Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

"The extreme north... I'm finally back again."

Snow Empress's soft, adorable face showed a trace of wistfulness.

The familiar icy expanse made her feel a long-lost sense of closeness.

Though traveling by Alaric's side had been thrilling, allowing her to witness many things she had never encountered before, only this place could truly give her a sense of home.

"What's the matter? Feeling nervous about returning home?"

Su Yu squatted down beside Snow Empress, smiling gently.

Little Snow Empress had grown slightly and looked even more exquisite now.

Snow Empress rolled her eyes at Su Yu and reached out to pinch his face. Her tiny hands were as crystalline as jade, flawless like white lotus roots. They were also cool to the touch, likely due to her unique constitution.

Despite her pinching, Su Yu felt no pain—in fact, he found it quite soothing.

"Still in the mood to tease me? Hurry and summon Ice already."

Snow Empress's small face turned stern as she spoke.

From one to three years old, although still young and weak, a trace of her former commanding, queenly aura had returned.

Su Yu chuckled, scooping her up amidst her startled cry.

"Hey, stop! Put me down!"

Snow Empress wriggled in protest, clearly unwilling to be carried.

Su Yu lightly patted her small bottom, causing her cheeks to flush red and her struggle to cease.

Biting her delicate silver teeth, Snow Empress glared at Su Yu with large eyes, her expression a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Su Yu, what are you doing?!"

She pouted angrily.

"Carrying you, of course. Why?" Su Yu replied with a faint smile.

"Hmph, I don't want you to carry me!"

Snow Empress raised her small head, exuding a haughty demeanor.

"You don't want me to carry you? Back then, when you begged me to, you didn't seem to mind."

Su Yu teased, his smile growing sly.

Snow Empress froze for a moment, retorting, "That was because I was still small! I've grown now!"

"You? A three-year-old brat? Grown up? Yeah, right."

Su Yu rolled his eyes and gave her a light pat again, turning her little face bright red.

"Su Yu, I'm warning you—if you dare spank me again, I'll make you pay once I grow up!"

Snow Empress threatened with a cute yet firm tone.

"Alright, I'll be waiting."

Su Yu laughed and patted her again.

Snow Empress was upset and unhappy.

Stretching out her small hands, she began clawing at Su Yu's face in frustration, her teeth gritted as if trying to vent her irritation.

Yet Su Yu simply kissed her hand, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Moments later, she shot him a disdainful look, muttering, "Beast."

"Yep, yep, whatever you say."

Su Yu ruffled her head affectionately, his aura suddenly emanating.

In the extreme north, Su Yu held power nearly equal to the Snow Empress's.

Even though he was still relatively weak, he could effortlessly command the forces of this land.

An icy blue glow radiated from the center of Su Yu's forehead snowflakes swirling around him as his aura extended far into the distance.

Not long after, two powerful presences rose almost simultaneously in the core region.

The first was a cold and domineering force, as overwhelming as an ancient beast. A cyan light surged from the horizon, dyeing the entire sky green.

Ice Empress had arrived.

Such a chilling, commanding aura could only belong to the second-ranked ruler of the Far North's three great sovereigns—the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.

With just a few swift movements, the Ice Empress appeared before Su Yu.

Her silver-white and jade-green hues complemented each other, her form as beautiful as ever.

"Snow, Su Yu, you're finally back!"

Ice Empress's crisp voice rang out, as clear as a young girl's.

"I've kept you waiting for two years. I'm back to fulfill our agreement,"

Su Yu said softly with a smile.

"You came just in time," Ice Empress replied. "Lately, I've had a constant feeling that a heavenly tribulation is imminent. If you hadn't returned, you might not have found me alive."

Her heart was filled with relief. For some time now, a sense of looming death had hung over her.

It wasn't until Su Yu appeared that the oppressive feeling began to dissipate.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Looks like I came back just in time," Su Yu said with a grin.

"Hmph! If I hadn't pressured you, would you have returned now?"

"You even planned to save Ice for your sixth soul ring. I told you she couldn't wait that long!"

"Hmph, just as I predicted."

Snow Empress snorted proudly, her expression smug.

"Yes, yes, you're always right."

Su Yu reached out and pinched her cheek. Snow Empress fought back, and the two began playfully squabbling.

Ice Empress: "..."

