To be honest, Ming Zhao really had no intention of attacking the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
The fundamental reason was that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was simply too weak. He was so weak that Ming Zhao felt giving him a ghost slot would only weaken his own combat strength.
Compared with the remnant souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings residing in his Soul Ring, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's soul body had no value at all. His value lay entirely in the pure power he carried, which came from the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had now given all that power to Ming Zhao. Leaving aside the power of his Spiritual Origin, his soul was nothing more than a mascot.
Aside from Tian Meng himself being a bit of a maggot, the other reason was something Ming Zhao had once said.
He and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm were partners. He had not unilaterally defeated or hunted him down by force.
Unlike the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, who had delivered themselves to his door, Ming Zhao had negotiated with Tian Meng but not with the two Dragon Kings. Since they had come to him of their own accord, he naturally saw no reason to stand on ceremony with them.
Even during their negotiations, Ming Zhao had never planned to stab Tian Meng in the back once the matter was settled. Nor would he ever intend to kill him afterward, unless Tian Meng himself courted death.
If he could maintain this honest and dutiful attitude, Ming Zhao really did not mind sparing him.
As an Evil Soul Master, Ming Zhao could have no moral boundaries or limits, be cruel, tyrannical and fickle, and display every evil in human nature.
As a human being, Ming Zhao never made promises to anyone lightly, because a person had to answer for his own words.
The Holy Lord's notion that "everyone knows I don't keep my promises" was not among Ming Zhao's guiding principles. Even if he was wicked, even if he was bad, even if his evil knew no bounds, he was openly wicked and made no attempt to conceal his evil. He had no need to use lies to deceive others or whitewash himself.
Perhaps such conduct seemed utterly foolish to certain "clever people," but in Ming Zhao's eyes, were the indecision, kindness and compassion in those so-called clever people's hearts not just as foolish?
Standing in midair, Ming Zhao spent a little time digesting the sudden surge in strength within him. Only then did he open his eyes, step into space and continue on his way.
At the same time, an indifferent thought entered the mind of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who had shut off his five senses.
"You did well. As long as you remain obedient as you are now, do nothing you shouldn't and think nothing you shouldn't, whether you believe it or not, I won't slaughter the donkey once it has finished turning the millstone."
Tian Meng was stunned at first, but soon he was overjoyed.
He had no choice but to trust Ming Zhao. Clinging to the hope of living, he willingly sank into sleep.
He was used to sleeping, anyway.
As for Ming Zhao, after leaving Sunset Forest, he returned to Heaven Dou City and sat down in that familiar barbecue restaurant.
Long Xiaoyao had a barbecue restaurant in Mingdu that he favored, and this one in Heaven Dou City was also becoming Ming Zhao's favored barbecue restaurant.
But he was getting a little tired of it, so this might be his last visit.
His spiritual power spread silently like a vast sea. As he ate meat and drank wine, Ming Zhao listened in on the conversations of most of the people in Heaven Dou City, a thoughtful look on his face.
When he finished his barbecue, Ming Zhao vanished in an instant. Only a few Gold Soul Coins remained on the table, clinking with a clear ring.
He had already learned what he wanted to know.
A full year had passed since he condensed his Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core. According to the timeline, Huo Yuhao should now be entering his second year, about to take part in the core disciples' free-for-all and become part of the Shrek Seven Devils' reserve team.
Who would have thought Ming Zhao had stayed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for an entire year this time?
But come to think of it, that was only natural.
Most Titled Douluo could forget about gaining even one level in a few years, or even a few decades.
This time, Ming Zhao had not only finished condensing both Soul Cores, but had also broken through from level 85 to level 94, only one step away from becoming a Super Douluo. His combat strength had leaped from that of a Super Douluo in a normal state to that of a Limit Douluo in a normal state.
Even with the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings secretly helping him, it was by no means something that could have been accomplished in a short time. One year was already fast.
For an expert at the Titled Douluo level, spending half a year or a year in seclusion was already a very short time.
As for beasts like Soul Beasts, whose lifespans were long enough to make the Great Emperors of Shrouding the Heavens drool, a single nap might last several decades or even a century.
Ming Zhao did not care how long he had spent in seclusion, but there was something else on his mind.
According to the timeline, the original Huo Yuhao would have taken the Ice Empress away from the Far North with Tian Meng's help last month. Afterward, before the Snow Empress took human form, she would have gone to the Ice Jade Scorpions' territory in search of the Ice Empress, hoping to help her through her tribulation while she still retained her powers. Only because she could not find the Ice Empress did she reluctantly return and choose to take human form alone, after which she was sealed inside the God Sealing Altar.
Now the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was with him, and Huo Yuhao had not gone to the Far North...
With this change in the Ice Empress and Snow Empress's circumstances, would some unforeseen mishap occur that he could not control?
That was what concerned Ming Zhao.
These were a three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and a six-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. Of the Far North's three maggots, Ming Zhao already had Tian Meng, and the remaining two, the Ice and Snow Empresses, also had to become Soul Rings for his Water Vengeful Spirit Martial Soul.
The only problem was that, though those two vases were a little maggoty, their ages were still very high, and their base stats were there for all to see. Absorbing both their Soul Rings and Soul Bones might forcibly push Ming Zhao all the way to level 97 or even Level 98.
In Ming Zhao's view, the advantage of Twin Martial Souls was not a good thing at all.
If he stacked his base levels too quickly, skipping straight past the process from level 95 to Level 98 and rushing his way to Level 99 Limit Douluo, wouldn't he end up like Tang San and Huo Yuhao?
Levels had been very useful to Ming Zhao in the early stages, because back then, without levels, he had been a rat, forced to avoid even the people from Shrek.
But levels were of little use to Ming Zhao now. He already had the combat strength of a Limit Douluo and was perfectly capable of cultivating to level 99 on his own. Then he could use the remaining Soul Ring slots of his Triple Martial Souls for an explosive boost at level 99 and, using the dragon souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings as a foundation, attempt to reach the true God Realm.
Adding Soul Rings now to rush his levels would certainly raise them quickly, but it would come at the expense of his potential.
It wasn't as though he couldn't cultivate to level 99, or was going to die the next second. With the chances of obtaining a Godhood Inheritance slim, he had to give more thought to the future.
"I need to make sure the Snow Empress and Ice Empress don't die..." Ming Zhao stopped and looked at the city beneath his feet.
Dragon City.
He had gone neither to Shrek nor to Star Luo City.
He could have his fun whenever he wanted, and he could go kill the people from Shrek at any time. But if Soul Rings and Soul Bones like those of the Ice Empress and Snow Empress, which could provide him with substantial foundations, were lost, finding replacements would be troublesome.
"Then I'll take ten pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow and help them through their tribulations first."
What belongs to me, Ming Zhao, isn't so easily taken.