The instant the golden light sank into his brow, a gray shadow tore through the void and shot toward Tang An's forehead as well.
It was the Calamity of the Undead, Electrolux.
Tang An's eyes shifted as he considered it.
He felt Electrolux would be better off going to Huo Yuhao.
The Soul Spirit System and Mecha Battle Armor—those brain-draining jobs were better left to them.
They could handle the hard research and crack the tough problems, while he could simply enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Tang An activated the destructive origin of the Crimson Annihilation Hammer. A faint red glimmer flashed across his forehead.
The gray shadow struck the glimmer and was gently bounced away.
The gray shadow paused, looked at Tang An, then at Huo Yuhao, who lay motionless on the ground. After hesitating for two seconds, it turned and slipped into Huo Yuhao's forehead.
Meanwhile, within Tang An's Sea of Consciousness—
The human form of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm appeared out of thin air in the vast expanse of his mind.
She was a petite young girl in a fluffy white dress, with long hair tied into two billowing twin tails. Her skin was almost translucent, and her eyes were dewy with the innocent, slightly dazed air of a young girl.
The hem of her dress fell to her knees, revealing a pair of soft, pale calves. Compared to the plump white worm from earlier, she was like someone from an entirely different world.
As soon as Tian Meng steadied herself, the sight before her made her eyes widen in shock.
The root of Tang An's Sea of Consciousness was a crystal-clear, deep-blue lake. Its waters were condensed spiritual power, rippling with light and so deep they seemed bottomless.
Two enormous phantoms floated at the center of the lake.
One was a dark-red warhammer, its head wreathed in black mist that seemed to extinguish all life.
The other was an emerald-green scythe, its blade flowing with warm green light.
They shone in tandem, radiating the aura of divine-king origins so powerful that her soul trembled.
"Heavens..." Tian Meng rubbed her eyes and murmured in disbelief,
"How is this the Sea of Consciousness of a six-year-old child? Even a Titled Douluo couldn't possibly possess such terrifying origin energy! And that lake of spiritual power..."
"Stop gawking."
Tang An's voice rang out directly in the Sea of Consciousness.
"Start forming the Soul Ring at once and become the first Soul Ring of my Immortal Scythe. Release all your power first, and stop once I reach my limit."
"Yes, Master!"
Sister Tian Meng jolted back to her senses. Without wasting another moment, she immediately unleashed all her million-year origin energy.
Vast as the sea, her spiritual power and life Soul Power poured from her body and surged through the Sea of Consciousness into every limb and bone of Tang An's body.
It was nothing like the agonizing pain he had expected. Instead, Tang An felt warm all over, as comfortable as if he were soaking in a hot spring.
The Life-Death Cycle automatically operated at full force, perfectly transforming and absorbing the incoming power as it tempered his body and soul.
The pure power of a million years was perfectly transformed and absorbed by the Life-Death Cycle, without a trace going to waste.
"My goodness... Master, your foundation is unbelievably solid!" Tian Meng exclaimed in amazement as she offered herself up.
"Just a tenth of my million-year power would've burst an ordinary Soul Master apart. But it sinks into you like a stone into the sea. Your absorption speed is terrifying!"
As soon as Tian Meng finished speaking, the Immortal Scythe phantom floating at the center of the Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled, releasing a powerful pull.
A force far more terrifying than before seized the core of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's origin.
"Ah! Master, stop!" Tian Meng's face turned deathly pale. She clutched herself and trembled, her voice breaking into a sob.
"It's drawing too fast—it's so strong! My origin! I can't take any more! Master, make it stop for a moment!"
"Little Dream, just hang on a little longer." Tang An's voice was gentle. "It's almost over. Just a little longer."
"B-but I can hardly stand it!"
Tian Meng was in so much pain that tears welled in her eyes. A watery haze clouded them as her small body curled into a ball.
She tried to struggle, tried to cut off the pull, but her true body had already completed its sacrifice, and the Soul Spirit Contract had been half established.
There was no way she could break free of the Immortal Scythe's pull. All she could do was watch as her origin was drawn away bit by bit, melting into the emerald-green scythe phantom.
After an unknown length of time, the Immortal Scythe's pull finally faded.
Tian Meng slumped onto the surface of the Sea of Consciousness, gasping for breath. Her eyes were unfocused, her little face deathly pale, and she complained weakly,
"Master, you're so ruthless... A full thirty percent of my origin was taken! How many heavenly treasures will I have to eat to get it back?"
Before she had even finished speaking, Tian Meng's eyes suddenly lit up. She could feel an inseverable soul connection between herself and Tang An.
"But... maybe it's not so bad?" She rubbed her chin and murmured,
"I can feel my life origin connected to yours now. When you cultivate, I'll benefit too, and I'll recover much faster."
Tang An ignored Tian Meng's muttering and focused on the earth-shaking changes within him.
A dazzling golden Million-Year Soul Ring slowly took shape around the hilt of the Immortal Scythe. It revolved around the weapon, radiating brilliant light.
The bottleneck at level twenty shattered instantly under the impact of the Million-Year Soul Ring.
But unlike other Soul Masters, Tang An's Soul Power didn't immediately soar. Instead, it began to compress to the utmost degree. Every trace of it was refined to its limit, until it could hold no more—then it burst through the barrier.
Level thirty, Soul Elder realm!
Even more astonishing was his body.
Under the combined tempering of the Life-Death Cycle and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's life origin, every inch of flesh and every bone underwent an astonishing transformation.
His physical strength leaped across several major realms, reaching the level of a Soul Saint.
With physical strength alone, he could now punch an ordinary Soul Ancestor to death.
His spiritual power surged as well, finally settling at the peak of the Spirit Abyss Realm, just one step away from the Spirit Domain Realm.
Everything returned to calm.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's ability to control time faded, and the world around them returned to normal.
Xiao Wu was the first to rush over, her pink hair flying in the wind and excitement written all over her face.
Xiao Wu crashed into him, breasts first, grabbed Tang An by the arm, and eagerly asked, "Little An, how did it go? What's the Soul Skill from the first Million-Year Soul Ring you absorbed?"
Nearby, Niu Tian and Tai Tan both stared blankly, their rugged faces frozen in shock.
"That little bug just now was a... a Million-Year Soul Beast?!"
Niu Tian's mouth fell open, and his voice trembled. "Sister Xiao Wu, what did you just say? Did I hear that wrong?"
Tai Tan reacted even more dramatically, his bull-like eyes bulging like bells. "Impossible! How could a Million-Year Soul Beast exist in this world? And even if one did, how could it be that little bug?"
"Those two old fools! What do you mean, how could I be a Million-Year Soul Beast?" Tian Meng scolded furiously from within the Sea of Consciousness, hands on her hips.
Tang An's lips curved slightly as he raised his left hand. The Immortal Scythe's phantom appeared in his palm, its golden Million-Year Soul Ring turning slowly and radiating an alarming pressure.
"Da Ming, you heard right." Xiao Wu proudly lifted her chin.
"Little An just absorbed a Million-Year Soul Beast! Third Brother arranged it himself!"
Niu Tian and Tai Tan exchanged glances, still unable to believe that the little bug had been a Million-Year Soul Beast.
Tang An paid no mind to their shock and began sensing the three Soul Skills Tian Meng had given him.
Before you continue