"Yuhao!" Huo Yuhao had already disappeared without a trace by the time Wang Dong reacted. When he thought back to the exploding corpses from before, Wang Dong felt his mind blank out.
The scene had truly changed too quickly, such that no one had been able to react in time.
Elder Xuan abruptly flourished his large sleeve, and swept all the oncoming people away. "Wang Dong, quickly, help the others. I'll save Huo Yuhao." As he spoke, Elder Xuan released his martial soul in front of the students for the first time ever.
Elder Xuan's aged back suddenly arched upwards, and his oil-stained, tattered clothing immediately split open. The muscles on his back swelled up at shocking speed, and in the blink of an eye, he bulked up to at least twice his previous size. The strangest thing was that one long, screw-shaped horn also grew from either side of his head. In that moment that he released his martial soul, it seemed as though all the air in the cave wanted to freeze over.
Nine soul rings shone and ascended with a dazzling brilliance – two yellow, two purple, four black and one red. Elder Xuan's messy bed of hair had turned completely light brown. He abruptly turned his head and looked towards those remaining bandits. An incomparably frightening aura that was like a raging storm suddenly surged towards them. In the blink of an eye, an explosion occurred once more, but this time around, instead of the corpses, the living exploded.
He stomped with his right foot, and a huge crevice suddenly opened up in the ground. Elder Xuan bent his majestic body down and dug into the ground at a shocking speed with large hands that were like palm-leaf fans. He disappeared into the ground without a trace in just the moment that it took to breathe.
The heavy fishy fumes made Huo Yuhao feel nauseous. He was really too unlucky. The reason why the envoy of the Death God had grabbed him was first, to get a hostage, and second, the more important reason, was because the position that Huo Yuhao had previously occupied was at the entrance to the tunnel. This was really a misfortune on his part.
A cold, threatening aura surged madly into Huo Yuhao's body from the entity in front of him. That icy feeling was completely different from his ice-attribute. This was cold, filled with evil intent, and accompanied by a horrible stench. That cold and dark feeling was like countless vipers boring their way into Huo Yuhao's body.
The Envoy of the Death God was running down the tunnel at a shocking speed. He continuously slapped the walls as he dashed madly ahead, detonating the explosives he'd buried in them.
He had been able to lead the Hand of Death gang from the warping and winding Ming Dou Mountain Range, not only due to his ability as an evil soul master, but more importantly due to his cautious nature. This wasn't the first time he'd encountered such a situation, but as long as he didn't die, it wouldn't take long before a brand new bandit group would rise up once more.
Huo Yuhao didn't resist. He was now in a far more dangerous situation than he had been before, but contrary to expectations, he'd calmed down. This characteristic was unique to spirit-type soul masters. His mental strength far surpassed that of normal humans, so he could remain clear-headed more than a normal soul master could.
Huo Yuhao knew that the two white soul rings he'd previously revealed must've definitely fooled his opponents. Moreover, when the Envoy of the Death God had attacked, he hadn't shown any signs of resisting at all. But he really couldn't do so, having been caught off-guard. The enemy must've really looked down on him, but that was fine, because this was his only chance to flee for his life.
What am I going to do? There might only be one chance for him to escape, so he definitely couldn't act blindly without thinking it through. As a result of that, Huo Yuhao could only force himself to circulate his Mysterious Heaven Technique to protect his internal organs. He was fighting against that evil soul power surging into his body, but he didn't try to unleash a counterattack. As a matter of fact, his opponent's soul power far surpassed his own. It wouldn't be easy for him to retaliate either.
"Elder brother Skydream, Ice Empress, what are you guys doing?" Huo Yuhao softly called out to them in his Spiritual Sea.
The Skydream Iceworm was extremely serious when he spoke. "Yuhao, don't fret. We are also thinking of a way. In a second, the Ice Empress might temporarily take control of your body. It's really a little troublesome this time. This fellow's soul power has a special quality that reeks with blood. The disparity between your cultivation and his is far too great. If Ice Empress suddenly uses the power she sealed within your body, I'm afraid you'll sustain injuries because of that. You must be mentally prepared."
Huo Yuhao was very calm as he asked, "That also means that attacking him isn't actually that difficult, but the key to this is whether I can bear the burden?"
