Purification and Fusion

Xiao Hongchen released his Spiritual Power, enveloping the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade. The instant they came into contact, his body shuddered violently. The cursed blade seemed to turn into a bottomless black hole, madly devouring his Spiritual Power.

An extremely cold aura, carrying terrifying viciousness, followed his Spiritual Power and burrowed toward his Sea of Consciousness.

"I hold the sun and moon in my hand and pluck the stars; there has never been another like me in this world." An aged voice came from Xiao Hongchen's Sea of Consciousness.

Hearing what sounded like an NPC's scripted line, Xiao Hongchen immediately breathed a sigh of relief. If Elder Yi had not awakened, he would have had no way to deal with this curse.

"Kid, lend me your body."

Xiao Hongchen's mismatched eyes instantly transformed into a lifeless gray, and his entire bearing underwent a Heaven and Earth Overturned change.

Those gray eyes were filled with endless stillness, yet they also carried a sacred quality.

"Xiao Hongchen" turned and glanced at Jing Hongchen, who was standing guard at the side. A golden light lit up from Jing Hongchen's body.

"Hm? You have quite an interesting little device on you... Never mind."

"Xiao Hongchen" withdrew his gaze, and gray Spiritual Power descended upon the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade.

The cursed blade trembled violently, letting out a hum like a shrill scream.

Electrolux's thoughts echoed through the Sea of Consciousness:

"Injecting evil intent and a curse into Gold of Life—what a clever idea from the culprit. He sensed only its immense energy, yet had no understanding whatsoever of how to bring out its true wonders."

"Be purified, Gold of Life. I will restore your original form, drive away every impurity, and let your purest aura of life bloom."

"Xiao Hongchen's" eye color changed once more. The gray rapidly turned into sacred white, while the gray Spiritual Power instantly transformed into white Purification Light.

Though that Purification Light was as fine as a thread, when it fell upon the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade, it was like boiling oil poured over snow.

Streams of black vapor rose and dispersed. The cyan glow on the cursed blade gradually became pure and gentle. The originally dark carving knife also slowly turned translucent, like cyan crystal.

The entire purification process was very brief.

When the last wisp of black qi dispersed, the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade had completely transformed. Its cyan light was clear and tranquil as water, with not a trace of impurity remaining.

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

In the deepest part of the Sea of Consciousness, that gray orb of light was far more illusory than when it had first awakened.

Purifying the Soul-Devouring Cursed Blade had consumed quite a bit of Electrolux's power.

"Kid, you really have some nerve. If this old man hadn't awakened, your Sea of Consciousness would have been completely corroded by the curse. Even in the best-case scenario, you would have become an Evil Soul Master who knew only slaughter and had no self-awareness."

Xiao Hongchen chuckled softly in his Sea of Consciousness, his voice calm.

"But you woke up, didn't you?"

After a brief pause, Electrolux let out a low laugh, carrying ancient desolation and a rare hint of interest.

"Interesting... After all these years, this is the first time I've encountered a brat with such audacity. You dared to wager your own Sea of Consciousness just to bet on whether I would awaken?"

Xiao Hongchen did not respond. He had not been gambling; he knew Electrolux would awaken.

In the original story, Electrolux had also been awakened by the vicious aura when Huo Yuhao obtained the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife. Xiao Hongchen had merely followed that path, but there was no need to explain. There was nothing wrong with letting Electrolux think he had gambled with his life.

"Fine. Your Sea of Consciousness is tremendously nourishing to me, and with this Gold of Life, my Divine Sense will be enough to stabilize. Come, fuse with this Gold of Life first."

After 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 upright against the center of his forehead.

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

In an instant, the Gold of Life erupted with cyan light. An incomparably rich, vigorous life force flooded into Xiao Hongchen's body through his forehead.

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

An unprecedented feeling of comfort spread through his entire body. Xiao Hongchen felt as though every cell in his body was moaning blissfully, greedily absorbing the dense life force emanating from the Gold of Life.

His meridians became more resilient, his internal organs tougher, his bones harder. It seemed as though his entire body was undergoing a qualitative transformation.

The cyan light continuously washed over his whole body, and traces of filth began rapidly seeping from his pores.

