Purification and Fusion

Xiao Hongchen released his spiritual power to envelop the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade. The moment they made contact, his body shuddered violently; the cursed blade seemed to have transformed into an endless black hole, crazily devouring his spiritual power.

A sensation of extreme, bone-chilling cold, accompanied by a terrifying, malevolent aura, crawled along his spiritual power toward his Sea of Consciousness.

"Holding the sun, moon, and stars in my hand, there is no one in this world like me." An aged voice echoed from within Xiao Hongchen's Sea of Consciousness.

Hearing the NPC-like scripted line, Xiao Hongchen let out a sigh of relief. If Electrolux hadn't awakened, he would have been unable to handle this curse on his own.

"Kid, lend me your body."

Xiao Hongchen's heterochromatic eyes instantly shifted into a dead, hollow gray, and his entire temperament underwent a complete transformation.

Those gray eyes were filled with an endless, deathly stillness, yet they also exuded a sense of divinity.

"Xiao Hongchen" turned his head to look at Jing Hongchen, who was on high alert beside him, and a golden light shone from Jing Hongchen's body.

"Oh? You have some interesting little gadgets on you... Never mind."

"Xiao Hongchen" withdrew his gaze, his gray spiritual power falling upon the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade.

The cursed blade trembled violently, emitting a shrill, wailing hum.

Electrolux's consciousness resonated within the Sea of Consciousness:

"To infuse evil thoughts and curses into the Gold of Life—the perpetrator truly had a twisted imagination. He only sensed its vast energy, yet he understood nothing of how to unlock its true, marvelous utility."

"Purify, Gold of Life. I shall restore you to your original form, purge all filth, and let your purest life essence bloom."

"Xiao Hongchen's" eyes changed color once more, the gray rapidly shifting into a holy, pristine white, and his gray spiritual power instantly transformed into a pure, white light of purification.

Though the light of purification was as thin as a thread, it acted like boiling oil on snow when it touched the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade.

Streams of black mist evaporated and dissipated, and the cyan glow on the cursed blade gradually became pure and gentle. The originally pitch-black carving knife slowly turned into a translucent, cyan crystal.

The entire purification process was brief.

When the last wisp of black mist vanished, the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade had completely transformed; its cyan light was as clear as water, devoid of any impurities.

Xiao Hongchen's eyes finally returned to their normal color.

In the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness, the gray ball of light appeared much more illusory than when it had first awakened.

Purifying the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade had consumed a significant amount of Electrolux's strength.

"Kid, you are truly daring. Had I not awakened, your Sea of Consciousness would have been completely eroded by the curse. At best, you would have ended up as an Evil Soul Master who knows only slaughter and lacks self-awareness."

Xiao Hongchen chuckled softly within his Sea of Consciousness, his voice calm:

"But you did wake up, didn't you?"

After a moment of silence, Electrolux let out a low laugh, a sound tinged with ancient desolation and a rare hint of interest:

"Interesting... It has been many years, yet this is the first time I have encountered a brat so bold. You dared to use your own Sea of Consciousness as a gamble, just to bet on whether I would wake up?"

Xiao Hongchen did not respond. He wasn't gambling; he knew Electrolux would wake up.

In the original story, when Huo Yuhao obtained the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife, Electrolux was also stimulated into awakening by the malevolent aura. He had simply replicated that path, but there was no need to explain. Letting Electrolux believe he was betting his life wasn't a bad thing.

"Very well. Your Sea of Consciousness provides great nourishment to me, and with this Gold of Life, my divine sense will be stable enough. Come, let us first fuse with this Gold of Life."

Once his consciousness returned to reality.

Xiao Hongchen first gave his grandfather an 'OK' gesture, then, following Electrolux's instructions, held the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife vertically against the center of his forehead.

As the carving knife touched his skin, he first felt a warm, moist sensation. Immediately after, a strange aura was released from his Sea of Consciousness, surging out from his forehead and pouring into the Gold of Life pressed against it.

In an instant, the Gold of Life erupted with a brilliant cyan light, and an incredibly dense, vigorous life force was instantly channeled into Xiao Hongchen's body through his forehead.

In that moment, Xiao Hongchen's entire body was dyed cyan, and his Sea of Consciousness was no exception.

An unprecedented feeling of comfort spread throughout his body; Xiao Hongchen felt as if every cell in his body was groaning in happiness, greedily absorbing the thick life force radiating from the Gold of Life.

His meridians became more elastic, his internal organs grew tougher, his bones hardened, and his entire being seemed to be undergoing a qualitative change.

The cyan light continuously washed over his body, and wisps of filth began to be rapidly expelled through his pores.

Just as Xiao Hongchen was enjoying the pleasure brought by the life force, the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife pierced deeply into his forehead. The blade sank into his skull, though not in a physical sense—his forehead did not bleed, and his skin remained unbroken.

The carving knife itself transformed into a stream of cyan-gold light, drilling in from his forehead and piercing straight into the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness.

