"Okay."
Caelus didn't ask any more questions and nodded obediently.
He took out a warm jade box he had prepared long ago for storing Heaven And Earth Treasures, and carefully took out the snow pill containing the Snow Empress's Origin, placing it inside the jade box.
Fortunately, the Snow Empress had restrained all her external power and aura before falling into her slumber; otherwise, the material of an ordinary jade box could never have carried the Origin core of a seven-hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast. It would have been frozen, cracked, or even burst by the accidentally leaked power of ultimate ice and snow long ago.
After properly putting away the jade box, Caelus looked at the dying Ice Empress and the still pale Zhang Lexuan. He frowned slightly and said in a heavy voice:
"The Fusion process must be extremely difficult and dangerous. We need to find an absolutely safe and undisturbed place."
This area was clearly not an ideal location.
"I know a place that is very safe. I'll take you there."
The Ice Empress replied immediately.
As one of the true rulers of the Extreme North Land, her familiarity with this vast ice plain was unmatched. She knew exactly which hidden corners could avoid the prying eyes of Soul Beasts and the search of the Hall of Rebirth.
She forced herself to try and stand up to fulfill her duty of leading the way.
However, she was simply too weak. As soon as her body left the ice rock she was leaning against, her legs gave way, and she fell forward uncontrollably.
Just as she thought she would fall pathetically onto the ice, an arm caught her steadily and in time.
Caelus had approached her at some point and supported her swaying body.
He looked down at the petite but stubborn green-haired girl in his arms and sighed helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of gentleness:
"You're already in this state, so stop trying to be brave. It's perfectly fine to rely on me once in a while. After all, from the moment you proposed the deal, we've been companions, haven't we?"
Before he finished speaking, Caelus applied a little strength to his arms, and with a standard princess carry, he easily lifted the Ice Empress's light, petite body.
"You...!"
The Ice Empress froze instantly, her emerald vertical pupils contracting slightly in shock.
As one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, a Supreme existence ruling over billions of Soul Beasts, when had she ever been treated so... so shamefully?!
Being picked up by a human youth in such a protective yet highly ambiguous posture?
This was an unprecedented experience in her hundreds of thousands of years of life. The massive shock left her mind somewhat blank, and a very faint blush uncontrollably appeared on her pale cheeks.
In a mix of shame and anger, her instinct was to struggle, but Caelus's words and the strength from his arms made her forcibly suppress that urge.
He was right; now was not the time to be stubborn for the sake of pride. Completing the Fusion safely was the top priority.
She could only try her best to keep a straight, exquisite yet cold face, using a frost-like expression to hide her inner embarrassment and that hint of... indescribable strangeness.
Carrying the now-compliant Ice Empress, Caelus walked over to Zhang Lexuan, who was leaning against an ice wall, and winked at her, asking with a playful smile on his face:
"Senior Sister, what about you? Do you want to swap with the Ice Empress, or should I carry you on my back?"
Zhang Lexuan glanced at the Ice Empress being held in Caelus's arms in that embarrassing posture. Just imagining herself in that position made her shudder, a strong sense of shame rushing to her head.
She quickly shook her head like a rattle, her voice carrying a hint of urgency:
"No, no need to swap. Just... just carry me on your back. Sorry for the trouble, Caelus."
Let her be held like that too? She'd rather just die.
Although her injuries had been barely stabilized by Caelus and were no longer life-threatening, wanting to walk independently or even move quickly was still a pipe dream. At this moment, she could only rely on Caelus.
Thus, on this vast Extreme North Ice Plain, a strange sight appeared.
A white-haired youth carried an exquisite, green-haired, emerald-eyed girl with a frost-covered face in a princess carry, while on his back, he carried a woman in a moon-white dress who had a cool temperament and stunning beauty, her cheeks slightly flushed from injury and embarrassment.
With steady steps and under the low-voiced guidance of the Ice Empress in his arms, he moved toward an unknown, hidden location in the Extreme North.
The direction the Ice Empress pointed out became increasingly remote, and the surrounding environment grew more treacherous and desolate.
Finally, they arrived at an inconspicuous ice crack covered by massive icicles and thick snow.
"This is the place. Go in," the Ice Empress said softly.
Caelus turned sideways and, carefully holding the Ice Empress while carrying Zhang Lexuan on his back, squeezed into the narrow ice crack that only allowed one person to pass at a time.
At first, it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person. After walking dozens of steps, it suddenly opened up.
Beyond the ice crack was actually a naturally formed underground ice cave. The ice cave wasn't particularly spacious, but it was enough to accommodate several people.
The surrounding walls were made of Mysterious Ice that hadn't melted for ten thousand years, emitting a faint blue light that provided some illumination.
icicles hung from the ceiling like sharp swords, but the ground was relatively flat and dry.
Most importantly, the aura here was almost completely isolated from the outside world, exceptionally quiet, with only a faint flow of extremely cold Origin Qi. For ice-attribute beings, it was an excellent place for recovery.
"This is a place where I... used to come occasionally for quiet cultivation. It's safe."
The Ice Empress explained, her voice carrying an imperceptible hint of nostalgia.
Caelus gently set the two down, letting Zhang Lexuan rest against a relatively flat section of the ice wall.
He carefully sensed the surroundings and, after confirming there were no other life signatures or lurking dangers, finally felt completely at ease.
"Alright, we're safe now."
Caelus looked at the Ice Empress, his golden eyes shimmering with light.
"Can we begin?"
Leaning against the cold wall, the Ice Empress looked at the human youth before her who had pulled her back from the brink of despair and was about to be linked to her destiny. She took a deep breath of the cold air in the ice cave and nodded solemnly:
"Um, let's begin. Be prepared... this might be the most painful trial you've ever experienced."
Beside them, Zhang Lexuan also forced herself to stay alert, her gaze complex as she watched the Fusion that was destined to shake the continent about to begin.
Inside the ice cave, time seemed frozen, with only the cold surging like a tide.
Under the Ice Empress's guidance, Caelus did not hesitate at all and placed the hundred thousand year snow lotus, which emitted a hazy halo and majestic life essence, into his mouth.
The snow lotus melted as soon as it entered his mouth. It wasn't the bone-chilling cold he had imagined; instead, it turned into a warm and mellow current that slid down his throat, then erupted inside his body like a volcano that had been building up for ten million years.
"Ugh—!"
The massive flood of energy instantly broke through Caelus's Soul Power defenses, surging and colliding wildly throughout his entire body.
This wasn't pure destruction, but a domineering Trailblaze power with an ultimate ice-cold attribute.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"