"What kind of soul beast is this? To think it could actually withstand the fierce onslaught of that giant python despite such a massive disparity in size."
Huo Yuhao stared at the clash between the two beasts, speaking in sheer astonishment.
The Tian Meng explained, "That is a Glacier Conjoined Ape, a branch lineage of the Titan Snow Ape. The Titan Snow Ape is the descendant of the ancient Ice God and the Titans, so naturally, a branch lineage like the Glacier Conjoined Ape won't be lacking. However, its cultivation age is at most fifteen thousand years."
"The one hunting it is a hundred-thousand-year One-Horned Ice Dragon Python. Even among hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, it is an exceptionally formidable existence."
"Don't be fooled by how lively the fight looks right now. That's only because the One-Horned Ice Dragon Python wants to swallow it whole. Otherwise, even if this Glacier Conjoined Ape had ten lives, it wouldn't be enough to survive. Just watch; this Glacier Conjoined Ape is destined to lose."
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. "Then wouldn't I be able to wait until this Glacier Conjoined Ape is defeated, absorb its soul ring, and convert it into my second martial soul?"
The Tian Meng replied speechlessly, "You certainly have beautiful dreams. But have you ever considered why the One-Horned Ice Dragon Python is chasing it down? On one hand, this Glacier Conjoined Ape must have enraged it; on the other hand, it wants to consume it whole to increase its own cultivation. Do you think that python would be kind enough to leave the Glacier Conjoined Ape for you?"
As the two spoke, the One-Horned Ice Dragon Python had already coiled its body around the Glacier Conjoined Ape.
Just as it was about to be swallowed in a single gulp, the unwilling Glacier Conjoined Ape somehow mustered a sudden burst of strength and let out a roar toward the heavens.
"Oh no! Yuhao, run quickly!" the Tian Meng screamed within Huo Yuhao's mind, having seemingly realized something.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
The roar of the Glacier Conjoined Ape was deafening, triggering an avalanche that caused the very ground to split apart.
By a striking stroke of coincidence, a massive ice cavern lay hidden beneath the snow-covered ground.
It instantly swallowed the Glacier Conjoined Ape, the One-Horned Ice Dragon Python, and Huo Yuhao, who had no time to escape.
A moment later, the ice cavern was completely buried by countless layers of snow and ice.
The One-Horned Ice Dragon Python burst out from the snow, looking around the area. Seeing no trace of the Glacier Conjoined Ape, it could only leave resentfully.
An unknown amount of time passed before Huo Yuhao woke up within the subterranean ice cavern, with the fifteen-thousand-year Glacier Conjoined Ape lying right beside him.
"You're awake? Now that you're awake, quickly kill this Glacier Conjoined Ape and absorb its soul ring," the Tian Meng urged.
"What exactly happened?" Huo Yuhao retrieved a soul tool light source to inspect his surroundings, looking completely bewildered.
"I don't know what kind of dumb luck you have, kid, to have fallen into this cavern. Otherwise, you would have been buried alive. As for this Glacier Conjoined Ape, the One-Horned Ice Dragon Python let go of it at the critical moment to use it as leverage to spring upward, throwing it away in the process. It just so happened to be tossed right into the same ice cavern as you."
While the Tian Meng felt a lingering fear, it couldn't help but feel fortunate. Although this Glacier Conjoined Ape could not compare to the Ice Empress by any means, at least this trip wasn't in vain.
Even if it fell far short of his original estimations, it was still better than nothing.
"So that's how it is." Huo Yuhao came to a sudden realization. He then looked around at the sealed cavern, a wry expression appearing on his face. "But the surroundings are completely blocked off. Even if I absorb the soul ring of this Glacier Conjoined Ape, I won't be able to get out. Besides, you said it yourself, this Glacier Conjoined Ape's cultivation has reached fifteen thousand years."
The Tian Meng was almost driven to tears by the stupidity of Huo Yuhao's train of thought. "The reason a Glacier Conjoined Ape is called a Glacier Conjoined Ape is because it possesses an incredibly powerful ice attribute, and secondly, it has the ability to split mountains, dig tunnels, and cross ridges. It can dig through even the hardest glaciers, so what does a mere accumulation of snow matter?"
