Chapter 22

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now afternoon.

Shen Hanyu slowly awoke from his state of deep meditation.

Due to Tian Meng's negligence, even though the leaked energy was only an extremely small portion of Tian Meng's total energy, it still caused considerable damage to Shen Hanyu's body.

Damaged meridians and the like were minor problems. Even his internal organs had nearly been burst apart.

Even later, when Sky Dream Ice Silkworm tried to become the ninth Soul Ring of a Mental Attribute Titled Douluo, its terrifying energy directly burst the other party apart. This showed just how horrifying the energy within its body truly was.

After forcing his injured body back to camp, with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm standing guard, he disregarded the danger and directly entered a state of deep meditation.

He urgently needed to absorb or expel this energy.

The residual energy in his meridians was easy enough to absorb. It was just that, at first, the energy had run rampant throughout his body, causing substantial damage and even lightly injuring his internal organs.

Tian Meng was deeply apologetic about this.

Shen Hanyu had nothing to say about it. The gains brought by a single session of deep meditation were simply too great; the injuries he had suffered were not worth mentioning.

His Soul Power had skyrocketed to level fifty-six. What Tian Meng's body lacked least was energy and the primal energy of heaven and earth, and it could continuously support his cultivation. His cultivation speed was nearly fifty percent faster than before, and the effect was even more potent than taking immortal herbs.

The increase in his Mental Power was even more terrifying. Tian Meng itself was a Fierce Beast with dual ice and mental attributes. After consuming the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Shen Hanyu's Mental Power had already reached a terrifying level. Now, with Tian Meng's enhancement added on top, Shen Hanyu estimated that it could already rival an ordinary Titled Douluo.

After Shen Hanyu exhaled a breath of stale air and stretched his fully recovered body, he finally asked,

"Tian Meng, no Soul Beasts disturbed me while I was meditating, right?"

"Oh, Hanyu, you're finally awake! Let me tell you, you've really got some nerve. After you started meditating, quite a few Terrifying Existences came near this place. Good thing my Mental Power is unmatched in the world, or I managed to fool them. Otherwise, we'd both be done for by now."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice immediately rang out, somewhat agitated. It seemed the past few days had frightened it badly as well.

Shen Hanyu rubbed his brow and said irritably,

"Do you know that your entire body is made of nothing but energy and the primal energy of heaven and earth? If that kind of energy were inside an ordinary Soul King, they would have died who knows how many times over. Since I'm still alive, should I be thanking you for your great kindness?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm chuckled twice and hurriedly promised,

"I guarantee this will never happen again! Mainly because you're too strong, Hanyu. I got too excited and didn't notice the energy leaking out. Next time for sure! Next time for sure!"

Shen Hanyu rolled his eyes. Gazing out at the endless wind and snow, he suddenly asked,

"Why would a Soul Beast like you, with absolutely no combat ability, appear here? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

At this, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's chatterbox nature erupted once again. Its voice was both indignant and infatuated.

"I was sleeping soundly in my cave when Ice Empress discovered my lovely body! She even wanted to make me her food. Tell me, could I agree to that? So I used my Mental Power to trap her for a while, then I ran for it!"

"Then Ice Empress kept hunting me all the way to this area before finally backing off. It's already been tens of thousands of years, yet she still won't let it go. I had just wanted to rest and catch up on some sleep when I ran into that big idiot from before. I only teased its wife a few times, but it started hunting me too. I had no choice but to jump into the sea in search of a sliver of hope, and then I ran into you, Hanyu, on the way."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm paused before continuing,

"The first time I saw you, I was utterly amazed. I've rarely interacted with humans, but your brilliance was simply too dazzling. That was why I decided to sacrifice myself to you, nurture you into a god, and bask in your glory so I could go back and teach Ice Empress a proper lesson..."

Shen Hanyu nodded and said directly,

"Don't tell me you fell for that Ice Empress?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly denied it, but after a long while, it still gave a quiet acknowledgment.

It had fallen in love with its natural enemy. No matter how one put it, that kind of love was strangely indescribable.

"Alright, alright, Tian Meng, don't be so heartbroken. If I remember correctly, Ice Empress and Snow Empress probably do not have much time left, do they?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was stunned for a moment before asking in confusion,

"I remember humans knowing nothing about this. Don't tell me I slept for hundreds of thousands of years, and now you humans even know about Fierce Beasts?"

"Not humans. Only I know—or rather, only the handful of most powerful Soul Masters in this era know. Fewer than can be counted on one hand."

Shen Hanyu explained.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm gave an understanding hum, finally realizing what he meant.

"That's what I thought. The last time I saw humans, they didn't even know much about Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. How could they learn about Fierce Beasts in just over a hundred thousand years?"

"Still, a few decades ago, I sensed a human aura in the nearby sea that was no weaker than Snow Empress. I don't know which human expert it was, but I was so scared that I nearly fainted on the spot. Luckily, that person only brought a Soul Master with a Dragon Species Martial Soul to hunt a Ninety-Thousand-Year Soul Beast before leaving. They never truly entered the Far North."

Shen Hanyu raised a brow. A human Soul Master no weaker than Snow Empress, active upon the sea—it had to be Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi.

As for that Titled Douluo with a Dragon Species Martial Soul, it was likely Sea Dragon Douluo, one of the Seven Sacred Pillars of Sea God Island.

"Setting that aside, that Peerless Douluo is a god's representative in the human world. If she used divine power, her strength could probably match Snow Empress within the Far North."

Shen Hanyu still offered an explanation.

Although Tian Meng did nothing but eat and sleep, there was no denying that its Mental Power was truly formidable. At its limit, it could almost cover half the Far North. It was not strange for it to sense what happened out at sea.

"Still, Hanyu, I'm very curious. I read your memories, but there was never any information about us Fierce Beasts. So why do you know so much about us? You even seem to possess an understanding of many things that have never appeared before, as though you were born knowing them."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was rather curious. It had indeed received nearly every memory Shen Hanyu had that could be examined, from childhood until now, yet it remained baffled. It seemed Shen Hanyu's mind had developed at an astonishing pace from the moment he was born. One could even say that he had been born with wisdom no less than that of a teenager.

Shen Hanyu was briefly taken aback, then smiled and said,

"Maybe I was simply born smart."

He had not allowed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to examine his memories from his previous life, so its curiosity was only natural.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could also sense Shen Hanyu's resistance toward this question. Wisely, it did not press further, merely adding,

"Hanyu, are you still planning to venture deeper into the Far North? Less than a hundred li ahead lies the territory of the Frost Snake Clan. Their strongest member, the Frost Snake Demon, has a cultivation of two hundred thousand years. Unfortunately, because of heavenly tribulations, it has at most a thousand years left to live. Still, because its race possesses an Ice Attribute second only to Extreme Ice, it can be considered a ruler in the Far North."

Shen Hanyu shook his head. Looking at the ever-changing weather, he said,

"My original plan was to cross this place and enter the Frozen Forest, seeing if I could find any opportunities along the way. But now that I have you, there's naturally no need for me to take that risk. I'll just detour through the Hagen Dazs Kingdom and stabilize my cultivation while I'm at it."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm answered in acknowledgment. Then, its terrifying Mental Power slowly and discreetly extended outward, sharing everything with Shen Hanyu in real time.

Shen Hanyu felt his vision brighten as everything within dozens of li around him clearly entered his mind.

"Hanyu, be careful to take a detour later. There are still Soul Beasts nearby that are unwilling to leave. If we provoke even one of them, we brothers will both end up dead here."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm warned.

Shen Hanyu nodded, packed up the tent, and swiftly vanished into the wind and snow.