Demon Sealing Forest

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

It was a small Soul Beast forest, not very large—the kind you could barely spot on a map unless you looked closely. It was practically unknown, and almost no Soul Masters had ever visited.

The Demon Sealing Forest was also extremely strange. It was shrouded in darkness all year round, with no sunlight reaching it. The only Soul Beasts in the forest were those with dark attributes or those that lived alongside dark-attribute Soul Beasts.

The reason for this was simple: a passage to another plane had been sealed here.

Perhaps because it had been contaminated by dark energy, the concentration of dark attributes in this forest was so high that even Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, would probably love it.

A handsome young boy walked through the trees without a care in the world, while a plump, white silkworm baby sprawled across his shoulder.

"This place really is pitch-black..."

The boy wasn't very tall, and his build was rather slender. His short hair was a shade of blue so pale it was almost white, shimmering with a soft silver-blue luster under the sunlight. The smooth strands rested against his forehead. He looked refined and carefree, and when the breeze stirred his hair, it seemed all the more graceful.

A few wisps of fringe fell naturally over his brow, covering the space between his eyebrows just enough to lend him an air of mystery.

Several strands of blue hair fell softly from his temples, brushing his cheeks and framing a flawless, handsome face. His features were gentle, yet still held the spirited air unique to a young man.

Most remarkable of all were his eyes, clear and serene as the sky. Just meeting his gaze gave one the feeling of having one's soul cleansed.

His high, straight nose was like a suspended gallbladder, and his thin lips carried a faint rosy hue, as delicately colored as if painted with vermilion. His fair skin seemed to have been gently bathed in sunlight, glowing with healthy radiance while retaining its softness and smoothness.

Though he wore only a simple black-and-white jacket and blue-silver battle boots, they looked exceptionally dazzling on him, inspiring admiration.

Little Yuhao was already eleven years old. Baili Du's old concern had come true: he had been raised far too well, and had the potential to become a little southern lady...

The fat silkworm baby on his shoulder spoke up. "Yuhao, if you ask me, that old Electrolux tricked you... Why did you have to come all the way here to awaken your Martial Soul?"

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

At once, the layer of black mist covering the entire Demon Sealing Forest began to churn violently. It even started flowing toward Huo Yuhao, wrapping around him.

"I can feel it. The dark aura here suits me very well."

Just as the people of the Holy Spirit Cult had once called Huo Yuhao the Holy Son, his talent for darkness might not be any less impressive...

At that moment, a grey vortex slowly took on human form, becoming a Grey-Robed Elder. It was none other than Electrolux.

He unceremoniously tapped the big head of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm with his staff. "I say, Big Worm, I may be the boy's teacher, but that doesn't mean I'd harm him."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm clutched its head and cried out in pain, but it didn't back down at all. It snapped back at Electrolux, "This place is pitch-black and obviously unsafe! You'd be better off coming with me to the Far North. I guarantee I can get Little Yuhao a powerful Ultimate Martial Soul!"

Electrolux ignored it and turned to Huo Yuhao instead. "Yuhao, tell me first: what do you think of the power of darkness?"

Huo Yuhao tilted his head. He thought it over for a moment, then answered seriously, "What do I think? Hmm... I feel like darkness isn't as awful as people usually say. On the contrary, it gives me a sense of acceptance."

Hearing Huo Yuhao's unexpected answer, Electrolux grew interested. "Oh? Acceptance? Tell me more."

"Perhaps darkness doesn't always bring people negative emotions... This may not be the best comparison, but 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 seemed a little dazed. A kind smile appeared on his face as he gently stroked Huo Yuhao's soft blue hair. "That's a very interesting insight."

"Since that's how you feel, let's go deeper and see for ourselves."

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

Quite a few Soul Beasts came out along the way, but none of them posed any threat. Still, the place was terribly barren. The strongest was only a Black Demon Horse of around twenty thousand years, and Huo Yuhao simply used Simulation to conceal his figure as he passed by without harming any of them.

At last, they reached the very center of the Demon Sealing Forest.

It was so dark here that they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. Faint purple halos shimmered in the air, and the dark aura was dense to the extreme. Fortunately, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye Martial Soul gave him excellent vision, allowing him to see even in the pitch-black surroundings.

There were no trees or particularly powerful Soul Beasts at the center of the Demon Sealing Forest. Instead, there was a wide clearing. On the ground lay a purple-black hexagram array that radiated an ominous glow, while a massive purple-black gate of light hovered in midair.

Huo Yuhao murmured, "Is this it?"

Yes. Sealed here was the passage to the Demon Plane, which would appear ten thousand years later.

At least for now, Tang Hao, who had replaced the Plane Master, still knew enough to do the right thing. The Soul Masters of Douluo Continent and their Soul Guidance Technology were currently unable to resist an invasion from another plane, so these pieces Tang San had originally laid out had all been sealed for the time being, to keep them from invading Douluo Continent.

Although the Demon Plane's overall strength and energy attributes were not as terrifying as those of the Abyssal Plane, it had its own advantage: its dark attribute was pure enough to be considered Ultimate Darkness by the standards of Douluo Continent.

Baili Du's original plan was to use the power of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to create another Blank Martial Soul, then place Electrolux's divine sense and power entirely inside it. That would give Huo Yuhao a truly additional Martial Soul, and also prevent Tang San from using any more underhanded means against Electrolux.

A Martial Soul couldn't just be casually stripped away and burned.

It was just that Electrolux's divine sense was far too fragile. The power of a single Martial Soul wasn't nearly enough to sustain it, so after discussing it, the two of them decided to borrow power.

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

As the Death God Douluo, Electrolux had the ability to transform Ultimate Light into Ultimate Darkness, so he could withstand darkness far better. Besides, Baili Du remembered that one of the Titan Giant Ape's descendants was named Yuanen Yehui. She possessed two top-tier Martial Souls: the Titan Giant Ape and the Fallen Angel from the Demon Plane. Among the Shrek Seven Devils of the generation ten thousand years later, her talent ranked just below Gu Yuena and Tang Wulin. For a considerable period, her combat strength even surpassed Tang Wulin's.

That also showed how powerful the Fallen Angel's power from the Demon Plane was. It would be more than enough to use as a Martial Soul.