"You sure are bold, Skydream Iceworm," Su Yu grinned, giving the Skydream Iceworm a light slap on its head.
"Are you asking to be squished?"
"You said you want to fight us? Do you even have the strength for that?" Su Yu added, landing another slap on the Iceworm's head.
With Su Yu's raw strength exceeding 30,000 jin (about 15,000 kg), even a ten-thousand-year soul beast would cry out in pain from such a blow.
After receiving two heavy slaps, the Skydream Iceworm's expression twisted in agony.
"Brother, you're my brother! Stop hitting me, please!" the Skydream Iceworm quickly begged for mercy.
What did this kid eat growing up to hit so hard?
Is he even human? He felt more like a humanoid monster!
"Still want to fight, Skydream Iceworm?"
Su Yu asked with a playful smile.
"No, no more fighting!"
The Skydream Iceworm shook its head frantically, knowing better than to resist any further.
"By the way, brother... how do you know my name is Skydream Iceworm?" The Skydream Iceworm looked at Su Yu curiously.
Skydream was a name it had given himself. Few knew about it, even in the Star Dou Forest. How could this young boy know?
"I have some connections to the Extreme North and heard about you," Su Yu said casually.
"Really? Then do you know the Ice Empress?"
The Skydream Iceworm's eyes lit up with excitement as it eagerly asked.
"Of course, I know her. We're quite familiar. She even taught me how to control ice," Su Yu replied, releasing a wave of extreme cold.
"Control ice... Holy crap, Ultimate Ice!"
The Skydream Iceworm trembled violently.
That familiar, ultra-low temperature—wasn't this the legendary Ultimate Ice?
"You possess Ultimate Ice?"
The Skydream Iceworm's eyes gleamed as it stared intently at Su Yu.
"What, is there a problem?"
Su Yu glanced at it sideways.
"No problem, no problem at all," the Skydream Iceworm quickly changed its tone, sounding flattering.
"By the way, brother, how's the Ice Empress doing these days?"
"She's doing well for now, but it might not last. Her tribulation isn't far off," Su Yu said.
"Her tribulation..."
The Skydream Iceworm's expression turned somber.
Yes, the Ice Empress's tribulation wasn't far off. Within a hundred years, it would surely come.
Not just the Ice Empress—his tribulation was nearing as well. Ever since it broke through a million years, his tribulation had been looming.
If he didn't find a host soon, he would be finished.
For the first time, the Skydream Iceworm seriously evaluated Su Yu, considering the possibility of making him its host.
It couldn't leave this place, and Su Yu was its only option.
But it had to be sure Su Yu could truly withstand its power.
After all, Su Yu wasn't a spiritual-type soul master, and honestly, the Skydream Iceworm wasn't confident.
"What are you thinking about?"
Su Yu slapped it again, making the Skydream Iceworm roll its eyes from the pain.
This kid... Why was he so violent?
Despite its internal complaints, the Skydream Iceworm forced a flattering smile.
"Brother, did the Ice Empress ever mention me?"
It still cared the most about the Ice Empress.
"Yeah, she did," Su Yu replied nonchalantly.
"What did she say about me? Did she say I was handsome and charming?"
The Skydream Iceworm asked narcissistically.
"You're overthinking it," Su Yu rolled his eyes.
"She said it was a pity that a fat bug like you managed to escape. If she had eaten you, she would've surely surpassed the Snow Empress."
The Skydream Iceworm: "..."
Sigh, seems like in the Ice Empress's heart, there's only the Snow Empress.
"The Snow Empress is mine," Su Yu said casually.
"Huh?"
The Skydream Iceworm froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, the Snow Empress is yours. That way, the Ice Empress can be mine. Hehe, my Ice Empress."
The Skydream Iceworm began to daydream.
Su Yu was speechless.
What kind of delusions was this bug having?
The Snow Empress is mine, but the Ice Empress? No way she'd be yours, big worm.
Do you even know your status?
The Ice Empress only considers you a snack!
Su Yu rolled his eyes and slapped the Skydream Iceworm's head again. "Wake up!"
"Ouch!"
The Skydream Iceworm snapped out of its daydream and saw Su Yu, awkwardly laughing.
"I couldn't help it, I couldn't help it."
Su Yu couldn't be bothered with it anymore. At that moment, Gu Yuena walked over.
"Iceworm, you have two choices. First, you willingly become Su Yu's soul ring. If you do, I can preserve your intelligence. In the future, when Su Yu rises to glory, you will share in the benefits and ascend with him."
