“Little Yuhao, are you sure this is really okay?”
“This…
array you’ve set up?
It looks so complicated.
If something goes wrong halfway through, won’t I just go *bang* and blow up?”
“I haven’t even lived a full million years yet!
I still want to see more of this world…”
In the basement, the Skydream Ice Worm circled around the intricate formation array that Huo Yuhao had traced out on the floor with threads of soul power.
As she looped around, she chattered on incessantly in her crisp, youthful voice, her tone brimming with unease.
Huo Yuhao didn’t even look up as he focused on finishing the final stroke of the array.
“No,” he replied calmly.
“You won’t die, and I won’t let you die.”
Standing up, he brushed the dust from his hands.
Gazing at the nearly perfected array before him, he explained to the Skydream Ice Worm, “I call this the ‘Soul Covenant’—a brand-new, equal soul pact.”
“Soul Covenant?” The Skydream Ice Worm tilted its massive head, completely bewildered.
“Yes.”
Huo Yuhao nodded.
“Traditional Soul Masters hunting soul beasts is pure plunder.
The soul beast dies, and the Soul Master obtains a soul ring and Soul Bone.
But our covenant is different.
We will be symbiotic, coexisting.”
He extended a finger and tapped the Skydream Ice Worm’s cool, icy body.
“Once we sign the covenant, you don’t need to die.
Your soul will dwell within my Sea of Consciousness in the form of a special energy body.
You’ll retain full consciousness and independent thought, and you can even continue cultivating.”
The Skydream Ice Worm’s large golden eyes instantly lit up.
“Really?
I can still cultivate?”
“Not only can you, but it’ll also be faster than cultivating on your own,” Huo Yuhao continued.
“We’ll share our growth rate.
Moreover, all your injuries—including the foundational trauma left behind from when you crossed your heavenly tribulation back then—will be healed under the covenant’s power.
Most importantly, if I die, you won’t perish with me.
The covenant will automatically dissolve; you’ll simply lose a host.”
These words completely upended the million years of knowledge the Skydream Ice Worm possessed.
It had originally thought that becoming a sapient soul ring was its only possible end, that death was inevitable.
The only difference was whether it would be sucked dry by those bastards in the Great Perilous Land, or let this pleasing young boy benefit instead.
But now, Huo Yuhao was telling it there was a third path.
A path unheard of, yet brimming with temptation.
“Why…
why are you doing this?” the Skydream Ice Worm couldn’t help asking.
“Wouldn’t it be much simpler to just kill me?”
“Because I believe life shouldn’t be defined so simply by plundering and being plundered.” Huo Yuhao looked at it, his eyes calm and profound.
“Besides, a living million-year soul beast is far more valuable than a dead million-year soul ring.”
The Skydream Ice Worm fell silent.
It looked at the boy before it.
He was clearly so weak, yet his eyes seemed to harbor a starry sky even vaster than the Great Star Dou Forest.
“Alright!”
It finally made up its mind, wiggling its giant body forward until it was practically pressed against Huo Yuhao’s feet.
“I trust you!
I’m handing over the second half of my life…
no, the second half of my silkworm life, to you!
Come on!
Little Yuhao!”
Huo Yuhao smiled and said no more.
Sitting cross-legged in the center of the array, he said to the Skydream Ice Worm, “Go to the opposite side of the array.
Let’s begin.”
Obeying his words, the Skydream Ice Worm obediently lay down opposite Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, formed hand seals, and gently pressed his palm right into the center of the Skydream Ice Worm’s massive forehead.
His spiritual power gently flowed in like a warm stream.
The moment they made contact, the Skydream Ice Worm shuddered violently!
What was it sensing?
This spiritual power…
Pure!
Vast!
Warm!
Majestic!
That was definitely not something a six- or seven-year-old child should possess! Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
The intensity of this spiritual power was even more terrifying than some human Titled Douluo it had encountered!
This…
this was at least at the Spirit Douluo level!
What kind of monster was this kid?!
Before it could recover from the shock, the array on the ground was activated.
*Buzz—*
Lines of golden soul power lit up one after another, weaving into a profound three-dimensional pattern that enveloped Huo Yuhao and the Skydream Ice Worm.
A ribbon of golden light made of pure energy extended from between Huo Yuhao’s eyebrows, connecting to the Skydream Ice Worm’s forehead.
The Skydream Ice Worm felt its soul being drawn by an irresistible yet incomparably gentle force.
Its body—that massive, white jade-like silkworm form—began to turn translucent at a speed visible to the naked eye, dissolving into billions of shimmering specks of light.
These specks did not dissipate; instead, they formed a brilliant torrent that surged continuously into Huo Yuhao’s body along the golden ribbon.
At the same time, an unprecedented soul ring slowly manifested outside Huo Yuhao’s body.
It wasn’t white, yellow, purple, or black.
It was…
a radiant gold!
A gold as dazzling as the sun!
Nine faint, dark-golden patterns appeared across the soul ring, radiating a supreme majesty that proclaimed Monarch Descends Upon the World, looking down upon all living beings.
A million-year soul ring!
The covenant was complete!
…
Sea of Consciousness.
When the Skydream Ice Worm regained consciousness, she found that she was no longer in that gloomy basement.
She was now a “she.”
She looked down at her hands—fair and slender—then touched her face, smooth and delicate.
She had turned into a human girl.
“Whoa!
I turned into a human!
I really turned into a human!”
She spun around excitedly on the spot, her supple platinum-blonde hair dancing in the air.
She looked around eighteen years old, with an adorable baby face and shallow dimples when she smiled, as bright as sunshine.
However, when she looked down at her flat, unremarkable chest, her bright smile froze, and she pouted a bit self-consciously.
“Why is it so small…” she muttered quietly.
