After hearing the words of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, the Ice Empress hesitated slightly before speaking:
"Are you sure?"
If it had already made a choice, then it naturally had to strive for that choice. If it lost this opportunity, even if its original spiritual power could return, it would be difficult to escape the impending catastrophe. How could it not be careful?
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said:
"If we cooperate, the fusion process will have at least a ninety percent chance of success. The rest depends on Huo Yuhao himself... Let me introduce you two first. Yuhao, this is Bingbing, no, the Ice Empress. The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, she is the second strongest among the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North. Ice Empress, this is Huo Yuhao. He was born with a spiritual attribute Spirit Eye Martial Soul, and I helped him awaken his second Martial Soul, which has an ice attribute. Currently, his ice attribute Martial Soul needs a Soul Ring to be its core, specifically a wisdom-type Soul Ring like me. It can be said that his current ice attribute abilities are nonexistent. Only when the two of you fuse, not only will she become his Soul Ring, but his second Martial Soul will also be the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion!"
"Greetings, Ice Empress."
Huo Yuhao said. His voice was very calm, not revealing too much emotion.
The Ice Empress hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Greetings. I hope you can persevere. Otherwise, all efforts will be in vain, harming yourself and harming us both."
Her tone of voice was gentler now than when she spoke to the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, perhaps because she was about to become a part of Huo Yuhao's body, making her feel a closer connection to this small human.
Although her choice was somewhat reluctant, once made, the Ice Empress immediately changed her attitude, and the speed of this change made Huo Yuhao secretly admire her. Although the Ice Empress had not yet officially become his Martial Soul and Soul Ring, he still felt that the Ice Empress seemed more methodical than his Elder Brother Heavenly Dream.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said:
"This is the Extreme North. With the Ice Empress here, she will oversee everything. Unless the Snow Empress appears, no soul beast would dare to approach. Even the Titan Snow Demon King would avoid this place if it sensed the Ice Empress's aura. This place is almost absolutely safe. Next is how to fuse. Ice Empress, let me briefly explain the fusion method to you, and then we can discuss the specifics immediately."
Huo Yuhao's spiritual world suddenly became strangely quiet, perhaps because they didn't want him to know how to fuse, to avoid affecting his mood, so the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion communicated in another way.
Not long after, Huo Yuhao heard the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion let out a sigh of relief and say:
"If that's the case, then the chances of success are quite high. However, Huo Yuhao's body is a bit weak, so the fusion sequence must be adjusted. His physique must be strengthened first, and then the complete fusion can proceed. If it's a wisdom-type Soul Ring, I will do my best to seal my energy before entering Huo Yuhao's body."
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said:
"Are you saying, first the Bone, then the Soul, and finally the Ring?"
The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion said:
"That's right. Based on your method, there's at most an eighty percent chance of success. You still underestimate my power. My Soul Power is extremely overbearing. Even if I try my best to condense it and constantly seal it, some of it will still leak out. Although it's only a little, I'm afraid even Huo Yuhao won't be able to withstand it. So, it's better to be careful."
Tianmeng Bingcan's tone grew even gentler.
"Bingbing, I didn't expect you to trust me so much. If you do that, what will be left of your body? It's like completely cutting off your own retreat. It truly moves me!"
"Go to hell."
Bingdi's voice was extremely cold, almost making the listener shiver.
"Have I ever regretted anything I've done? Once a decision is made, one must give it their all. Being timid and hesitant will only make you lose the opportunity sooner. Now, feel free to bother me. Once I've fused with Huo Yuhao and become a Soul Ring within his body... hehehe..."
"Uh..."
When Tianmeng Bingcan heard Bingdi say that, he immediately restrained himself a great deal.
Huo Yuhao asked, somewhat puzzled, "Bingdi, what does 'first Bone, then Soul' mean?"
Bingdi's attitude towards Huo Yuhao was much better now. She patiently explained, "According to Tianmeng's method, I will directly become your Ice-attribute Martial Soul, and then continue to seal my power to become your first Soul Ring. As a human Soul Master, you should know that ten-thousand-year soul beasts like us naturally have Soul Bones, and I am no exception. Although I've cultivated for nearly four hundred thousand years, I haven't been able to produce many Soul Bones. However, my Soul Bone is much more powerful than the Soul Bones of ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts. Furthermore, I can choose the form of my Soul Bone. Therefore, I've decided to first help you fuse with my Soul Bone. This will greatly enhance your physique, and then I will fuse my Soul Power into your body. Because you will already have my Soul Bone, fusing the rest will become much easier."
