[You will enter the Star Dou Great Forest in fifty li. Soul Beasts have been sighted. Be careful.]
Looking at the sign, which was eerily familiar and etched deeply into his memory, Baili Du spoke with a wistful sigh. "It really brings back memories."
Within his Spiritual Sea, [God Tianmeng]'s cheeky voice rang in his ears. "Yeah, yeah. The two of us met here, and then your big brother carried you all the way to success..."
[God Bingdi] smacked [God Tianmeng]'s enormous head with one of her pincers. "You were just along for the ride. What gives you the right to say that?"
Ignoring [God Tianmeng]'s deliberately loud yelps, [God Xiaobai] chimed in as well. "Exactly, exactly..."
Snow Empress and Liya simply watched them bicker with smiles.
Hearing the lively commotion in his Spiritual Sea, [Baili Du] couldn't help smiling happily.
In the end, they had always been the ones by his side.
Little Huo Yuhao tugged at the hem of [Baili Du]'s shirt and asked curiously, "Uncle Baili, have you been to the Star Dou Great Forest before?"
[Baili Du] smiled at Little Huo Yuhao. "Of course. I'm a Soul Master too. How could a Soul Master not come to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"Then... Uncle, what's your cultivation level?"
That was what Little Huo Yuhao wanted to ask most.
[Baili Du] fell silent for a moment, breathed out a mouthful of stale air, then shook his head regretfully. "I'm both strong and weak. Strong enough that almost no one can match me, yet so weak that I haven't even achieved the goal that made me cultivate in the first place..."
People who traveled too far often forgot why they had set out.
Huo Yuhao, the avenger, had ultimately become a joke named Dai Yuhao...
He promptly changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. I can sense that the Soul Ring suitable for you is just up ahead. Go find it yourself!"
Deep underground, a snow-white silkworm was wriggling toward the outskirts of the forest.
"Ah, just a little farther... that place... as long as I can reach that place..."
It was the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm of this era. As a million-year Soul Beast—and one that had reached a million years by sleeping—its perception was astonishingly sharp. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had no stats and no special abilities, just pure luck, but its instincts told it that great fortune awaited up ahead.
Sure enough! It found a little fellow—and one with powerful mental strength, at that.
Just as the original history had played out, Little Huo Yuhao was walking along when he ran into a hundred-year-old... Wind Baboon.
As Little Yuhao watched the Wind Baboon hop back and forth in front of him, taunting him with monkey punches, an indescribable wave of irritation and fury surged through his heart. It was as if the monkey were his mortal enemy.
He struck the monkey hard with his mental power, then activated Deep Blue Glazed Dragon Martial Soul Possession, grabbed the filthy monkey by the neck, and snapped it.
To be honest, even he didn't know why he had used such force. He wasn't normally so violent...
Just then, a voice abruptly rang out in Little Yuhao's mind.
"I've finally found a human with a Mental Attribute! Too bad your big brother can't cry, or I'd be weeping tears of joy!"
Then came the million-year Soul Beast's self-congratulatory boasting. Before Huo Yuhao could respond at all, an aura of extreme cold instantly robbed him of consciousness, forcing a fusion on him whether he wanted it or not.
"What an incredible body and mental strength! Hahaha! I've really struck gold this time!"
After entering Little Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm—who had been dreaming of Huo Yuhao growing up to punch Di Tian and stomp Xiong Jun—was instantly dumbfounded.
"...What kind of host did I choose?"
What did it see?
A golden, upright eye hung in the not-too-small mental space, surrounded by rippling, nine-colored waves. It was as if the heavens had opened an eye to gaze upon the world. A deep-blue giant dragon with four pairs of wings, eight in all, circled the upright eye. And there was also an ominous gray-gold figure. Though faint as a firefly, it seemed to contain every ill omen in the world.
"Th-this... what's going on? He has Twin Martial Souls! And this Martial Soul is... Good heavens!"
The moment it saw the enormous phantom of the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon, the tremor rising from the deepest roots of its Soul Beast bloodline left the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm frozen in shock.
