Douluo Continent: Apollo, the Sun God King!

"Wait for me." After saying that, Hyotei flashed and flew towards the man in black robes.

Lin Yaoyang hid behind an ice mound, peeking out half his head to observe.

The Ice Emperor flew above the black-robed man, and a dazzling emerald light suddenly erupted from his body. The light was like a sun forged from jade, dyeing the snow and wind within a radius of several miles emerald green.

Immediately afterwards, her figure rapidly expanded in the light.

In the blink of an eye, the petite, twin-tailed loli disappeared. In her place stood a gigantic scorpion!

Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion!

This wasn't the first time Lin Yaoyang had seen Hyotei's true form, but every time he saw it, he was awestruck by the extreme beauty and murderous intent that coexisted within it.

Its front half was covered with four layers of white and greenish-blue armor, as if carved from ice, with a translucent icy sheen. Each layer was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the surrounding wind and snow.

Its six scorpion legs were long and sharp, like six cold, gleaming long knives, deeply piercing into the ice.

Its pincers gleamed coldly, capable of tearing through the air with the slightest movement. Its tail, raised high, consisted of only five segments, its silvery-white hook shimmering with a chilling light in the wind and snow.

The man in black robes clearly sensed the danger and suddenly raised his head.

Lin Yaoyang couldn't see his face clearly, but he could feel that the aura around him suddenly became violent.

The light from the soul tool shone brightly on his body one after another.

But it was all too late.

"The Realm of Eternal Freeze!"

Hyotei's voice echoed between heaven and earth, carrying a majesty that did not belong to humankind.

"The Wrath of the Ice Emperor!"

"ice……"

……

Everything fell silent.

The black-robed man's corpse fell from the sky, crashing onto the ice and sending up a spray of shards. His soul-guided equipment lay scattered on the ground, shimmering with various colors in the hazy sky.

Hyotei flashed with light and transformed back into the little girl with twin ponytails in a turquoise dress. She clapped her hands, turned around, and waved to Lin Yaoyang.

"All done! Come on over!"

Lin Yaoyang jogged over, squatted down, and began searching through the black-robed man's corpse.

Hyotei leaned closer, watching him rummage through the items with curiosity: "What are you looking for?"

"His storage soul tool!" Lin Yaoyang exclaimed without looking up. "A ninth-level soul tool master's storage soul tool must contain a lot of good stuff."

He searched the man in black robes for a while and finally found his target on the left hand.

A completely black bracelet, its material unknown, but it felt heavy in the hand, with faint silver patterns flowing across its surface.

A storage bracelet for a level nine Soul Master.

Lin Yaoyang's eyes lit up, and he quickly took off the bracelet and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Is it done?" Hyotei asked.

"Alright." Lin Yaoyang stood up and patted the ice crystals off his knees.

"Let's go back then." Ice Emperor grabbed his hand, enveloped the two of them with her soul power, and took off into the air, flying towards the depths of the core area.

……

Snow Palace.

The Snow Empress stood at the palace gate, her long white dress fluttering gently in the wind, her long, white hair cascading down, and her sky-blue eyes reflecting the swirling snow.

When she saw Hyotei and Lin Yaoyang appear in her field of vision, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a gentle smile.

The two landed, and Xue Di came forward to greet them.

She naturally reached out and touched Lin Yaoyang's head, her touch as gentle as if she were caressing a fragile treasure: "Yaoyang, welcome back."

Lin Yaoyang was already twelve years old and almost as tall as Xue Di's shoulder, so he was still a little embarrassed to have his head patted like that.

He tilted his head slightly and said helplessly, "Sister Xue'er, I'm so old already, why are you still touching my head?"

Xue Di's smile deepened. Instead of stopping, she ruffled her hair a couple more times: "What? You're all grown up now, so you don't want your head touched anymore? Or... do you dislike your sister Xue'er?"

"How could that be?" Lin Yaoyang quickly grabbed her hand, holding it gently, and said with a grin, "I love Sister Xue'er the most, and I want to grow old with her!"

After he finished speaking, the air suddenly became quiet for a moment.

Hyotei's expression changed, and she raised her short leg and kicked Lin Yaoyang's shin: "Hey, hey, hey, you two, that's enough!"

She put her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and said angrily, "You little pervert, I'm still here! How dare you say such things to my face?"

Xue Di smiled and withdrew her hand from Lin Yaoyang's grasp, gently poking his forehead with her jade-like finger: "Little guy, don't think I don't know what growing old together means."

She said that, but her eyes were full of doting smiles.

The little guy I've raised for twelve years is starting to covet them.

Seriously... he's raised a bad boy.

Xue Di thought to herself, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

After a while of commotion, the Snow Empress asked seriously, "How long are you staying this time?"

For the past six years, Lin Yaoyang has spent most of his time cultivating in the Douling Empire, only returning to the far north once every so often. The Snow Empress and the Ice Empress take turns accompanying him on his journeys, one accompanying him in his cultivation while the other stays behind in the far north.

Lin Yaoyang put away his playful expression: "Let's stay for two months."

He paused, then looked up at Xue Di with a serious expression.

"Sister Xue'er, afterwards... I want to go and visit the academy."

Xue Di was slightly taken aback.

Hyotei was also stunned, and the smile on their faces froze for a moment.

"The academy?" The two women asked almost simultaneously.

"Why?" Hyotei pressed, a hint of barely perceptible panic in his voice.

Over the years, they had grown accustomed to having Lin Yaoyang by their side. Although he had spent most of the past six years in the Douling Empire, at least one of them was with him.

If you go to the academy...

They definitely can't follow.

There are too many eyes watching them in the human world; if their identities are exposed, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Sister Xue'er, Sister Bing'er," Lin Yaoyang said earnestly, "People eventually have to come into contact with the outside world. Only by going out can we see more and become stronger faster."

"Hmph!" Hyotei snorted, crossing her arms and turning her head away. "Your physique is so amazing; just basking in the sun increases your soul power. Even if you do nothing, you can slowly grow stronger. Why do you have to go to some academy?"

Lin Yaoyang chuckled: "Sister Bing'er, having a miraculous physique is one thing, but you can't neglect hard work either. Sunbathing can't put food on the table."

"I don't care! I don't care!" Hyotei turned around, her little face puffed up like a pufferfish. "If you leave, who will stay with us? Who..."

Her voice suddenly stopped.

Lin Yaoyang stepped forward and gently took her small hand in his. Hyotei's hand was small, soft, and slightly cold. He held it tightly, as if trying to transfer his own warmth to her.

"Sister Bing'er, you don't need to do this." His voice was soft and gentle. "It's not like I'm never coming back. I'll come back to see you every time the academy has a holiday. I'll come back at least two or three times a year, okay?"

Hyotei raised her head and looked at the boy in front of her who was a head taller than her.

Twelve years.

From that crying baby to the eloquent, confident, and composed teenager he is today.

She watched him learn to walk, learn to talk, learn to call out "Sister Bing," and learn to wield his first sword.

When he first fell while walking, she was the first to rush over and pick him up.

When he first spoke, he didn't call her "Sister Xue," but rather mumbled "Bingbing."

That was the strange sound he made when he couldn't pronounce "aunt" as a child.

She was proud of this for a long time.

After twelve years of living and working together, he had long become an indispensable part of her life.

But now, he says he's leaving.

"But...but...I..."