"Tian Meng, can you tell me why you chose to fuse with me?"
Chi Yuan suddenly asked.
Within the tranquil and mysterious spiritual space, Chi Yuan stood facing Tian Meng the Ice Silk Worm. Chi Yuan's eyes were full of curiosity, while Tian Meng looked unfathomably deep, as though pondering something profound.
Although Chi Yuan had used the Fate Alteration Card, all he did was change Tian Meng's destined encounter with Huo Yuhao to himself. The real choice still had to be made by Tian Meng.
Tian Meng let out a bitter laugh,
"I chose you because I had no other choice. My time was running out. I originally wanted to choose a host with a spiritual-type martial soul, but I happened to encounter you. Although your talent and spiritual power are beyond extraordinary, you're not the most compatible with me. But I had no other options left then, so I could only take a gamble. Luckily, it paid off in the end."
As he spoke, Tian Meng looked rather pleased, clearly satisfied with how his plan had succeeded.
Then Tian Meng began to recount his own tale to Chi Yuan.
He was born among the Ice Silk Worms of the Extreme North. By chance, he fell into a pool of ten-thousand-year Ice Marrow, and thus began a happy life of eating and sleeping without worry.
Eventually, he broke through his species' limits, his cultivation soaring upward. After devouring all of the Ice Marrow, he broke through to 900,000 years.
Then he drilled out from the depths of the ice cavern and drifted above the sea, where he encountered his first formidable enemy.
At this point, Tian Meng looked a bit embarrassed,
"But I'm really bad at fighting. Completely clueless. In the end, I could only scare my opponent away using my powerful spiritual power. Then I thought the sea was too dangerous—maybe the land would be safer. So I went ashore. But I discovered the land wasn't safe either. Because I had absorbed too much Ice Marrow, my body gave off a special scent that attracted soul beasts—they all saw me as food. My fate was truly miserable."
Tian Meng's expression grew sorrowful.
"Later, I was caught by a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. It didn't kill me but brought me to the core of the Great Star Dou Forest, intending to absorb my soul power to break through its limit. That's when I realized I was like a supreme tonic to soul beasts—any of them could absorb my soul power to push past their limits."
"But that guy underestimated me. I may not be good at fighting, but I could release my aura. So, I broadcasted my presence, and all the hundred-thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts in the Great Star Dou Forest came rushing in. Hehe."
"A massive battle broke out. It was brutal, all for the chance to monopolize my essence soul power. Brains were quite literally bashed out. I wanted to seize the opportunity to escape. But those beasts were too cunning. After fighting for a while, they actually stopped to negotiate. And that's when tragedy struck. They came to an agreement—to absorb my power together since I had more than enough to share. So they imprisoned me in the forest's center and forced me to release my origin power for them to absorb. Those bastards treated me like food."
"I couldn't resist. All I could do was let them absorb my soul power. After thousands of years of thinking and observing, I realized that escaping alone wasn't enough—I had to hide my aura as well. I noticed a few humans entering the forest to hunt soul beasts. I paid close attention. Sadly, they met grim fates. Thanks to the nourishment of my soul power, many of the soul beasts had grown immensely powerful—some even broke their limits. Despite those humans wielding powerful soul tools, they still suffered great losses. But they opened my eyes to the strengths of humanity."
Tian Meng sighed and continued,
"You humans may not be individually stronger than soul beasts, but your teamwork and intelligence far surpass ours. Plus, you have soul tools and various soul skills that we beasts don't. So I decided to find a powerful human host and use your intelligence and strength to protect myself. After much deliberation, I figured the best way was to become a soul ring. That way, I'd merge with a human who was bound to become very powerful. With my spiritual attributes, I could preserve my consciousness and become an unprecedented intelligent soul ring. I began trying. But the first attempt failed. Later, I found that a host needed extraordinarily strong spiritual power to fuse with me. I spent thousands of years researching without success. My time was almost up."
"Yet Heaven had not forsaken me. Just when I was on the brink of despair, a tenth golden pattern emerged on my body. I broke through and became a million-year soul beast. I finally gained some battle strength. Still, I couldn't defeat those hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. Revenge was beyond me. So I seized a chance, used my breakthrough power to mask my aura, and burrowed away to escape."
"Sigh—" Tian Meng, this Ice Silk Worm who had weathered countless ages, let out a deep sigh.
"It was then I realized the Heavenly Tribulation at the million-year mark was far too terrifying. I barely escaped their control, but the tribulation left me with little remaining lifespan. Without another means of survival, I would soon wither away. And that's when I met you, little one. I suppose my luck had finally turned. You have incredibly strong spiritual power and talent—you're the most gifted human I've ever seen. With my help, you stand a great chance of surpassing level 100 and becoming a god."
"I chose to merge with you. No matter what happens, those bastards will never get my essence." Tian Meng's words were filled with bitterness from the past and hope for the future. He believed that fusing with Chi Yuan would open a new chapter in his life and allow his legacy to shine brighter than ever.
As he listened to Tian Meng's story, Chi Yuan felt a surge of admiration. He understood Tian Meng's choice had not been easy.
Chi Yuan also felt that Tian Meng had truly suffered. He said sincerely, "Thank you for choosing me, Tian Meng. Since you've chosen me, I'll protect you. I won't let you go through that kind of tragedy again."
Then he shifted his tone teasingly, "But Tian Meng, you really are kind of weak, huh."
Flustered by Chi Yuan's jab, Tian Meng flew into a mock rage and kicked him out of the spiritual sea, then retreated to one side to sulk and sleep.