"Alright, then let's pick the Mou Chun Niu!"
Romantina agreed eagerly, a faint but unhealthy flush coloring her cheeks — because that meant she could engage in another thrilling, no-holds-barred battle with the Mou Chun Niu!
Zhou Qing found himself gradually getting used to Romantina's... eccentricities. His gaze softened as he discussed with Tang San and Xiao Wu about helping her hunt down a Mou Chun Niu as well.
After all, with the whole soul bone matter, Romantina had effectively boarded their ship — reluctantly considered a comrade. And given her 'peculiar' nature... maybe she could be trusted? Probably.
But just then, as everyone prepared to leave, an abrupt voice rang out:
"Hahaha! Finally, I've met a human with spirit attributes! If I could cry, I'd be weeping tears of joy for three days and nights!"
In an instant, the ground beneath Zhou Qing and the others trembled strangely. Cracks appeared, faintly glowing with streaks of golden light.
"That voice...!"
Zhou Qing stared at the cracking earth, quickly retreating alongside Tang San.
But—
An invisible chill burst forth, freezing the very air around them.
Even Tang Hao, hidden in the shadows, wore a shocked expression.
"A soul beast of the hundred-thousand-year tier? How did it appear here?! And the surrounding space... my body is even... What kind of soul beast is that?"
As the ground fissures widened, a large, rounded head emerged — resembling a giant silkworm over nine meters long.
The voice had come from it!
"Tianmeng Ice Silkworm? No, maybe you're in the wrong scene... or maybe I am?"
Zhou Qing was frozen in place, but his mind raced. Looking at this Tianmeng Ice Silkworm suddenly appearing in the novice Hunting Soul Forest, he was completely stunned.
Both physically and mentally.
From the current situation, the soul beast wouldn't choose Tang San, nor himself, nor Xiao Wu in her soul beast form.
It was Romantina!
This human, who wielded a brain-based martial soul, was the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's choice!
The entire body of the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm resembled white jade. Its golden eyes slowly crawled over to Romantina, its tone strangely playful.
"Relax, I won't harm you. I just want to enter your body."
Romantina... had no words.
At this moment, she couldn't even make a face, or she'd probably scream in shock.
A giant fleshly worm invading her body—
So filthy!
So disgusting!
She completely ignored that the worm could talk, her mind filled only with twisted 'perverse' thoughts—though, admittedly, she hadn't expected that among soul beasts, such a lustful type actually existed.
"Are you talking to me?"
Suddenly, Romantina realized she could move her mouth and spoke out.
Zhou Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu were equally stunned.
Especially Xiao Wu — she never imagined such a hundred-thousand-year-level silkworm could be hidden inside the Noding Forest.
"Qing, can soul beasts talk?" Tang San whispered.
"This soul beast's cultivation must be at least a hundred thousand years," Zhou Qing explained. "That's equivalent to a Title Douluo level. It can speak human language; it's not that surprising."
"A hundred thousand years!"
Tang San was dumbfounded, feeling his life was hanging by a thread.
"Impressive!" The golden eyes of the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm looked at Zhou Qing, nodding up and down in approval.
"You all — except that rabbit — are my test subjects!"
"Honored Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, may I ask why you've come here?" Zhou Qing, frozen in place except for his mouth, asked carefully.
"A hundred-thousand-year soul beast? I never said that," the Ice Silkworm's voice rose proudly. "My cultivation is over nine hundred thousand years, nearly a million! Close to the million-year mark!"
Tang Hao, hidden and also immobile, shivered. He didn't think the Ice Silkworm was lying. After all, even he couldn't move here, which spoke volumes about the power involved.
This Ice Silkworm's cultivation far surpassed the hundred-thousand-year tier.
Yet in battle strength, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm didn't match its cultivation level...
"I came here because..." The Ice Silkworm glanced at Xiao Wu, memories flashing back—
Ever since the Three-Eyed Golden Nii suddenly hatched, drawing the attention of fierce beasts, the Ice Silkworm seized the moment to flee to the mid-periphery of the Star Dou Great Forest.
For two years, it experimented on many humans, finally realizing the perfect soul masters for it had to have powerful spirit energy — and the lower their rank, the better.
If the rank was too high, their martial souls already absorbed other soul beast's abilities. Forcing itself in would be useless, and it couldn't break the rules of Douluo Continent.
So it decided to start with the young.
Following a quietly transformed Soft Bone Rabbit, it took a safe route, avoiding large cities, until they reached near Noding City.
But it was still a soul beast and couldn't enter human cities directly. So it stayed in Noding Forest, waiting for the right human.
Unexpectedly, three suitable candidates appeared.
Though only Romantina's martial soul was spirit-type, the other two male children also had strong spirit energy, making them backups.
Even the hidden Title Douluo, Tang Hao, was considered a backup—if all three humans failed, it would choose him.
"I've never encountered a Title Douluo in the Star Dou Forest. If I sacrificed myself to one, could I push their soul power directly to level 99..."
The Ice Silkworm thought, but said aloud:
"...Because I want to choose one, and then sacrifice myself to them."
Xiao Wu was dumbfounded.
She thought humans like Romantina were freaks, but soul beasts could be like this too — willing to sacrifice themselves to humans.
"But I'm no masochist. Sacrifice is conditional. The successful one must later help me punish the vile fierce beasts in the Star Dou Forest, even kill them all and use their soul rings as yours. That would be perfect." The Ice Silkworm's golden eyes trembled with anger.
"Excuse me, what are fierce beasts?" Tang San asked.
