Chapter 41 Checking In

"Sister Xue, you probably won't be able to inherit the Angel God's throne now! The Angel God's throne has been given to the Grand Elder," Ling Xiao said with an open gesture.

"Ah! My grandfather!"

Qian Renxue was somewhat surprised to hear this, but she didn't mind much. The one who obtained the divine position was her grandfather, not a stranger.

"Then do I need to return the Angelic Set right now? After all, the Angelic Set is also a part of the divine position," Qian Renxue asked.

"No need. So, Sister Xue, you should inherit this God of Judgment throne right away!"

"No, every divine position represents a portion of strength. How can you just give it to me!" Qian Renxue still wanted to refuse.

"Sister Xue, I've already obtained my divine trial rewards, so giving away a divine position has no effect on me at all. You should just accept it. Teacher and Sister Na'er have already inherited the thrones of the God of Devouring and the God of Holy Spirit."

"That means you've already given away two divine positions!" Qian Renxue was momentarily stunned.

This was a divine position!

How precious was it?

How could he just give it away like that?

Seeing the dazed Qian Renxue, Ling Xiao didn't wait for her to react. He pulled her directly into the Judgment Divine Realm and fused the God of Judgment's throne into her body.

A powerful aura instantly surged from Qian Renxue. She closed her eyes, and her soul power began to break through. Two purple and five black—seven soul rings appeared, followed closely by the eighth soul ring. Its color shifted until it finally became a vibrant red.

Qian Renxue opened her eyes and stared in astonishment at that red soul ring.

Sensing her soul power, she realized it had already reached the eighty-fifth rank!

"This..." Qian Renxue was somewhat lost in thought.

"Sister Xue, what were the contents and rewards of your divine trial?" Ling Xiao asked.

"Huh?" Qian Renxue collected her thoughts and blinked in surprise.

"Didn't you complete your divine trials, Xiao'er? Why don't you know the contents and rewards of mine?"

"The divine trials and rewards after inheriting a divine position are different for the teacher and the others compared to mine. I suppose it's the same for you, Sister Xue!" Ling Xiao waved his hand and said.

"I see!"

Qian Renxue understood. After pondering for a moment, she said, "My divine trials consist of nine trials, but right now I only know three of them. The first is to slay the Rakshasa God, with the reward being the Sword of Judgment. The second is to slay the Evil God King, with the reward being the Judgment Angel Armor. The third is to undergo the illusion trial, with the reward being the Judgment Heavenly Flame."

Hearing what Qian Renxue said, Ling Xiao immediately frowned.

"Xiao'er, what's wrong?" Qian Renxue noticed Ling Xiao's unusual expression.

"Sister Xue, your first three divine trials might have to be postponed! At least until I complete the seventh trial of the God of Time, there's no way to finish them!"

"Sigh! Why?"

"Because both the Rakshasa God and the Evil God King have already been killed by me. Now I can only wait until I finish the seventh trial of the God of Time to reverse time, resurrect these two gods, and then you can complete your tasks!"

Qian Renxue didn't seem to mind much and comforted him, saying, "It's fine, there's no rush. There is plenty of time, and once I reach Title Douluo, I will have centuries of lifespan."

Sigh!

Ling Xiao silently sighed. It seemed he needed to reach the seventh trial as soon as possible.

Dismissing the Judgment Divine Realm, the two returned to their original spot.

Anticipation flickered in Qian Renxue's eyes. She hoped that one day she could also become this powerful.

Qian Renxue looked at her current soul rings. They were far too eye-catching, so she used the Angelic Set to disguise them, turning them back into the normal soul rings of a Soul Emperor.

"Sister Xue, I'm leaving!" Ling Xiao waved his hand and prepared to board the Demonic Pupil Blood Sword to depart.

"Why are you leaving so soon? You just got here!" Qian Renxue said with a trace of disappointment.

"Because I need to finish my divine trials as quickly as possible. Once I complete them, I'll spend plenty of time keeping Sister Xue company!"

"Alright then! If you dare to break your promise, Xiao'er, I will never let you off!" Qian Renxue huffed.

"I won't! Goodbye, Sister Xue!"

"Goodbye, Xiao'er!"

The next moment, space rippled, and Ling Xiao appeared high in the sky, flying off in a certain direction.

After a short while, Ling Xiao arrived at the Extreme North.

