Ice Empress glanced at Tian Meng, her tone tinged with jealousy.
"We're both spirit types, and some people even have several times the cultivation. How can the gap be this huge?"
"..."
Tian Meng was exhausted and didn't want to speak.
"Soul Beasts keep their promises. Di Tian once promised that if I failed to overcome my tribulation, he would protect my people for a thousand years."
"If one of my kind can break through to a hundred thousand years of cultivation within that thousand years, his protection will remain in effect."
The Deer King continued where she had been interrupted.
Huo Yuhao fell silent. From the historical records of his previous life, it was clear the Deer King hadn't succeeded.
Her people had failed to produce a second Deer King, and as a result, their kind had lost its protection. In just a few hundred years, they had vanished into the long river of history.
The Seven-Colored Elk gazed deeply at Huo Yuhao. "You seem to know something. Can you tell me?"
Huo Yuhao answered with a question of his own.
"Why choose me? Aren't you afraid I'll deceive you? You could use the time you have left to seek a breakthrough, or raise a new successor. If all else fails, you could ask Di Tian for help."
Even though he knew how things had ended in his previous life, Huo Yuhao still wanted to know why this leader of her kind had so readily chosen him.
This time, the Seven-Colored Elk didn't answer right away. Huo Yuhao didn't press her; he simply watched her steadily.
Before long, she spoke. "How about you answer the question I asked earlier in exchange for the answer to this one?"
Huo Yuhao nodded, not refusing.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao agreed, the Seven-Colored Elk spoke again.
"My kind are physically frail and gentle by nature. Unlike other Soul Beasts, we aren't skilled at fighting."
"After I was born, my parents took me from place to place, hiding from danger. It was hard, but we were happy. Sadly, that didn't last long. They died one after another protecting me. Even when they faced death, they never once grew angry at what had happened to them."
"It was as if this were simply the fate of our kind: hide, be found and eaten by other Soul Beasts, or be found and killed by human Soul Masters."
"I didn't want my people to share that fate. I cultivated desperately and finally broke through to a hundred thousand years, then begged Di Tian to protect us."
"My people finally gained a brief period of peace. The newborns could grow up with their parents instead of watching them die, as I had. The elderly could pass away peacefully instead of being torn to pieces one day."
"Other Soul Beasts kept breaking through, trying to gain more years of life, while my people could only dream of living out their natural lifespans."
"They were grateful to me and honored me as their king. I still remember that, after Di Tian began protecting us, every newborn in our territory was brought before me by their parents so they could thank me."
At this, the Deer King paused and looked at Huo Yuhao.
"What you call a choice isn't a choice to me."
"I know myself. There's not the slightest chance I can overcome the tribulation. It's nothing but a last, desperate struggle. Now that a new path lies before me, why wouldn't I take it?"
"Even if I'm deceived, I'll be the only one who suffers. As their king, this is the choice I should make."
Her voice was gentle and even. Only at the end did it grow a little louder, as if she were deeply proud.
Looking at the beautiful Deer King, Huo Yuhao saw how readily she had agreed to his deal for the sake of her people.
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked. It was as if a fire were burning in his chest.
For the first time, he felt the weight of his place in history. He had given a people who would otherwise vanish into the long river of history another path.
And the king of that people had chosen him... He really was changing history.
No one spoke—not Tian Meng, who loved to joke, nor Xiao Wu, who was naturally lively, nor anyone else present.
After a long while,
"Can you take me to see your people?"
Huo Yuhao made the request. He wanted to see what kind of people could produce a leader like her.
"I'm afraid I can't. Di Tian placed a barrier around the area where my people live. No one but my kind can come and go freely, and if they leave their territory, they'll be hunted."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "I accept your terms. The deal is made. Now it's time for me to answer your question."
He called out to Elder Yi in his heart. A moment later, a golden orb of light floated out of Huo Yuhao's mind and drifted unsteadily toward the Seven-Colored Elk.
"I hope you're ready."
Huo Yuhao sighed softly. The future of her people from his previous life was too cruel for a leader to bear.
The Seven-Colored Elk made no comment. She simply watched as the orb of light sank into her forehead.
Xiao Wu curiously studied the two of them. But she knew this wasn't the time to ask questions, and for a while, silence settled over them.
The memory covered only Huo Yuhao's exchange with Wang Yan, along with the relevant historical records, so the Seven-Colored Elk finished watching it soon enough.
"So this is... the future of my people..."
Her voice remained gentle, but now it held a hint of loneliness. Then she looked at Huo Yuhao again.
"Why didn't you show me these memories sooner? Wouldn't that have benefited you more?"
Huo Yuhao smiled brightly.
"Then it wouldn't have been a fair deal."
"...I'd like to know why you have these memories. I want to understand you. What would I have to give you in return?"
The Seven-Colored Elk was even more curious about this young man. She had initially thought he was just a puppet created by the Ferocious Beasts of the Far North, but it no longer seemed that way.
"Oh, then consider it a gift to celebrate our deal. You don't need to pay anything extra."
"You certainly know how to make a pretty speech. No wonder the young lady beside you likes you so much."
The Seven-Colored Elk delivered her teasing words with a straight face.
Huo Yuhao scratched his head, embarrassed. Xiao Wu's cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she lowered her head, flustered.
"Since we've decided, let's begin. What do you need me to do?" The Seven-Colored Elk stopped delaying.
"Just follow my instructions."
Having gone through this countless times in his previous life, Huo Yuhao was already familiar with the process, even though it still hurt a little.
But compared to what he had endured during his Martial Soul Evolution, this pain wasn't enough to make him even furrow his brow.
Half a day later, a red Soul Ring bearing two golden patterns rose from beneath his feet. At the same time, a miniature Nine-Colored Elk emerged from his chest and leaped onto Huo Yuhao's head, looking utterly adorable.
Lightly stepping on Huo Yuhao's head, she sensed her own condition and couldn't help exclaiming, "How amazing..."
In the Sea of Spirit, the Deer King curiously surveyed Huo Yuhao's spiritual space. It was immense and boundless, stretching as far as the eye could see.
But where was the Sea of Spirit?
The Deer King looked around, left and right, and finally spotted a puddle of golden water, about the size of a bathtub?
"..."
The Deer King felt like her little head was about to catch fire. How could a child have such a powerful spiritual cultivation and such a vast spiritual space, yet so little spiritual power?
"Deer King, it's nice to meet you. We're all family from now on, so just call me Brother Sky Dream."
The shameless voice came from behind her. When she turned, she saw a fat golden silkworm with tiny eyes blinking at her.
"Don't listen to him. Just call him Tian Meng. You can't let this guy get away with a kind word."
Ice Empress appeared beside Tian Meng too. She viciously clamped her large pincers around the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body, drawing out a long howl.