Strange Happenings in the Star Dou Great Forest, the Million-Year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm! (Two-in-One)

On the sky screen,

At Shrek Academy.

After the satellite was successfully launched into its intended orbit and testing was completed, Xiang Bei returned to his workshop.

It was at that moment

that Xiao Yu revealed a secret she had not previously stated outright.

"Master, while I was operating the satellite's ground terminal just now, I discovered that there had been intense mental energy fluctuations in the Star Dou Great Forest. Based on the available data, they came from something at least a hundred thousand years old!"

Xiang Bei's eyes lit up. "Intense mental fluctuations? Could it be..."

"Did you discover anything else?"

"Yes. There was a large-scale migration of Soul Beasts at the forest's edge. After comparing it with Shrek's records of previous beast tides, I can confirm that they were driven out by someone."

Xiao Yu spoke each word distinctly.

"I understand. Prepare some supplies. I'm going to the Star Dou Great Forest."

The inner courtyard's Soul Tool Department.

"Instructor Xian, I have some personal matters to attend to. I need to take that Battle Armor back."

At his words,

Xian Lin'er turned around, smiling as she spoke sincerely. "It's you, Xiao Bei. Go ahead and take it. I have to say, this Battle Armor gave me some excellent ideas. Thank you!"

"With its help, the academy's Soul Tool development has advanced by at least ten years!"

Xiang Bei only smiled faintly, unconvinced.

Mingde Hall was already conducting secret research into humanoid Soul Tools, a project Jing Hongchen was personally overseeing. Xiang Bei had yet to gain access to it.

But once he obtained mecha technology in the future, combined it with humanoid Soul Tools, and connected them to Xiao Yu's intelligence system,

he would have an army of humanoid Soul Tools that knew no fear of death!

Xiang Bei put on the Battle Armor, left Shrek Academy, and headed straight into the nearby Star Dou Great Forest.

After he had traveled several li inward from the outskirts, an extremely violent mental fluctuation spread outward from the depths.

Boom—!!

Trees toppled and forests fell wherever it passed.

Xiang Bei clutched his head and gritted his teeth. "Hiss! My head hurts."

"Master, the satellite footage shows a tree-shaped Soul Beast and a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear of indeterminate age chasing a fat silkworm two li ahead. That mental fluctuation came from the fat silkworm."

Xiao Yu studied the images in her mind. For some reason, she felt a rare sense of familiarity as she looked at the fat silkworm.

Xiang Bei was overjoyed. The million-year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was precisely what he had come for.

"Come on, follow me. That Ice Silkworm is almost at its limit."

My name is Tian Meng, and I love my natural enemy, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. Bingbing is always fierce with me, but even though I'm so fat, she's never thought of eating me. She must love me.

But... I'm about to die.

As a million-year Soul Beast who gained his cultivation through sleep, my role is mainly support. I have no active combat ability whatsoever.

Ten years ago, Di Tian caught me sleeping underground and brought me back to absorb my essence. Today, I finally found a chance to escape.

I used half my shed skin to make a decoy and draw their attention. As long as I escape the Star Dou Great Forest, even Di Tian won't be able to catch me easily.

I, Tian Meng, have dreams too!

"Life is precious, freedom dearer still, but for Bingbing's sake, I'd cast them both away."

"By the way... could you stop stepping on my head?"

Xiang Bei looked at the plump Ice Silkworm wriggling on the ground beneath his foot. Ten golden markings covered his body, lending his harmless-looking, plump white form an air of nobility.

"You're the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm?"

"That's me! Let me go, human! Don't get in the way of my pursuit of love, hey!"

Tian Meng sent out a mental fluctuation.

"If I let you go, do you think you can escape?" Xiang Bei looked at the satellite footage transmitted to his terminal.

A six-meter-tall, three-headed canine Soul Beast was closely guarding a special Soul Beast that was golden all over, with a single eye on its forehead and a tigerish head.

It was none other than the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion!

Guided by the Auspicious Beast, Xiong Jun and the Myriad Demon King were already heading their way.

In five minutes at most, they would run into Xiang Bei and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. In other words, even with a decoy, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could not escape being caught and dragged back to serve as a meat pigeon.

"Master, they're almost here. We need to hurry and find a way to deal with him."

Xiao Yu's holographic image appeared above his wrist.

Sensing Xiao Yu's presence, Tian Meng cried out, "Xiao Xue! That's wonderful, it's you! You're actually living inside this human."

"What Xiao Xue? This is my AI system. I call her Xiao Yu," Xiang Bei interrupted Tian Meng.

When two people from the same hometown met, their eyes brimmed with tears.

Tian Meng had never expected to meet another being from the Far North in this forest, much less Bingbing's close friend. Tears of excitement came gushing out.

"Human, I acknowledge you. Now I'm going to borrow your body to conceal my presence. In exchange, I'll give you a Mental Attribute Soul Ring and transform your body. In the future, you'll be able to receive Xiao Xue's Ultimate Ice!"

"There's no time to explain. Here I come."

Tian Meng wrapped himself around Xiang Bei of his own accord. White light rose from his body, and he gradually shrank.

