Forced Breakthrough!

The pool was small, only a dozen or so meters across, though it was several dozen meters deep. Absorbing all of it clearly would not be easy. By drawing it into the Storage Device first, Xiao Bai could then refine and convert it within the soul space.

Soon, the water level began falling rapidly at a rate visible to the naked eye. Whenever she could no longer reach the water, Leng Xiyue stepped onto protrusions along either side and made her way down bit by bit.

It was a rather time-consuming job, and Leng Xiyue spent several hours reaching the bottom of the pool.

Although the water here had been drained dry, the cold had grown even more intense. Fortunately, she had prepared enough equipment to ward it off.

In this excessively harsh environment, the cold-resistant equipment, which cost thousands or even tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins apiece, broke down after only a few minutes. She had anticipated this, however, and had brought a huge stockpile-enough to last an entire day in these conditions without any trouble.

Leng Xiyue held out a hand, and a Psionic Energy Spear appeared in her grasp, instantly dispelling the surrounding darkness and revealing her surroundings.

"Look, something's off over there." Xiao Bai pointed at a frost-covered wall nearby. Clearly, the cave containing the ten-thousand-year cold marrow should be behind it.

Terrifying cold seeped through this wall and met the chilly air outside, which could be described as "hot" by comparison. It then condensed into liquid, forming this pool over the long years.

That also meant the wall was not very thick.

Once she confirmed this, Leng Xiyue wasted no time and blasted it with her spear.

With that single strike, the wall collapsed with a crash, as fragile as glass. Behind it lay a tunnel leading to parts unknown, utterly empty. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but pitch-black walls.

As she followed the tunnel, its initially extreme chill gradually began to ease. The farther she went, the more she could feel that it was warmer inside than outside. Eventually, the temperature reached that of the outskirts of the Far North, a level at which she no longer needed external protection.

After walking for a long time through the narrow, empty tunnel, she suddenly spotted a glimmer of deep blue light in the distance. Leng Xiyue headed toward it, and after rounding a corner, her view abruptly opened up. Before her lay a spacious cavern filled with deep blue ore, but upon closer inspection, she discovered that more than half of this enormous cavern had already been emptied out.

A little silkworm lay at the very center of the cavern, sleeping while nibbling on a crystal. He looked utterly peaceful, as though he had not noticed Leng Xiyue's arrival.

Yes, this fellow could still pass for a little silkworm. After all, his skin was so smooth and delicate, his body so soft and springy, and his face so adorable that calling him a giant body pillow would not have been an exaggeration.

At least, his cuteness sent Leng Xiyue's girlish heart into overdrive. If she could use this fellow as a body pillow, it would surely be a wonderful experience.

Walking up to him, she gently poked the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's snow-white skin twice. An incredibly soft sensation instantly enveloped her fingers, making her body tremble involuntarily.

If I could make a mattress out of this material, how comfortable would sleeping on it be!

"Mmm... who's there?" Perhaps because his body was rather sensitive, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm slowly woke after just those two gentle pokes.

Then he rubbed his eyes with his tiny paws, rolled over, and focused his gaze on Leng Xiyue and Xiao Bai beside her.

"You two... what do you want here?" Tian Meng studied this peculiar pairing of a human and a soul. He had never been an unreasonable, vicious soul beast to begin with, and now that he sensed an intimidating aura from that soul form, he was even less willing to act rashly.

"We wanted to..."

Leng Xiyue was just about to say something when Xiao Bai held out a hand to stop her. She walked up to Tian Meng and said calmly, "You can see me? That makes things much easier. We're here for a very simple reason: we want you to sacrifice yourself to her. Not only can I keep you alive, I can also give you a perfect human body. Your soul form can cultivate alongside me, gradually transcending the shackles this world has imposed on you."

Xiao Bai's words took Leng Xiyue somewhat by surprise. At that moment, she was completely different from her usual self, like a sovereign seated high above all others. Her words brooked no question, as though she had never considered the possibility that Tian Meng might refuse, nor worried that he might grow angry and keep Leng Xiyue trapped here.

"Well..." Hearing this, Tian Meng was immediately tempted. He was already a terrifying existence with ninety-three hundred thousand years of cultivation, yet before these two, he felt as insignificant as a speck of dust. Being able to cultivate with them would undoubtedly be an opportunity bestowed by heaven.

Still, he was no gullible innocent, so he asked, "How am I supposed to trust you?"

Xiao Bai said nothing. An imposing aura suddenly erupted from her, and vast amounts of psionic energy surged out of Leng Xiyue, rushing madly toward Tian Meng.

Tian Meng instinctively tried to resist, but the soul power system had no ability whatsoever to withstand an invasion of foreign psionic energy. Moreover, this energy did not harm him at all. Instead, it blended with the soul power inside him, increasing his cultivation age at a terrifying rate.

"No... not that... please, no!"

Tian Meng panicked. If he had wanted to raise his level, he could have absorbed all the resources here long ago. But he feared death, so after breaking through nine hundred thousand years, he had started slacking off, absorbing resources at an extremely slow pace. He knew perfectly well that even as a nine-hundred-thousand-year soul beast, he would still struggle to defeat those combat-oriented species with superior bloodlines. Yet now, that soul form was clearly trying to force him into submission!

Even knowing this, Tian Meng could think of no way to counter her. His spiritual power might rank among the best on the entire continent, but it had no effect whatsoever against her.

Soon, a tenth golden stripe appeared on his body. This meant that Tian Meng's cultivation age had surpassed one million years.

"What about now? If you're unwilling to come with us, I think you'll be struck dead the moment you go outside," Xiao Bai threatened.

"Hmph! You've gone too far! What do you take me for? A beast may be killed, but never humiliated! Even if I have to run up there and be struck dead by the lightning tribulation, or get caught by those ferocious beasts and used as a power bank, I will never wallow in the same mire as you!" Tian Meng declared with righteous indignation.

Xiao Bai smiled faintly. "Then what if I guarantee that you and your beloved can become, or even surpass, so-called True Gods together?"

"I'm in!"

Tian Meng knew perfectly well that, at this point, he had no way out. Once these two left, his fate would almost certainly be death by lightning tribulation.

His token struggle and refusal to join had merely been an attempt to get the powerhouse before him to promise him a few benefits.