The Primordial Life Domain pulsed with overwhelming vitality, a stark, vibrant green oasis imposed upon the desolate white canvas of the Extreme North. Trees older than memory clawed at the perpetually twilight sky, vines thick as pythons writhed across the ice-scarred ground, and the very air hummed with aggressive, tenacious life energy, all bending to the will of the towering Life Tree Avatar at its center.
Trapped within this suffocating embrace of nature, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress thrashed, her earlier regal fury devolving into frustrated desperation.
Her massive pincers, capable of shearing through glacial ice thicker than castle walls, struggled against the endlessly regenerating, constricting vines imbued with draining poison. Her razor-sharp stinger, which had moments ago threatened even Qian Renxue's Seraphim Avatar, lashed out repeatedly, only to be met by sacrificial walls of instantly regrown wood or deflected by localized bursts of hindering life energy manipulated by Song Qing.
Her freezing breath attacks fizzled, suppressed by the domain's inherent life force. Her attempts to cause earthquakes with her immense strength were dampened by the resilient, magically reinforced roots that permeated the ground beneath her. The Thousand Wood Spears continued their relentless bombardment, chipping away at her Ice Empress' Armor, each impact carrying that subtle, irritating life energy that worked against her icy nature.
'Impossible!' The Empress screeched mentally, slicing through another wave of thorny vines only to have them regrow instantly. 'This regeneration… this control… It's unnatural! How can life thrive so aggressively in this frozen hell?!'
She felt her immense reserves of soul power, accumulated over nearly four hundred thousand years, slowly but surely draining. The poison from the vines wasn't potent enough to kill her quickly, but it was a constant leech. The effort required to resist the bindings, deflect the spears, and fight the domain's suppressive effect was immense.
Meanwhile, the Life Tree Avatar stood serene amidst the chaos, radiating boundless vitality. Any minor damage inflicted by her desperate counterattacks – a stray shard of ice, a concussive blast of cold – healed almost instantly, fueled by the domain itself and the avatar's Nature's Blessing.
Song Qing, within the avatar, observed the Empress's struggle with cold detachment. The shift in strategy was working perfectly. The Abyssal Dragon was about overwhelming power, suppression, and swift destruction. The Life Tree was about control, attrition, and absolute environmental dominance. Against a resilient, high-defense opponent like the Empress, attrition was proving far more effective.
He needed to break her will, not just her carapace.
He decided to test his temporal abilities even within the Life Tree form. While the connection wasn't as direct as with his first spirit, the Chronos bone was part of his body now.
Focusing his will through his right arm, even within the wooden avatar, he targeted a small area directly around one of the Empress's struggling legs.
"Right Arm Bone: Temporal Acceleration Field!"
A subtle shimmer distorted the air around the Empress's massive leg. She didn't immediately notice the effect amidst the chaos, but suddenly, the vines constricting that specific leg seemed to tighten faster, the poison seeped in quicker, the wood spears impacting that section seemed slightly more numerous. Time within that localized bubble was flowing faster, accelerating the damage and her fatigue in that limb.
'What is this?!' The Empress felt the unnatural strain on her leg, the accelerated drain. She tried to pull it free, but the accelerated time made her movements feel sluggish relative to the assault.
Song Qing then targeted her tail stinger with another ability.
"Right Arm Bone: Momentary Stasis!"
Pouring a significant chunk of his recovering soul power, amplified by the avatar, he projected the stasis field. The Empress felt a bizarre sensation, like her tail was suddenly encased in invisible, infinitely dense jelly. For perhaps two crucial seconds, her most dangerous weapon was frozen mid-lash, completely immobile in its own pocket of stopped time.
Two seconds was all Song Qing needed.
"Second Soul Ring: Venomous Constriction!"
Dozens of the toughest, thorniest vines surged forward, unimpeded, wrapping tightly around the momentarily frozen tail, injecting their potent, draining poison directly into the vulnerable joint near the stinger.
The stasis ended. The Empress shrieked, feeling the sudden influx of poison and the crushing grip on her primary weapon. She thrashed furiously, shattering the vines, but the damage was done. Her tail felt sluggish, the venom already spreading.
'Time manipulation?! He controls time too?!' The Empress's ancient mind reeled. 'Abyss, life, and now time?! What unholy combination is this human?!'
She felt a genuine tremor of fear now. Not just the instinctual fear evoked by his dragon spirit's pressure, but the cold, logical fear of facing an opponent with such impossible, contradictory powers, who could shift tactics so fluidly and effectively. She couldn't overpower his abyss form quickly enough, and she couldn't outlast his life form.
It was during this moment of dawning despair that Song Qing's voice echoed again, calm and reasonable, resonating from the towering Life Tree Avatar.
"This is futile, Empress," he stated, the relentless assault pausing momentarily, though the binding forest remained active, keeping her contained. "You feel it, don't you? My abyssal power suppresses your domain and bloodline. My life power outlasts and controls you. My temporal abilities disrupt your defenses and attacks."
He allowed the truth of his words to sink in.
"If this fight continues… you will lose. Slowly, perhaps. Agonizingly. But inevitably."
