Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

"Hello, everyone! Such enthusiasm, huh?"

In the square of the Ice Castle, the greenish light faded, revealing five human figures. Leading them was Han Li, who waved and greeted a few fierce beasts with a smile. The ice bear looked just shy of the hundred-thousand-year mark—likely yet to face the heavenly tribulation—but its aura was nonetheless formidable.

The fierce beasts hesitated to attack, for the human before them looked exactly like the figure that had appeared in their minds two days earlier.

"Who are you?"

The Snow Empress took a step forward, stopping the Ice Empress from speaking, and asked the question herself.

"Han Li, from Spirit Hall."

Han Li and his group showed no sign of worry about being attacked. They spoke casually as they approached the beasts.

"That's not what I'm asking. How did you do it? And why have you come to find me?"

The Snow Empress frowned even more. The other side's lack of caution made her uneasy.

"Do you want to talk about it here? That's not very hospitable, is it, Snow Empress? We've traveled a long way; it's not too much to ask for a tour of the castle, is it?"

Han Li stopped a short distance in front of them, gesturing toward the beautiful castle behind her with a hint of admiration in his eyes. Quite a refined sense of aesthetics.

The Snow Empress took a deep breath. The fact that this person knew her name meant they had come prepared. But to enter her castle? That was her domain—was he really this confident?

The Snow Empress glanced at her companions. Han Li smiled, while the strongest among his group remained silent, and the three girls eyed their surroundings with curiosity, whispering to each other without any sign of tension.

"Fine."

She nodded in agreement.

"Xiao Bai, guard the entrance. Bing'er, Ah Tai, come with me."

The Snow Empress turned and gave orders to the beasts. As they looked at her, she shook her head slightly.

No matter what plans the others had, once inside the castle, they would be at her mercy. That was her confidence as ruler of the Extreme North.

"Please."

With that, she turned and walked toward the castle.

The Ice Empress and the young man who had transformed from the Ice Devil Titan exchanged glances and followed her, leaving only the Ice Bear King to guard the entrance.

Seeing the three disappear, Han Li shook his head. That wasn't much of an invitation.

"Let's go. We're going in too."

He addressed his companions, stepping toward the castle gate, which loomed like a giant black hole, swallowing them whole.

Inside, though it was called a castle, the interior felt more like a temple—vast and empty, with footsteps echoing loudly.

When Han Li and his group entered, the Snow Empress was already seated on the central throne, though it wasn't raised. The Ice Empress and Ice Devil Titan sat to her left, watching the newcomers.

Unfazed, Han Li gestured for his group to sit on the right, his gaze fixed on the Snow Empress. Her white hair, blue eyes, and white dress perfectly matched her cold, elegant aura—she embodied the archetype of an ice spirit.

"Hey, human, what are you looking at?"

As Han Li sized up the Snow Empress, the green-haired girl across from him spoke up, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction, as if his gaze had sullied a goddess.

Han Li turned toward the voice, noticing the Ice Empress. Even the little scorpion had a certain beauty.

Compared to the Snow Empress, she had a less gentle, translucent aura but appeared more proud and aloof. If the Snow Empress was an ethereal spirit, the Ice Empress was more like a queen. Yet her tone and expression disrupted the overall aesthetic.

What a brat. If she tied her hair in twin tails and changed the color, she'd fit the role of a tsundere blonde side character—an empress version, albeit.

Han Li blinked, having made his assessment, but chose not to respond.

"All right, Bing'er."

The Ice Empress wanted to say more but was cut off by the Snow Empress, who closed her mouth in frustration. Her gaze remained locked on Han Li.

"Now, can you tell us why you're here?" the Snow Empress asked, her voice as calm as ever.

"Of course."

Han Li nodded, speaking directly.

"I'm here because of what appeared in your minds earlier. To be precise, I'm asking for your cooperation."

Unlike other soul beast territories, the Extreme North was almost entirely under the control of the Snow Empress and her two companions. Their clans and affiliated tribes made up the vast majority of the region. When Gu Yue issued her command to all soul beasts, the Extreme North was the first to respond.

After receiving a small portion of faith energy, Han Li's link was cut off. Now, areas that had lit up before were beginning to dim—an unmistakable sign of their response.

The Snow Empress stopped her two companions from acting rashly. She had noticed Han Li had used the word ask. If he wasn't confident, no one would dare speak so boldly in her presence.

