"Hmm? You know me?"
Her usually flat voice carried a trace of emotion, and curiosity gleamed all the brighter in her eyes. The Silver Dragon King had only sensed that Huo Yuhao carried the auras of several Ferocious Beasts.
She had planned to see what made this person, who had helped the Auspicious Beast, so different. She hadn't expected him to reveal her origins in just his second sentence.
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "I don't know you, ma'am. I've only heard a little about you."
The Silver Dragon King cut him off before he could finish. "Liar. There's no record of me in human history. How could you have learned about me?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her reasoning was flawed.
This human couldn't possibly have known the Auspicious Beast, either! Yet after he gave the Auspicious Beast his memories, the two had acted like old friends who'd known each other for years!
"Bring out the Soul Beasts attached to you." Her ethereal voice rang out again.
Huo Yuhao had no idea that the Silver Dragon King had just been caught in a whirlwind of thoughts. He was still wondering how she'd let the previous question drop so easily, and at her next words his expression tightened.
"What do you intend to do, ma'am?"
"Don't worry. Killing you would be as easy as lifting a finger. Those with you won't escape. I only want to see who's placed their bets on you."
Huo Yuhao kept his gaze fixed on the silver dragon before him. He couldn't tell what her true intentions were, or whether she was deceiving him.
He was in her territory now. Without knowing where she stood, every step forward was difficult.
Three beams of light shot from Huo Yuhao's chest. The three Soul Beasts appeared.
"Ice Empress... Oh? The king of the Seven-Colored Elk clan? And an insect from who knows where?"
The Silver Dragon King examined the Soul Beasts before her, then asked curiously, "How did you choose this human boy?"
Tian Meng pretended to hesitate for a moment, then slowly recounted how he and Huo Yuhao had met in their previous life, and how they had later gone together to the Far North to persuade the Ice Empress. He left out the fact that Huo Yuhao had been reborn.
He'd thought a story like this would be enough to convince the Silver Dragon King. Instead, she scoffed.
"It's a good story, and it does make sense. But you're hiding something important. Tell me: why did you give the Auspicious Beast your memories? And why did that Snow Girl help you?"
Her voice grew colder and colder. Clearly, she was displeased by their attempt to conceal the truth.
Seeing Brother Sky Dream stiffen, Huo Yuhao sighed. There was no helping it. They'd had too little time to come up with a reasonable explanation.
"You've lost my trust. Human, hand over the memories you gave the Auspicious Beast, or you'll die here."
The ethereal voice rang out. The dragon before them had the power to decide all their fates with a single word.
The situation had slipped beyond Huo Yuhao's control. All he could do was take things one step at a time. He gave a slight nod.
"As you wish."
Huo Yuhao had done this enough times to make it seem effortless. A golden mass of memories soon drifted toward the Silver Dragon King and slowly sank into her dragon's head.
True to her reputation as the only Soul Beast on Douluo Continent with power surpassing that of the gods, the Silver Dragon King didn't keep Huo Yuhao and the others waiting long. She quickly finished absorbing the memories.
Her purple eyes opened again, filled with disbelief. Ignoring Huo Yuhao beside her, she murmured to herself, "How could something so strange happen? Reborn ten thousand years in the past... The power of time? Could it be..."
A moment later, she seemed to have figured something out. Her eyes brightened as she looked toward Huo Yuhao and studied the human boy, recalling the things he had done in his previous life.
"So you're the one chosen... Not bad."
Huo Yuhao immediately caught the key point. His eyes lit up as he looked at her.
"Chosen for what? Do you know why I was reborn?"
"If my guess is right." The Silver Dragon King gave a small nod.
"Then—"
Huo Yuhao had barely begun when the Silver Dragon King interrupted him with a slight shake of her head.
"I won't tell you. Learning too much too soon could have the opposite effect. But I will help you."
"Huh?"
Events had taken a turn Huo Yuhao never expected. The Silver Dragon King wanted to help him? Why?
After absorbing his memories, the Silver Dragon King's attitude toward him had clearly changed. She patiently explained, "In your previous life, you founded the Soul Spirit Pagoda and swore not to slaughter Soul Beasts. In this life, you promised that Soul Beast girl you'd help her. But most importantly, you're the one who was chosen. That's why I believe in you."
"Unfortunately, many gods from the Divine Realm are watching this world and choosing successors they favor. I can't help you deal with your troubles among humans. You should be able to handle those yourself, and you don't seem to need my help with the Soul Beasts, either..."
As she spoke, the Silver Dragon King fell into thought, wondering what she could do to help Huo Yuhao right now. Then her gaze landed on the Gold of Life beside her, and her eyes brightened. She moved a dragon claw, and a small piece was swiftly cut from the large block of Gold of Life. It floated slowly toward Huo Yuhao.
"Take it."
Huo Yuhao stared at the Gold of Life in a daze. It looked like a small piece, but only compared to the huge block beside the Silver Dragon King. This piece alone was far larger than the Life Carving Knife he'd possessed in his previous life!
But he didn't look delighted. Instead, he raised his head and met her purple eyes.
"I won't accept a gift without earning it. What do I have to give in return?" He didn't believe the Silver Dragon King would be so generous.
"Don't worry. You can consider it an investment. To fulfill the promise you made to that little girl, your current strength is nowhere near enough. Even the position of Asura God King wouldn't be enough."
Huo Yuhao still didn't take it. He shook his head.
"This is something I promised Xiao Wu. Even without your investment, I'll do everything I can to see it through. That's no reason to accept such a generous gift. Please give me something fair in return."
A strange glint passed through her purple eyes as she looked at him deeply.
"Then let's make a deal. If I'm ever in mortal danger, protect me. And don't forget why you started."
Huo Yuhao finally let out a breath of relief. The only ones who could pose a mortal threat to the Silver Dragon King were probably God Kings. That was barely a fair exchange. He gave a slight nod.
"I'll do everything in my power."
Then he reached out and took the Gold of Life, a little delighted. Elder Yi would no longer have to rely on sleep to hold off the disintegration of his soul!
"Anyone who can threaten me is a God King. Asking you to help me in exchange for this probably isn't enough. Take out the bead you found on the Evil Tiger."
Huo Yuhao was about to wave her off. In his eyes, they'd already made a fair deal. Anything was worth it if it meant Elder Yi wouldn't have to sleep anymore!
"That's enough! I don't want to keep arguing with you. I said take it out, so take it out!"
The Silver Dragon King's impatient voice boomed through the entire space, startling Huo Yuhao. He grimaced, lowered his head, and answered, then reached to his belt. A pitch-black bead appeared in his hand.
"Wait."
The Silver Dragon King said nothing more. She opened her mouth and drew the bead inside. Brilliant seven-colored light burst from her body, rippling as it gathered toward her mouth. The surrounding space began to tremble.
Thankfully, it didn't last long. Otherwise, the space might have collapsed.
"Done."
The Silver Dragon King gave a gentle breath, and the bead flew back into Huo Yuhao's hand. It was still pitch-black, but before, it had shimmered with two colors, green and blue. Now it shone with all seven!