Chapter 287: Persuading the Ice Emperor

  "Wang Shaojie, just tell us where Uncle Qin is and spare yourself unnecessary suffering."

  Hearing Juzi’s questioning, Wang Shaojie clenched his teeth. "I don’t know anything! What do you want me to say?"

  He knew that now was the worst time to break. If he confessed now, then the whippings he had endured earlier would have been for nothing.

  Besides, he was confident that if he could hold out long enough, the higher-ups in the academy would hear about this and intervene.

  After all, he was of royal descent, a person of noble status. He wasn’t someone that could be toyed with so easily.

  "This unrepentant traitor!"

  Xuan Ziwen’s anger fred as he continued shing his whip, the sharp cracks echoing in the room.

  The water in the basin was steadily depleting.

  It had to be said—Wang Shaojie had some backbone. Even after all this, he hadn’t uttered a single word.

  "Stop!"

  Moments ter, just as the basin was nearly empty, a powerful and authoritative voice rang from outside the boratory.

  To Wang Shaojie, that voice was nothing short of divine intervention.

  His savior had arrived.

  A gust of wind swept through the room as a disheveled yet imposing figure appeared—Jing Hongchen.

  He stepped in front of Wang Shaojie, his expression heavy with disapproval.

  "Teacher Xuan, what exactly do you think you’re doing?"

  Jing Hongchen’s voice carried a sense of weight, his tone stern.

  Normally, he wouldn’t have had much to do with Wang Shaojie.

  But Wang Shaojie’s ckeys had reached out to their own teachers, hoping for assistance.

  However, after realizing that Xuan Ziwen was the one dealing out punishment, none of them dared interfere.

  So they went even higher up—to the dean himself.

  "Dean, you have no idea what this brat has done. I must punish him severely!"

  "And what exactly has Wang Shaojie done that warrants such treatment?"

  Jing Hongchen’s gaze shifted to Wang Shaojie, who now resembled a bloodied rag doll.

  "Look at him! Look at what you’ve done! You young people are far too reckless."

  "Dean…"

  "It’s not the teacher’s fault—Wang Shaojie kidnapped my master!"

  Juzi stepped forward, her voice firm despite the clear tension in the air.

  For some reason, she found the courage to stand up to Jing Hongchen.

  At first, Jing Hongchen didn’t take her words seriously.

  He waved a dismissive hand.

  "Is that all? Why not just talk things through— wait, what did you just say?"

  His expression changed instantly.

  "You said your master was kidnapped… by Wang Shaojie?"

  For a moment, it didn’t register.

  But then his mind caught up.

  Juzi’s master was none other than Qin Xiao.

  "That’s exactly what happened."

  Juzi nodded firmly and proceeded to recount the full story.

  Jing Hongchen’s expression darkened with every word.

  His breathing grew heavier—ragged, almost.

  Wang Shaojie saw it—the change in Jing Hongchen’s gaze.

  His eyes were red, filled with rage.

  Gulp.

  Wang Shaojie swallowed hard.

  "Dean, please listen to me! They're sndering me! Nothing like that ever happened!"

  Jing Hongchen let out a cold ugh.

  "You think I’m an idiot?"

  "Xuan Ziwen, are you tired of swinging that whip yet? If so, I can take over."

  Qin Xiao was his chosen disciple, the future pilr of the Sun Moon Empire.

  And now, someone had dared y a hand on him?

  Jing Hongchen wasn’t going to let this slide.

  What?

  Jing Hongchen was siding with Xuan Ziwen?

  Wang Shaojie felt his entire world shatter.

  At this moment, he finally understood—there was no one left to protect him.

  Damn it!

  He cursed in his heart.

  Damn it!

  If he had known that even the dean would take Xuan Ziwen’s side, he would have confessed sooner.

  Now, all that suffering had been for nothing.

  Regret filled his mind.

  But since there was no point in holding out anymore, he chose to give in completely.

  "Dean, Teacher Xuan, stop! If you hit me again, I’ll die!"

  "I confess! I’ll tell you everything!"

  "It was all my fault…"

  Wang Shaojie wailed.

  Yet even after his confession, Xuan Ziwen shed him one st time.

  "Teacher! I already confessed! Why are you still hitting me?"

  Wang Shaojie cried, utterly dejected.

  Xuan Ziwen was a damn demon.

  "Enough."

  Jing Hongchen finally stepped in, putting an end to the beating.

  "So tell me, it was really you who encouraged Zimu to kidnap Juzi, wasn’t it?"

  "Yes…"

  "And that Soul Emperor—he was under your command?"

  "That’s right. I was afraid Zimu wasn’t strong enough, so I sent a Soul Emperor to protect him."