On the Douluo Continent.

[Having sensed that those watching the sky screen have little understanding of its contents, the bullet comment function has been opened. Everyone may speak freely and offer suggestions and opinions.]

A new notification appeared on the sky screen, and people watching it across the continent suddenly discovered that they could use their minds to display text on it.

At Shrek Academy.

"Damn it! What makes him worthy of a Soul Beast offering itself to him? From the looks of it, I could have done it too! Why couldn't it have been me?"

Yu Xiaogang cursed under his breath.

"If I received that Soul Beast's sacrifice, the shackles on my rank would surely be broken, and I could even have a Second Martial Soul in the future. It wouldn't matter that Sanpao was trash."

"Perhaps... I could even become a god!"

The wonderful daydream made Yu Xiaogang chuckle foolishly.

"Teacher, Teacher!" Tang San called.

"Ah, Xiao San. What is it?"

"Teacher, what kind of Soul Beast is that, and how old is it? Why have I never seen one before?" Tang San asked. Xiao Wu stood beside him, her head lowered, saying nothing.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, she saw through the Ice Silkworm's background at a glance.

"Oh, that. It's a low-level Soul Beast from the Far North, an Ice Silkworm. They're usually used as food there. As for this one, although I don't know how it evolved to this extent,

"a conservative estimate would put its age at no less than a hundred thousand years! See the golden markings on its body? Each one represents ten thousand years of cultivation."

Yu Xiaogang spoke with certainty, then sent his words to the sky screen as a bullet comment.

Bibi Dong of the Pope's Palace: "For a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast to offer itself willingly, the right time, place, and people must all come together. None can be missing."

Di Tian: "I didn't expect the Star Dou Great Forest to hold such an opportunity. I've ordered a complete lockdown. This Soul Beast will surely belong to us. Anyone unafraid of death can come and try.

"And Yu Xiaogang, thank you for the lesson."

Yu Xiaogang flew into a rage. "That bastard, how dare he..."

Di Tian: "I'll come and kill you."

Ning Fengzhi: "A Grandmaster is a Grandmaster indeed. He saw through this Soul Beast's background at a glance. Impressive!"

Seeing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Master praise him, Yu Xiaogang beamed, feeling as though he could float away.

He muttered to himself.

"This Di Tian is completely unreasonable. Who knows where he came from? With so many powerful people gathered at Shrek now, he still dares to talk so wildly. He really isn't afraid of death."

The next second.

Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu: "Di Tian? So you were the one who attacked an enshrined of my Spirit Hall before. I never imagined that the legendary Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, son of the Dragon God, had been hiding in the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest all along."

Di Tian: "No need to concern yourself. Also, from this day forward, anyone who uses their cultivation to bully weak Soul Beasts will be hunted by me to the ends of the earth."

"Ah!!!"

Yu Xiaogang screamed in terror, his face ashen. "I actually talked back to him? The legendary king of Soul Beasts? I'm finished, I'm finished! He said he was going to kill me."

"Xiao San, save me, please save me..."

Tang San looked helplessly at the frightened Yu Xiaogang. There was no telling how many times he had cursed him in his heart.

He looked at the image on the sky screen, his eyes full of envy.

"A hundred-thousand-year Ice Silkworm Soul Beast." Tang San sounded wistful. "That guy's lucky too, getting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast to offer itself to him. He really stepped in dog shit.

"If only a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would offer itself to me too."

At those words,

Xiao Wu's body tensed beside him, and a trace of wariness and distance entered her gaze as she looked at Tang San.

Just then,

"Tang San, it's time for your detoxification." Dugu Bo appeared abruptly before them, glaring at them with a pair of eerie green eyes.

"The Poison Douluo, renowned across the continent! Xiao San, how did you come to know such a person?"

Yu Xiaogang's body tensed, and he instinctively backed farther away.

"Heh... the Spirit Hall's waste of a Grandmaster." Dugu Bo smiled. "I didn't expect you to be Tang San's teacher. I was rather surprised to hear that. With your own Soul Power cultivation,

"the disciple you taught, Tang San, actually managed to become a god ten thousand years later. But it seems the credit was all Tang San's own."

With that,

Dugu Bo said no more. Yu Xiaogang's face flushed red, like a man whose tail had been stepped on, furious but afraid to speak.

"Xiao San, say something!"

Tang San said nothing. He too thought Yu Xiaogang really was not much use. Yu Xiaogang would not let him study Soul Tools, insisting he focus solely on cultivation, yet recently he had clearly felt his cultivation stagnating.

On the sky screen,

Tian Meng's body gradually vanished from sight, merging into Xiang Bei's body.

"You haven't opened your Sea of Consciousness yet, so I, your big brother, took the trouble to open it for you. Now I'll be able to live more comfortably in the future, too."

A rumbling sound echoed in Xiang Bei's mind, as though heaven and earth were being created.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sealed his million years of cultivation in the Sea of Consciousness. Even though he had little combat strength, the power of a million years of essence was not something a mere Soul King like Xiang Bei could withstand.

Xiang Bei's body was transformed, and his originally abysmal talent as a Soul Master was elevated at that moment.

