Although the failure of the plan was hard for both the human and the silkworm to accept, no matter how unwilling they were, failure was still failure. It wasn't like they could just slit their own throats and die in the Extreme North just because they couldn't accept defeat, right?
Thus, Huo Yuhao was the first to calm down.
No matter what, the Skydream Iceworm was still his greatest reliance at this point. At the very least, he couldn't afford to clash with it for now.
Huo Yuhao refused to believe that a so-called million-year soul beast would only have such meager tricks up its sleeve, or that it truly couldn't separate from him after merging.
He was fully aware of his own talent. Without the Skydream Iceworm, his aptitude in Shrek Academy would be practically at the bottom. If the Skydream Iceworm really could separate from him, the one who'd suffer the greatest loss would still be himself.
'You dare deceive me, you meaty worm? You've already earned yourself a death sentence!'
Don't be fooled by how Huo Yuhao was trained into a dog by Tang San in the original work into thinking he was some pure, kind, and virtuous youth.
This guy had done plenty of scummy things in the original story. Not to mention the classic Sun Moon Imperial City explosion, whether it was using his deceased mother to fish for sympathy or later threatening the woman who loved him by using his own son as leverage—all of it was utterly suffocating.
These were all things that happened after Elder Yi died. Before Elder Yi's death, Huo Yuhao's actions were still relatively normal.
But after Elder Yi fell due to "insufficient monthly votes," Huo Yuhao's behavior began to spiral into confusion. If even the guided version of Huo Yuhao from the original story was like this, the current him—lacking that guidance—was even more extreme.
The boomerang of fate might just land squarely between the Skydream Iceworm's brows.
Of course, at this moment, it had no idea that Huo Yuhao, this heaven-defying player, had already secretly jotted it down in his little black book.
Faced with Huo Yuhao's question, the Skydream Iceworm nodded without hesitation.
While the Ice Empress was the first choice, Huo Yuhao's second martial soul didn't necessarily have to be hers. Any ice-attribute soul beast would do—it was just that the Ice Empress was the best option.
"If we can't lure out the Ice Empress, attracting an Ice Jade Scorpion would also work. But not even the Ice Jade Scorpions showed up," the Skydream Iceworm said in a low voice. "Perhaps there's a reason the Ice Empress didn't appear. Otherwise, there's no way the entire Ice Jade Scorpion race would vanish without a trace. I suspect something might have happened to their kind."
At this point, the Skydream Iceworm could only speculate that the Ice Empress's heavenly tribulation had arrived early and that she, with her damaged origin, had already perished under it.
Otherwise, there was no reason to explain why the Ice Empress hadn't appeared. It couldn't possibly be that she wasn't in the Extreme North and had instructed the Ice Jade Scorpions not to venture out before leaving, right?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
If that really were the case, the Skydream Iceworm would eat Huo Yuhao right here and now!
The Ice Empress's "fall" was undoubtedly a massive blow to the Skydream Iceworm. Having lost its beloved, it suddenly felt as though the icy wasteland before it had turned desolate and bleak.
Pain. So much pain!
Bingbing, without you, what's the point of becoming a god?!
...Well, there's still a point. At least I won't die, right?
"So, what kind of soul beast should we look for next?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"The three most powerful races in the Extreme North correspond to the Three Great Overlords of the Extreme North: the number one-ranked Ice Snow Empress, the number two-ranked Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, and the number three-ranked Titan Snow Demon King," the Skydream Iceworm explained.
"We don't need to think about the Snow Empress. She's the strongest existence in the Extreme North, with a cultivation exceeding five hundred thousand years. Moreover, the Ice Snow Empress race consists of only her alone. The Ice Empress has vanished for unknown reasons, and the Ice Jade Scorpion race has gone into hiding. That leaves us with only one final choice—the last of the Three Great Overlords, the Titan Snow Demon King's race, the Titan Snow Demons."
This was knowledge Huo Yuhao couldn't have learned at Shrek Academy's outer court. Information about the powerful existences among soul beast races fascinated him, and his earlier displeasure faded somewhat.
Seeing Huo Yuhao like this, the Skydream Iceworm also sighed in relief. It hadn't wanted to clash with Huo Yuhao either.
In the end, if it wanted to achieve godhood and immortality, it still had to rely on Huo Yuhao's strength.
'After all, he's just a human child. How much cunning could he possibly have?' the Skydream Iceworm thought to itself.
"Brother Skydream, is the Titan Snow Demon race very strong?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
"Of course they're strong. Otherwise, how could they be one of the Three Great Overlords of the Extreme North?" The Skydream Iceworm nodded without hesitation. Given what had happened earlier, it decided to hold nothing back. "Legend has it that the Titan Snow Demon race was born from the union of the ancient Ice God and the Titan Giants. Their bloodline carries the lineage of the Ice God. Just being connected to a god is proof of their might."
"The strongest among the Titan Snow Demons have undoubtedly reached the level of Fierce Beasts. Though their ice attribute hasn't reached the level of an ultimate ice, they are exceptionally balanced in terms of strength, making them a perfect fit for your martial soul!"
"That's great! Then let's hurry up and set off!" Huo Yuhao seemed enthusiastic.
Afterward, relying on its powerful concealment abilities, the Skydream Iceworm led Huo Yuhao deep into the core region of the Extreme North, where they successfully hunted a Titan Snow Demon and turned it into his martial soul.
However, this Titan Snow Demon's cultivation was only six thousand years, and while absorbing its soul ring to make it his martial soul, Huo Yuhao also ended up absorbing an additional right arm soul bone.
A six-thousand-year Titan Snow Demon right arm soul bone was of decent quality, but its age was simply too low.
For Huo Yuhao, who had never seen a soul bone before, absorbing one was naturally a good thing. The allure of soul bones to soul masters was undeniable, and he hadn't yet developed the lofty arrogance he'd have in the future.
But for the Skydream Iceworm, this soul bone was rather unsatisfactory. Yet, since it was passively absorbed, there was nothing it could do to control the situation, so it had no choice but to accept it.
After successfully obtaining the Titan Snow Demon martial soul, the most noticeable change in Huo Yuhao was his appearance.
Originally standing at less than 1.7 meters, malnourished, sallow, and emaciated, he now shot up to nearly two meters tall, with rough features, a face full of thick, menacing lines, and bulging muscles—his arms thicker than an average person's thighs.
He had gone from a delicate youth to a muscle-bound bro.
When his martial soul was activated, his body could even swell to 2.5 meters tall, charging forward like an unstoppable heavy tank.
Huo Yuhao was undoubtedly resistant to the changes in his appearance. Deep down, he had hoped to resemble someone like Lin Yun—handsome and dignified—rather than the intimidating figure he had now.
Damn it, you meaty worm, you've screwed me over again.
You've definitely earned yourself a death sentence!
(End of Chapter)
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