After thoroughly scouring the entire frozen cavern, Zhou Sicheng found nothing more of value apart from the remaining bit of Frost Dragon blood and that piece of soul bone. With no further gains to be had, he turned his attention to the space within the Book of Contracts.
The Mirror Image Beast lay there as if it had endured a hundred soul-crushing beatings. Its eyes were dull and lifeless, devoid of any spark.
Thanks to a heartfelt round of "tough love" from Xiong Da and the others, the Mirror Image Beast now fully understood the situation.
Although it hadn't been chosen by the ancestral beast clan, it was still well aware of the incredible opportunity it had gained.
He firmly believed that as long as he followed Big Bro, it wouldn't be long before the glory of the Mirror Image Beasts would shine across the Douluo Continent.
Seeing the Mirror Image Beast deep in thought about life, Zhou Sicheng chose not to disturb him. Best to give him time to adjust.
Zhou Sicheng slowly exited the icy cavern. After emerging from the glacial trench, he turned his gaze toward the core region of the Extreme North.
He contacted the Skydream Iceworm mentally. "Skydream, when will the Ice Empress wake up?"
Skydream gently caressed the Ice Empress, his face filled with bliss and affection. "I was hoping to let her sleep a little longer… But now that you've acquired your fifth spirit ring, I'll wake Bingbing."
As he spoke, Skydream released a golden radiance that enveloped the Ice Empress. Before long, she stirred, letting out a soft moan that could easily spark one's imagination.
By then, Skydream had already retreated to a safe distance, not daring to get too close. He was fine with sneaking a few perks, but he certainly didn't want her to catch him at it.
The Ice Empress transformed back into her usual dainty loli form. She cast a glance at the Skydream Iceworm, her eyes flickering with complex emotions…
After a moment, she looked at him and said softly, "Thank you."
Skydream immediately lit up with joy. "No need, no need! We're all family now, right, Ice—"
The Ice Empress's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Hmm?"
Skydream choked on his words. "...Ice Empress! Ice Empress!"
He muttered inwardly, "I'm not scared of you, okay? I'm the king of million-year soul beasts! I just know that real men don't fight with women, that's all!"
Unaware of his inner complaints, the Ice Empress turned to look at Zhou Sicheng's manifested spiritual form. "Sicheng, what are we doing next?"
Zhou Sicheng spoke calmly, "Ice Empress, as one of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, you must've had quite a treasure hoard, right? Things like soul bones, Extreme Ice Divine Crystals, Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow—how much of that stuff do you still have?"
At his words, the Ice Empress's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but chuckle. "Heh… You really are something."
After a moment of thought, she replied, "Those things you mentioned? I don't have them anymore. If I had ever gotten my hands on them, I would've used them long ago."
Zhou Sicheng was a bit disappointed, but it made sense. Considering the Ice Empress had been on the brink of death, she would've used anything valuable to reinforce her foundation. It wasn't likely she'd have much left over.
Still, Zhou Sicheng hadn't expected to get lucky anyway. After a moment, he said, "Ice Empress, I have a friend. Her martial soul is a pure ice element. For her sixth spirit ring, I'd like to find her an Ice Jade Scorpion with the attribute of Ultimate Ice. What do you think…?"
The Ice Empress paused, surprised. Honestly, if this had been in the past, she would've killed Zhou Sicheng on the spot for even suggesting it—turning one of her kind into a spirit ring for a human?
But now...
After a long silence, the Ice Empress sighed. "You're afraid I'll misunderstand your intentions. I appreciate your consideration."
"I've already chosen to support you. I won't oppose your decisions. Given my current situation, I can barely protect myself. As for my clan... their survival will depend on their own strength now."
Zhou Sicheng smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I won't put you in a difficult spot. Just this one time."
"In the future, when I have the power, I'll help protect your people. And you still might have a chance to protect them yourself. The [Ice Empress Armor] Elder Yi crafted from your body might allow you to return to the continent in another form."
The Ice Empress's eyes instantly lit up.
She couldn't help but ask, "The armor only has enough energy for three uses. You'd really let me experiment with it?"
Zhou Sicheng smiled. "It was yours to begin with. Why worry about who it belongs to? And it's not just three times. That limit only applies to full-power combat. Just wearing it or doing some testing won't use up much energy."
The Ice Empress's delicate face brimmed with excitement. "Can I try it?"
Zhou Sicheng considered it and said, "Alright. I'm heading back to the academy in a few days to register. I might as well take this chance to search the Extreme North for a few treasures to bring back."
At the mention of treasure, Skydream's eyes lit up too. Treasure? He loved treasure!
Zhou Sicheng opened his eyes. Within his black irises, a faint green glow bloomed as the Ice Empress's spiritual origin began to emerge.
As soon as it separated from Zhou Sicheng, her spiritual origin started to destabilize, teetering on the edge of collapse and dispersal.
