Chapter 53: A World Where Only Tianmeng Is Hurt

"A white lion?" Huo Yuhao reacted quickly. His right hand swiftly drew the White Tiger Dagger from behind his waist, and he crouched down slightly as if facing a formidable enemy.

The thin blade of the White Tiger Dagger seemed almost transparent. It made not a single sound as it left its sheath, and the biting chill it emitted gave him a measure of confidence.

The white lion with golden pupils was slowly approaching. Compared to the White Tiger, the king of beasts, this white lion appeared significantly slender, lacking such robust muscles across its body. The long, curly white mane at its neck swayed slightly with its movements.

Seeing this white lion, Huo Yuhao for some reason suddenly thought of the White Tiger Martial Soul passed down through generations in the White Tiger Duke's lineage.

If his martial soul had not mutated, he would likely have possessed a powerful White Tiger Martial Soul as well. And if he had truly inherited the Dai family's White Tiger Martial Soul, even the White Tiger Duke's wife would not have dared to treat his mother and him in that manner.

Fierce hostility radiated from the lion's majestic golden eyes, and it let out a low growl. Pushing off powerfully with its hind legs, it lunged straight toward Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao channeled his soul power into his Spirit Eyes, and the white lion's movements appeared noticeably slower in his vision. Seizing the right moment, he rolled fiercely to the left, then instantly sprang up. Staggering back a few steps, he held the White Tiger Dagger protectively in front of his chest.

His breathing inevitably became rapid, and he could clearly hear the nervous pounding of his heart. Yet, more than anything, he felt a surge of excitement.

Although Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes martial soul had not absorbed a single soul ring, its basic utility was quite good. Moreover, this white lion did not seem as formidable as he had anticipated; it was not entirely impossible for him to defeat it.

In fact, his judgment was grounded in certain facts.

Among all feline soul beasts, white lions could be considered unusual. They were not particularly skilled at close-quarters physical combat; instead, they possessed the rare mental attribute.

Legend had it that they possessed a trace of the Golden Lion King's bloodline, and those golden pupils were a sign of atavism. Unfortunately, they did not grow stronger as a result, and the golden pupils remained merely symbolic.

In the Soul Beast Compendium, their formal name was the Golden-Eyed White Lion. Judging by its size and aura, this Golden-Eyed White Lion had apparently just broken through to the century-level of cultivation.

After a brief probing attack, the Golden-Eyed White Lion roughly figured out Huo Yuhao's capabilities. It raised its head high, and its pair of golden pupils suddenly flared with light.

An ancient and tyrannical royal aura swept outward in an instant. Even though Huo Yuhao's martial soul possessed the mental attribute, his cultivation was far too weak. His entire body involuntarily froze in place, and both his soul power and mental strength fell into disarray, refusing to obey his will.

This was precisely the innate soul skill of the Golden-Eyed White Lion: Mental Deterrence.

Had it been the Golden Lion King in person, it would have been the true Ruler's Gaze.

Although the Golden-Eyed White Lion merely stimulated the trace of Golden Lion King bloodline within its body and released an aura combined with its mental power, it was already enough to cause a tenth-rank soul master like Huo Yuhao to lose the ability to resist on the spot.

Huo Yuhao's heart was already ice cold, emotions of fear and despair lingering in his mind as he watched the Golden-Eyed White Lion lunge toward him through the air once more. At this moment close to death, he actually felt regret.

If he had listened to his mother's dying wish, let go of his hatred, and lived out his life peacefully as an ordinary person, perhaps he would not have met this calamity.

Huo Yuhao was only eleven years old now. Faced with the choice between life and death, no matter how resolute one's mind might be, it was inevitable that it would waver.

At this critical juncture, strands of blue vines rushed in from afar, tightly binding the Golden-Eyed White Lion in mid-air. Immediately following that, a black-haired youth with a composed aura appeared directly above the Golden-Eyed White Lion's head in a flash, his right elbow striking fiercely downward.

"Boom—" The Golden-Eyed White Lion crashed heavily onto the ground, a clearly visible indentation appearing on its skull. Blood seeped from its facial orifices, and its limbs and body spasmed uncontrollably, clearly beyond saving.

Huo Yuhao instinctively looked back along those blue vines to see a familiar-faced young girl absorbing those vines back into her body, with two bright yellow rings revolving around her.

The ones who had stepped in to help were naturally Tang Ya and Ye Xixuan, who had been following behind Huo Yuhao.

Tang Ya patted her full chest, letting out a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Good thing we made it in time. At least those roasted fish you gave us weren't eaten in vain."

