Xue Ling, her mind a mess, bounced gently in the most comfortable spot on Ice Dragon King's back.
The wind played with the ends of her hair as she looked ahead—she had arrived at her destination.
At that moment, she finally understood why she had only "blossomed" but never "borne fruit."
On the towering First Peak of the New God Realm, a lingering, ever-present dragon aura enveloped the land.
Anyone who came here would instinctively say: "This is a land of dragon prosperity."
After clearing her confusion, she dismounted from her "Ice Dragon King transport" and stepped toward the foot of the First Peak, where rows of buildings stretched before her.
From the style, it seemed to be a blend of modern architecture and natural design.
The modern style was a little different from what she had seen in the Douluo Plane, while the natural aesthetic was quite similar to the core zone of the Star Dou Forest.
As she admired the familiar yet foreign scenery, she bumped into Bing Ji (Ice Empress).
Or rather—it was Ice Ji who had intentionally bumped into her.
That generous embrace gave Xue Ling a warm wrap of affection.
"Xue Ling!"
Long-lost sisters reunited—Bing Ji was thrilled.
She bear-hugged Xue Ling tightly for a long time, only reluctantly letting go before waving off the Ice Dragon King and the other dragons.
She had some private girl talk to do with her dearest friend—there was no need for "kids" to overhear. It's not like they were still nursing in her arms!
Following a winding path scented with ancient wood, Bing Ji pulled Xue Ling deeper into the mountains.
On the way, they chatted non-stop.
"Look over there—that's the place Di Tian specially prepared for you. Carved entirely from a single, massive block of frozen stone!"
"And this..."
"See? We girls put together a schedule just for you."
"You one day, me one day; you one day, Bi Ji one day; you one day, Zi Ji one day…"
"Hmm? You're asking what Di Tian's been up to?"
"Oh him—he was originally planning to pick you up personally."
"But lately, he's been entangled with something troublesome."
"I don't know the details either. Let's go take a look together."
As they talked, they walked toward Di Tian's residence.
When they arrived outside, they found Lan Fozi, Princess of the Sea, and a few other besties stealthily crouched outside the door, peeking inside.
Clearly, there were quite a few curious minds.
Lan Fozi urgently pulled Xue Ling aside, her slender finger pressing against her lips in a "shush" gesture.
Then, pointing toward the interior, she whispered softly into Xue Ling's ear:
"Bi Ji and Zi Ji are inside—with Di Tian."
Xue Ling's sky-blue ice eyes widened in shock. She murmured in surprise:
"Together again?"
Before she and Lan Fozi could continue whispering, the Sea Princess—who had been peeking through a gap—suddenly dropped a bombshell.
"Not just Bi Ji and Zi Ji. There's another person in there."
"Uh… doesn't seem to be a living person though. Looks more like a dead one?"
"Wait… she looks kinda familiar."
Her mermaid-blue eyes reflected the "beautiful scene" inside the room.
At the center of this "scenery" lay a sleeping beauty, with elegant features—pure and refined, full of life's aura.
She had long, dark green hair flowing behind her. Only the very tips had turned slightly white. Her figure was tall and graceful, radiating inner essence. A warm smile lingered on her sleeping face.
In her arms, she held a long spear, its body a brilliant white, nearly transparent.
The spear had only one blade, but it was especially long, taking up nearly a third of the entire shaft.
At the connection between blade and shaft, two ancient characters were engraved.
Three pairs of eyes were fixated on the sleeping beauty holding the spear—those of Di Tian, Bi Ji, and Zi Ji.
Originally called over by Di Tian, Zi Ji had thought he was about to do something naughty.
Though Di Tian always looked serious on the surface, privately, he could be quite mischievous.
So, Zi Ji had every reason to suspect he was up to some bizarre fetish again.
She nudged his arm with her elbow.
"Hey, you trying to take advantage while she's warm? But she's not warm anymore!"
The always-serious Di Tian had his brows tightly furrowed. Upon hearing Zi Ji's comment, a flicker of speechless annoyance passed across his face.
In Zi Ji's mind, had he really fallen this far?
Was he really that desperate?
He responded, slightly defensive:
"Remember when I said I was searching for the reincarnated forms of the God King of Destruction, Zi, and the God King of Life, Lü?"
Without hesitation, Zi Ji nodded.
"Of course I remember."
"You said that the reincarnations of the two God Kings would have exceptional talent and strength, and would inevitably ascend to godhood. All we had to do was wait in the New God Realm."
"Exactly." Di Tian's voice carried a trace of regret.
"But now, a thousand years have passed. We've basically recorded the information of every intelligent lifeform from the lower realms."
"Generally speaking, if a species has a lifespan over a thousand years before reaching godhood, it's quite rare—aside from us soul beasts, who are natural exceptions."
"In the past thousand years, I've examined every individual who has ascended or had the potential to ascend to the New God Realm."
"But I've never found the reincarnated forms of the Destruction God King or Life God King."
"During that time, I even used mental strength far beyond that of an average God King, combining it with your and Bi Ji's cultivation of the two divine thrones, to deduce the location of their reincarnations."
"Yet even as your progress grew, and the sensing of their presence became stronger, I was never able to pinpoint a single direct location."
"After waiting for a thousand years with no sign of them, there's only one explanation: my direction was wrong."
At this point, Bi Ji suddenly interrupted.
"Then, Di Tian—what you mean is…" Her voice was tinged with shock, though her eyes had already lit with understanding.
Clearly, Bi Ji had recognized who the "sleeping beauty" with the spear really was.
It was Ya Li, who had once been possessed by Di Tian, and Yun Ming's Heaven-Holding Divine Spear.
"But those two… one was possessed by you, and the other burned their semi-godhood to become a divine weapon. Only fragments of their souls remain. How could they possibly be reincarnations of the God Kings?"
"Besides, Ya Li's body and the Heaven-Holding Spear have been beside you for over a thousand years, and there's never been a sign of change."
"The chance that either of them is a God King's reincarnation… seems awfully slim."
Thanks to Bi Ji's reminder, Zi Ji also recalled the identity of the "sleeping beauty holding the spear," and nodded repeatedly.
"Yeah, Di Tian."
"I've practically forgotten what they even looked like. If Bi Ji hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have even remembered who these two were."
"Let alone Yun Ming's remaining spiritual consciousness—there's no way it could've lasted over a thousand years. And Ya Li? She died. She's already gone."
"…Wait." Zi Ji's voice suddenly paused.
"Ya Li's dead—so why are you still keeping her corpse?"
(End of Chapter)