carved through its frozen shell, and dug out a small cave in its rocky side.
The tunnel curved inward rather than straight through, helping to conceal their aura and keep in warmth.
They weren't easily affected by the cold, but sleeping in a bit of heat was still preferable.
As soul masters, they completed the excavation in under twenty minutes, hollowing a ten-meter-wide chamber near the back.
A bright soul lamp was fixed into the icy wall, illuminating the room in gentle white light.
Ye Chen then laid out blankets and bedding—simple, but cozy enough.
"Sister, come here," Ye Chen said, already nestled under the covers. He patted the bedding invitingly.
"Just sleeping—no funny business," Zhang Lexuan warned, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Mm-hmm, I promise."
Ye Chen nodded innocently.
Last night had been because she'd provoked him.
This morning had been because she hadn't been wearing anything.
Under normal circumstances, as long as she refused, he'd never push.
"You'd better," she huffed softly, rolling her eyes.
Still, despite knowing Ye Chen's tendencies, she slowly slipped off her shoes and coat.
Though her outer clothes were thick, beneath them she wore only a thin undershirt and panties—well, and a pair of black silk tights.
"Sister really understands me~"
Ye Chen immediately lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her legs.
"Honestly! Let go already—it's filthy, you know," Zhang Lexuan said, exasperated, pressing one foot against his face.
Ye Chen really was something else. There wasn't even a pretense left anymore.
"Sister, it's been so long since I massaged your feet. Let me give you one tonight~" Ye Chen said with a grin, sitting back up and carefully taking her foot into his hands.
"No way. You're never 'well-behaved' when you massage me," Zhang Lexuan said quickly, pulling her foot back a little.
At first, his massages had been innocent—but somehow, they always ended with her doing something for him.
It had left her hesitant ever since.
"Ahem, I mean it this time." Ye Chen cleared his throat, beginning to knead carefully.
"Humph, not a word of that do I believe."
Still, seeing that he stayed honest this time, she relaxed slightly.
"Has this brat actually matured today?" she wondered silently.
She really hadn't had a proper foot rub from him in ages.
Since he was genuinely behaving, she decided to enjoy it.
Soon, she fetched a small pillow and lay back, closing her eyes.
Seeing that Ye Chen didn't cross any lines, she let her guard down completely. Her breathing slowed, and within minutes, she was asleep.
Half an hour later, Ye Chen glanced up and saw she was out cold.
Though temptation lingered, he found himself smiling instead.
She'd been through a lot these two days—last night, this morning, and tramping through the freezing north all afternoon. She deserved rest.
Zhang Lexuan treated him so well—he could at least show restraint.
He quietly covered her with a blanket and closed his eyes to meditate.
He wasn't really cultivating though. His main focus was keeping watch through the night in case any sneaky soul beasts got too close.
More than that, he simply wanted her to sleep peacefully.
Sitting beside her, wrapped in the same blanket, Ye Chen pulled out his contract scroll.
It worked like a radar, scanning all surrounding spirit beasts; the stronger the aura, the brighter the dot.
Weaker beasts didn't show up—anything below a thousand years wasn't even marked.
Scanning the map, he found that the strongest nearby was an eighty-thousand-year beast.
The Extreme North might have few soul beasts overall, but because few humans dared come here, there were plenty of high-level ones.
As he watched the glowing map, Ye Chen idly counted each ten-thousand-year beast to pass time.
After hours of quiet, drowsiness crept in—until suddenly, a shock of bright light appeared at the map's edge.
Instantly, his focus snapped to it.
A single line pulsed on the scroll:
[Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor: 390,000 Years – Time Until Next Tribulation: 30 Years]
"Whoa—Ice Empress? She's actually here?" Ye Chen blinked, startled.
In the middle of the night, no less…
"Ah, right. Scorpions probably keep different hours than humans," he muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Though classified as a fierce beast, she was still a scorpion—maybe nocturnal by nature.
Still, that was irrelevant.
Right now, a single thought was all it would take for Ye Chen to claim a nearly 400,000-year-old soul spirit—his sixth soul ring!
Of course, the resulting motion and energy spike would be immense…
He glanced once more at the peacefully sleeping Zhang Lexuan.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he teleported silently into the night—away from their cave.
(END CHAPTER)
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