The fusion ceremony officially began!
Paimon and Snow Empress stood face to face, their eyes meeting, yet both seemed a bit confused.
Zhongli, however, closed his eyes and began chanting an incantation. In a matter of moments, an amber-colored magic circle appeared before Paimon and Snow Empress.
"Snow Woman, this is an equal contract. By shedding a drop of blood, you can sign the contract."
Hearing this, Snow Empress didn't hesitate. She pressed her fingertip onto the contract circle, forcing a drop of blood from her finger, which fell onto the center of the circle.
"Paimon, you..."
Before Zhongli could finish, Paimon shook her head vigorously.
"Ah... I have to shed blood too? Paimon is scared of pain!"
"Little Paimon, for the peace between humans and spirit beasts, just contribute a drop of blood!"
Gu Yuena, standing nearby, urged with some anxiety.
"Sigh~"
A look of conflict flashed across Paimon's face. Although she didn't fully understand the conflict between humans and spirit beasts, she couldn't bear to see others in trouble.
If a single drop of her blood could bring peace between humans and spirit beasts, then she was willing to contribute.
Paimon didn't understand what moral coercion was, but she was too kind-hearted to know how to refuse.
This was also why the Traveler always had an endless list of tasks.
"Well... alright then."
"But I can't just shed blood like Miss Snow Woman..."
Paimon pointed at Snow Empress in front of her and shrugged.
Such a high-level technique was beyond Paimon's capabilities.
Zhongli looked at Paimon, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Logically, spirits shouldn't have flesh and blood, but Paimon was different. She was originally a separate "being," but due to some kind of contract power, she had become a spirit.
Although she possessed the characteristics of a spirit, her essence remained unchanged.
After becoming a spirit, Paimon's abilities would be shared with Zhongli, meaning that any abilities Paimon gained, Zhongli could also use even without summoning her.
However, Zhongli's own abilities wouldn't be synchronized to Paimon.
"Paimon, close your eyes."
"Okay!"
When Paimon closed her eyes, she felt a slight pain in her fingertip. Before she could scream, the pain vanished without a trace.
As Paimon's drop of blood fell onto the amber magic circle, the circle erupted with a golden light, and Snow Empress's figure gradually became ethereal, merging into Paimon.
During the fusion process, one would have expected Paimon to suffer greatly, but surprisingly...
"Wow, it feels so refreshing!"
Zhongli: "..."
Little one, you're definitely not normal!
No wonder you never grow up no matter how much you eat!
A strange glint flashed in Zhongli's amber eyes.
The amber energy that had gathered in his right palm quietly dissipated.
If Paimon had shown even a hint of pain, he would have used his divine power to protect her.
But not only did she not feel any pain, she seemed to be enjoying herself.
Some of her power had returned, not much, but it was useful, right?
Having Paimon fuse with Snow Empress wasn't just to prove the feasibility of spirit fusion, but also to test a hypothesis he had.
As expected, it turned out just as he had thought, Paimon wasn't just Paimon.
Of course, even if Paimon were just Paimon, he could still protect her. The energy from a mere Snow Woman was nothing...
What kind of beast was Snow Empress?
She was a being with nearly 700,000 years of cultivation!
Yet during the fusion with Paimon, everything went smoothly, without any issues!
When a spirit beast with over 100,000 years of cultivation "dies," it is certain to drop a spirit bone.
While the spirit ring was fusing, the spirit bone was also merging, yet Paimon showed no signs of pain, as if she were simply enjoying the return of her power...
Even Gu Yuena, witnessing this, couldn't help but widen her eyes.
The more she watched, the more she felt something was off!
"Wait, this little one is Zhongli's martial spirit."
"And now... Snow Empress has become her martial spirit?"
"Can a Martial spirit have its own martial spirit?"
Having lived for so many years, although she hadn't interacted much with humans, she hadn't seen many absurd things.
But this scene before her was truly bizarre!
Such a thing wasn't just unheard of, as the Silver Dragon King, she had never even heard of it!
Time passed, and after about a quarter of an hour, the fusion was complete.
Paimon looked down at her hands, then felt the power within her.
"Great, Paimon has combat power now!"
"Hmph, let's see who dares to say Paimon only has the strength of one-fifth of a wild boar!"
On Paimon's body, an additional spirit ring appeared, an orange spirit ring from a powerful beast!
This spirit ring had seven distinct lines.
During the fusion with Paimon, Snow Empress had broken through a barrier, reaching 700,000 years of cultivation, which is why the spirit ring had seven lines.
But upon closer inspection, one could notice a peculiarity: although the platinum spirit ring and the orange spirit ring both existed on Paimon, there seemed to be a barrier between them.
Yes, Snow Empress had become Paimon's "Martial spirit," but Paimon herself was Zhongli's martial spirit!
Although she appeared to have two spirit rings, she was still only a one-ring spirit.
If Paimon were to be referred to by the title of a spirit master, she would now be a Spirit Master, not a Great Spirit Master.
"Snow Empress, how are you now?"
Gu Yuena was more concerned about Snow Empress's condition. If this method worked, it could be implemented.
If it didn't, then it couldn't be.
At that moment, Snow Empress, with a somewhat strange expression, appeared beside Paimon. She looked at Zhongli, then at Paimon, feeling that something was off.
She hadn't become Zhongli's spirit, but instead, she had become the spirit of Zhongli's spirit.
She was a spirit with intelligence, and as long as the host allowed it, she could appear in the outside world.
So, did this mean she had truly fused with Zhongli?
"I'm fine. If I hadn't become a martial spirit, I would have likely become what Lord Martial God referred to as a Soul form."
Snow Empress spoke without changing her expression.
Her condition was indeed good. The moment she became Paimon's spirit, she felt a special power nurturing her consciousness, her soul.
Hearing this, Gu Yuena's heart finally settled.
If the spirit fusion method worked, then it was a good thing.
The only worry was if the spirit fusion method didn't work.
As for Snow Empress's safety... some sacrifices were necessary!
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Snow Empress's eyes lit up, and she said, "Lord Martial God, there is another special being in the Extreme North. Her time is nearly up, and she likely won't survive the next heavenly tribulation."
"Why not invite her to join the soul fusion experiment as well?"
The Snow Empress said this with some selfish intent.
She was very close to the Ice Empress and naturally knew about her situation.
Without some kind of opportunity, the Ice Empress would only live for another 10,000 years at most.
If the Ice Empress also joined this "glorious evolution," she too might gain immortality!
Such a good opportunity, how could she forget the Ice Empress?