Tang Hao also wanted to know.
"I am one," the Ice Silkworm twisted its body, answering frankly.
"All soul beasts over one hundred thousand years, and especially those over two hundred thousand, are called fierce beasts. They can shift freely between human and beast forms, hide their aura, and their strength in human form doesn't drop too much. The main difference is temporarily losing their powerful beast body in human form, but they remain strong."
"Most of my cultivation was lost because those damn fierce beasts forced me to release my energy. I can't transform into human form anymore, but luckily my nearly million-year spiritual cultivation remains. That's enough to empower any spirit-type soul master."
"If this young lady succeeds, don't even think about leaking it. My near million-year spirit cultivation equals an unparalleled Douluo among humans, able to kill you instantly without you knowing why."
"But don't be afraid — there are plenty of fierce beasts that absorbed my cultivation, many even ascending or about to ascend to hundred-thousand-year level soul beasts... I will get revenge!"
"Just this young lady alone, even if I grant her a second martial soul, and she can handle the hundred-thousand-year level, that's only nine — too few!"
"I will wipe out all those bastard fierce beasts who absorbed my cultivation! Follow her, follow me, and your future seventh soul ring will be hundred-thousand-year level!"
"Especially you, little one with two martial souls — follow me, and I'll make your second martial soul a hundred-thousand-year level too!"
Tang San was speechless.
Tang Hao's hidden gaze trembled.
Originally, Tang Hao planned the second martial soul 'Hao Tian Hammer' for Tang San to have soul rings above fifty thousand years, but now with this Ice Silkworm's sudden arrival, the possibility of all soul rings reaching a hundred-thousand-year level seemed real!
"Didn't expect such types also exist among soul beasts. If my cultivation were wasted, I'd want to feast on those who did it!"
Tang Hao thought, secretly hoping Tang San could gain the Ice Silkworm's sacrifice, but even if not, it didn't matter. Romantina would still join Tang San and Zhou Qing's adventure team... With Tang San's cleverness, Tang Hao believed he'd become the team's spiritual leader.
Xiao Wu asked, "You want revenge on the other soul beasts?"
"Why not?" The Ice Silkworm didn't reveal Xiao Wu's identity but answered in return.
"I'm an Ice Silkworm, not related to dragons, snakes, trees, swans, poodles, tigers, or others. Like your martial soul, I and the Soft Bone Rabbit are the bottom of the soul beast food chain! Moreover, they grew by sucking my cultivation! This grudge must be avenged!"
Xiao Wu fell silent...
"Can you grant a second martial soul?" Zhou Qing asked knowingly.
"Of course."
The Ice Silkworm said proudly:
"When my cultivation hits the million-year level, my origin won't transform into a soul bone. I'm dual attribute — spirit and ice. The spirit attribute can merge with this young lady's martial soul to preserve my existence. The other origin, ice, will become her second martial soul — just lifeless ice. To cultivate it, she must take the form of the second soul beast she hunts. No matter the beast's original attribute, it becomes her second martial soul — an ice attribute beast martial soul!"
Zhou Qing asked, "But you're not at a million years yet?"
"No, but while looking for sacrifices in the Star Dou Forest, I've noticed my cultivation rising quickly... Though my soul power hasn't increased much, my realm is advancing fast."
The Ice Silkworm chuckled, glancing again at Xiao Wu.
"Now I understand why those hundred-thousand-year soul beasts who chose to transform into humans had to come to the human world to quickly level up..."
"This sacrifice, if successful, will let me evolve into a million-year soul ring — equivalent to a human god at level one hundred!"
"But I sense the continent's rules won't allow a soul beast to become a god. A divine punishment I can't avoid will fall. So hiding inside a human at the moment I break through the million-year mark is my forced choice."
After saying so much, golden halos appeared around the Ice Silkworm — nine in total — each shining with dazzling white light. Its body quickly shriveled.
At that moment, Zhou Qing, Tang San, Romantina, Xiao Wu, and even Tang Hao in the shadows felt a soul-deep tremor.
It was a crushing life-level oppression!
Yet Zhou Qing's martial soul — the Blood Circulation System — actively responded. His heart pounded and his innate meridian chart started operating, faintly resisting the overwhelming pressure.
"Huh?"
The Ice Silkworm's soul noticed Zhou Qing's reaction.
"Your martial soul is your heart? Even if the attributes don't match mine, your strong spirit power still suits me, as a second backup."
With the nine golden halos glowing, a faint white aura emanated from Romantina. As it merged into the nine halos, a tenth golden halo appeared.
The Ice Silkworm's image entered the ten halos, circling like a dolphin dancing in rings, finally forming a white soul ring.
Unlike other white ten-year soul rings, this one looked carved from top-quality white jade with a glaze like glass.
The white soul ring tightly encased Romantina's head.
"Ah! A worm just crawled into my brain!"
Romantina trembled and shouted, then closed her eyes and fainted.
The surrounding strange phenomena instantly vanished, and Zhou Qing, Tang San, and Xiao Wu regained their ability to move.
Why did the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm appear here? Zhou Qing still couldn't figure it out, glancing at Xiao Wu but shaking his head silently.
It probably had little to do with her.
But the Ice Silkworm said its cultivation was absorbed by fierce beasts and soul beasts... Were the Di Tian fierce beasts already roaming outside at this time? Not afraid of the divine realm...
Wait, I almost forgot when at Dou Er level, the divine realm still existed. Except for Great God Tang watching over "Hometown," other deities basically ignored the mortal world before god-level powers appeared here.