  Wang Shaojie’s spirit was completely shattered.

  At this point, he answered every question without hesitation.

  "Why did you help Zimu do this to me?"

  Juzi’s voice trembled with anger.

  "Because Zimu begged me to."

  "You know how much he likes you. And since we were cssmates, I let my guard down and agreed."

  "Teacher, Dean, Juzi—I was blinded by foolishness. I was deceived by him."

  "I was wrong, truly wrong! Can you forgive me?"

  Though he confessed, he wasn’t about to take all the bme.

  He shoved most of the responsibility onto Zimu instead.

  "Liar!"

  Juzi’s eyes burned with fury.

  "You were the mastermind behind all of this."

  "Tell me, where are you keeping my master?"

  Facing Juzi’s questioning, Wang Shaojie finally showed some genuine emotion. "I really don’t know where Qin Xiao is. My men haven’t sent me any updates.

  Besides, since Juzi is safe and sound, that means Zimu and the Soul Emperor I sent must be in your hands, right?

  Why don’t you just ask them directly? They were involved in the situation and should know better than I do…"

  Xuan Ziwen responded with a cold, measured tone, "They’re both dead. You’re the only one left who knows where Qin Xiao is."

  Ah, this… Wang Shaojie was at a loss for words.

  He truly had no idea.

  Seeing Wang Shaojie fall silent, Jing Hongchen finally spoke. "There’s no point in talking anymore. This brat is far too stubborn.

  He still needs more punishment."

  What? More punishment?

  Wang Shaojie’s mind went numb. "I swear I’m telling the truth! How would I know where Qin Xiao is?

  Please, I’m begging you, let me go! I’m innocent!"

  But…

  No one listened.

  Moments ter, the boratory was once again filled with Wang Shaojie’s anguished screams.

  Extreme North

  Not far ahead of Qin Xiao, a golden barrier shimmered in the icy ndscape.

  Inside the barrier was an Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion roughly one and a half meters long.

  Beside Qin Xiao, hovering in midair, was a simirly sized energy-form Ice Silkworm.

  "Brother, what do you think of my combat abilities?

  I used my million-year silkworm cocoon to trap the Ice Emperor!"

  Tianmeng Ice Silkworm grinned, looking to Qin Xiao for approval.

  Qin Xiao nodded slowly. "Not bad."

  However…

  The Ice Emperor, trapped by Tianmeng’s cocoon, erupted in fury.

  "Tianmeng! I never thought you would become a ckey for humans, helping them against me!

  If I ever break free, I will devour your very essence and tear your human companion to pieces!"

  Faced with the Ice Emperor’s chilling words and undisguised killing intent, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm helplessly wiggled its many tiny legs, making a dramatic gesture of surrender.

  "Xue Bing, can’t you see my current state?

  Technically speaking, I’m already dead!

  I’m only in an energy form now…"

  Tianmeng’s voice was filled with helplessness.

  However…

  The Ice Emperor remained indifferent, her eyes as cold as ever.

  Tianmeng tried again. "Xue Bing…"

  "Don’t call me Xue Bing. Just hearing it disgusts me."

  "Fine then, my dear—"

  "Are you trying to make me sick?"

  Tianmeng Ice Silkworm: "…"

  Qin Xiao: "…"

  It was obvious—Tianmeng was a seasoned simp, the kind that never backed down.

  And he was relentless.

  After a brief moment of silence, Tianmeng shook his round little head in exasperation. "Fine, fine, I’ll call you Ice Emperor. That should be acceptable, right?"

  This time, the Ice Emperor didn’t reject or argue with him, which was as good as tacit approval.

  "I came to find you and did all this for your own good."

  "Utter nonsense."

  The Ice Emperor scoffed, her voice ice-cold.

  Looking at the cocoon imprisoning her, she couldn’t see any good intentions from Tianmeng at all.

  "If you have the guts, let me go first."

  "Not happening."

  Tianmeng shook his head. "If I didn’t do this, would you even give me a chance to talk? Or would you even listen to me properly?"

  The Ice Emperor fell silent.

  Deep inside, she already had an answer.

  Of course, she wouldn’t have listened.

  "Enough talking. I’ll get straight to the point—I came here to offer you a great opportunity."

  "A great opportunity? What, did you find a huge stash of ten-thousand-year Ice Marrow?"

  "Uh… no. But this opportunity is far better than Ice Marrow."

  Tianmeng Ice Silkworm paused for a moment, stretched out a few small cws, and pointed at Qin Xiao. "See that? I’ve tched onto a big shot. As long as we follow big brother, we can all become gods."

  Big shot?