Only then did Huo Yuhao fully understand each step of the process. No wonder Tianmeng Bingcan had said that if Bingbi Diehuang Xie did this, there would be no turning back. Indeed! She was gambling with her own body. If she failed, she would likely vanish. There was truly no retreat. This also greatly increased Huo Yuhao's favorable impression of Bingdi. He said solemnly,
"Bingdi, how do you need me to cooperate?"
He didn't say any words of thanks because this was a mutually beneficial cooperation. If this fusion was successful, it would be the best outcome for both him and Bingdi.
Bingdi said,
"Because I am willing, there will be no problems with the fusion of the Soul Bone, but I think some of the energy contained within the Soul Bone will be released. And this process will also be very painful. I have thought it through carefully. For you, the most suitable Soul Bone at this moment must be the skeleton, or more precisely, the spine, because I have cultivated for nearly four hundred thousand years. I can control the fusion time, allowing your spine, ribs, and sternum to be completely transformed one by one. Because my Soul Bone possesses immense power, during the fusion process, your skeleton must undergo a complete reconstruction. This process will take a relatively long time and will be extremely painful. It will be like disassembling your entire skeleton and then rebuilding it. Can you endure such pain? Our energy can protect your physical body, but it cannot protect your spiritual power. If you cannot endure this pain and surrender, everything will collapse, and all achievements will be lost."
Regarding Soul Bones, Huo Yuhao had heard quite a lot about them during his past year at Shrek Academy. Among the various types of Soul Bones, the most valuable were those of the head and the skeleton, followed by those of the limbs. The skeletal Soul Bone actually refers to the spine, not the entire skeleton. Ribs and sternum, if one could find Soul Bones to fuse with them, would be called External Auxiliary Soul Bones. Their preciousness could be compared to a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, and they would also grant powerful special abilities.
According to the Ice Empress, although she said she was giving him one Soul Bone, this was equivalent to a normal spinal Soul Bone plus at least two External Auxiliary Soul Bones! This was simply terrifying, so no matter what Soul Skills it brought, this process was incredibly worthwhile. Moreover, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, in addition to a Soul Ring and a Soul Bone, also granted two Soul Skills. No wonder the Heavenly Dream Iceworm kept repeating that as long as he broke through to rank twenty, his strength would undergo earth-shattering changes!
"Ice Empress, I can endure it. No matter what pain, I can endure it."
Huo Yuhao's voice was extremely sincere. To gain powerful strength, it wasn't enough to just talk about it. How could there be gain without sacrifice? In the past year, his cultivation time was almost twice that of others, which was how he reached this level. Now that the opportunity was before him, no matter how painful it was, Huo Yuhao would absolutely not back down.
The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion said, "Good, in that case, we should not delay any longer."
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm said, "Yuhao, let's start fusing the Soul Bone immediately. Take out the Secret Method of Soul Severing Bone - Left Arm Soul Bone. Later, we will use it as a catalyst to help you fuse the Ice Empress's Soul Bone. The fusion speed will be a bit faster, and the pain will also be greatly reduced. It can also prevent the energy from being released during the Soul Bone fusion."
Huo Yuhao hurriedly took out the Soul Bone from his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges and held it in his hand, surprised that it could be used in such a way.
The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion said in a deep voice, "Huo Yuhao, are you ready?"
Huo Yuhao nodded vigorously, "Let's begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, the temperature of his entire body plummeted in an instant. The Sea of Spiritual Consciousness in the center of his forehead opened, and Huo Yuhao's soul shivered. He felt as if he had fallen into an extremely cold ice cellar. This cold was completely different from the cold in the external environment because it originated from within his soul, making his spirit feel as if it was instantly frozen.
The Ice Emperor's voice rang out:
"I will use this chilling sensation to numb your nerves, which will minimize your pain. However, because your body has not yet fully matured, I must be extremely careful, so the process will be very long. To achieve the best effect, you absolutely cannot fall unconscious, because only when you are awake can I adjust each step according to your instinctive reactions."
Huo Yuhao was now unable to respond, and at this point, the Ice Emperor also realized that she had no way out and naturally could not change her mind.
The deep blue light above Huo Yuhao's head grew larger and larger. His eyes and his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul also turned emerald green. The Heavenly Dream Iceworm remained silent, allowing the Ice Emperor to do as she pleased.
Two beams of light shot out from Huo Yuhao's eyes, striking the body of the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor. Its five-foot-long body immediately trembled violently. Especially its long tail, where the emerald green light continuously fluctuated intensely. On its body, which resembled a diamond, an incredibly dazzling light radiated even more brightly.