– Thud.
Huo Yuhao struggled to stand up, then collapsed back into the snowdrift beside him, unable to get up again.
Overexertion had completely drained his physical strength, leaving his limbs weak and trembling. Fortunately, he had reached the outer edge where the temperature was slightly higher, making it much easier for him to suck on snow for hydration.
– This is bad, Your Majesty. I’m truly exhausted. I need to rest. If I don't eat or drink anything soon, I'll die.
Huo Yuhao mumbled, complaining. He gasped for breath, plumes of white mist continuously escaping his mouth. He felt dizzy, his head spinning. He was so weak that he couldn't even use his spiritual detection. At this moment, all he wished for was to fall asleep for a while. Even the most arduous training at Shrek Academy had never made him feel this way before.
Tian Meng Iceworm said,
– This spot is fine. I just scanned the surroundings; there's nothing unusual within a hundred li, and no hidden soul beasts. Yuhao, you don't have time to rest right now. The real test is about to begin.
– What? Another test? Just kill me now, Big Brother.
Since Huo Yuhao and Tian Meng Iceworm had resolved their misunderstandings, they had become much closer, speaking more intimately without the previous distinctions.
Tian Meng Iceworm said,
– Are you sure you don't need this test?
– What is this test?
Huo Yuhao asked helplessly.
Tian Meng Iceworm smiled mysteriously and said,
– Why did we come all the way to the far north?
– To awaken my martial soul, of course. Ah, Big Brother, do you mean we're starting to deal with the Ice Empress now?
Huo Yuhao finally reacted, but he was truly exhausted. As soon as he tried to push himself up, he tumbled back down.
Tian Meng Iceworm said,
– Exactly. The other day, I used my body to bind the Ice Empress, then transformed my spiritual power into a Spiritual Prison to hold her captive. However, the Ice Empress's power is too great; I'm almost at my limit.
– What is a Spiritual Prison?
Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
Tian Meng Iceworm said,
– It's a type of spiritual power skill. After I left your body, my spiritual origin suddenly became capable of using some skills. Unfortunately, after that time, my spiritual power and yours must completely merge once again. From now on, I can only be dependent on you and cannot use it independently. You need to be thoroughly prepared. To merge with the Ice Empress, you must gain her acceptance. But even if she is willing, you will still endure immense pressure. She is not like me, who was drained of energy by those monsters in the Star Dou Great Forest until only my fundamental power remained. She is a genuine three-hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast. Her terrifying energy is definitely something you cannot withstand. She and I must work together to seal away most of that energy, and this process is not to be taken lightly by either you or us; it will be very painful. Therefore, you must try your best, you must overcome it. Otherwise, all three of us will get a free trip to the underworld. Understand?
Huo Yuhao nodded and said,
– Understand, understand, yes, I understand. But, has the Ice Empress agreed?
Tian Meng Iceworm smiled mysteriously and said,
"Don't think that just because we've lived for so long, we're actually much more afraid of death than humans. Who dislikes life? You despise me? That's fine. But matters concerning one's life are different. The reason I brought you here was simply to pressure you. Once you're here, how will your descendants from the Ice Jade Scorpion clan find you? Open your eyes wide and watch your big brother here. And remember to sit still, don't move."
Huo Yuhao's eyes slowly lit up, and a golden light flashed. Immediately afterward, he felt a chill all over his body. Although it wasn't as terrifying as in the central region, it still made him shiver, and his body involuntarily curled up. Evidently, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm had retracted its shell.
A golden light shot out from between Huo Yuhao's eyebrows and flew straight into the air. Then, from a single point of light, it gradually expanded, instantly increasing its diameter to over a meter.
The center of the halo began to dim. If viewed normally, it would seem as if all the light was gradually being sucked into an unfathomable abyss located in the very center of the light.
Another flash of light suddenly appeared, and then a figure emerged from within the golden halo. The moment it flew out, the golden light in the sky also disappeared. Another person flew out from between Huo Yuhao's eyebrows and floated in mid-air. And who else could the person who just appeared from the golden halo be but the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion?
