128: Chapter 128: It would be better to leave my cultivation to someone worthy of my trust.

Lu Jing, in particular, knew better than anyone just how proud an existence Snow Empress was!

She would rather perish under the heavenly tribulation in the midst of extreme glory than humble herself to become a human's spirit ring, losing her freedom and dignity!

This was her bottom line as the ruler of the Far North!

This was also why, when discussing her future path, the option of sacrifice was almost excluded from the start!

"Sister Snow, what... what did you say? Sacrifice? To me?"

Lu Jing thought he had misheard, his tone filled with shock and confusion: "Aren't you..."

"I haven't always been unwilling to sacrifice myself to a human, have I?" Snow Empress took over his words, her tone terrifyingly calm, as if she were discussing a trivial matter that had nothing to do with her.

She sighed softly, her gaze looking into the distance, as if penetrating the mist of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, looking towards the eternal ice plains of the Far North.

"In the past, yes. As the ruler of the Far North, I had my own pride and persistence. I was unwilling to entrust my fate to others, unwilling to become an appendage, even if the price was death."

Her voice was very light, yet every word was clear: "But now... it is different."

She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Lu Jing and Wang Donger; in her ice-blue eyes, that firmness remained, but there was an added sense of calmness and softness.

"You brought me here and found this opportunity for me to break through; I will keep this kindness in my heart. If I can use this to overcome the heavenly tribulation, that would naturally be best, and I would owe you a great favor. But if... heaven does not grant my wish, and I ultimately still fail..."

She paused, seemingly organizing her words, and then spoke slowly: "Then it means that I, Snow Empress, have truly stopped here in this life, with no chance for a higher realm, and no power to step into the Divine Realm on my own. Since the path ahead is cut off, rather than falling worthily under the heavenly tribulation and turning into a speck of dust between heaven and earth... it would be better to leave my cultivation and this seven-hundred-thousand-year-old essence of extreme ice to someone worthy of trust."

Her gaze fell upon Lu Jing, her eyes carrying a strange light: "You carry the inheritance of destruction, your potential is boundless, and your character and strength are the best I have ever seen in my life. If I sacrifice myself to you, my spirit ring will surely become a great help on your future path. At the same time, I can also witness, in another form, your ascent to the pinnacle, stepping into that legendary Divine Realm. This, perhaps... is also a good destination."

Her words struck Lu Jing and Wang Donger's hearts like a heavy hammer.

They had never imagined that the Snow Empress, who was proud to her bones, that ruler of the Far North who would rather be a broken jade than a whole tile, would actually take the initiative to propose the option of sacrifice. And the reason was not submission, but... a choice based on realistic considerations, carrying the meaning of investment and entrustment!

She was not compromising; rather, after weighing the pros and cons, she had chosen what she considered the optimal path for herself and for them.

If successful, they would walk side by side. If she failed, she would become firewood, helping Lu Jing ignite an even higher flame!

Lu Jing and Wang Donger looked at each other and saw shock, complexity, and a trace of... being moved in each other's eyes.

They understood that this was the maximum concession and trust that Snow Empress could give.

She had set aside a portion of her pride and chosen another way to accompany them.

After a long silence, Lu Jing took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: "Alright, Sister Snow, I understand. If that day really comes... I, Lu Jing, will definitely not let you down!"

Wang Donger also nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly red: "Sister Snow Empress, don't worry, we will definitely do our best to protect you! You will definitely succeed!"

Snow Empress looked at their solemn appearance, and on her ice-sealed face, a faint but real smile finally appeared.

She said no more, just nodded gently, then turned around and walked step by step toward the milky white cold spring without hesitation.

Just as Snow Empress's figure was about to submerge into the cold spring, and Lu Jing and Wang Donger were fully focused on preparing to protect her—

A cold, domineering aura of a Titled Douluo, carrying a faint fishy scent, like a poisonous snake lurking in the shadows, silently permeated from the direction of the valley entrance, instantly breaking the tranquility of this place!

Lu Jing and Wang Donger's expressions changed almost simultaneously. They turned around abruptly, their sharp gazes instantly locking onto the direction from which the aura came!

They saw that at the entrance of the valley surrounded by rare medicinal herbs, at some point, a dark green figure had appeared.

The man was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole, wearing a dark green robe. His hair was also dark green, and even his eyes flickered with a ghostly green light.

His face could be considered handsome, but it carried a cold aura like a poisonous snake, making people feel disgusted at the sight of him.

Most noticeably, he was surrounded by a faint jade-green mist, emitting a heart-palpitating, fishy-sweet scent. The surrounding vegetation, as long as it was slightly touched by this mist, would instantly wither and turn black!

It was none other than the one they had met six years ago in this place, the one who was later "invited" out by Lu Jing and forced to offer some Immortal Plants as "compensation"—the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo!

At this moment, Dugu Bo's ghostly green snake pupils were staring fixedly at Lu Jing and Wang Donger, his eyes filled with shock, ecstasy, resentment, and a trace of indescribable greed!

"It's you! You actually dare to come back?!" Dugu Bo's voice was hoarse and sharp, like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue, echoing in the quiet valley of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

When that dark green figure, emitting a cold and fishy-sweet scent, came into view, and they saw clearly the familiar face of the visitor filled with resentment and shock, neither Lu Jing nor Wang Donger felt any of the solemnity, tension, or worry they had felt when they first met him six years ago.

Six years ago, when they first entered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, their strength was still shallow, and they indeed needed to proceed with caution and carefully deal with this Poison Douluo, who was known for using poison and being temperamental.

At that time, they still needed to rely on the Titled Douluo in Qian Renxue's hands.

But now, six years had passed, and the world had changed.

The four years of bitter cultivation on Sea God Island and the rewards from the God tests had long since allowed them to be reborn.

Lu Jing was already a level 93 Titled Douluo, with a spirit ring configuration unprecedented in history.

Wang Donger was also a level 87 Spirit Douluo, only one step away from being a Titled Douluo, and her spirit ring configuration was equally shocking.

More importantly, they had just experienced brief clashes with the Seven Sacred Pillars of Sea God Island and sparring with a super Douluo like Poseidon; their horizons, character, and strength were no longer what they used to be.

In their eyes, a mere level 92 Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, was no different from a wild cat on the side of the road, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws in an attempt to intimidate a tiger.