Chapter 278: Huo Yuhao's Thousand-Year Soul Ring
"Yuhao, catch it! Don't let it escape!"
Tianmeng Iceworm shouted.
"Brother Tianmeng... your Iceworm clan are all so tiny—how can you run so fast?"
Huo Yuhao panted heavily as he chased after the creature, voicing his curiosity at the same time.
"Hmph! We Iceworms are naturally weak. Our combat power is barely one percent of other soul beasts of the same level. If we couldn't run, we'd have gone extinct long ago, eaten as snacks by stronger beasts."
Tianmeng Iceworm snorted proudly.
After all, speed and escape were trademarks of the Iceworm race.
If not for that, he would never have escaped the Ice Empress's pursuit back then.
"Don't worry. That one is only a thousand-year-old Iceworm—its combat power isn't even at the level of a hundred-year-old soul beast. It just has a few escape tricks. And its ability has a cooldown. Once it's used up, launch your spiritual attack, and you'll take it down easily."
Tianmeng Iceworm promised.
"Got it, got it, Brother Tianmeng, keep an eye on it for me. I can barely sense its aura anymore. Don't lose track!"
"Relax. Don't you know your brother's skills? This way, this way—don't go off course…"
Tianmeng Iceworm guided him confidently, patting his chest metaphorically.
He had been the first to spot this thousand-year Iceworm.
Each Iceworm had different abilities—most spiritual in nature and oriented toward survival rather than battle.
This particular Iceworm's ability was Mimicry—it could disguise itself as a harmless object to avoid predators.
It was only because Tianmeng himself was an Iceworm, with immense spiritual power, that he noticed this one's presence at all.
And it was a thousand-year specimen!
By common sense, Huo Yuhao—barely level 20—should never have been able to absorb a thousand-year soul ring.
However, Iceworms were special cases.
Though classified as thousand-year soul beasts, their combat ability was pitifully weak, meaning their rings were also weak enough for Huo Yuhao to absorb safely.
Still, hardly any soul masters sought Iceworm rings, so this secret remained unknown.
In this case, Huo Yuhao just happened to be a spiritual-type soul master, and this Iceworm happened to have an ideal ability—Mimicry. That combination made it the perfect choice for him.
Tianmeng Iceworm had already planned out Huo Yuhao's future soul ring configuration—focused mostly on support and survival.
As for offense, Huo Yuhao's first soul ring already granted two types of spiritual attacks. Though he couldn't yet unleash the full might of a million-year hybrid ring, someday he would.
Once his strength grew, he'd fully awaken that million-year ring's true destructive power.
No one could withstand an unguarded blow from a million-year spiritual attack.
But the premise of all that was simple—Huo Yuhao had to survive first.
Thus, all future soul rings needed to reinforce support and survival skills.
Originally, Tianmeng planned for the Ice Empress to become Huo Yuhao's second spirit. That would greatly increase his combat ability, turning him from a support-type into an all-round soul master.
Unfortunately, the Ice Empress had been snatched away by that bastard Ye Chen.
And the Snow Empress wasn't home…
"Wait—don't tell me the Snow Empress was snatched by Ye Chen too?"
The thought struck Tianmeng Iceworm suddenly.
But he quickly dismissed it.
Ye Chen had only fused with the Ice Empress six months ago. In half a year, there was no way he could have broken through another major realm.
No matter how talented he was—it was impossible!
The Snow Empress must simply be absent. When Huo Yuhao reached level 30, they'd try again. If they managed to persuade her by then, his chances of fusing would increase greatly.
"Brother Tianmeng, what's wrong? Say something! I think I lost track of it…"
Huo Yuhao's worried voice broke Tianmeng's thoughts.
"Don't worry, you haven't lost it. Look—see that inconspicuous little ice chunk about a hundred meters ahead? That's the Iceworm. It's disguised itself as ice."
Tianmeng pointed at a small patch of ice in the distance.
Though the disguise was perfect, that lone chunk sat oddly isolated in the snowfield.
This kind of trick might fool brainless beasts, but deceiving Tianmeng Iceworm was impossible.
"So that's where it went! No wonder it vanished!"
Huo Yuhao noticed the out-of-place ice with excitement.
He simply lacked familiarity with Iceworms—otherwise, even without Tianmeng's guidance, he could have spotted it.
"Its escape ability should be on cooldown right now. Yuhao, now's your chance—you have only a few minutes to strike!"
Tianmeng urgently warned.
He could have easily crushed the opposing Iceworm himself, but doing so would drain his already fragile strength and plunge him into deep sleep.
And in the middle of the Far North, if he slept, Huo Yuhao would be helpless—lost, frozen, or starved to death.
So unless absolutely necessary, Tianmeng refused to interfere directly.
"Got it!"
Huo Yuhao nodded tightly and dashed forward.
Yet his approach was calculated—he veered slightly off course, pretending frustration as if he'd lost track of the prey.
It was an act—to lull the Iceworm into a false sense of safety before delivering the killing blow.
After all, though weak, a thousand-year Iceworm was still a soul beast, and Huo Yuhao, weakened by hunger and cold, couldn't afford mistakes.
Sure enough, the disguised Iceworm fell for it, remaining motionless and fully merged into its icy disguise.
When Huo Yuhao was within ten meters, he launched his strongest spiritual assault.
"Now!"
"Spiritual Shock!"
His Spirit Eyes flared with a piercing light as an invisible wave of psychic force slammed into the chunk of ice.
Screee!
The Iceworm screamed shrilly, exposed from its disguise as its massive, plump body rolled out onto the ice—more than twenty centimeters long, chubby and glistening, much like Tianmeng Iceworm himself.
It squirmed frantically across the snow, looking almost comical.
"Kill!"
Huo Yuhao shouted fiercely, hurling his White Tiger Dagger.
Even though the Iceworm looked silly, he took no chances, attacking with full force.
Puchi—
The blade pierced straight through its head.
The thousand-year Iceworm had speed but virtually no defense—its resistance was weaker than most hundred-year soul beasts.
Though Huo Yuhao used no soul skill, the White Tiger Dagger was sharp enough to easily split its skull and embed deep into the ice below.
Fluids burst forth; the Iceworm twitched twice before dying instantly.
A purple soul ring rose slowly from its corpse.
"A thousand-year soul ring!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes shone with delight.
It was his first self-obtained thousand-year ring, and a rush of pride and excitement surged through him.
(END CHAPTER)
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