The Wind Baboon charged forward, driven by its dream of seizing the "Divine Fate."
"Roar!"
The ferocious Wind Baboon, upon spotting the seemingly weak Huo Yuhao, let out a low growl. It then pushed off the ground with its hind legs and lunged at him with incredible speed.
To maintain his peak combat condition, Huo Yuhao had already tucked his glasses into his inner shirt pocket.
Bring it on.
Huo Yuhao crouched slightly, his body tense, his eyes locked onto the Wind Baboon. He activated his Spirit Eye Soul, a faint golden glow swirling in his pupils as he prepared to strike.
"Eight Extremities Explosion!"
Huo Yuhao unleashed his full power, charging forward with a devastating blow that collided head-on with the Wind Baboon.
Boom! Boom!
Amid the explosive sounds, Huo Yuhao was forced back several steps but managed to steady himself.
The hidden force of his attack surged into the Wind Baboon's body, sending it flying backward. Its outer hide shattered, leaving countless bloody gashes as it bled profusely in mid-air.
When the Wind Baboon crashed heavily to the ground, it was already on the brink of death.
Indeed, the Wind Baboon, which had once been evenly matched with Huo Yuhao, was now utterly defeated by him. The Wind Baboon was torn apart.
It became a mere cutscene.
"Slice."
Huo Yuhao drew the White Tiger Dagger from his waist. As a high-level Soul Guidance Device, its sharpness was beyond the Wind Baboon's ability to withstand. The dagger cleanly slit the Wind Baboon's throat, delivering the final blow.
Moments later, a faint white light emerged from the Wind Baboon's body. Soon, a white ten-year Soul Ring separated from its corpse.
[Quest completed. Reward: Foundation Establishment Elixir recipe.]
The Wind Baboon, which had charged for its dream: "You think you can level up without killing me?"
After the battle, Huo Yuhao checked the damage to his glasses: "The quality is pretty good. Only one lens is broken, so I can still wear them."
He was fairly satisfied with the outcome of the battle.
The Wind Baboon was now dead, and the time difference was likely minimal.
Next, it was time to wait for the Tianmeng Iceworm to make its appearance.
As Huo Yuhao wiped the remaining lens, he scanned the surrounding forest, alert to any movement.
The Tianmeng Iceworm was the starting point of Huo Yuhao's journey.
While it paled in comparison to Old Yi, it raised Huo Yuhao's lower limits, while Old Yi elevated his upper limits.
Now, with the Flame Emperor Template, Huo Yuhao would possess a cheat ability superior to the Tianmeng Iceworm in the future.
However, for the original Huo Yuhao, the chain reaction triggered by the Tianmeng Iceworm was a crucial part of his cheat abilities.
As he pondered, a delighted voice echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind.
"Finally, I've encountered a human with a spiritual attribute! If only I could cry, I'd be shedding tears of joy right now!"
Brother Tianmeng!
He had arrived, bringing with him a Soul Ring and his essence to bestow his cheat abilities.
In the next moment, the ground began to tremble without warning. A thin layer of pale blue ice mist enveloped the forest, and the surrounding temperature dropped slightly.
Cracks began to form in the ground two meters ahead, faint golden-white light scattering from within. The cracks continued to expand.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile: "Since Tianmeng is here, Old Yi won't be far behind."
"In 'Battle Through the Heavens,' Yao Lao's soul was initially extremely weak. As Xiao Yan's strength and alchemy skills grew, he eventually helped Yao Lao regain his physical body."
"Now that I have the Flame Emperor Template, helping Old Yi regain his body before reaching the Divine Realm isn't an impossible dream."
As he pondered, three options popped up before Huo Yuhao's eyes.
[Option One: Refuse to fuse with the Tianmeng Iceworm. Completion Reward: "Insights on Condensing Battle Qi Vortex" (Written by Xiao Yan)]
[Option Two: Fuse with the Tianmeng Iceworm, granting the Spirit Eye Soul a million-year first Soul Ring. Completion Reward: "Basic Pill Refining Manual" (Written by Yao Lao)]
[Option Three: Absorb a ten-year Wind Baboon as the first Soul Ring for the Spirit Eye. Completion Reward: A moderate amount of Battle Qi (approximately six segments worth)]
Huo Yuhao quickly made his decision and chose the second option without hesitation.
Since he had inherited the Flame Emperor Template and aimed to help Old Yi regain his physical body in the future, mastering pill refining was an essential skill.
As for the moderate amount of Battle Qi... six segments were simply too little and insufficient. If he encountered rewards offering a larger amount of Battle Qi in the future—preferably at the level of a Battle Master or higher, no longer measured in segments—he might consider cultivating Battle Qi as well.
"I wonder which is more difficult: restoring Old Yi's body or restoring Yao Lao's body..."
At that moment, the crack in the ground had widened to over five meters, and a round, fleshy head emerged from it, measuring more than a meter in length.
When the Tianmeng Iceworm's entire body had fully crawled out, its length exceeded seven meters.
Its body was a translucent, jade-like white, with a shimmering surface and ten golden patterns encircling it.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile. "A living, breathing million-year attention-seeker."
The Tianmeng Iceworm, aware that its grand entrance might be too shocking for a child of Huo Yuhao's age, instinctively tried to comfort him.
"Don't be scared, don't be scared. Big brother won't hurt you... Huh?"
The Tianmeng Iceworm was taken aback. The boy in front of him showed no signs of fear; in fact, he was even smiling.
Huh? What's going on here?
Big brother made such a grand and awe-inspiring entrance, and this is all the reaction I get?
The two of them stared at each other in silence for over ten seconds. Huo Yuhao felt that, for the sake of the "Basic Pill Refining Manual," he should say something.
"Were those comforting words just now meant for me?"
The Tianmeng Iceworm nodded its round head. "Of course, there's no one else here. Are you staring at me because you're captivated by big brother's beautiful body?"
"Absolutely. Such a beautiful body would probably taste delicious if roasted."
Huo Yuhao examined the Tianmeng Iceworm with a thoughtful expression, imagining how it would taste with some cumin sprinkled on it. Tang Ya, who was following him, would probably be drooling at the thought.
The Tianmeng Iceworm widened its eyes, completely dumbfounded.
Facing Huo Yuhao, is this how you treat your benefactor?
"Do you need something from me? Since you can speak human language, could it be that you're..."
Huo Yuhao played along with the Tianmeng Iceworm's act, feigning surprise and a hint of fear. "Could it be... you're a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast?!"
Seeing his reaction, the Tianmeng Iceworm became smug.
It seems big brother's intimidating presence hasn't diminished over the years.
"Hmph, a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast is nothing. Big brother's cultivation far surpasses your understanding."
The Tianmeng Iceworm, who had been acting proud just a moment ago, suddenly turned serious.
"Big brother is going to become your Soul Ring—the first Wisdom Soul Ring in the history of Douluo Continent."
Huo Yuhao looked skeptical. "You say you're so powerful, and I'm well aware of my own level—I don't even have a single Soul Ring. Are you really willing to give up your life to become my Soul Ring?"
Tianmeng Iceworm noticed the distrust in his eyes.
"Don't underestimate my grand plan spanning ten thousand years. It's a God Creation Plan!"
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You have a plan too?"
"Of course. This plan will not only grant you the Soul Ring with the highest age on the entire continent but also make you a peerless genius with twin Spirit Souls."
"I've long heard that ten thousand years ago, seven gods emerged on the continent. While my grand plan may not elevate your talent beyond the foremost among them, surpassing the other six is well within reach."
(End of Chapter)