This was a frozen plain.
The frozen land stretched for a thousand miles, without a soul in sight. The air was bitterly cold, but that also made it exceptionally fresh.
There was no sun in the sky, yet the light was bright, and the cloudless blue heavens stretched endlessly.
Several towering snowy peaks and ice mountains stood in the distance, their pale blue hues soothing beneath the blue sky.
Though it was a frozen plain, the surroundings were beautiful, like an earthly paradise that washed the soul clean.
Two figures rested on the vast expanse of soft snow. One was a blue-haired boy lying on the ground, deeply unconscious. The other was a little blond-haired girl sitting beside him, studying him curiously.
They were Huo Yuhao and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who had already completed their fusion.
"What a terrifying Sea of Consciousness." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked around this magnificent world of ice and snow. Its boundless frozen expanse resembled his homeland, the Far North, which he had not seen for ten thousand years.
He murmured, "Boy, are you really a human who's only rank ten?"
Huo Yuhao was still unconscious and could not answer him. The power the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had accumulated over a million years was truly terrifying. He needed time to digest and absorb it.
"Never mind. I've become your Soul Ring anyway, so the more monstrous your talent, the better. Oh, right, boy, I still don't know your name~"
A wicked grin appeared on his face.
"Hehe, boy, let me take a look at your memories."
"We're companions now, so a little look won't hurt, right? Hohoho~"
Without the slightest awareness that he was invading someone else's privacy, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm gave himself permission on Huo Yuhao's behalf.
He reached both hands toward Huo Yuhao's head. With a flash of white light, countless points of light spilled out, gathering into two pale blue orbs, one large and one small.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm reached out and touched the smaller orb.
Instantly, countless unfamiliar memories flooded his mind.
He saw the life of a little boy.
It was a very unusual little boy.
From an early age, he had shown extraordinary intelligence and quick wit, learning anything after being taught just once. Whenever he was with his mother, he always wore a genuinely happy smile.
Yet he also often gazed up at the stars alone in the dead of night, his face bearing a depth and maturity at odds with his appearance.
His family circumstances were far from happy. His father had always been absent, and the mother who stayed by his side endured constant oppression. For his mother's sake, he had done something insane...
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm silently digested everything as more than ten years of Huo Yuhao's memories finished playing like a film.
"So your name is Huo Yuhao. You were extraordinary even as a child..."
He glanced again at the still-unconscious Huo Yuhao and could not help marveling, but the larger orb soon drew his attention.
Looking puzzled, he reached out. "If that orb held Huo Yuhao's memories, then what's this?"
Just as the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was about to touch the blue orb, an aged voice spoke calmly.
"I advise you not to pry into that."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly turned around, only to see the familiar Gray Figure.
"You scared me..." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm pouted.
This mysterious Gray Figure had settled inside Huo Yuhao's mind, taking the form of a gray orb of light. Even the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had no idea where he had come from.
Fortunately, he showed no ill intent. Although the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was wary of him, he gradually grew bolder after realizing nothing happened if he simply ignored him.
"Why?" He stuck out his tongue and poked a finger toward the orb. "I'm looking anyway~"
Another stretch of unfamiliar memories flooded his mind, but this time, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm froze in place, his expression stunned.
These memories also belonged to Huo Yuhao, but what had he just seen?
"Wh... what is this?"
He had seen-another world.
A world completely different from the Douluo Continent!
There were no Soul Masters or soul beasts there. There was a boy who had likewise lived for more than ten years in that vibrant, colorful world.
What's going on? Could other worlds really exist? The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was utterly shaken. This went beyond everything he had known in his million-year life.
Suddenly, his expression changed. Pain twisted his face, and he clutched his head.
"Arghhh-"
He groaned softly as countless white and golden orbs of light spilled from his body.
Beside him, the Gray Figure spoke calmly. "I warned you. Like mine, his soul did not originally belong to this world. Do not pry into it lightly."
Then his form faded, turning back into a gray orb of light.
"Where is this?"
At some point, Huo Yuhao had awakened. He was puzzling over his surroundings when he noticed the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm suffering beside him.
"What's wrong?" He stepped forward to ask, only to frown as the specks of light floating around them flew toward him.
"What is this?"
Huo Yuhao held out his palm, and a tiny orb of light settled into it.
"Don't look..."
"Please, don't look!"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm pleaded weakly, sobs audible in his choked voice.
Before Huo Yuhao could react, a long, unfamiliar stretch of memories suddenly appeared in his mind, countless images flashing rapidly before his eyes.
He seemed to be standing on an entirely new frozen plain. Unlike the paradise from before, this place could only be called hell.
The ceaselessly howling wind carried coarse snow like iron grit. Heavy clouds of ice shrouded almost the entire sky, blotting out the light of day.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless ice and snow.
What godforsaken place is this now? Huo Yuhao wondered.
Yet countless soul beasts inhabited this snowbound land with its brutal conditions.
"Awooo-"
A Snow Wolf raised its head and howled, charging straight at Huo Yuhao.
However, its body passed right through him.
This isn't real. It's an illusion. Huo Yuhao quickly reached that conclusion.
Crack-
A noise came from a short distance ahead, and a plump, tender-looking, snow-white silkworm about half a meter long burst out of the snow.
Realizing the danger had passed, he wriggled with delight.
"Is this an ice silkworm?" Huo Yuhao noticed that this little silkworm looked remarkably similar to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's original body.
However, just as the little silkworm was basking in his joy, another sudden change occurred.
Boom-
An enormous body nearly a hundred meters tall fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground and setting off violent tremors.
Its aura was terrifying, sending every soul beast within dozens of miles fleeing in panic.
The little silkworm could barely move. With all his strength, he burrowed into the snow beneath him, as though that thin layer could offer him safe shelter.
Boom-
Another tremendous crash rang out. A second figure, similar to the first but even taller, let out a low roar and slowly approached.
Every step it took left a footprint nearly ten meters long in the snowfield.
"What is this? A monster brawl?"
Huo Yuhao was not frightened in the slightest. Instead, he began watching with keen interest.
Knowing this was an illusion, he naturally treated it as a VR movie.
The two giant figures looked much like Snow Monsters, with humanoid bodies, white fur covering them from head to toe, blue faces, and protruding fangs.
The two Snow Monsters swung their fists at each other, displaying their strength through the most primitive form of combat. But the first was clearly no match for the second.
"Uppercut... throw him... what lousy fighting."
Huo Yuhao watched and offered commentary with relish, then shook his head in disappointment.
The first was simply no match for the second. The gap was too great.
"Roar-"
The second Snow Monster roared furiously, hoisted the first high overhead, then slammed it down onto the frozen plain.
Crack, crack-
The ice, already on the verge of collapse from their battle, finally shattered. A blue-and-white chasm a hundred meters long swallowed everything on the frozen plain.
The little silkworm hiding in the snow fell into it along with the ice and snow.
The chasm gradually closed, and beneath the blizzard, the ravaged frozen plain soon returned to its original shape.