Sky Dream Ice Silkworm: Painfully Happy

Terrifying bolts of Thunder struck the Star Dou Forest one after another.

Countless Soul Beasts screeched and roared; even outside the Star Dou Forest, the sounds could still be heard clearly.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had been captured by other Soul Beasts, which surrounded him and absorbed his energy.

The God of Destruction's method was simple and brutal: use the Heavenly Tribulation to create an "escape route" for Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was a Soul Beast nearly a million years old, yet he had never undergone a single Heavenly Tribulation. That could not simply be brushed aside by calling him weak.

Regardless of race or strength, the Heavenly Tribulation was an unavoidable hurdle for every Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had missed so many of them. No matter what, the God of Destruction had to make up for some of them.

The Heavenly Tribulation itself embodied the will of destruction, making it far easier for the God of Destruction to wield.

And under the cover of the Heavenly Tribulation, the God of Destruction could do a few other things as well.

"Unlucky, unlucky. Brother Sky Dream is just too unlucky."

Underground, a plump, fleshy worm burrowed frantically forward.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had crossed seas to reach the Star Dou Forest, only to be swiftly captured by the Forest's thoroughly impolite local Soul Beasts.

Those Soul Beasts even treated him like a shared power bank, greedily draining him one after another.

Just when Sky Dream Ice Silkworm felt that his life had gone completely dark, when having all his energy drained would mean his death, a turning point arrived.

But that turning point came far too violently. He could barely endure it.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm burrowed ahead in madness, his body charred black as Thunder continued to descend.

The Heavenly Tribulation could not be avoided by burrowing underground or diving into the deep sea. His frantic escape was nothing but futile effort.

"Too terrifying, too terrifying! The Heavenly Tribulation is too terrifying! Why did it have to come for me?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had always thought he was too weak for the Heavenly Tribulation to even notice him.

For a time, that had made him feel both fortunate and sorrowful.

Now, there was no need to feel sorrowful anymore. The Heavenly Tribulations he had missed over the years had finally caught up with him.

When the Heavenly Tribulation first descended, the powerful Soul Beasts absorbing his energy had helped him bear a great deal of the damage.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm believed those detestable creatures had absorbed too much of his energy, causing the Heavenly Tribulation to regard them as part of his body.

He had even been happy about it for a moment.

The Heavenly Tribulation was terrifying, but with so many Soul Beasts sharing the burden, perhaps even he could survive it.

Yet those shameless Soul Beasts had all fought to be first when absorbing his energy.

But when the Heavenly Tribulation arrived, each one ran faster than the last.

After the first wave of tribulation strikes, those Soul Beasts fled in the blink of an eye with blackened heads and trails of black smoke behind them.

Only Sky Dream Ice Silkworm remained, left alone to face the rest of the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Ah—"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm let out a miserable cry as he burrowed wildly, intense pain sweeping through his entire body.

"I refuse to accept this! Sky Dream Ice Silkworm should not die beneath the Heavenly Tribulation like this!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had always felt that, with his luck, he should be able to turn disaster into fortune.

Even when he had been captured by the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest, he had believed he would find a chance to escape.

Boom—

Unable to hide from the Heavenly Tribulation even underground, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stopped fleeing and burst out of the earth.

Brother Sky Dream had lived a miserable life, but this time, he wanted to die with some dignity. He could not die suffocated underground.

Yet the moment he emerged, he saw a human figure ahead of him.

In an instant, an idea flashed through Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's mind.

"Forget it. Treat a dead horse as if it were alive. Kid, Brother Sky Dream is coming!"

With death beneath the Heavenly Tribulation imminent, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm decided to follow that sudden flash of inspiration.

And the person he chose...

The moment the giant worm burst from the ground, Su Chen guessed who he was.

The God of Destruction is giving me Huo Yuhao's treatment?

But Sky Dream Ice Silkworm probably hasn't broken through to a Million-Year Soul Beast yet, right?

Forget it. Close enough. I'll make do with it.

"Don't be afraid. Prepare to receive your first Soul Ring. Add it to your Spear Martial Soul first."

At that moment, the God of Destruction thoughtfully reminded Su Chen not to be afraid.

Before the God of Destruction's voice had even faded, the shrieking giant worm had already pounced before Su Chen, and the deadly Heavenly Tribulation caught up to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm at that very moment.

"Roar—"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm staked his life on it. The nine golden rings on his body instantly spread toward Su Chen, enveloping him.

Success or failure depended on this gamble.

Surging energy like a raging flood poured into Su Chen, making his vision blur at once.

Then, the green light that had once appeared on his body emerged again. The Water of Life was taking effect.

His body, damaged by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's invading power, was rapidly repaired under the nourishment of the Water of Life.

The cycle of damage and repair continued for a long time.

Su Chen continuously endured a cycle of agony and bliss until his whole body went numb.

Too brutal. The surprise the God of Destruction had given him was indeed no small one, but the torment was truly torment.

And under the effect of the Blessing of the Goddess of Life, Su Chen's consciousness remained incomparably clear. He could not even faint and skip this process.

While Sky Dream Ice Silkworm frantically poured energy into Su Chen's body, the Heavenly Tribulation still descended.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's consciousness vanished into nothingness beneath that final tribulation strike.

"No—"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was filled with unwillingness.

He had thought he had found a path to survival, only to end up making a wedding dress for someone else?

Heaven was unfair.

Neither Su Chen nor Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, whose consciousness had dispersed, noticed that as the final Heavenly Tribulation fell, a new golden ring caught up with the previous nine. Ten golden rings enveloped Su Chen's body together.

At the final moment of his life, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm advanced ahead of time into a Million-Year Soul Beast.

God of Destruction: What a joke. Would I let Su Chen receive worse treatment than Tang San's damn son-in-law? A Million-Year Soul Ring means a Million-Year Soul Ring, not one year less.

He forcefully used Destructive Power to squeeze out Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's life force to its limit, raising him to the level of a Million-Year Soul Beast.

With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's consciousness gone, the God of Destruction could only intervene personally to help Su Chen seal the excess energy.

Su Chen was not yet within the Star Dou Forest. Combined with the earlier Heavenly Tribulation disturbances and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual force impact, no living creature would approach him.

In that utterly quiet environment, Su Chen's cycle of agony and bliss finally came to an end.

"It's finally over."

Su Chen sat on a rock with a numb expression.

Having his body scoured by violent energy felt terrible. It was like forcing an elephant into a refrigerator; there was no way the refrigerator could feel good.

Yet whenever he felt his body was about to be torn apart, the Water of Life would take effect.

The ordeal left him half-dead with misery.

"Let's see what my first soul skill is."

After resting for a while, Su Chen wanted to examine his gains.

His Martial Soul was completely different from Huo Yuhao's, so his soul skill would certainly be different as well.

But just then, the God of Destruction's voice rang out again.

"Little Chen, wait a moment. I have a bit of trouble and need your help."

"Hm? Senior Destruction, go ahead."

Su Chen was somewhat puzzled. What trouble could the God of Destruction possibly encounter?