Fortunately, Zhou Sicheng raised his right hand just in time and tapped the Ice Empress's forehead.
With his Polymorphic Core activated, the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor tattoo across his back erupted with a brilliant green glow.
Under his control, the [Ice Empress Armor] enveloped her spiritual origin and began to coalesce around it, forming a protective shell. The armor—originally forged from her body—was a perfect fit, achieving 100% compatibility with her soul.
Zhou Sicheng embedded a spiritual imprint within, allowing the Ice Empress to reside within the armor for an extended period without worrying about collapse or dissipation.
Though she had become an intelligent spirit ring and lost her physical body, the [Ice Empress Armor] now allowed her to exist independently of Zhou Sicheng—alive in another form.
As long as her spiritual origin remained intact, she was essentially immortal.
The only drawback was the lack of a true body. Her current "body" was the armor—a lifeless shell housing her soul.
It felt strange to the Ice Empress, but with her life no longer at risk, she could accept it—at least temporarily.
Of course, if she had to live like this forever, she'd rather take a chance on transcending her tribulation!
The [Ice Empress Armor] looked slightly different on her compared to Zhou Sicheng.
He was male. She was female.
Thus, the armor no longer radiated sheer masculine dominance. Instead, it now revealed her graceful figure and alluring curves.
A perfect blend of elegance and seduction within a suit of battle armor!
As the armor-clad Ice Empress clenched her mechanical fist, she could feel the strength of her former body. She couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion.
"Let's hope this gamble pays off…"
The crystalline yellow visor of the [Ice Empress Armor] glowed faintly, emanating a subtle yet terrifying aura—like a Super Douluo had just descended.
Skydream's spiritual form manifested as a ten-meter-long "dragon" spiraling around her. He wore a thrilled expression. "Ice Empress, you look amazing! I never expected you to have such a chance!"
Then he started to grumble. "Man, I had it rough! If only Elder Yi had helped me out back then… My million-year soul essence could've produced something even stronger than this armor! Maybe I could've left Sicheng's spiritual sea for a while and had some fun on the continent!"
The Ice Empress raised her mechanical hand. Her spiritual power surged into the armor and grabbed Skydream by the throat, flinging him aside.
"Stay away from me!" The Ice Empress snorted coldly. "Do you really think this is as easy as it sounds? Based on how I feel right now, if it's just a matter of simply controlling the armor to do some basic tasks—running errands or the like—then I can stay separated from your spiritual sea for about a month at a time."
"But if I use my spiritual origin to control the Ice Empress Armor in actual combat, then I estimate I won't last more than seven days. After that, I'll need to return and rest within Sicheng's spiritual sea to recover. Otherwise, staying out too long could damage my spiritual origin."
Hearing this, Tianmeng still looked extremely envious. "That's still better than me. I can't even leave at all..."
Zhou Sicheng caught the bitterness in Tianmeng's voice and smiled slightly. "Don't worry. Elder Yi mentioned before that he gained some inspiration from our cultivation system. Now that we've seen the Ice Empress temporarily leave my spiritual sea using the Ice Empress Armor, I've come up with a few ideas of my own."
Zhou Sicheng gently patted Tianmeng's round little head. "Maybe it won't be long before you can stay outside my spiritual sea as well."
Tianmeng giggled. "Then I'm really looking forward to it. I hope Elder Yi wakes up soon."
Zhou Sicheng chuckled, then turned to the Ice Empress. "Seven days may not be a long time, but it's not short either. As long as your energy is sufficient, using your spiritual origin to control the Ice Empress Armor would allow you to go toe-to-toe with a Rank 97 Super Douluo. That's definitely a powerful trump card for me."
The Ice Empress nodded. She understood well that the human world was far more ruthless than the world of soul beasts. Her ability to control the Ice Empress Armor was tantamount to giving Zhou Sicheng another reliable ally.
Having a trump card like this could better ensure Zhou Sicheng's safety and smooth progression on the path to godhood.
Looking at the towering armor before him, which stood even taller than his own 1.91-meter frame, Zhou Sicheng said, "Ice Empress, now that you can leave my spiritual sea, why not return to your clan and visit them?"
The Ice Empress fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "No need. I had a feeling this might happen before I came here, so I already gave them instructions. Let's just treat this as my tribulation."
As she said this, the Ice Empress gave a carefree smile. "If I succeed, I'll naturally protect them well. If I fail... at least I won't lose face in front of my descendants."
Hearing her words, Zhou Sicheng nodded slightly. Indeed, the Ice Empress, one of the Three Great Kings of the Extreme North, returning in this state would be a little disgraceful.
Although she had invested herself in Zhou Sicheng to pursue the path to godhood, if they failed, one could say—perhaps harshly—that this ancestor feared death and thus entrusted herself to a human for one last gamble.
That didn't exactly sound honorable.
Of course, if they succeeded, it would be a completely different story.
****
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