With almost no hesitation, Zichuan immediately shouted in his heart, "Absorb it! Old Zi, absorb it now! Take it all if you want! Don't leave any for me!"
His tone was urgent, even carrying a hint of impatient urging: What are you waiting for?
"I already have two top-tier martial souls—the Heart of Destruction and the Heart of Life. Their potential is limitless, enough to carry me to the pinnacle. A third martial soul? It would only be icing on the cake. It doesn't matter whether I have one or not!"
Zichuan spoke with absolute certainty.
"But you're different! Old Zi, you're my greatest support, the very foundation that brought me this far! Without you, how could I be where I am today? Your divine sense must stabilize. It must recover! Use Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's power however you like—take all of it! If it's still not enough, I'll find another way to get more!"
He truly was anxious. Along the way, although the God of Destruction had a venomous tongue, a proud temperament, an overbearing manner, and could be somewhat unreliable, his care for Zichuan had always been wholehearted.
From altering the Godly Trial, to arranging opportunities, to guiding his cultivation, he had even been helping Zichuan "create an opportunity" to meet Wang Dong just now.
In his heart, the God of Destruction had long become someone who was both teacher and father to him.
What third martial soul? What additional power? Before the possibility that Old Zi could continue existing, none of it was worth mentioning!
Within the Sea of Consciousness, that dark-red cluster of destructive divine sense seemed to ripple faintly, and the aura it emitted stagnated for an instant.
Even through the remnant divine sense, Zichuan could sense that within the God of Destruction's eternally cold will, an exceedingly faint emotion called "being moved" seemed to pass through.
"You foolish boy..." The God of Destruction's voice rang out again. He seemed to want to conceal something with his usual sneer, but his tone had softened considerably.
"Who said I wanted all of it? I only need that strand of core origin within its power that touches upon the laws. It will be enough to repair my remnant divine sense. The rest will be enough for you to absorb... and grant you four soul skills. As for a third martial soul... you're right. With the origins of Destruction and Life, why would you need that trash fish's martial soul? It would only distract you for nothing."
Though he spoke with disdain, Zichuan could tell that Old Zi had accepted his feelings in his own way.
He had made the arrangement most beneficial to Zichuan—taking the core laws to repair himself while leaving most of the power behind to strengthen Zichuan.
"Fine, I'll listen to you." Zichuan finally relaxed and grinned. As long as Old Zi was all right, anything was fine.
Just then, the God of Destruction seemed to sense something and gave a soft, surprised "Hm?" as his divine sense extended outward.
Zichuan felt something as well and followed that sensation.
Above Huo Yuhao, who had just finished absorbing the Wind Baboon Soul Ring and was delightedly examining the changes in himself, appeared an extremely obscure streak of black light.
It almost merged with space itself, yet it radiated ancient, weathered, vast soul fluctuations. Like a teleporting flash, it vanished in an instant and silently entered Huo Yuhao's brow!
That black light had been too fast, and its aura too well concealed. If not for the God of Destruction's exceptionally high divine-sense essence, combined with Zichuan's greatly increased spiritual power, they likely would not have noticed it at all.
"The power of divine sense... Although it is shattered beyond repair and nearly extinguished, its essence is extremely high. It carries the contradictory aura of death and light from another world..."
The God of Destruction's voice carried a trace of emotion. "As expected of a child of destiny chosen by this world. When his destined opportunity is intercepted, a new and unexpected opportunity immediately appears to replace it. The Heavenly Dao's favor and protection toward its 'child of destiny' truly is... unreasonable."
Zichuan's eyes narrowed as he instantly understood what it was.
Electrolux! The Holy Necromancer, Electrolux of the Scourge of the Undead—the remnants of his divine sense!
Aside from Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, he was Huo Yuhao's other crucial cheat and teacher in the original story!
Unexpectedly, even though he had intercepted Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's sacrifice, Electrolux's remnant divine sense had still found Huo Yuhao!