"As for this Glacier Conjoined Ape's soul ring, I will seal the majority of its energy for you, so you can absorb it with peace of mind. Alright, stop wasting time and kill it quickly. Otherwise, once this big guy wakes up, you might find yourself wishing you were dead."
A wave of dread washed over Huo Yuhao. Not daring to delay for a single second, he drew the White Tiger Dagger from his storage soul tool and drove it through the Glacier Conjoined Ape's eye, piercing into its brain.
The Glacier Conjoined Ape let out a wretched cry, and a pitch-black soul ring manifested soon after as it completely lost its life force.
"Huh? It looks like a soul bone dropped from its body." Just as Huo Yuhao was preparing to absorb the soul ring, the Tian Meng's pleasantly surprised voice echoed in his mind once more.
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up instantly. He wasted no time digging into the beast, and moments later, a snow-white torso bone was presented before his eyes.
"Haha! What a windfall! It's actually a torso bone!"
However, the Tian Meng couldn't bring itself to be happy at all because the age of this soul bone was simply too low, falling far short of its expectations. The soul bone it had envisioned was supposed to be the Ice Empress's regular hundred-thousand-year torso bone.
Looking at this Glacier Conjoined Ape's soul ring and soul bone now, it couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
Furthermore, it felt as though it had forgotten something, yet because too much time had passed, it couldn't recall it at the moment.
"What's wrong, Brother Skydream?" Seeing that the Tian Meng remained silent, Huo Yuhao asked in confusion.
The Tian Meng replied, "It's nothing. Hurry up and absorb it. Over the past year, your Teacher Zhou Yi gave you Mysterious Water Pills and Ascension Pills just to make a comeback. Combined with the shared cultivation speed from your second brother Haobin, your soul power has already reached Rank 27. Once you absorb this soul ring and soul bone, you should be able to break through to Rank 30. When that time comes, we will find a third soul ring for your Spirit Eyes right here."
"Mm." Huo Yuhao was brimming with confidence. From this moment onward, once he finished absorbing this soul ring and soul bone, he would also be a possessor of twin martial souls.
Furthermore, his second martial soul would be a branch lineage of the descendants of the Ice God and the Titans—the Glacier Conjoined Ape.
After that, he would obtain the third soul ring for his Spirit Eyes martial soul and become a Soul Elder.
As long as he returned with such talent and strength, he would definitely be able to help Teacher Zhou Yi make her comeback.
He would repay her kindness.
Then, he would severely slap Feng Piaoling's face to prove that he was not an ungrateful ingrate.
"Just you wait, Feng Piaoling. I will catch up to you very soon."
Huo Yuhao clenched his fist toward the ceiling of the ice cavern before sitting cross-legged to begin absorbing the Glacier Conjoined Ape's soul ring and soul bone.
Taking Huo Yuhao's safety into account, after he completely integrated the Glacier Conjoined Ape's soul bone, the Skydream Iceworm conservatively allowed Huo Yuhao to absorb an amount of energy equivalent to a three-thousand-year soul ring. The remaining power was sealed away for him.
Once his cultivation was sufficient, this soul ring would eventually restore its full fifteen-thousand-year power.
With the absorption of the Glacier Conjoined Ape's soul ring, Huo Yuhao's second martial soul finally took shape.
"Brother Skydream, I've broken through Rank 30." Huo Yuhao stood up, his face flushed with excitement. "Not only that, I've also obtained a very powerful offensive skill called Glacier Rift from the soul ring, while the soul bone has granted me a defensive skill called Ice Ape Barrier. Relying on these two skills, we can easily dig our way out."
At this moment, Huo Yuhao's body had undergone an earth-shattering transformation after obtaining the second martial soul, the Glacier Conjoined Ape.
His height, which had originally been under 1.7 meters, had shot up to nearly two meters. His muscles were like granite, tearing his clothes to shreds, giving him an indescribably peculiar appearance.
Even his facial features had matured considerably.
If not for the natural trace of youthfulness lingering between his brows, he would look no different from a fully grown man.
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi