A Giant Bug Wouldn't Be So Bad Either

"Whoa, so this is the Killing Domain?" Huo Yuhao murmured, having escaped the White Tiger Duke Mansion with the help of his Spirit Eye Illusion.

Of the two remaining options, he'd only completed the fourth.

As for the third...

What the hell kind of daughter was he supposed to have?!

Just thinking about it made him mad. He'd nearly been caught by the people from the Duke's Mansion because of that option.

Luckily, the Spirit Eye Illusion was amazing.

The Killing Domain from Option Four was powerful, too.

Within the domain, all creatures' attack power was reduced by 30%.

His own attack power increased by 10%.

It also had a special effect: every Soul Master he killed granted an additional 1% increase in its power.

It really did mean killing anyone he came across, just as Huo Yuhao had expected.

He just felt like the effect was a little evil.

"Why do I feel like people would take me for an Evil Soul Master..." Huo Yuhao thought after experiencing the Killing Domain's Soul Skill.

"Wait, if I don't tell anyone, who'll know?"

One year later.

The Star Luo Empire.

A blue-haired boy dressed in white hurried along the road.

It was Huo Yuhao, who had spent a whole year living in the wilderness.

After waiting so long, he'd decided it was time to set out for the Star Dou Great Forest and unlock the ridiculously powerful cheat that was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

If Electrolux showed up, too, he'd consider it a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

He was now at the edge of the Star Luo Empire, close to the Star Dou Great Forest.

In theory, he wouldn't run into the Tang Sect duo.

Apart from a change of clothes, the only thing Huo Yuhao had on him was the White Tiger Dagger.

No map, Soul Coins, or provisions. Nothing.

A year of living in the wilderness had nearly turned him into a wild man.

But it wasn't a big deal. As long as there was a river along the way, he'd have food. If he had food, he wouldn't starve, and if he didn't starve, he'd win.

Before long, he reached a river.

"You. Jump out on your own."

Huo Yuhao met a fish's gaze and gave it an order.

This was another use for the Spirit Eye Illusion, and a pretty practical one. Thanks to it, Huo Yuhao had meat with nearly every meal.

"That's enough, that's enough."

After several fish leaped out, Huo Yuhao skewered them and started roasting them.

In the original story, Huo Yuhao had roasted fish right here and then met the Tang Sect duo.

But Huo Yuhao probably wouldn't run into them.

And if he did, he'd better run as fast as he could and avoid any contact.

"Wow, that smells amazing." Huo Yuhao caught the aroma of the grilled fish and couldn't help exclaiming.

It wasn't his first time roasting fish, but each time, it seemed to smell even better.

Now that he thought about it, he must have inherited the original Huo Yuhao's fish-roasting skills perfectly.

Just as Huo Yuhao finished eating two grilled fish, a girl's delighted cry rang out. "What's that delicious smell? It smells so good!"

"Holy crap, the cheat characters!"

Huo Yuhao dropped the fish bones and immediately sprinted toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

Not long after he left, a young man and woman appeared where he'd been roasting fish.

"Huh? Where is everyone?" the pink-haired girl asked, puzzled.

"Maybe they just left. There are still two freshly grilled fish here. If we wait, they should come back," the short-haired boy with deep blue hair reasoned.

"Okay." The pink-haired girl gazed longingly at the two grilled fish.

They had no idea that Huo Yuhao had run off the moment he heard Tang Ya's voice.

"Beibei, do you think we should recruit him into our Tang Sect?"

"Forget it, Xiao Ya. You know what the Tang Sect is like."

"Bold words! What did you just call me?" Tang Ya glared at Beibei.

Beibei helplessly waved a hand. "Nothing, Teacher Xiao Ya. You must've misheard."

While the two flirted, Huo Yuhao had already reached a wooden sign.

It was the same sign Huo Yuhao had passed in the original story.

It read: You are about to enter the Star Dou Great Forest. Beware of Soul Beasts.

"Looks like I didn't take a wrong turn." Seeing the words on the rotting sign, Huo Yuhao confirmed that he'd reached the Star Dou Great Forest.

A year of wilderness living had greatly improved his stamina.

It had also made him much better at running away.

Huo Yuhao took out the White Tiger Dagger and continued deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

He knew exactly what was supposed to happen next.

Of course, if the Wind Baboon didn't show up, that would be even better.

As he walked, his Spirit Eye began to warn him.

That meant the Wind Baboon had appeared!

A shadow slipped into Huo Yuhao's field of vision.

Their eyes met!

The illusion activated!

"You. Take this White Tiger Dagger."

The Wind Baboon mechanically accepted the White Tiger Dagger.

"Kill yourself."

At Huo Yuhao's command, the Wind Baboon didn't hesitate. It struck itself.

Blood sprayed everywhere!

With another slash, the Wind Baboon breathed its last and fell to the ground. A white Soul Ring floated above it.

"Easy pickings. This beginner-area boss was nothing special."

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao raised his hand and slapped it against the ground!

He shouted, "Summoning Jutsu! Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!"

The tree: "..."

The ground: "..."

Huo Yuhao picked up the White Tiger Dagger and casually looked around.

Just then, a voice rang in his mind.

"Waaah, waaah, I've finally found you! Finally... a human with a Mental Attribute!"

So it had finally come. Huo Yuhao let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Once he got his hands on Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, the Ice Empress and Snow Empress would be within easy reach.

If Sky Dream Ice Silkworm knew what Huo Yuhao was thinking right now, it might have been so scared that it would've burrowed straight back underground.

Unfortunately, it couldn't read minds.

As Sky Dream Ice Silkworm appeared, the temperature around them dropped.

Huo Yuhao's breath turned to icy mist.

Even though the temperature had fallen, a smile still curved Huo Yuhao's lips.

The icy mist just made it harder to see.

Huo Yuhao sized up the enormous silkworm.

Its body was a lustrous white, and though it had crawled out of a muddy pit, not a speck of mud clung to it.

It also had ten golden rings on its body.

Each represented a hundred thousand years of cultivation, making ten rings a million years in total.

[ Ding! ]

[ Choice triggered! ]

[ Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sensed that you were a Soul Master with a Mental Attribute and burrowed up from underground. What will you choose? ]

[ Option One: Accept: Don't resist, and fuse with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Completion reward (a ten-thousand-year Mental Attribute Soul Ring) ]

[ Option Two: Politely refuse: Tell Sky Dream Ice Silkworm that you're not interested in a mere million-year Soul Ring. Completion reward (a Soul Art) ]

[ Option Three: A giant bug wouldn't be so bad either: Trick Sky Dream Ice Silkworm into your Sea of Consciousness and then... heh heh heh. Completion reward (50% control over Sky Dream Ice Silkworm) ]

[ Option Four: Attack first: Skip the nonsense and kill Sky Dream Ice Silkworm at once. Take its Soul Ring and Soul Bone. Completion reward (the torso bone of a million-year Soul Beast) ]