Rebirth

"Help us..." An ethereal, drifting voice echoed in his mind, sounding now distant, now near.

"Here we go again..."

"Please... please save... us..." The voice continued, speaking to itself.

"Who exactly are you? What must I do to save you?" Although he had lost count of how many times this had happened, Huo Yuhao still asked patiently.

There was no response.

Before long, the voice sounded once more, tirelessly repeating the same words.

"Sigh, how am I supposed to help with that..."

He opened his eyes to the familiar wooden ceiling, somewhat dilapidated.

Huo Yuhao let out a slow breath, muttering to himself, "You don't say anything when I ask, so how am I supposed to save you?"

The sky was just beginning to brighten; it was the perfect time to wake up.

He walked slowly to the window and began his breathing exercises, facing the sliver of white in the distant sky.

As a wisp of purple energy merged into his eyes with his inhalation, the small puddle in his spiritual space rose by a fraction.

Six years had passed since he arrived back on the Douluo Continent, enough time for him to transition from initial bewilderment to his current calm acceptance.

Martial soul, soul power, soul bones—nothing had carried over with his rebirth, except for the level of his spiritual power.

He now possessed a vast, boundless spiritual space, yet the spiritual power within it was completely empty.

Simply put, while the "quantity" was gone, the "quality" remained; it could be called an unexpected blessing.

"Yuhao, time for breakfast."

"Coming, Grandpa." Huo Yuhao washed up briefly and headed toward the kitchen.

Breakfast was rice porridge and a sesame flatbread, still steaming; Huo Yuhao's portion even had a bit of minced meat mixed in.

In his grandfather's words, "Children are in their growing phase; they need to eat well."

"Yuhao, I don't have anything for you to help with today. Once you're done eating, go play with the other children. Don't always keep yourself cooped up."

The old man sitting directly across from Huo Yuhao drank his porridge, speaking without looking up.

Huo Yuhao gave a bitter smile. "I know, Grandpa." He truly couldn't integrate into the group of children, so he could only offer a vague, perfunctory reply.

"You child, you're just too sensible." The old man knew Huo Yuhao hadn't really listened, so he shook his head and said no more.

Yes, the villagers' assessment of Huo Yuhao could be summed up in two words: sensible.

He never played around, knew how to help his grandfather with chores, and if the neighbors needed a hand with something, Huo Yuhao could always resolve it perfectly.

So much so that whenever his grandfather went out, he would hear others praising him for having such a sensible, well-behaved grandson. He would always laugh and scold them a little, but the pride in his eyes was impossible to hide.

The old man who adopted him was named Jack, the village chief of this place called Holy Soul Village.

He had found him at his doorstep one morning six years ago. He didn't know the specifics, but Old Jack treated him like his own grandson, as well as anyone possibly could.

Although the household was relatively poor, it was still far better than the life of suppression under the Duchess in his previous life, as evidenced by Huo Yuhao's sturdy physique.

After eating, Huo Yuhao did not cultivate. Reborn, he had practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill from a very young age. Although his aptitude was as low as in his previous life, through hard work, his soul power had reached level ten two months ago.

Now, without a martial soul awakening, he could not obtain a soul ring and had no way to continue cultivating.

With no other choice, the restless Huo Yuhao could only climb the mountain to exercise.

"San, morning. Where are you off to?"

Seeing a boy about his own age walking toward him, Huo Yuhao greeted him.

The boy was naturally Tang San. He nodded and smiled, "Buying some wine for my father. Are you heading out to exercise again, Yuhao?"

Huo Yuhao nodded. He and Tang San had met on the mountain; two precocious children could naturally never fit in with the other village kids.

About two or three years ago, Huo Yuhao, while climbing to exercise, had run into Tang San practicing the Mysterious Heaven Skill. His heart had been thrown into turmoil—he had been reborn into Tang San's childhood! He had become his contemporary.

Later, the two gradually grew closer, often bumping into each other during their workouts. In the beginning, Huo Yuhao, still struggling to adjust, felt a bit awkward calling Tang San by his name. Tang San just assumed Huo Yuhao was shy and thought nothing of it; after all, who would imagine that the person in front of them was their son-in-law from ten thousand years in the future?

Seeing Huo Yuhao nod, Tang San didn't delay him further. "You go ahead then. I'll come by after I buy the wine."

"Alright."

Huo Yuhao ascended the mountain quickly; countless repetitions had made him familiar with every inch of it.

He reached the summit swiftly and took off his shirt, revealing his bronze-colored skin.

Despite being only a child, his body already showed the contours of muscle, the result of his lifelong dedication to exercise.

Just as Huo Yuhao finished two warm-up movements, a sudden explosion rang out in the sky, like a clap of thunder.

The sky dimmed instantly, and a gray current appeared in the air, rushing toward Huo Yuhao's forehead in the blink of an eye.

