Douluo: Peerless Beastmaster King-Chapter 122 - 123: Recruiting Bingbing

Golden light enveloped Zhou Sicheng as he returned to his spiritual sea, carrying the remains of the husk. Tianmeng, now in soul form, was brimming with excitement and elation.

With clear urgency in his voice, Tianmeng said, "Sicheng, let's get out of here. Bingbing's kin are coming. They must have sensed her aura vanish—there's no doubt they'll be arriving soon."

"We have to leave immediately. Only once we're in a safe place can we deal with the matter concerning Bingbing."

Zhou Sicheng didn't waste a second. Like a phantom, he shot away, already fused with Da. Here in this domain, his speed was no slower than the Ice Empress' kin.

With the aid of a soul tool propulsion system, Zhou Sicheng took only half a day to escape the core region and arrive at the outer edge of the Extreme North. There, he found a safe and secluded location to stop.

After confirming the area was secure, Zhou Sicheng casually sat down.

A brilliant golden light glowed from between his brows. A golden sphere, formed using Tianmeng's massive spiritual power and the essence of his shed form, hovered quietly in front of him.

Inside the golden sphere was the figure of the Ice Empress, completely sealed. No matter what she tried, she couldn't break free from the constraints.

Even the Ice Empress, with cultivation nearing 400,000 years, was completely bound by this restriction.

The more she struggled, the tighter the sphere became. It had already shrunk to the size of a fist.

Zhou Sicheng's gaze remained calm as he looked at the trapped Ice Empress within the sphere. Naturally, she could also see him.

She realized she had been deceived. If she hadn't willingly approached the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, even if he had a way to trap her, he never would've had the opportunity to use it.

But what confused her most was—why did that spiritual body suddenly become a physical one?

Had Tianmeng reconstructed his body and restarted his cultivation?

The physical form before her looked even more refined and delicate than the spirit projection. As much as she hated to admit it, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's new form was now comparable in beauty to Snow Empress herself.

The Ice Empress snorted coldly. "Tianmeng, I didn't expect you to reconstruct your body and cultivate again—and to have reached this level!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Sicheng smiled warmly.

That smile instantly sent a jolt of unease through the Ice Empress. It was completely different from the one she had seen on the spiritual projection earlier.

Although it was the same face, this smile didn't stir her usual disgust or annoyance. In fact... she found it rather pleasant to look at...

More importantly, even though Tianmeng's million-year spiritual essence blocked her perception, she couldn't probe into the person's true nature.

Yet from those ice-blue eyes, the hair of the same hue, and that ethereal aura, she felt a strange sense of connection to him.

It was something beyond emotion. After all, she held no affection for the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.

This connection felt... like something tied to blood.

Wait.

Suddenly, her eyes grew cold. Could it be that after Tianmeng reconstructed himself, he hunted down one of her kin to use as a soul ring?

She knew full well about his obsessive thoughts toward her—could this bastard really have tried to become part of her species this way?

That scum!

But then again, she didn't recall any of the powerful members of her race mysteriously disappearing...

Doubt began to rise within her heart, leaving her thoughts jumbled.

Just then, a translucent body nearly ten meters long emerged from Zhou Sicheng's forehead—Tianmeng's soul form, with bright amber eyes, stared directly at the trapped Ice Empress.

His familiar annoying voice rang out. "Bingbing, I didn't reconstruct and cultivate again. The one in front of you is my host—or rather, my master."

"And I, right now, am his soul ring. You know what a soul ring is, right? I'm the first intelligent soul ring in the entire continent!"

Upon seeing Tianmeng's true spiritual form and hearing what he said, the confused Ice Empress became even more bewildered.

"A soul ring?!" she exclaimed, stunned. "You actually became a human's soul ring?!"

Tianmeng's long, ethereal body coiled lightly around Zhou Sicheng's form as he nodded. "That's right. What you see is my spiritual origin."

The Ice Empress stared in disbelief. "Impossible. Even though you're not good at fighting, your energy is still far too much for a human to endure. And knowing your cowardly nature, there's no way you'd dare provoke a strong human."

Tianmeng swayed his body slightly and explained, "It's a long story. But if we're being honest, you played a big part in how I ended up like this."

That only left the Ice Empress more baffled.

If she wasn't bound, she would've pinned Tianmeng to the ground and given him a thorough beating and interrogation.

Trying to win her sympathy, Tianmeng recounted his experiences over the past hundred thousand years, with what he believed was his most tragic tone and emotions.

Zhou Sicheng had heard the tale before, but Tianmeng was now retelling it with far more dramatics—describing himself as battered, broken, and suffering a fate worse than death.

After some time, Tianmeng's tone shifted, becoming magnetic and persuasive. "You know how terrifying the lifespan limit is for us soul beasts. You know—there is no other soul beast in the world who has lived as long as I have."

