Chapter 430: The Fearless Ice Empress
Seeing the Ice Empress standing there with absolute confidence, Tianmeng Iceworm realized that the situation was slipping beyond his expectations. Driven by a deep sense of crisis, he abandoned all pretense and attacked immediately.
At the Ice Empress' level, her instincts for danger were unparalleled. Almost instantly, she sensed something was wrong Tianmeng's golden body suddenly turned translucent and then rushed toward her at lightning speed.
Though the Ice Empress' speed was beyond question, in that split second, she suddenly felt as if everything around her had slowed down. The air itself became dense and sticky, and an overwhelming mental force engulfed her like a limitless ocean, pulling her deep into its depths.
Her emerald green tail gleamed with an intense light, lashing out violently as she roared in fury, "Tianmeng, you're courting death! Pouring out your mental power like this do you really think you can hold me? One second? Two? The moment I break free, it will be your end!"
But Tianmeng simply smiled gently and whispered, "I only need one second."
At that very moment, an invisible white membrane glided silently across the snow covered ground. Even with all of the Ice Empress' strength, she did not notice it creeping toward her.
Meanwhile, hidden within the ice shelter, Huo Yuhao's entire body convulsed violently. He gritted his teeth, channeling every ounce of his soul power in an effort to resist the sudden, extreme cold.
Despite the shelter protecting him from the outside chill and the warmth provided by the burning remains of Tianmeng's old body, he was still instantly frozen stiff.
Huo Yuhao had no idea how low the temperature had dropped all he knew was that his heart felt like it was about to stop beating. He could only desperately cycle his soul power, keeping at least a thread of warmth alive within himself.
And one second was all they needed.
As the Ice Empress unleashed her full strength, prepared to wait out Tianmeng's energy drain, she suddenly felt a horrifying pressure clamp down on her body.
Her eyes widened in shock.
She couldn't move.
A wave of pure panic surged through her mind as she frenziedly struggled, emerald and white flashes of power exploding around her. She activated her strongest abilities, unleashing wave after wave of devastating energy, no longer holding back.
But nothing worked.
For the first time in hundreds of thousands of years, she felt truly helpless.
The force holding her was growing stronger, constricting her so tightly that her exoskeleton let out an agonizing, creaking sound.
No matter how much she fought, the pressure continued to increase.
Her razor sharp pincers were slowly forced shut, and her tail once high and proud was pinned tightly against her back.
One of the three rulers of the Extreme North, the feared and respected Ice Empress, had been completely restrained.
"Impossible!" the Ice Empress hissed in disbelief.
"Tianmeng, you useless worm! How could you possibly restrain me?! What ability is this? Why can't I break free, even with my full strength?!"
In the vision of the future, she had seen herself sacrificing her life for Huo Yuhao. But at the time, she had assumed it was because she had no choice that she had chosen to sacrifice herself rather than face a doomed future.
It never crossed her mind that she might have actually been overpowered.
Yet here she was, completely bound.
The golden light around Tianmeng Iceworm faded slightly as he reappeared in his Huo Yuhao like form, standing before her with a gentle smile.
"I've waited far too long for this moment."
"You're wondering how this is possible, aren't you?"
"I'll explain it all to you… but not now."
"Once we leave this place, we'll have plenty of time to talk."
"For now, it's time for us to go."
As he spoke, he lifted a hand, pointed at the Ice Empress, and golden light flashed
And she vanished.
Tianmeng let out a deep sigh as he watched the white membrane sealing the Ice Empress' presence disappear into the ice shelter.
"I never imagined… that after losing my physical body, I would gain abilities I never dared to dream of."
"But this was my one and only chance."
"Ice Empress… I hope you don't disappoint me."
Inside the ice shelter, Huo Yuhao shivered violently as the cold was suddenly cut off, leaving him just barely conscious.
He stumbled out, crawling through the snow until he emerged into the open air once again.
The moment he saw the clear sky, he felt an overwhelming urge to roar in triumph.
But just as he was about to cry out, Tianmeng's voice rang in his mind:
"Not yet. Stay silent and listen carefully."
"We need to leave. Immediately."
"Ice Empress' kin are coming. They must have sensed her disappearance, and they'll be here soon. We have to get as far away as possible before they arrive."
"Got it."
Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate. He immediately turned and sprinted back the way he came, running with everything he had.
Tianmeng extended his vast mental power, masking their presence as they fled.
After a long and exhausting escape, they finally reached the outer regions of the Extreme North.
Tianmeng scanned the area.
"This will do. The area is quiet, no soul beasts within a hundred miles."
"Now we can deal with the Ice Empress."
Huo Yuhao, still catching his breath, nodded firmly.
"Tianmeng, will she… really agree?"
Tianmeng let out a low chuckle.
"Yuhao, listen…"
"For all the years we soul beasts have lived, we are still more afraid of death than you humans."
"No one wants to see their long life come to an end."
"No matter how much she looks down on me, no matter how much she resents this situation, nothing nothing is more important than her own survival."
"She will agree. She has no choice."
A golden light emerged from Huo Yuhao's forehead, forming a one meter wide golden disk.
And from within, the Ice Empress' figure emerged once more.
But something was wrong.
Tianmeng had expected her to resist, to fight against her restraints.
But instead, she was calm.
She stood there silently, her golden eyes cold and unreadable.
Then, in a voice completely devoid of emotion, she said:
"So, this was your trump card?"
"I suppose this is how I was fooled in that vision of the future."
At that moment, Tianmeng's unease deepened.
He had thought that by staying close to her, he had secured his victory.
But now, facing her icy gaze, he had an unsettling realization:
She wasn't panicked. She wasn't resisting.
She had come prepared.
Something was very wrong.
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