Chapter 158

Seeing Qian Renxue sigh, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm immediately became anxious, shouting frantically: "That was just an accident, big bro is really useful! Do you know how powerful my million-year soul ring is? Because after merging with you, I just broke through the million-year limit; besides the inevitable martial soul true form, I can also give you three soul skills!"

Big bro is a historically unprecedented wisdom soul ring on the continent, and big bro's source power can also bring you a brand-new ice-attribute martial soul!

Ileix shook his head and said, "You already possess two different martial souls; the ice-attribute martial soul that this big worm brings you is currently useless."

Qian Renxue stared, puzzled, and asked: "Why? Can't I become a three-lifetime martial soul?"

It's not that it's impossible, but it's unnecessary; simply adding one ice-attribute martial soul only strengthens part of the foundation and won't cause any major transformation in combat power.

I have also looked at part of your memory and gained some understanding of this world's system; twin martial souls already place extremely high demands on a soul master's physique, not to mention your second martial soul—just the attributes of your angelic martial soul alone number several, each quite domineering, and adding a new ice-attribute martial soul would instead cause problems.

Both of your martial souls have been tainted by divine power; even if your body is incredibly strong, cultivating with these two martial souls will eventually push your body to its limit. Logically, during your cultivation, your second martial soul should affect you.

It now seems as if someone is restraining your second martial soul; they have achieved some mysterious balance. Adding another martial soul won't cause you to explode, but it will impart unknown effects on the other two martial souls, producing serious side effects.

Qian Renxue silently listened to Ileix's explanation; regarding the issue of an extra martial soul, she actually didn't care that much. Although her situation is somewhat special, she is indeed a twin martial soul master.

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's tiny, glittering golden eyes swept over Ileix, carrying a hint of anthropomorphic dissatisfaction.

This has nothing to do with big bro; it's clearly because little Snow's talent is too great—could there be any human soul master who could surpass her? And old geezer, who exactly are you? Why are you fighting big bro for territory?

Ileix showed no retreat: "Me fighting you for territory? What are you? Just a meat worm. If I weren't down to just a thread of divine sense, I could turn you into feed in minutes."

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm snapped: "You're full of shit—if you've got the guts, come on! Let's see who kills who. Don't think big bro hasn't noticed; you're down to just a thread of divine sense, with no energy at all. With just you, you want to fight big bro?"

Ileix scoffed: "Sure, I'm down to just a thread of divine sense, but the level of my divine sense is who knows how many times higher than yours. What can you do to me? My divine sense is shattered, leaving only a thread—you still can't handle me. Think about it: if I gradually restore my shattered divine sense, what would happen? I'd grab your thick body, slowly squeeze, and with a pop, crush you, sending juices flying."

"You! Little Snow, look at him!" The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, obviously unable to outtalk this old man, flared with anger, the ten clusters of golden light on its body surging continuously as it began to seek reinforcements.

Qian Renxue chuckled: "The old man's also right—the level of his divine sense is indeed high; if he had ill intent, we couldn't resist him."

Ileix became noticeably gentler toward Qian Renxue: "Little girl, I probably originally didn't belong to this world. I only recall that at the time I seemed to be dying, but perhaps because my soul power was too overwhelming, at the moment of death your world saw an unknown god-war erupt, tearing open space, leaving me with this thread of divine sense that survived, and thus I ended up in your world."

Moreover, guided by a thread of fate's power, just now that big worm happened to merge with you, producing a strong energy fluctuation that also drew me in. Thus, this thread of my divine sense took up residence in your sea of spirit. Rest assured, I bear you no ill will, and I fear I may never leave this place.

I have only a thread of divine sense left, extremely fragile. I need time to gradually repair in order to slowly recover all my memories. If it weren't for the living gold left in your sea of spirit giving me a chance to catch my breath and waking me from slumber, I would probably remain asleep forever.

Now I have recalled my name: I am the Holy God of Necromancy, the Calamity of the Undead—Ileix.

Although you're young, the authority you hold and your own strength are formidable; even without me, it wouldn't affect your path to the pinnacle. But having received your kindness, I naturally ought to reciprocate. Although my memories are hazy, I faintly recall possessing three abilities, two of which seem to have been passed on to two other disciples, while the remainder is also my most fundamental power.

Child, are you willing to accept my inheritance?

Qian Renxue did not immediately accept with delight; instead, she strangely asked: "Old Ile, we've only just met for the first time—why would you be willing to pass on your inheritance to me?"

Ileix laughed: "I can sense the aura of light on you. In my world, such pure light aura is called a Child of Light—only those with the purest hearts and closest affinity to the light element can possess it. In your world, it should be called Ultimate Light."

Qian Renxue stared directly at Ileix and said seriously: "You now reside in my sea of spirit, so I needn't hide anything—I am not the so-called pure-hearted person. Our world's rules differ; possessing Ultimate Light does not mean one is kind-hearted. I wield light power solely through my ancestors' glory, and I am certainly not a good person."

