"Wow, what a terrifying pill! Such an overwhelming chill—I've never felt anything like it, not even from Bing Bing!"
The Ice Silk Worm was utterly shocked.
It knew Tian Lin had been refining a powerful pill, but it never expected it to be this strong.
The "Bing Bing" it mentioned was none other than the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, one of the top ten ferocious soul beasts, possessing the ultimate ice attribute as a supreme soul beast.
"Of course! To refine this pill, I used a thousand-year-old Snow Silkworm as the medicinal primer. Not only that, I sacrificed all the Snow Silkworms in the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, along with the ultimate ice power I acquired from consuming the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. And to top it off, the icy spring of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well enhanced everything. Combining all these advantages, I managed to create this unparalleled divine pill!" Tian Lin said proudly. The efficacy of this Snow Soul Divine Pill far surpassed the Heaven-Mending Pill and the Xuanwu Golden Pill, making it the strongest divine pill Tian Lin had ever refined.
"However, because the pill's effects are so potent, even an ice-attribute soul master would likely not be able to consume it. Only you, Brother Ice Silk Worm, with your profound cultivation of 990,000 years, can digest it." Tian Lin used his soul power to guide the pill. "There's no time to waste. This is the first step toward becoming the strongest."
"Alright, today I'll go crazy with you!" Ice Silk Worm didn't hesitate and swallowed the Snow Soul Divine Pill in one gulp.
As soon as the pill entered its body, its effects activated. Ice Silk Worm's entire body began to glow with a pure white radiance.
"Wow, I never thought I, an ice-attribute soul beast, would ever feel cold. But you know what? This cold feels amazing!" Ice Silk Worm leaped into the icy spring, using its energy to help fully absorb the pill.
Seconds turned into minutes, and before long, dark clouds gathered in the sky, congregating solely above the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well without spreading outward.
Boom!
Suddenly, the icy spring trembled violently. A massive, snow-white silkworm leaped out of the spring, its body still glowing faintly. While its white hue remained, a tinge of gold had been added, giving it an even more noble appearance.
Golden soul power—a hallmark of a million-year soul beast. However, the shade of gold varied depending on the attribute of the soul beast. For the ice-attribute Golden-Patterned Ice Silkworm, it was platinum. For a dark-attribute soul beast, it would be dark gold, while for a water-attribute beast, it would typically be blue gold.
At this moment, the Golden-Patterned Ice Silkworm had grown its tenth golden pattern, and its essence had been fully restored.
"Haha! I've finally become the first-ever million-year soul beast. From today onward, I'm giving myself a brand-new, resounding name—call me Skydream Ice Silkworm!"
"Xiao Tian, from now on, call me Brother Skydream. Brother Ice Silkworm sounds awful," Skydream declared.
Tian Lin nodded. "Alright, Brother Skydream. But now's not the time for celebration. Look at the sky."
Hearing this, Skydream Ice Silkworm froze for a moment and looked up. The once-quiet dark clouds had begun to churn wildly, and from within, Skydream could feel the power of the divine.
"What the—?! A million-year divine tribulation, and it's here already?! That's impossible!" Skydream suddenly realized something. "Xiao Tian, how much cultivation did your divine pill add to me? It's not just 10,000 years; otherwise, the divine tribulation wouldn't arrive for another thousand years."
"Uh… I don't know either," Tian Lin scratched his head awkwardly. "But the recipe for the Snow Soul Divine Pill comes from a higher-level world. In that world, an extra 10,000 years of cultivation is nothing. So, I estimate it's at least 50,000 years or more."
Soul beasts can become gods after reaching a million years, but only if they survive the divine tribulation. Failure means death and a million years of cultivation would be for nothing.
To put it bluntly, Skydream Ice Silkworm had almost no chance of surviving. First, despite reaching a million years, its combat ability remained pitifully weak. Second, the gods would never allow a soul beast to ascend easily, and they would undoubtedly make the tribulation more difficult.
The phenomenon at the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well also attracted the attention of the five strongest beings in the current world: Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall, Tang Chen, the King of Slaughter, Bo Saixi, the high priest of Sea God Island, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the most powerful sea soul beast, and Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, the strongest land soul beast. Their gazes all turned toward the location.
...
Tang Chen, in the Slaughter City, merely lifted his eyes slightly. For him, even if someone became a god, it had nothing to do with him. After all, he was no longer Tang Chen—just a puppet under control.
...
"The aura of a god... How is this possible?" Qian Daoliu had not left the Worship Hall for many years, but today's event was so significant that he had no choice but to step out. The Angel God's inheritance had not yet been completed, and now some unknown entity was about to ascend. If this being opposed to Spirit Hall, it would spell disaster.
...
"Heaven and earth are changing—someone is ascending to godhood!" Bo Saixi murmured to herself. "Tang Chen, could it be you? If you succeed, will you come back to see me?"
...
"How is it possible? How could a soul beast surpass me and reach a million years first?" The Deep Sea Demon Whale King, who prided itself as the strongest soul beast, found it hard to accept being surpassed.
...
"Master, a soul beast is about to become a god!" Di Tian, at the center of the Star Dou Forest, stood up abruptly, ready to investigate.
But a faint, ethereal voice stopped him. "Leave it be, Di Tian. That million-year soul beast should be the Golden-Patterned Ice Silkworm. It was too reckless. Breaking through to a million years without preparation makes it impossible to survive the divine tribulation. The gods won't allow it. To them, we soul beasts are nothing but insignificant beings, unworthy of standing on equal ground."
"And I am gravely injured. Even if I wanted to save it, I lack the strength."
The voice carried deep regret. A soul beast with such high cultivation was so rare, yet it was now doomed by its recklessness. At the same time, there was an intense hatred toward the gods.
...
"Ah, Xiao Tian, you've killed me! This divine tribulation is terrifying—I'm done for!"
At the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, Skydream Ice Silkworm was wailing in despair. Tian Lin quickly responded, "Brother Skydream, I'm sorry—it's my fault for being careless. But there's only one way to resolve this tribulation now."
Hearing this, Skydream Ice Silkworm calmed down. "Are you sure? I haven't had time to compress my soul power. If you give me two or three months, I could seal most of my strength. Even if you're only a newly advanced level-10 soul master, I can guarantee success. But now, it's too early. A million-year soul ring is incredibly dangerous to absorb."
Tian Lin nodded helplessly. "I know that. But the divine tribulation won't give us more time. Don't hesitate, Brother Skydream. If the tribulation strikes, it'll be too late."
"Fine! Let's do it now. I originally planned to sacrifice myself to your sword martial soul when you reached level 50, but it seems there's no time for that!" Determined, Skydream Ice Silkworm made up its mind.
The only way to resolve the divine tribulation was to immediately perform a sacrificial offering. Without its target, the tribulation would dissipate.
"Alright, let's begin, Brother Skydream. Become the first soul ring of my Holy Spirit Pearl—the first intelligent soul ring in history!" Tian Lin released the Holy Spirit Pearl and opened his spiritual sea.
"Xiao Tian, my essence has fully recovered. This time, I'll also sacrifice my soul ring and soul bone. The energy of a million years isn't easy to endure, but I'll do my best to suppress it for you." Skydream Ice Silkworm finished speaking and burrowed into Tian Lin's spiritual sea. "Don't worry, Xiao Tian. This is your first time—I'll be gentle."
"Brother Skydeam, could you at least choose better words at a time like this?!" Tian Lin roared through the excruciating soul pain.