Elder Yi's Slumber

Just then, Electrolux's aged voice rang out in Xiao Hongchen's Sea of Consciousness, replacing his usual indifferent tone with rare solemnity.

"Kid, there is another fragment of Divine Sense inside this Auspicious Beast. It does not belong to it—it was split off and implanted there."

Xiao Hongchen's consciousness jolted. In just a tenth of a second, he guessed where that Divine Sense had come from.

"What?"

"Someone split their Divine Sense, and one portion was placed inside this Auspicious Beast. The implantation method was extraordinarily clever. Before long, it would completely merge with the Auspicious Beast's own soul. If it had not voluntarily opened its vertical eye and allowed you to see everything, even I would not have noticed it."

Xiao Hongchen's heart pounded violently. This was Buddha Ancestor Tang's grand dog-training scheme. He had split Xiao Qi's soul in two, with the main soul becoming Wang Dong while the other portion of Divine Sense lay hidden within the Imperial Auspicious Beast.

Later, when the Auspicious Beast took human form as Wang Qiu'er and sacrificed herself for Huo Yuhao, that portion of Divine Sense merged back with the main soul. Tang Wutong became whole and gained a trace of Golden Dragon bloodline. Somehow, her martial soul ultimately became the Radiant Dragon God Butterfly, carrying part of the Dragon God's bloodline.

What he had not expected was that Princess Tang's Divine Sense was already inside the Auspicious Beast. He had always assumed that when its attributes were linked with Huo Yuhao's, Tang San had secretly moved the portion of Divine Sense from Wang Dong, who had been watching from the sidelines, into the Auspicious Beast. He had not expected Tang San to be even more insidious than he thought, having laid the groundwork so early.

"Elder Yi, can you seal it?"

Electrolux fell silent for a breath.

"You want to seal it and prevent it from merging with the Auspicious Beast's soul?"

"Yes." Xiao Hongchen's voice was resolute. "If they merge, this Auspicious Beast may gradually be assimilated by that Divine Sense. It will become a vessel for someone else's consciousness."

"It can be done." Electrolux paused. "But it will consume quite a bit of my Divine Sense. Afterward, I may fall into slumber."

"How long will you sleep?"

"A few months at the shortest, several years at the longest." Electrolux's voice remained calm. "Sealing that Divine Sense is not difficult. Even if it were complete, it would not match me. The difficult part is avoiding harm to the Auspicious Beast itself."

Xiao Hongchen opened his mouth but made no sound.

"Kid, you're hesitating."

"...Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you need rest. After purifying the carving knife last time, you slept for so long. Sealing this Divine Sense will consume even more. I don't want you—"

"What don't you want for me?" Electrolux interrupted, a nearly imperceptible smile in his voice. "I have lived far too long. Sleeping for a while is no great matter. But you—if you do not seal this Divine Sense today, and this Auspicious Beast is merged with it someday and loses itself, you will regret it. I have seen too many faces filled with regret. That expression does not belong on yours."

Xiao Hongchen's eyes grew slightly hot. He did not hesitate any longer. "Elder Yi, seal it. After this, I'll improve myself as quickly as possible and help you awaken sooner."

Electrolux transformed into a stream of black air and passed through Xiao Hongchen's Sea of Consciousness. Following the golden thread still connecting the Auspicious Beast's vertical eye to Xiao Hongchen's brow, he silently flowed into the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's body.

What Xiao Hongchen did not know was that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had heard every word of his conversation with Electrolux in the Sea of Consciousness. It was precisely because it sensed no malice from them that it allowed the black air to enter its Sea of Consciousness and search the deepest parts of its soul.

The black air quickly found that foreign Divine Sense within its golden soul. It did not belong to this forest or this world, and it carried an aloof, superior aura.

The current of air became a gray membrane, wrapping layer after layer around that seven-colored Divine Sense.

Within the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vertical eye, the crimson glow trembled violently.

The instant it sensed the seal descend, it felt something deep within its soul change forever.

From that moment onward, that Divine Sense would remain within its body, but it would never again merge with its soul, nor would it one day suddenly devour its sense of self.

The seal settled into place. Electrolux returned as well.

