Within the Black Cyclone, Ghost Demon Venerable frowned and withdrew the consciousness that had been about to possess someone.
Something was wrong.
He looked up at the sky. His gaze pierced through Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness and saw the tribulation clouds stirring above the Douluo sky.
Ghost Demon Venerable now faced an extremely thorny situation.
The Heavenly Dao of this world seemed to have its eyes on him.
Just now, when he had tried to possess someone, he had felt a familiar gaze upon him.
It had nothing to do with living beings. It was a manifestation of pure law.
Ghost Demon Venerable knew this feeling all too well.
After all, this was the very thing that had stopped him from advancing further in the Gu World.
The Heavenly Dao.
No.
Ghost Demon Venerable carefully discerned the subtle differences and slowly realized what it was.
It was a level below the Heavenly Dao.
There was no sign of deliberate planning. Instead, it seemed more like an instinctive defense.
All because he had wanted to possess this little thing in front of him.
Was it because he was a Demon from Beyond, or because this little thing was extremely important to this world?
So much so that the slightest disturbance set it off like a startled animal?
For a moment, Ghost Demon Venerable couldn't be sure.
He decided to try again.
His consciousness spilled out of the Black Cyclone once more and headed straight for Huo Yuhao's main consciousness.
Feeling that icy consciousness rushing toward him in his mind again, Huo Yuhao very decisively...
Chose to lie back and accept his fate.
Are you kidding!
What else could he do besides give up?
Fight back?
Me, fight Ghost Demon Venerable?
Seriously??
Maybe he should focus on figuring out how to resist God King Tang instead.
This was completely unrealistic!!
But just as Huo Yuhao had arranged himself again, ready for the Venerable to enjoy his body, that wisp of consciousness belonging to Ghost Demon Venerable retreated once more.
And this time, it didn't seem likely to come back.
Huo Yuhao blinked, as though he had realized something.
He wasn't stupid. Given Ghost Demon Venerable's temperament, how could he hesitate once he'd decided to possess someone?
There was only one possibility.
He didn't know why.
But could it be that Ghost Demon Venerable couldn't possess him right now?
Within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.
As Ghost Demon Venerable returned to the Black Cyclone, that suffocating, bone-chilling pressure vanished with him.
Huo Yuhao finally let out a breath of relief.
Still shaken, he stared at the Black Cyclone that represented Ghost Demon Venerable, forcing himself to calm down and assess the situation.
If there was anything special about him worth mentioning, it was probably that he was the child of fortune of the Douluo Plane.
But that vague, intangible status alone wouldn't be enough to bluff the notorious murderous fiend of the Gu World standing before him.
The only thing that could make Ghost Demon Venerable back down was a real threat to himself.
Was it this plane? Or the Will of Douluo?
Or was God King Tang secretly watching him?
That raised a question.
How much strength did Ghost Demon Venerable still have?
He was clearly not at his peak, but Huo Yuhao had no way of knowing how much power remained.
But one thing was certain:
Ghost Demon Venerable was still wary of something and didn't dare make a move against him for now.
Could he sense what Huo Yuhao was thinking?
Huo Yuhao's heart lurched.
They were both inside his Sea of Consciousness. For Ghost Demon Venerable, reading his memories and thoughts should be child's play!!
Just as Huo Yuhao was worrying about this, a ray of golden light suddenly broke in from outside and went straight into his Sea of Consciousness.
The moment it entered, an incomparably soothing warmth spread through Huo Yuhao's limbs and body.
A piece of information appeared in Huo Yuhao's mind, too.
This was protection granted to Huo Yuhao by the Douluo Plane.
It would prevent Ghost Demon Venerable from possessing him or prying into his thoughts.
It seemed Ghost Demon Venerable's arrival had instinctively made the entire plane feel threatened. He might even bring about the destruction of the whole plane.
This was clearly something the Will of Douluo didn't want to see.
Huo Yuhao's heart lifted. It seemed he was safe for now.
Ghost Demon Venerable, on the other hand, sneered inwardly.
He could see what had happened. This low-level plane had grown wary after his two attempts.
It was a warning to him.
Don't touch my child of fortune!!
But as if that would stop him.
As one of the Gu World's most brilliant and resolute Venerables, renowned for his murderous nature, how could he let such a trivial obstacle stop him?