He paused, letting the weight of inevitability settle upon her ancient consciousness.
"And that," Song Qing continued, his tone shifting slightly, "is only if I continue the fight alone."
He subtly gestured with a massive wooden branch towards the edge of the domain, where Bibi Dong stood watching, radiating immense, barely contained power, her barrier effortlessly protecting the younger girls.
"The woman standing there," Song Qing stated flatly, "is my Teacher. She stands at Rank 99, a breath away from godhood herself. She wields powers that could extinguish your four hundred thousand years of existence in moments, should she choose to intervene."
The Ice Jade Scorpion Empress's multifaceted eyes flickered towards Bibi Dong. She had sensed the immense power earlier, dismissed it as another strong member of the human nest. But Rank 99? Near-godhood? Watching them now, seeing the absolute calm confidence radiating from Bibi Dong, the Empress felt a chilling certainty. The human wasn't bluffing. That woman could end her. Easily.
"She remains patient only out of respect for my desire to test myself," Song Qing continued, pressing his psychological advantage. "But her patience, like my soul power, is not infinite. Eventually, if I struggle too long, she will act. And then… your end will be swift and absolute. No chance. No negotiation."
The Empress remained silent, trapped physically by the forest, mentally by the horrifying reality of the situation. Annihilation seemed certain, either slowly by the Life Tree or swiftly by the near-god.
"However," Song Qing offered, his voice softening slightly, changing tack. "There is another path. A solution that avoids your utter destruction."
The Empress focused, wary but desperate. 'A solution?'
"Sacrifice," Song Qing stated simply. "Not in the sense of pointless death, but a transference. Offer your essence willingly."
He elaborated clearly. "Provide me with your Soul Ring. It is nearing the age I require for my Eighth Ring, though perhaps slightly younger than ideal, its unique Ice Jade properties might compensate. More importantly, yield your Spirit Bone."
He paused, anticipating her outrage. "In return," he continued quickly, offering the incentive, "I offer preservation. I will not destroy your soul."
He indicated the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown, subtly pulsing with spiritual energy even within the avatar. "This spirit bone I possess has a unique ability. It can house souls. Protect them. Even nurture them."
He let that sink in before delivering the truly shocking part of the offer.
"Your soul will reside within, alongside another – the soul of a hundred-thousand-year-old beast I have already pledged to help. I possess knowledge, Empress, of a unique treasure, an Immortal Herb capable of resurrecting a soul, reconstructing a physical body."
He felt the Empress's utter disbelief. 'Resurrection? Physical reconstruction? Impossible!'
"It is possible," Song Qing affirmed mentally, sensing her skepticism. "And I intend to acquire this herb. My journey here has multiple purposes."
He presented the final, crucial part of the bargain. "If you willingly sacrifice your ring and bone to me now, ensuring my strength increases, aiding my quest… I will shelter your soul. And when I successfully obtain the resurrection herb and restore the other soul residing within my crown… I will use my power," he emphasized, letting the life energy of his avatar pulse slightly, hinting at its generative capabilities, "to cultivate a second resurrection herb. One for you."
The Empress's mind froze. A second herb? Reconstruction? A chance to live again, perhaps even regain her power someday, albeit starting over physically? It sounded like pure fantasy. Yet… the power this human wielded was fantastical. Life, Abyss, Time… perhaps recreating an Immortal Herb wasn't beyond him?
"You would… reconstruct my soul?" the Empress projected hesitantly, suspicion warring with a desperate flicker of hope. "Grant me a new body? After taking my ring and bone?"
"Precisely," Song Qing confirmed. "Your soul, sheltered and nurtured within my Crown, would retain its consciousness, its memories, even a significant portion of its spiritual energy. You wouldn't truly die. You would merely… transition. Wait. And upon reconstruction, while your cultivation age would be reset – perhaps losing a few tens of thousands of years in the process compared to your peak, a small price – your foundation would be immense. You could potentially reach your former peak again, perhaps even surpass it, free from the limitations of your current form."
The offer hung in the air. Annihilation versus transition and potential rebirth.
The Empress hesitated. It sounded too good to be true. A trick? A human deception?
"What guarantee do I have?" she demanded, her mental voice sharp with suspicion. "Words are cheap, human. Especially from one who seeks to kill me."
Song Qing anticipated this. Within his avatar, he smiled faintly. "You require proof? Assurance?"
He focused his will inward again, reaching into the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown.
'A'Rou. If you would.'
A gentle pulse of warm, ancient soul energy emanated from the crown, coalescing beside the towering Life Tree Avatar. It formed into the translucent, spectral image of a beautiful woman with long rabbit ears and kind eyes – the soul form of A'Rou, Xiao Wu's mother.
The Ice Jade Scorpion Empress recoiled slightly, startled by the sudden appearance of another powerful soul signature. 'Another hundred-thousand-year soul?! Within his bone?!'
A'Rou's gentle mental voice reached the Empress, calm and reassuring. 'Greetings, Empress of the Ice Jade. I am A'Rou. What the young master says is true.'