Just as Xiao Hongchen was enjoying the exhilaration brought by the life force, the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife viciously stabbed into his forehead. Its blade instantly sank into his skull—not physically. His forehead did not bleed, nor was his skin damaged.

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

That pain was not pain of the flesh. It was the pain of having his soul split apart.

He could only endure with all his might...

Jing Hongchen sat at the side, his gaze fixed tightly on his grandson. Watching Xiao Hongchen's clenched teeth and bulging veins, he silently prayed. This trial was one Xiao Hongchen could only overcome by himself.

No one knew how much time passed before the excruciating pain gradually faded and his consciousness slowly cleared.

Xiao Hongchen controlled his Spiritual Power and returned to his Sea of Consciousness.

He wanted to see exactly what changes had taken place in his Sea of Consciousness.

The Sea of Consciousness was still silver-white, stretching beyond sight.

Compared to before, however, it had expanded by at least three times, and it was incomparably more stable.

There was also an emerald lake resting quietly within his Sea of Consciousness. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, while its dense aura of life nourished the entire Sea of Consciousness.

A jade-green bead floated above the lake. It suddenly transformed into an eye and slowly opened.

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

He had long, flowing gray hair, though the golden light surrounding him had dyed it a pale gold.

He wore a simple dark-gray robe with a high collar. His face was cold and sharp, and his expression indifferent.

This was clearly 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 gain the carving knife's power."

"You now have a third martial soul. Call it the Holy Necromancer. You can use my power, but you cannot attach soul rings to it."

"Thank you, Senior. May I know your name?"

"This old man is Electrolux."

Electrolux fell silent for a moment before continuing.

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

Xiao Hongchen's heart skipped a beat.

"...When did you realize?"

"From the very beginning." Electrolux's voice was calm. "I entered this body alongside that silver pillar of light. Naturally, I could recognize that you were the soul from another world carried within that pillar. Besides, Necromancy cannot be deceived by the replacement of a soul."

Xiao Hongchen said nothing, but his spiritual body instantly tensed. He did not know what Electrolux's attitude toward this was.

Seemingly sensing his wariness, Electrolux spoke again.

"There is no need to be so nervous. You inherited his body and memories, and you are living in his place. I have no reason to expose you, because your Sea of Consciousness is more suitable for my slumber than his was."

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

Xiao Hongchen fell silent. He did not think 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 sank, as though recalling something from the distant past.

"My memories are incomplete. You should know that I am only a remnant soul. After my Divine Sense shattered, most of my memories scattered away. However, I still remember how I came to this plane."

Electrolux slowed his speech and began recounting his memories.

"After I fell on the Holy Demon Continent, my remnant soul drifted through the chaotic currents of space and time. I do not know how long I drifted—perhaps ten thousand years, perhaps only an instant. Then, a rift was torn open."

"Someone tore open a spatial rift in this plane." Electrolux's voice gained a trace of gravity. "It was not an ordinary spatial rift, but one that crossed the barriers between planes. Even at my peak, such an existence would have been utterly beyond me."

Xiao Hongchen's heart shook. That had been the black rift above the Ming Capital. He had always thought it was an anomaly caused by his transmigration, but Electrolux said that someone had torn it open.

"After that rift opened, I was drawn out of the chaotic currents of space and time. As my remnant soul drifted, a silver pillar of light shot from the rift, passed through the entire plane, and headed in a certain direction. A soul was wrapped within that pillar. I could sense that the power within it benefited my Divine Sense, so I followed it. It eventually fell into this body of yours, and I entered along with it."

Xiao Hongchen remained silent for a long while.

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

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

"My Divine Sense was highly unstable at the time, and I could perceive very little. As for the one who tore open the rift, I sensed only an extremely powerful force, far above the so-called gods of this plane. But that power flashed past in an instant and disappeared once the rift was opened. Naturally, I do not know its purpose."

"However, the pillar of light carrying your soul and the force that tore open the rift came from the same source. Someone opened the door, and someone threw you inside. You were sent here. It was not an accident."

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

Just as he wanted to press for more details, Electrolux interrupted him.

"But my perception then was far too vague." Rare fatigue entered Electrolux's voice. "Perhaps once my Divine Sense has recovered further, I can piece together more details. But not now."

"Alright. Then please rest first, Elder Yi."

Seeing this, Xiao Hongchen could not press further and could only leave the Sea of Consciousness.