"Sister Tang, Brother Ye." Having survived the ordeal, Huo Yuhao glanced at Tang Ya, then turned his gaze to Ye Xixuan, who had his back turned to him, falling into a brief daze. Over the past few years, this was the first time he had ever felt care from a stranger.

Tang Ya stepped forward to hook her arm through Ye Xixuan's, sizing up the Golden-Eyed White Lion, which had more breaths leaving it than entering, and said with a beaming smile, "A mental-attribute Golden-Eyed White Lion with around a century of cultivation—is it suitable to serve as your first soul ring? If the attributes conflict, you can come with us into the Star Dou Great Forest later to hunt soul beasts and find you a matching ring along the way. Consider it payment for the roasted fish you treated us to earlier."

"You knew I came to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts and obtain a soul ring?" Huo Yuhao snapped back to his senses, realizing in his heart that Ye Xixuan and Tang Ya must have seen right through him long ago, so he stopped trying to hide it. "Actually, my martial soul is also of the mental attribute."

"A mental-attribute martial soul? That's quite rare." Tang Ya blinked in surprise. With Ye Xixuan accompanying her now, she didn't have the thought of recruiting Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect the way she did in the original storyline. "In that case, wouldn't this Golden-Eyed White Lion be just right to serve as your soul ring?"

"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded, unable to hide his joy. This was a genuine century-level soul ring! After the servants' children in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion awakened their martial souls, although they cultivated to the tenth rank of soul power earlier than he did, the vast majority of them only integrated decade-level soul rings.

"Sister Tang, Brother Ye, thank you."

"No need for thanks, considering we ate your roasted fish after all." Tang Ya waved her hand casually.

Ye Xixuan couldn't help muttering, "Sister Xiaoya, practically all of those roasted fish were eaten by you alone."

"Then let me ask you, if I eat a bit more to grow up healthy and strong, who benefits in the end?" Tang Ya gave a coquettish snort, this sentence practically becoming her justified motto for gluttony. "Alright, little Yuhao. Go ahead and finish off that Golden-Eyed White Lion, otherwise the soul ring will be wasted once it dies."

Listening to their conversation, Huo Yuhao felt his face flush slightly before Tang Ya's urging voice reached his ears once more. He quickly gave an acknowledgment and stepped forward, gripping the White Tiger Dagger with excitement.

Ye Xixuan did not interfere with Huo Yuhao's actions, watching quietly as Huo Yuhao plunged the White Tiger Dagger into the Golden-Eyed White Lion's neck, whereupon a pale yellow soul ring gradually condensed and rose.

At that very moment, a terrifying mental consciousness instantly swept across the greater part of the southern region of the Star Dou Great Forest. This mental shock did not possess overly strong destructive power, but it was capable of causing all living creatures to lose the ability to think for a short duration.

Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao immediately fell into a state of daze; only Ye Xixuan appeared unaffected. With a sudden premonition, he looked toward the ground two meters ahead of him. Golden-white light shone from a crack in the earth, and a creature resembling a silkworm wriggled its way out from beneath the ground.

Its entire body was milky-white and crystal-clear, over seven meters in length and more than a meter in diameter. Although it had crawled out of the dirt, its glowing, shifting skin was free of any grime. Ten strange golden rings encircled its body, and a pair of glowing golden little eyes met Ye Xixuan's gaze face-to-face.

"You're the first human who could remain calm upon seeing Big Brother's true form. Hehe, are you captivated by Big Brother's beautiful, delicate body?"

"What do you want?"

A thought stirred in Ye Xixuan's mind. 天梦冰蚕 (Tianmeng Iceworm) taking the initiative to find him was actually both unexpected and within reason, so he didn't feel too much surprise.

"Aren't you curious at all about Big Brother's identity?" Tianmeng Iceworm poked its chubby large head close to Ye Xixuan's, while not forgetting to turn and cast a vigilant look toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Never mind, time is tight right now; I'll tell you about Big Brother's legendary experiences in detail later. Let me give you a brief self-introduction first. I am the incarnation of heroism and chivalry, the king of soul beast kings combining wisdom and beauty, the Tianmeng Iceworm who has cultivated for a million years and set the highest longevity record on the Dou大陆 (Douluo Continent). Well, you can call me Big Brother Tianmeng. Now Big Brother is going to fuse with you, and become your wisdom soul ring when you break through your bottlenecks in the future."

"Big Brother is starting now, then." Without caring whether Ye Xixuan agreed or not, Tianmeng Iceworm pressed its chubby head against Ye Xixuan's forehead.

