"I did offer myself in sacrifice to Xu Cheng and became one of his spirit rings, but now I do so willingly."
The Ice Empress continued:
"He took me deep into the human world, and I truly came into contact with many secrets that soul beasts have never imagined. I witnessed the terrifying speed at which humanity develops."
She looked reflective, as if reminiscing about the past.
Back then, she would usually chat briefly with the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm inside Xu Cheng's spiritual sea. But now, faced with old friends, she naturally opened up.
"Do you think those humans just now were strong?"
"Very strong," Titan Snow Demon King muttered. "The pressure they gave off… some of them are comparable to fierce beasts that have cultivated for over 500,000 years."
"But what if I told you that group was utterly crushed by the Sun-Moon Empire—beaten so badly they didn't know which way was north, like a one-sided slaughter? That the Sun-Moon Empire could easily smash through all other human forces?"
The Ice Empress smiled.
"Impossible!!!"
Xiao Bai's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Just moments ago, those top-tier human powerhouses made him feel so powerless he could barely breathe.
Could the Sun-Moon Empire truly be that strong?
"Heh, it's true. I saw it with my own eyes," the Ice Empress said with emotion.
Looking at the shocked expressions of the soul beasts, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction.
"When I first entered the human world, and encountered soul tools and those towering buildings… I felt just like you do now. The human world is incredibly rich and complex. Their entertainment, their way of life—honestly, it made the hundreds of thousands of years I spent alive feel like a joke..."
"That exaggerated?" the soul beasts gathered together, their faces full of wonder and fantasy.
Xu Cheng simply smiled.
Until you've seen Mingdu with your own eyes, your imagination is limited—like a farmer asking the emperor if he tills fields with a golden hoe.
In return for the resources from the Extreme North, the Sun-Moon Empire not only extracted but also sent members of its Ministry of Works. As a nation obsessed with infrastructure, even if they didn't build another Mingdu, they could certainly construct a human city dedicated to soul beasts that would leave them utterly stunned.
It would be like an envoy visiting America for the first time and being shaken to the core by its skyscrapers.
"So, in a war between humans and soul beasts, who would win in the end?" asked Titan Snow Demon King, curious.
"Without a doubt—humans." The Ice Empress sighed softly.
"Though I am a soul beast and should stand with my kind, the things I've seen in the human world… they taught me I can no longer deceive myself. I can't be a frog at the bottom of a well, looking at the sky through a tiny hole."
"But… why?" Titan Snow Demon King looked discouraged.
"We have Di Tian, and countless powerful soul beasts in the deep sea. Why would we definitely lose in a war with humans?"
"Because Di Tian has limits. His progress is too slow," the Ice Empress said gently. "Humans… they change by the day."
"Think about it—how much stronger will Di Tian be in a hundred years? Maybe only by a hundred years' worth of cultivation. But humans? Their development grows exponentially."
"Take soul tools, for instance. The first time I saw them, I was shocked. They're ranked by power level and can let the user unleash attacks many times stronger than their own strength—at the cost of just soul power."
"The soul tool army of the Sun-Moon Empire easily shattered the soul master hierarchy of the old human world. But most importantly… these soul tools can be mass-produced. If a war breaks out between humans and soul beasts, soul tools become expendable weapons, and human factories can produce them endlessly. Humans could trade soul beasts' lives from a distance, firing soul tools from far away!"
She spoke gravely.
"Let's not even talk about the Sun-Moon Empire wiping out the soul beast lines in one strike. Just from a pure siege standpoint, soul beasts would be crushed. If they can't break the human lines, they'll be worn down to extinction."
"And mind you, this scenario assumes the humans are playing it slow."
"From what I know, the human world has a real ultimate weapon: the Level-9 Fixed Soul Tool Cannon Shell. A single one of those can rival your full-power attack. And when the Sun-Moon Empire's factories are running at full capacity, they can produce one… every few hours."
"Huh?!!"
The soul beasts of the Extreme North widened their eyes, stunned beyond belief.
Such a terrifying weapon… and it only takes a few hours to make one?!!
For soul beasts with lifespans of hundreds of thousands of years, a few hours was like the blink of an eye.
Xiao Bai gulped:
"So you're saying… just ten Level-9 shells could blow up the entire Extreme North?"
"That's a fair understanding."
The Ice Empress said with emotion.
She wanted the soul beasts to fully grasp the terrifying power of the Sun-Moon Empire and see just how small they truly were—to stop entertaining unrealistic fantasies and avoid unnecessary conflict.
Sometimes, she thought, maybe being part of the Sun-Moon Empire wasn't so bad—at least the current emperor was a true gentleman.
"But the most powerful thing about humans… isn't their productivity. It's their creativity," the Ice Empress added.
She knew about Xu Cheng's starship plan—and the terrifying eleventh-grade soul tool artillery array that could likely wipe out most life in the Extreme North with a single strike. But she couldn't reveal such secrets…
So she stopped herself.
"What I can tell you is this: at the current pace of development, humanity's potential is so high, even I have to look up in awe. Honestly, even if soul beasts become gods, I'm not sure they can beat humans in the future."
"Gods?"
Xiao Bai and Titan Snow Demon King fell completely silent.
They were mentally fried—scorched inside and out—questioning their very existence.
"Oh, right—this is Snow Empress."
Suddenly remembering, Ice Empress pointed to the delicate blue-haired, blue-eyed girl beside Xu Cheng.
Sensing the eyes of countless beings upon her, Xue Ling'er shrank back behind Xu Cheng unhappily.
Titan Snow Demon King: ???
Xiao Bai's eyes bulged:
"Mother?!!"
"Snow Empress intended to take human form and gamble on the slim chance of becoming a god, but she was intercepted by humans. By the way, weren't you the one tasked with protecting her back then, Ah Tai? What the hell were you doing?!"
The Ice Empress glared at the Titan Snow Demon King and suddenly lashed out.
"I… back then, during Snow Empress's transformation, we were attacked by humans—very powerful ones. I had to lure them away. But when I returned… Snow Empress had vanished."
Ah Tai looked dejected.
Xu Cheng: "…"
He could confirm that when Elder Cheng brought Snow Empress back, she was alone.
So who was that so-called powerful attacker?
"Forget it. It's all in the past," the Ice Empress waved it off.
She didn't even feel like scolding Ah Tai anymore.
"All you need to know is that Snow Empress gained a blessing in disguise. Her chances of becoming a god are now much greater—almost guaranteed."
"Because of him..."
The Ice Empress pointed to Xu Cheng.
(End of Chapter)