Feigning Death to Escape

Huo Yuhao gathered his thoughts and looked at Snow Empress, who was still deep in contemplation.

If he had to choose between Snow Empress as a Soul Spirit and the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow, or the entire Far North ruled by Snow Empress at her peak, Soul Masters across the continent might choose the former. But he chose the latter!

He could hide for a while, but not forever.

Even if he stayed far away from the heart of every conflict, there were things he ultimately could not avoid.

The hatred with the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and Tang San's overt and covert schemes would all have to be faced eventually.

Compared to the original Huo Yuhao, he had no Shrek mentors or powerful backing. He could only fight for everything himself.

And before Electrolux recovered, the only powerful expert he could persuade was Snow Empress!

There could be no gain without loss. Since those opportunities could not bring about a qualitative transformation, giving them up in exchange for protection while he was weak was worthwhile.

At that moment, Snow Empress also reached a decision. She looked at Huo Yuhao with a complicated expression. "Tian Meng didn't teach you to say that, did he? This deal was your own decision?"

Huo Yuhao did not answer.

Seeing this, Snow Empress studied him for a moment, then shook her head helplessly. "Fine. I truly do need the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow. As for the protection you need..."

As she spoke, Snow Empress raised her jade-like hand and lightly touched Huo Yuhao's forehead with her index finger, leaving behind a snowflake-shaped mark.

"With this mark, you may travel freely through the Far North, and you can contact me through it as well."

As the ruler of the Far North, even if Ice Empress had not been within him, she would still disdain deceiving him.

Thus, seeing Snow Empress give her promise so readily, Huo Yuhao did not hesitate. "The Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow is at Earth Dragon Gate. If you do not believe me, I can serve as a hostage and go with you."

"Then come with me."

Snow Empress gave Huo Yuhao one final look. As she enveloped both him and herself in wind and snow, a strange premonition arose in her heart.

Perhaps the God Creation Plan truly would succeed if it were carried out by this young man.

That day, Earth Dragon Gate had been sitting peacefully at home when disaster fell from the heavens.

A sect without even a Super Douluo had no ability to resist Snow Empress. They could only flee far away and watch helplessly as she turned Earth Dragon Gate upside down and dug out every piece of Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow.

With the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow, Snow Empress's injuries to her origin rapidly healed. Drawing on the experience of her previous failure, she even successfully condensed the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores.

From then on, the seven-hundred-thousand-year Thunder Tribulation could no longer threaten her. Snow Empress had completely escaped her original fate.

Naturally, Huo Yuhao became an honored guest of the Far North!

Snow Empress gave Huo Yuhao every convenience, intervening whenever he faced danger and blocking many troubles for him.

Even Princess Tang stopped bothering him because of it.

No matter how shameless Tang San was, he could not possibly throw his daughter into the core region of the Far North.

With all his worries removed, Huo Yuhao focused on cultivating the Ice Empress Martial Soul using the Far North's resources, and his progress was astonishing.

However, he did not abandon his talents in the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul and Soul Tools. He often used the Spirit Eye's second soul skill—Disguise—to alter his appearance and study at various academies.

During the All-Continent Soul Master Academy Competition, he watched as a student from a small academy. He watched Shrek Academy fall in the semifinals and watched Xuan Zi fly into a rage over it, yet remain powerless to change the outcome...

On the eve of the Mingdu Tournament, Huo Yuhao persuaded Snow Empress to infiltrate Mingdu with him and "persuade" some frustrated genius Soul Masters and Soul Engineers to leave with them.

When the Douluo Three Kingdoms went to war with the Sun Moon Empire, Huo Yuhao watched coldly. Only after a certain Empress War God was stopped by Tang San and forced to call off the war did he storm the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, slaughtering everyone who had humiliated him and his mother, and bringing the grievances of this life to an end. He left only his back for Dai Hao, whose hair had turned white overnight.

Afterward, Huo Yuhao devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, searching for suitable Soul Rings. When his Soul Power reached its peak, he perfected the Soul Spirit Method with Electrolux and established the Spirit Pagoda in the process.

The influence of a Limit Douluo could not be underestimated. Moreover, Huo Yuhao had physically persuaded quite a few geniuses over the years, so there was no problem using them as the foundation of the Spirit Pagoda.

With the Far North's secret support added to the mix, certain factions with designs on Soul Spirits could only suppress their thoughts and watch them gradually grow stronger.

"It's about time."

At Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, Huo Yuhao looked at the cool and aloof woman below him and said softly, "I will enter seclusion to comprehend a higher realm. From now on, the Spirit Pagoda will be led by you, Su Tong."

Su Tong possessed the Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul, an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul. She had been a Shrek Student who appeared only briefly in the Original Work. Yet here, Huo Yuhao discovered her when she came to the Far North to hunt for Soul Rings, intercepted her directly, and brought her into his forces.

Su Tong was now a Titled Douluo and one of the Spirit Pagoda's three Vice Tower Masters. Though she was still somewhat inexperienced, with the others assisting her, she was more than capable of shouldering the responsibility.

Standing below, Su Tong looked at the figure above her with some confusion.

Although the Spirit Pagoda had gained a foothold on the continent, everyone could see the importance of Soul Spirits.

As the number of Soul Beasts declined, Soul Spirits would become increasingly important in the future. At that time, the status of any faction that controlled the method of creating Soul Spirits would naturally rise...