The Skydream Iceworm was silent for a moment before he spoke, "The Ice Empress's ability is extremely overbearing. We're afraid that it'll injure the source of your spirit."
Huo Yuhao inhaled deeply, then said, "Elder Brother Skydream, Ice Empress. The two of you don't need to care about me. Kill him and avenge those who've died. This bastard definitely cannot be allowed to live. He's killed so many people, including Senior Brother Yao Haoxuan."
"Sure, you're very brave. I'll do my best to protect you. Don't fret. When the opportunity arises, you must strike him in one move." There was a bit of praise in the Ice Empress's chilly voice. She immediately fell silent after speaking, evidently trying to find an opening in their opponent's guard.
Just at this moment, an aged voice suddenly rang out. "Big bug, little scorpion. Let this old man take charge, since you guys don't have the confidence to do so. I am very familiar with this deathly aura."
Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea subsequently turned grey. The Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress felt a pressure that even they feared. That was an soul ranked on a completely different level than they were.
"You are…"
The cave ahead suddenly opened up into a wide clearing. The Envoy of the Death God had brought Huo Yuhao out of the tunnel, causing the air around them to be fresh and clean. This immediately cleared Huo Yuhao's mind.
However, twelve silhouettes were quietly standing by that exit out of the tunnel.
Those twelve humans, which didn't seem to be breathing at all, immediately knelt down on one knee, respectfully saluting the Envoy of the Death God once they saw him emerge from the tunnel.
"Rise, my corpses. You guys were left behind for me to use as my protection. We've really run into huge trouble this time. I'm afraid that guy's a Titled Douluo based on the aura he's emitting. Hmph, don't fret. Even Titled Douluo will only be able to prostrate themselves before me in ten years' time, at best."
At this moment, an aged voice suddenly rang out, "I'm afraid you don't even have ten years left."
The Envoy of the Death God paused and quickly looked around. "Who is it?!" He shouted in a stern voice, "Come out!"
"I'm right here. Where do you want me to go?" An odd, yet pure smell of death suddenly surged from his left hand. The Envoy of the Death God subconsciously loosened his grip on the person in his hand, and turned his body around at the same time to look at who it was. He was immediately taken aback by what he saw.
He'd been holding a person dressed completely in dark green garb with two white soul rings. But now, that person suddenly shone with an incredible light.
Behind the mask, the eyes that were originally a faint golden color had turned grey. It was a kind of grey that was filled with the vicissitudes of life, as though the owner could thoroughly understand everything in the world. What was even stranger was that a grey soul ring was slowly rising from beneath his feet. As that grey soul ring rose up, a string of fragmented shadow followed suit. One couldn't clearly tell whether it was one shadow or many shadows.
The envoy of the Death God felt an inexplicably stifling feeling as he looked at that grey layer, subconsciously causing him to take a step back.
"Y-you're also an evil soul master?" There was a shocked look on the Envoy of the Death God's face when he asked this question. The mantle on his face had been lifted as he was running just now, revealing a face that resembled a skull. Only a film of skin seemed to be covering his face. His eyes, which were glowing with a light green light, were filled with shock.
"Evil soul master? What's that? I've never heard of that before." There was a bit of astonishment in that aged voice.
The Envoy of the Death God snorted and said, "Every single evil soul master is an existence worthy of the greatest admiration. I am a spokesperson for the Death God, the Envoy of the Death God. You are clearly young, since you dare to deceive the people in front of me. If you really are an evil soul master, you should make your identity known, and maybe then we might still have a chance to cooperate with each other. But you need to tell me something first. Why is your soul ring grey?"
"Envoy of the Death God? You must be joking. Even though I can't remember most things from the past, I faintly remember that I could have been a Death God if I had wanted to be one. You're already sacrificing your flesh, having just recently brushed over the edge of Necromancy. A Necromancer like you is worthy of being called an Envoy of the Death God? A Death God's ability is to purify, not to summon souls and mess around with corpses. There's no chance of you becoming a Demonic Shaman, and yet you're here boasting in front of this old man. It's really funny."
The Envoy of the Death God stumbled over his words hearing the aged voice. "What Necromancy? What Necromancer? Demonic Shaman? I am an evil soul master worthy of admiration. You actually dare to blaspheme the Death God? You're courting death!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed in front of him. The third soul ring on his body abruptly lit up, activating the purple soul ring with a few streams of black. The twelve people around them who were emitting cold auras immediately moved and pounced toward Huo Yuhao at lightning speed.
"It's a very familiar aura. Though it is slightly disgusting, I still have a bit of affection left in me." The aged voice sighed, but didn't move as he lifted his finger.
A faintly grey ball of fire was burning on the tip of his finger. When those corpses that the envoy of the Death God had converted into humans came within three metres of his body, they immediately stopped their violent trembling.
"Big bug, I need to borrow a bit of your sealed power," The aged voice said indifferently, "I still can't recall anything from the past, but I remember my own name. A tiny Corpse Shaman actually dares to show off with this kind of unpopular Necromancy in front of me, the Calamity Necromancer Electrolux who possesses the Divine Law of Necromancy. Then, I'll let you play with fire!"
As he spoke, the flame atop his finger suddenly burned brighter. Shortly after that, that grey halo on his body was abruptly activated, encasing the twelve corpses within it.
The twelve corpses stopped trembling, and slowly raised their heads one after the other. One could see that their skin was now a metallic grey – a color that only dead people would have. Their eyes were empty and lifeless; their nails were strangely and incomparably long, and appeared to be dark purple in color. A foul rotting smell also seeped out from every inch of their bodies.
The Envoy of the Death God discovered—to his astonishment—that he wasn't able to control his corpse slaves anymore. He hurriedly increased the output of his soul power and activated his various soul skills, yet they still didn't react; he couldn't even make them self-destruct.
Gradually, a pale light began to appear in the corpse slaves' eyes. This light was actually a whitish flame, and as the flame progressively appeared in the eyes of every single corpse slave, it also began to circulate throughout their bodies. Unexpectedly, emotions began to appear on their previously rigid faces: suffering, hatred, and boundless rancor. They then turned towards the Envoy of the Death God and immediately shot towards him in a frenzy.
"No, this can't be possible… this is impossible!" The voice of the Envoy of the Death God was filled with disbelief. He quickly turned around to scuttle away.
At that moment however, a purplish-golden light shot out from Huo Yuhao's eyes. The Envoy of the Death God felt as if his head had suddenly been struck by an enormous hammer. This, combined with the panic he felt, caused him to immediately tumble head-first to the ground.
All of the corpse slaves he'd refined had been created utilizing the bodies of soul masters. Not only were they extraordinarily quick, but they were also impervious to blades, and possessed extraordinary strength. These twelve corpse slaves had taken more than half of his strength to refine, and they were his hidden trump card. However, at this moment, these corpse slaves seemed to have regained a portion of their former consciousness; how could they let him off?
All twelve of the corpse slaves launched frenzied attacks towards the Envoy of the Death God, who'd been temporarily stunned by Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Shock. In fact, they attacked in frenzied manner that they didn't even seem to take their own safety into account.
Electrolux's voice rang out from Huo Yuhao's mouth again and said, "A true necromancer controls spirits, not bodies. Even if you become stronger, a corpse shaman like you who can't even touch upon the mysteries of soul control will never become a true necromancer," He then directed his voice towards the corpse slaves, "since he's killed you, this old man will give you an opportunity to gain revenge. Once you've completed your revenge, your souls will subsequently be purified.
"I don't know how long it's been since I've used necromancy. It's so familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time! But… I like this feeling. There seems to have been an unforgettable hatred carved deep into my heart in the past, yet I feel only tranquility now. My spiritual imprint seems to have been stimulated again. Little Yuhao, big worm, little scorpion, it seems I'll have to enter another period of slumber. Oh, there's one last thing I have to tell you all before I go: Power can be used for good, but if you use your power in an evil way on the pretext that you're only doing it to an evildoer is inherently evil as well. Little Yuhao, I hope that you'll be able to wash away your hatred by the next time I wake up. When your heart is free of hatred, and when you feel only joy and benevolence, I will truly become your third martial soul. Only then will you have the qualifications to inherit my art of necromancy."
The grayness around them vanished, as did the gray light in Huo Yuhao's eyes. The gray soul ring around him also dissipated and disappeared. His body swayed a bit, then he collapsed to the ground.
In this short period of time, the Envoy of the Death God was ripped apart by his twelve corpse slaves. His wretched screams could be heard from several hundreds of meters away.
His sinful life had finally ended as a direct result of his own sins; a person who played with fire would definitely be burned to death. As an evil soul master, his death had come at the hands of his own crimes.
Once the evil soul master had died, the corpse slaves slowly fell to the ground one after another. As they did, strands of white mist rose from their heads and faintly resembled human faces. However, their current expressions didn't contain any rancor; only relief and appreciation was left within them. They stared at the fallen Huo Yuhao as they gradually vanished into the air, their expressions much more peaceful.
Once the imprisoned souls had been purified, the corpse slaves began to rot and disappear at an astonishing rate. In the blink of an eye, only bones were left.
"Boom—" A violent explosion rang out. Immediately afterwards, a figure soared straight into the air, then landed mightily, revealing Elder Xuan's powerful figure.
Elder Xuan's naked upper body revealed his bronze-colored muscles, and the terrifying aura he was currently emanating shot straight into the air once he appeared, causing the weather itself to change. This was especially so for the two spiralling horns on his head, which shone with an indescribably mysterious luster. Nine types of light seemed to flicker through them before transforming into a jade-white color.
With a flash, Elder Xuan appeared in front of Huo Yuhao's eyes. The current situation, however, quelled the fury within his heart; the Envoy of the Death God had vanished, and had only left a large patch of bones on the ground. Furthermore, there was even a rotten smell present. However, Huo Yuhao had been thrown to the side.
Elder Xuan had originally thought that Huo Yuhao had encountered a calamity; after all, he was only human. However, he didn't think that he'd still be perfectly alright. With his level of cultivation, he didn't even need to touch him to verify his status. He could tell that, even though Huo Yuhao's breathing was somewhat weak, it was still present. His heartbeat was still extremely healthy, and his signs of life were well-evident.
Despite this, there were no other signs of life in the surroundings besides Huo Yuhao. Elder Xuan's face revealed a trace of doubt, then he carefully picked Huo Yuhao up and poured his soul power into him.
He quickly discovered that Huo Yuhao's fainting hadn't been due to physical trauma; he'd merely overdrawn his spiritual power. Furthermore, his soul power hadn't even been overdrawn that much.
Elder Xuan was anxious to learn about the whereabouts of the Envoy of the Death God, thus he took out a small bottle made of white jade and placed it beneath Huo Yuhao's nose.
"Achoo!" Huo Yuhao suddenly awoke with a sneeze. A spicy smell had caused him to gradually awaken, but he still felt as if his head was quite heavy. His brain was also dizzy, and he currently wasn't even able to use his Spirit Eyes to see everything in front of him clearly.
"Yuhao, what happened? What happened to that despicable evil soul master?" Elder Xuan asked impatiently.
Huo Yuhao was left blank. After calming himself down, images of what had happened began to appear within his mind. He'd been completely sober when he'd been possessed by Electrolux; moreover, he clearly understood what had happened earlier. However, he didn't know what exactly Electrolux had done. He'd both used his spiritual power, and had even seemingly used the Skydream Iceworm's spiritual power. It was because of this that he hadn't even been able to speak up earlier. Even the Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress were still in a state of shock.
Following the recovery of his memories, a spiritual imprint that the aged Electrolux had left in his mind gradually began to appear. Huo Yuhao subconsciously followed the instructions left on that spiritual imprint and replied to Elder Xuan, "I… I don't know either. After the Envoy of the Death God brought me here, he ordered his corpse slaves to bring up the rear and planned to use me as a hostage to run away. When I heard him, I knew that I was running out of time. Thus, I used all of my strength to release a Spiritual Shock. He instantly fell into a short daze, and both his mouth and nose began to bleed. At that instant, I took the opportunity to roll to the ground. When I did, I heard him let out a loud screech, then I felt my head go dizzy. He seemed to have lost control of his corpse slaves, which proceeded to attack him and tear him to pieces. When he died, those corpse slaves also fell to the ground. After that, I seem to have fainted."
