Elder Yi's Deep Slumber

At this moment, Electrolux's aged voice resonated within Xiao Hongchen's Sea of Consciousness, shedding its usual detached tone for a rare, grave solemnity.

"Kid, there is another divine consciousness within this Imperial Auspicious Beast. It does not belong to it; it was split and implanted."

Xiao Hongchen's consciousness jolted violently. It took him only a tenth of a second to guess the origin of that divine consciousness.

"What?"

"Someone split their divine consciousness, and a portion of it lies within this beast. The implantation technique is extremely sophisticated; it would have completely merged with the beast's own soul before long. If it hadn't voluntarily opened its vertical eye to let you see everything, even this old man would not have been able to detect it."

Xiao Hongchen's heart hammered against his ribs. This was Tang Buddha Ancestor's grand scheme to train his 'dog.' He had split Princess Tang's soul in two; the main soul became Wang Dong, while the other portion of divine consciousness was hidden inside the Imperial Auspicious Beast.

Later, when the beast took human form as Wang Qiuer and sacrificed herself for Huo Yuhao, this portion of divine consciousness finally merged with the main soul, allowing Tang Wutong to become whole. She had also gained a trace of Golden Dragon bloodline, and somehow, her martial soul had transformed into the Radiant Dragon God Butterfly, possessing a fragment of the Dragon God's bloodline.

The only thing he hadn't expected was that Princess Tang's divine consciousness was currently inside the beast. He had previously assumed that during the attribute synchronization with Huo Yuhao, Tang San had secretly manipulated things to transfer the portion of divine consciousness from Wang Dong—who was just watching from the sidelines—into the beast. He hadn't realized that Tang San was even more insidious than he had imagined, having laid out his plans so early on.

"Elder Yi, can you seal it?"

Electrolux was silent for a breath.

"You want to seal it, to prevent it from merging with the beast's soul?"

"Yes." Xiao Hongchen's voice was resolute. "If they merge, this beast could be assimilated by that divine consciousness through subtle influence. It would become a vessel for another person's consciousness."

"It is possible." Electrolux paused. "But it will consume a significant amount of my divine consciousness, and I may fall into a deep slumber afterward."

"For how long?"

"A few months at the shortest, a few years at the longest." Electrolux's voice remained calm. "Sealing that consciousness is not difficult—even if that fragment were complete, it would still be inferior to me—but the challenge lies in doing so without harming the beast itself."

Xiao Hongchen opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Kid, you are hesitating."

"...Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you need to rest. You slept for so long after purifying the carving knife last time; this sealing will consume even more. I don't want you to—"

"Don't want this old man to what?" Electrolux interrupted him, a hint of an imperceptible smile in his voice. "I have lived for too long; it is just a sleep, not a major event. As for you, if you do not seal this consciousness today, you will regret it when the beast is assimilated and loses its sense of self one day. I have seen too many people filled with regret. Your face should not wear that expression."

Xiao Hongchen's eyes grew slightly warm. He hesitated no longer. "Elder Yi, seal it. I will improve myself as quickly as possible afterward so that you can wake up sooner."

Electrolux transformed into a stream of black air, passing through Xiao Hongchen's Sea of Consciousness. Following the golden thread still connecting the beast's vertical eye to the center of Xiao Hongchen's brow, he surged silently into the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

What Xiao Hongchen did not know was that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had heard the entire conversation between him and Electrolux in the Sea of Consciousness. It was precisely because it sensed no malice from the other party that it allowed the black air to enter its own Sea of Consciousness and permitted it to search the deepest reaches of its soul.

The black air quickly found the foreign divine consciousness within the golden soul. It was a presence that did not belong to this forest or this world, carrying an aura of supreme arrogance.

The air transformed into a gray membrane, wrapping the multicolored divine consciousness in layer after layer.

Within the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vertical eye, the demon-red light trembled violently.