An abrupt voice appeared in his mind.

"What a profound level of spiritual power. Little one, six years ago, this wisp of my soul fragment sensed my own aura and came to this world. It has finally locked onto you. Can you tell me why you possess my aura?"

Huo Yuhao's eyes widened, filled with surprise and longing.

Foolish child, oh foolish child... Remember, in the future, do not be extreme in your actions. If the heart is upright, the person is upright... If one day, you truly reach that step... perhaps you will find other fragments of my divine sense elsewhere... Your teacher awaits that day...

The words of Electrolux from his past life echoed in his ears, shattering the defenses around Huo Yuhao's heart.

How could he not be overwhelmed with emotion when the teacher who had sacrificed everything for him had reappeared before his eyes just like that?

Crystal-clear tears welled up in his eyes, and his lips trembled, unable to form a single word.

"Looking at you like this, do you know this old man? Could it be that we have met somewhere? No... I can be certain we have never met. How strange..."

Electrolux was even more perplexed, realizing that the connection between himself and this youth was extraordinary. Subconsciously, he began to examine Huo Yuhao's memories, and Huo Yuhao's God King-level spiritual power offered no resistance against the old man.

"Sigh..."

A long while later, whether out of shock or deep emotion, the gray bead in the spiritual space flickered and transformed into a gray-robed old man—the very image Huo Yuhao was familiar with from his past life.

Watching Huo Yuhao, who looked like a mere child, he raised a hand and rested it atop Huo Yuhao's head, stroking it gently with eyes full of comfort.

"So many things have happened... child... you have persevered through all these years."

Huo Yuhao seemed to come alive all at once; his tears broke like a dam, sliding down his cheeks in large droplets. He shook his head repeatedly, his words slurred and incoherent.

"I'm sorry... Teacher... I'm truly sorry... I searched everywhere afterward, but I couldn't find the other fragments... I missed you so much, I really did..."

"Child, I have seen everything you have done. The choice I made back then was not wrong."

Electrolux nodded with a smile. "Alright now, you've become a god, yet you're still crying like a child. Others will laugh if they see you."

Huo Yuhao felt embarrassed. He wiped away his tears, blushing as he recalled how the environment of his rebirth had reverted his mindset to that of a child.

Electrolux seemed to notice his awkwardness, smiling as he shook his head and said:

"To retain such a pure heart after being a god for so long—I believe Brother Sky Dream and the little scorpion would be very happy to see this. You are still the Yuhao we know."

Huo Yuhao shook his head.

"They don't know me yet. I intend to meet them only after I have become a god."

With the experience of his past life, and given that the inheritance of godhood in this era remained unbroken, he was confident he could achieve godhood even without the help of Brother Sky Dream and the others.

By waiting until he reached godhood to explain the situation, he would be more convincing.

Electrolux shook his head. "When you first arrived in this world six years ago, I certainly wasn't the only one who sensed your aura."

"That aura originated from your very soul, as dazzling as the sun; how could they not notice? It is only because they are soul beasts that they could not come to you."

"Rest assured, they chose you in your past life; why would they leave you alone in this one?"

"The aura on you faded rapidly after that moment, otherwise I would not have searched for so long."

"They do not possess my abilities, and the distance is too great for them to sense you again. But as long as you travel to their vicinity, I believe they will come to find you."

Electrolux looked at the bright-eyed Huo Yuhao and nodded. He had viewed Huo Yuhao's memories of the past six years; although his cultivation was diligent, his heart had been filled with confusion.

Achieving godhood? Huo Yuhao had already accomplished that in his past life!

Even without their help in this life, Huo Yuhao's path to godhood was a certainty. He had not understood the purpose of his return to this era.

Yet, the first shift in Huo Yuhao's mindset had occurred when he first met Tang San, filling him with wild joy.

He could stand on the same starting line as Tang San, compete for the position of God King, and go further to take control of his own destiny.

He would not be a convenient tool like in his past life, nor a submissive dog. The sacrifice of Qiu'er was still vivid in his mind, and the two people he loved most had ultimately become Tang Wutong... the shackles that controlled him.

Huo Yuhao would never forget everything from his past life. Reborn in this era of golden opportunity, with the chance laid out before him, how could he not seize it?

And now, Electrolux finding him had brought him an even greater surprise.

My companions are waiting for me!

Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao couldn't wait to head to the Star Dou Great Forest to find Brother Sky Dream.

"By the way, Teacher, do you know what that voice I hear in my dreams is about?"

Since Electrolux had already viewed his memories, he naturally knew about the voice Huo Yuhao had been hearing since his rebirth. He hoped to get an answer from him.

Electrolux shook his head. "I do not know, but in my opinion, it likely has a great deal to do with your ability to be reborn into this era."

Huo Yuhao felt a tinge of regret, but he had to keep the question in his heart and wait to see if any clues emerged in the future.