Gu Yuena and Leng Yulai chatted in the hotel for quite a while before a voice transmission sounded in Leng Yulai's ear.
"Send her over."
Leng Yulai's expression froze for an instant. She turned toward Gu Yuena. "Follow me."
Snow Empress's transmission followed immediately after: "Just her alone."
Leng Yulai: "..."
*What about me then?*
With mixed feelings, Leng Yulai gave Gu Yuena a brief reminder before stopping in her tracks and staying outside.
Gu Yuena glanced at her with a subtle expression before making her way toward the gazebo.
Why had the Dark Phoenix Douluo just tried to lecture her about romantic experience? For that matter, did the Dark Phoenix Douluo even have any romantic experience to speak of?
Hadn't her unrequited love driven her to the brink of becoming an Evil Soul Master? How could someone like that presume to teach anyone else?
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Gu Yuena stepped inside the gazebo. Passing through a layer of space, she saw what Huo Yuhao and Snow Empress were doing.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao—the legendary Fish-Grilling Hero—was busily preparing fresh fish. A rack fashioned with Soul Skills stood beside him; he clearly intended to grill them. Snow Empress stood quietly by his side, waiting.
The height difference between them was quite noticeable right now, like an adult accompanied by a child. Yet seeing how naturally they stood together, sharing such an intimate space, Gu Yuena felt an inexplicable... discomfort.
The moment she stepped inside, both pairs of eyes turned toward her.
"Your Excellency Silver Dragon King, good day. I was unaware you had awakened, and making you take this journey for nothing was my negligence."
Snow Empress's gaze paused for a fraction of a second on the bracelet around Gu Yuena's wrist. Her emotions undisturbed by it, she rose gracefully and offered a polite bow.
The Extreme North revered the Ice God, while the Sea Soul Beasts believed in the Sea God. Strictly speaking, the title of "co-ruler of soul beasts" probably carried weight only among the beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest and its surroundings.
Even so, the other party was a first-class god. Her sheer strength alone commanded respect.
"Think nothing of it."
Gu Yuena exchanged a few pleasantries with Snow Empress before walking over to Huo Yuhao's side. Watching him prepare the fish, she blinked and asked in a soft, tentative tone, "Yuhao, is there a share for me?"
Seeing Gu Yuena's subdued expression, Huo Yuhao turned his gaze toward Snow Empress, who was watching him calmly with an unspoken pressure. His hands paused. "There is."
*Isn't the atmosphere a bit weird?*
Inside the Sea of Spirit, Ice Empress watched the awkward, delicate dynamic among the three outside and let out a faint sigh. After pondering for a moment, she sent a voice transmission to Huo Yuhao:
"Xue'er has already dropped hints that obvious. Yuhao, think about it carefully. You simply never allowed your thoughts to wander in that direction before, but I refuse to believe you're truly this dense... And you should give Gu Yuena some thought as well."
She had no desire to speak in riddles like Snow Empress. Wouldn't it be far better to just lay everything out in the open? With the depth of their bond, was Yuhao going to run away?
If they didn't clear the air now, what would happen if another Gu Yuena showed up down the road?
Granted, Ice Empress doubted anyone else could ever make Huo Yuhao feel so indebted. Still, nothing was absolute. Just as Huo Yuhao always said, one should never go around raising death flags.
Hearing her words, Huo Yuhao seasoned the dozen or so poor fish he had pulled from the lake, simultaneously mulling over what Snow Empress had said earlier.
A formal status... taking advantage of past favors to demand a return... Stringing it all together, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had read this kind of trope before.
*"Without a formal status, you aren't mine."*
Recalling Snow Empress's words, Huo Yuhao's heart gave a sudden thump.
Suddenly, he really needed some quiet.
In the very next instant, he truly became quiet. A faint wisp of grayish aura rose from his body.
Undead Magic—Heart of Undead Extinction!
The three-second mini-version: forced absolute composure!
Beside him, Gu Yuena's spirits had just lifted upon hearing that she would get a portion, only to see that wisp of gray aura drift off Huo Yuhao. She looked at him with an expression of pure bewilderment.
*What is Yuhao doing?*
Having witnessed Undead Magic before, Snow Empress: "..."
*What happened to Yuhao? Why does he need forced composure?* There were only the three of them here. She had merely exchanged a few polite words with Gu Yuena without doing anything else, which shouldn't have caused him such intense emotional turmoil.