“No, no way, I have to make Little Yuhao get me lots of papayas later!
I’m a million-year soul beast, I can’t lose face!”
She quickly tossed this little worry to the back of her mind and began curiously examining this brand-new world.
“Whoa!
Is this Little Yuhao’s spiritual sea?
It’s huge!
It’s practically bigger than the entire Great Star Dou Forest!”
There were no boundaries here.
Overhead was a dazzling river of stars, beneath her feet was a calm, mirror-like water surface, and in the distance stood a golden tower radiating holy brilliance.
Just as she was marveling in awe, an ancient and dignified voice resonated slowly from the depths of the Sea of Consciousness.
“Hmph.
Another noisy fellow, and a giant bug at that.”
Tianmeng was startled, leaping up like a spooked cat.
“Huh?
There’s someone else here?
Who?
Who’s talking?
Come out!” Hands on her hips, she shouted into the empty Sea of Consciousness.
A translucent figure made of grey light slowly materialized before her.
His hair and beard were completely white, and he wore a simple grey robe.
His eyes were deep and scrutinizing.
Tianmeng blinked at him.
Instead of being afraid, she curiously leaned in.
“Whoa, old grandpa, are you a local resident here?
Who are you?”
The old man was none other than Electrolux.
Looking at the chattering, completely irreverent giant bug before him, he slightly furrowed his brows.
“This old man is the Calamity of the Necromancer, Electrolux.”
“Calamity of the Necromancer?
Wow!
What a cool name!”
Little stars sparkled in Tianmeng’s eyes.
“My name is Tianmeng!
We’re neighbors from now on!
Please take good care of me, Grandpa Electrolux!”
Electrolux: “……”
He felt a slight headache coming on.
In all his long life, this was the first time he had met such an…
off-the-wall creature.
…
In the basement, Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes.
Sensing the unprecedented, immense power coursing within him, a smile touched the corners of his lips.
Between his eyebrows, an ice crystal-like rhombic imprint flashed and faded away.
That was the million-year head Soul Bone formed after the Skydream Ice Worm sacrificed herself.
[Million-Year Wisdom Skull]
It came with three Soul Bone skills:
1.
[Spiritual Immunity] (Passive): Automatically nullifies one spiritual-attribute attack below the divine rank once per day.
2.
[Spiritual Healing] (Active): Consumes soul power to rapidly recover from spiritual power trauma for oneself or others.
3.
[Sister Meng’s Domain] (Active): Unleashes a spiritual force field that inflicts Spiritual Interference and suppression on enemies within the domain.
Enemies whose spiritual power is less than half of the caster’s will directly plunge into a deep illusion and suffer a mental breakdown.
At the same time, he also gained his first and second soul skills.
First Soul Skill: [Spiritual Detection Sharing]
Effect: Centered on the user, releases invisible spiritual power to conduct an all-around, three-dimensional scan with a radius of up to 500 meters.
The detection results can achieve Spiritual Sharing among multiple people.
The range expands as the user’s soul power rank increases.
Second Soul Skill: [Spiritual Interference]
Effect: Locks onto a single or group of targets, using a powerful surge of spiritual power to directly disrupt the flow of soul power in their bodies, causing delays, interruptions, or outright failure in skill activation.
The gains far exceeded his expectations.
…
At dinner time, an extra person sat at the dining table in the small villa.
In her human form, Tianmeng sat openly beside Huo Yuhao.
She was curious about everything—poking Tang Ya’s braid one moment, pinching the hem of Gu Yuena’s clothes the next.
“Little Yuhao~ The grilled fish you made is so delicious!” she mumbled through mouthfuls of fish, praising him.
“Little Yuhao~ I think this covenant can still be improved.
Look, during the energy conversion, if we add a spiral boosting structure…” Suddenly, she began earnestly discussing the technical details of the Soul Covenant.
“Wait, no, you’re so amazing!
To even think of something like this!” Before Huo Yuhao could answer, she refuted herself and gazed at him with eyes full of worship.
Huo Yuhao had a massive headache from her chattering.
“Sister Tianmeng, can you quietly finish eating first?”
“No!”
Tianmeng self-righteously puffed out her barely endowed chest.
“I haven’t talked to anyone for over a million years!
I was bored to death!
Let me tell you, back then that black-faced god Di Tian even wanted to pursue me…”
Just as she was speaking excitedly, she suddenly felt a chilly gaze fall upon her.
Turning her head, she met Gu Yuena’s aloof purple eyes.
Tianmeng’s voice stopped abruptly.
Her neck shrank back reflexively, and the cocky arrogance on her face vanished without a trace.
It was like a mouse seeing a cat—a fear and submission stemming from the deepest depths of her bloodline.
“Th-That…
Big Sister, do you want more grilled fish?
I…
I’ll get it for you!”
She instantly transformed from a chatterbox girl into an obedient, sensible little maid, scampering off to fetch freshly grilled fish for Gu Yuena.
Gu Yuena gave a faint “Mm” and retracted her gaze.
At the side, Huo Yuhao held his forehead with a wry smile.
This girl feared neither heaven nor earth, even daring to tease Teacher Electrolux, so why was she scared out of her wits by Gu Yuena alone?
…
Late at night.
Huo Yuhao lay in his bed, getting ready to sleep.
With a creak, the door was pushed open.
Dressed in her silver nightgown, Gu Yuena walked in expressionlessly.
She pulled back the blanket, practiced in lying down to his left.
Then she rested an arm across his waist, pulling him a bit closer into her embrace.
Huo Yuhao was already used to it.
However, before he could close his eyes, the room door was pushed open again.
Tianmeng, wearing an oversized pair of Huo Yuhao’s pajamas that she had dug up from who knew where, rushed in with excitement written all over her