"Second, I'll forcibly wipe out your soul, and you'll disappear completely."
Su Yu added at the right moment, "Skydream Iceworm, you don't want to die a meaningless death, do you?"
The Skydream Iceworm was speechless. Did it have a choice?
It didn't want its intelligence erased.
"Esteemed one, this kid isn't a spiritual-type soul master. Can he handle my power?"
It was still worried. What if something went wrong, and Su Yu couldn't bear the burden?
That would be bad for both of them, wouldn't it?
"He has a special treasure guarding his spiritual sea, making it as stable as a rock. Whatever a spiritual-type soul master can achieve, he can do even better."
"Moreover, with my help, nothing can go wrong," Gu Yuena said calmly.
"Then I choose the first option. I'm willing to become this kid's soulring."
What else could it do? It had no strength, so it could only be bullied.
Fortunately, Su Yu had great talent. With an Ultimate Ice martial soul and the Skydream Iceworm, the chances of becoming a god were quite high.
And from what it could see, this kid had connections with both the Star Dou Forest and the Extreme North.
Bringing the Ice Empress onto their side in the future would be much easier.
With that, the odds of success increased even more.
The Skydream Iceworm decided this gamble was worth taking!
"Good. Since that's settled, let's not waste any more time," Gu Yuena said.
With a graceful wave of her hand, the golden glow that had been binding the Skydream Iceworm on the altar disappeared.
As soon as the golden light vanished, the Skydream Iceworm released a surge of cold energy, and frost covered the surrounding ground.
Su Yu, being the closest, was affected first. However, he showed no reaction. Compared to his Ultimate Ice, this temperature was no different from bathwater.
"Let's begin. Seal your power first. I will handle the rest," Gu Yuena's voice echoed.
Hearing this, the Skydream Iceworm didn't hesitate any longer. The ten golden rings on its body began to pulse as if they had come to life.
It extended its head toward Su Yu and pressed it against his forehead.
The ten golden rings rapidly enveloped Su Yu's body, while the Skydream Iceworm itself turned into waves of white light, continuously flowing into him.
"Huh, what a powerful body. Is this a human?"
The Skydream Iceworm's astonished voice rang out. Only after entering Su Yu's body did it realize how strong he was.
Among human soul masters, one would need to cultivate to a certain level before they could match this kid.
As for others his age, none could compare to him.
The Skydream Iceworm was thrilled. The stronger Su Yu's body, the higher the chance of a successful fusion.
Waves of gentle white light surged into Su Yu's body, and at the same time, an invisible wave of mental energy radiated from the Skydream Iceworm. Though not particularly aggressive, this mental energy was incredibly dense.
If they were outside, any soul beast within a hundred-mile radius would temporarily lose its ability to think.
However, Gu Yuena and Di Tian were true powerhouses, so this level of mental impact naturally did not affect them.
As time passed, the thick white light became more solid, flowing steadily into Su Yu's body. Meanwhile, the Skydream Iceworm's body grew increasingly transparent, shrinking rapidly in size.
Su Yu's body turned completely white, like jade, with an icy aura radiating uncontrollably from him.
His Ice Emperor Martial Soul activated, enveloping the surrounding area in ice-blue light and causing the temperature to plummet.
At the same time, blood began to seep from Su Yu's nose and mouth.
The Skydream Iceworm, awed by the imperial aura of the Ice Emperor, panicked at the sight of Su Yu's condition.
"Esteemed one, this is bad! This kid can't hold on much longer!" the Skydream Iceworm cried out in alarm.
Fully integrated into Su Yu's body, it knew that if anything happened to Su Yu, it would be finished too.
"No need to panic," Gu Yuena shook her head, watching calmly.
The Skydream Iceworm was so anxious it almost cursed out loud.
Just then, a dazzling nine-colored light burst from within Su Yu, and the overwhelming majesty of it nearly suffocated the Skydream Iceworm.
A powerful suction force erupted from Su Yu's body, pulling all the Skydream Iceworm's remaining power into him in an instant.
The Skydream Iceworm couldn't resist and was completely devoured by Su Yu.
"Holy crap!" the Skydream Iceworm barely had time to exclaim before vanishing entirely.
The dense nine-colored light engulfed Su Yu's entire body as terrifying energy waves raged inside him, violent and chaotic.