Watching the two bicker, Ice Empress found herself at a loss for words.

"It's only been about two years, and you two have gotten this close already?"

For some reason, Ice Empress couldn't shake the feeling that she was the outsider here.

"Snow, how have you been these past two years?" Ice Empress couldn't help but ask.

Snow Empress pushed Su Yu's hand away with annoyance, saying, "Not bad. This guy hasn't mistreated me."

"But he does have the awful habit of shaking me awake every morning. So annoying."

This was the one thing Snow Empress resented most about Su Yu.

To be fair, Su Yu had taken great care of her, providing the best food and supplies and often keeping her company with chats and stories.

Sometimes, when she was tired, she'd even fall asleep in his arms. Whether it was an instinctive sense of closeness or something else, deep down, Snow Empress genuinely acknowledged Su Yu.

But the way he interrupted her dreams every morning? She truly couldn't tolerate it.

Every time she was woken up, she wanted to kick him twice to vent her frustration.

And yet, Su Yu was infuriatingly early to rise every single day.

"I woke you up to help you wash up and feed you. How is that something to complain about?" Su Yu protested.

"Hmph, it's your fault anyway," Snow Empress huffed with an air of haughtiness.

Bing Di: "..."

"Wait a minute... You two aren't... sleeping together, are you?" Ice Empress asked cautiously, feeling increasingly suspicious as she listened to their banter.

"Of course we are," Su Yu replied matter-of-factly. "She's so small—how else am I supposed to take care of her?"

"And with the dangers outside, if she doesn't stay close to me, how can I protect her?"

Snow Empress didn't argue, tacitly agreeing.

But Ice Empress felt like her heart had been struck by hundreds of arrows at once.

Blood gushed everywhere—figuratively speaking, of course.

It hurt. It hurt so much!

Her heart bled as she thought about her lonely days in the Far North, constantly dreading the arrival of her heavenly tribulation.

Meanwhile, Snow Empress had been whisked away by Su Yu?!

She wanted to rebuke him, but his reasoning sounded so legitimate that she couldn't refute it.

Snow Empress was entirely reliant on Su Yu out there, so it made sense for her to stay close to him.

No. Ice Empress had to intervene.

If she didn't act now, Snow Empress's heart would be completely stolen by Su Yu.

Who would have ever imagined Snow Empress playing and bickering with someone like this?

And a man, no less!

Even she, Ice Empress, had never been this close to Snow Empress.

After mulling it over, Ice Empress concluded that the only way to resolve this was to become Su Yu's soul ring herself.

That way, she could supervise him at all times.

Once her mind was made up, Ice Empress didn't hesitate any longer.

"Enough chit-chat. Since you're back, let's get started."

"I've had enough of living in constant fear of a heavenly tribulation."

Su Yu was momentarily stunned, not expecting Ice Empress to be so straightforward.

He smiled faintly and said, "Alright, but let's wait a bit for Xiao Bai to arrive."

"This isn't a trivial matter. We need someone to guard us."

Hearing this, Ice Empress found his reasoning sound and agreed.

During the wait, she started chatting with Snow Empress, sneakily bad-mouthing Su Yu. She warned Snow Empress that men couldn't be trusted and that women needed to keep a clear head.

Her intentions, however, were less about genuine advice and more about dealing with her potential rival. Ice Empress was even willing to set aside her pride for this.

Su Yu pretended not to hear her. This little scorpion was certainly lively now, but once she became his soul ring, he'd have full control over her.

One mountain always towers over another, and he had his ways.

He chuckled sinisterly to himself.

Before long, a massive figure appeared in the distance, rolling toward them like a giant snowball.

As it rolled across the snowy landscape, it sent snow flying everywhere, displacing large amounts of powder in its wake.

In Su Yu's vision, all he could see was a massive snowball, dozens of meters tall, barreling toward him with overwhelming momentum.

With a hiss, the gigantic snowball leaped into the air when it was still 200 meters away.

Midair, the snowball unfurled and transformed into a colossal ice bear, standing five to six stories tall.

The giant ice bear landed heavily, sending a spray of snow dozens of meters into the air. Powdery flakes filled the sky, blotting out the view.

Su Yu waved his hand gently, summoning a strong wind that dispersed the snow in an instant. The previously obscured scene became clear once more.

