"You can call me A-Lu. I look forward to working with all of you." The Deer King gave the seniors a respectful nod.
She was also astonished that a human child could have so many Ferocious Beast allies.
When she saw a gray pearl, she was so frightened that she couldn't speak. From it, she sensed an aura that only a god could possess.
"My real name is Electrolux. At present, I'm just a wisp of remnant soul. You can call me Elder Yi, like the others do."
Elder Yi introduced himself as well.
Beside them, Tian Meng said carelessly, "Just call him old geezer, like I do."
Then the gray pearl shuddered, and Tian Meng went flying.
Watching the howling Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, she smiled faintly. She knew Tian Meng had meant well and helped her quickly fit into the group.
"By the way, this is the memory Yuhao promised you."
Electrolux waved a hand, and golden memories quickly flooded her spirit. Having been through this once already, A-Lu nodded.
"Thank you, Elder Yi."
As they watched A-Lu slip back into Huo Yuhao's body, Xiao Wu and the others remained stunned for a long while.
The Ice Empress's earlier experience had been nowhere near as shocking as seeing the entire process unfold from beginning to end.
"What an incredible technique..."
The Sky Azure Bull Python was the first to recover, and he marveled at what he had seen. His gaze toward Huo Yuhao had also softened considerably.
At the very least, this technique treated Soul Beasts as partners.
This boy really was different from other humans.
"Heh-heh, well, look who brought her back."
Seeing Da Ming's expression, Xiao Wu could tell what he was thinking. She looked thoroughly pleased with herself, her nose practically lifted to the sky.
By then, Huo Yuhao had finished sensing the changes in his body and opened his eyes, his gaze full of delight.
A-Lu had given him a Soul Ring and a Soul Bone. The Soul Ring's skills went without saying; with A-Lu's deliberate guidance, he had naturally acquired both of her signature abilities.
Huo Yuhao named the first Soul Skill Mental Amplification. Once activated, it could crudely boost even the spiritual power of someone at the God King realm like him by half.
If his spiritual power were still at the tangible, material level he'd reached as a Titled Douluo in his previous life, the effect would more than double.
Its only drawback was its short duration—about thirty seconds. However, that could increase as Huo Yuhao's Soul Power Level rose.
The second skill was called Mental Barrier. Once activated, it formed a protective membrane of spiritual power around him that blocked spiritual detection.
Huo Yuhao had witnessed this when he first met A-Lu. But its true effect was to completely negate attacks weaker than his spiritual power, while weakening stronger attacks by about eighty percent.
It was simply terrifying. Huo Yuhao could already imagine what it would be like once his spiritual power had returned to its boundless heights from his previous life. With these two skills, who could break through his spiritual defenses?
The Soul Bone Skills complemented the Soul Ring Skills. One of them automatically activated Mental Barrier whenever he was struck by a spiritual attack.
Spiritual attacks were intangible and invisible. Unless one actually hit its target, the target could hardly detect it. That was why A-Lu had thought long and hard before incorporating the automatic trigger into the Soul Bone.
The other skill let Huo Yuhao transfer the effect of Mental Barrier to someone else. It worked the same way, but could only create one protective membrane at a time. If he used it on someone else, he couldn't use it on himself.
The Soul Bone also contained all the life essence A-Lu had possessed in life. Her people could greatly increase their spiritual power with it, and so could she.
The Soul Bone passively increased the speed and strength of his spiritual power cultivation. This improvement was permanent. The boost was only twenty percent, but it could stack with Mental Amplification, making it a tremendous help to Huo Yuhao as well.
"Thank you, senior."
Huo Yuhao looked at the Sky Azure Bull Python with sincere gratitude.
His gains from this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest could only be described as enormous. He had merely intended to find a Seven-Colored Elk around thirty thousand years old. He never could have imagined things would turn out this way.
"You don't have to thank me. I only introduced you to her." The Sky Azure Bull Python paused, then continued, "If you want to thank me, take good care of Sister Xiao Wu."
"I will."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Beside him, Xiao Wu blushed and kept poking the Sky Azure Bull Python. "Who said I needed him to take care of me?"
"By the way, Yuhao, what kind of Soul Bone did you get?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
"Oh, it's an External Soul Bone! Thanks to A-Lu. Let me take a look..."
Huo Yuhao was in the middle of speaking when he suddenly seemed to get stuck. His face flushed, and he looked at Xiao Wu in confusion.
"Yuhao? What's wrong?"
"N-nothing... I'll show you another time..."
Huo Yuhao snapped out of it as if jolted awake. His voice started out loud, then grew quieter and quieter.
Xiao Wu eyed Huo Yuhao suspiciously. Had something gone wrong during the ritual? It didn't seem like it. Could it be the Soul Bone? Her eyes narrowed.
"Quick, show me your Soul Bone!"
"No!" Huo Yuhao said warily.
"Heh-heh, I'm going to see it whether you like it or not. Hurry up and tell me—which part of your body is it attached to?"
Xiao Wu looked Huo Yuhao up and down, as if trying to spot something different.
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape watched from the side without helping Huo Yuhao. They were curious too.
The two of them tugged back and forth. Before long, Xiao Wu's pestering had driven Huo Yuhao to the brink, and he finally gave in.
"But you're not allowed to laugh after you see it!"
Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth, as though he had made a huge decision.
"Don't worry, I won't. I'm a professional. Hurry, hurry!"
Xiao Wu urged him on without even blinking.
So be it!
Thinking this, Huo Yuhao slowly undid his belt, his face filled with grief and indignation.
"Huh?"
The sound came not from one person, but from Da Ming, Er Ming, and Xiao Wu all at once.
Why was he taking off his pants?
Startled by their voices, the nervous Huo Yuhao jolted and spoke again.
"You absolutely cannot laugh!"
"Don't worry, don't worry."
Xiao Wu's assurances were halfhearted. Not only the three outside, but everyone in the spiritual space was watching intently—except A-Lu, who was still absorbing her memories.
Huo Yuhao turned his back to them and slowly pulled down his pants. A little above his buttocks, everyone finally saw the External Soul Bone he had just acquired.
"S-so cute..."
Xiao Wu exclaimed in amazement.
What appeared before them was a fluffy deer tail, growing from Huo Yuhao's tailbone. It was short and stuck up.
The most unusual thing about it was that the tail was multicolored, dazzlingly bright.
At Xiao Wu's words, the colorful little tail gave two fierce twitches.
"Yuhao, can I touch it?"
Xiao Wu stared intently at the colorful tail before her.
"No!"
Huo Yuhao yanked his pants back up and turned to face the three of them.
Xiao Wu really hadn't laughed. As for the Titan Giant Ape... the Sky Azure Bull Python had clamped his tail over the Titan Giant Ape's mouth, but his shaking shoulders said it all.
The Sky Azure Bull Python also seemed close to losing it. His voice emerged sounding strange.
"Sorry, Tai Tan must have thought of something funny. I'll take him to patrol the territory. You and Xiao Wu have fun."
With that, he whisked the Titan Giant Ape away, and they vanished from sight.
Listening to Tian Meng's unrestrained laughter in his mind, and watching the Ice Empress beat Tian Meng while her own body trembled uncontrollably, Huo Yuhao felt as though the sky had fallen.
"You're all too much! You promised you wouldn't laugh!"