Chapter 99 – The Frozen Throne of the North, The Birth of the Glacial Queens
When the Agila arrived, it didn't just simply hover over the Extreme North, it became a second sun in a land of eternal twilight. The silver-gold hull of the ship radiated a constant Chaos Warmth, creating a localized tropical zone amidst the howling blizzards that reached speeds capable of shredding any Spirit Emperor, who would be unfortunate enough to get close, in to ribbons.
Lakan stood on the observation deck, his gaze fixed on the jagged peaks of the Ice Crystal Forest. His rank had solidified at Level 90, but the energy was like a caged beast within his marrow. He didn't just feel stronger, he felt Heavy. Every time he stepped, the Agila's deck plates groaned.
"The North is restless," Lakan murmured. "They can feel their Sovereign has arrived."
Beside him stood Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er. Bing'er's presence was already changing her God-Seed of Snow was reacting to the ambient temperature, causing the air around her to shimmer with microscopic, diamond-like frost.
Leaving the safety of the ship, Lakan led the sisters toward the Glacial Abyss. This was the forbidden zone, where even 100,000-year soul beasts feared to tread. The temperature here sat at a soul-numbing -180°C.
"Yue'er, stay behind me," Bing'er cautioned, her Twelve-Winged Ice Phoenix aura flaring to shield her younger sister. "The cold here doesn't just freeze the blood, but also freezes the spirit."
Lakan didn't use a shield. He simply walked. His Seven-Tone Lotus Flame hummed deep in his chest, turning the sub-zero air into neutral energy before it could touch his skin.
At the center of the abyss, they found the entrance to the Hall of Infinite Stillness. It wasn't a building, but a natural cavern of Primal Ice that had existed since the planet's formation. At its center, pulsing with a rhythmic, sapphire light, this is what will be known in the future as the Ice God's Heart.
As they approached the Heart, the blizzard suddenly ceased. Two figures emerged from the white-out.
On the left was a woman of ethereal beauty, her skin as pale as fresh snow and her eyes the color of a winter sky. This was the Snow Empress (Xue Di), the 700,000-year-old ruler of the North. On the right was a smaller, more aggressive figure with jade-green hair and a scorpion-like stinger fashioned into a braid, Bing Bing, the Ice Jade Scorpion King.
"You have a lot of nerve, human," Bing Bing hissed, her green eyes locked on Lakan. "To bring the Chaos of the south into our sacred sanctuary. The Ice God's Heart is not for the likes of you."
The Snow Empress, however, was silent. She wasn't looking at Lakan's face, she was looking at his Ten-Headed Sovereign Wings. She could sense the Creation aura—the same one Gu Yuena had sensed.
"Bing Bing, be silent," the Snow Empress commanded, her voice like the shifting of a glacier. "He is not human. He is the Simulation of the Origin. He is the one the Great Beast God spoke of."
Lakan stepped forward, his silver eyes meeting the Snow Empress's gaze. "I am Lakan. And I haven't come to steal your Heart. I've come to offer you a seat in a world where you don't have to fear the next 100,000-year tribulation."
Suddenly, a golden-blue light erupted from Bing'er's forehead. Tianmeng, the Million-Year Skycloud Silk Worm, manifested as a plump, glowing projection.
"Bing Bing! My love! It's me!" Tianmeng squealed, nearly vibrating out of his spiritual form.
Bing Bing's face went from aggressive to horrified. "Tianmeng? You... you're still alive? And you've become a... what is this?"
"I'm a Soul Spirit!" Tianmeng boasted. "I've joined the Sovereign's Garden! Look at my Bing'er! She has the God-Seed of Snow! If you and the Empress join us, we won't just be beasts—we'll be the pillars of a new Divine Realm!"
Lakan gestured to the Shui sisters. "Shui Bing'er is the destined Goddess of Ice. Her sister, Shui Yue'er, is her mirror. They are the future of this world. Join them, and your names will be written in the stars, not buried in the snow."