An enlightened look appeared in Elder Xuan's eyes when he heard Huo Yuhao's words. "An evil backlash! Serves him right. He got left off lightly. Alright, we'll talk about this more later."
At that moment, Huo Yuhao somewhat came back to his senses. With a somewhat hazy look in his eyes, he asked, "Elder Xuan, what's an evil backlash?"
Elder Xuan carried Huo Yuhao through the cave he'd forcefully created earlier as he explained, "All evil soul masters have powerful and evil powers. For example, the bastard you saw earlier had the ability to control corpses. However, oftentimes the powers they use exceed that of what their bodies can withstand. Once this balance is broken, there's a chance of a backlash occurring. Your Spiritual Shock earlier must've temporarily broken the connection he had with his corpses, in turn causing him to instantly experience a backlash. I didn't think that it'd be you who'd kill him."
Elder Xuan was definitely worthy of being called one of the peak experts of the Douluo Continent; his analysis was fundamentally correct. Even though Electrolux's technique weren't that simple, the overall results and effects it had achieved were still more or less the same. The only difference was that he'd paid more attention to purifying the souls of the dead.
"Oh." Huo Yuhao replied, then sank back into a muddled state.
Elder Xuan quickly returned to the cave that the Hand of Death had stayed in with Huo Yuhao in tow. The smell of blood in the cave had become even stronger since he'd left.
The seriously injured students from the inner courtyard had all been gathered together once he got back. Besides the now-deceased Yao Haoxuan, the people who were in the worst condition were Gong Yangmo and Chen Zifeng. The two of them were currently lying on the ground, unconscious, but their bodies were badly mangled. Even though Xi Xi was also unconscious, her injuries were still somewhat lighter than theirs.
Although Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen were currently bleeding from their noses and mouths due to their heavy injuries, they were still able to maintain their consciousness.
Compared to the desperate state that the seven from the inner courtyard were in, the disciples from the outer courtyard were completely unharmed. They'd originally had the help of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, and had been a decent distance away from the center of the explosions. The moment they'd felt that something was off, they'd been able to react.
Xu Sanshi had successfully used his Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle to protect Jiang Nannan, who had the weakest defense of the lot. Bei Bei had in turn released a large amount of thunder and lightning, blocking the poisonous flesh that had been sent flying towards them from the explosions. Xiao Xiao's Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron had also played an important role in blocking a large amount of the explosion.
"Yuhao." The moment he saw Elder Xuan return with Huo Yuhao in tow, Wang Dong immediately pounced towards him. The others from the outer courtyard also quickly surrounded him.
"I'm fine." Huo Yuhao replied somewhat weakly. In spite of everything, Wang Dong hugged him, his tears surging uncontrollably.
When the Envoy of the Death God had captured Huo Yuhao earlier, Wang Dong instantly felt as though the most important thing in his heart had been ripped away. At that moment, he'd been sent into a foolish stupor. Before he'd come to, Elder Xuan had already left in pursuit. He'd wanted to chase after them, but he'd been stopped by Wang Yan. At that time, he'd felt his brain space out. He'd thought inwardly, It's finished, everything's over. Yuhao definitely won't be able to escape now that he's been captured by such a terrifying fellow. He didn't think that Huo Yuhao would actually be brought back by Elder Xuan so quickly.
Elder Xuan left Huo Yuhao in Wang Dong's care, "He's fine. He has just overdrawn his spiritual power. Let him rest."
Wang Dong didn't even hear those words; he held Huo Yuhao tightly and started crying.
Huo Yuhao wanted to say something to comfort him. However, he was just too tired after exhausting his spiritual power. He only managed to fractionally raise his hand and wasn't able to say anything else.
"How is the situation?" Elder Xuan, who still had his martial soul active, turned towards Wang Yan and asked with a very gloomy expression. After that incident in the Great Star Dou Forest, where the disciples of the inner courtyard had encountered a hundred thousand year soul beast and suffered heavy casualties, this was the second time that there had been so many losses under his leadership. An ordinary person would never be able to understand the pain he was feeling right now.