The Empress focused on A'Rou's soul, sensing its age, its power, its inherent gentleness, but also its spectral nature.
'He shelters you?' the Empress questioned A'Rou directly.
'Yes,' A'Rou confirmed warmly. 'For many years now. He saved my soul when my body perished. He has protected me, nurtured my spirit, treated me with kindness and respect. He promised me reconstruction, a chance to live again, to see my daughter.' Her voice filled with unshakable conviction. 'And Little Qing… he always keeps his promises.'
She elaborated, "He speaks of the Yin-Yang Extreme Reversal Herb. It is real. He described its properties to me long ago. His journey here, risking the dangers of the Extreme North, is primarily for that purpose – to fulfill his promise to me."
Song Qing interjected smoothly. "And as I told A'Rou, Empress, I intend to use not just the Reversal Herb, but other potent Immortal Herbs I possess or can cultivate to ensure her reconstruction is perfect, restoring her to her peak potential swiftly."
The Ice Jade Scorpion Empress processed this. The testimony of another ancient soul, residing willingly within the human's spirit bone, speaking of resurrection herbs and promises kept… it was compelling. It lent credibility to Song Qing's outrageous offer.
But a crucial question remained.
"One herb," the Empress projected, her suspicion still present. "You need the Yin-Yang Extreme Reversal Herb for her," she indicated A'Rou. "Such treasures are unique. Often, only one can exist in the world at any given time. How can you promise a second one for me? How can you cultivate more?"
Song Qing allowed the Life Tree Avatar to smile, a gesture that seemed both ancient and knowing.
"Ah," his voice resonated, "that is where the unique nature of my second spirit comes into play, Empress."
He raised a massive wooden hand.
And within the Primordial Life Domain, something impossible began to happen.
Energy converged. Life force coalesced. Spectral images flickered into existence, then solidified.
All around them, scattered throughout the domain, dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of plants materialized out of thin air.
But these weren't ordinary plants.
Each one pulsed with immense, unique energy. Radiant Velvet Immortal Chrysanthemums bloomed beside frost-kissed Mysterious Octagonal Ice Grass. Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflowers pulsed with gentle heat next to Yearning Heartbroken Red flowers weeping spectral dew. Dragon Saliva Grass intertwined with Silken Swift Dragon Carrots. Ageless Galaxy Vines snaked around Thousand Year Profound Jade Ginseng.
Immortal Herbs.
Countless varieties. Blooming simultaneously within his domain.
The sight was breathtaking. Shocking. World-defying.
The Ice Jade Scorpion Empress was shocked. 'Immortal… Herbs?! Plural?! Everywhere?! He can… create them?! At will?!' He...He is Breaking the laws of scarcity… This is…'
"As you can see, Empress," Song Qing's voice echoed calmly amidst the display of impossible horticulture, "my Primordial Life Tree Spirit possesses certain… generative capabilities."
He gestured towards the spectral herbs. "These are not illusions. They are real, formed from pure life essence, replicating the properties of the originals I have absorbed or analyzed."
He let the implication land. "Once I acquire the Yin-Yang Extreme Reversal Herb, once I absorb its essence, understand its unique temporal and life-reversing properties… recreating it," he stated with absolute confidence, "will be trivial."
The Ice Jade Scorpion Empress stared at the impossible garden, then back at the Life Tree Avatar. The final piece clicked into place.
Replication. Mass production of even the rarest treasures.
Her suspicion evaporated, replaced by dawning realization and a calculating gleam in her multifaceted eyes.
This human wasn't just powerful. He wasn't just knowledgeable about resurrection. He held the literal key to creating the means for it, potentially endlessly. Sacrificing her ring and bone to him wasn't just a path to potential rebirth; it was potentially securing access to resources beyond imagining.
She made her decision.
"You present… a compelling argument, human," the Empress projected, her mental voice losing its hostility, replaced by cautious consideration. "Replication of the herb… guarantees the possibility you speak of."
She paused, then stated her condition.
"However," she declared firmly, "I will not sacrifice myself now based solely on your demonstration and the word of another soul." Her inherent caution resurfaced.
"I will lead you to the known location of the Yin-Yang Extreme Reversal Herb. I will observe. I will watch as you absorb its essence. Only when I see with my own eyes that your spirit can truly grasp and replicate its unique energy signature, only then will I willingly offer my Soul Ring and Spirit Bone to you, and entrust my soul to your Crown."
She held his gaze, projecting unwavering resolve. "Prove your capability first. Then, we have a deal."
Song Qing considered her counter-offer. It was reasonable. She wanted proof before committing her very existence. He respected that caution. And having her guidance to the herb's location would save considerable time and effort navigating the treacherous core region blindly.
"A prudent condition, Empress," Song Qing acknowledged through the avatar. "Acceptable."
He began to retract the Primordial Life Domain, the impossible garden fading like a mirage, the binding forest receding, though he kept the avatar active for now.
"Lead the way," he commanded. "Show me this herb capable of reversing yin and yang, life and death."
The Ice Jade Scorpion Empress, sensing the shift, slowly lowered her defensive posture. The alliance, however temporary and conditional, was formed.