*Could it be...*
Snow Empress's expression turned nuanced, and she sighed softly to herself.
Bing'er was truly impossible. Matters like this should be left to the two of them to sort out. She had spoken those words earlier only because meeting Yuhao after ten thousand years apart had stirred an overwhelming rush of emotions—it didn't mean she demanded an immediate answer.
Especially after learning about the crushing pressure weighing on his shoulders, the last thing she wanted was to add to his burden.
Yuhao had to re-cultivate while keeping divine beings at bay; he already had his hands full. She didn't want him troubling himself over her. Ten thousand years had already slipped by; there was no hurry for an instant resolution.
Huo Yuhao kept working methodically with his hands, his mind having achieved total clarity.
Things had already reached this point; what must be faced had to be faced. Some matters could be avoided, while others could not.
How could a bond of ten thousand years be summarized in a handful of words?
Snow Empress had been his greatest benefactor in this lifetime. Over those ten thousand years, even when they were apart, she had consistently served as his protector.
If he backed down now and claimed he felt nothing of the sort, could his conscience remain clear?
Not a chance!
With that thought, Huo Yuhao glanced at Gu Yuena, who was waiting obediently for food, and let out an internal sigh.
And this one... seemed every bit as dense as he was.
He had previously assumed Gu Yuena gave him her reverse scale simply caught up in the atmosphere, which was why he had treated it so casually... But the dejected look on her face just now couldn't have been a hallucination, could it?
...She had literally handed him her reverse scale. Treating it as an illusion now would just be running away.
He had been the one to let Gu Yuena mistake him for a Godking in the first place; he had caused her to enter the line of sight of Tang San's divine sense; he had been the one to give a gift. The fault lay with him.
What a mess. He had no idea how to untangle this knot.
"Did Bing'er talk to you?"
Right then, Snow Empress's gentle voice drifted into Huo Yuhao's ear through a voice transmission:
"Pay it no mind. I know your ambitions; simply do as you see fit with a light heart. I will support you just as I did ten thousand years ago. Along that path, we are merely close companions with, at most, mutual fondness. The road ahead is long, and it is far too early to speak of anything definitive. As for an answer, we can talk about that once everything is settled."
Meeting Huo Yuhao's increasingly conflicted gaze, Snow Empress raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, then cast a sideways glance toward Gu Yuena. "Knowing you, haven't you thought before that if you could never repay her debt, you would keep her company once everything in the future came to an end? After all, she gave you her reverse scale; you couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to that."
Huo Yuhao instantly felt as though cold blades were pressed against his neck. The Sea of Spirit seemed to harbor watchful eyes as well. He cleared his throat involuntarily, his gaze darting away.
Sure enough, the lethal question had arrived!
Yet Huo Yuhao offered neither objection nor excuse, accepting the accusation in silence.
If circumstances truly came to that, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't make that choice. Why bother deceiving Snow Empress?
Right now, he had better start brainstorming a suitable burial spot in case Snow Empress grew furious—somewhere scenic, with green hills and clear waters.
For that matter, what should be carved on the tombstone? "Tomb of the Spirit Ice"?
At that moment, Snow Empress said, "I did feel some displeasure upon learning from Bing'er that you gave her one of your trump cards. However, she is a first-class god. Having her by your side will bring you countless benefits in the future. I know you dislike reducing everything to profit, but even if it simply keeps you from becoming enemies, I would never tell you to distance yourself from her."
Huo Yuhao looked up at her, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"As humans say, whoever falls in love first is the loser. Since my feelings were stirred first, I have conceded the upper hand to you, and I must swallow whatever bitterness comes with it myself."
A soft gleam shone in Snow Empress's eyes. "To my understanding, human partners are merely people who support, accompany, and understand one another. What we have right now—acting as both teachers and friends, like family—is not inferior in the slightest. The path of cultivation is long, and life after achieving godhood is endless. So long as you are willing to walk beside me, that is enough.
"There is no reason for me to force you to do anything or lean toward me simply because of favors I granted you. My earlier words about using kindness to demand a return were meant only to nudge you; thinking back, I somewhat regret bringing it up at all. The God Realm has vanished, and this is your moment to ride the wind upward. Do not torment yourself over me—that isn't who you are."
A gentle breeze swept across the lake, setting Snow Empress's silver hair dancing lightly like strands of silk. The hem of her dress billowed like a cloud, drifting toward Huo Yuhao in the wind, as though quietly conveying everything left unsaid.
Chapter 86