Beginning the Fusion

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could naturally see her hesitation and said solemnly, "Ice God above, I, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, swear in the name of ice: if I deceive Snow Empress and, after she releases her spiritual origin, fail to help her become a Wisdom Soul Ring, may everything that belongs to ice be stripped from me by you."

Only after hearing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's oath did Snow Empress finally set her mind at ease. In the Far North, this was the most solemn oath a soul beast could make.

"Fine, I'll believe you." Snow Empress no longer hesitated. As the foremost of the Three Great Kings of the North and the third-ranked among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, she had always been decisive and ruthless.

White specks of light surged from Snow Empress's body, condensing into a white sphere of light that drifted out.

That was her spiritual origin.

Though releasing one's spiritual origin looked simple, it was not something ordinary soul beasts could do. Only soul beasts that had surpassed a bottleneck once and cultivated for over a hundred thousand years could perform it. Naturally, this posed no problem for Tian Meng or Snow Empress.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm heaved a great sigh of relief. Its mass of golden light immediately floated forward and pressed against the shed shell. When the white sphere drifted over, its golden form abruptly expanded and swallowed the white sphere whole like a whale.

At the same time, it swiftly returned to Ji Lin's body and drilled in through the center of his brow.

"Alright, what do I do next?" Snow Empress's chilly voice rang out again, this time directly within Ji Lin's mind.

Ji Lin secretly laughed. With Tian Meng, the still-slumbering Electrolux, Snow Empress, and himself, the four of them could make up a mahjong table.

Was this the same treatment the Flame Emperor had received? He had three old masters tagging along with him. Could the Flame Emperor do that?

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm chuckled. "Don't rush, Snow Empress. Your cultivation is too high. With Ji Lin's current physical condition, he can't bear your energy—it'll burst him apart."

Snow Empress's voice turned icy. "Are you playing me?"

Tian Meng's body trembled. He did not dare keep her in suspense any longer and hurriedly said, "Of course not! With you and me controlling it, things are different! Would we let him fail?"

After hearing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's words, Snow Empress hesitated slightly. "Are you certain?" Since she had already made her choice, she naturally had to strive for it. If she lost this chance, then even if her spiritual origin could return to her body, she would still be unable to escape the next bottleneck. How could she not be cautious?

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said, "If the two of us work together, we have at least a ninety percent chance. The remaining ten percent will depend on Ji Lin himself."

Ji Lin spoke as well. "Snow Empress, don't worry. Believe in me."

Snow Empress was silent for a while before she finally said, "Alright. I believe you. I hope you can endure it. Otherwise, everything will be for nothing, and you'll be harmed along with us."

Snow Empress's attitude toward Ji Lin became much gentler. She would become Ji Lin's second martial soul in the future, so it could never hurt to build a good relationship.

When she made her choice, she had been left with no alternative. For survival's sake, she had chosen this path. Now that she had chosen, she had to embrace her new role.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said, "With Ji Lin's teacher standing guard outside, there won't be any safety issues here. Next comes the matter of fusion. Snow Empress, I'll tell you how it works, and then we can discuss the details."

The two of them then began communicating within Ji Lin's Sea of Consciousness.

Very soon, after learning the method of fusion, Snow Empress said, "If that is the case, then the chances of success are indeed high. However, Ji Lin's body is still somewhat too frail. The order of fusion must be changed. His physique must first be strengthened before the complete fusion can proceed. Since I am to become a Wisdom Soul Ring, I must transfer as much of my power as possible into his body."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said, "You mean bone first, soul second, and the ring last?"

Snow Empress replied, "That's right. According to your method, there is at most an eighty percent chance of success. You still underestimate my power. My Soul Power is extremely overbearing. Even if I restrain it and continuously seal it, some of it will still leak out. I'm afraid he won't be able to withstand it, so it is better to be cautious."

Snow Empress looked at Ji Lin. "Because this is voluntary on my part, there will be no problems with the fusion of the Soul Bone. Under my control, the power contained within it will not leak out. However, there is one issue. You must endure immense pain. I have already considered it. For you, the most suitable form for my Soul Bone is a Torso Bone. Since I cultivated for nearly seven hundred thousand years, I am confident that during the fusion, I can replace your spine, all your ribs, and your sternum. My Soul Bone's power is simply too immense, so your own skeleton must be transformed by it. The process will be rather long, and extremely painful. It will be like tearing out all those bones and reassembling them. Can you endure such pain? Our power can protect your body, but not your mind. If you cannot endure it and suffer a mental collapse, then all our efforts will have been in vain."

Among the six great Soul Bones, the most precious were the Head Soul Bone and the Torso Bone, followed by the limb bones. However, the Torso Bone referred to here was actually the spine, not all the bones of the torso. Bones such as the ribs and sternum, if one could find Soul Bones to fuse with them, were known as External Soul Bones. Their value could rival that of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, and they could grant unique and powerful abilities.

According to Snow Empress, the Soul Bone she would give him might be a single piece, but it was already equivalent to a Torso Bone combined with at least two major External Soul Bones! No matter what Soul Skill it granted him, it would possess incomparably powerful abilities.

"Snow Empress, believe in me. If I can't even endure this little pain, how will I become a god in the future?" Ji Lin's expression was sincere and resolute. If he could not endure pain, then how could he bring the person he loved to godhood with him and live forever together?

Seeing Ji Lin's determined expression, Snow Empress nodded. "Good. In that case, we should not delay."

Ji Lin nodded. "Let's begin."

The moment he spoke, an icy chill instantly bloomed within his Sea of Consciousness. Ji Lin shuddered violently, feeling as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Snow Empress's voice rang out. "I will use cold to numb your sense of pain and reduce your suffering as much as possible. However, because your body has not yet fully developed, I must be extremely cautious when fusing with your original bones. Therefore, the process will be very long. To achieve the best possible result, you cannot lose consciousness. Only while you remain awake can I make adjustments through your body's instinctive reactions."

Ji Lin said nothing. At this point, there was naturally no chance that he would change his mind.

White light blazed brightly within Ji Lin's mind. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm also remained silent, leaving everything that followed to Snow Empress.