The pain was not physical; it was the agony of his soul being sliced open.

He could only grit his teeth and endure...

Jing Hongchen sat to the side, his eyes fixed intently on his grandson. Watching his clenched teeth and bulging veins, he prayed silently; this was a hurdle he had to overcome alone.

After an unknown amount of time, the sharp pain gradually subsided, and his consciousness began to clear.

Xiao Hongchen controlled his spiritual power to return to his Sea of Consciousness.

He wanted to see exactly what changes had occurred within it.

The Sea of Consciousness remained silver-white, stretching out beyond the reach of his vision.

But compared to before, his Sea of Consciousness had increased in size by at least three times, and it felt far more stable.

A cyan-green lake sat quietly within his Sea of Consciousness, its surface like a mirror, with dense life essence nourishing the entire sea.

Suspended above the lake was a jade-green bead, which suddenly transformed into an eye and slowly opened.

Then, gray light flickered, and a figure appeared before Xiao Hongchen.

He had long, flowing, fluffy gray hair, though it was dyed a pale gold by the golden light swirling around his body.

Dressed in a simple, dark gray, high-collared robe, his face was cold and his expression indifferent.

Clearly, this was Electrolux.

Electrolux looked at Xiao Hongchen's forehead with his indifferent gray eyes:

"That carving knife has become your third eye, the Eye of Life. Whenever you need it, simply focus your consciousness on the Eye of Life, and you will obtain the power of the carving knife."

"Since you now possess a third martial soul, call it the Holy Necromancer. You may use my power, though you cannot attach spirit rings to it."

"Many thanks, Senior. May I ask your name?"

"I am Electrolux."

Electrolux remained silent for a moment before continuing:

"You are not from this world, are you?"

Xiao Hongchen's heart skipped a beat.

"...When did you find out?"

"From the very beginning." Electrolux's voice was calm. "I followed that silver beam of light into this body, so naturally, I could recognize that you were the soul from another world carried within that beam. Furthermore, the replacement of a soul cannot be hidden from Necromancy."

Xiao Hongchen did not speak, but his spiritual body tensed instantly. He did not know what Electrolux's stance on this was.

Seeming to sense his wariness, Electrolux's voice sounded once more.

"Do not be so nervous. You inherited his body and memories, and you are living for him; I have no need to expose you, for your Sea of Consciousness is more suitable for my slumber than his was."

"I need a host, and you need power. We each take what we need."

Xiao Hongchen fell silent. He did not believe Electrolux had any reason to deceive him.

"Then, Elder Yi, do you know how you came to the Douluo Continent?"

Electrolux paused for a moment.

"Douluo Continent? So that is the name of this plane." Electrolux's voice deepened, as if recalling a fragment from the distant past.

"My memories are incomplete. You should know that I am but a remnant soul; after my divine consciousness shattered, most of my memories dissipated. However, I still remember the process of arriving at this plane."

Electrolux slowed his speech and began his recollection.

"Ever since I fell in the Holy Demon Continent, my remnant soul drifted through the turbulence of time and space. I do not know how long I drifted—perhaps ten thousand years, perhaps only an instant. Then, a rift tore open."

"Someone tore open a spatial rift in this plane." Electrolux's voice carried a hint of gravity. "It was not an ordinary spatial rift, but one that crossed the barriers between planes. Even in my prime, it would have been absolutely impossible for me to tear open such a rift."

Xiao Hongchen's heart jolted. That was the black rift above the Ming Capital. He had always assumed it was an anomaly brought about by his transmigration, but Electrolux said the rift had been torn open by someone.

"After that rift tore open, I was sucked out of the temporal turbulence. As my remnant soul drifted, a silver beam of light shot out from the rift, crossing the entire plane and heading in a certain direction; that beam carried a soul. I could sense that the power within that beam was beneficial to my divine consciousness, so I followed it. It eventually landed in this body of yours, and I followed it in."

Xiao Hongchen remained silent for a long time.

"Elder Yi, did you see who tore open that rift?"

"No." Electrolux's voice returned to its indifference.

"My divine consciousness was very unstable at the time, and I could perceive very little. As for the existence that tore the rift, I only sensed an extremely powerful force, far beyond the so-called gods of this plane. But that power vanished in a flash; once the rift was torn, it disappeared. Naturally, I do not know his purpose."

"However, the beam of light carrying your soul and the power that tore the rift came from the same source. Someone opened the door, and someone threw you in. You were sent here; it was no accident."

Xiao Hongchen's pupils contracted sharply. He had been sent here; someone had precisely projected his soul into this body.

Just as he wanted to continue asking for clarification, Electrolux interrupted him.

"But the perception at that time was too blurred." A rare trace of fatigue entered Electrolux's voice. "Perhaps when my divine consciousness recovers more, I will be able to piece together more details. But not now."

"Very well, then, Elder Yi, please rest."

Seeing the situation, Xiao Hongchen could not ask further and had no choice but to leave the Sea of Consciousness.