At this moment, on a vast expanse of ice fields, two figures opened their eyes.

"Snow Emperor, that's the aura of that human!" the Ice Emperor said.

"Indeed! Ever since we parted more than two years ago, I've actually missed this strange human a little," the Snow Emperor said softly.

Thinking back to her encounter with Ling Xiao more than two years ago, a wry smile also lingered on the Snow Emperor's face.

"Sigh, that human was already so powerful back then. I can only wonder what level his strength has reached after two years!"

The Snow Emperor sighed. When they first learned that human was less than nine years old back then, the shock in their hearts was no less than meeting a deity.

"No matter how powerful he is, what does it have to do with us? He's a human after all. It's already a blessing that he hasn't come to hunt us down!" the Ice Emperor retorted.

"Ice Emperor, don't talk like that. You should learn to trust him. Didn't he have the chance to kill us back then and choose not to?" the Snow Emperor persuaded.

At the same time, she also felt a slight headache. She couldn't understand why the Ice Emperor always insisted on going against that human. Because of this, the Ice Emperor had taken quite a few beatings; each time she looked utterly miserable, yet she never changed her ways. Once she recovered, she would go right back to provoking him.

"Hmph! You're always speaking up for that human, Snow Emperor, and you never stop him when I get beaten up!" the Ice Emperor stomped her small feet with an indignant expression.

"Who told you to always be the one to provoke him first? I had completely no reason to stop him. Besides, if I had tried to stop him, he might have beaten me up along with you. Even though he held back a lot later on, it was still humiliating!" the Snow Emperor said.

"That human is so bad! When we first met, he beat me up so terribly. I must get my revenge!" the Ice Emperor declared, her face turning flushed as she recalled her past ordeal.

Meanwhile, Ling Xiao was walking through the Extreme North, chanting inwardly: "Check-in!"

"Mission accomplished. Congratulations, Master, to obtain the God of Fire divine position!" Lan Xue said.

Ling Xiao nodded. Finally, he had acquired yet another divine position, bringing him one step closer to his goal of becoming the supreme being.

"Since I've arrived in the Extreme North, I might as well go check on the Snow Emperor and the Ice Emperor!" Ling Xiao thought to himself. His gaze spanned thousands of miles to locate the Snow Emperor and Ice Emperor on an ice field, and his figure flashed and vanished.

The next moment, he appeared directly in front of the Snow Emperor and Ice Emperor. Looking at the startled and flustered duo before him, Ling Xiao smiled and greeted them.

"Snow Emperor, Ice Emperor, we meet again!"

"We meet again," the Snow Emperor nodded and extended an invitation. "Come inside and sit for a while."

"Alright!" Ling Xiao nodded, following the Snow Emperor toward an ice cave. The Ice Emperor trailed behind them, muttering incessantly under her breath while casting resentful glances at Ling Xiao's back.

Ling Xiao naturally noticed, but he couldn't be bothered to care. After all, he was quite used to being looked at like that.

The Ice Emperor had always given him that exact look every time he beat her up in the past, and Bai Ling was the same way.

The three of them walked into the ice cave and had just sat down when the Ice Emperor looked at Ling Xiao with utter disgust and said, "Human, why have you come back here?"

"Ding, mission triggered: Teach a lesson to the unruly Ice Emperor. Reward: Three Secret Arts of the God of Fire." Lan Xue's voice rang out.

Hearing this, Ling Xiao, who originally hadn't planned to pay attention to the Ice Emperor, turned his gaze toward her and narrowed his eyes. "Ice Emperor, it hasn't been long, but it seems you've already forgotten your lesson from before!"

"Human, you have the nerve to bring that up! Who acts like you—striking right there without a word!" Remembering everything she had suffered back then, the Ice Emperor gritted her teeth, her face turning red with anger.

"You brought every single one of those beatings upon yourself," Ling Xiao said with a dismissive tone.

"What!"

Gritting her teeth, the Ice Emperor snapped, "Detestable human, how dare you say that to me! I want to duel you!"

"A duel? Oh, alright, bring it on!" Ling Xiao smiled disdainfully at the Ice Emperor's provocation, crooking a finger at her.

Seeing Ling Xiao act in such a manner, the Ice Emperor's pretty face twisted in fury.

