All, or Nothing

Time passed slowly, and before long, dawn arrived the next day.

The dazzling soul ring had already undergone some changes. At the very center of that golden soul ring, a translucent Soul Core emanating spiritual fluctuations revolved, forming a terrifying vortex of Soul Power that gradually drove the entire soul ring to turn.

The gold that had once belonged to a million-year soul ring had long since faded, revealing instead a translucent silver radiance that belonged to the spiritual attribute. The nature of the soul ring had changed from carrying soul skills to carrying a Soul Core!

The silver soul ring floated before Huo Yuhao. The hand resting upon it withdrew, and at the same time, the phantom of the Eye of Destiny between his brows vanished. Control over Tian Meng's power returned to Tian Meng, and Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes.

Yet the moment he opened them, Huo Yuhao froze.

Gu Yuena was once again just as she had been when they first met, her entire body nearly pressed against his, standing incredibly close.

Her lively purple eyes and faintly trembling lashes—she stared at him without blinking. At the same time, the Seed of Emotion captured her curiosity and anticipation.

"Sister Nana?"

"Can you give me that Soul Spirit Contract from earlier?"

Gu Yuena spoke expressionlessly, but through the Seed of Emotion, Huo Yuhao clearly sensed that trace of anticipation.

Huo Yuhao blinked, then shook his head.

"My Soul Spirit Contract is special. No one else can use it, so it would be useless even if you had it. The original version is the same."

The Soul Spirit Contract he had introduced in his previous life had not truly stopped the decline of Soul Beasts. To a certain extent, it had even accelerated their extinction.

There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the Soul Spirit Contract, but as long as it still required Soul Beasts to sacrifice themselves, it was still not enough.

Gu Yuena's gaze dimmed slightly, but Huo Yuhao changed his tone and continued.

"However, using the Soul Spirit Contract to condense a soul ring just now gave me an idea. At the very least, if I have enough time, there shouldn't be any problem researching a method to condense Blank Soul Rings."

The fundamental reason soul masters hunted Soul Beasts was to break through their realms. Soul skills came second.

If Huo Yuhao truly developed a method for condensing Blank Soul Rings, then the problem of soul masters hunting Soul Beasts would already be half solved!

"You're going to help me?"

Huo Yuhao nodded as if it were only natural. "Yes."

A flicker of emotion passed through Gu Yuena's calm eyes, and even more complicated feelings slowly took root and sprouted.

"Why?"

She had not completely let down her guard against Huo Yuhao. After all, according to her speculation, Huo Yuhao had once been a Deity who, after dying in some accident, had arrived in the Douluo World with his Natal Divine Artifact.

Though she did not know what kind of god Huo Yuhao had once been, she was certain that he had once been a human Deity.

Why would a human Deity help their Soul Beast Clan?

After a long silence, Huo Yuhao spoke softly.

"I owe you. Whether it was becoming a Deity or this eye of mine, I relied on you.

"Yet the me from back then... betrayed you."

He knew what he had done.

The Eye of Destiny had allowed him to take away the destiny that belonged to Soul Beasts, while the Soul Spirit Contract had, to a certain degree, accelerated the extinction of Soul Beasts.

He did not want to make excuses like, "I was deceived," or, "Tang San was the one plotting against me," to shirk responsibility.

What he had done, he had done. That was an undeniable fact.

In his previous life, he had been a sinner. To the entire Soul Beast Clan, he had been heinously guilty, unforgivable—a sinner who had betrayed the Soul Beasts!

That was why, when he saw Gu Yuena, the Co-lord of Soul Beasts, the first emotion born in his heart had been guilt. Boundless guilt.

He looked at the girl so close to him, at the faint complexity and silence in her eyes, then smiled and spoke.

"I swear upon Destiny that I will find a way for the Soul Beast Clan to survive. This is a promise, an eternal promise."

The Eye of Destiny appeared once more. As a Divine Artifact of Destiny and Huo Yuhao's Natal Divine Artifact, in a sense, it represented Huo Yuhao himself.

A golden thread slowly extended, lightly touched Gu Yuena, then sank into the space between her brows. In an instant, a piece of information surfaced within Gu Yuena's heart.

"Why?"

At this moment, Gu Yuena could no longer remain calm.

Huo Yuhao had unilaterally entered into a restrictive Destiny Contract with her. It required that Huo Yuhao of the future must find a way to completely solve the Soul Beast Clan's problem.

During this time, if Huo Yuhao broke the contract, she would have the right to use this power of Destiny to bind Huo Yuhao, leaving him completely unable to resist!

Even Huo Yuhao's Natal Divine Artifact would turn around and help her at that moment! Such was a contract of Destiny!

However... the condition for breach was based on "what she believed." That was far too subjective.

For example, if Huo Yuhao did not buy her food and she became unhappy, she could decide that perhaps he was looking down on her as the Co-lord of Soul Beasts, conclude that he was harming Soul Beasts, and then use this power to bind him and deal with him however she wished.

This guy... had practically handed his life over to her without reservation.

An indescribable emotion rose in her heart and began to take root and sprout at an almost bizarre speed.

Huo Yuhao lowered his eyes slightly. The condensation of the Spiritual Soul Core had caused a qualitative change in his Soul Power, which in turn had also changed the Seed of Emotion.

Now, he could taste emotions.

For example, at this very moment, he could directly taste Gu Yuena's emotions.

Shock, confusion, and several other feelings mingled together, intoxicating like sweet wine.

He looked at the girl close at hand. Whether because of those delicious emotions or something else, the corners of his lips curved upward in a faint smile.

"As the Co-lord of Soul Beasts, you naturally won't easily trust others, especially when I'm human.

"But there's no helping it. My ability to protect myself is far too weak right now. Without a reliable backer, I don't think I can accomplish what I want to do.

"So you can view this as a transaction. I place myself in your hands in exchange for your trust and your help.

"So now, Sister Nana, the right to choose is in your hands. What will you choose?"

Huo Yuhao would not do anything without confidence.

Though this looked like a gamble, to Huo Yuhao, it was merely the natural act of placing restrictions upon himself.

In his previous life, before ascending to the God Realm, he had lived almost entirely under Tang San's control. Although he had been reborn in this life and possessed memories of the future, that did not mean everything would be foolproof.

If Tang San seized some leverage over him again and forced him to do certain things, then Gu Yuena would be his final safeguard against himself.