Lu Jingming's mouth twitched uncontrollably when he heard Möbius's words.
What Möbius called "training" probably meant using the Snow Empress as a guinea pig for those insane experiments.
With the sealing array's restraint gone, the Snow Empress's embryo instantly regained its freedom. A powerful soul power fluctuation, centered on her, rapidly spread outwards.
The infant within the embryo began to grow rapidly, but this wasn't a transformation into human form; rather, it was a restoration of her original appearance as an Ice and Snow Maiden.
Because her transformation had failed, it was no longer possible for her to transform into a human.
And due to this accident, her origin had been severely damaged, and her strength was greatly diminished, no longer matching the glory of her peak.
Soon, the snow-white giant egg disappeared. In a dazzling white light, a peerless young woman with white hair and blue eyes, like a goddess of ice and snow, slowly materialized.
She wore a white dress, her slender legs tightly encased in white stockings that highlighted their shape, and white ankle boots on her feet.
Lu Jingming looked at the Snow Empress before him, feeling that she appeared somewhat younger and more petite compared to the image in his mind.
Thinking about it carefully, this was reasonable. The Snow Empress's transformation had failed, and she had lost a portion of her origin. According to the characteristics of an elemental life form like the Ice and Snow Maiden, a change in appearance was normal.
"Speak, what exactly do you want me to do?" The Snow Empress crossed her arms, her expression cold. Despite having just regained her freedom, her inherent arrogance remained undiminished.
Since she had agreed to join World Serpent, she disdained going back on her word. She would fulfill her promise to the end.
"Demon King Alliance? Hearing the name, it's naturally against the gods." Lu Jingming's mouth curved slightly into a light smile.
"Against the gods?"
The Snow Empress couldn't help but scoff, "What a joke! I admit this woman is very strong, but to oppose deities, are you all insane?"
The Snow Empress had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and had personally experienced the Battle of the Three Gods ten thousand years ago. She was all too aware of the chasm-like, unbridgeable gap between gods and mortals.
Even as arrogant as she was, she deeply knew that she couldn't withstand a casual blow from a god.
"Opposing gods is a long-term goal, not something to confront head-on right now." Lu Jingming patiently explained, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
"They?" The Snow Empress's eyes widened, full of shock, "You're dealing with more than one god?"
She had thought opposing one god was already crazy enough, but she hadn't expected there to be more than one!
"Forget it, I'll just let you experience it for yourself, Serpent." Lu Jingming gestured to Möbius.
"Heh heh, little Snow Maiden, you'll soon understand that so-called deities are just powerful life forms." Möbius's lips curved into a meaningful smile. She pulled out the ice-blue gem Lu Jingming had given her from her embrace and casually tossed it, her movements so nonchalant as if it weren't an incredibly precious treasure, but an ordinary roadside stone.
The Snow Empress reached out to take the ice-blue gem with a puzzled expression. The moment she touched the gem, it suddenly burst into dazzling blue light, transforming into a stream of light that instantly merged into her body.
At the same time, the already frigid Extreme North, where temperatures plummeted even further. This sudden bitter cold made even the soul beasts that resided there year-round find it difficult to adapt, letting out anxious whimpers.
Terrifying cold qi erupted from the Snow Empress like surging tides.
Fortunately, Lu Jingming was merely a projection at this moment; otherwise, with his current strength, he would probably be instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.
Around Möbius, green lightning coiled, forming a sturdy barrier that kept the extreme cold at bay.
The Snow Empress's body uncontrollably floated into mid-air. The ice elements between heaven and earth seemed to be summoned by some powerful force, rushing madly towards her.
Her initially maiden-like figure continuously grew and changed, soon maturing into a woman in her early twenties.
Not only that, but her attire also underwent a complete transformation.
A silver-blue gradient robe enveloped her tall figure. The outer layer of the robe was covered in translucent ice crystal armor. The hem of her robe billowed freely like a swirling blizzard, its edges adorned with sharp icicles, exuding a chilling aura.