Ileix listened quietly to Qian Renxue's words, his smile undiminished: "But you are also absolutely not an evil person."

Qian Renxue exclaimed in surprise: "Am I not evil enough?"

Ileix sighed, hesitated a moment, then said: "Child, I once seemed to be a powerful mage. Initially, I was a light-aligned being, skilled in various light magics. Later, due to some events, my heart filled with hatred; relying on my talent, I turned to necromancy and explored a new path—light-attribute necromancy, an unstoppable form of necromancy."

That sad story, I don't want to retell it to you; but, how many people have you killed so far? Have you witnessed real war? You're merely not kind.

Hearing this, Qian Renxue's little face flushed slightly—you don't say, but it's true: compared to this undead calamity who stirred up planar wars, this little Karami of hers has only dealt with how many people? For them, half a day's time erases lives that she could never touch in a lifetime.

Thinking about it, her earlier self seemed like a petty troublemaker suffering from chuunibyo, shouting at a butcher who had slaughtered the continent that she was an evil villain—so embarrassing she could curl her toes into a three-bedroom apartment.

Ileix's purity far surpasses hers! "Hey hey hey! Little Snow is big bro's host—when did it become your turn to teach?"

In the midst of the dissatisfied cries of the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, Qian Renxue retracted her martial soul, hand on chest, bowed to Icelex and said: "Teacher."

Icelex nodded satisfiedly, "Good, from now on you are my disciple of the Deathless Holy Law God. You have led a too‑smooth life, harboring no hatred, only joy; I don't think you will meaninglessly create killing karma. Moreover, I am here, relying on that piece of living spirit gold, my divine sense will gradually recover."

As his words fell, Qian Renxue's originally deep purple eyes turned gray, a gray filled with vicissitudes, as if able to see through everything in the world; even more eerily, a gray soul ring slowly rose from beneath her feet.

As that gray soul ring ascended, it actually left a trail of afterimages, making it impossible to tell whether it was one or many.

"Before we begin, you must remember. It is precisely because of the taboo and power of necromancy that it is especially dangerous. To sink into darkness is to be destroyed by darkness. Body of the undead, heart toward the light. You must keep these eight words in mind; I do not hope that necromancy will flourish in your hands, I only hope that this lineage can continue."

"Your world and mine are different. In my world, the existence of a god is equivalent to elevating one's soul to an extremely high degree as a sublimation, existing only as an illusory presence in space, like becoming countless elements, and can no longer control anything of oneself. But in your world, there seems to be a special power that, after one's cultivation reaches that level, can elevate to another place. That is true godhood!"

"My deepest necromancy, I will teach you bit by bit; you only need to continually increase your mental strength to use them. Light and necromancy seem incompatible, but if you find their common ground, you can find their intersection and gradually merge them. The point where light and necromancy intersect, the most important point, is life."

"Hehe, this is also one of your attributes; light shining upon the earth gives birth to life. Sunlight and water are the core on which the earliest life forms depend. Necromancy studies the power of death. One is life, one is death. Actually, they are merely the two extremes of life. Life and death are not merely repellent; under certain conditions they also attract each other, the extremes giving birth to each other."

"This gray soul ring is the necromantic framework I constructed for you; of course it is not yet complete, I need to understand this world's rules better, and it is not actually a soul ring." "The ability I give you is not a martial soul, yet it surpasses a martial soul. This martial soul cannot increase soul rings to boost your strength, but it will strengthen as your own soul power and mental strength increase, so you need not worry it will affect your two martial souls."

In Icelex's explanation, as a necromancer, one's own vitality and life energy are extremely important; the so‑called life energy manifests in this world as soul power.

Because when casting necromancy, the necromancer themselves must endure a strong backlash, and using light as the means to cast necromancy requires continual life resonance to achieve. However, Qian Renxue possesses the Living Spirit Gold, her vitality is not lacking, which is also an important reason Icelex agreed to teach her necromancy.

The reason necromancers are considered evil is largely because, when they continuously use necromancy, their own vitality is insufficient, so they must extract life force from other living beings. This process is cruel and bloody, naturally making it especially easy for people to misunderstand.

After Qian Renxue finished accepting Icelex's inheritance, Icelex's figure dissipated; his divine soul was ultimately too weak, and Qian Renxue loudly demanded that she go see it, kicking the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, the source of that power, back into the sea of spirit.

A layer of pale golden light covered her clothing and body surface; this pale golden light is the shed remnant of the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm after cultivating for 990,000 years, although after the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm lost its true form, it has lost most of its power.

But it still retains the effects of concealing one's aura and avoiding dust.

After absorbing the seventh soul ring, Qian Renxue's height increased slightly; her fair skin bore a faint halo, and combined with her flawless delicate features, her appeal to anyone is immense.

At the same time, a visible beam of gold light gathered in the air, fully illuminating the night sky; half of the six‑winged angel on her forehead burst forth with brilliant light, that gold light, like silk threads, spread downward from her forehead and flowed over her entire body.