"Reason," she uttered, her gaze still fixed on Han Li, probing his reaction.

"The reason is simple. I am the Lord of this plane, and I'm preparing to ascend to godhood. I need faith, and I've already reached an agreement with the Soul Beast Sovereign. This is your chance to escape the abyss. Is that enough?"

Han Li glanced at Qian Daoliu, holding nothing back, before returning his gaze to the Snow Empress.

As his words sank in, the three leaders of the Extreme North were left bewildered. What Lord of the plane? What Soul Beast Sovereign? They had no idea. They only understood parts about godhood, faith, and an agreement.

Han Li hadn't shared this information with his companions before, fearing they might leak it after their divine trials. But after what happened with Gu Yue, he'd come to understand the nature of these trials and felt at ease.

With the Divine Realm Committee watching him, and given that he was still alive, none of the gods who'd left their legacies dared interfere.

Qian Daoliu, too, no longer needed to be kept in the dark. Han Li had plans to discuss with him how to avoid his sacrifice, and it was time he knew.

Initially, Han Li had planned to force everyone's hand. But unlike the soul beasts, the Qian family had always treated him well, even allowing him to tap into their faith.

If Qian Daoliu didn't agree, Han Li could accept Qian Renxue opting out. After all, his plan wasn't guaranteed to succeed. He had a backup plan, though it came with risks. Allowing Qian Renxue to take a different path wasn't a bad option.

This idea struck him after he received his first batch of faith energy following the Soul Master Tournament. It was a viable path. In a way, he had replaced the Angel God's faith, like a cuckoo in another bird's nest.

It was up to the Qian family to decide, and it was his way of repaying them. Whether he succeeded or failed, they would have a fallback.

If he succeeded, Spirit Hall would become immortal. If he failed, aside from a few individuals being implicated, the continent would progress, and a new Angel God would emerge. Spirit Hall's position would remain unshaken.

To put it plainly, even in failure, he wouldn't perish. He was confident his treatment would be better than that of the Golden Dragon King. Even the plane and Divine Realm wouldn't dare fuse with him prematurely. What if he broke through after the fusion?

Otherwise, why do you think the Divine Realm's attitude towards him is so ambiguous? He was just a newly ascended god. Did the Sea God receive this kind of treatment? And he was plenty powerful, wasn't he?

Han Li waited, but the three rulers of the Extreme North remained silent, lost in confusion.

Compared to the Star Dou Forest, where Di Tian had a greater understanding, these three were like children left behind. Beyond knowing that soul beasts couldn't become gods, they understood almost nothing.

"Di Tian? Skydream? You know them, right?"

Han Li asked. Seeing their bewildered looks, he realized he had failed to impress them. It was like casting pearls before swine—they simply didn't know enough.

The Snow Empress nodded. She knew of the king of the Star Dou Forest and the lucky local soul beasts.

"Forget it. I'll just show you."

A surge of immense spiritual power instantly enveloped everyone present. Han Li activated his spiritual sharing.

After a moment of panic, the three rulers of the Extreme North realized that if Han Li wanted to kill them, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Within the shared mental space, scenes of Han Li's interactions with Gu Yue and Di Tian played out, allowing them to glimpse the world of gods and review history.

After a long time, the spiritual sharing ended, and the castle fell into silence as they processed the information.

Qian Daoliu was the first to look up. He frowned slightly before resuming his calm demeanor. Now wasn't the time to discuss it.

"So, the Ice God doesn't exist after all," the Ice Devil Titan muttered, dumbfounded. It began to question its entire existence. Their race had always prided itself on having the ancient blood of the Ice God and the Primordial Giant. What was going on?

"Damn the Divine Realm! I'd love to charge up there and wipe them out. A million years to become a god, and that was a lie too!"

The Ice Empress angrily slammed her delicate fist onto the armrest, shattering a chair beside her.

All this time, they'd been striving to continue their cultivation through tribulations, aiming for the million-year mark.

What, were they just going to add a dish to the menu—'deep-fried Ice Jade Scorpion'? Rong Nianbing would probably cook it well, Han Li thought to himself, but he shifted his gaze back to the Snow Empress.

"So, tell me your decision."

Han Li's voice echoed in the empty castle, snapping the Snow Empress out of her daze.

She took a deep breath and looked at her companions.

"So, from the very beginning, we never really had a choice, did we?"