Her shoulder pads resembled giant ice crystal butterfly wings, shimmering with a dreamlike luster in the light. A translucent ice crystal crown floated above her cascading silver-white hair, the ends of her hair gradually transforming into ethereal ice mist, and her pupils became hexagonal snowflakes.
"The gods bestowed upon me the censer, ripening endless beings. Hustle and bustle, King of Commotion, Snow Empress, from now on, you are the fifth throne of the World Serpent, King of Commotion!"
Lu Jingming gazed at the Snow Empress, who had already integrated the pseudo-Herrscher of Ice core he had materialized, and her immensely powerful Herrscher form. His lips unconsciously curved into a satisfied smile.
As he expected, the Snow Empress's compatibility with the pseudo-Herrscher of Ice core was extremely high. She completed the fusion in such a short time and successfully transformed into her Herrscher form.
Although she was only a pseudo-Herrscher, in this Douluo Continent, she was already powerful enough.
More importantly, the Snow Empress possessed limitless growth potential and could continue to grow stronger in the future.
She was not like the Fusion Warriors restricted by Lu Jingming, but a true being capable of growing into a top-tier combat force, a veritable "Demon King."
"This is... such strong power? No wonder you are so confident!" The Snow Empress's face was filled with shock as she wholeheartedly sensed the unfamiliar yet powerful force within her.
Now, without needing to deliberately control ice elements, she could drastically lower the temperature with just a thought. And she could clearly perceive that the upper limit of this power was extremely high, so high that it made her wonder if she could truly reach absolute zero, which was theoretically impossible to touch. Even the God of Ice and Snow would probably find it difficult to do so.
With the blessing of this power, coupled with her already formidable strength, the Snow Empress was confident that she could now defeat even the Beast God Di Tian.
Not only that, her body had also undergone a qualitative change under the transformation of this power. Now, she was no longer merely a soul beast.
In her perception, the constant premonition of Heavenly Tribulation that threatened her had also vanished without a trace.
She was now neither human nor beast, but a being close to a god, controlling the authority of ice, standing at a new peak of power.
"Why did you give me such powerful strength?" The Snow Empress slowly descended from the air, landing steadily in front of Lu Jingming, gazing at him with a complex expression.
Although the gem was brought out by Möbius, and Möbius was the World Serpent's Sovereign, the Snow Empress understood in her heart that the true orchestrator was this young white-haired man who appeared to be not very old.
"No particular reason, it's just that your compatibility with it is relatively high." Lu Jingming's expression was calm, his tone indifferent.
He couldn't exactly tell the Snow Empress that in his previous life he had a fondness for her, and now he needed to cultivate a god-level combatant, which was why he chose her.
"Thank you!" The Snow Empress remained silent for a long time before finally speaking softly.
Regardless, Lu Jingming and Möbius had saved her and bestowed upon her such powerful new strength, opening up a broader future for her.
Though she was a soul beast, she understood the meaning of repaying kindness better than many humans. She would surely remember this favor in her heart.
"Little Snow Maiden, if you want to repay me, why don't you let me study you thoroughly?" Möbius's eyes gleamed as if she had discovered a rare treasure, staring intently at the Snow Empress.
What wondrous changes would occur in a soul beast that failed its human transformation after fusing with a Herrscher Gem? This made her intensely curious.
Stared at by Möbius's almost maniacal gaze, the Snow Empress felt completely uncomfortable. She instinctively took a step back, simultaneously casting a pleading look at Lu Jingming.
If it were anyone else who dared to look at her like that, the Snow Empress would have long drawn her sword and attacked, but facing her saviors, she found it difficult to act.
However, every cell in her body was sending her signals of resistance against accepting Möbius's research invitation.
"You can cooperate with the research, but absolutely don't let her experiment on you, and definitely don't let her inject you with those strange things." Lu Jingming looked helpless. Having to meet Möbius's research demands while also protecting the Snow Empress was truly a headache for him.