The massive ice bear's full form was revealed.

Xiao Bai, the Ice Bear King, scratched its head before lumbering forward and kneeling about 100 meters from Su Yu.

Don't get the wrong idea—it wasn't kneeling to Su Yu but to Snow Empress.

"Mother!"

Xiao Bai lowered its enormous head to the ground, its short tail raised high.

"Rise," Snow Empress said softly.

Though her voice was tender and childlike, it carried an undeniable sense of authority.

"Thank you, Mother, hehe."

Xiao Bai climbed to its feet, scratching its head with a sheepish grin.

Snow Empress glanced at Su Yu, who immediately understood her intention. With a light leap, he soared over a hundred meters into the air. In a flash, he landed on the Ice Bear King's shoulder.

Gently, he placed the small Snow Empress on Xiao Bai's shoulder.

"Xiao Bai, don't move around, okay~," Su Yu said with a smile.

"I won't! Absolutely won't!" Xiao Bai straightened its posture, sitting rigidly and not daring to budge an inch.

Su Yu chuckled and, in another flash, returned to his original spot on the ground.

"Su Yu, your speed's impressive," Ice Empress remarked, her gem-like amber eyes glinting with surprise.

Su Yu's soul power was only at level 50, yet his speed was extraordinary.

"It's alright," Su Yu replied casually.

Meanwhile, on Xiao Bai's shoulder, Snow Empress seated herself and grabbed hold of the Ice Bear King's fur.

"Xiao Bai, I need you to do something. Ice will soon become Su Yu's fifth soul ring, and the process might take some time."

"During this period, you must guard them diligently and ensure no other soul beasts disturb them. Understood?"

"Understood!" Xiao Bai thumped its chest and roared in affirmation.

Snow Empress smiled faintly, her icy blue eyes gazing at Su Yu and Ice Empress below.

Su Yu nodded at Snow Empress and then turned to Ice Empress.

"Let's begin."

As his words fell, Su Yu released his suppression on Skydream, finally allowing the worm to emerge.

"Ahhh! I thought I was going to suffocate!" Skydream blurted out as soon as it appeared, only to brighten up immediately as its eyes seemed to gleam like gold.

"Bing Bing Bing Bing!"

"Scram!" Ice Empress snapped before it could approach.

"Uh..." Skydream was forcibly silenced, left in an awkward and aggrieved state.

Su Yu found the scene amusing and decided to summon Electrolux.

"Senior, I'll need your help guarding us during this process."

"Focus on what you need to do. I'll take care of the rest," Electrolux's calm voice replied.

Su Yu felt significantly more at ease. Compared to Skydream, Electrolux inspired much greater confidence.

"Skydream, stop messing around. Let's begin."

Skydream, aware of the gravity of the situation, set aside its usual antics. Although Su Yu often suppressed it, their fates were intertwined—if Su Yu became a god, Skydream would achieve eternal life. If Su Yu died, Skydream would perish even sooner.

Fully understanding the stakes, Skydream didn't dare to be careless. Its form shimmered, transforming into an illusory humanoid figure. It bore some resemblance to Su Yu but was distinctly different, a clear sign that it had learned not to provoke Su Yu unnecessarily.

As Ice Empress watched Su Yu and Skydream's phantom, her tone grew serious.

"What must I do?"

Ice Empress never hesitated once her mind was made up.

"It's simple. First, send your spiritual origin into Su Yu's mental sea. Then, just control the power of your soul ring..." Skydream rattled off instructions.

After a brief moment, Ice Empress nodded. "That sounds feasible. Let's begin."

As her words fell, a vibrant green radiance burst forth from the Ice Empress's body. Her crystalline yellow eyes gradually turned emerald, and the scorpion tail behind her lifted high into the air.

Gentle emerald waves began pulsing from the base of her tail, traveling backward until they gathered at the tip. With a flash of green light, a small emerald sphere separated from her tail and floated upward.

Su Yu's brow glowed with icy blue light, releasing a cascade of frosty blue radiance that enveloped the emerald sphere. In a smooth motion, the sphere was drawn into Su Yu's mental sea.

As the spiritual origin left the Ice Empress's control, an overwhelming and terrifying aura erupted from her body.

In an instant, the entire sky transformed into a sea of emerald green.