Not only did the strength of his physical body increase dramatically, but he also gained in advance the Sea of Consciousness a Soul Engineer needed to condense a Spiritual Soul Core.

In the future,

even without Xiao Yu's help, he would be able to control more Soul Tools.

Whoosh!

Xiang Bei slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. During the process just now, his Soul Power Level had risen to sixty-one!

"Martial Soul, activate!"

The steel-colored Surveying Caliper appeared. Above the original scarlet fifth Soul Ring was a magnificent platinum Soul Ring adorned with golden patterns.

It exuded an air of nobility.

Xiang Bei automatically gained the Soul Ring's Soul Skills: Spiritual Detection, Spiritual Sharing, Soul Shock, and Mental Interference. All four skills grew along with his mental power.

Spiritual Sharing, in particular, allowed him to share his field of vision and some images directly with Xiao Yu, making information transfer faster.

"Hey, kid, I've put my million years of essence in your Sea of Consciousness. As your capacity to withstand it improves, it'll unlock automatically and raise the upper limit of your mental power. But you'll still have to work on your Soul Power yourself."

Tian Meng spoke by transmitting his thoughts.

"This million-year Soul Ring and essence really are extraordinary." Xiang Bei carefully felt the changes in his body. Xiao Yu had visibly become more intelligent.

"Master, Xiong Jun, the Myriad Demon King, and that Auspicious Beast are already close to us."

After checking the database she had built herself, Xiao Yu obtained information on the targets.

"This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear has at least four hundred thousand years of cultivation, and he has Behemoth blood. His combat strength is extremely formidable!"

"What!?!" Tian Meng shouted in despair. "I only just found a new place to live, and you're telling me they're here again?"

"Boo-hoo! No! My Bingbing, I haven't even warmed your bed yet!"

"All right, shut up." The noise made Xiang Bei's head ache. "Since I dared to come find you alone, I obviously have a way to deal with them. Otherwise, how do you think I found you?"

Tian Meng promptly shut up. After merging into the Sea of Consciousness, he had seen some of Xiang Bei's memories and learned about some of the terrifying things about him.

In the fragments of those images,

he had seen the ice egg the Snow Empress had turned into, shut inside an iron box and surrounded by weapons.

Why am I suddenly starting to regret merging with this guy?

Roar!

The almost tangible sound waves smashed the trees in their path to pieces. A twenty-meter-tall Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear walked slowly forward, his claws nearly dragging on the ground.

His dark golden surface gleamed with an extremely sharp metallic sheen. A single glance was enough to make the eyes sting.

It was Xiong Jun.

"Human! Where's that million-year Ice Silkworm? Tell me, and I'll spare your life."

Xiong Jun's voice rumbled. His pride made him disdain to kill a weak Soul Master like Xiang Bei.

As he spoke, the Myriad Demon King, a Demon-Eyed Tree who walked upright like a human, arrived as well.

Behind them were the Scarlet King and the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

Surrounded by three Ferocious Beasts over a hundred thousand years old, Xiang Bei had no chance of winning, no matter how one looked at it.

Madness in his eyes, Xiang Bei looked up and stared straight at Xiong Jun. "He sacrificed himself to me. What are you going to do about it?"

"Arrogant fool! You're courting death!"

Xiong Jun flew into a rage. He had always had a fiery temper, and now that an ant had provoked him, he felt he could not save face.

"No! Stop!"

At the critical moment, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion shouted a warning. As a Soul Beast of destiny, she naturally had the ability to seek good fortune and avoid calamity.

The instant Xiong Jun struck, she sensed a lethal threat of death coming from this human.

Hum!

The presence of Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells spread out: one icy cold, the other searing and violent.

Xiong Jun's claws came to an abrupt halt right before the shells, not daring to advance the slightest bit farther.

"Once they're detonated, I... even if I don't die, I'll be seriously injured! What kind of weapon is this?"

"Well? Can I leave now?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of Xiang Bei's mouth. "If you won't let me go, I can't guarantee these two shells won't detonate."

"If... that's still not enough."

"Xiao Yu!"

"Understood, Master."

As soon as she spoke,

Hundreds of disposable gun emplacements extended their barrels from the void, each loaded with a Level 8 Fixed Soul Cannon Shell.

Xiao Yu's holographic image appeared, looking utterly fearless. After all, only a subsystem of hers was here, so it didn't matter if she lost it.

Of course, she definitely couldn't let her master hear that, or he'd dock her meals.

"Hehe... big guy, just a reminder: if those two shells over there explode and no one stops them, at least a third of the Star Dou Great Forest will disappear,

"And if the hundreds of Soul Cannon shells here fire together afterward, you few might escape, but not a single one of the rest in the entire Star Dou Great Forest will survive."

Xiong Jun didn't dare move again, and the Myriad Demon King's wildly flailing branches froze in midair.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion spoke in a low voice to the Scarlet King beside her. "What he said is true. I can feel it. The threads of fate of the Star Dou Great Forest are all tied to those weapons over there."

The Scarlet King took three deep breaths, grinding his teeth.

"When... did humans become so powerful?"