He stopped in front of Huo Yuhao. The boy had completely lost consciousness and lay curled on the ground, utterly powerless to resist.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm slowly extended his feelers toward him, as though confirming something, yet also as though hesitating.
The spot where Xu Jingyao lay "unconscious" was not far from Huo Yuhao, just within the enormous insect's range of perception. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's feelers paused, then turned in his direction.
Xu Jingyao stopped pretending.
He opened his eyes, sat up from the ground, and brushed the dirt from the hem of his clothes. Then he stood and walked toward the enormous insect.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's feelers abruptly shot upright, and his massive body drew back slightly, as though he had instinctively sensed something.
Xu Jingyao stopped before him and looked up at his writhing, snow-white body. A smile hung on his face, but his gaze was as calm as a deep pool.
"Rather than sacrifice yourself to him, why not come with me?" Confidence showed on Xu Jingyao's face. "You can merge your spiritual power and Origin into my Soul Ring, and become my pet. How about it? You should be able to sense the aura of gods on me. If you're willing, I can take you soaring into the Divine Realm. Rather than gambling on an uncertain future, you'd be better off following me."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's feelers began trembling violently.
He backed away several steps, his massive body rolling over the bushes and snapping several small trees.
He turned his head and glanced at Huo Yuhao, who lay curled on the ground, unconscious.
That scrawny boy whose Soul Power was so faint it could almost be disregarded.
Then he turned back to look at the boy before him, whose meridians were wide and open, with a faint hint of divine pressure emanating from the depths of his aura.
His feelers swayed hesitantly in the air, as though weighing his options.
Then he went still.
"All right, I agree." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out directly in Xu Jingyao's Sea of Consciousness, carrying an excitement he could barely conceal.
For Tian Meng, whether he became a Soul Spirit or a pet, his sole purpose was to become a god!
Now, a broad, open road practically lay before him. Even if it meant becoming a pet, he would accept it!
He hesitated no longer. His massive body suddenly blazed with dazzling golden light, which gushed from every segment and converged into a golden torrent that poured straight into the point between Xu Jingyao's brows.
At the same time, an even deeper Spiritual Origin peeled away from his body, like silk being drawn from a cocoon, and flowed entirely into Xu Jingyao's Soul Ring.
Xu Jingyao felt his Soul Power climbing at a terrifying speed.
The golden power of Origin surged into his body like a downpour falling on a parched riverbed, every inch of his meridians greedily swallowing it.
Level forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six...
His Soul Power Level was practically increasing in leaps, while the vortex of Soul Power inside him spun faster and faster, growing ever more condensed.
At the same time, the miraculous seed he had been born with continually transformed the energy pouring in from the other party.
At that very instant, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual form also rushed into Xu Jingyao's Sea of Consciousness.
Then he froze.
Xu Jingyao's Sea of Consciousness stretched without end. Green life energy and purple destruction energy intertwined into a vast nebula, and in its deepest reaches, two enormous figures stood silently.
One was emerald green as spring, the other dark purple as an abyss. Their auras entwined, holding up the vault of the entire spiritual world.
Before these two figures, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's enormous spiritual form was as insignificant as a speck of dust.
He instinctively curled into a ball, his feelers pressed tightly against his body as he shivered.
Those were traces of the Goddess of Life's and the God of Destruction's remnant souls, floating quietly in the depths of Xu Jingyao's Sea of Consciousness like two sleeping divine statues.
Yet just the wisp of aura they unconsciously released pressed down on the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm so heavily that even his thoughts nearly ground to a halt.
At the very instant the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm completed his sacrifice, the sky outside suddenly darkened.
Dark clouds rolled in from nowhere, piling layer upon layer and weighing down the heavens, while lightning slithered like snakes through their depths.
Then a gray shadow slipped from the clouds, utterly soundless, like a meteor plunging to earth, and sank straight into the point between Xu Jingyao's brows.
The instant the gray shadow merged into his Sea of Consciousness, a proud voice rang out in Xu Jingyao's mind, brief yet carrying the imposing spirit of one who looked down upon the world.
"With sun and moon in my grasp, I pluck the stars; none in this world is my equal."
As the words faded, the gray shadow turned into a speck of light and merged into the green ocean within his Sea of Consciousness, disappearing from sight.
The brief phenomenon departed as quickly as it had arrived. The dark clouds scattered, daylight fell once more, and the forest returned to its usual dimness.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual form had completely merged into Xu Jingyao's Soul Ring. Deprived of its power of Origin, his enormous insect body became a thin, transparent shell that shattered and dispersed in the wind, leaving nothing behind.
Xu Jingyao stood where he was with his eyes closed, feeling the surging Soul Power within him gradually settle.
His Soul Power had already climbed to level 49...
Just a little more!
It looks like I'll probably need to condense a Soul Core before I can break through to level 50.
He opened his eyes and glanced at Huo Yuhao, who still lay unconscious on the ground.
The boy lay curled up, his face pale, the wounds on his shoulder and arm still seeping blood, completely unaware of what he had just missed.
Xu Jingyao walked over, crouched down, and took another Locator Gem from his Storage Soul Tool. He gently pressed it into a gap in the White Tiger Dagger's hilt, making sure it was firmly embedded before standing up.
"Shadow Douluo," he called softly.
Shadow Douluo slowly regained consciousness and stood with a hand against a tree trunk, his head still feeling somewhat heavy. "Pavilion Master... what was that just now...?"
"Nothing. Let's go." Xu Jingyao opened his fan, concealing half his face, and turned toward the edge of the forest. "Our business here is finished."
Shadow Douluo asked no further questions and followed behind him. Their figures soon vanished into the shadows of the dense forest.
They did not go far, instead setting up a tent nearby using a concealment Soul Tool.
Xu Jingyao sat cross-legged and began stabilizing the Soul Power that had just surged so dramatically.
Shadow Douluo stood guard at the cave entrance, vigilantly watching for any movement around them.
Roughly twenty or thirty minutes later, footsteps sounded from deep within the forest.
Xu Jingyao opened his eyes and looked outside through a gap at the cave entrance.
A boy and a girl emerged from among the trees. The boy had a tall, slender build and handsome features, and wore a fitted blue outfit.
The girl was petite, her hair tied in a ponytail, her large eyes filled with anxiety. The two headed straight toward where Huo Yuhao lay unconscious.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
They found Huo Yuhao curled on the ground. Tang Ya cried out and rushed over, checked his breathing, then turned to Bei Bei. "He's still alive. He's only passed out."
Bei Bei crouched down and examined the wound on Huo Yuhao's shoulder, his brow furrowing. "Wind Baboon claw marks. Did he kill it alone?"
"Never mind that for now. Let's take him back." Tang Ya helped Huo Yuhao up, and Bei Bei took over, lifting him onto his back.
The two hurried away, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
Before you continue