And perhaps due to the pull of some kind of "fate," it had appeared even earlier than in the original story?
As expected... Zichuan sighed inwardly.
It won't be easy to completely strip a child of destiny of his opportunities. The "momentum" around Huo Yuhao is still there. The Heavenly Dao will instinctively compensate him, and it may even give rise to new, unknown variables.
If I had truly killed him just now, unpredictable changes might have erupted the very instant I acted. It might even have triggered the backup measures Tang San left on his daughter, or directly brought down the Heavenly Dao's backlash.
That was what made children of destiny so troublesome. One could take their things, but trying to completely erase them would involve deeper karma and the greater tide of destiny.
No wonder the God of Destruction, despite hating Tang San, regarded Huo Yuhao, this "chess piece," more with disdain and a desire to use him than with an intent to kill.
While Zichuan's thoughts raced, Huo Yuhao finally recovered from his excitement. He ran eagerly over to Zichuan, and a bright yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet, emanating the energy fluctuations unique to a century-old soul beast.
"Big Brother Zichuan! I did it! I absorbed the Soul Ring!"
Huo Yuhao's face overflowed with heartfelt joy and gratitude. Looking at the yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet, he said excitedly,
"Also, the Wind Baboon I absorbed seemed to have mutated! The first soul skill it gave me seems really powerful! It's something like Spiritual Detection and Sharing, and its range isn't small either!"
As though presenting a treasure, he released his soul skill toward Zichuan. An invisible wave of spiritual power spread outward. Though its range and precision were insignificant before Zichuan's current spiritual power, for a soul master who had only just obtained his first Soul Ring, this soul skill was nothing short of miraculous!
It was precisely the rudimentary form of Huo Yuhao's signature soul skill from the original story—Spiritual Detection and Sharing! Though its effects were greatly reduced because the Soul Ring was only a century old, its foundation had already appeared.
It seemed that the Wind Baboon had indeed been affected by the trace amounts of spiritual power Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had previously leaked, causing a beneficial mutation.
And with Electrolux's remnant divine sense taking up residence, an entirely different door had opened for Huo Yuhao's future development—though it might not necessarily be worse than the original path.
Zichuan looked at the youth before him, who was ecstatic over gaining a decent soul skill and deeply grateful to him, and felt countless emotions rise within him.
A child of destiny might suffer a troubled fate, yet opportunities would never cease to come his way. Zichuan had intercepted one of his chances, but had also indirectly allowed him to encounter Necromancy ahead of time. His future path had already changed.
"Not a bad soul skill. Cultivate well."
Zichuan patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and spoke sincerely. He no longer harbored killing intent toward the youth, nor did he feel much guilt. He only had the strange sensation of watching the wheels of history roll onward.
"Mm! I'll definitely work hard! Big Brother Zichuan, thank you!" Huo Yuhao nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with hope for the future.
Zichuan merely smiled without speaking.
The fragrance of grilled fish drifted through the forest clearing. Grease dripped onto the bonfire, producing cheerful sizzling sounds.
Huo Yuhao crouched beside the fire. His movements were somewhat clumsy, but his expression was exceptionally focused as he carefully turned several plump river fish skewered on branches.
He had caught them fresh from a stream specifically to thank Zichuan for saving his life and giving him a Soul Ring.
Though he had only simple salt for seasoning, the ingredients were fresh and the heat was well controlled. The fish skin had been roasted golden and crisp, while the flesh within was snow-white and tender, its aroma filling the air.
"Big Brother Zichuan, the fish is ready. Please have a taste." Huo Yuhao respectfully handed the best-grilled fish to Zichuan, who sat on a nearby rock with his eyes closed in rest.
His eyes were filled with gratitude and a barely noticeable trace of admiration. This powerful youth who had suddenly appeared, saved his life, and "given" him a Soul Ring had already become both benefactor and idol in his heart.
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