"Rest assured, fusing with Big Brother will definitely only bring you benefits and no harm. Your martial soul's ultimate darkness attribute talent is strong, but for you to grow normally would take at least several decades. With Big Brother helping you, it'll be different; Big Brother guarantees you'll soar and become the strongest person in the world within twenty years. Have you ever heard of the Beast God Di Tian? His true form is the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, the last surviving member of the black dragon clan. With Big Brother around, maybe in the future we can even help you make him your soul ring and soul bone." Tianmeng Iceworm shamelessly painted a grand picture, though its hatred for the Beast God Di Tian was indeed real.

The reason it chose Ye Xixuan was partly because of his talent. If it successfully endowed Ye Xixuan with a secondary martial soul of the ultimate ice attribute in the future, it would be an unprecedented dual-ultimate-attribute martial soul, and the possibility of achieving godhood would be greatly enhanced.

Another reason was the hope that Ye Xixuan might one day help it take revenge. A soul master with a dual-ultimate-attribute martial soul, once successful in cultivation, would be fully capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Beast God Di Tian.

Ye Xixuan did not resist—or rather, even if he had resisted, he could not have stopped the fusion between Tianmeng Iceworm and himself.

Although Tianmeng Iceworm's own combat power was not strong, its million-year cultivation was genuine. If it truly insisted on lingering in his sea of consciousness, no one could do anything about it.

Not long after, the ten golden rings on Tianmeng Iceworm's body swiftly enveloped Ye Xixuan; this was the most primordial power from its million years of cultivation.

To fuse with Ye Xixuan, it had to first seal its primordial power within Ye Xixuan's sea of consciousness; otherwise, this power would be enough to cause most Titled Douluo-level powerhouses to burst open. A certain unlucky fellow at the Titled Douluo cultivation level had once been its test subject.

Tianmeng Iceworm could be said to have made thorough preparations this time.

Yet in the next instant, the previously clear sky above the southern part of the Star Dou Great Forest suddenly darkened, and a roar like thunder exploded high in the sky. At that very moment, the sun's brilliance was actually blotted out by boundless darkness, and a terrifying, breathtaking oppressive might descended from the heavens.

Tianmeng Iceworm, which had just sealed its mental origin into Ye Xixuan's sea of consciousness, felt its massive body shudder uncontrollably amidst that thunderclap. Its two golden little eyes rolled outward, their gaze filled with shock and bewilderment.

The oppressive anomaly in the sky clearly had nothing to do with it and completely surpassed its understanding.

Simultaneously, an eerie black airflow descended from the sky, landing at the back of Ye Xixuan's head.

Tianmeng Iceworm watched in horror as its mental origin seemed to be cut off by an invisible force, unable to continue completing the fusion with Ye Xixuan. Even though it was merely this final step away, it felt like an insurmountable chasm blocking it outside.

Having lost the primordial power of its million-year cultivation, and with its rightful spot usurped, Tianmeng Iceworm was both terrified and furious.

"What on earth are you?! How dare you snatch someone from Big Brother?!"

A hazy figure manifested behind Ye Xixuan, an aged voice carrying a majesty that transcended the mortal world.

"Holding sun and moon in hand to pluck the stars, there is no one like me in this world. I never expected that a wisp of remnant soul left behind by this old man upon arriving at this plane would encounter such a nostalgic constitution. Although I have forgotten many things, I can at least be certain that this little fellow's constitution is incompatible with your abilities. Go on, big bug, there are others here who are better suited for you."

"Then at least return Big Brother's primordial power, you bastard!" Tianmeng Iceworm felt like crying without tears. All of its mental strength was mobilized by relying on that million-year primordial power. Without it, its mental origin alone could not possibly threaten this mysterious figure.

"Other candidates? You surely don't expect Big Brother to choose this tenth-rank soul power good-for-nothing!"

The hazy, illusory figure, however, ignored Tianmeng Iceworm entirely and slipped into the back of Ye Xixuan's head under Tianmeng Iceworm's furious gaze.

"Damn it! Damn it! Why is Big Brother so unlucky!" Tianmeng Iceworm rolled around on the ground in exasperation, but lacking the support of its primordial power, its true form could not be maintained for much longer. Soon, its body transformed into a dense mass of white light. After making one more failed attempt to inject itself into Ye Xixuan's body, it decisively swept away toward another direction.

Now, all it had left were its mental and ice-attribute origins, along with the shed skin left behind by its million years of cultivation.

Despite losing its primordial power, Tianmeng Iceworm was still unwilling to choose Huo Yuhao—whose talent was abysmal to the extreme—as its host, deciding instead to settle for its secondary planned target.

"Big Brother's life is so bitter! Without the primordial power, even if I successfully fuse with that little girl with twin martial souls, who knows when I'll ever wake up, or if I might never wake up at all. That bastard really ruined Big Brother!"