86: Chapter 86: Welcome to the Human World

The wind and snow outside the ice cave had stopped at some unknown point, and the morning light filtered through the cracks in the ice, refracting into colorful halos on the snow.

Lu Jing and the Snow Empress walked out of the ice cave side by side; the accumulated snow beneath their feet made a soft "creak" sound. Behind them lay the darkness frozen by extreme cold, and before them lay the vast, boundless ice plains.

"Let's go." Lu Jing took the first step, heading towards the outskirts of the Far North.

The Snow Empress followed closely behind, her white figure as light as a ghost on the ice plains.

The core area of the Far North was shrouded in wind and snow year-round, with temperatures low enough to freeze Soul Power; let alone humans, even ordinary Spirit Beasts dared not easily set foot there.

But for her, every inch of land here was as familiar as the lines on her palm—though this familiarity now brought not a shred of nostalgia.

"The Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai will guard this place well."

The Snow Empress said softly, as if explaining, or perhaps speaking to herself. The Titan Snow Demon King and Xiao Bai were the trusted confidants she left behind in the Far North; with them in charge, it was enough to handle any emergency.

Moreover, the harsh climate of the Far North was the best barrier; apart from those reckless adventurers, almost no one dared to step into the core area.

And even if they did step in, it wouldn't matter, because what awaited those people would be the arrival of death.

This was why, for so many years, the traces of her and the Ice Empress had never been discovered by humans.

Lu Jing smiled upon hearing this: "Rest assured, when we return, this place will only be more secure than it is now."

The two walked in silence all the way, yet they were surprisingly in sync.

Lu Jing relied on the power of the World-Destroying Black Lotus to resist the bitter cold, while the Snow Empress was surrounded by a faint chill; wherever she passed, even the wind became a bit more docile.

The ice plains of the Far North were vast and silent; apart from the occasional ice bird passing by, almost no other living creatures could be seen.

Sunlight danced on the ice surface, stretching their shadows long, as if they would extend all the way to the end of the World.

Walking from dawn until dusk, when the last ray of sunlight sank below the horizon, blurry lights finally appeared in the distance.

"We've finally arrived." Lu Jing shook his head and walked quickly towards the city gate.

When the city guards saw the Snow Empress behind Lu Jing, they couldn't help but be stunned.

Such a stunning woman, to actually appear in this bitter, cold place?

But seeing the faint, cold aura surrounding the Snow Empress, no one dared to speak easily, and they just hurriedly let them pass.

The two found a hotel in the city that looked reasonably clean; the innkeeper was a middle-aged man with a weathered face. Seeing Lu Jing ask for two rooms, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he still efficiently registered their information.

The room was simple but tidy, and Lu Jing had the waiter bring hot water and a table of food.

There was roasted beast meat, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, thick meat broth, and a few pickled wild vegetables, all emitting an enticing aroma.

The Snow Empress stood by the window, gazing at the gradually brightening lights outside, her expression indifferent.

She had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years and had long since passed the stage of needing food to survive; the energy between heaven and earth was the best nourishment.

"Come, try some food from the human World." Lu Jing pushed a pair of clean bowl and chopsticks in front of her, while he picked up a piece of roasted meat and ate until his mouth was oily.

The Snow Empress turned her head, swept her gaze over the food, and said softly: "I don't need to eat these."

To her, these mundane things were no different from ice and snow, completely meaningless.

Lu Jing swallowed the meat in his mouth and raised an eyebrow: "You can't say that. Since you've come to the human World, you should at least experience it properly, right? Don't tell me you plan to survive by just absorbing heaven and earth energy for the coming days? That would be too boring."

As he spoke, he reached out and picked up a piece of tenderly stewed beast meat, placing it in the Snow Empress's bowl: "Try it, this is stewed with the Snow Wolf meat unique to the Far North; it tastes pretty good."

The Snow Empress looked at the meat in the bowl, then at Lu Jing's expectant gaze, and remained silent for a moment.

She truly knew nothing about human life, perhaps... experiencing it wouldn't hurt?

In the end, she picked up her chopsticks, carefully picked up the piece of meat, and began to eat it in small bites.

The Snow Wolf meat had a faint milky aroma and was stewed just right; the warm broth slid down her throat, actually causing a trace of warmth to ripple across her frozen lake of a heart.

"How is it?" Lu Jing asked with a smile.

The Snow Empress didn't speak, but silently picked up another bite with her chopsticks.

"By the way!"

The Snow Empress swallowed the food in her mouth, looked up, and asked: "When are we going to Sea God Island?"

"No rush."

Lu Jing waved his hand, saying nonchalantly: "For you, time is the least valuable thing, right? We'll first go back to Heaven Dou City, then go to Vast Sea City to rent a boat."

The Snow Empress realized: "We need to go out to sea?"

"Yes, Sea God Island is in the center of the ocean." Lu Jing nodded in confirmation.

The Snow Empress gave an "oh," then asked no more questions and lowered her head to continue eating.

She knew nothing about the ocean, but she didn't feel curious either—to her, whether it was the ice plains or the ocean, they were just different regions, with no essential difference.

Looking at the Snow Empress's cold profile, Lu Jing suddenly felt a bit bored.

It wasn't that the Snow Empress wasn't beautiful; on the contrary, her beauty was enough to make any woman in the World pale in comparison. It was just that her temperament was too cold, like a block of ice that wouldn't melt in ten thousand years; she wasn't lively and cheerful like Wang Donger, someone he could bicker and play with at any time.

"Rest early, we have to travel tomorrow." Lu Jing put away his thoughts and stood up to say.

The Snow Empress nodded, watching Lu Jing walk out of the room, before slowly putting down her chopsticks.

The food in the bowl was finished, and the warm feeling seemed to still linger in her stomach, leaving her a bit dazed.

Having lived for nearly seven hundred thousand years, this was the first time she... had eaten like a normal person.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, the two left the small town.

Lu Jing hired the sturdiest carriage; the coachman was an old man familiar with the road conditions, driving two sturdy snow horses towards the direction of Heaven Dou City.

The carriage bumped along on the ice plains, and the scenery outside the carriage window gradually changed.

The ice plains unique to the Far North were replaced by low, frozen earth; occasionally, sparse shrubs could be seen, and even a few cold-resistant small animals darted past.

The Snow Empress leaned against the carriage window, closing her eyes to rest, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyelids.

Lu Jing looked out the window in boredom, occasionally chatting with the coachman to ask about news from the outside World.

The carriage traveled south, the temperature gradually rose, and the accumulated snow melted, revealing the black earth.

The biting cold wind of the Far North was replaced by a warm southern breeze, and even the air became moist.

"Past that mountain pass ahead, we will be out of the Far North's territory," the coachman said, pointing ahead.

Lu Jing lifted the curtain and looked towards the distant mountain pass, a trace of expectation flashing in his eyes.

The Snow Empress also opened her eyes, gazing at the completely different scenery outside the window; a ripple finally appeared in her ice-blue eyes.

Is this... the World outside? Compared to the Far North, it was surprisingly warm to the point of feeling unreal.

The carriage drove past the mountain pass, completely leaving the range of the Far North.

The sunlight became bright, green grass and trees began to appear by the roadside, and one could even hear the chirping of birds.

Lu Jing looked back at the direction of the Far North; it had already been left far behind, leaving only a blurry patch of white.

He turned his head, looked at the Snow Empress, and smiled: "Welcome to... the human World."

The Snow Empress did not respond, her gaze fixed on the distance.

The years belonging to the Far North had come to an end, and a new journey was just beginning.