Let Brother Tianmeng suffer a little, I'll bear the infamy (Seeking collection, seeking follow-up reading)

[You are about to enter the territory of the Star Dou Great Forest, 50 li ahead. Soul beasts are active; please exercise caution.]

Looking at this sign, which felt both unusually familiar and deeply etched in his memory, Baili Du spoke with a tone of profound nostalgia: "It really brings back memories."

Within his sea of divine consciousness, the cheeky voice of [God Tianmeng] rang in his ears: "Yeah, yeah. It was right here that we two brothers met, and then I carried you as you soared..."

[God Bingdi] gave a huff and slammed a claw onto [God Tianmeng]'s large head: "Do you even have the right to say that, you freeloader?"

Ignoring [God Tianmeng]'s feigned, loud wailing, [God Xiaobai] chimed in: "That's right, that's right..."

Snow Empress and Liya simply watched their bickering with smiles.

Feeling the liveliness within his sea of divine consciousness, a happy smile appeared on [Baili Du]'s face.

In the end, they were the ones who had been by his side all along.

Little Huo Yuhao tugged at the hem of [Baili Du]'s coat 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 am a soul master, too. How could a soul master never visit the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"Then... Uncle, what exactly is your cultivation level?"

This was the question little Huo Yuhao wanted to ask most.

[Baili Du] fell silent for a moment, exhaled a long, heavy breath, and shook his head with regret: "I am very strong, yet also very weak. Strong enough that almost no one is my match; weak enough that I haven't even achieved the goal for which I cultivated..."

People often forget why they started walking once they have traveled too far.

The avenger Huo Yuhao eventually lived to become a joke named Dai Yuhao...

He promptly changed the subject: "Let's not talk about that. I can feel it—the soul ring suitable for you is just ahead. Go on, go yourself!"

Deep underground, a snow-white giant silkworm was constantly wiggling toward the outer perimeter of the forest.

"Ah, the heavens are watching... that place... as long as I can reach that place..."

This was the Tianmeng Iceworm of this era. As a million-year soul beast—and a million-year soul beast that had slept its way to that level—Tianmeng Iceworm, which lacked stats, mechanics, and relied entirely on luck, possessed undeniably sharp perception. Its intuition told it that great fortune awaited it ahead.

Sure enough! It found a little fellow, and a little fellow with very strong spiritual power at that.

Just like the sequence in the original history, as little Huo Yuhao walked, he bumped into a century-old... Wind Baboon.

Seeing this Wind Baboon jumping left and right before his eyes, throwing monkey punches and constantly provoking him, little Yuhao felt an indescribable sense of depression and anger surge into his heart for no reason, as if this monkey were his mortal enemy.

After striking the monkey with a heavy blow of spiritual power, he manifested his Deep Blue Glazed Dragon martial soul, grabbed the stinking monkey by the neck, and snapped it with raw force.

To be honest, even he didn't know why he had struck with such heavy force; his personality was clearly not that brutal...

Just then, a voice abruptly rang out in little Yuhao's mind.

"Finally, I've encountered a human with a spiritual attribute! It's a pity I can't shed tears, or I'd be weeping right now!"

Then came the million-year soul beast's self-aggrandizing boasting. Before Huo Yuhao could even respond, an aura of extreme cold instantly caused him to lose consciousness as it forced a fusion upon him.

"What strong physical constitution and spiritual power! Hahaha! I've really struck gold this time!"

Upon entering little Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, Tianmeng Iceworm, which had been dreaming of Huo Yuhao growing up to punch Di Tian and stomp on Lord Bear, was instantly dumbfounded.

"...What kind of person have I chosen as a host?"

What did it see?

Within the not-so-small spiritual space hung a golden vertical eye, surrounded by nine-colored ripples, as if the heavens themselves had opened their eyes to watch this world. A deep blue giant dragon with four pairs of wings roamed around the vertical eye, and there was also a gray-gold, ominous figure that, though as faint as a firefly, seemed to contain all the ominousness in the world.

"This, this, this... what is this situation? It's actually a twin martial soul! And this martial soul is... oh heavens!"

Upon seeing the massive phantom of the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon, the tremor originating from the depths of its soul beast bloodline left Tianmeng Iceworm frozen in place.

