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The Ice Emperor never believed in favors without reason. The person before her had saved her; he must be after something.
"My name is Yuwen Tuo. My purpose in saving you is the same as the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's just now," Yuwen Tuo didn't beat around the bush with the Ice Emperor, stating his intentions directly.
The Ice Emperor had always been impatient; rambling evasively would only displease her. Getting straight to the point was better.
Hearing this, the Ice Emperor smiled faintly, "Oh? You humans, don't tell me you also have some god-making plan, wanting me to become your second Martial Soul or something?"
"No, I already possess Twin Martial Souls, I don't need another. What I want are merely your Soul Ring and Soul Bone. However, I do indeed have aspirations of achieving godhood, so I hope to receive your help, Ice Emperor." Yuwen Tuo tapped lightly on his soul tool, produced a sheet of paper, and handed it to the Ice Emperor. "Ice Emperor, I have a cultivation technique here. You can take a look first."
Considering that Yuwen Tuo had just saved her, the Ice Emperor gave him face, taking the technique and reading through it.
Unexpectedly, just one look completely astonished her. "This... could this be Beast Taming Arts!?"
"Strictly speaking, this is the Technique of Assimilation and Subjugation from my Ghost Valley Sect. It can assimilate beast-type creatures, turning them into human combat partners to assist in battle. I've slightly modified this technique so that when a Soul Beast sacrifices itself to me, it can retain its consciousness, just like the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm did. However, it's slightly different from a Wisdom Soul Ring because your physical body will also be assimilated along with it. When I become stronger, I can release you completely intact to aid me in battle. You could even say it's no different from being alive."
"A Soul Beast that achieves godhood through this method won't be the 'Attendant Divine Beast' Tianmeng spoke of, becoming merely a part of the god. Instead, it will be a 'Guardian Divine Beast'.³ It will be free, able to continue cultivating, able to roam thousands of miles, like a true divine being," Yuwen Tuo explained.
"Ice Emperor, I know you were already moved by what the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said just now. You are well aware that you cannot pass the 400,000-year heavenly tribulation that will arrive not long from now. If you want to live, participating in Tianmeng's or my god-making plan is your only way. My appearance now simply gives you one more choice. Will you choose Tianmeng's side, or mine?"
"Tianmeng told me just now that the success rate of its plan is thirty percent. What about yours? I can see your innate soul power is strong, incomparably strong. But what about your Martial Soul? What is its quality?" The Ice Emperor didn't dare agree rashly and began asking for details.
Yuwen Tuo smiled, "I can't speak for other things, but when it comes to Martial Souls, I fear no comparison."
Extending his left and right hands, the raging flames in his left and the Xuanyuan Sword in his right were displayed before the Ice Emperor in succession.
The Ice Emperor's gaze focused primarily on the Xuanyuan Sword. After all, she was an Extreme Ice Soul Beast; Yuwen Tuo couldn't possibly intend for her to become the Soul Ring for that fire, could he? It could only be this sword.
Extreme Ice was one of the hardest substances in the world; becoming the Soul Ring for a sword wasn't entirely unsuitable.
However, upon seeing that Yuwen Tuo's Xuanyuan Sword already possessed a purple Soul Ring, the Ice Emperor instantly frowned. "Why is there already a thousand-year Soul Ring attached to this Tool Martial Soul? You should have cultivated that Flame Martial Soul first, right? You're wasting your aptitude, don't you understand?"
Hearing the Ice Emperor say this, Yuwen Tuo knew she had misunderstood. In his previous life, when reading the book, seeing Xiao Xiao add a yellow Soul Ring to her Nine Phoenix Transformations Xiao, and for a reason like gaining importance after enrollment, he too had felt a similar sigh of regret.
"Ice Emperor, language has its limits in expression. You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Why don't you feel it yourself? The power and uniqueness of this Martial Soul of mine." Yuwen Tuo offered the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand to the Ice Emperor.
The Ice Emperor subconsciously reached for it, but when she tried to grasp the Xuanyuan Sword, she found her hand passed right through the hilt. She couldn't hold it at all, ultimately only managing to levitate it with her soul power.
"This isn't right... this isn't a Tool Martial Soul, otherwise, it would be impossible for me not to grasp it. It feels illusory, yet it possesses an incredibly powerful spiritual fluctuation, just like... just like..." The Ice Emperor had an astonishing guess, but lacked the confidence to voice it easily.
"Like a soul, right? So, Ice Emperor, can you now see the true nature of this Xuanyuan Sword?" Yuwen Tuo asked with a smile.
"This sword... is you yourself. No, that's not right. It should be... the manifestation of your soul! Your Martial Soul is your soul! Which means... this is a Body Martial Soul! But why would your soul take the form of such a sword?" the Ice Emperor asked, full of confusion. It was the first time she had ever seen such a peculiar soul.