It sensed that the moment the seal descended, something deep within its soul had been changed forever.

From this day forward, that divine consciousness would still exist within its body, but it would never again merge with its soul, nor would it ever suddenly devour its sense of self.

The seal was set. Electrolux returned.

His figure was significantly more translucent, and his original gray-blue hue had dimmed, much like a lamp that had run out of oil.

Electrolux's voice sounded.

"It is sealed. In my prime, I could have completely erased it, but now I can only seal it. How long the seal lasts depends on the beast's own will. If it refuses to be merged, the seal will be unbreakable. If it chooses to accept it one day, the seal will dissipate on its own."

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

"How do you know?"

"Because its eyes are different from before. That divine consciousness, no matter how poor, reached the level of a god. Even sealed, it has brought the beast many benefits. Its spiritual sense will continue to grow stronger; how could it let someone else's consciousness interfere with it?"

Electrolux was silent for a long time.

"Kid, I must sleep. I will lend you this Undead Semi-Plane; do not die before I wake up."

Having said this, he raised a hand and pointed.

The black air surged into Xiao Hongchen's body with a roar.

Xiao Hongchen felt his spiritual body jolt, as if someone had chiseled open a door deep within his consciousness. Behind that door lay a territory he had never stepped foot in—vast, dark, and bottomless, yet inexplicably, it held no hostility toward him.

That territory submitted in silence, waiting.

Following that came knowledge.

A vast amount of knowledge flooded into his mind like a deluge.

It contained the methods to open the Undead Semi-Plane, the roots and essence of Necromancy, and more.

"You have gained quite a bit this time; feel it carefully."

Electrolux fell completely silent after saying this.

Xiao Hongchen decided to examine it carefully after returning, as he did not know when the Red King might return.

He withdrew from the Sea of Consciousness, and the pale golden vertical mark between his brows was still glowing faintly.

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

The Blade of Life's Watch inside was directly expelled, landing in his hand.

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

Electrolux's divine sense had actually been squeezed back into his own Sea of Consciousness, and he clearly sensed that a mysterious power—the Power of Destiny—had been added to this third eye of his.

No wonder Elder Yi had said that just now; he had indeed gained a significant boost this time.

Xiao Hongchen opened his eyes and found that he was still maintaining the posture of pressing his forehead against the vertical pupil of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

He immediately leaned his head back gently, separating his forehead from the vertical pupil.

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

However, it no longer held any hostility toward him; in fact, the gains the Imperial Auspicious Beast had acquired this time were no less than Xiao Hongchen's.

In the depths of his mind, Xiao Hongchen could also feel that there seemed to be some kind of connection between him and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. As for what the future held, who could say for sure?

Xiao Hongchen ultimately couldn't resist; he gently stroked the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's large, furry head. The golden fur was soft and warm, like fine silk.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion did not dodge, simply watching him quietly with its three eyes.

The demonic red light in those vertical pupils remained, but deeper within lay a clear and pure gold.

"Your origins... I will not tell anyone else."

A cold, feminine voice rang out only in Xiao Hongchen's ears.

Xiao Hongchen's heart suddenly relaxed, and he nearly laughed out loud. It had been worth the effort Elder Yi spent helping him clear his divine sense.

Good girl...

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

"Thank you, Auspicious Beast. From now on, you are your own self."

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

It suddenly stepped forward and gently nudged Xiao Hongchen's chest with its furry head, like a large, pampered feline.

Jing Hongchen stood to the side, watching this scene. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he did not ask any questions, simply releasing the restraints in silence.

Meng Hongchen and Ye Guyi also took a few steps closer.

Meng Hongchen's eyes widened as she whispered in surprise:

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

Ye Guyi frowned slightly, her pale golden eyes filled with vigilance, though she soon relaxed.

She could sense that this Imperial Auspicious Beast held no hostility toward Xiao Hongchen; on the contrary, there was a hint of closeness and reliance.