"The Iceworm's essence is too vast. The Dragon God Seal can only suppress it for a while, but it's time," Gu Yuena whispered. With a gentle wave of her hand, a silver brilliance enveloped Su Yu.
The silver light seemed to contain multiple elemental energies, giving off an extraordinary aura.
Like moonlight, the silver glow covered Su Yu's body, and the chaotic energy within him seemed to be pressed down by an invisible hand, growing much calmer.
Gu Yuena's hand trembled slightly as she released one silver halo after another, surrounding Su Yu.
After releasing ten silver halos, she finally stopped.
The ten silver halos sank into Su Yu's body, and the turbulent energy completely dissipated.
The nine-colored glow around Su Yu slowly faded, and a pure white soul ring rose from beneath Su Yu's feet.
In a strange space, particles of light gradually gathered, forming Su Yu's body. He walked through the unfamiliar surroundings.
This space was filled with countless white light particles and an endless golden ocean.
Above the golden ocean floated ten enormous silver halos.
Each silver halo emitted a milky white glow, making them appear even more mysterious and regal.
This was Su Yu's spiritual sea.
"Waaaaah, brother, I'm so miserable!"
"What kind of place is this?"
At that moment, a wailing voice echoed in Su Yu's ears.
Focusing his attention, Su Yu saw a tiny white figure between the ten giant silver halos.
Upon closer inspection, wasn't that the Skydream Iceworm?
With a flicker, Su Yu appeared in front of the Skydream Iceworm, the silver halos now close at hand.
Su Yu could feel the terrifyingly pure energy contained within those halos.
"You're finally here!"
Upon seeing Su Yu, the Skydream Iceworm was on the verge of tears. It immediately began to complain, "Brother, I'm so miserable."
"It's my power, and yet I can't control any of it."
"Where's the justice? Is there any fairness left in this world?"
It wasn't surprising that the Skydream Iceworm was struggling to accept this.
Its original power had been deeply sealed by Gu Yuena, even preventing the Skydream Iceworm itself from controlling it.
Moreover, there was something in Su Yu's spiritual sea that was as solid as a rock—so solid that the Skydream Iceworm couldn't even cause a ripple.
In other words, aside from its spiritual form, it had nothing left.
If Su Yu wanted to, he could easily destroy the Skydream Iceworm's spiritual form.
With no means of self-defense, how could it not be nervous?
After all, in the original story, the Skydream Iceworm had pretty much done whatever it wanted in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
But now, the situation was completely different. There was no comparison at all.
"Are you talking about justice with us?"
Su Yu asked with a half-smile.
Did it not realize they were the justice here?
"Uh, no, no, I'm not," the Skydream Iceworm quickly backtracked, completely cowed. When under someone else's roof, you have to lower your head.
"Brother, I mean, uh, big brother, you're not going to kick me out, are you?" the Skydream Iceworm asked cautiously.
It was genuinely afraid that Su Yu would discard it after using it.
"No," Su Yu shook his head. He wasn't the type to use something up and then throw it away.
"Hehe, I knew you wouldn't," the Skydream Iceworm sighed in relief, then tried to earn some points.
"Brother, let me tell you, I'm super powerful."
"I'm the first-ever million-year soul ring. As a million-year soul beast, just my soul skills alone give you four abilities."
"These soul skills come from a million-year soul ring, and their uses are endless."
"Mm, go on," Su Yu remained expressionless. He already knew all of this.
"All my power is sealed in these ten rings. My strength can raise all of your soul rings to a hundred-thousand-year level."
The Skydream Iceworm spoke while sneaking glances at Su Yu, hoping to see some surprise on his face.
But to its disappointment, Su Yu remained calm.
"Anything else?"
"Well, although I don't have a soul bone to offer you, I can give you a new martial soul."
"This martial soul is ice-based, and it doesn't have a specific form yet."
"The first soul ring you absorb will determine its form."
"If you handle it well, you could end up with a second Ultimate Ice martial soul. Then, who could compete with you, brother?"
The Skydream Iceworm winked as if to say, "You get what I mean, right?"
"Are you done?"
Su Yu asked calmly.
"Brother, aren't you excited? This means you'll get another martial soul!" The Skydream Iceworm was dumbfounded. It could understand Su Yu being calm earlier, but how could he stay so composed now?
This was an additional martial soul!
A second Ultimate Ice martial soul—did he understand how valuable that was?
"I know I'll get another martial soul. But I already have twin martial souls," Su Yu said, shaking his head calmly.