"Oh no, doesn't that mean the ice-attribute martial soul I painstakingly prepared is... what the hell, what is happening!!!"

The deep blue giant dragon opened its fanged maw toward Tianmeng Iceworm.

"Brother Tianmeng, it's just that the you of this era will have to suffer a little."

The gods in the sea of divine consciousness were all stunned, and [God Tianmeng] asked curiously: "Huh? What do you mean? Don't you already have a second martial soul?"

"Well... how should I put it? The [soulless ice martial soul] you gave [me] back then needs to change. During this process, the you of this era might have to... well, be a bit uncomfortable."

Then, ignoring [God Tianmeng] shouting "hello" in the sea of divine consciousness, Baili Du turned and walked to where little Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged. He raised his hand and pressed it onto the boy's forehead, injecting his divine consciousness and divine power into little Huo Yuhao's body like strands of silk.

Inside little Yuhao's spiritual sea, Tianmeng Iceworm was shrieking, its snow-white body twisting: "Ahhh... stop, stop, don't do this, ahhhhh--!"

The biggest difference between a million-year soul beast and a hundred-thousand-year soul beast offering a sacrifice is the ability to transform oneself into a martial soul for the host to absorb—essentially granting a soul master a martial soul out of thin air. As a genuine million-year soul beast, Tianmeng naturally possessed this special ability.

But as the martial soul bestowal neared completion, the predetermined ice attribute shattered and disintegrated, being entirely absorbed by the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon martial soul within the spiritual sea.

At this moment, the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon not only possessed [Extreme Water] but also gained the ability to control the [Ice Attribute].

After all, [Water] and [Ice] were the same thing; they were merely different states caused by different temperatures.

With its most fundamental power being forcibly seized, Tianmeng was naturally in agony, but neither [Baili Du] nor Electrolux could spare any attention for the screaming Tianmeng; they hurried to get down to business.

The shattered light mist re-aggregated, forming a formless Blank Martial Soul, no longer limited to the ice attribute, nor constrained by the restrictions of a beast martial soul.

This was also a reserved slot prepared for Electrolux.

To prevent Tang San from using any more underhanded tactics to harm Electrolux, the method Baili Du had discussed with Electrolux at the time was exactly this: allowing Electrolux's power to truly manifest as one of Huo Yuhao's Martial Souls, providing a stable environment for his remnant soul to recover.

It was also a contingency plan—a countermeasure against Tang San's ten-thousand-year grand scheme.

Outside.

Baili Du narrowed his eyes slightly. Although the Blank Martial Soul had been created by borrowing Brother Tianmeng's power, Electrolux's divine sense was currently too weak; it was insufficient to form a new Martial Soul on its own.

So... what should be used to supplement it? It would be best to find something with attributes and abilities similar to those of Elder Yi.

Thinking this, Baili Du's gaze drifted toward a forbidden forest in the distance.

That place was also a location sabotaged by Buddha Tang's ten-thousand-year grand scheme.

"Teacher, what do you think of this power? Although it is of the dark attribute, it is at least at the ultimate level, and it also possesses the ability to traverse space."

With the assistance of Baili Du's divine sense detection, Electrolux carefully inspected it and stroked his beard in satisfaction. "This is not bad; let us choose this one. However, do not interfere in this matter yourself; let the little fellow handle it."

"...That works too. In any case, with you here, there shouldn't be any problems."

After finishing his exchange with Baili Du outside, Electrolux stroked his beard and said with a chuckle to the disgruntled Tianmeng Iceworm, "Hehe... big worm, my actions were a bit rough just now. I offer you my apologies."

Tianmeng Iceworm was not buying it. That was the sealing power he had spent thousands of years refining!

"Hey, hey, old man! You made my ice-attribute origin disappear! That was power that could have given my host a Martial Soul! How are you going to compensate me?!"

Electrolux simply smiled, raised his hand, and struck the air toward Tianmeng Iceworm. As he began to chant an incantation, a golden hexagram array completely enveloped Tianmeng Iceworm.

"Hehe, let me compensate you with this first."

"Ah? This is... divine sense! Old man, you..." The two small golden eyes of the previously highly dissatisfied Tianmeng Iceworm suddenly erupted with a look of pleasant surprise.

Only then did Tianmeng Iceworm discover the marvelous utility of this golden hexagram array.