The Dust of the Past

Aromatic Silk Beauty grew even more bewildered. Unable to hold back any longer, Huo Yuhao could only cough twice, suppress his smile, and countered,

"Youyou, without your protection, could Immortal Herbs like you remain in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? And besides you, Youyou, could any of the other Immortal Herbs here pass through the poisonous miasma outside?"

The main reason the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had been willing to become his Soul Spirit in his previous life was that she too had been restricted by the poisonous miasma and simply could not leave.

Plant-type Soul Beasts were far lonelier than animal-type Soul Beasts. Before they gained intelligence, they could not move at all.

Even after these Immortal Herbs cultivated themselves to a hundred thousand years, their excessive dependence on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well made them unwilling to leave this place.

Outside, the poisonous miasma formed by the Jade Phosphorus Seven-Absolute Flower and Jade Phosphorus Nine-Absolute Flower made it impossible for any Immortal Herb other than Aromatic Silk Beauty to leave, even if they wanted to. This was also one of the key reasons Aromatic Silk Beauty could act as the leader here.

"Even if things are indeed as you said."

Aromatic Silk Beauty's tone became somewhat hesitant.

"Wouldn't we merely be going from being raised by that person to being raised by you?"

Although, after discussing it with the other Immortal Herbs, they had all decided to leave with the human before them—after all, he had taken away the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and they could no longer continue raising their cultivation without him—

They did not want to sell themselves so easily either. At the very least, they had to fetch a good price and secure more benefits.

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao immediately dragged Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who had been preparing to go back to sleep in the Spiritual Sea, out as an example. At the same time, he explained the effects of the Soul Spirit Contract to the Immortal Herbs present.

"Youyou, you need to understand that once plant-type Soul Beasts become Soul Spirits, they can exist as the purest form of energy.

"This means that even if the Soul Master dies, you can be reborn and grow anew on the spot through that pure energy form. And your cultivation will only become stronger than it is now."

After hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation, the atmosphere throughout the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well immediately became restless. Every plant-type Soul Beast with intelligence, especially those at the hundred-thousand-year level, began to stir violently within.

"Of course, I'm not asking you to give me an answer right away."

Huo Yuhao looked at the agitated Immortal Herbs and said gently, "When I come here next time, if any of you are willing to leave with me and become Soul Spirits, I'll do everything I can to find the most suitable host for you."

After saying that, Huo Yuhao ignored the heated discussion among the plant-type Soul Beasts and took Snow Empress's hand.

"Xue'er, let's go."

Fusing a Soul Bone was nothing unfamiliar to Huo Yuhao.

But even though his physical constitution had undergone the Ice and Fire Golden Body Refinement and had nearly reached the strength of a Soul Ancestor, fusing Ice Empress's nearly four-hundred-thousand-year torso Soul Bone still brought immense pain.

As the jade-green light on Ice Empress's Scorpion Tail Hook suddenly flared, it viciously pierced into Huo Yuhao's tailbone.

His body jolted violently. Then, an excruciating pain from the depths of his nerves surged out from his marrow, rapidly spreading through his flesh, fascia, and every inch of skin.

The pain was like being trapped in an icy cavern of absolute cold, every inch of skin and every bone frozen stiff and numb before being forcibly snapped apart.

Yet despite such inhuman agony, Huo Yuhao only trembled at the beginning. After that, he showed no other reaction and did not even let out a single scream.

Seeing this from outside, Tian Meng felt even more heartbroken. She bit down hard on her lower lip, wishing she could endure this inhuman torment in Huo Yuhao's place.

Tian Meng subconsciously glanced at Snow Empress beside her. Concern had appeared on her usually cold face as well; it was unclear whether she was worried about Huo Yuhao or Ice Empress.

As time passed, a touch of jade green quietly emerged, like strands of green silk covering Huo Yuhao's spine, sternum, and ribs.

That green gradually intensified, fully outlining his skeleton as though it had draped it in a crystalline suit of armor.

At the same time, the crystal-like particles across Ice Empress's body began to melt away silently, turning into wisps of icy mist that surged into Huo Yuhao through his skin.

Amid the spreading ice mist, Huo Yuhao's figure gradually blurred, while Ice Empress beneath him also vanished without a sound.

Within Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, a cold and proud jade-green-haired girl surveyed everything around her.

Her long jade-green hair was tied into twin tails, with a pair of scorpion-claw-shaped ornaments decorating the ends. The crown atop her head gleamed with an icy sheen.

She had orange-gold eyes and wore a white-and-green dress. Its skirt fluttered lightly, yet mischievously exposed her navel. Behind her, a long jade-green scorpion tail slowly swayed.

Ice Empress's gaze fell upon the Golden Vertical Pupil floating in the void. Compared to its previous phantom form, the pressure radiating from it had become far stronger, making it impossible to look at directly.

As Ice Empress swayed the scorpion tail behind her, she lightly coiled it around Huo Yuhao's spiritual body and lifted him before her.

Looking at Huo Yuhao's face so close to her own, gazing into those clear ice-blue eyes, she puffed out her cheeks and asked,

"Yuhao, don't you have anything to give me?"

Ice Empress had naturally probed Snow Empress for some hints already and knew what that ice crystal truly represented.

Though Ice Empress found it utterly unbelievable, what concerned her more was whether her previous self had not left anything behind for her.

Huo Yuhao immediately gave a bitter smile. As one of Tang San's contingencies, Universe Asking Love Valley had affected far more than just himself back then.

Since some things already belonged to the dust of the past, there was no need to bring them out again.

Seeing that Huo Yuhao remained silent for so long, Ice Empress pulled him closer and pressed her forehead against his, questioning him with suspicion,

"Yuhao, was our relationship really that bad in the past?"

"Ice Empress, it's just that some things... since they've already changed, it's better not to dwell on them too much."

Huo Yuhao's words were hesitant, clearly showing that he did not want Ice Empress to become overly fixated on this matter.

Tian Meng and Snow Empress, for instance, had little interest in the memories of their previous lives. Through the memories Huo Yuhao had given them, they were merely observers without any emotional investment, as though they had watched a film.

"Yuhao, I'm not satisfied with that answer."

Ice Empress crossed her arms over her chest, displeasure in her voice.