Whatever You Make Is Fine

Feeling the cool imprint on his forehead, Huo Yuhao sighed inwardly. This scene felt just like their first meeting ten thousand years ago. Yet their mindsets were completely different now. Back then, their first encounter had been a transaction; now, it was born of deep affection. That was why Huo Yuhao hadn't pulled away, even though he didn't want to trouble Snow Empress any further. Still, if he truly encountered a danger he couldn't resolve himself, he wouldn't use it. After all, Snow Empress's method of transmitting power was very similar to Di Tian's—both relied on the transformative transfer of spatial power. The moment it was triggered, the one bearing the attack would become Snow Empress herself. Huo Yuhao had no intention of doing such a thing. If Di Tian had given him a reverse scale, he might have used it without the slightest pang of conscience. But not with Snow Empress. "Snow Empress, what is it?" After a moment, feeling her touch linger on his forehead, Huo Yuhao looked up at her in confusion. Snow Empress didn't speak. She quietly drew back her fingers, pinching his cheek in the process. "You've shrunk, and you're quite a bit cuter now. It would be even better if you lost that mature, worldly demeanor of yours. Ten thousand years ago, you didn't act like a child when you were young, and you look even less like one now." Yet unlike in the beginning, even though Huo Yuhao hadn't returned to his peak, the trump cards he possessed made him someone an ordinary person could never stand against. If the person Yuhao had sought back then hadn't been her, what would the Extreme North look like today? Snow Empress pondered it for a fraction of a second before casting the thought aside. There were no ifs. Yuhao had chosen the Extreme North, and he had chosen her! When she was in her direst need and at her most helpless, he had appeared in the Extreme North, granting her hope of overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation and truly attaining godhood, while also providing a path for the Extreme North to endure. Plotting together to achieve godhood after ten thousand years... Was it gratitude, or was it another kind of affection? Over the course of ten thousand years, she had already thought it through clearly. Snow Empress's jade hand was smooth and cool, like soft, pure, flawless snow, yet compared to ten thousand years ago, undergoing Recultivation in Human Form had lent it a faint touch of warmth. Huo Yuhao's face took on a helpless, sheepish expression as her soft palm pinched his cheek. This was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted to meet his old friends so early. With his cultivation lowered, if they wanted to mess with him, he had zero power to resist... And someone like Snow Empress, to whom he owed a mountain of gratitude, was even harder to deal with. He wanted to step back, but catching the nostalgic look in her eyes, Huo Yuhao's heart softened, and he didn't pull away. While kneading her "newly accepted" disciple, Snow Empress communicated with Ice Empress beside her through voice transmission. "After Yuhao began his re-cultivation, did he run into any trouble?" "Does a female dragon god gifting him her reverse scale count?" Ice Empress glanced at Huo Yuhao. "...Who?" The smile at the corner of Snow Empress's lips instantly froze, her delicate brows knitting slightly. "There are still gods on the Douluo Continent?" "The co-ruler of soul beasts—the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena. You invited her over this time, so I thought you knew who she was." Ice Empress looked at Snow Empress in surprise. "Didn't you mention this to me in the past? You said the true ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest wasn't Di Tian." "The Silver Dragon King? I didn't know she had emerged into the world. I haven't shown myself in public for several decades and haven't paid attention to the movements of the Star Dou Great Forest." Snow Empress pursed her lips. "I only invited her because of her relationship with Dark Phoenix. After all, I had never taken a disciple before. While Yuhao passing the red-tier trial was certainly a pretext, it still felt slightly inadequate. Calling her along meant I could use Dark Phoenix as a shield if necessary. Having those two reasons was enough." Before meeting him, she hadn't been able to ascertain Yuhao's condition, so she had acted with extra caution to avoid bringing him trouble. Waiting patiently here for several months was partly for that reason as well. She hadn't expected to hear news like this. A dragon has a reverse scale, and touching it means certain death. Gu Yuena giving her reverse scale to Huo Yuhao was by no means simple in symbolic meaning... Hearing this, Ice Empress was left momentarily