Wang Yan said full of grief, "Yao Haoxuan died in battle. I tried my best to piece the remains of his skeleton together, but after being used by that evil soul master, his corpse was contaminated by the deadly poison and corroded. We won't be able to bring back his complete skeleton."
Elder Xuan painfully closed his eyes, "How are the others? What's the state of their injuries? Are they in mortal danger?"
Wang Yan replied, "Chen Zifeng lost one leg, but the one that suffered the worst injuries was Gong Yangmo. His chest and abdomen have suffered immense damage from the exploding toxic flesh and blood. Therefore, his internal injuries are not only extremely severe but poisonous too. Xi Xi's internal injuries are less serious, but the poison she was infected with is still very dangerous. As, the three of them have already developed a high fever I gave them some pills to restrain the poison and lower the fever, but this is only a temporary measure. We need the best possible treatment to save their lives. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were in the epicenter of the explosions While they were able to block the toxic blood and flesh released by the explosion due to their high cultivations, the shock waves left them with internal injuries. They'll need some time to heal. Luckily, neither they nor Ling Luochen were contaminated by the poisonous flesh and blood. With the academy's medicinal pills, they should be able to recover in half a month. What about the Envoy of the Death God?"
Elder Xuan heaved a deep sigh and told Wang Yan everything that Yuhao had told him. After hearing the story, Wang Yang's cold and stern expression thawed a little, "Good, good. At least Haoxuan was avenged. Even that Envoy of the Death God couldn't have expected to die at Yuhao's hands."
Elder Xuan opened his eyes again, a resolute look within them. He had already made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "Wang Yan, you'll have to bear the burden of this difficult task. Bring them back to the military camp, and once Xiaotao and the other two are stable, make haste towards Star Luo City and join the tournament. I'll bring Gong Yangmo, Chen Zifeng, and Xi Xi back to the academy to get treated. We can't afford to waste any time and must move immediately."
Having said that, Elder Xuan pointed his big hands toward the three people that were lying unconscious on the ground. Dense white soul power wrapped them up in a manner reminiscent of a giant cocoon, protecting them.
Elder Xuan took a deep breath and then looked at at the seven from the outer courtyard as he spoke in a grave tone, "The situation has now changed, and the responsibility lies with me. I'm afraid there isn't enough time to send for new team members from the academy anymore. We can only rely on you lot for the time being. At the very least, you'll have to hold on until Ma Xiaotao and the others have recovered. Children, the academy can only rely on you to preserve its glory. If you win, the honor will be yours. If you lose, I'll personally bear all the shame."
After that, Elder Xuan raised his head, trying to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes. He then brought the three people wrapped in his soul power out of the cave before he activated his flying-type soul tool and headed toward Shrek Academy at full speed. It was of the utmost importance to cure and save the three students that had been injured and poisoned. After hearing Elder Xuan's words, Huo Yuhao also sunk into a deep slumber.
By the time he regained consciousness, the sun was already high in the sky; it was high noon. The stench of blood had also disappeared and had been replaced by the fresh mountain air.
He discovered that his head was leaning against something soft and elastic. The height was just right, and it was very comfortable. A fine and slender hand was lying on his chest, and those same long and slender fingers were also right in front of his eyes.
He didn't even need to raise his head to guess who they belonged to, because he had already held this hand innumerable times, though this was his first time seeing them up close.
Wang Dong's hands were really beautiful! Although they were much smaller than his, the length of their fingers was about the same. They truly resembled the hands of a girl.
After his nap, the dizziness from before had already disappeared. All the memories of what had happened previously now slowly started to resurface in his mind. Even though it had been a while, he still felt his heart skip a beat whenever he thought of what had happened.
The Divine Law of Necromancy, the Specter of Calamity, Electrolux. This was the true identity of the gray ball of light slumbering in his Spiritual Sea!
At the time, when Electrolux had temporarily taken control of his body, Huo Yuhao hadn't been able to oppose him in the slightest. He could still feel the outside world and retained all five senses, but he had no control over his body.
