Chapter 431: Another Ye Lao?
"How can you call it deception?" Tianmeng Iceworm immediately protested upon hearing her words, his voice so sickeningly sweet that it could make anyone gag. "I just want to be with the one I love forever what's wrong with that?"
"This is how you express love? By making me sacrifice myself for a human?" The Ice Empress was at a loss for words.
"But this is the best method," Tianmeng Iceworm said helplessly. "Neither you nor I want to die. We've lived for so long how could we willingly turn to dust? That's why I devised the best plan: creating a god!"
"As for the outcome… You saw the video, didn't you? This little guy next to me did become a god! That proves my plan is viable." He confidently gestured toward Huo Yuhao.
The Ice Empress fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "If you had come to me before the video was revealed, I might have been convinced to sacrifice myself for this human. But unfortunately for you, I've already found another way to become a god. I don't need to rely on humans anymore."
"What? You found a method? Impossible! You're lying, aren't you?" Tianmeng Iceworm's face showed sheer disbelief, shaking his head in denial.
If the Ice Empress had truly discovered another way to become a god, then his entire plan had been doomed from the start. No matter how long he managed to imprison her, she would never willingly sacrifice herself.
The difference between having no choice and having a better choice was fundamental. If she had another option, why would she ever choose sacrifice? That was merely a last resort.
He finally realized that his entire plan had collapsed.
Now, he had only two options:
One let her go, which was incredibly risky. After all, he was still a massive source of nourishment for the Ice Empress. Even though he had already merged with Huo Yuhao, for a soul beast, eating Huo Yuhao would be just as effective.
Two kill her on the spot to remove all future threats. At least this way, Huo Yuhao could obtain a 300,000 year old soul bone…
But Tianmeng Iceworm hesitated. She had been his dream for so many years.
As he struggled to decide, the Ice Empress spoke again.
"You're hesitating… Debating whether to release me or kill me?"
"Hah! Do you really think I have no way to deal with that pathetic layer of skin you're using as a shield?"
With those words, she suddenly opened her mouth and spat out a streak of light!
With a soft pop, Tianmeng Iceworm's million year old exuviae deflated like a punctured balloon.
"W What?!" Tianmeng Iceworm gasped in shock. Instinctively, he retracted his damaged skin, staring in disbelief. "You… You can actually break through my defense?! Impossible!!"
"Nothing is impossible…"
Freed from her restraints, the Ice Empress stretched her limbs, her emerald tail flicking behind her, shimmering with deadly cold light.
A sense of impending doom filled the air.
Tianmeng Iceworm gulped nervously before abandoning all pride and immediately retreating back into Huo Yuhao's body.
He shouted in panic, "Don't come any closer! I'm warning you! Do you realize who is possessing him? Ye Lao is inside his body! If you push us too far, even you won't be able to escape unscathed!"
Ye Lao's presence was their ultimate trump card.
This was their final layer of confidence, the reason they had dared to venture into the Extreme North and scheme against the Ice Empress. Even if their plan had gone awry, they still had Ye Lao as a deterrent.
This trump card could only be used once, but they were betting that no one would dare to test its power.
Yet despite Tianmeng Iceworm's frantic yelling, the Ice Empress remained eerily calm.
At the same time, the mysterious light she had spat out began to retract.
It floated quietly before her, as if standing guard.
And as its glow dimmed, its true form was finally revealed.
It was a sharp, crystalline shard.
Though it wasn't large, its edges were impossibly sharp.
Tianmeng Iceworm froze in astonishment.
"…Is that… a fragment of the Feihong Sword?"
It was.
He had never expected that the very soul beast they had targeted just so happened to be carrying the very object they were searching for.
It was too much of a coincidence.
But there was something even more shocking.
"You… You can control the fragment?!" Tianmeng Iceworm blurted out in disbelief.
"Have you found a way to unlock its power?!"
"That's why… That's why you said you don't need to sacrifice yourself?!"
Huo Yuhao was just as shaken.
He immediately reached out to Ye Lao in his mind.
"Ye Lao! What's going on?! Has the Ice Empress really figured out how to use the fragment's power?!"
He had always believed that only those blessed by Ye Lao's fragment could wield its power.
Yet right before his eyes, a soul beast was freely manipulating a fragment of the Feihong Sword.
This revelation terrified him.
Because if a soul beast could harness a fragment's power…
Then what about humans?
What about the gods?
Could they also use these fragments?
Just the possibility sent a chill down his spine.
If gods could utilize the fragments… he was doomed.
"Calm down."
Ye Lao's voice echoed in his mind, calm and composed.
"It is impossible for anyone to use the power of the fragments without my authorization."
"Perhaps perhaps someone on my level might be able to bypass my control… But a mere 300,000 year old soul beast? Not even a true god beast? Impossible."
"There is only one explanation for what's happening here."
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but ask:
"What explanation?"
But Ye Lao didn't answer him directly.
Instead, his voice rang out loud, so that everyone present could hear:
"How long are you planning to stay silent?"
"Don't you have anything to say?"
A long pause.
Then, another voice echoed in response.
"What is there to say?"
"Haven't you already guessed the truth?"
This new voice was identical to Ye Lao's.
But unlike Ye Lao's ancient, weary tone, this one sounded clear, sharp, and young.
The fragment of the Feihong Sword in the Ice Empress' possession suddenly flashed with brilliant light.
And from within, a phantom figure emerged
A man clad in white, with long black hair, his expression calm and smiling.
His eyes locked onto Huo Yuhao not at him, but at the Ye Lao residing within him.
Then, he spoke with an amused tone.
"Nice to meet you…"
"Another 'me.'"
At that moment, Tianmeng Iceworm and Huo Yuhao fell into stunned silence.
They both recognized this black haired figure.
It was Ye Lao.
But not their Ye Lao.
And judging from the tense atmosphere…
These two were not allies.
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