Chapter 21: Ice Empress Breaks Through, Affairs in the Far North Concluded
Outside the Abyssal Eternal Frost, the biting cold wind still howled, but compared to the ultimate cold within the abyss that could freeze the soul, the temperature here was considered "mild" to the Ice Empress.
She paced anxiously at the edge of the cave entrance, her emerald eyes occasionally glancing into the bottomless darkness, her heart filled with worry for the Xue Di and endless curiosity about that mysterious "senior."
Just as she could almost no longer restrain herself and wanted to risk venturing deep to investigate, two figures suddenly emerged from the pitch-black cave entrance—it was Lei Chen and the Xue Di.
"Xue Di!" The Ice Empress immediately went to meet her, looking her over with concern. Seeing that her aura was stable and even deeper and more reserved than before entering the Abyssal Eternal Frost, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, her gaze involuntarily fell upon the beautiful, teardrop-shaped gemstone on the Xue Di's chest, which emitted a faint blue light.
The chill and majesty naturally radiating from the gemstone caused her heart to palpitate, yet she also felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Did you... encounter any danger inside? What is this thing?" the Ice Empress couldn't help but ask.
The Xue Di gently stroked the heart of the ice god on her chest, a flash of complexity and reverence appearing in her ethereal eyes. She shook her head slightly and said softly, "It's a long story; I'll tell you in detail later. In short, all is well, and... guided by the Plane Master, I have found my own path."
"Plane Master?" The Ice Empress was stunned, looking in surprise at the calm Lei Chen beside her. Although she guessed Lei Chen had an extraordinary background, she didn't expect him to have such a noble status.
Lei Chen gave a slight nod to the Ice Empress as an acknowledgment. Then, with a flick of his hand, the remaining fourteen pieces of Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow appeared out of thin air, floating before him and emitting an enticing, ultimate cold light.
"Ice Empress, these are for you," Lei Chen said in a flat tone, as if he were giving away something ordinary.
The Ice Empress's gaze was instantly drawn to that pure and majestic ice-attribute energy. As one of the The Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North, how could she not recognize such a supreme treasure?
Her breathing quickened for a moment, and a light of desire burst from her eyes. But immediately after, she forcibly suppressed the throbbing in her heart, shook her head, and looked at the Xue Di. "Such precious Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow should be left for the Xue Di! Her cultivation is higher, and she can make better use of it."
Hearing this, a very faint smile appeared on the Xue Di's frost-like face, and she said softly, "Bing'er, take it. The Plane Master has already granted me thirty-one pieces, which is enough for my needs. These were specifically left for you."
Lei Chen also added, "Indeed. While Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow is good, absorbing an excessive amount is not beneficial for cultivation. The Xue Di has enough; these are for you, fitting for your use."
Seeing the Xue Di also nod in confirmation, the Ice Empress no longer refused. She took a deep breath of cold air and nodded solemnly. "In that case, the Ice Empress thanks the Plane Master for his generous gift!"
She reached out a slightly trembling hand and carefully took the fourteen pieces of Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow. Feeling the vast energy contained within, her heart was filled with indescribable excitement.
With these, her cultivation would surely undergo a massive leap!
"No need for such formalities," Lei Chen said calmly. "You can refine one right now."
The Ice Empress had long been impatient. Hearing this, she immediately found a flat patch of ice, sat down cross-legged, took out a piece of Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow, held it in both hands, and began to circulate her Soul Power to absorb it.
The extremely pure ice-attribute energy surged into her body like a flood. The Ice Empress greedily absorbed this power. Her cultivation bottleneck of nearly four hundred thousand years was blasted open under the violent impact of this external force, with almost no resistance!
"Boom!"
A powerful aura erupted from the Ice Empress's petite body, and a pillar of emerald light shot into the sky. Although its scale was far less spectacular than the Xue Di's previous breakthrough, it still caused the surrounding wind and snow to swirl back and the heaven and earth origin energy to vibrate.
Four hundred thousand years of cultivation, achieved!
However, the joy of the cultivation breakthrough had not lasted for a moment before tribulation clouds gathered in the sky again. Although the scale was much smaller than the Xue Di's seven-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation, the destructive pressure still turned the Ice Empress's face pale, as she had just broken through and her aura was still somewhat unstable.
Lei Chen looked up at the forming tribulation clouds and said to the slightly nervous Ice Empress, "Concentrate and calm your mind, just stabilize your realm. Leave the heavenly tribulation to me."
Before his voice had even faded, Lei Chen's figure appeared above the Ice Empress. Facing the deep blue Tribulation Lightning that was only as thick as an arm as it crashed down, he still just casually raised his hand to guide it.
The Tribulation Lightning seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, obediently deviating from its original path and plunging straight into Lei Chen's palm. He closed his eyes slightly to sense it, then opened them, having already made a judgment.
"The energy density is acceptable... Hmm, it's roughly equivalent to a full-strength strike from a human Level 99 Limit Douluo. For an ordinary soul beast, it would still be a life-or-death crisis, but for the plane, it's nothing more than a trickling stream."
The subsequent process was without suspense. The Ice Empress's four-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation consisted of six bolts of lightning, each stronger than the last. But in front of Lei Chen, they all became nourishment for the Thunder God Origin, swallowed and refined one by one.
Lei Chen could feel the purple-gold lightning mark on his forehead becoming more solid, but the effect was far less significant than swallowing the Xue Di's Tribulation Lightning.
Once the final bolt of Tribulation Lightning dissipated and the clouds dispersed, the Ice Empress finally let out a long sigh of relief. Feeling the surging four-hundred-thousand-year cultivation within her and the ease after safely crossing the tribulation, her gaze toward Lei Chen was filled with gratitude and awe.
"Thank you for your assistance, Plane Master!" The Ice Empress bowed respectfully.
Lei Chen waved his hand, his figure descending, and said to the Xue Di, "The affairs here are concluded. Xue Di, your future path is now clear. You only need to refine the Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow step by step to increase your cultivation, while nurturing the heart of the ice god with your own origin. When you break through the million-year mark, it will be time to recast the Ice God's Position."
"This process can be described as a natural progression. With your foundation and talent, there should be no setbacks."
The Xue Di nodded solemnly. "I understand. I will not fail the expectations of the Plane Master."
Lei Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping across the vast ice field.
The Xue Di's Ice God's Position recasting plan could be said to be the smoothest among the "seeds" he planned to promote.
The reason for this was the Xue Di's own uniquely gifted conditions.
Her cultivation was close to seven hundred thousand years, and she was the ruler of the Far North, naturally compatible with the position of the Ice God. With the assistance of a supreme treasure like the Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow, what Lei Chen, the Plane Master, did was merely pull the strings and provide a bit of guidance, successfully leading her onto this path to heaven.
"In that case, I shall take my leave first. I still have other matters to attend to. You two, cultivate well. When you next break through the hundred-thousand-year mark, I will naturally appear to help you cross your heavenly tribulations."
After Lei Chen finished speaking, his figure gradually faded, finally turning into specks of seven-colored light that merged into the world and vanished.