This wasn't the first time that someone had taken control of his body. The Skydream Iceworm had also done it once before. However at that time, he hadn't been aware of what was happening in the outside world and had remained in his Spiritual Sea as a spectator. The Skydream Iceworm was a million year soul beast, and even if it was doomed to never become a god due to its special circumstances, it was still a million year soul beast which specialized in the spiritual field! Did this mean that he was inferior to a mere spiritual imprint left behind by Electrolux? Just who was this Electrolux? Moreover, he said that he could have become the Death God long ago if he had wished to. All of this combined was just too scary.
He had said that he was from another world. What was this world like? And what was this necromancy of his? It seemed somewhat similar to the power of that evil soul master. However, he didn't get an evil feeling from it. Instead, it felt pure and holy.
"It's not that my spiritual power is inferior to his. It's just that I'm not as knowledgeable as him when it comes to the human Spiritual Seas." The Skydream Iceworm admitted unwillingly.
"Brother Skydream." Huo Yuhao hastened to say, "Elder Electro…"
"Don't mention it," The Skydream Iceworm said, depressed, "That guy should be a human like you, but is far from being common as evidenced by his incredible power. I suspect that he met a powerful opponent that destroyed both his body and soul, leaving behind only a small fragment of the latter. When we fused together, we created a strange celestial phenomenon, and that soul fragment was assimilated in the process. That guy should feel grateful. If it weren't for this brother, that soul fragment might've already dispersed."
"Stop making excuses. If you're inferior, you're just inferior. Let alone you, even I am well below him in regards to spiritual strength. He really wasn't exaggerating when he said that if his soul fragment were complete, he might have already become a god." The Ice Empress said. She wasn't depressed as the Skydream Iceworm, and her voice even carried a hint of admiration.
The Ice Empress continued, "Yuhao, don't waste time worrying about this. Elder Electro's strength mainly lies in his knowledge and soul level with the latter being incredibly high. However, he has suffered a lot of damage, and with but a fragment left, there's not much he can do. In his current condition, he cannot even augment your strength. When he displayed his power earlier, he used your body as a medium and Skydream's sealed power as an energy source. He stopped us from taking action with his higher understanding of your Spiritual Sea. Since we were unsure of what to do and felt that acting rashly might cause damage to your Spiritual Sea, we had no choice but to rely on him. Elder Electro's strength lies exactly in his knowledge. The powerful magic he used should also originate from his world, You should learn it should the opportunity ever arise. "
"However, Elder Electro's power and that of the evil soul master…" Huo Yuhao said somewhat anxiously.
The Ice Empress said, "Don't worry. Elder Electro and that guy were on two completely different planes. Elder Electro gave me a feeling of purity and simplicity. His soul has already reached a realm where the words 'good' or 'evil' aren't suitable to describe the its aura. From another standpoint, he should be an existence above this world of ours. Therefore, his power is unlikely to influence your disposition. And from his words, it seems like it won't be easy for you to learn from him due to his exceedingly high requirements towards your moral character. If I'm not mistaken, Elder Electro' s attribute should be the same as yours; a light attribute. And even if his light attribute was very weak, it was the purest I had ever seen."
"Then, what should I do?" Huo Yuhao wasn't even thirteen yet. Therefore, it was normal for him to rely on the Ice Empress or the Skydream Iceworm when he was in a dilemma.
"You don't need to do anything." The Skydream Iceworm said, "All you have to do is keep cultivating and getting stronger. That soul fragment will still need several years to restore itself and become self-sufficient. And until then, he won't come out easily, because he would be done for if this only fragment were to be damaged. Moreover, you can only learn from him if you have enough strength and spiritual power. Therefore, keep cultivating."
"I understand." Huo Yuhao had now calmed down a bit. Even though they hadn't completely dispelled the doubts in his heart, the Ice Empress and Skydream Iceworm's explanations had put him at ease.
After settling this matter, he opened his eyes. Then, he gently moved Wang Dong's hand away and sat up.
This slight movement caused Wang Dong to shake and call out in alarm, "Yuhao, you're awake."
When he sat up, Huo Yuhao saw that his fellow students were all nearby. They were sitting in the middle of the woods in deep meditation, trying to recover their energy. But when they heard Wang Dong's voice, they began to wake up one after another.
From the main team, only Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen were left. Their complexions were still pale due to being severely injured. At this time, even they opened their eyes.