A golden light curtain before Qian Renxue shattered, turning into specks of gold light and the streaming light from the six‑winged angel, both pouring into her body simultaneously.

A gentle yet solemn voice echoed in her mind: "Angel's first trial, break through level seventy, possess a 100,000‑year soul ring, exceed expectations. Astonishing talent yet not arrogant, the first soul ring already reaches 100,000 years. After the first trial ends, angel affinity increases by ten percent, currently overall ten percent."

The golden light on Qian Renxue's body soon dissipated; the angel's first trial was finally completed.

After sighing a little, she dragged Xueke and Atolix out of the thicket, placed her soul power on their chests to examine them closely; they had merely been stunned for a few days by the mental undulations of the Three‑Eyed Crimson Magic Hound, as long as they weren't dead it was fine.

"Being young is great, just lie down and sleep."

"Mm," as the vital breath was infused, two soft hums came from their mouths, and they slowly opened their dazed eyes.

Seeing the two awaken, Qian Renxue was instantly delighted, finally no longer needing to drag them along herself: "You finally woke up."

Xueke's head was still dizzy; after steadying herself she finally cleared up, she only felt her lips terribly dry: "Did we escape?"

Atolix shook his head, panting heavily; the cowlick on his black hair had turned gold, apparently his martial soul was remaking his body.

The two accepted the clear water and food Qian Renxue handed them, and began eating and drinking heartily.

In the night of the Star Dou Great Forest, a hint of hazy mist lingered, causing a chill to rise unbidden in the heart, making it hard to relax.

It's not like tens of thousands of years later; the number and quality of soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest have already reached an astonishing degree, to the point that soul beasts occasionally appear even outside the forest. This is also why there are always orphans in those small villages, and also why most transmigrators are orphans.

Because low-level soul beasts find it hard to compete with powerful ones for territory and food, in order to survive they have no choice but to reluctantly migrate outward.

"Now only Ake's second soul ring remains; I previously found several soul beasts suitable for you, come over and pick one yourself."

Qian Renxue picked up several soul beasts stunned by the mental power of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm from around and placed them in front of Ake.

Xueke wiped her face, then touched Atolis beside her, who had been attracted by the now radiant Qian Renxue, "Still looking! Look any longer and your eyeballs will fall out!"

Atolis blushed and shouted, "Ake sis, don't talk nonsense; I'm only feeling grateful because I was saved by His Highness earlier, this is a look of gratitude!"

Xueke snorted coldly; all her food, clothing, and expenses were paid with her gold soul coins, and now she dares to look at her man? She couldn't even imagine what he might do later! She must give this guy a harsh lesson.

Xueke fixed her gaze on Qian Renxue's feet; it was a bird-type soul beast entirely bluish-green in color, not very large, with a wingspan of only over half a meter and a height of less than a foot. It had an extremely sharp beak, like a transparent needle.

The whole soul beast looked like a verdant green arrow.

"Verdant Demon Bird!"

Xueke recognized the name of this soul beast in an instant, and because she recognized it, her delight was indescribable.

The Verdant Demon Bird is one of the most vicious soul beasts among bird-type soul beasts; its growth depends entirely on sucking the brain marrow of various creatures. Whether soul beast or human, they are its targets, and the Verdant Demon Bird especially favors human brain marrow. This soul beast moves like lightning, its speed so great that it ranks among the fastest in the entire soul beast world. However, its numbers are few.

In ancient times, the Verdant Demon Bird once caused a massive disaster; back then they were flocking soul beasts, and when a swarm flew over, every creature ended up with holes in their heads and no brain marrow left—what a horrifying sight! Later, the soul beast world itself launched a purge of the Verdant Demon Birds, led by several Soul Beast Kings, wiping out most of them, leaving only as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. This greatly reduced the threat the Verdant Demon Bird posed to continental life; even if they appear, it's only occasionally, and they are extremely cautious.

Relatively speaking, human knowledge of the Verdant Demon Bird is not extensive, with only a few ancient texts recording it, because when the Verdant Demon Bird was harming the continent, it was during the era when soul beasts ruled the land.

Back then, it is said that a Verdant Demon Bird King once consumed the brain marrow of a true dragon, continually evolving to become the most terrifying killer of that era.

Precisely because the true dragon was slain, the dragon clan that ruled the continent at that time mustered its strength and launched a frenzied retaliatory massacre against the Verdant Demon Bird clan, thereby utterly annihilating them.

This soul beast is perfect for her; whether it's the Jade Swan or the Black Swan, both are highly compatible. Only after the attribute transformation was complete did Xueke begin to worry, since her martial soul possesses the ability to change attributes— which attribute of soul beast should she choose for absorbing a soul ring?

But the appearance of this Verdant Demon Bird dispelled her worries; with it, it's a single-choice question, no need to agonize further.

(End of chapter)