Sacrificing Martial Souls for the God of Destruction's Survival!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zichuan immediately shouted in his heart: "Absorb! Old Zi, hurry up and absorb it! Take it all if you have to! Don't leave any for me!"

His tone was urgent, carrying a hint of "what are you still waiting for" impatience.

"I already have two top-tier martial souls, the Heart of Destruction and the Heart of Life. My potential is infinite, enough to carry me to the peak. A third martial soul? It's just icing on the cake; it doesn't matter if I have it or not!"

Zichuan spoke with absolute finality.

"But you are different! Old Zi, you are my greatest reliance, the very foundation that has brought me this far! Without you, where would I be today? Your divine sense must be stabilized, it must be restored! Use the power of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm however you like, take it all! If it's still not enough, I'll find a way to get more!"

He was truly anxious. Throughout his journey, although the God of Destruction was sharp-tongued, arrogant, overbearing, and sometimes unreliable, his kindness toward Zichuan had been unconditional.

From modifying the Godly Trial to arranging opportunities, providing cultivation guidance, and even just moments ago helping him "create an opportunity" to get to know Wang Dong.

In his heart, the God of Destruction had long since become a figure akin to both teacher and father.

What third martial soul, what extra power—in the face of the possibility that "Old Zi" could continue to exist, none of it was worth mentioning!

Within the Sea of Consciousness, that dark red mass of destructive divine sense seemed to ripple slightly, the aura it emitted freezing for a fleeting moment.

Even through the remnant, Zichuan could feel that within the ancient, icy consciousness of the God of Destruction, a trace of an extremely subtle emotion called "being moved" had flickered past.

"Foolish brat..." the voice of the God of Destruction sounded once more, seemingly trying to mask something with his usual sneer, but his tone was much softer.

"Who said I wanted it all? This Seat only needs the core essence of its power that touches upon the laws; that is enough to repair this remnant. The rest is sufficient for you to absorb... and it will provide you with four soul skills. As for a third martial soul... you are right. With the essence of Life and myself, why would you need the martial soul of that small fry? It would only distract you."

Although he spoke with disdain, Zichuan could feel that Old Zi had accepted his intentions and, in his own way, had made the most beneficial arrangement for Zichuan—taking the core laws to repair himself while leaving the bulk of the power to strengthen Zichuan.

"Fine, I'll listen to you." Zichuan set his heart at ease and grinned. As long as Old Zi was fine, anything was acceptable.

Just then, the God of Destruction seemed to sense something, let out a soft "Oh?", and cast his consciousness toward the outside world.

Zichuan also felt a stir in his heart and followed the sensation.

He saw that above the head of Huo Yuhao, who had just finished absorbing the Wind Baboon soul ring and was checking his own changes with a look of surprise, a streak of extremely obscure, pitch-black light—one that seemed to blend into space while emitting an ancient, vicissitudinous, and vast soul fluctuation—flashed like a teleportation and silently submerged into Huo Yuhao's brow!

The black light was too fast and its aura too hidden; had it not been for the high essence of the God of Destruction's divine sense and Zichuan's own surging spiritual power, he likely would not have noticed it at all.

"The power of a divine sense... although shattered and nearly annihilated, its essence is very high, carrying the contradictory aura of death and light from another world..."

The God of Destruction's voice carried a hint of emotion. "As expected of the Child of Destiny chosen by this world. The moment his fated opportunity was intercepted, a new, unexpected one immediately appeared to fill the void. This Will of Heaven's favoritism and protection toward the 'Child of Destiny' is truly... unreasonable."

Zichuan's gaze sharpened, and he instantly understood what that was.

Electrolux! The remnant divine sense of the Holy Necromancer, Scourge of the Undead, Electrolux!

In the original story, he was the other vital cheat and teacher for Huo Yuhao besides the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!

He hadn't expected that even though he had intercepted the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's sacrifice, the remnant of Electrolux would still find its way to Huo Yuhao!

And it seemed to have appeared even earlier than in the original story due to some kind of "luck" attraction?

"As I thought..." Zichuan sighed inwardly.

"It isn't so easy to completely strip a Child of Destiny of his opportunities. The 'momentum' surrounding Huo Yuhao remains; the Will of Heaven will spontaneously compensate him, perhaps even spawning new, unknown variables.

If I had truly killed him just now, I fear that the moment I acted, it would have triggered unpredictable changes, perhaps even invoking the backup plan Tang San left on his daughter, or directly inviting the backlash of the Will of Heaven."

This was the troublesome nature of a Child of Destiny. You can steal his belongings, but trying to eradicate him completely involves deeper levels of causality and the "Grand Trend."

It was no wonder that although the God of Destruction hated Tang San, his attitude toward Huo Yuhao, this "pawn," was more one of disdain and utility rather than a necessity to kill.

Just as Zichuan's thoughts raced, Huo Yuhao finally snapped out of his surprise. He ran excitedly to Zichuan, a bright yellow soul ring rising beneath his feet, emitting 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 was filled with genuine joy and gratitude. Looking at the yellow soul ring at his feet, he said excitedly, "And the Wind Baboon I absorbed seems to have mutated! The first soul skill it gave me seems very powerful! It's a skill similar to Spiritual Detection and Sharing, and the range isn't small at all!"

He showed off the soul skill to Zichuan like a treasure. An invisible wave of spiritual power spread out; although its range and precision were not worth mentioning compared to Zichuan's current spiritual power, for a soul master who had just obtained his first soul ring, this skill was nothing short of divine!

It was the prototype of Huo Yuhao's signature skill from the original story—Spiritual Detection and Sharing! Although the effect was greatly diminished because the soul ring was only a century-old, the prototype had already emerged.

It seemed that the Wind Baboon had indeed been affected by the trace amounts of spiritual power previously dissipated by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, resulting in a beneficial mutation.

And the arrival of Electrolux's remnant had opened a door for Huo Yuhao's future development that was entirely different, yet perhaps no less significant than the original.

Zichuan looked at the boy before him, who was so excited about obtaining a decent soul skill and so full of gratitude toward him, and felt a thousand emotions in his heart.

A Child of Destiny, whose life was full of hardships yet also constant opportunities. He had intercepted his path, but had also indirectly allowed him to come into contact with necromancy ahead of time; the road ahead was already different.

"A good soul skill. Cultivate it well."

Zichuan patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and said sincerely. He no longer felt the urge to kill this boy, nor did he feel much guilt; he simply had a strange feeling of watching the wheels of history roll forward.

"Yes! I will definitely work hard! Big Brother Zichuan, thank you!" Huo Yuhao nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with hope for the future.

Zichuan smiled and said nothing.

The aroma of grilled fish wafted through the forest clearing, and grease dripped onto the campfire, making a pleasant "sizzling" sound.

Huo Yuhao squatted by the fire, his movements slightly clumsy but his expression exceptionally focused as he carefully turned the plump river fish skewered on tree branches.

He had specifically gone to the stream to catch these to thank Zichuan for saving his life and gifting him the soul ring.

Although the only seasoning was simple salt, the ingredients were fresh and the heat was well-controlled; the fish skin was grilled to a golden, crispy finish, while the inside remained snow-white and tender, overflowing with fragrance.

"Big Brother Zichuan, the fish is ready. Please, have a taste." Huo Yuhao respectfully handed the best-grilled fish to Zichuan, who was sitting on a nearby rock with his eyes closed in meditation.

His eyes were filled with gratitude and a trace of hard-to-conceal admiration. This powerful youth who had suddenly appeared, saved his life, and "gifted" him a soul ring had already become both a benefactor and an idol in his heart.