Demon Sealing Forest

Another year and a half later, in the southern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, lay the Demon Sealing Forest.

This was a small spirit beast forest, so modest in size that it was barely visible on a map without close inspection. It was utterly obscure, and almost no spirit masters ever visited it.

Moreover, this Demon Sealing Forest was extremely bizarre; it was shrouded in darkness all year round, with no sunlight able to penetrate the canopy. The forest contained only spirit beasts of the dark attribute, or those that possessed secondary dark attributes.

As for why it had become this way, the reason was simple: a portal leading to another plane was sealed here.

Perhaps due to the pollution of dark energy, the concentration of dark attributes within this forest was so high that even the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian, would likely find it quite appealing.

A handsome young boy was walking through the woods without a care, a plump, white silkworm resting on his shoulder.

"It really is pitch black in here..."

The boy was not very tall and had a slender build. He wore his slightly pale blue hair in a short style, which shimmered with a soft, silver-blue luster under the sunlight. The strands lay smoothly against his forehead, elegant and graceful, appearing even more ethereal as they drifted in the light breeze.

A few fine bangs hung down naturally, covering the center of his brow just right and adding a touch of mystery to his appearance.

A few strands of blue hair fell from his temples, brushing against his cheeks and outlining an impeccably handsome profile. The lines were soft yet retained the heroic spirit unique to a young boy.

What was most breathtaking were his eyes; they were as clear and ethereal as the sky, and merely meeting his gaze felt like a cleansing of the soul.

His high-bridged nose was straight, and his thin lips were a faint, rosy hue, as delicate as if they had been meticulously painted. His fair skin seemed to have been gently bathed in sunlight, radiating a healthy glow while remaining fine and smooth.

Although he wore only a simple black-and-white jacket and blue-silver combat boots, they looked exceptionally magnificent and eye-catching on him, truly stunning.

Huo Yuhao was now eleven years old. Baili Du's earlier worries had come to pass; the boy had been raised so well that he had the potential to become a "little beauty"...

The fat silkworm on his shoulder spoke up: "Yuhao, Brother says that old man Electrolux is scamming you... Does awakening a martial soul really require coming to a place like this?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Teacher and Uncle Baili wouldn't lie to me, and besides..." As he spoke, he closed his eyes, and an invisible ripple spread outward from his body.

Suddenly, the layer of black mist shrouding the entire Demon Sealing Forest began to churn violently, even flowing toward Huo Yuhao's body to envelop him.

"I can feel it. The dark aura here is very suitable for me."

Just as those from the Holy Spirit Cult had once called Huo Yuhao the Holy Son, Huo Yuhao's talent for darkness was perhaps not low at all...

At this moment, a gray vortex slowly condensed into a human shape, taking the form of an old man in gray robes—it was Electrolux.

He used his staff to rap the big head of the Tianmeng Iceworm unceremoniously. "I say, you big bug, I am little Yuhao's master, after all. Why would I ever harm him?"

The Tianmeng Iceworm clutched its head and shrieked, but it didn't back down, bickering with Electrolux. "This place is pitch black; it doesn't look safe at all! It would be better to go to the Far North with Brother. I guarantee I could get little Yuhao a powerful Ultimate Martial Soul!"

Electrolux ignored it and turned to Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, tell me first: what are your thoughts on this power of darkness?"

Huo Yuhao tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and answered earnestly, "Thoughts? Hmm... I feel that this power of darkness isn't as unbearable as people usually say. Instead, it gives me a sense of inclusiveness."

Hearing an answer that exceeded his expectations, Electrolux became interested. "Oh, inclusiveness? Tell me more."

"Perhaps what darkness brings to people isn't necessarily negative emotions... Although this analogy might not be very serious, it's like how people sleep at night and work during the day. Most of the time, I think darkness is like the night, wrapping around people's tired hearts."

He closed his eyes and slowly spread his arms. "I feel very relaxed in the darkness..."

Electrolux was momentarily stunned. A kind smile appeared on his face as he gently stroked Huo Yuhao's soft blue hair. "Your insight is very interesting."

"In that case, let's go deeper and take a look."

Huo Yuhao nodded obediently and continued walking toward the depths of the forest.

During their journey, quite a few spirit beasts appeared, but they posed no threat. The area was quite barren, however; the strongest creature they encountered was only a 20,000-year-old Black Demon Horse. Huo Yuhao used his Simulation to mask their presence, avoiding any harm to them.

Eventually, they reached the very center of the Demon Sealing Forest.

Here, it was so dark that one couldn't see their own fingers, and a faint purple halo swirled in the air. The dark aura was extremely dense, but fortunately, the vision provided by Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye martial soul was strong enough that he could see clearly even in such total darkness.

There were no trees or powerful spirit beasts at the center of the Demon Sealing Forest. Instead, there was a large clearing with a purple-black hexagram array on the ground that emitted an ominous glow, and a massive purple-black portal floated in mid-air.

Huo Yuhao muttered to himself, "Is this it?"

Yes, what was sealed here was the portal to the Demon Plane that would appear ten thousand years later.

At least at this point in time, Tang Hao, who had replaced the Plane Master, still knew how to act reasonably. The current combat power and spirit guidance technology of the Douluo Continent could not resist an invasion from an external plane, so these chess pieces originally laid out by Tang San were temporarily sealed to prevent them from encroaching upon the Douluo Continent.

Although the Demon Plane was not as terrifying as the Abyss Plane in terms of overall strength and energy attributes, it possessed its own advantages: its inherent dark attribute was sufficiently pure. By the standards of the Douluo Continent, it was the Ultimate Darkness.

Baili Du's original plan was to use the power of the Tianmeng Iceworm to recreate a Blank Martial Soul, fully implanting Electrolux's divine consciousness and power into it to give Huo Yuhao a brand-new martial soul, while also preventing Tang San from using any underhanded tactics against Electrolux.

A martial soul could not be stripped away or burned off so easily.

However, Electrolux's divine consciousness was too fragile; the power provided by a single martial soul was simply not enough. After discussing it, the two decided to borrow power.

As for whose power to borrow, after searching around, they decided to set their sights on this Demon Plane.

As the Necromancy Holy Spirit God, Electrolux possessed the ability to transform Ultimate Light into Ultimate Darkness, so his tolerance for darkness was naturally higher. Furthermore, Baili Du remembered that the Titan Giant Ape lineage had a descendant named Yuanen Yehui, who possessed both the Titan Giant Ape and the Fallen Angel martial soul from the Demon Plane. She was the person with the second-highest talent among that generation of the Shrek Seven Devils, surpassed only by Gu Yuena and Tang Wulin, and for a long period, her combat power had actually suppressed Tang Wulin's.

This alone demonstrated the power of the Fallen Angel from the Demon Plane; using it as a martial soul would be more than sufficient.