"Ah! You actually look down on me! Eternal Freezing Prison!" the Ice Emperor roared, unleashing a formidable wave of biting cold toward Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao didn't care in the least. He stood up, flicked his hand casually to shatter the terrifying chill, and then teleported directly behind the Ice Emperor.

A black chain materialized, binding the Ice Emperor tightly on the spot.

Seeing this familiar scene, the Ice Emperor's expression changed instantly.

"Human, you are not allowed to—"

The Ice Emperor roared, but it was completely useless.

*Slap, slap, slap!* The sound of rhythmic impacts echoed inside the ice cave. Enhanced by the acoustics, the sound was loud and lingered continuously.

After a few minutes, Ling Xiao released the chains and set the Ice Emperor down.

At this moment, the Ice Emperor's face was flushed red, and her slender legs trembled uncontrollably.

"This is just a small lesson. If you dare provoke me again next time, Ice Emperor, it won't be as simple as this!" Ling Xiao warned her.

Hearing this, the Ice Emperor's expression shifted once more. She crossed her hands tightly behind her and gazed at Ling Xiao with a wary expression.

"Ding, congratulations, Master. Mission accomplished. Reward: Three Secret Arts of the God of Fire."

Ling Xiao nodded. Ignoring whatever the Ice Emperor was thinking, he walked over and sat down beside the Snow Emperor.

"Here, have something good!" Ling Xiao produced a vial of the Spring of Life and handed it to the Snow Emperor.

"Spring of Life again? But... why does it feel somewhat different?" the Snow Emperor said as she accepted the small bottle, looking curiously at the brilliantly glowing liquid inside.

"The Spring of Life has been upgraded. Perhaps if you drink it now, you can surpass seven hundred thousand years."

"The Spring of Life from before, and this Spring of Life now—both are incomparably precious. Are you just going to hand it over to me, a spirit beast, like this?" the Snow Emperor looked at the Spring of Life in her hand and asked softly.

"We're friends. What does it matter whether you're a spirit beast or a human?" Ling Xiao said with a smile.

"Because we're friends...?" The Snow Emperor looked at Ling Xiao, her gaze complex.

Back then, she had already realized that although the person before her was immensely powerful, he was also exceptionally innocent. He would simply give away such treasures just because they were friends.

"Thank you!" After a moment of silence, the Snow Emperor expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

"Don't mention it!"

"Human, do I get one?" the Ice Emperor chimed in, her face still flushed.

"There originally was one, but because you provoked me just now, you don't get it anymore!" Ling Xiao said.

"Ah!" The Ice Emperor was dumbfounded.

"Fine, I don't need it anyway, I don't care! So what if I don't get one? I'll still be alive without it!" the Ice Emperor shouted, marching off to sit by herself in a corner, her figure looking desolate.

"Sigh, don't take it to heart. I really don't know why the Ice Emperor is so hostile toward you," the Snow Emperor said with a bitter smile.

"It's fine. Considering how good-looking she is, I won't hold it against her!" Ling Xiao said nonchalantly. After all, he simply liked the Ice Emperor's appearance; as long as she didn't cross any uncrossable lines, it was fine.

Sigh!

The Snow Emperor let out a sigh. The person before her was so powerful yet so carefree, but precisely because of this, they were able to survive.

"Hurry up and drink it to see how much your strength increases!" Ling Xiao urged.

The Snow Emperor nodded, uncorked the bottle, and instantly a faint, delicate fragrance filled the entire ice cave.

The Ice Emperor, who was sulking off to the side, also looked over, but she quickly turned her head away and chanted inwardly: *I don't need it! I don't need it!*

After drinking the Spring of Life, the Snow Emperor immediately closed her eyes, and the aura around her surged.

Seeing this, Ling Xiao directly sealed off the space to prevent the ice cave from being destroyed.

The Snow Emperor's momentum continued to climb steadily. In just a few breaths, she broke through to six hundred and seventy thousand years, and her power kept rising.

A few more minutes passed before the aura around the Snow Emperor gradually calmed down. By now, her strength had reached seven hundred and forty thousand years!

The Snow Emperor opened her eyes. Sensing her current strength, her mouth fell open in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock.

"Your strength has improved quite a bit!" Ling Xiao noted.

"This is all thanks to you. Thank you! I never even knew your name!" The Snow Emperor smiled happily and looked at Ling Xiao.

