Three enormous silkworms lay neatly side by side on the grass, making for a spectacular and bizarre sight.
The three brothers, Huo Hao, Huo Yu, and Huo Yuhao, stood opposite them. Looking at the scene before them, they were filled with joy—and a touch of absurdity.
One Huo Yuhao could become three, and one Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could become three, too. This River God was even more useful than a Wishing Machine.
The one on the far left was golden all over, as if cast from pure gold. It was the Golden Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. At that moment, it held its head high, its golden eyes full of contempt for all things.
Although it looked like the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, its innate aura of sanctity and nobility was entirely different.
The one on the far right was silver-white and almost transparent. If you didn't look closely, it could almost blend into the surrounding air. This was the Silver Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
In stark contrast to the Golden Dream Silkworm's overwhelming swagger, its whole body gave off the impression of "Don't look at me, don't bother me, I don't know anything." Its enormous body trembled, as if it wished it could curl into a silver ball and roll into a crack in the ground.
And sandwiched between them was the original Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
It looked at the "self" that had appeared out of nowhere on the left, acting like it owned the world, then at the "self" on the right, cowering as if it might evaporate on the spot. Its enormous insect face was full of worry and wariness.
Lin Feng munched on sunflower seeds underwater, thoroughly enjoying the show.
"Whoa, the family drama's begun. An arrogant big brother, a reclusive second brother, and a miserable third brother? This should be fun."
After agonizing for a long while, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finally decided to explain its grand plan first.
It cleared its throat and tried to address its two other selves in a tone full of authority and camaraderie:
"Ahem. You two... brothers! Since fate has brought us together, we must stand united. Our goal is—"
"Silence."
A cold, haughty voice cut it off. The speaker was the Golden Dream Silkworm. It couldn't even be bothered to turn and look at the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, merely saying, "I am Golden Dream. Associating with common creatures like you is already my greatest humiliation. Do not sully my ears with your foolish words."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm: "..."
The three brothers: "..."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm refused to give up and turned its gaze to the Silver White Dream Silkworm.
Sensing its gaze, the Silver White Dream Silkworm trembled even harder. It buried its head in the grass, doing a perfect imitation of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's heart sank.
It couldn't form an Avengers team, and even its plan to swear brotherhood in the Peach Garden had come to nothing. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt utterly miserable.
It sighed.
"Forget it, forget it. Looks like our plan to join forces isn't going to work. In that case, let's stick to the original plan. Which of you three is willing to become the first to possess a Wisdom Soul Ring?"
If they waited any longer, things could get tricky if Di Tian showed up.
But before it had finished speaking, a cold, haughty voice rang out.
It was the Golden Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. It couldn't even be bothered to look at the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm; its gaze fell directly on Huo Hao, whose aura was closest to its own.
"I am Golden Dream."
Its voice was full of arrogance.
"Human, if you want my power, you must first earn my recognition."
It stared at Huo Hao, its golden eyes shooting two beams of light as solid as the real thing.
"I'll give you a chance. I won't leave this patch of grass. If you can touch me, you win. I'll recognize you and grant you the power of a God!"
Huo Hao heard it and smiled faintly. This test suited him perfectly.
"Fine."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stared in disbelief from the sidelines. Hey! I'm the real one! Why are you negotiating with that fake first?! Is there no justice in this world?!
The contest began.
The Golden Dream's enormous body looked clumsy, but it moved with remarkable agility. It darted unpredictably across the grass, each movement perfectly avoiding Huo Hao's lunges.
"Too slow. Too weak."
The Golden Dream's assessment was full of disdain, and its tone brimmed with disappointment.
Huo Yuhao watched anxiously from the sidelines, while Huo Yu still looked as if he were enjoying the show.
Just as the Golden Dream glided away once more and glanced at Huo Hao with scorn from the corner of its eye, golden light suddenly erupted in Huo Hao's eyes!
"Eye of Sanction!"
An invisible, irresistible authority descended in an instant! For the first time, astonishment appeared in the Golden Dream's haughty eyes. It found its body bound by countless chains, unable to move an inch!
The binding lasted a mere 0.5 seconds.
But that was enough!
Huo Hao shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, instantly crossing the distance between them. One hand came down firmly on the Golden Dream's cool, smooth body.
"You lost," Huo Hao said calmly.
The Golden Sky Dream Ice Silkworm chuckled. This fellow was interesting. He hadn't used that strange trick right away; he'd waited until its guard was down.
"Interesting human. I recognize you."
As soon as the words left its mouth, the Golden Dream's enormous body began to dissolve into countless golden motes of light, which surged into Huo Hao.
At the same moment, as the Golden Dream's sacrifice began, the Silver Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, which had been trembling all this time, seemed to receive a terrible shock. It shuddered violently!
It looked at Huo Hao, who was receiving the sacrifice, then at the original Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, still standing beside it in a daze. Finally, its fearful gaze shifted to Huo Yu, whose aura was cold and sinister.
It seemed to suddenly understand: rather than wait passively, it was better to take the initiative and seek protection from the master who looked hardest to mess with!
The next moment, under everyone's astonished gaze, the Silver Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body also went "poof" and turned into a shower of pure silver light, rushing into Huo Yu as if it would be eaten if it waited even a second longer.
Only the original Sky Dream Ice Silkworm remained, left reeling in the wind.
"Hey! Hey! What's going on with you two?! You made the decision without even telling me! I'm the real one!"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm cried out indignantly.
Both "fakes" had found new partners, leaving only the real one and Huo Yuhao, who looked like the weakest of the bunch.
It looked sadly at Huo Yuhao's innocent face and sighed deeply. "Sigh, fine, fine. You'll do. At least I picked you first... Fate!"
As it spoke, it, too, dissolved into motes of light and merged into Huo Yuhao.
A Million-year Soul Ring could grant its host four whole Soul Skills!
Huo Hao's Eye of Sanction gained [Sanction Chain]: Turns spiritual power into golden chains that can forcibly restrain enemies for 0.7 seconds and inflict continuous spiritual burns.
[King's Majesty]: A passive skill that naturally suppresses enemies with less spiritual power, weakening all their attributes by 10%.
[Destructive Golden Light]: Fires a beam of highly concentrated spiritual energy from the eyes. It has extreme penetrating power and deals additional damage to evil attributes.
[Golden Domain]: Creates a domain filled with sanctity and authority. Within it, allies recover spiritual power faster, while enemies are continually subjected to Mental Impact.
Huo Yu's Illusion Eyes gained [Flowers in the Mirror, Moon on the Water]: Creates an illusion indistinguishable from reality, trapping enemies within it.
[Deceptive Shadow]: Erases the user's presence, briefly entering a state of "absolute invisibility." The effect ends if the user attacks or is attacked.
[Whispers of Fear]: Turns spiritual power into a demonic sound that rings directly in an enemy's mind, stirring their deepest fear.
[True Nightmare]: A passive skill. All illusion attacks inflict a degree of real spiritual damage. Even if an enemy sees through the illusion, they will still suffer spiritual trauma.
Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, gained four Soul Skills, including Spiritual Detection, just like in the original story.