Seven days later.
Inside a cave constructed entirely of ice, Shen Hanyu lay on an ice bed covered with soul beast fur, breathing heavily.
A full seven days!
For seven whole days, he and the Ice Frost Snake Demon had spent almost all their time fighting, except for brief moments of rest and eating, battling hundreds of rounds over the single question of who would be on top. In the end, Shen Hanyu barely managed to come out on top.
It had to be admitted that a 200,000-year-old virgin snake was truly somewhat terrifying. She had nearly drained Shen Hanyu dry. Fortunately, his physical constitution was extraordinarily strong, so he didn't disgrace the vast majority of male compatriots.
The Ice Frost Snake Demon lay languidly on top of Shen Hanyu, one hand tracing circles on his chest. Her voice carried a trace of exhaustion:
"You humans really don't understand what it means to pity the fairer sex. Hmph. I truly don't know what kind of suffering your future partner will have to endure…"
Shen Hanyu remained unconcerned.
Long ago, he hadn't understood why the Tang family obsessively hunted soul beasts. Now he understood.
It could be summed up in one word!
Incredibly slick!
Unlike human women, the Ice Frost Snake Demon possessed an extra touch of wildness, a far more voluptuous figure, and was far more open to experimentation. Most importantly…
That snake tail, cool yet burning with heat, was something ordinary people could never imagine the pleasure of.
One word!
Absolutely exquisite!
The Ice Frost Snake Demon slowly slid off Shen Hanyu's body. Her long hair cascaded down as she casually glanced back at him and smiled:
"Once you've rested enough, get up. After this, I'll directly sacrifice myself to you. Aren't you excited?"
Shen Hanyu slowly sat up, feeling a strange emotion he couldn't quite place. The virginity he had guarded for a full fifteen years had somehow, inexplicably, vanished.
Though he had to admit he had thoroughly enjoyed it.
"That's fine. But I'm curious, once you're gone, your race will no longer have a 100,000-year soul beast. Their status will plummet, and it's even possible they'll end up as food for other races. Can you really bear to abandon them?"
The Ice Frost Snake Demon replied indifferently:
"They worship me, and I have protected them for a full 100,000 years. Over those 100,000 years, I have done my utmost. I have already fulfilled my duty to the utmost. Cold-bloodedness is engraved in our bones. We recognize our race, but we value benefits even more. That is the true soul beast world. Don't treat us soul beasts like you humans; we don't have so many rules and restrictions. They can abandon me at any time, so naturally, I can abandon them at any time as well."
Shen Hanyu nodded and said nothing more. Humans were like this, let alone snakes, which were inherently cold-blooded animals.
......
After the two had fully dressed, they arrived one after the other at the summit of the same snowy mountain from before.
The Ice Frost Snake Demon said nothing further. She simply walked to Shen Hanyu's side, left a light kiss, then leaned back and leaped straight off the cliff.
Moments later, a massive ice snake over thirty meters long soared into the sky. Its enormous yet graceful body slowly coiled, enveloping Shen Hanyu within.
Then a dazzling red light erupted. A red pillar of light shot toward the heavens as flames blazed fiercely across the Ice Frost Snake Demon's body. Her gentle voice sounded beside Shen Hanyu's ear:
"Get ready, little brother… here I come…"
The dazzling red light surged skyward once more, transforming into a massive red soul ring that hovered in the air before gradually shrinking and settling into the empty position of Shen Hanyu's eighth soul ring.
A vast yet gentle energy flowed into Shen Hanyu's body. Warm currents coursed through his entire frame, causing steam to rise from his skin as though he were enveloped in warmth.
This absorption was undoubtedly the easiest Shen Hanyu had ever experienced. The Ice Frost Snake Demon's sacrifice carried not a trace of malice; she even actively guided the energy into every part of his body, and in the process, many of his origin-level injuries began to heal as well.
The immense spectacle attracted the attention of numerous powerful soul beasts, yet not a single one dared approach to investigate. After all, the Ice Frost Snake Demon's reckless, life-risking fighting style had long left a deep shadow in their minds. No one wanted to provoke a ferocious beast whose lifespan was already nearing its end and whose temper was notoriously eccentric, one who would casually slaughter members of her own clan. Fighting her truly could cost one's life.
The absorption of the soul ring proceeded without any mishap. This 200,000-year soul ring didn't even take much time before it firmly occupied the position of Shen Hanyu's eighth soul ring.
At the same time, the two soul bones and the two strands of energy contained within his second martial soul were briefly stirred, but they were quickly soothed and returned to calm.
Shen Hanyu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed his prediction had been correct; this was the best possible outcome. At the very least, he had resolved one of his most difficult current problems.
A left leg bone radiating red light slowly descended onto Shen Hanyu's left leg before seamlessly fusing into his flesh, perfectly integrating with him.
In his mental sea, Shen Hanyu saw the somewhat wilted Ice Frost Snake Demon.
Her condition was poor, her face visibly pale, her aura extremely unstable, as though she might fall into deep slumber at any moment.
Tian Meng hurriedly guided the last of its mental power into the Ice Frost Snake Demon's body. Although Shen Hanyu had previously shielded it from perceiving the outside world, it still knew what had transpired between her and Shen Hanyu. Helping out a little now wasn't a big deal.
With the influx of mental power, the Ice Frost Snake Demon let out a small yawn. Her condition visibly improved as she looked at Tian Meng with interest and remarked:
"Impressive. A soul beast as frail as an ice silkworm actually breaking through to the million-year level, it truly is a miracle of our era…"
Tian Meng proudly raised its little head and declared:
"Of course! You have to consider who I am. I'm the embodiment of kindness and handsomeness, the king among soul beasts, the god revered by tens of thousands in the Far North…"
The Ice Frost Snake Demon let out an "oh" before her expression turned strange:
"You wouldn't happen to be that ice silkworm who once boasted about pursuing the Ice Emperor and ended up being chased for tens of thousands of years, would you? I heard the Ice Emperor was so furious she went berserk in the Far North several times…"
At those words, Tian Meng instantly fell silent, quietly squatting to the side to draw circles and curse the Ice Frost Snake Demon.
"It really is you… You… you're really brave…"
The Ice Frost Snake Demon held back laughter for a long while before finally managing to say that.
Tian Meng was thoroughly depressed. It simply stopped paying attention to her teasing, closed its eyes, and prepared to use sleep to ease its sorrow.
"Enough, stop teasing Tian Meng. Is there anything else? We're about to leave the Far North…"
Shen Hanyu emerged to interrupt the Ice Frost Snake Demon and spoke softly.
"Mm… go to my cave dwelling. There are more than a dozen soul bones I collected hidden in a secret compartment there. Though their age and quality are ordinary, I think you humans will like them."
Shen Hanyu nodded to indicate he understood.
The Ice Frost Snake Demon yawned again and continued:
"I've consumed a great deal of energy, so from now on I may frequently fall into deep sleep. You and the big bug have fun. Also, Shen Hanyu! Don't forget what you promised this old lady. I'm going to sleep now…"
Shen Hanyu watched as she slowly closed her eyes. After a moment of silence, he left the mental sea. His main objectives here had all been achieved, and now there was no reason to remain in the Far North any longer…
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