In-depth Exchange

The turbulent Sea of Consciousness was smoothed over by a soothing force from an unknown source, shimmering with specks of golden light, calm as a mirror without a single ripple.

Xu Lanqing stood upon the Sea of Consciousness.

He felt more comfortable than ever before, his mind clear and refreshed.

Scanning his surroundings, he was astonished to find that the Sea of Consciousness had expanded significantly, at least doubling in size.

"Looking at this scale, it should be at the level of a Spirit Master. I'll test it once I get out."

However, what exactly had happened?

And who was that figure that suddenly appeared?

It was said that no one else could enter, so where did this person pop out from?

He had regained consciousness within the Sea of Consciousness, but when he tried to leave, he found himself trapped inside, surrounded by a seven-colored mental barrier like a city wall.

Not only that, he tried to probe the outside world and his own physical condition, but he couldn't; he was truly blind and knew nothing.

It must have been the work of that person outside.

But what was the point of her doing this?

She saved him, yet wouldn't let him know who she was—was there some sort of concern?

It couldn't possibly be a simple case of doing a good deed without leaving a name, could it?

"Forget it, whatever. Thinking about it just gives me a headache."

Since he couldn't figure it out, he simply gave up. Since he couldn't resist anyway, he might as well wait here quietly.

Although he didn't know who she was, since she had stepped in to save him, she surely wouldn't kill him now.

In any case, it was great to still be alive; only those who have experienced the despair of death truly understand how beautiful life is.

This was the first time he had been so close to death. As for the incident in the Far North, he had at least had some measure of control.

Looking further back, in his past life, he had died suddenly from overworking while writing through the night; he had passed away peacefully and never truly experienced the sensation of death.

"Buzz, buzz~~"

What was that sound?

Xu Lanqing turned his head abruptly, his eyes fixed on the source of the noise.

This is...

"Teacher?!"

Xu Lanqing couldn't help but cry out in surprise, his joy beyond words.

He saw the figure of Electrolux standing beside the God Core of the Golden Dragon King. The God Core had long since stopped outputting power, but the gap in the seal still remained.

Electrolux looked incredibly ethereal, like a swaying willow catkin, ready to be scattered and drift away by the wind at any moment.

Xu Lanqing ran over excitedly, his tone filled with concern:

"That's great, Teacher, have you recovered? I thought it would take a long, long time to see you again; I didn't expect to be able to see you again so soon.

Teacher, when did you recover? How did you suddenly manage to... to manifest... in the Sea of Consciousness..."

Xu Lanqing's footsteps halted, the smile on his face gradually freezing. By the time he reached the end of his sentence, he felt as if he were choking, unable to make a sound.

He stared at the figure of Electrolux. The familiar divine sense and the aged, dignified face remained, but there was not a trace of expression.

He ignored what Xu Lanqing had just said, as if he hadn't heard it at all.

He turned his head to look in another direction.

Just as he had expected, a gray bead was floating quietly, as deathly still as ever.

He turned his head back to look at the figure of Electrolux—no, it should be called a projection.

"Tsk..."

His eyes were desolate, his enthusiasm instantly doused by cold water.

As expected, recovery wasn't that easy. Besides, it had only been a few days; he had been blinded by surprise and hadn't thought it through, which was why he had assumed Electrolux had recovered.

Now that he had calmed down, he realized it was impossible.

But why would Teacher leave a projection here? Had he already anticipated that he might not be around? Was there something he needed to pass on?

"Lanqing, when I was casting the seal, I vaguely sensed a remnant divine soul hidden within this power.

However, at that time, this power was too wild and violent, and that remnant divine soul seemed to have lost its consciousness, leaving only the instinct to kill, so I could only seal it first.

After the sealing, that divine soul also fell silent. I could feel that even without consciousness, that divine soul was trying its best to suppress itself and did not deliberately erupt, which is why I was able to seal it so easily.

Therefore, I suspect that he might have had an unfulfilled wish, and because of his unwillingness, that wish turned into an obsession, causing a sliver of his remnant soul to cling to it.

Thus, just in case, I set up a projection on the seal, so that there would be a fallback in case I were no longer around.

As long as that remnant soul shows any unusual movement, this projection of mine will be triggered.

I have left a Purification Fire on this projection; it can allow you to approach that remnant soul and enable it to regain consciousness for a short period of time.

I can only help you up to this point; as for what happens next, it will depend on your own fortune."

"Only those who have endured the torments of hell possess the power to conquer heaven..."

A voice without the slightest ripple of emotion slowly spilled from the lips of Electrolux, and as the words finished, his projection vanished, leaving only a palm-sized white flame drifting toward the hand of Xu Lanqing.

Xu Lanqing looked down at the white flame in his hand, which was filled with an aura of holiness and purity, and tried his best to analyze the situation rationally.

After listening to the narration of Electrolux and combining it with the memories of his past life, he had already cleared his thoughts.

He raised his head to look at the God Core of the Golden Dragon King.

The remnant soul within it was, without a doubt, the Golden Dragon King.

He took a deep breath, his eyes already filled with determination, and his footsteps did not tremble or hesitate.

One step, two steps...

If it were before, he might have hesitated, wavered, or felt fear, because that was fraught with lethal danger.

But after everything that had happened, he now deeply understood that only by possessing powerful strength could he grasp his own destiny and do what he wanted to do, rather than living every day in fear of a death that could arrive at any moment.

He raised his palm and, without a shred of regret, slammed the Purification Fire onto the gap in the seal.

"Whoosh—"

The flame surged violently, swallowing Xu Lanqing and the God Core of the Golden Dragon King in the blink of an eye.

The berserk God Core of the Golden Dragon King fell into an unusual silence at this instant; the power that had been leaking outward stopped abruptly, and even the power that had already flowed out began to consciously flow back in.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, only the sound of the roaring fire remained.

Inside an isolated space, a figure knelt on one knee, and lying before her was a boy with a peaceful expression.

The figure's hand was pressed against the boy's chest, while her other hand controlled the final surge of immense soul power, pouring it all into an ice-blue crystal.

"Huh?"

The figure paused, suddenly sensing that the divine power of the Golden Dragon King within the boy's body was actually retracting on its own.

But that was fine; it saved her the effort of having to seal it herself in the end.

Moreover, the guidance of the soul power was also complete.

She withdrew her palm, pulling back her own power, and the boy's body gradually returned to normal.