His figure had become much more illusory, and the faint bluish tint within his gray form had dimmed, like a lamp exhausted of oil.

Electrolux's voice sounded.

"It has been sealed. At my peak, I could have removed it completely. Now, I can only seal it. How long the seal lasts depends on this Auspicious Beast's own will. If it refuses to merge, the seal will be unbreakable. If one day it chooses to accept it, the seal will dissolve on its own."

Xiao Hongchen's voice was soft. "It won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because its eyes are different now. Even if that Divine Sense was inferior, it had still reached the level of a god. Though it has been sealed, it has brought the Auspicious Beast considerable benefits. Its spiritual awareness will continue growing stronger. Why would it allow someone else's consciousness to interfere with it?"

Electrolux was silent for a long time.

"Kid, I am going to sleep. I will lend you this Undead Semi-Plane. Do not die before I awaken."

After saying that, he raised a hand and pointed.

Black air surged explosively into Xiao Hongchen's body.

Xiao Hongchen felt his spiritual body shudder as though someone had carved open a door deep within his consciousness. Beyond that door lay a realm he had never set foot in—vast, dark, bottomless, yet inexplicably free of any hostility toward him.

That realm silently submitted, waiting.

Then came knowledge.

An enormous amount of knowledge flooded into his mind like a torrent.

There were methods for opening the Undead Semi-Plane, the origins and essence of Necromancy, and much more.

"This time, you have gained quite a few benefits. Take your time and feel them out."

After saying that, Electrolux fell completely silent.

Xiao Hongchen planned to examine it all carefully after returning. After all, Scarlet King could come back at any time.

He withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness, and the faint golden vertical mark on his brow was still giving off a slight warmth.

He could sense that the Eye of Life had now become purely his own third eye. The entire Eye of Life had turned brilliant gold and was completely under his control.

The Blade of Life's Watch was directly expelled from it and fell into his hand.

The life aura of the Gold of Life still remained on the Blade of Life's Watch. It had not been stripped away.

Electrolux's Divine Sense had actually been squeezed back into his own Sea of Consciousness. Moreover, he could clearly feel that his third eye now held another miraculous power—the Power of Destiny.

No wonder Elder Yi had said that. He truly had gained greatly this time.

Xiao Hongchen opened his eyes and found that he was still maintaining the forehead-to-forehead position—with his forehead pressed against the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vertical eye.

He immediately tilted his head back slightly, separating his brow from its vertical eye.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion remained where it stood, completely motionless.

But it no longer bore any hostility toward him. In fact, the Auspicious Beast had gained no less from this encounter than Xiao Hongchen had.

Somewhere in the unseen, Xiao Hongchen could also sense that he and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed to share some sort of connection. As for what the future held, who could say?

Xiao Hongchen ultimately could not resist. He gently stroked the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's fluffy head. Its golden fur was soft and warm, like fine silk.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion did not dodge. It simply watched him quietly with all three eyes.

The crimson glow in its vertical eye remained, but beneath it lay an even deeper clarity and pure gold.

"I won't tell anyone... about where you came from."

A cool female voice sounded only beside Xiao Hongchen's ear.

Xiao Hongchen suddenly felt an enormous weight lift from his heart. He nearly laughed aloud. Elder Yi's effort in helping him remove the Divine Sense had not been wasted after all.

Good girl...

He rubbed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's head, his voice low and gentle.

"Thank you, Auspicious Beast. From now on, you will be yourself."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vertical eye trembled slightly, as though responding to his words.

It suddenly stepped forward and gently rubbed its fluffy head against Xiao Hongchen's chest, like a large feline acting spoiled.

Jing Hongchen stood to the side, watching the scene with a flash of surprise in his eyes. Yet he did not ask any questions and merely silently released the restraints.

Meng Hongchen and Ye Guyi also stepped closer.

Meng Hongchen's eyes widened as she softly exclaimed:

"Wow... it seems to be getting close to Brother! So cute!"

Ye Guyi, meanwhile, frowned slightly. Her pale golden eyes held a trace of vigilance, but she soon relaxed.

She could sense that this Imperial Auspicious Beast held no hostility toward Xiao Hongchen. Instead, it now carried a trace of closeness and dependence.