The hazy Divine Consciousness began to stabilize. An awareness that had been dormant for untold ages started to resurface bit by bit at this moment.
Light, Death, and Life—three distinct auras intertwined. Simultaneously, a gray figure gradually manifested.
He seemed somewhat dazed, yet possessed a touch of enlightenment. A profound, ethereal aura instinctively spread outward, only to be blocked by the barrier Huo Yuhao had established.
Huo Yuhao did not interrupt; he simply stood aside in silence.
After a long while, the gray figure seemed to regain his senses. At the same time, an ancient voice naturally echoed:
"I never expected that I, with only a fragment of a damaged Divine Consciousness remaining, would actually have a chance to revive..."
He raised his head, his gaze calmly falling upon the smiling Huo Yuhao nearby. A hint of surprise colored his elderly voice:
"You recognize me, don't you?"
"Yes, Elder Yi. Although explaining all of this is a bit difficult... you are my teacher."
Huo Yuhao looked up. As if to provide proof, hexagram formations constructed from Mental Power began to rotate slowly, revealing a trace of purifying power.
Withdrawing his hand, Huo Yuhao looked at Electrolux with a sincere gaze.
"You even know the power of purification..."
A trace of doubt appeared in Electrolux's eyes, but he did not dwell on it.
A fragmented Divine Consciousness did not carry many memories; obsessing over such details was futile.
He closed his eyes slightly and naturally accessed the memories of his dormancy over the past two years. Very quickly, he determined what had transpired during this period.
"My disciple? How interesting... I actually have a disciple. Child, what is your name?"
"Huo Yuhao."
"Huo Yuhao..." Electrolux pondered for a moment, but after a while, he shook his head gently.
"Child, I still have no impression of you. However, from the purifying power you showed just now, I can be certain that you are indeed my disciple. To not hesitate even to use Life Gold just to stabilize this remnant soul of mine... Child, thank you."
"There is no need, Teacher. This is what I owe you," Huo Yuhao answered with heartfelt sincerity.
In his past life, Elder Yi had helped him far too much, saving him from peril multiple times. No matter how he repaid him, it would never be enough.
"Teacher, please use this piece of Life Gold to stabilize your Divine Consciousness for now. You have just revived; it is not suitable for your Divine Consciousness to remain exposed to the outside world for long. In a while, I will use this Life Gold to mold a body for you. Then, you will be able to act without restraint."
"You are very thoughtful..."
Electrolux said no more. The gray figure dissipated, transforming back into a small gray ball that merged into the Life Gold to continue its nourishment.
This wisp of Divine Consciousness was ultimately fragmented and required a significant amount of time to recover even a fraction of its strength. In essence, Elder Yi was simply too powerful, making his recovery much more arduous.
After placing the Life Gold back into his Sea of Consciousness, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief.
Since arriving in Shrek City two years ago, Huo Yuhao had been thinking of a way to get his hands on the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife. After all, with Elder Yi back, Huo Yuhao would finally have someone to help him refine his various methods.
Whether it was the "Modified Soul Spirit Contract" or the "Soul Core-Bearing Soul Ring Method," these were all Huo Yuhao's solo conjectures. It was like a person crossing a river by feeling for stones—there was always the chance of sudden failure.
But Huo Yuhao didn't want it to be this way! He had no choice; of the two trustworthy beings by his side, one was a gluttonous Dragon King who, while powerful, had nearly zero scientific research or analytical ability—she relied entirely on feeling to use her power.
The other, a lazy ice silkworm, went without saying; she had reached a million years simply by sleeping. No technique, just pure luck.
Neither was reliable!
Fortunately, now that Elder Yi was back, Huo Yuhao was finally no longer alone!
He raised his hand to dispel the barrier. In the next instant, ripples appeared in space, and a figure with silver hair and purple eyes appeared instantly!
Gu Yuena!
She quickly scanned the surroundings, her nose twitching slightly as her brow furrowed. Her gaze landed rapidly on the standing Huo Yuhao and Skydream, who was hiding behind him.
"Who... was that just now?"
"My teacher. I mentioned him to you before," Huo Yuhao replied calmly, hiding nothing.
Gu Yuena fell silent, recalling the teacher Huo Yuhao had mentioned during their past chats.
Electrolux was very strong—at least, he once possessed the strength of a First-rank God. And he was a man... Hmm.
Gu Yuena's brow relaxed slightly; the anger from a moment ago vanished.
Then there was no threat.
Just as she was about to speak, Gu Yuena couldn't help but notice a certain someone clinging to Huo Yuhao's back, peeking her head out to watch her warily. Her brow furrowed again.
This worm...
"Oh right, I wanted to tell you something, Sister Nana." Huo Yuhao suddenly remembered something. "I might have to leave Shrek City for a while. I'll have to trouble you to look after my mother then."
"Leave? Where to?" Gu Yuena turned alert.
"The Extreme North."
Huo Yuhao reached out, switching his Spirit Eye Martial Soul. Behind him, a figure emitting a faint chilly air appeared.
"After signing the Soul Spirit Contract with Sister Skydream, I gained an unformed Ice-attribute Martial Soul. I can mold a new Martial Soul by attaching the first Soul Ring. However, because there's been a lot going on these past two years, and a single silver-glow Soul Ring wasn't quite secure enough, I've delayed it until now. I happen to have a month of free time coming up, so I thought I'd get it settled."
Huo Yuhao kept nothing from Gu Yuena, laying out his thoughts.
Trust is always mutual. Furthermore, because the gluttonous Dragon King was so simple and easy to trick, Huo Yuhao inexplicably felt a sense of guilt whenever he lied to her...
"I'm going with you!"
Gu Yuena spoke without hesitation.
"No," Huo Yuhao refused instantly. "Mother isn't safe at home alone. With you here, I can rest easy."
"Then what about your safety?"
"Sister Skydream will protect me." Huo Yuhao patted the side of Skydream, who was trembling slightly under Gu Yuena's gaze.
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Skydream barely managed to overcome a fraction of her instinctive fear of Gu Yuena, using the weakest tone to say the toughest words:
"Ye-yes! I... I will protect Yuhao well! You... you don't need to worry!"
Gu Yuena didn't speak; she merely gave Skydream a cold glare.
In the next moment, that surge of biological, instinctive fear swept over her. Skydream let out an unintelligible whimper and dove directly into Huo Yuhao's Soul Ring.
Looking at the silver-glow Soul Ring that had suddenly risen beside him, Huo Yuhao felt somewhat helpless.
"Sister Nana, stop scaring Sister Skydream. Her courage is..."
His words cut off abruptly because Gu Yuena's gaze was becoming dangerous, as if she might whip out a hatchet and give him a chop in the next second.
Gu Yuena took a step forward, arriving in front of Huo Yuhao in an instant.
Stunned, Huo Yuhao reflexively stepped back. As it happened, the bed was right behind him; he lost his balance and fell directly onto it.