"Oh no! Then the Ice-attribute Martial Soul I carefully prepared... What the hell is going on?!"
The deep-blue dragon opened its mouth, baring a maw full of fangs at the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
"Brother Sky Dream, we'll just have to make you suffer a little in this era."
All the gods in the Spiritual Sea paused. [God Tianmeng] asked curiously, "Huh? What do you mean? Doesn't this version of you already have a Second Martial Soul?"
"Mm... how should I put it? That 'soulless Ice Martial Soul' you gave [me] back then needs to be changed a little. While that's happening, this era's you might... well, feel a bit uncomfortable."
Then Baili Du ignored [God Tianmeng]'s protests from within the Spiritual Sea and went over to where Little Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged. He raised a hand and pressed it to Little Huo Yuhao's forehead, sending wisps of divine sense and divine power into his body.
Inside Little Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was shrieking and writhing, its snow-white body twisting in agony. "Aaah! Stop, stop! No, nooooo—!"
The greatest difference between the sacrifice of a million-year Soul Beast and that of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast was that the former could transform itself into a Martial Soul for its host to absorb, granting the Soul Master a Martial Soul out of thin air. As a genuine million-year Soul Beast, the Sky Dream naturally possessed this special ability.
But just as the granting of the Martial Soul was about to be completed, the predetermined Ice Attribute shattered and disintegrated, only to be completely absorbed by the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon Martial Soul in the Spiritual Sea.
Now, the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon possessed not only [Ultimate Water], but also control over the [Ice Attribute].
At the end of the day, [water] and [ice] were one and the same. The difference was merely a change of state caused by temperature.
With its most fundamental power forcibly snatched away, the Sky Dream was naturally in agony. But [Baili Du] and Electrolux had no time to attend to its screams. They hurried to get down to business.
The shattered light and mist gathered once more, forming a formless, Blank Martial Soul. It was no longer restricted to the Ice Attribute, nor was it limited by the constraints of a Beast Martial Soul.
This was the slot prepared for Electrolux.
To prevent Tang San from using some other underhanded trick to harm Electrolux, [Baili Du] and Electrolux had agreed on this solution: turn Electrolux's power into one of Huo Yuhao's Martial Souls, allowing his remnant soul to recuperate securely.
It was also a contingency plan—a contingency plan against Tang San's Ten Thousand Year Plan...
Outside.
Baili Du narrowed his eyes slightly. Although the [Blank Martial Soul] had been created with Brother Sky Dream's power, Electrolux's divine sense was still far too weak to form a new Martial Soul on its own.
So... what could they use to supplement it? Ideally, something with attributes and abilities similar to Elder Yi's.
As he thought, Baili Du's gaze turned toward a forbidden forest in the distance.
That was also where Buddha Tang's Ten Thousand Year Plan had set its trap.
"Teacher, what do you think of this power? It has a Dark Attribute, but it's still at the Ultimate level, and it can cross through space."
With Baili Du's divine sense guiding him, Electrolux carefully examined it. Satisfied, he stroked his beard. "This will do. Let's choose it. But don't get involved. Let the little fellow handle it himself."
"...All right. You'll be fine here anyway, old man."
After communicating with Baili Du outside, Electrolux stroked his beard and said with a chuckle to the unhappy Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, "Heh heh... Big Worm, I was a bit rough just now. I apologize."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wasn't buying it. That was the power of the seal it had spent thousands of years figuring out!
"Hey, old man! You wiped out my Ice Attribute source! That was the power that could give my host a Martial Soul! How are you going to make it up to me?!"
Electrolux smiled and raised a hand, making a sweeping motion toward the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. He began reciting an incantation, and a golden hexagram-shaped Magic Array appeared, completely enveloping the silkworm.
"Heh heh. Let me make it up to you with this, then."
"Huh? This is... divine sense! Old man, you..." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's two tiny golden eyes, which had been full of indignation, immediately blazed with delight.
Only then did the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm discover the marvelous use of the golden hexagram-shaped Magic Array.
Before you continue