Douluo Continent: Martial Soul - Ice and Snow Maiden, Calls Snow Empress "Mom"

Some exceptionally gifted human geniuses, when awakening their martial souls, have an extremely small chance of awakening a top-tier beast martial soul that is exactly the same as that of a top-tier soul beast.

"Could it be... that this human child possesses some kind of rare, once-in-a-millennium ice-attribute physique, and that aura within him that is the same as mine is because he will be able to awaken the 'Ice and Snow Maiden' martial soul in the future?"

This bold guess surfaced in Xue Di's mind and could not be shaken off.

If that's the case, then everything makes sense.

Only a physique containing the essence of the Ice and Snow Maiden's martial soul could remain safe and sound in the core of the far north, could trigger such a massive celestial phenomenon, and could evoke such a warm bond with her as if she were facing a junior member of her own clan.

Thinking of this, Xue Di's eternally frozen and beautiful face softened unconsciously.

She reached out her hands, moved the little boy, who was suspended in mid-air, closer, and gently hugged him into her arms.

This was the first time in hundreds of thousands of years that she had come into such close contact with a human being.

The feel of it was unexpectedly soft and warm.

The little boy seemed to sense the ultimate comfort emanating from the snow goddess's embrace. Undeterred by the wind and snow, he restlessly twisted his small body, rubbing his fluffy little head against the snow goddess's soft and full chest, finding the most comfortable position, making cute "smacking" sounds, and continued to snore.

Looking at the exquisitely beautiful and audacious little one in her arms, Xue Di's lips curled into a rare, faint smile that was enough to make the world pale in comparison.

She extended a long, slender, and smooth index finger, gently tapped it on the little boy's pert nose, and whispered:

"Fair skin, crystal clear, and the ice element within her body is extremely pure... My guess should be correct."

Just as Xue Di was holding the baby boy, immersed in this rare tranquility and novel experience, a rapid and extremely sharp sound of air being torn apart suddenly came from the distant snowstorm.

"Shhh—"

Accompanied by this teeth-grinding sound, a terrifying extreme cold storm, no less powerful than the Snow Emperor's, swept in.

At the eye of the storm, a colossal beast, as if sculpted from the purest diamonds and emeralds, burst forth from the snow.

It was a giant scorpion that was over four meters long.

Its body is divided into two colors, with the front half covered with hexagonal diamond protrusions that sparkle like ice crystals, reflecting a dazzling light in the wind and snow.

The latter half of the body, including the long, upturned scorpion tail with a deadly glint at its end, was a vibrant yet extremely venomous emerald green.

The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, one of the three great kings of the far north, with nearly 400,000 years of cultivation.

Hyotei!

Hyotei's compound eyes, which shimmered like yellow sapphires, lit up the moment they saw Yuki.

But then, when she saw what Xue Di was holding in her arms, her massive body stiffened abruptly.

"Whoosh—"

A bright green light shone forth, and the terrifying behemoth rapidly shrank within the light.

In the blink of an eye, a petite and delicate figure, resembling a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, appeared before Xue Di.

Hyotei, in human form, has a head of dark green twin tails that hang smoothly down her back.

She had a delicate and lovely appearance, with fair skin like snow. She wore an exquisite short skirt in turquoise and white, revealing a pair of slender and straight white legs.

Although she looks like a little girl, her emerald green eyes reveal an unassailable arrogance and ruthlessness, the aura of an emperor who has been in a high position for many years and is decisive in killing.

At this moment, the proud Ice Emperor stared wide-eyed at the human boy who was burying his head in the Snow Empress's chest and occasionally nuzzling against her, completely stunned.

"Snow, Snow Emperor..."

Hyotei pointed her tiny, white finger at the baby boy, her voice stammering with shock:

"That commotion that shot straight into the sky and terrified all the soul beasts in the far north—was that...that human child's doing? What...what's his background? And why are you holding him?!"

In Hyotei's mind, humans are all greedy, cunning, and disgusting creatures who will stop at nothing to obtain spirit rings and spirit bones.

If she were to encounter humans in the far north, she would absolutely not hesitate to use the Wrath of the Ice Emperor to blast them into ice shards.

But now, the Snow Emperor, whom she admires and loves most, is holding a human baby in his arms, and his eyes are so gentle?!

Seeing the Ice Empress's astonished expression, the Snow Empress gently shook her head. Then, in a calm and detached tone, she told the Ice Empress in detail how she discovered the baby boy, as well as her speculations about the baby boy's physique and his potential awakening of the martial soul, Ice Heaven Snow Maiden.

"A human with the potential of the Ice and Snow Maiden Martial Soul?!"

After hearing Xue Di's account, Bing Di's shock did not fade; instead, it intensified.

She quickly stepped forward, approached Xue Di, and carefully examined the sleeping baby boy.

As expected, just as the Snow Empress said, this fragile human infant not only did not freeze to death in the terrifyingly low temperatures of the far north core area, but also emitted an extreme ice attribute fluctuation that even the Ice Empress felt a sense of unease.

The purity of her being was no less than that of the strongest member of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion clan.

Hyotei remained silent for a long time.

Her delicate brows were furrowed tightly, as if she were having a fierce internal struggle.

Finally, she raised her head, looked at Xue Di, and asked in a serious tone:

"Snow Emperor, what do you plan to do with him?"

Even if he might actually awaken the Ice and Snow Maiden Martial Soul, he is still a human being.

Human lifespan is short, and humans are insatiable.

What if he grows up and turns against us in the far north?

Xue Di lowered her head slightly, looking at the pure and innocent sleeping face of the baby boy in her arms, a resolute glint flashing in her cold eyes.

Without the slightest hesitation, her voice, though still ethereal, carried an undeniable authority: "He is a divinely ordained infant from the far north. His birth in absolute zero and the resulting celestial phenomena prove that he has an unbreakable connection with my far north."

After a pause, Xue Di continued, "I will keep him by my side and raise him myself. Humans can awaken their martial soul at the age of six. Six years is just a blink of an eye for us soul beasts who often sleep for tens of thousands of years."

"If he can truly awaken the Ice and Snow Maiden Martial Soul when he is six years old, then he can be considered half of my kin. I will devote all the resources of the far north to continue to nurture him, so that he can become the strongest human on the Douluo Continent, and even... break the boundary between humans and soul beasts."

At this point, the Snow Empress's eyes instantly turned as cold as ancient ice:

"But what if, six years later, he fails to awaken the Ice and Snow Maiden martial soul, or awakens some other random martial soul..."