The upcoming period was the negotiation phase between Tianmeng Iceworm and the Ice Emperor. After some discussion, they decided to follow the original method: first fusing the spirit bone, then the spirit ring.
Fusing the spirit bone first would temper Huo Yuhao's physique. The stronger his body became, the higher the age of the spirit ring he could endure, and the more his cultivation would improve.
"Ice God's successor, because I am willingly merging with you, there will be no issues during the spirit bone fusion. However, although your physique is exceptionally strong among humans of the same level, it is still too weak compared to my power," said the Ice Empress. "So, during the absorption of my spirit bone, you must endure immense pain."
"I will replace your spine and all your ribs and sternum with my spirit bones. Because my spirit bone's power is too vast, this process will be long and very painful, as if your bones are being dismantled and reassembled. Can you bear this pain?"
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "I've dared to swallow different kinds of fire, so what is a little pain?"
At this moment, Tianmeng Iceworm said, "Yuhao, we will begin the fusion of the spirit bone immediately. Retrieve the ice-attributed spirit bone you collected earlier. Using it as a medium to help you fuse with the Ice Emperor's spirit bone will greatly speed up the process, reduce a lot of the pain, and prevent unnecessary energy loss during the fusion."
In the original story, the secret method involved another spirit bone. Now, it's being replaced by this ice-attributed millennial spirit bone, which is a significant upgrade.
Undoubtedly, because it aligns with Huo Yuhao's attributes, this ice-attributed spirit bone will be a much stronger auxiliary for Huo Yuhao in absorbing the Ice Empress's spirit bone.
Huo Yuhao took out the ice-attributed spirit bone, and simultaneously, the Ice Empress's voice echoed in his spiritual sea.
"Are you ready?"
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and smiled, "Let's begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold sensation instantly blossomed in his spiritual sea. However, in a split second, this terrifying coldness was absorbed into Huo Yuhao's body and disappeared.
"This is... the Ice God's power," the Ice Empress said in shock.
Her original intention was to use the cold to numb Huo Yuhao's pain, minimizing his suffering. However, she didn't expect that the cold she released would be directly absorbed by Huo Yuhao's Ice God Martial Soul.
From a positive perspective, this demonstrated that Huo Yuhao's control over the ice element, or rather, the laws of ice, even surpassed the Ice Empress, a formidable beast. But the bad news was, Huo Yuhao would indeed have to undergo an excruciating process akin to a bone-removing surgery without any numbing effect.
"It's okay, Ice Empress. I don't need the cold to numb my pain," Huo Yuhao smiled. "You can proceed without worrying about me. I will be fine."
The Ice Empress acknowledged, and then a brilliant emerald green light erupted in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea. At this moment, his eyes also turned emerald green.
Two beams of emerald light shot from Huo Yuhao's eyes, accurately landing on the Ice Empress's body. The Ice Emperor's body also moved, swiftly swimming beneath Huo Yuhao and condensing strong emerald green light towards its tail stinger.
When the emerald green became a vivid green, the Ice Empress's tail stinger suddenly struck, piercing into Huo Yuhao's coccyx.
Huo Yuhao's body trembled violently, veins bulging on his forehead. However, after a moment, his body calmed down, without any more reaction.
The pain originating from his nerves was beyond human tolerance, but Huo Yuhao had undergone rigorous training, and his ability to endure pain far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Additionally, he had just absorbed an strange fire, so he was somewhat numb to pain now and quickly adjusted his state.
Another emerald light enveloped the ice-attributed spirit bone. The spirit bone, which was originally ice blue, turned emerald green, then melted into a fist-sized liquid.
This liquid was absorbed by the Ice Empress, who then filtered it into a warm emerald green stream that flowed into Huo Yuhao's body.
Huo Yuhao felt a gentle warmth enveloping his body, and the intense pain from before significantly lessened, making it bearable for him.
"Boom!"
His clothes were suddenly torn apart by the intense emerald green light. An emerald green color slowly injected into his spine, spreading along his torso.
Starting with his spine, as the emerald green liquid slowly advanced, Huo Yuhao's ribs turned the same emerald green. Wherever the emerald green spread, intense pain followed.
However, the pain from this process was far less compared to the pain Huo Yuhao had endured from absorbing the Profound Ice Cold Flame. To him, it was just minor discomfort, barely causing him to frown.
As the emerald green covered all the bones in Huo Yuhao's torso, the emerald green light on the Ice Emperor's body began to dim.
The spirit bone formed from the Ice Emperor's body contained its most essential power. Although the transformation process was painful, this spirit bone's future role for Huo Yuhao was far beyond other spirit bones. It was immensely beneficial for his growth.
Stripping its power to form a spirit bone would destroy the Ice Empress's original body. This was a desperate measure, but the Ice Empress's decisive nature meant there was no turning back once she made up her mind.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao's Ice God Martial Soul uncontrollably released itself. Ice blue light enveloped Huo Yuhao, making him feel no pain at all.
Surprised, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and felt the fusion of the Ice Empress's spirit bone with his body. At the same time, he sensed the terrifying ice energy within the Ice Empress's spirit bone.
"Ice God is the master of ice elements, controlling everything related to ice," Tianmeng's voice said in amazement in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
"Unexpectedly, the Ice God Martial Soul can perfectly assist you in fusing with the Ice Empress's spirit bone. With the Ice God Martial Soul's help, not a bit of the spirit bone's power will leak out. When your strength reaches a certain level, you will fully harness the power of this spirit bone!"
From day to night, and from night to day, the emerald green light around Huo Yuhao grew stronger. Simultaneously, his muscles, bones, and internal organs were all enhanced in this nourishment.
Finally, a thick white halo burst from beneath Huo Yuhao, enveloping his body.
The crystalline particles on the Ice Empress's body melted, turning into threads of ice mist that flowed into Huo Yuhao. The Ice Emperor completely burned her body's essence, sacrificing herself to merge with Huo Yuhao with Tianmeng Iceworm's assistance.
A golden halo guided the white halo into Huo Yuhao's body.
Outside, the cold wind still howled, and large snowflakes covered the endless ice field, muffling all sounds.
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