"I do know how precious a million-year soul beast is. But sorry to say, I've already copied all the soul skills you gave to Yuhao," Jiang Qingtong said with a playful smile toward Skydream Iceworm.
As she spoke, she demonstrated Spiritual Detection Sharing, knowing full well that Skydream could sense it.
"Your soul skills are great, Skydream Iceworm—but now, they're mine too," she added cheerfully.
Huo Yuhao was visibly excited. While he had known about Jiang Qingtong's ability to imprint martial souls, he didn't realize she had also copied every soul skill.
Skydream couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. "I thought your ability to copy martial souls was already broken enough. But you can replicate soul skills too? Are you sure you're human?"
"What else would I be?" Jiang Qingtong rolled her eyes. "Anyway, don't mind me. Whatever you two need to do, just go ahead. I'm just here to watch."
Skydream looked at her, paused a moment, then said, "Could you, um, turn around? It's kind of embarrassing to bring Ice Empress out in front of you."
Jiang Qingtong scoffed. "Please, don't get ahead of yourself. You're a hunter and she's prey. Whether you two can actually be together is still very much up in the air."
"Yuhao! What's with your cousin?!" Skydream whined loudly.
Huo Yuhao could only scratch his head in embarrassment—he definitely wasn't going to cover her mouth.
Urged by Jiang Qingtong, Skydream reluctantly released Ice Empress from the cocoon of his discarded husk. She was still completely bound, unable to move.
After all, this was a husk left behind by a million-year soul beast. Even if Skydream lacked offensive power, the sheer spiritual and energetic weight of that husk was enough to render Ice Empress utterly immobilized.
"Ice Empress, stop struggling. You've already tried enough times—you should know it's useless," Skydream said in his usual lazy drawl.
"Even if you've trapped me, so what? You can't kill me. And if you dare release me, I'll kill you the moment I'm free!" Ice Empress snapped, her voice cold and filled with murderous intent.
"Why must we be enemies, Ice Empress?" Skydream looked at her with a sigh, eyes filled with a rare trace of sadness.
Ice Empress glared at him. "Then what do you want?"
"Don't be in such a rush. Just hear me out," Skydream said, shaking his head with a faint smile.
"Hear you out? About what? That you're in love with me? You've made me your prisoner, and even now you don't have the guts to reveal your true body?" she spat, her voice laced with frost.
Skydream's gaze softened. "Don't you get it? My body… is gone. What you've seen all along is my true spiritual origin, not some projection. You've been ruling the Extreme North for too long and grown complacent. That's the only reason I was able to trap you so easily."
Ice Empress froze for a moment, and only now did she notice Huo Yuhao and Jiang Qingtong standing below.
Jiang Qingtong raised her hand and waved. "Yo, nice to meet you, Ice-sis."
Ice Empress didn't spare her a glance. To her, these two humans were weak and unimportant.
She returned her gaze to Skydream. "Are they your puppets?"
"No, of course not. This young one is named Huo Yuhao—he is my host, or rather… my master. I am his soul ring. You understand what a human soul ring is, right? I'm the first sentient soul ring in the history of the continent," Skydream said.
Ice Empress's eyes widened. "That's impossible! You might be a waste of a worm, but you've lived for so long—how could a human endure your power?"
Skydream gave a wry laugh and explained everything that had happened over the years.
"I've lived longer than any other soul beast alive. But those bastards drained all my power—I wouldn't survive my next tribulation. But I wasn't ready to die. I couldn't bear to leave… you."
"And you," he continued, voice turning solemn, "you're nearing your own tribulation too. I don't want you to die either. So I came up with a plan—a way for both of us to live."
Ice Empress narrowed her eyes. "What plan?"
Skydream glanced at Jiang Qingtong, who made a gesture as if inviting him to go on.
He sighed and said plainly, "To make a god."
"…What?" Ice Empress blinked.
"To create a god," Skydream repeated. "Right now, the beings with the most potential on this continent… are humans. Only humans can ascend to godhood—and gods are immortal."
"You remember what happened ten thousand years ago, don't you?"
"The skies changed… and a god was born in an instant," Ice Empress murmured.
"Exactly. That's why even noble-blooded soul beasts like you would rather risk dying to tribulation than try to reincarnate as humans," Skydream said.
Ice Empress fell silent.
Skydream continued, "I didn't want to gamble on that uncertain path. So I chose another route—creating a god. I'd find a human, help them ascend, and tie my fate to theirs. Become part of their divine journey. That's why I became a soul ring—a sentient soul ring. I'm going to use my power to help him become a god!"
His voice was filled with conviction.
It was mad. It was ambitious. And it was… tempting.
Ice Empress's voice trembled ever so slightly. "What are your chances?"
Skydream replied honestly, "For me? Maybe thirty percent. For you? Zero. Your spiritual power can't match mine. And you don't have enough time to find a human with talent good enough."
Ice Empress snorted. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean what I said. You don't have time, and you don't have enough spiritual power to survive the transfer process. Even if you did, it would take too long to locate someone like Yuhao," Skydream said.
But then Ice Empress looked down at Huo Yuhao, and said slowly, "Who says I need to find someone? Didn't you already bring one to me?"
"…Huh?" Skydream froze in place.
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