"Even if you see me as trash, I'm still the oldest piece of trash around. My energy's been nearly drained dry. I can't survive the next tribulation."

"But after living so long—I don't want to die! And I know you don't either. I can sense it. Your next tribulation is less than a hundred years away, and it's making you anxious."

His words stirred something in the Ice Empress.

Tianmeng pressed on. "Neither of us wants to die. We've lived for so long—how can we just fade into nothing?"

His amber eyes gleamed with a sharp light. "That's why I came up with the best possible solution."

The Ice Empress was fully drawn in now, and instinctively asked, "What solution?"

Tianmeng raised his head as though gazing down at the world, his voice solemn: "Creating a god."

"Creating... a god?" The Ice Empress blinked, intrigued. She knew exactly what the word "god" represented. Her curiosity pushed her to continue. "What do you mean by that?"

Tianmeng laid out everything for her.

He explained how humans were the species best suited for cultivation. How ten thousand years ago, the world changed, and humans ascended to godhood...

How the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python sacrificed themselves for Tang San—becoming his soul rings and soul bones—paving his path to divinity...

By the end, Tianmeng's expression turned deadly serious. "I wasn't willing to chase after some vague, unreachable path. I didn't want to risk perishing during a restart of my cultivation."

"So instead, I chose another way. To create a god. To nurture someone into becoming one."

"I may not be a god—but by following this god-to-be, I can gain eternal life. I can become a part of that divine existence."

"That's why I became a soul ring—an intelligent soul ring. I'll use my strength to grow stronger with the one I've chosen. Together, we'll rise—until we become gods."

Hearing Tianmeng's impassioned words, the Ice Empress began to waver.

She looked at Zhou Sicheng's warm and gentle face, then at the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm coiled around him, falling deep into thought.

Tianmeng saw her hesitation and struck while the iron was hot. "Maybe you think I'm trash, but I have a million years of cultivation. As an intelligent soul ring, I gave Sicheng four abilities—twice as many as a typical hundred-thousand-year soul beast could."

"And the most important thing—you know he has twin martial souls, right? He just turned thirteen this year, and he's already a Soul Ancestor with four rings. One of them is a hundred-thousand-year ring! His combat power rivals an average Title Douluo!"

"Even among the gods from ten thousand years ago, none had talent like his. With our efforts combined, why couldn't he become the next god?"

Listening to his words, the Ice Empress stared at Tianmeng as if he were insane.

She was a soul beast, sure—but she wasn't an idiot...

Over all these years, the number of humans she had encountered probably outnumbered the grains of rice Zhou Sicheng had ever eaten.

She admitted that this human's appearance and temperament were indeed the most extraordinary she had ever seen among his kind—and it was precisely this that had piqued her interest.

However, it was absolutely impossible for any human Soul Master to absorb a 100,000-year soul ring as their fourth. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Even more absurd was the notion of someone at the four-ring stage possessing power comparable to a Titled Douluo.

If such heaven-defying humans truly existed, would there still be any room left for soul beasts to survive in this world? Such beings simply shouldn't exist.

Yet, just as the Ice Emperor was sneering inwardly, Zhou Sicheng finally spoke. His voice, warm and gentle like a spring breeze, slowly rang out:

"Hello, Ice Emperor. My name is Zhou Sicheng."

The Ice Emperor's gaze settled on him. She had to admit—his voice was rather pleasant...

Zhou Sicheng smiled faintly. "I know it's hard to believe what Tianmeng just told you. But whether it's a lie or not... that can be easily verified."

As he spoke, Zhou Sicheng slowly raised his right hand. A golden radiance surged forth, and a book forged entirely of shimmering gold materialized in his palm—the Book of Contracts.

Holding the Book of Contracts in hand, Zhou Sicheng gave off an even more scholarly aura, his charm intensifying exponentially.

But at that moment, the Ice Emperor paid no attention to his refined demeanor. Her eyes were fixed in utter disbelief on the four soul rings slowly rising around his body.

Black! Black! Black! Red!

It's real?! Someone actually reached the 100,000-year level with their fourth soul ring?!

Even more terrifying—the lowest among his four rings was at the ten-thousand-year level?!

Seeing the stunned look in her eyes, Zhou Sicheng spoke again, calm and composed.

"My martial soul, the Book of Contracts, is... rather special."

Zhou Sicheng then explained its abilities to her in full. Upon hearing them, the Ice Emperor was stunned speechless.

Her reaction was nearly identical to that of Elder Mu when he first learned the truth.

After living for so long, this was the first time she had ever encountered such a terrifying martial soul. With such a power, Zhou Sicheng's future greatness was all but guaranteed.

And more importantly... he had a second martial soul?

Tianmeng was a million-year-old soul beast, yet none of Zhou Sicheng's current soul rings bore the signs of being a million-year ring.

Though the Ice Emperor had never seen a million-year soul ring with her own eyes, she certainly knew what ten-thousand and hundred-thousand-year soul rings looked like.