"My name is Ling Xiao—surpassing the nine heavens!"

"Surpassing the nine heavens, is it?"

The Snow Emperor nodded. With such strength, he truly surpassed everything.

Off to the side, the Ice Emperor felt a bitter ache in her heart. Though she didn't know the exact extent of the Snow Emperor's improvement, judging by the Snow Emperor's reaction, the boost must have been immense.

The Ice Emperor turned away dejectedly, lowering her head to stare blankly at the ground with lifeless eyes.

Right at that moment, a hand suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Startled, the Ice Emperor looked up and saw that Ling Xiao had walked over and sat down beside her, holding a vial of the Spring of Life.

"Here. Sister Xue is already at seven hundred and forty thousand years of strength, while you're still barely at three hundred thousand. Hurry up and drink this to catch up!" Ling Xiao said, shoving the vial into the Ice Emperor's hand, gently patting her head, and then walking away.

Throughout the process, the Ice Emperor sat there in a daze, completely unresponsive even when he patted her head.

It wasn't until Ling Xiao sat back down beside the Snow Emperor that the Ice Emperor snapped out of it. She lowered her head to look at the Spring of Life in her hand, a smile curling the corners of her lips.

Without further hesitation, the Ice Emperor uncorked the bottle, drank the Spring of Life, and closed her eyes. Her aura surged, and after ten minutes, it finally stabilized.

When the Ice Emperor opened her eyes and realized she had become a soul beast of three hundred and ninety thousand years, her eyes flashed with joyful surprise. She excitedly wanted to share this news with Ling Xiao.

However, seeing Ling Xiao chatting happily and intimately with the Snow Emperor, the smile on her lips instantly froze.

Looking at the two of them sitting so close together, a sudden sense of discomfort washed over the Ice Emperor. No one cared about her; it felt as though she were completely redundant.

Noticing the Ice Emperor and seeing that she looked somewhat downcast, the Snow Emperor asked with a puzzled expression, "Ice Emperor, why are you in a bad mood when your strength has just increased?"

"It's nothing, Snow Emperor!" the Ice Emperor replied. Shaking her head, she walked over to stand before them and sat down directly beside Ling Xiao, her body pressing so close she was practically leaning against him.

Ling Xiao was slightly puzzled by the Ice Emperor. Just moments ago she had looked ready to start a fight, yet now she was sitting quietly right next to him! Still, none of this mattered much.

He continued talking to the Snow Emperor. "Do you soul beasts have to go through a heavenly tribulation every ten hundred thousand years?"

"Yes. But I don't know why there wasn't any heavenly tribulation this time after my strength increased!" The Snow Emperor looked somewhat perplexed.

Her previous tribulations had each nearly cost her half her life, and she had expected the same this time around, only to find that no tribulation had descended even after so long.

Upon hearing this, the Ice Emperor also suddenly became alert, though she likewise couldn't sense any aura of a heavenly tribulation.

*Could it be that those gods died?*

The Ice Emperor thought maliciously.

It was precisely those deities that made advancing in cultivation so difficult for spirit beasts. It would be better if they all died!

"The deities must be terrified!" Ling Xiao remarked. He figured those gods must have seen the Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor by his side and didn't dare let any tribulations strike during these two power-ups.

"Why would deities be afraid?" the Snow Emperor asked, bewildered.

"It doesn't matter. In any case, this is good news for you. From now on, you won't have to fear dying in the heavenly tribulations!" Ling Xiao said.

"That's true!" Although puzzled, seeing that Ling Xiao didn't want to elaborate, the Snow Emperor didn't press further.

"So, where are you planning to go next?" the Snow Emperor asked.

"Who knows? I'll just go wherever my feet take me. On this continent, there's nothing left that can pique my interest," Ling Xiao replied. Once the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament concluded, it would be time for him to head to another world.

Hearing this, the Snow Emperor fell silent.

Seeing the two of them chatting away without leaving any room for her to chime in, the Ice Emperor grew anxious. Finally, an opportunity presented itself.

Listening to Ling Xiao's words, a sudden thought struck her. Her eyes lit up as she said, "Human, there's something that might interest you! Wait here!"

With that, the Ice Emperor hurried out of the ice cave. The Snow Emperor also suddenly seemed to recall something. Sure enough, a short while later, the Ice Emperor dragged a large, fat worm back into the ice cave.