speechless. So in your eyes, Xue'er, Gu Yuena and Dark Phoenix Douluo were just tools for you to meet Yuhao? "Why did she give her reverse scale to Yuhao? What happened exactly?" Seeing that Ice Empress hadn't continued, Snow Empress took the initiative to ask. Although she was concerned about the relationship between Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao, Snow Empress decided to figure out the situation first. Yuhao rarely got entangled with women because he knew he couldn't give them a promise. Ten thousand years ago, he had practically been made of steel—whenever someone confessed to him, he would reject them directly and mercilessly, which had always kept her mind at ease. That was why she hadn't been in a rush originally. Her lifespan was immense; with the passage of time, wouldn't she be the only one left by his side in the end? She hadn't expected problems to arise here... Ten thousand years had passed, and someone was actually trying to vie with her? Ice Empress curled her lips. "You don't care about me half as much." "Bing'er..." Snow Empress said helplessly. "We already talked this through ten thousand years ago." "Alright, alright, just kidding. I figured it out ten thousand years ago." Ice Empress rolled her eyes. "It went like this..." Ice Empress held nothing back, telling Snow Empress everything regarding the Sea God's divine sense, the Divine Throne, the Plane Master, the Abyssal Monarch, and the rest. Yuhao had planned to tell her anyway, so she simply did it on his behalf. The more Snow Empress listened, the tighter her brow furrowed, temporarily casting the matter of Gu Yuena to the back of her mind. Compared to the safety of Yuhao, Bing'er, and the others, Gu Yuena's matter was far less pressing. Since she was willing to share hardship with Yuhao, she was at least on the same side. Mm, as for Yuhao gifting her a Divine Tool, she would settle that score later. Snow Empress said, "The Sea God's divine sense... do you need me to get rid of it?" Since the Sea God's divine sense threatened the safety of Yuhao, Bing'er, and the others, she could simply dispose of it. "According to Yuhao's judgment, that strand of divine sense possesses memories. And according to Elder Yi, if a strand of divine sense must sleep while forcibly retaining most of its memories, it means its divine sense power must be conserved to protect those memories. It cannot be used excessively, or it risks losing them." Ice Empress's tone turned solemn. "Both Yuhao and Elder Yi mean to bide their time. Either find a suitable opportunity to weaken him inside a small world cut off from the Plane Master, or wait until they have the strength to confront the Plane Master before making a move." "Is that so?" Snow Empress nodded. "If there is no certainty, leave it to me. With Yuhao's arrangements... in the Extreme North, I am a god!" While Snow Empress and Ice Empress were secretly conversing, a light cough sounded. "Ahem." Snow Empress snapped out of her thoughts and shifted her attention back to Huo Yuhao before her. Without realizing it, her palm was resting gently against his cheek... She withdrew her hand with complete composure. It was only this level of contact. It wasn't as if they hadn't done it ten thousand years ago; they had shared far more intimate moments. There was nothing to feel embarrassed about. Yuhao was just making a fuss over nothing. Ice Empress glanced at Huo Yuhao from the side and continued transmitting her voice: "Xue'er, Yuhao sees you as an older sister, a teacher. He's never thought of you as a romantic partner... When it comes down to it, neither of you has any experience. You get along too naturally, so the romantic feeling is completely absent." "Does that mean you're an expert, Bing'er? We're about the same, so don't pretend you know better," Snow Empress replied with a smile. Ice Empress fell silent. Thinking carefully about it, that was true. Snow Empress, Yuhao, and the few inside the Sea of Spirit—who among them had a successful romantic history? After Elder Yi recovered his memories and spoke of the past, it was all failed romances. All of them put together couldn't understand that emotion as well as an ordinary married couple. Wait, no! Ice Empress suddenly thought of an outlier. The Evil Emperor had children, and he had a wife! Sure enough, this temporary member who had joined the group was truly built different—maybe they should just kick the Evil Emperor out of the group chat! He was completely out of place among them! Meanwhile, Snow Empress looked at the sky and then turned to Huo Yuhao. "It's time for lunch." Huo Yuhao immediately caught her meaning, a faint smile surfacing on his face. "What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you." Snow Empress's tone was gentle. "Whatever you make... is fine."