By the time the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger came to, its eyes were filled with terror.
Why was this human completely different from the one before? And how could he use a shield skill?
Then it saw Huo Yuhao pull out something from nowhere that looked like a long metal tube. Its pitch-black muzzle was pointed straight at the tiger.
"Goodbye."
The last two words the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger heard before it died were spoken as it met the boy's calm gaze.
As the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger died for good, the arena began to warp, and darkness swept in once more.
A moment later, Huo Yuhao returned to the Star Dou Great Forest. Everything was just as it had been when he first entered, except for the black hole behind him that had transported him back.
The Dark Demon Evil Tiger before him was now a corpse. A deep-black Soul Ring and a jet-black pearl floated above it.
"Yuhao! Grab that pearl!"
Electrolux's voice suddenly boomed in his mind.
Huo Yuhao shuddered, instantly activated Spirit Detection, and reached for the pearl.
The moment he grabbed it, the black hole behind him unleashed another astonishing force of suction. Strangely, this time it targeted only the pearl.
It looked as though the pearl were dragging him toward the black hole. Only when he abruptly summoned all his strength and, trembling, managed to tuck the pearl into his belt did the suction gradually fade.
Huo Yuhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a soft sigh.
"Phew... Is it over?"
"Yuhao! You really made it out alive!"
Er Ming's voice rang out behind him, full of delight.
The Scarlet King, too, could barely contain his curiosity as he asked, "Human, what happened after you entered the black hole?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the three Soul Beasts waiting where they were and didn't hide anything.
"After I went in, that Evil Tiger and I both turned into children and fought to the death in an arena. I suppose I was lucky. I used a few tools I had on me to kill it, and then I came out."
The Scarlet King and the Titan Giant Ape were both stunned. They hadn't expected a Soul Beast that hadn't even reached a hundred thousand years to possess such a monstrous skill.
If either of them had been sucked inside, they probably would have met the same grim fate. The Scarlet King gave a dry cough.
"So something that incredible really happened... Human, you were lucky."
Huo Yuhao certainly hadn't forgotten that the Scarlet King had stepped in to help him. He immediately bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for helping me, senior."
Although the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had still managed to unleash its skill, he couldn't blame the Scarlet King. The man had been willing to risk his life to save him, taking the side of the Soul Beasts. That was more than enough.
"Don't thank me. Saving you wasn't my intention. If you want to thank someone, thank the Auspicious Beast. I'd planned to watch you die before stepping in. If she hadn't pleaded for you..."
The Scarlet King's gaze remained distant. He hated humans who endlessly hunted Soul Beasts. If this human hadn't truly risked his own life to help the Auspicious Beast escape, the Scarlet King would have killed him long ago.
"Whether or not you meant to, you still saved my life. I'll never forget that kindness!"
Seeing Huo Yuhao insist, the Scarlet King nodded and said no more. He glanced at the Auspicious Beast, who didn't seem to know what to say, then closed his eyes.
"Hmph..."
All three of his heads snorted out a plume of white breath at once. The meaning was clear: he'd reluctantly pretend not to see what happened next.
Only then did Huo Yuhao look at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, whose head was nearly pressed to the ground. He scratched his head. "Thank you."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion opened her beautiful golden eyes and studied Huo Yuhao carefully. After seeing that he wasn't hurt, she snorted.
"I was only repaying my debt to you. We Soul Beasts aren't like humans, who forget favors and betray their benefactors. So, what's the answer you promised me?"
Huo Yuhao kept his word. He tapped his forehead, and a golden orb of memory appeared in his hand. He held it out to the Auspicious Beast.
"This is the answer you wanted."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked at the orb, her gaze flickering. She turned to the Scarlet King. When she saw that he still had his eyes closed and showed no reaction, she guided the orb into her forehead.
The memory was short. For her, it covered only a few decades.
The memory was long. For him, it spanned an entire lifetime.
Having learned from his previous experience, Huo Yuhao knew that absorbing memories took quite a while. Just then, Electrolux's voice came to him again.
"Yuhao, that Evil Tiger's Soul Ring is a good fit for your First Martial Soul. You can absorb it. Combined with the pearl, it should bring a new change to your Martial Soul."
Huo Yuhao understood and walked over to the Scarlet King.
"Senior, this Soul Ring..."
The Scarlet King kept his eyes closed and spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
"Since you killed it, you may do as you please with it. Don't worry, I won't blame you. Even if you hadn't killed it, I would have."
"Thank you, senior."
Huo Yuhao walked straight to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's corpse, sat cross-legged, and guided the Soul Ring onto himself.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was probably between sixty and seventy thousand years old, just within the limit Huo Yuhao could currently withstand. If it had been a hundred thousand years old, he wouldn't have been able to absorb it.
Without a Soul Beast willingly sealing its power, forcing the absorption would burst his body apart. Afterward, though, he could still use the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's energy to increase the Soul Ring's age.
As long as his physical strength continued to improve, there would be no problem raising the Soul Ring's age to a hundred thousand years.
Huo Yuhao was curious about what Elder Yi had said earlier, so he asked him in his mind, "Teacher, you said this Soul Ring would bring a new change to my Martial Soul?"
"Yes. Your Spirit Eye Martial Soul has already evolved into the Dark Spirit Eye. If I'm not mistaken, this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger has four attributes: ultimate evil, lightning, wind, and strength. The evil attribute is a variation of the dark attribute. They're somewhat different, but you can still absorb it."
"But a Soul Ring alone isn't enough to make your Martial Soul change. It can only lay the foundation. To break through again, you'll also need that pearl you got."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was stunned once more. "You old geezer! Are you sure about this? It can evolve again?"
"Hmph. Do you think I'm you? You've lived for a million years and accomplished nothing. Yuhao's Martial Soul would have been very difficult to evolve, but that pearl changes things. I sensed the Evil God's aura on it. I imagine it will be a great help to Huo Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao grew excited when he heard this. The last time his Spirit Eye evolved, his Martial Soul had changed, and all its skills had gained powerful new effects.
He could hardly wait. "Teacher, what should I do?"
"Absorb the Soul Ring first. To get the most out of the evolution, you'll need to wait for the right moment. There's no rushing it."
"Yes."
Huo Yuhao realized he was getting a little impatient. He nodded, calmed himself, and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
The moment the Soul Ring entered his body, its evil energy, wrapped in fierce resentment, surged wildly against Huo Yuhao's body.
Fortunately, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the others inside him were prepared. They helped Huo Yuhao weather the absorption without incident.
When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was beautiful golden fur. He looked up and met a pair of golden eyes.
"I've finished watching the memory!" a clear, melodious voice rang out.
"...Mm."
Huo Yuhao felt a little nervous. He hoped the Three-Eyed Golden Lion would choose what he wanted, but he was also afraid she wouldn't.
Just as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was about to say something, the entire Star Dou Great Forest suddenly began to tremble.
The Titan Giant Ape and the Scarlet King both raised their heads, their gazes fixed in shock on the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Huo Yuhao didn't understand what was happening and asked in confusion, "Er Ming, what's wrong?"
The Titan Giant Ape's speech grew halting again. It wasn't that he couldn't speak, but that his heart was gripped by fear.
"Yu... Yuhao! Run! It's... it's the Beast God!"