"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I won't hurt him," the voice from earlier echoed once again in Huo Yuhao's mind. The second part was clearly meant for Zhongli Yu, who was rushing toward them. The massive silkworm lowered its enormous head toward Huo Yuhao, stopping about a meter away. Even its body emitted a faint, sweet fragrance.
Feigning shock, Huo Yuhao asked, "Are you… talking to me?"
The enormous silkworm nodded. Its voice continued to resonate telepathically. "Of course it's me. What? Stunned by how beautiful and charming I am?"
Despite his casual tone, the Skydream Iceworm displayed no malice. Sensing this, Bibi Dong, within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, relaxed slightly from her previously tense vigilance.
"What the hell is that thing?" Zhongli Yu asked nervously, clearly unsettled by the spiritual pressure the Skydream Iceworm emitted.
With grand flair, the Skydream Iceworm introduced itself, much as it did in the original story:
"Let me introduce myself: I am the embodiment of heroism and justice, the perfect combination of wisdom and beauty, the undisputed king of soul beasts—an unparalleled powerhouse who has cultivated for over a million years and holds the record for the longest lifespan in Douluo Continent's history… I am the Skydream Iceworm. You may call me Brother Skydream!"
Huo Yuhao widened his eyes in mock surprise. "A… a million-year-old soul beast?"
Zhongli Yu was equally stunned, rendered speechless.
Of course, there were indeed multiple million-year soul beasts in this world, but only Huo Yuhao—thanks to his "author's lens" perspective—knew that. The strongest soul beasts on the continent were the Silver Dragon King, who had escaped from the Divine Realm, and the Deep Sea Demon Whale, future Demon Emperor of the Holy Spirit Cult, grieving the death of its mate.
The Skydream Iceworm puffed up with pride. "Surprised? Excited? You should be! You're the first human to ever see me in my true form."
Suppressing his amusement, Huo Yuhao maintained a respectful demeanor. "So… what do you want?"
The Skydream Iceworm's tone suddenly turned serious. "I want to become your soul ring—the first intelligent soul ring in the history of Douluo Continent."
"Huh?" Zhongli Yu stared at the giant worm in disbelief. She was utterly at a loss. This soul beast—clearly far older than a hundred thousand years—wanted to become Huo Yuhao's soul ring?
It all came too fast. Zhongli Yu had always known Huo Yuhao was focused on building up his soul power, and he had repeatedly said he had a plan—but had never once attempted to add a soul ring. And now, out of nowhere, a massive talking silkworm bursts out of the ground claiming to be a legendary million-year-old soul beast, offering itself as his ring. Zhongli Yu stood there, completely stunned.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, one thing was clear: this worm was anything but an ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
The Skydream Iceworm cast a wary glance toward the depths of the Star Dou Forest, then turned back to Huo Yuhao. "I'm going to start now. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. It won't hurt too much."
"Yuhao, be careful—!" Zhongli Yu tried to speak, but before she could finish, an overwhelming chill enveloped Huo Yuhao, and he lost consciousness. She only caught a glimpse of a blur of white surging toward him before her mind was consumed by the same cold, all thought vanishing.
The ten golden rings on the Skydream Iceworm's body began to pulse as if alive. What appeared to be the white blur was actually the worm pressing its head to Huo Yuhao's forehead.
The ten golden rings rapidly enveloped Huo Yuhao's refined body as the worm transformed into a torrent of white light, surging into him.
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing! I'm so lucky!"
"I barely need to apply any seals—his body can already handle my vast power. His physique is incredible!"
As the Skydream Iceworm transferred itself, a massive wave of spiritual energy burst outward, rippling across the surrounding land, blanketing a full hundred li (50 km) in every direction.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya, still hurrying away from the forest's edge, were immediately caught in the wave, frozen in place in a brief daze. Though the spiritual impact wasn't destructive, it did temporarily paralyze all conscious thought.
At that moment, the entire southern sector of the Star Dou Forest fell deathly silent.
Then, the previously clear sky abruptly darkened. A thunderclap roared across the heavens, and the sunlight vanished, blocked by a sudden oppressive darkness. A suffocating pressure descended from the sky.
The Skydream Iceworm, in the middle of fusing with Huo Yuhao, suddenly trembled. Its golden eyes rolled upward, staring at the sky in shock and confusion. This pressure had nothing to do with it—and it far exceeded anything within its comprehension.
A stream of gray energy surged down from the heavens, like it was being sucked by an immense force. In the blink of an eye, it entered Huo Yuhao's body from the back of his skull.
"Who dares steal my host!?" the Skydream Iceworm roared in fury. Its spiritual power surged wildly, attempting to expel the gray mist.
Huo Yuhao, however, immediately recognized the incoming spiritual presence—it was none other than Electrolux. Had he not been so well-trained, he might've burst out laughing.
A hazy, ghost-like figure slowly appeared behind Huo Yuhao. An ancient, commanding voice echoed:
"With the power to grasp the sun and pluck the stars, no one in the world is like me. Who would've thought even a fragment of my soul could survive…"
Despite the Skydream Iceworm's overwhelming mental assault, this blurry figure seemed completely unaffected. With a swoosh, it slipped into Huo Yuhao's head and vanished.
The Skydream Iceworm tried to intensify its mental suppression, but even as it did, Huo Yuhao's strong spiritual foundation easily withstood the strain. It quickly noticed that the gray energy had gone completely still inside Yuhao's consciousness. It wasn't clashing with its own power, nor was it being suppressed.
"Seriously? Just my luck! I finally find a perfect spiritual-type host, and some bastard comes to compete with me? Is this fate messing with me? Poor me!"
Grumbling to itself, the Skydream Iceworm didn't slow down. The thick white light continued to condense and flow into Huo Yuhao's body, while its massive form grew fainter and began to shrink. The moment it began the fusion, there was no turning back.
"Wahaha! I'm finally free! All those monsters who treated me like food—your chance is gone! Wahaha!"
Its voice faded, and the immense spiritual pressure that had covered a hundred li vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
Deep within the Star Dou Forest, several terrifying auras stirred, reacting to something—but they were too late.
As the Skydream Iceworm's voice fully faded, a soft white halo slowly rose from beneath Huo Yuhao, circling his body three times before merging into him and vanishing.
Huo Yuhao knew: with the timeline still intact, he had truly obtained the most important soul ring of his life—the one and only intelligent soul ring in Douluo Continent's history.
The glossy white glow faded, replaced by a faint ice-blue aura rising from beneath his skin. After about ten seconds, it, too, faded, and his skin returned to normal. His body trembled once, his eyes opened, and a subtle, knowing smile curled his lips.
A thin, gold-tinged white membrane rose silently from the ground, quickly shrinking into a speck and disappearing into his chest. No trace of the Skydream Iceworm remained.
The crater on the ground had somehow closed up. The only remnants were Huo Yuhao lying there and the Wind Baboon's corpse nearby. Everything else seemed to have returned to normal.
At the same time, within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, Bibi Dong reclined lazily on the Rakshasa God's throne, her stunning figure outlined by a cheongsam. She playfully swung one shapely leg while holding a glass of rose-colored wine.
Beneath her throne, a snow-white worm and a gray energy wisp lay prostrate at her feet, frozen in fear. The Skydream Iceworm was especially close to fainting from terror. It thought it had found the perfect host—only to discover it had walked into the home of a god.
"A… a god!" Electrolux's spiritual consciousness trembled violently—clearly terrified of the woman before him.
Bibi Dong's voice was cold and regal:
"Trespassing into my divine palace without permission—
Do you know your crime?"
[End of Chapter]
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