At this moment, it was once again restrained by the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's shell. No matter what method it used, it was unable to escape. This shell of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was the crystallized result of its cultivation over a million years. Although it had previously been captured by soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest and continuously drained of energy, it always tried to soothe its body. If not for this hard shell, it would have probably died countless times already.
After choosing to merge with Huo Yuhao's body, it still retained this shell, and that thing was now even more precious than a supreme treasure. Even a powerful being like the Ice Empress couldn't break it, so its toughness was self-evident. It was just that Huo Yuhao's cultivation was currently far from sufficient to use it, so the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm had to act personally. Each time it did this, it had to use a large amount of its fundamental power, so it only used it when absolutely necessary.
"Ice Empress, don't refuse me anymore. You've tried so many times, but to no avail."
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's voice was extremely tired at this moment.
The Ice Empress said coldly, "What do you want?"
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said gently, "I just want to be with the one I love forever."
"Is this how you love?"
After many days of thought, the Ice Empress realized she had been tricked by this good-for-nothing. If she hadn't approached him that day, none of this would have happened. Unfortunately, whatever she said now was meaningless. She had fallen into his hands and couldn't escape no matter how hard she tried. But how could this powerful being, who was about to reach the threshold of four hundred thousand years of cultivation, give up so easily? If her ability wasn't enough, she would use another method.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm smiled and said, "Don't rush, listen to me first."
The Ice Empress said coldly, "Say what? Say you love me? If you truly love me, why don't you bring your true form here now? I am already your prisoner; what are you still afraid of?"
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm sighed and said,
"Of course I'm not afraid, but I simply cannot appear before you in my true form anymore. My true form no longer exists. Don't you realize that I am merely a manifestation of primordial power, not spiritual energy? You've been a top-tier powerhouse for so long that you've lost your caution; otherwise, how could I have succeeded so easily?"
The Ice Empress was startled and exclaimed,
"What? You only have primordial spiritual power left? Where is your body?"
Only then did she notice Huo Yuhao, curled up on the white snow. It was so cold that he couldn't even speak, no matter how much she wanted him to. Fortunately, he had spent some time in the core region of the far north, so his tolerance for the cold had greatly increased.
"It's not because of this human, is it? Although I was subdued by you, I knew at a glance that he was extremely weak. Is he your puppet?"
"No, no, no. Of course not. He is my host, or rather, my master. And I, now, am his Spirit Ring. However, I am different from the Spirit Rings you've known, because I am the only intelligent Spirit Ring on this continent."
The Ice Empress cried out in alarm,
"What? You've become a Spirit Ring for a human? How is that possible? Although you're a good-for-nothing, you've lived for too long. How can that human's weak body withstand your immense energy?"
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm gave a bitter laugh and said,
"Don't talk about it anymore; it only makes me sadder. If I were to tell you everything, it's all your fault. If you hadn't hunted me down, devoured me, and forced me to flee back then, I would still want to keep my body and be a normal spirit beast, loving you by your side. At that time, I drifted across the sea, all the way to the southern lands..."
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm slowly recounted the tragedy of its life. It had told this story to Huo Yuhao once before, but this time, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm told it to the Ice Empress with a completely different tone, not only full of sorrow but also describing itself as utterly miserable. All those injuries, living a life worse than death...
"...You know, for us, how terrifying the great calamity is. You also know that I am the spirit beast with the longest lifespan in this world. Even if in your heart I am just a good-for-nothing, a good-for-nothing who has lived long enough, after my energy was almost completely drained by them, the great calamity also arrived. However, I truly don't want to die! I believe you are the same. I can feel that your great calamity will arrive in less than a hundred years, so I am very worried.
"No matter if it's you or me, even if we've lived for hundreds of thousands of years, we truly don't want to die! Therefore, I've come up with a very good method."
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm told the old story to pique the interest of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, then led her along with its narrative. At this moment, the Ice Empress almost instinctively asked,
"What method?"
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said in a deep voice,
"Creating Gods."
"Creating Gods?"
The Ice Empress repeated in astonishment, now even more curious.
"What is creating gods?"
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said in a deep voice,
"My beloved, I ask you, on our continent, which race has the most potential?"
Because she was being led by the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, the Ice Empress continued to think instinctively, even forgetting how the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm had just addressed her.
"You mean, humans?"