Having broken through his bottleneck, Ming Zhao was in high spirits. He casually put away the now-wilted Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.
He wasn't worried that the curse on the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife would fail to recover. When he absorbed its power, he hadn't harmed its source.
Given some time, it would return to its former state, bristling and hissing, and let him feast on it once more.
But that was also its limit.
After all, the curse had been laid by an Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo who was no more than an ant, so it wasn't all that strong by nature. Only after being nourished by the Gold of Life for years on end, and strengthened by the unknown number of lives lost directly or indirectly to it, had it become so troublesome.
But if Ming Zhao got serious, he could forcibly suck the curse dry on his own, wiping it completely from the Gold of Life.
He didn't know how to use the Gold of Life anyway, so he might as well leave it cursed for now and let it produce sinister power for him to absorb.
It was a particularly robust, high-quality crop of leeks that could be harvested sustainably.
"Level eighty... it's about time I went to get a Soul Ring." Ming Zhao glanced toward the Duke's Mansion, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Of his two Martial Souls, Ghost Bride combined mental, darkness, and fire, while Water Vengeful Spirit combined mental, darkness, and water. Both possessed the Mental Attribute.
That was also why he had marked Huo Yuhao.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm only wanted to find a mental-type Soul Master to sacrifice himself to, then raise that Soul Master into a god and gain eternal life alongside him.
He didn't care in the slightest who that mental-type Soul Master was.
He had only encountered Huo Yuhao because he was guided by destiny.
But what if Ming Zhao appeared before him at that moment too?
One was a weakling with pitifully poor talent who wasn't even a Soul Master.
The other was a genius with unparalleled talent, Twin Martial Souls, and the ability to perform a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, whose cultivation had reached that of a level-eighty Quasi-Soul Douluo.
Even a fool would know which to choose.
It could be said that as long as Ming Zhao appeared before the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm before he formally made his sacrifice, he would definitely change his chosen recipient from Huo Yuhao to Ming Zhao.
Even if the guidance of destiny made the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hesitate over whom to sacrifice himself to, Ming Zhao was fully confident he could persuade him.
He was just a maggot that slept all day. How could he possibly withstand Ming Zhao's talk no jutsu?
The question now was whether it would be better to put the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Soul Ring on the Ghost Bride Martial Soul as its Eighth Soul Ring, or have him sacrifice himself to the Water Vengeful Spirit Martial Soul as its First Soul Ring.
Meanwhile, at the Duke's Mansion.
Under the paper figure's watch, Huo Yuhao packed his belongings, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times before Huo Yun'er's tombstone, then left the Duke's Mansion and set out for the Star Dou Great Forest.
After a brief hesitation, Ming Zhao made his decision as well. He left Star Luo City and followed Huo Yuhao.
There really wasn't much to hesitate over.
Ghost Bride already had seven Soul Rings attached, and its path had been fixed as a Martial Soul split between power assault and mental control. Its system had basically taken shape.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Soul Ring was indeed tempting, but it really wasn't suited to the Ghost Bride Martial Soul.
The Water Vengeful Spirit Martial Soul had yet to acquire any Soul Rings, and its path and system were a blank slate. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Soul Ring was perfect for laying its foundation.
When his Soul Ring was attached to Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes Martial Soul, the Soul Skills it permanently established were Spiritual Detection, Sharing, Interference, and Soul Shock.
With Ming Zhao, they would change according to the characteristics of the Water Vengeful Spirit Martial Soul.
He could also use the Soul Skills newly established by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to work out the Water Vengeful Spirit Martial Soul's area of strength.
Which was better and which was worse was plain at a glance.
So there was no need to agonize over it. He could just pick his Second Martial Soul without a second thought.
Over the next eight days.
Huo Yuhao trekked over mountains and through rivers, with the paper figure trailing him all the way.
Ming Zhao remained hidden and watched coldly through the paper figure's eyes until Huo Yuhao met Bei Bei and Tang Ya, parted ways with them, and entered the Star Dou Great Forest alone.
Only after Huo Yuhao had formally entered the Star Dou Great Forest did Ming Zhao emerge from hiding, retrieve the paper figure, and follow Huo Yuhao in person.
After Huo Yuhao used the White Tiger Dagger to kill the Wind Baboon, the surrounding temperature began to drop rapidly. A force tore a fissure in the ground before him, and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finally appeared.
"I finally found a Soul Master with the Mental Attribute! It's a pity I can't cry, or my face would be streaming with tears!"
Strange mental fluctuations spread in all directions, carrying the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's thoughts.
But soon, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm let out a soft exclamation.
"Hm?! Why is there another one?"
Before Huo Yuhao could process the sudden explosion of information in his head, a sharp pain struck the back of his neck. His vision went black, and he crumpled to the ground.
Behind him, Ming Zhao's impassive face appeared before the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm as he slowly withdrew the right hand that had just struck Huo Yuhao's neck.
"Kid, what are you trying to do?!" The moment the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm saw Ming Zhao, he couldn't help growing wary, and a hint of caution entered his voice.
"From what you just said, you want to sacrifice yourself to this ant?" Ming Zhao glanced at the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, then down at Huo Yuhao, who was sleeping like a baby.
"So what if I do?" the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm retorted.
"Nothing. But rather than sacrifice yourself to him, you'd be better off sacrificing yourself to me. At least I'm stronger." Ming Zhao's tone was calm.
At those words, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately began to hesitate. At the same time, he sent a thread of mental power into Huo Yuhao's body to examine his condition.
After that examination, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hesitated even more.
Huo Yuhao's talent was a sorry sight!
His body was weak, his Soul Power meager, and the meridians in his body were clogged beyond belief. Even a dog would shake its head at talent like that.
Then he looked at Ming Zhao. His Soul Power was deep and steady, and his bearing was extraordinary. One glance was enough to tell that he was a dragon or phoenix among men, a genius rarely seen among Soul Masters.
He was seeking a human to sacrifice himself to so that the human could help him become a god and gain eternal life. On that basis, the more talented and powerful the Soul Master, the better.
Before Huo Yuhao, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had lost count of how many times he had tried. He had even caused a Titled Douluo to burst and die.
He certainly didn't have to choose Huo Yuhao.
Although this weak human did give him a unique sense of attraction, that attraction was hardly worth mentioning before the temptation of godhood and eternal life.
Still, to be safe, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm asked Ming Zhao, "Can I see your Martial Soul?"
Ming Zhao looked at him and didn't refuse.
The Ghost Bride Martial Soul appeared first. Zhang Lexuan, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, stood quietly behind Ming Zhao, while seven terrifying Soul Rings-five black and two red-circled his body.
Before the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could cry out in surprise, Ghost Bride was replaced by Water Vengeful Spirit.
"Twin Martial Souls!!"