The Snow Empress looked at the Ice God's Heart. She knew her time was coming. Her next tribulation was a death sentence. She looked at Bing'er, whose Twelve-Winged Phoenix was singing a song of Entropy and Harmony that resonated with the very Heart they guarded.
"If I join her," the Snow Empress asked, "what becomes of my forest?"
"It becomes the Glacial Origin," Lakan replied. "A sanctuary protected by the Spirit Empire. No hunter will ever set foot here again without my permission."
The Empress turned to Bing Bing. "The world is changing, little scorpion. The Spulsing Beasts are allyibg with humans, and the Dragon God is long dead. This... this is something new."
Bing Bing looked at Tianmeng, then at Yue'er, who was looking at her with wide, respectful eyes. "Fine. But if this Phoenix Sovereign fails, I'm stinging the worm first."
••••••••••••••••••••••
The ritual began at the foot of the Ice God's Heart. Lakan stood at the center, acting as the Chaos Bridge.
"Yue'er, step forward," Lakan commanded.
Shui Yue'er knelt before Bing Bing. Lakan raised his hands, his Solar Sovereign's Talon glowing as he drew the Baybayin sigil for "ᜃ" (Ka - Koneksyon(connection)) in the air.
"With my Chaos Qi as the seal, and the North as the witness," Lakan's voice boomed. "I bind the Ice Jade Scorpion King to the bloodline of Shui Yue'er!"
The 390,000-year-old scorpion didn't turn into a ring. She dissolved into a liquid emerald energy that flowed into Yue'er's body. Yue'er's Spirit Rings began to manifest—not the usual black, but a vibrant Emerald-Red, pulsing with the power of the Extreme North.
Her Spirit, the Ice Moon, mutated. It became the Jade-Crescent Scorpion, a spirit that combined the lunar chill with the physical lethality of the Scorpion King.
Now, it was Bing'er's turn. The Snow Empress stepped toward her. This was not just a contract, it was a merger of two Sovereigns. The Snow Empress will complement and strengthen Shui Bing'er's Snow Seed.
"Bing'er, hold the Ice God's Heart," Lakan said, his brow dripping with sweat as he managed the massive influx of energy.
As Bing'er gripped the gem, the Snow Empress transformed into a pillar of pure, white light. She didn't just enter Bing'er, but she also fused with the God-Seed of Snow.
The Hall of Infinite Stillness exploded in a wave of blue energy. The continental snowstorm Lakan had predicted began to form, but it wasn't a storm of destruction—it was a storm of Purification.
Bing'er stood at the center of the vortex. Her Twelve-Winged Ice Phoenix underwent a final evolution. The wings became longer, thinner, and sharper, resembling blades of translucent diamond. A Divine Halo of seven rotating ice-crystals appeared behind her head.
"I am... the Winter," Bing'er whispered. Her voice carried the weight of the Ice God's Heart. Her rank didn't just hit 90, it hovered at the edge of the Spirit Domain, her mental power reaching the level of a Titled Douluo instantly.
Lakan let out a long breath, his Phoenix wings retracting. He looked at the two sisters. Yue'er was now a Level 82 Spirit Douluo with the most powerful ice-attribute defense in the world. Bing'er was... something else entirely. She was a Goddess in all but name, waiting for the final ritual to claim her seat.
"We stay here for a week," Lakan announced, his voice firm. "You both need to consolidate. Yue'er, you must master the Scorpion's poison. Bing'er... you must learn to breathe without freezing the oxygen in the room."
He sat down on the crystalline floor, his own Level 90 energy finally beginning to settle. "Everything can wait. For now, we master the North."
From the balcony of the Agila, Bibi Dong watched the blue light fading from the abyss. She felt a twinge of pride—and perhaps a spark of competitive spirit. The Sovereign's Garden was growing, and her husband's other Queens are becoming as formidable as she was.