Tian Meng's Little Scheme (Second Update)

"You know Ice too?!" Tian Meng bristled at once.

"Not only do I know the Ice Empress, I know the Snow Empress too." Huo Yuhao wore a brilliant smile.

"Who exactly are you?!" Tian Meng's mind trembled, and his hands shook slightly.

"My name is Yuhao, Huo Yuhao." Huo Yuhao revealed a harmless smile.

"I know what Brother Sky Dream is thinking. I can..." Huo Yuhao leaned close and whispered several words into Tian Meng's ear.

"Really?" Tian Meng looked at Huo Yuhao skeptically.

"Why would I lie to you?" Huo Yuhao said. "Just watch."

As he spoke, an enormous Scarlet Soul Ring surged beneath his feet. Its blood-red radiance enveloped the entire cave, followed closely by a smaller Purple Soul Ring that gave off a faint glow.

Tian Meng was completely dumbfounded by the sight.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!

How had he... done that?

"First Soul Ring—one hundred thousand years. Does Brother Sky Dream still think my dream of becoming a god is mere fantasy?" Huo Yuhao asked with a smile.

"If I remember correctly, the Ice Empress's cultivation is now infinitely close to three hundred and ninety thousand years. She only has ten thousand years left before her four-hundred-thousand-year tribulation. Whether she can survive it is still unknown, and even if she does, there will still be the five-hundred-thousand-year threshold ahead..." Huo Yuhao said seriously.

"Ascending to godhood in one leap is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, whether for you or for the Ice Empress." A cold gleam flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

"But... how could Ice possibly be willing to give up her cultivation and become your Second Martial Soul?" Tian Meng wavered. If it truly succeeded, he would be able to spend the rest of his life with the Ice Empress.

The Heavenly Tribulation truly was the greatest obstacle facing Soul Beasts.

But this was clearly impossible. Based on what he knew of Ice, how could she possibly attach herself to a human for the slim chance of becoming a god?

"You don't need to worry about that. I have my ways," Huo Yuhao said gently.

"What way could you possibly have? Could you understand Ice better than I do?" Tian Meng raised a brow, clearly unconvinced by his claim.

Huo Yuhao: ...

He suddenly realized that Brother Sky Dream was not quite so easy to fool.

Back then, Tian Meng had been willing to Sacrifice himself for Huo Yuhao not only because Huo Yuhao carried great fortune, but more importantly because of the dangerous situation he had been in.

After all, he had been caught by the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest and drained dry. He had long since lost all desire to live, and faced with a bleak future, he had chosen to take one final gamble.

(Note: Huo Yuhao later learned that Tian Meng had chosen him as the target of his Sacrifice not because, as he had claimed, Huo Yuhao happened to be a spiritual-type Soul Master. More likely, it was because of the fortune he carried, an aura of fortune similar to Qiu'er's.)

Tian Meng had given him a new life, so Huo Yuhao naturally could not recreate that crisis to force him into submission.

"How about this? I'll take you to find Ice. If you can persuade her to become your Second Martial Soul, then I'll be willing to Sacrifice myself to you," Tian Meng said.

Even as he spoke, he was testing Huo Yuhao.

The Soul Rings Huo Yuhao had displayed showed that he possessed the ability to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

As for how he had absorbed it without his body exploding, it was most likely related to the old ghost floating behind him.

Tian Meng possessed nearly a million years of cultivation, but his actual strength was not even comparable to that of an ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast. If the other party resorted to force, he would have no room to resist and could only be slaughtered at their mercy.

This human youth had approached him so familiarly, and he even knew of Ice and the Snow Empress.

Tian Meng could only exploit the other party's seeming goodwill and use the opportunity to make a probing request.

As long as Huo Yuhao agreed, he would have room to maneuver.

Because he understood Ice so well after all these years, he was certain that she would not compromise.

As long as he met Ice, even if she chased him down to kill him, he could still preserve his life and would not need to Sacrifice himself to this human.

The crucial question now was whether the other party would agree to this request.

Tian Meng's nerves were stretched taut. After all, this concerned whether he would still be able to live freely.

Though Electrolux was old and shrewd, he could tell Tian Meng's little scheme merely from the fluctuations of his spiritual power.

"I agree." Huo Yuhao accepted immediately.

"Good, then let's set out now." Tian Meng rejoiced inwardly. He had not expected the other party to agree so readily, and he hurriedly accepted, saying they should leave immediately for fear that Huo Yuhao would change his mind.

Huo Yuhao had no objection.

Having been reborn, he naturally understood all of this.

It was only natural that Brother Sky Dream did not trust him. If their positions were reversed, Huo Yuhao probably would not be willing to become someone else's sacrifice either.

As for whether he could win over the Ice Empress, he was not entirely sure himself.

No matter how deep their bond had been in his previous life, she did not know him at all now.

Back then, Tian Meng had talked the Ice Empress into joining them. Huo Yuhao had been the one who came afterward, the kind of relationship where he had bought his ticket after getting on the train—married first, fell in love later.

From what he knew of the Ice Empress, he would have to find a breakthrough through the Snow Empress. But how could he convince the Snow Empress?

His bond with the Snow Empress back then had relied on the Snow Woman as a link between them. Facing the Snow Empress in her complete form now, he was not confident either.

This journey to the Far North Land might very well end in failure.

Still, it would not be a total loss. At the very least, he had obtained some Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could increase his cultivation.

After his rebirth, even the era had changed. He could accept a few unexpected variables.

Thus, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm led Huo Yuhao out of the cave and began heading toward the region where the Ice Jade Scorpions lived.

"Yuhao, how did you know about the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress? Do legends of them circulate in the human world as well?" Tian Meng began probing him along the way.

The fact that this human youth could state Ice's exact cultivation so precisely was quite telling. That was definitely not something one could learn from mere legends or rumors.

"That's a secret." Huo Yuhao smiled mysteriously and said no more.

"Yuhao, how can you accommodate a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring at your current level? Wouldn't energy of that level make your body explode?" Tian Meng continued asking.

He suspected that the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring on Huo Yuhao had come from some foolish beast that had willingly Sacrificed itself, but naturally, he could not ask such a question outright.

"I encountered a big fellow back then. It wanted to kill everyone the moment it appeared, so my teacher stepped in and killed it," Huo Yuhao said lightly.

"Teacher? Was it that old man in black robes we saw earlier?" Tian Meng asked.

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly.

He realized that Brother Sky Dream's intelligence was still intact. He even knew how to fish for information. It was only when pursuing the Ice Empress that both his IQ and EQ had plummeted to unbearable depths.

Before long, Tian Meng and Huo Yuhao arrived at the territory of the Ice Jade Scorpions.

"How are we going to get deeper in?" Huo Yuhao struck first, deliberately putting Tian Meng on the spot.

Tian Meng had been about to ask the very same question and was immediately left speechless.

To see the Ice Empress as quickly as possible and ensure his own safety—

"Leave it to me. My kind possesses a trait that lets us mimic our aura and form. Follow me."