"Huo Yuhao, in the future… you must be like your father… become a… peerless hero. However… your mother… probably… won't be able to see… that day. Your mother… is about… to leave… You must… take care… of yourself… My good child… don't cry… Your mother in heaven will always… watch over you… Your mother… truly… doesn't hate your father… if I were to say… in this Duke's Mansion… the only person… your mother doesn't hate… is him…"
"Your mother… didn't have the good fortune… to be together… with your father… Honestly… I only wish it could be like before… every day… I could see him… follow… by his side… He… perhaps in his heart… never had your mother… but… to me… it doesn't matter. Yuhao… you are like me… so you can't… become a Soul Master… then… just learn… some trade… and live a life… of peace… That way… your mother in the netherworld… will be able to… smile… and close her eyes…"
"Mother… Mother…"
Huo Yuhao roared in his heart, an obsession that seemed to have vanished ignited once more. All the pain seemed completely overshadowed by the obsession and indignation in his heart. Mother, I will… I will fulfill your wish. I will make that person kneel before your grave and beg for your forgiveness.
Mother, for Mother, I must be strong, I must be strong. No matter what, I must endure. I am not weak, I am Huo Yuhao, a brave person who stands tall between heaven and earth. I must become a powerhouse. I don't want to be on par with that old Duke; I must surpass him, be stronger than him!
As he roared frantically, the spiritual power in his Spiritual Sea suddenly erupted. All the cracks closed once again at an astonishing speed. The Spiritual Sea instantly condensed back together. Although it had cracked earlier because Huo Yuhao couldn't bear the tormenting pain, unexpectedly, after healing, it became much more robust than before.
The Heavenly Dream Iceworm was momentarily stunned by this sight. Even the Ice Empress was still struggling to resist, yet Huo Yuhao could endure it so powerfully. This, how much obsession must it take! At this moment, the Heavenly Dream Iceworm not only admired Huo Yuhao but also felt a little fear. Because it knew it had chosen the right person. However, Huo Yuhao's future was now completely unpredictable to it; it was merely a wisdom-type Soul Ring.
The one-hour torture finally ended. The two colors, light green and dark green, gradually stabilized, finally returning to a deep green identical to the tail of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. And Huo Yuhao's body also underwent earth-shattering changes.
His skeleton, after being repaired, had changed significantly. His shoulders were broader, his body was taller, and even his tendons, skin, blood, internal organs… all were much more robust than before. Even his skin was as lustrous as jade. At this moment, he was not much different from the ice and snow here, even exuding a hint of noble aura.
His eyes were still wide open, his deep blue eyes becoming more captivating the more one looked at them.
To describe his current appearance with just two words, "changed," was insufficient; it was precisely a metamorphosis.
The day before he left the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, he was just an ordinary person with extremely mediocre talent, without any renowned master to guide him. To put it bluntly, he had no future whatsoever. But from this moment on, he had become a super genius, not only possessing the most advanced Bone Body, but also instantly becoming a Twin Martial Spirit Master.
The pain gradually subsided, and Huo Yuhao's body slowly relaxed. The tail of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, which had pierced him, was retracted, pulling Huo Yuhao's entire body onto the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's back.
Huo Yuhao's deep eyes gradually showed signs of fatigue. Each stage of integration, every step, had been extremely painful. At this moment, he felt as if he had just endured a massacre. Both his body and his soul power had reached their limits. The only reason he could endure it was because of that persistent obsession. However, after completing the Bone integration, an overwhelming weariness washed over him. Unable to resist any longer, he leaned against the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's back and fell into a deep sleep.
About half an hour later, the Ice Empress's weary voice finally rang out:
"Tian Meng."
"I'm here. Are you alright?"
Tian Meng Iceworm asked with concern.
The Ice Empress snorted.
"Of course not. Do you think I'm a good-for-nothing too? However, you are quite sharp-eyed."
"He... he..."
Tian Meng Iceworm was used to being scolded by the Ice Empress, so he didn't pay much attention.