  The Ice Emperor was momentarily stunned.

  She had noticed Qin Xiao long ago. His cultivation was absurdly weak.

  It wasn’t that she looked down on him, but if it weren’t for Tianmeng Ice Silkworm’s presence, she wouldn’t have believed that Qin Xiao could even set foot in the core region of the Extreme North, let alone stand before her.

  "This? A big shot?"

  The Ice Emperor sneered in disdain. "Don’t joke with me. Any random soul beast in our core territory could suppress him. With his level of strength, how is he supposed to be a big shot?"

  Hiss…

  Tianmeng Ice Silkworm took a sharp breath.

  The Ice Emperor really dared to say anything.

  "Ice Emperor, watch your words. Insulting me is fine, but insulting big brother is unacceptable!"

  "Hmm?"

  The Ice Emperor was taken aback again. This was the first time Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had ever spoken to her with such a stern tone.

  She found it a little hard to get used to.

  "I’ve lived for a million years. Don’t you trust my judgment?"

  "Would I sacrifice my life for an ordinary person?"

  "Big brother is different from others!"

  Tianmeng Ice Silkworm’s voice was rarely this serious.

  "How is he different?"

  The Ice Emperor instinctively asked.

  "Big brother, can you let the Ice Emperor take a look inside your spiritual world?"

  "Let her broaden her horizons."

  Tianmeng Ice Silkworm looked eagerly at Qin Xiao.

  Qin Xiao nodded. "Sure."

  "Great!"

  Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was overjoyed. He was confident that once the Ice Emperor witnessed Qin Xiao’s past strength, she would make the right decision.

  "You heard what big brother said, right?"

  "Hmph, I’d like to see what’s so special about him!"

  The Ice Emperor spoke coldly. She condensed a tiny scorpion the size of a thumb using her spiritual power. Then, under Tianmeng Ice Silkworm’s guidance, she was drawn out of the golden barrier and entered Qin Xiao’s spiritual world.

  The next moment, the Ice Emperor’s vision darkened, and a colossal throne appeared before her.

  Then, an enormous figure, almost as tall as the heavens and earth, ascended the throne.

  At the feet of this towering figure, stars revolved in their celestial paths.

  "This…"

  The Ice Emperor was stunned.

  She had never seen such a unique spiritual world before.

  Even though it was merely a spiritual projection, it felt more real to her than the entire Douluo Continent.

  "So? Do you believe me now?"

  At some point, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm appeared beside the Ice Emperor, speaking with immense pride.

  His expression was as if he were the master of this world.

  "Now, do you submit?"

  Suddenly, the figure on the throne finally spoke.

  Without a doubt, that figure was Qin Xiao. From his elevated position, he looked down at the Ice Emperor.

  "I…"

  The overwhelming pressure made the Ice Emperor’s very soul tremble.

  But her pride wouldn’t allow her to surrender so easily.

  "I want to know—who exactly are you?"

  She forced herself to speak.

  "Who am I?"

  "Very well, I will let you see for yourself."

  Qin Xiao’s voice echoed.

  In the next moment, both he and the massive throne vanished.

  In their pce, an endless series of terrifying battle scenes unfolded before the Ice Emperor’s eyes.

  Space colpsed, stars plummeted, and gods perished.

  The Ice Emperor was utterly shocked.

  She had never seen such an apocalyptic battlefield.

  "Can someone really become this powerful?"

  She muttered to herself.

  These scenes weren’t something she could even imagine.

  Or rather, she didn’t dare to imagine them.

  It was too terrifying.

  A long while ter, the images faded.

  But the Ice Emperor remained frozen in pce, unable to break free from the shock.

  Qin Xiao returned to his seat on the enormous throne, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest.

  Seeing this, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm nudged the Ice Emperor. "Ice Emperor, Ice Emperor, what are you standing there for? Snap out of it!"

  "Ah…"

  The Ice Emperor was shaken out of her thoughts. "In that vision, I saw a powerful sea soul beast ascending to godhood?"

  "That was my subordinate, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King."

  "The Deep Sea Demon Whale King? Are you serious?"

  "Didn’t he die ten thousand years ago?"

  The Ice Emperor’s voice was filled with disbelief.

  "In this timeline, yes. But in my timeline, he never perished. He lived well, and I helped him overcome the divine tribution. Thanks to his outstanding military achievements, I granted him a god position."

  Hiss…

  Hearing Qin Xiao’s words, both the Ice Emperor and Tianmeng Ice Silkworm took a sharp breath.

  In another timeline?

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King ascended to godhood?!

  Unbelievable.

  At the same time, they gained a much deeper understanding of Qin Xiao’s true origins.

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