Yes, this sword, although identical in appearance to the Xuanyuan Sword, had never been the Xuanyuan Sword. It was Yuwen Tuo's soul.
This was the true name of Yuwen Tuo's second Martial Soul: Body Martial Soul—Xuanyuan Sword Soul!
"Let's call it some fortuitous encounters. Once, my body and soul merged into a sword. According to my sect's terminology, at that time, I was the Sword Spirit of the Xuanyuan Sword. Because of this, my soul took on the image of the Xuanyuan Sword. Later, my soul was on the verge of collapse. The reason it could recover has a great deal to do with this Soul Ring," Yuwen Tuo explained.
Hearing this, the Ice Emperor curiously extended her finger towards that Soul Ring again. At this moment, many things seemed to appear within her eyes.
"Ice Emperor, what do you see?" Yuwen Tuo asked.
"A river... the River of Time. This Soul Ring is also formed from your soul. It's you from different timelines, each contributing a sliver of soul power. And those soul powers were transformed into a Soul Ring by someone using a very special power, protecting your Xuanyuan Sword Soul, preventing your soul from shattering," the Ice Emperor stated.
Yuwen Tuo nodded, "Yes. That person was my Master. He is also called Yuwen Tuo. And the special power you speak of is called the Kunlun Mirror, a supreme divine artifact possessing the power to control time and space."
In truth, this Soul Ring of Yuwen Tuo's was somewhat similar to Electrolux's grey inheritance Soul Ring, and also somewhat similar to Tang San's fifth ring on his Blue Silver Emperor, the Life Soul Ring. It was like a combination of the two, integrating part of the Kunlun Mirror's power passed down by his Master with his own soul's origin. It would grow stronger as he himself grew stronger.
"Ice Emperor, you can absolutely assume this: Although my Xuanyuan Sword Soul is not a Tool Martial Soul, it contains the divine aspects of two divine artifacts, surpassing so-called God-level Martial Souls by countless measures."
The Ice Emperor nodded subconsciously. "Your innate potential is something I've only seen once in my several hundred thousand years of life. Even the three gods who fought on the continent ten thousand years ago probably couldn't compare to you."
"However, since your Martial Soul is your soul, then spiritual attribute Soul Rings are what you truly need. My Ice attribute Soul Ring, although reaching three hundred ninety thousand years and capable of enhancing all your attributes comprehensively, is ultimately not focused on the spiritual aspect. If only that Tianmeng fellow had chosen you as the target of his sacrifice back then..."
Yuwen Tuo smiled faintly, "Indeed, the compatibility between your Soul Ring and the Xuanyuan Sword Soul isn't currently at its peak. But don't forget, firstly, my Martial Soul is still a sword; sharpness is an unavoidable aspect. Secondly, it is a Body Martial Soul!"
"Body..." The Ice Emperor's eyes lit up. "That's right! How could I forget! Body Martial Souls can undergo a Secondary Awakening! Once the Sword Soul undergoes Secondary Awakening, it's highly likely to achieve Body-Soul Fusion, making you the Xuanyuan Sword and the Xuanyuan Sword you! The strongest point of my Soul Ring is Extreme Ice, and the greatest strengths of Extreme Ice are, one, the frigid air capable of freezing everything solid, and two, its indomitable sharpness! The strongest sharpness paired with the strongest divine sword will definitely forge the strongest Sword Person!"
The Secondary Awakening of a Body Martial Soul enhances the Martial Soul's quality, transforming the awakened part of the Soul Master's body into a terrifying weapon. The Ice Emperor believed that at that time, this Xuanyuan Sword would surely merge into Yuwen Tuo's flesh and blood, body and soul becoming one.
Yuwen Tuo's mouth twitched. "'Strongest Bastard?' Ice Emperor, can't you use a different term? Forget it. Regardless, you now have three choices. First, leave now, don't become anyone's Soul Ring, and try to pass the heavenly tribulation that will descend in less than a hundred years. The success rate is less than twenty percent."
"Second, go to that Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, complete its god-making plan, and perhaps have the chance to become Huo Yuhao's Attendant Divine Beast in the future. The success rate, as it said, is thirty percent."
"Third, lend me your strength, assist me in becoming a god, and become my Guardian Divine Beast in the future. Weren't you just asking about my success rate? Then I'll answer you now: over eighty percent!"
"I have laid all my bargaining chips on the table. Now, I ask that you consider carefully, Ice Emperor!"
Actually, Yuwen Tuo dared to say nearly one hundred percent, but sometimes, speaking with excessive certainty could easily make others suspect he was bluffing. Over eighty percent was the most appropriate answer.