"Snow Empress, as you can see, this body of mine is just a mental projection. My real body is in Abyss City in the Star Luo Empire, and the person who absorbed the Ice Empress's soul ring, whom you're looking for, will also be heading to Abyss City."
Lu Jingming's expression was serious, his gaze fixed intently on the Snow Empress.
"Abyss City? I will go."
The Snow Empress nodded slightly.
"Finally, my name is Lu Jingming. Welcome again to the World Serpent."
After speaking his last sentence, Lu Jingming's mental projection instantly dissipated.
"Lu Jingming!"
The Snow Empress softly murmured the name, a faint light flashing in her eyes.
"Alright, little Snow Maiden, I should be leaving too. Next time, I must properly study you." Möbius casually waved her hand. Then, with a flick of her wrist, a ring engraved with an Ouroboros symbol flew towards the Snow Empress.
"This ring symbolizes your identity as a member of the World Serpent. You can use it to enter the Simulated Universe, and if anything happens, you can also use it to contact me. Of course, you can contact that little guy too."
With that, Möbius, without waiting to see if the Snow Empress fully understood, turned and vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the Snow Empress standing dumbfounded, gazing in the direction Möbius disappeared, lost in thought.
Abyss City, in a spacious room filled with exotic treasures and precision instruments, Lu Jingming slowly opened his eyes.
A trace of fatigue from mental energy depletion lingered in his eyes, but it was quickly dispelled by the surrounding environment.
Directly in front of him, a large mirror stood silently, its surface smooth as ice, emitting a deep blue light. Behind him, Herta gracefully sat with her legs crossed, leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.
With Lu Jingming's current Soul King level strength, projecting his mental projection across thousands of mountains and rivers to the distant Extreme North was simply a fantasy.
However, Herta's Tier 10 soul tool—the Herta Mirror—made this seemingly impossible feat a reality.
Through this miraculous soul tool, Lu Jingming was able to have that spatial meeting with the Snow Empress.
"When you're done, hurry up and leave. Don't disturb my research." Herta took a delicate sip of black tea, her movements elegant but her words cold, her voice as clear as a silver bell.
"Why don't I see you researching, Miss Herta?" Lu Jingming's mouth curved slightly, revealing a teasing smile. His gaze swept over the busy puppets beside Herta, then rested on Herta's leisurely face.
The Herta puppets, expressionless but skillfully, massaged Herta's shoulders and legs, occasionally offering a freshly brewed cup of fragrant tea or a delicate small biscuit. The entire scene was filled with a strange sense of harmony.
"How can you easily see the work of a genius?" Herta raised the uniquely shaped magical hat on her head slightly, glancing sideways at Lu Jingming.
"Alright, you're a genius, I'm a mediocrity, I don't understand, okay!" Lu Jingming shrugged helplessly, but a smile still lingered on his face.
With that, he unceremoniously plopped down beside Herta, casually patted the empty space next to him, and gestured to a waiting Herta puppet to brew him tea, and also enjoy the rare massage service.
To be served by a puppet that looked exactly like a young Herta—Lu Jingming's treatment was unique even in Herta's original universe.
"If you like it, I'll give you one." Herta was generous. Even a puppet that looked exactly like herself, she would give away without hesitation, not worrying about Lu Jingming doing anything unspeakable to the puppet.
"Forget it!" Lu Jingming almost subconsciously refused.
Keeping a Herta puppet by his side, if he were to be intimate with another girl, and Herta suddenly came online and witnessed everything through the puppet... just thinking about it made Lu Jingming feel a bit awkward.
Although he felt it would be somewhat stimulating, he forcefully suppressed that absurd thought and decisively rejected Herta's kind offer.
After all, what pleasure was there in being served by a puppet?
What the Herta puppet could do, Zhang Lexuan could also do, and Zhang Lexuan was even more gentle and considerate.
Of course, if Herta herself served him, that would be another matter entirely. Thinking of this, Lu Jingming couldn't help but let his lips curl up.
"Daydreaming again?"
Herta didn't even need to think to know that Lu Jingming was thinking something disrespectful about her.