This could only mean—Zhou Sicheng's second martial soul already possessed a million-year soul ring!

Seeing the Ice Emperor's shaken resolve, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm pressed the advantage.

"Sicheng's second martial soul is the most powerful Body Martial Soul in the world today. Even the sect master of the Body Sect might not be able to match him!"

This shocked the Ice Emperor even more. She knew of the Body Sect. In fact, in the Great Star Dou Forest, a number of 100,000-year soul beasts had been slain by them in the past.

Zhou Sicheng's second martial soul was even more powerful than the Body Sect's leader? And combined with this monstrous first martial soul... This human's talent was truly beyond comprehension.

A genius of this caliber... could very well change the world's future.

For others, becoming a god might be a delusional dream. But for Zhou Sicheng—it just might be possible.

By now, the Ice Emperor was completely swayed. She couldn't help but ask,

"Then... how confident are you in succeeding?"

Tianmeng grinned proudly. "Ninety-nine percent."

That answer shook her even more, and she looked at Zhou Sicheng instinctively.

His expression remained calm, showing tacit agreement with Tianmeng's claim.

Ninety-nine percent. That meant they were almost certain to succeed.

After all, nothing in this world could ever be one hundred percent.

But even if Zhou Sicheng's talent had moved her, and even if Tianmeng was placing all his hopes on this prodigy, it still felt unreal.

Yet strangely, she felt somewhat touched.

They already had a 99% chance of success. Even so, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm had insisted on involving her. That meant... in his heart, he still cared about her.

But... she truly felt nothing for Tianmeng. He was her food source, nothing more. How could she develop any sort of emotional attachment to her food?

Still, she now understood something clearly: If she agreed to this plan, she'd owe Tianmeng a favor. Would that mean... she'd have to submit to him in the future?

The moment that thought arose, she crushed it instantly. Impossible!

If that were the case, she'd rather go out in a blaze of glory!

But then, a new possibility came to her—if Tianmeng could find someone to carry out the god-making plan, then what about her?

She was, after all, a nearly 400,000-year-old soul beast. While she might not match Tianmeng's million-year foundation, she wasn't that far behind.

However, she quickly dismissed the thought. She wasn't foolish. She knew just how many hurdles stood in the way.

For one, she had never studied the plan herself and didn't know the intricacies involved.

And more importantly, she would never find someone more suitable than Zhou Sicheng.

At this moment, the Ice Emperor genuinely envied Tianmeng. That guy had hit the jackpot and found such a monstrous genius...

She fell into deep thought again. Not only was she currently at their mercy, but Zhou Sicheng's words had already deeply moved her. She couldn't even think of a valid reason to refuse anymore.

Just then, Zhou Sicheng—who had already withdrawn his martial soul and soul rings—spoke softly once more:

"Actually, if Tianmeng hadn't begged me to give you a chance, you would've already become my soul ring and soul bone by now."

"If I had killed and absorbed you, your consciousness wouldn't have remained. Even with your fearsome reputation, in the end, you would've simply become a stepping stone on my path forward."

The moment he said that, Tianmeng was thanking Zhou Sicheng in his heart ten generations back.

By making himself the villain, Zhou Sicheng had made Tianmeng's concern for her stand out all the more. Even if she didn't appreciate it now, she'd remember it in time.

Tianmeng nearly kissed Zhou Sicheng on the spot!

The Ice Emperor's expression darkened. At this point, she couldn't even move. If Zhou Sicheng really was as powerful as he appeared, he could very well end her.

And truthfully, she had no grounds to refute him.

That once warm and gentle young man now seemed like a grim reaper.

Just the sheer dominance and certainty in his tone changed her perception of him entirely.

A man like this... truly could walk that path to godhood.

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm struck while the iron was hot, saying with gentle concern:

"Bingbing... on one side is eternal life, and on the other—annihilation. Which weighs more in your heart?"

A long silence followed.

Finally, under Zhou Sicheng's slightly cold gaze, the Ice Emperor's detached voice rang out:

"Do I even have another choice?"

Her tone held neither hatred nor irritation. Clearly, she had already yielded.

Though eternal life would come at the cost of her freedom, for someone who had lived for nearly 400,000 years... continuing to live was better than dying.

Besides, if she refused, Zhou Sicheng would no longer show mercy for Tianmeng's sake.

That meant she could become a soul ring and soul bone at any moment.

Under such circumstances... she really had no other choice.

By agreeing to join them, and with Zhou Sicheng's overwhelming talent, there was a 99% chance they would succeed in the future.

And even if they failed in the end, it wouldn't be instant doom.

But if she refused... she might not live to see another moment.

Which path weighed heavier?

Was there even a decision to make?

****

If you want to support me or read advanced Chapters (21+), consider checking out my pat.

patr*on.com/Salsita2k