Douluo Continent: Apollo, the Sun God King!

Xue Di looked down at that small face, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

She didn't know why she was laughing.

Perhaps it's because it's been too long since I've encountered such fragile life.

Perhaps it's because... this feeling is surprisingly good.

Holding the baby, she flashed and flew deep into the core of the far north.

……

The Ice Palace is located atop an iceberg deep within the far north core area.

Despite being called a palace, it was actually just a building constructed from countless blocks of ice by the soul beasts of the far north. Soul beasts are not human after all, and they don't have the same dexterity, so the craftsmanship naturally appeared rough and simple.

But precisely because of this, the palace built of ice and snow has a rugged beauty, reflecting a rainbow of colors under the sunlight, like a fairyland from mythology.

As soon as Xue Di landed at the palace gate, a graceful figure in emerald green came to greet her.

She was a petite girl with pigtails, only about 1.5 meters tall, but the aura she exuded was so powerful it was suffocating. She wore an exquisite green dress, her long hair was the same color, her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll, and her skin was as white as jade.

What's most striking are those golden eyes; they appear innocent and naive, yet they possess an undeniable wildness and domineering nature.

Hyotei.

"Xue'er, did you find out the truth? Hmm?"

Just as Hyotei was about to speak, her gaze fell upon the baby in Yuki-tei's arms. Her eyes widened instantly, her golden pupils filled with disbelief.

"Why are you holding a human baby?!"

Xue Di shook her head, gently cradling the baby. "When I arrived, this was the only baby I saw. And..."

"I think he's quite extraordinary."

"Not bad at all?" Hyotei became interested and hopped over, "Put it down, put it down, let me see!"

She jumped, but she was only up to Xue Di's legs and couldn't see the baby's face at all.

Snow Empress couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at Ice Empress's impatient expression.

She shrank slightly, shrinking from over three meters tall to only about 1.8 meters, and then placed the baby on a table carved from ice crystals.

Hyotei immediately stepped forward.

She stretched out her slender fingers and carefully poked the baby's cheek.

Soft.

warm.

"what?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Hyotei's eyes. She had lived in the far north for hundreds of thousands of years and was long accustomed to the cold.

Touching this baby at this moment brings an indescribable feeling of comfort, like suddenly encountering a ray of sunshine in a snowy landscape.

"There's something this warm in the far north?" she exclaimed. "It's like a little sun."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted downwards, landing on a place she had never seen before.

What is that?

Hyotei curiously reached out his finger and poked the baby's little penis.

It's soft, small, and quite unique.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Xue'er, look at this little thing, it's quite interesting."

Snow Emperor: "..."

Before she could speak to stop them, the baby on the table suddenly opened its eyes.

Those were a pair of rather beautiful large eyes, clear and bright, like two pools of spring water. At this moment, those eyes were fixed on the little girl with pigtails poking his little bird in front of him.

One big, one small, their eyes met.

Hyotei's finger was still stuck there, frozen in place.

"Awake?" she asked happily, but her hands didn't stop moving.

The baby blinks.

Hyotei blinked.

The baby blinked again.

Hyotei blinked again.

then……

"Wow……"

A loud cry instantly echoed throughout the entire Ice Palace!

Damn twin-tailed little girl!

I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!

Hyotei paused, somewhat guiltily withdrawing his hand. "Why...why is he crying?"

Xue Di slapped away Bing Di's hand, which was still hanging in mid-air, with annoyance. "Isn't it all because you played with him like this!"

She reached out to hug the baby, but her movements were as stiff as a child holding a sword for the first time. She had lived for seven hundred thousand years, slain countless enemies, and protected countless soul beasts, but she had never coaxed a baby before.

The baby cried even louder.

Xue Di's hand froze in mid-air, completely at a loss.

Hyotei scratched his head. "Don't cry, don't cry, I won't poke you anymore..."

The baby ignored her and continued crying.

The two rulers of the far north stood before an infant, looking at each other in bewilderment, at a loss for what to do.

"Is he crying because he's hungry?" Hyotei suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Should we feed him some milk?"

Snow Empress looked down at the baby, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly raised her head to look at Ice Empress.

That look in his eyes was innocent, yet tinged with a hint of bewilderment.

Hyotei: "..."

"You don't even know this?"

Xue Di did not speak.

But her silence said it all.

Hyotei let out a deep sigh.

The dignified ruler of the far north, an ice and snow elf with nearly 700,000 years of history, doesn't even know how to raise a child.

Oh well, what can we do when Hyotei is so knowledgeable and worldly-wise?

Half an hour later.

Hyotei dragged a snow bear that had just given birth back to the Ice Palace. It was a huge mother bear, her eyes filled with terror and despair. She had been captured by the two ferocious beasts of the far north to be their wet nurse, and she had never experienced anything so traumatic in her life.

Ice Emperor pointed to the mother bear's belly and said to Snow Emperor, "Here, let it feed her."

Xue Di looked at the trembling mother bear, then at the baby crying uncontrollably in her arms, and finally made a decision.

She carefully brought the baby close to the mother bear.

The baby instinctively searched for food and soon stopped crying.

For a moment, only the baby's contented sucking could be heard in the Ice Palace.

Hyotei squatted to the side, resting his chin on his hand as he watched this scene, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Xue'er," she suddenly spoke, "where do you think this child came from?"

Xue Di shook her head. "I don't know. When I arrived, he was the only one there."

"Alone?" Hyotei frowned. "How could an infant possibly survive alone in the far north? Even human soul masters wouldn't be able to guarantee their survival in a place like this, would they?"

"That's why I said he's not simple." Xue Di's gaze fell on the baby.

She simply watched the tiny life quietly, watching him nurse contentedly, watching him gradually calm down, and watching him fall into a deep sleep after finishing his meal.

There were still wet tear stains on that small face.

But his brows had relaxed, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, as if he had a good dream.

Xue Di reached out and gently wiped away the tears on his face.

The movements were incredibly gentle.

Hyotei watched this scene, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

After a long silence, she suddenly spoke up, "Xue'er, let's raise him!"

Snow Empress raised her head and looked at Ice Empress. Ice Empress's serious expression was reflected in her sky-blue eyes.

She did not hesitate.

"I would have raised it even if you hadn't told me."

Hyotei paused for a moment, then laughed. She moved closer to the baby, extended her slender finger, and this time, instead of poking where she shouldn't, she gently poked his cheek.

"Let's give him a name!"

The Snow Empress pondered for a moment, her gaze falling upon the faint golden light emanating from the infant. In this icy wasteland, he was like a warm little sun, out of place yet surprisingly harmonious.

"Look at this little guy, he's like a little sun," she said slowly, "Let's call him... Radiant Sun?"

"Yaoyang?"

Hyotei read it twice, and his eyes lit up.

"The dazzling sun... the radiant sun..."

She nodded. "Okay!"

Xue Di reached out and gently picked up the baby.

Xue Di looked down at him, a gentle smile appearing on her lips that she herself didn't even realize.

The wind and snow outside were still howling.

But inside the Ice Palace, a ray of sunlight appeared.