As the Audience marveled at the Time Spell Huo Yuhao had cast in the Heavenly Screen and discussed it animatedly, some people noticed something was wrong.
The boy in the Heavenly Screen still studied all kinds of Magic Knowledge every day, but he seemed to have lost some of his relentless drive and fighting spirit.
He no longer studied day and night. Instead, he went to bed at night, just like the other Mages in the Sacred Hall.
This might not have seemed like much, but some keen observers noticed that Huo Yuhao's determination to bring his mother back, no matter what, seemed to have faded.
It had all started with that scene in the Library.
On closer thought, the reason was easy to see.
It had already been more than three years since Huo Yun'er died. Even if Huo Yuhao had become a Magic Master, he still couldn't retrieve his mother's soul from the underworld.
In that situation, Huo Yun'er had only one hope of being brought back to life: the words Huo Yuhao had murmured while holding the Eye of Agamotto—Time Travel.
The Eye of Agamotto, combined with Time Magic, could Reverse Time. Perhaps it could also let someone Traverse Time and return to the past—to a point when Huo Yun'er's soul had yet to fade away, or even before she had died!
That meant saving Huo Yun'er was no longer impossible.
However, judging by the Old Mage Ryze's attitude, the Sacred Hall was strongly opposed to using Time Spells to Interfere with Time! It might even be strictly forbidden!
People didn't quite understand why, but judging from the Sacred Hall's actions, its members did indeed follow this rule to the letter.
They hadn't even used a Time Spell to bring Master Kailan back to life after he was killed.
Venerable Gu Yi had said they were Guardians of the Natural Rules, not Destroyers. That was what the people of the Sacred Hall said, and it was what they practiced.
But that meant Huo Yuhao's last hope of bringing his mother back to life had been cruelly crushed!
Worse, they had let him see hope first, only to cruelly snuff it out!
The chance to bring Huo Yun'er back was right there. If he acted, she could be revived, and all the years Huo Yuhao had spent striving toward that goal would have a perfect ending.
But the people of the Sacred Hall had told him: You can't do that! Bringing your mother back would violate the Cosmic Rules!
When the Old Mage Ryze had berated Huo Yuhao, he'd mentioned that Manipulating Time would create Time Branches, unstable Dimensional Rifts, and some kind of Spatial Paradox or Time Loop!
People didn't understand exactly what those things entailed, but they were clearly serious consequences.
And although Huo Yuhao in the Heavenly Screen had always seemed stubborn, even mad, he'd never deliberately hurt anyone.
He was a good person...and someone like him wouldn't put other people's lives at risk just to bring his mother back.
Bringing his mother back would require Manipulating Time—and interfering with it on a massive scale. The result would be a violation of the Natural Rules, triggering all kinds of unforeseeable disasters that could harm innocent people.
This dilemma now lay before Huo Yuhao. So did the examples of Mages dying in the battle to protect the Universe, without anyone ever using a Time Spell to undo those tragedies.
A selfish person might have chosen to ignore everything and do what they wanted first.
But Huo Yuhao wasn't like that. That was why his determination had faded.
From the moment Venerable Gu Yi took the Eye of Agamotto away, he knew he would never have another chance to bring his mother back. He had finally accepted reality.
As time went by, more and more viewers across the Douluo Continent understood this, either on their own or after someone explained Huo Yuhao's predicament in the Heavenly Screen. Sighs of sympathy rose from every corner of the continent:
"Alas... That poor child."
"He fought desperately for four years toward one goal, only for it all to come to nothing. Alas..."
"The hope of bringing his mother back was right in front of him, but he couldn't reach for it. That's the most painful thing of all for that boy!"
"If you ask me, it's all Huo Yun'er's fault! When Yuhao was little, she refused to leave the Duke Mansion. Then, after Yuhao enrolled at Shrek Academy, she went back to that damn Duke Mansion. The poor child suffered his whole life because of her!"
"It's not all Huo Yun'er's fault. In the end, she showed some courage and chose to die so she wouldn't become her child's weakness. She just didn't see the bigger picture..."
"Damn it, why are the people in the Sacred Hall so rigid? What would it hurt to let Yuhao use Time Magic once and bring his mother back? It's obvious that Yuhao has the talent to become a pillar of the Sacred Hall someday. Why can't he get even a little special treatment?!"
"Hmph, Huo Yuhao is too indecisive. If it were me, I'd bring my mother back first and worry about the consequences later. Couldn't I make amends if something went wrong? Wouldn't a lifetime of protecting the Universe and serving the Sacred Hall make up for it?"
"That's hilarious. You people just say whatever you want, putting one person above the safety of the Universe. This is exactly why Huo Yuhao can enter the Sacred Hall and you can't!"
"Exactly. You can't set that precedent. If Huo Yun'er is brought back, what about the other Mages who died fighting for the Sacred Hall? Should Master Kailan be brought back too? And what about restoring the lifespans lost by borrowing the power of Dimensional Demon Gods to cast spells?"
"Right. People don't resent having less; they resent unfairness. If Huo Yun'er is brought back, then everyone else must be brought back too. That's when things will truly get out of hand!"
"Time isn't a kitten or a puppy that you can play with however you want. Even if changing it recklessly causes no problems once or twice, sooner or later, something will go wrong!"
"If Huo Yun'er is the only one brought back and no one else is, people will lose heart. How could the Sacred Hall keep talking about protecting the Universe then? Its own ranks would probably descend into chaos!"
"But the Sacred Hall is already in chaos, isn't it? Didn't that Kaecilius take a bunch of people and defect? Have you forgotten?"
"Here's a question: before Kaecilius fled, he tore two pages out of the Library's books. So why didn't he take the Eye of Agamotto too?"
"Because he doesn't know how to use it!"
"What a useless good-for-nothing. And he calls himself a master! He couldn't even do something Yuhao learned just by looking. He lived all those years for nothing!"
"Watch your damn mouth! Be careful the Sacred Hall Mages who follow Kaecilius hear you and come over to give you a taste of Illusion Space!"
"Right, then they'll use the Sacred Sword of Vishanti to slice off your little sausage, roast it with the Sacred Flames of Vishanti, and make you eat it!"
"You're done for. Kaecilius Master's Mind's Eye is smaller than a horse's. If you dare insult him, someone will come drag you away tonight and throw you into an Outer Dimensional Monster's lair, so you can contribute your little life to protecting the Universe!"
While the viewers across the continent were discussing the matter, Huo Yuhao, who had been downcast for a while in the Heavenly Screen, finally made a new move.
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