"To be honest, I didn't expect Yuhao to be so resilient. It was thanks to the obsession in his heart that he was able to persevere. But no matter, from now on, the path before him is wide open. You should quickly begin the Martial Spirit integration process. The most important thing is to protect your spiritual origin. The longer you wait, the more dangerous it becomes."
"Alright, you guard me."
For Huo Yuhao, it could be said that his trial was over. The Bone integration process was the most crucial, and he had overcome the most difficult hurdle. Next was the Martial Spirit integration process and turning the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion into the first Soul Ring of his second Martial Spirit. This process was mainly the work of Tian Meng Iceworm and the Ice Empress. Both had to seal the energy before they could begin the integration. For the Ice Empress, her most important stage was just about to begin. During this Martial Spirit integration process, she had to protect her spiritual origin from being assimilated, to retain her consciousness and wisdom. This was an extremely important thing in their god-creation process. She had never known about this before, let alone experimented with it. Now, it would be strange if she wasn't nervous. Just a small mistake would mean falling straight from heaven to hell, disappearing forever.
"Don't worry, I'm here. Ice Empress, I truly like you. Rest assured, for my own happiness, I will fully assist you. Come on, let's begin."
Strangely, at this moment, the Ice Empress did not object at all. Then, a milky white light rose from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, slowly enveloping his body. The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion on his body silently dissolved like a microcrystal, transforming into wisps of gas that entered Huo Yuhao's body through every pore.
Huo Yuhao was in a deep sleep, and with Tian Meng Iceworm guarding his Spiritual Sea, he remained quietly asleep, unaware of anything. After the recent trial, his responsibility was complete. Finally, all that was left was for the Ice Empress to finish, and everything would be a success.
The mist, condensed from the icy vapor, quickly enveloped Huo Yuhao's entire body. At this moment, the Ice Empress had also completely dissolved and merged into him.
If an ordinary person were to witness this scene, they would surely think that the Ice Empress's body was melting. But in truth, it wasn't exactly dissolving; it was burning. Only by burning its own essence could such a phenomenon occur. Otherwise, with its resilient body, even the most powerful weapons on the continent would struggle to harm it.
A golden light silently appeared, then followed the pale white light from before, slowly pouring into Huo Yuhao's body. The Heavenly Dream Iceworm had indeed fully assisted the Ice Empress. It protected Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea on one side, and the Ice Empress's fundamental spiritual power on the other, moreover helping the Ice Empress seal her energy. It could be said to be performing three tasks simultaneously, which made it easier for the Ice Empress to complete this fusion process. However, it would still require a very long… very long… time.
...
Piercingly cold winds howled, and piles of snow, like small mountains, covered everything.
Suddenly, with a "crack," a hand emerged from a distant snowdrift. Immediately after, a small body slowly appeared.
His body was extremely agile; though not robust, there was nothing to fault. His skin stood out even more against the icy snow.
He slowly opened his eyes. His originally deep blue eyes suddenly changed, transforming again and again, blue turning to yellow, yellow turning to blue, alternating like this, until finally settling on a white like jade. The other two colors were unexpectedly completely suppressed by this white.
Then, a strange thing happened: the snow continued to fall from the sky, but strangely, it could not approach him.
Unexpectedly, the white pupils vanished, replaced by a vibrant green. All three changes in his pupil color were incredibly miraculous.
He clenched his hands, then suddenly leaped two meters into the air, tilting his head back and letting out a long roar.
The roars echoed through the space, scattering the snow. The blood and qi within him were instantly stimulated into vigorous movement, pulling his soul power into a frantic circulation. It was clearly visible: from his sternum, ribs, to his spine, all glowed with an incredibly perfect emerald green.
This scene looked magnificent but was also extremely terrifying. Could a person's skeleton emit such a strange light? Could it even be clearly seen from the outside? At the same time, a green light continuously diffused outwards from his body. With him as the center, within a ten-meter radius, all snowflakes that touched it seemed to gain weight, plummeting to the icy surface with thuds, like small blades thrown to the ground.
However, this light instantly retracted, and his body gently landed accordingly.