83: Chapter 83: Should I devour it and then sacrifice it, or sacrifice it together?

Inside the ice cave, the ten-thousand-year-old Tian Meng Ice Silkworm huddled within the Mysterious Ice Marrow. Its round eyes darted back and forth between Lu Jing, the Snow Empress, and the Ice Empress, filled with confusion and vigilance.

It couldn't fathom how, despite hiding so discreetly, it had still been found by these two Great Northern Rulers.

Judging by the situation, it seemed unlikely it would escape today.

"What on earth are you talking about? What future me? What sacrifice?" Tian Meng asked again, its voice tinged with panic.

The Snow Empress pointed to Lu Jing beside her, her tone calm: "He brought us here."

Tian Meng's gaze immediately locked onto Lu Jing, sizing up the unfamiliar youth: "How did you know I was here? And what was that about ten thousand years later... Who exactly are you?"

Lu Jing shrugged, then focused his thoughts.

In an instant, a blood-red spirit ring rose from beneath his feet, wreathed in surging and pure Mental Energy fluctuations, standing out vividly against the blue light of the ice cave.

That was the unique pressure of a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, carrying a sense of weight accumulated through the passage of time.

"You should be very familiar with this aura, right?" Lu Jing asked.

Tian Meng subconsciously leaned in a few steps, its nose twitching as it carefully sensed the aura of the spirit ring.

A moment later, its eyes widened abruptly: "Familiar! Too familiar! This... this is power from the same source as mine! The frequency of the Mental Energy fluctuations, and this ice-attribute foundation... How is this possible?"

Lu Jing nodded and explained slowly: "I come from ten thousand years in the future. This spirit ring was obtained precisely through the sacrifice of you from ten thousand years ago. At that time, you were captured by the Spirit Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest and used as a charging bank to absorb your power. You barely managed to escape, but you were at the end of your rope and had no choice but to sacrifice yourself to me. Later, due to a space-time accident, I brought the sacrificed you back to this era. Does that make sense to you?"

Tian Meng fell completely silent.

It floated in mid-air, its chubby body motionless, as if it had been frozen solid.

Lu Jing's words were like a boulder thrown into an ice lake, stirring up stormy waves in its mind.

Used as a charging bank? Sacrifice? Time travel? Every word exceeded its comprehension, yet the aura of that spirit ring could not be faked; it was clearly its own power!

After an unknown amount of time, Tian Meng finally turned its head slowly, looking at the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress, its eyes full of inquiry, as if seeking confirmation that all this unbelievable information was true.

The Snow Empress nodded gently, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Although it sounds like a fantasy, it appears to be the case. This youth truly comes from ten thousand years in the future."

The Ice Empress also added: "The Tian Meng inside his body has the exact same aura and temperament as you, just with the accumulation of ten thousand years of time."

Tian Meng looked at the Snow Empress's serious expression, then glanced at the certainty in the Ice Empress's eyes, and finally sighed in resignation.

It landed on the Mysterious Ice Marrow, drooping its head: "Fine, I believe you. So what happens next? You... you aren't going to kill me, are you?"

It remembered that it had hidden in this godforsaken place specifically to avoid being hunted by its natural enemies, and now that it had been caught red-handed, it couldn't help but feel nervous.

The Ice Empress glanced at it, not bothering to address its petty thoughts, and turned to look at Lu Jing, her tone grave: "It's time to make a decision. Should I devour its power first and then sacrifice, allowing you to obtain a more powerful spirit ring? Or should we both sacrifice, giving you two spirit rings? Which do you choose?"

Lu Jing barely hesitated: "Sacrifice together."

The Tian Meng in the mental sea immediately added: "That's right! Sacrificing together is best! After the me from ten thousand years ago sacrifices, you will be able to awaken your second Spirit. Once you become a Titled Douluo, you can attach spirit rings to your second Spirit, and your strength will skyrocket, making you better prepared to handle the God Position trials!"

The Tian Meng from ten thousand years ago bristled instantly upon hearing this: "Wait! What do you mean? Sacrifice? And you want to devour my power? Did you even ask if I was willing? I am a Spirit Beast approaching a million years of age! Why should I just sacrifice because you say so?"

As it shouted, it shrank backward, its chubby body almost pressed against the ice wall.

It was kidding; it had managed to hide for so many years, and it certainly didn't want to give itself up so inexplicably.

The Ice Empress sneered, her tone carrying a hint of temptation: "He is the successor of a Divinity. As long as he passes the trials, he can attain a God Position. When that time comes, he can use his Divine Power to resurrect us, allowing us to be reborn with the body of a Divinity. To ascend directly to become a Divinity—are you really unwilling?"

"Divinity... Divinity?" Tian Meng was stunned, its round eyes wide open.

It looked blankly at Lu Jing, then at the Ice Empress, seemingly unable to process this.

The Ice Empress nodded: "That's right. Although it is not yet known whether he can pass the trials, the Divinity on his body cannot be faked; he is definitely not an ordinary Spirit Master."

Tian Meng was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned, its chubby body instantly scurrying in front of Lu Jing, its tone sycophantic: "Why didn't you say so earlier! Look at the trouble this caused; if you'd just said so sooner, it would have been fine!"

It knew the Ice Empress too well; given her arrogant nature, if she didn't have absolute certainty, she would never say words like "resurrect" or "Divinity."

This youth before it must truly be a successor of a Divinity!

Becoming a Divinity... that was the ultimate goal all Spirit Beasts dreamed of, far better than surviving in an ice cave!

"Sacrifice, right? No problem!"

Tian Meng patted its chest and said heroically: "Forget about sacrifice; even if you wanted me to give you all my power right now, I'd be happy to! It's just a spirit ring, right? Once we become Divinities, what will we lack?"

Watching its sudden change in attitude, the Ice Empress couldn't help but roll her eyes, and the Snow Empress also shook her head helplessly.

This guy was still the same, not changed a bit.

Lu Jing looked at the comical Tian Meng before him and couldn't help but laugh.

He could feel that although the Tian Meng from ten thousand years ago was timid and afraid of death, it possessed the most primal desire for power and an obsession with "immortality" common to all Spirit Beasts.

"Since it's decided, let's begin as soon as possible."

The Snow Empress spoke, breaking the relaxed atmosphere in the ice cave.

The Ice Empress nodded in agreement: "Yes. The energy of the Mysterious Ice Marrow can just happen to stabilize the fluctuations during the sacrifice, so let's do it here."

The Tian Meng from ten thousand years ago rubbed its claws and looked at Lu Jing, its eyes full of anticipation: "So... will it hurt a lot during the sacrifice? Also, after becoming a Divinity, can I be stronger than the Ice Empress?"

Upon hearing this, the Ice Empress's gaze turned cold: "You can try."

Tian Meng immediately shrank its neck and smiled sheepishly: "Just a joke, just a joke..."

Lu Jing took a deep breath, suppressing the waves in his heart.

Inside the ice cave, the ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow emitted a deep blue light, illuminating the ritual that was about to change everyone's destiny.

A promise spanning ten thousand years was about to come to an end here, and a new chapter was about to begin.