As Tianmeng's voice still vibrated slightly in the icy air, a sharp yet clear sound sliced through the wind and snow.
"Tianmeng, you are looking for death."
The Ice Empress's voice, which originally sounded like crushed ice clashing, was now saturated with undisguised Killing Intent. That patch of emerald green in the sky suddenly darkened, turning into an oppressive ink-green. Thick Killing Intent descended from the sky like a physical substance, rapidly compressing the hundred-meter protective circle constructed by the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's mental force until only a ten-meter radius remained.
However, facing this monstrous Killing Intent, the golden humanoid figure condensed from mental force by the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm showed a smile that was almost sorrowful. His posture was calm, even carrying a hint of elegance, and his voice was gentle yet firm: "No, I am speaking from the heart. I have lived for a million years, and for the vast majority of that time, I drifted through long dreams. In this life of mine, so long it's almost exhausting, the only one who has left a mark on my heart and made it skip a beat uncontrollably is you, Ice Empress."
He paused, his gaze penetrating the wind and snow as if trying to look into the depths of that hidden Soul, "I chose to return now only because I calculated that within a hundred years, you will reach the limit of your life and face that irreversible path to death. At that time, if you cannot Breakthrough the next Great Limit, you will eventually be annihilated in this cold world where we were born. I cannot wait any longer. To me, this long life has lost its meaning, and my own remaining time is short. I came back only so you can live on, so that we can truly stay together."
In the distance, hidden deep beneath the snow with his aura completely masked, Huo Yuhao's mind suddenly became clear. So Tianmeng's pursuit of becoming a god and his desire for eternal life also contained such deep selfishness—he wanted his beloved to obtain eternity together with him. A subtle bitterness quietly welled up in the young man's heart, as if he had been deceived by his most trusted partner. Although he understood that all living beings have selfish desires, and Soul Beasts were no exception, the fact that Tianmeng hadn't told him the truth still gave him a sense of loss from being misled. He had originally trusted Tianmeng so completely.
A warm hand lightly rested on his shoulder. It was Furina. She seemed always able to perceive his emotional fluctuations, and she comforted him softly: "Don't think too much. Everyone has a path they are destined to walk and thoughts they cannot allow others to pry into. It's hard to lay everything bare in the sunlight, even when facing someone you trust."
Her voice was like flowing water, smoothing the creases in the boy's heart, "After all, one also worries that the other party might not understand or even oppose them; this is only human nature. Just like me, don't I also carry many unspoken secrets? However, when the time is ripe, I will naturally confess to you."
Furina's words were like a warm current melting hard ice, causing Huo Yuhao's mood to ease considerably. He gave a soft "mm" and whispered: "Thank you, Sister Furina."
Indeed, Soul Beasts also have their profound emotional worlds; their entanglements of love and hate might be even more intense and direct than those of humans. Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression soften, Furina secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She knew well that this child, Huo Yuhao, had a pure Heart-Nature; if others treated him even a little bit well, he would remember it firmly and repay them manifold. But if someone harbored malice toward him from the start, he was also prone to holding a grudge.