Without a Limit Douluo overseeing it, there would be no shortage of people setting their sights on the Spirit Pagoda. As a Titled Douluo, she could not bear such a burden.

As if seeing Su Tong's unease, Huo Yuhao walked past her and said gravely:

"Rest assured. I have reached a Cooperation agreement with Snow Empress of the Far North and Di Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest. No one will dare make things difficult for you."

He understood Su Tong's unease. Unlike the original Spirit Pagoda, which had Shrek and the nations of Douluo supporting it, the Spirit Pagoda he founded had no such backing—only a Limit Douluo who had appeared out of nowhere.

Without him, the Spirit Pagoda's strength would be reduced by eighty percent.

But since Huo Yuhao intended to leave, he had naturally made preparations.

There was no need to mention Snow Empress. Di Tian had always worried about the future of Soul Beasts. Even if Huo Yuhao had approached him with the incomplete Soul Spirit Method from the Original Work, he was confident Di Tian would agree to cooperate.

Not to mention that what he offered was the Soul Spirit Method that he and Elder Yi had spent decades improving, one that greatly benefited the reproduction and survival of Soul Beasts.

With that thought, Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and strode out of the room.

Every arrangement had already been put in place. All that remained was to wait for the right moment.

"After I leave, erase all traces of me connected to the Spirit Pagoda."

Su Tong watched Huo Yuhao leave the room in a daze, her mind thrown into chaos.

Di Tian and Snow Empress had joined the Spirit Pagoda? Didn't that mean every one of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts except Evil Emperor had joined the Spirit Pagoda? How had the Tower Master managed that?

"Was it because of the Soul Spirits and the Contract Dissolution Method?" Su Tong murmured, the shock in her heart still undiminished.

Once her emotions settled, Su Tong recalled Huo Yuhao's instructions and could not help feeling puzzled.

Tower Master Huo Yuhao was an exceptionally mysterious Limit Douluo. He had left few traces in the world, and people knew little about him. Even his real name had never spread beyond a small circle.

The Spirit Pagoda was the place where he had left the most traces. If those traces were erased, then ten thousand years later, people would likely remember only the title of the Spirit Pagoda's First Generation Tower Master—Spirit Ice Douluo!

Just as Huo Yuhao stepped out of the Spirit Pagoda, a figure approached him head-on.

"You're leaving?"

Snow Empress looked at Huo Yuhao and asked softly.

"That's right."

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and brushed past her. "Thank you for all these years, Snow Empress. We will meet again when the time comes."

With her back to the direction Huo Yuhao had gone, Snow Empress stood there for a long time before departing with the wind and snow.

Plotting to Become a God together ten thousand years from now?

Fine. I will wait for you.

"Elder Yi, I am ready. You may begin."

Within the Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux slowly opened his eyes. "Yuhao, the rules of Douluo Continent also affect my magic. Your plan to extend your lifespan by becoming an Undead Creature may therefore be hindered and affected by unknown factors."

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly, his gaze resolute. "I have long prepared myself for a minor price. Besides, the most important thing this time is for me to break free of Douluo's luck. Please."

"Then we will use the Life Gold to preserve your final spark of vitality. I will begin now."

Seeing that Huo Yuhao had made up his mind, Electrolux stopped trying to dissuade him. "You must die once first!"

At those words, Huo Yuhao took out the Life Guardian Blade and fused it into his chest.

This world possessed luck, and he was the Child of Luck of this era. Thus, even though the process differed, opportunities such as the Life Gold and the Ice Scorpion Left Arm Bone had still ultimately fallen into his hands.

Child of Luck...

Huo Yuhao suddenly felt somewhat wistful.

Even though he had rejected the Emotional God Position all these years and Princess Tang no longer appeared before him, he understood that that person could not have completely looked away.

And the reason Tang San paid him such special attention was because he was the Child of Destiny of Douluo Continent. Without that identity, Tang San would likely not even bother to spare him a glance.

Only by dying and shedding the identity of the Child of Luck could he leave that person's sight!

Only then would he have the chance to activate it.

Huo Yuhao's attention lingered briefly on the mark in the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness before he finally looked away.

Electrolux's magic unfolded soundlessly. Huo Yuhao assumed the posture of forcibly breaking into the Divine Realm, and deathly energy gradually filled his eyes, but the conviction in his heart did not diminish.

The day the God Realm vanished would be the day that belonged to... him!

At the same time, in the God Realm.

Tang San discovered that the Child of Luck of Douluo Star had vanished. He specifically took a look, and upon seeing Huo Yuhao dead, he completely gave up and shifted his attention away.

So what if the proud Child of Luck refused the Emotional God Position? He actually deluded himself into thinking he could create his own Divine Position?

Your fortune may indeed be greater than mine, but did you think a few decades of foundation were enough?

Hmph. He and Xiao Qi had wasted so much time, only for this farce to come of it. He truly had a death wish!

"This Huo Yuhao is useless and far inferior to me. It seems I must make other plans."

Wisdom flashed in Tang God King's eyes. "Rong Nianbing has not found a suitable successor and will remain in the God Realm, so he can be put to use. As for Destruction..."

This God Realm belonged to him.

Destruction opposed him at every turn. He already had a death wish!

One day in the God Realm was one year on the mortal plane. While Tang God King contemplated his grand plans, Huo Yuhao, who had become a corpse, opened his eyes again several decades later and slipped into the Undead Demiplane...