He was merely hesitating.
This wisp of his divided soul was far too weak. It would be difficult to fight an entire plane right now.
What's more, the Will of this plane was probably watching him at every moment. If he made even the slightest move, then even if he possessed this child of fortune, he would likely end up with both sides destroyed.
For now, the safest course was to wait a while, until the plane let its guard down—or find a chance to strengthen this wisp of his divided soul.
Ghost Demon Venerable was considering the safest way to bide his time. Huo Yuhao was trying to figure out how he could escape this murderous fiend.
For the moment, an eerie silence had fallen over the Sea of Consciousness.
But as both sides remained silent, someone—or rather, a bug—finally couldn't take it anymore.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked at Huo Yuhao, then at the inexplicable Black Cyclone, and promptly turned its attention to Ghost Demon Venerable.
Twisting his plump body, he shouted at Ghost Demon Venerable.
"Damn it!! You're giving me the cold shoulder!! Do you even know who I am?!"
His shout brought both of them back to their senses.
Right, they'd almost forgotten about this big shot.
Huo Yuhao raised a hand to his forehead, feeling rather helpless.
At first, he'd hoped this big shot might suddenly spring into action and kick Ghost Demon Venerable out.
But now that he'd calmed down and thought it over, he knew that was impossible.
After all, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was famous for looking impressive but being useless.
Even Elder Yi hadn't managed to drive him out back then, let alone Ghost Demon Venerable, who was clearly much stronger.
This bug was obviously asking for trouble.
Huo Yuhao just wanted to kneel down and beg him to stop talking.
He didn't want to face Ghost Demon Venerable alone!!
Granted, Tian Meng wasn't human, and he probably wouldn't be much help.
But at least Huo Yuhao wouldn't be alone on the road to the underworld.
Just as Huo Yuhao was about to say something to smooth things over, Ghost Demon Venerable actually responded. There was an inexplicable, meaningful note in his voice.
"Oh? Who are you?"
Seeing that this ignorant fellow had finally answered him, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm gave a proud snort.
"Hmph, only now you're scared?"
"Too late!!"
"You'd better brace yourself, because you're in for a shock!!"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm twisted his body into what he thought was an imposing pose, though it looked ridiculous, and declared with his nose in the air:
"I'm the one and only million-year Soul Beast on the entire continent!!"
"You should know how powerful a million-year Soul Beast is! If you know what's good for you, get out of here! This kid belongs to me!!"
Hearing those words from Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Huo Yuhao was so moved he nearly cried.
Unfortunately, they wouldn't do a damn thing.
If Ghost Demon Venerable had been replaced by Huo Yuhao, he probably would've said no more than:
"Oh! Still got some fight in you, huh?!"
And then that would've been the end of it.
But Ghost Demon Venerable didn't slap Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to death as Huo Yuhao had expected. Instead, he fell into an unusual silence.
Huo Yuhao fell silent, too.
After thinking for a moment, he understood what the problem was.
A million years.
For people from the Gu World, time was always an extremely sensitive subject.
Under the Heavenly Dao's strict surveillance and control in the Gu World, even Venerables as powerful as they were had very limited lifespans.
A million years was enough to span most of the Gu World's history.
Ghost Demon Venerable had clearly realized this, too. He fell silent and examined Sky Dream Ice Silkworm more closely.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had no protection from the Will of Douluo, so Ghost Demon Venerable could see right through him.
But the more clearly he saw him, the more confused he became.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million years of cultivation might have been inflated, but the length of time he'd survived was still enough to shock Ghost Demon Venerable.
And he was too clean.
There wasn't a trace of his true body's handiwork.
He couldn't help but wonder.
How had he come to this plane?
Had his true body made some kind of plan?
How had such a weak creature survived across so many ages?
Was it because this plane's Heavenly Dao was still immature and hadn't imposed strict limits on lifespans?
Or was there something else going on?
Ghost Demon Venerable couldn't be sure, but this was enough to help him make up his mind after all that hesitation.
So he ignored Sky Dream Ice Silkworm once more and turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao, who was trembling in a corner. He conveyed his words through his will.
His voice was unexpectedly gentle.
"Young friend, I see that you and I are fated."
"Would you be willing to take me as your master?"
Before you continue