Fusion with Life Gold

After Yan Jingzhe departed via teleportation, he appeared directly by the shore of Sea God Lake.

A thin mist shrouded the lake's surface. The water was clear and shallow, and tiny waves crashed against the rocks, splashing cool droplets into the air.

Sea God Lake was the core region of Shrek Academy's Inner Court. The soul power density throughout the Inner Court was several times higher than outside, and the fundamental reason for this phenomenon was the Golden Ancient Tree.

Yan Jingzhe's residence was located there: a two-story building with blue bricks and gray tiles. It was not particularly large, but it was peaceful.

He had barely come to a stop by the lake before a fiery red figure swept over from afar.

It was a mass of scorching flame moving at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, it was right before him. As the flames dispersed, the figure of a young girl was revealed.

She looked fifteen or sixteen years old, tall and slender, with long fiery red hair draped over her shoulders. Her features were exquisite and striking, her phoenix eyes slightly upturned with an innate sharpness. Dressed in tight red clothing, she radiated blazing soul power fluctuations.

Ma Xiaotao, an Inner Court student of Shrek Academy. Her Martial Soul was the Evil Fire Phoenix, and she was a Rank 61 Soul Emperor.

She was also the personal disciple of Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department. By seniority, she should have called Yan Jingzhe Martial Uncle.

"Martial Uncle?" Ma Xiaotao looked at him in surprise.

"I just got back from outside." Yan Jingzhe glanced at her. "What are you doing?"

"Cultivating." Ma Xiaotao answered as though it were obvious. The flames around her had not fully withdrawn yet, dancing at her fingertips.

Yan Jingzhe nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul shared the same origin as his Radiant Phoenix Martial Soul, though they had diverged down different paths. They were distantly related, after all—both were phoenixes. Ever since his younger brother Yan Shaozhe had taken her as a disciple, he had praised her often before Yan Jingzhe, saying the girl possessed extraordinary talent and would surely become a Titled Douluo in the future.

Yan Jingzhe neither agreed nor disagreed.

She had talent, but her path was somewhat untamed. If the Evil Fire Phoenix's evil fire was not purified, it would be easy for her to suffer cultivation deviation and fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master.

"Has your cultivation been going smoothly lately?" Yan Jingzhe asked casually.

"More or less. Same as always. Because of the evil fire, I can't cultivate without restraint." Ma Xiaotao shrugged, and the flames in her palm flickered.

As she spoke, she glanced at Sea God Lake, her tone carrying a trace of helplessness.

"Then why don't you hurry up and find yourself a partner?" Yan Jingzhe teased. "All right, go cultivate. Your Martial Uncle still has matters to attend to."

Ma Xiaotao curled her lips. "As if I can just find one whenever I want." After saluting him, she turned and left. Flames gathered behind her into a pair of wings. With a gentle flap, she had already flown far into the distance.

Yan Jingzhe watched her retreating figure. It seems I need to make a trip to the Icefire Yin Yang Well in Sunset Forest as soon as possible. Once I fuse with Life Gold, I can use the Immortal Herbs to break through to Rank 99, Limit Douluo. He turned and walked toward his small building.

When he pushed open the door, the room was pitch-black.

He did not light a lamp. Instead, he crossed the living room, went up to the second floor, and entered the innermost room. This was a cultivation chamber he had specially modified. Soul Tool Arrays were embedded in the walls and floor, capable of isolating the aura within and without, preventing any disturbance from cultivation from leaking out.

Yan Jingzhe sat cross-legged at the center of the cultivation chamber and closed his eyes.

He did not rush to do anything. Instead, he first circulated the soul power within his body once. His Rank 98 soul power flowed through his meridians like a mighty river, every acupoint filled with golden light-element power.

Everything was normal.

Then, he sank his consciousness into his Sea of Spirit.

His Sea of Spirit was a vast golden ocean, the manifestation of a Rank 98 Titled Douluo's spiritual power. The sea was magnificent and turbulent, its waves surging, every rise and fall representing a fluctuation of his spiritual power.

At the very center of the Sea of Spirit floated a cluster of gray mist.

The mist was not large, only the size of a fist, yet it emanated an aura that made even Yan Jingzhe's heart palpitate. It was not powerful, but fundamentally... different.

Yan Jingzhe's spiritual body approached the gray mist.

"Here at last?"

An aged voice emerged from the gray mist. Its tone was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The gray mist slowly gathered, taking the shape of a blurry human figure. The figure was tall, clad in a tattered gray robe. His face was old yet dignified, and though his eyes were dim, the sharpness he had possessed in life could still be seen.

Electrolux, Calamity of the Undead, Holy Necromancer.

A visitor from another world, a wisp of remnant soul.

"Senior has stayed in my Sea of Spirit for so long. It's about time I came to chat with you." Yan Jingzhe's tone was casual, as though greeting an old friend.

Electrolux's phantom fell silent for a moment, seemingly examining him.

"You should count as one of the strongest experts in this world. Why did you go to such lengths to draw this old man here?"

"Godhood."

"Godhood?"

"Yes, Senior. In truth, I know quite a lot. For example, you came from another world. In your world, becoming a god means turning into the laws of the world. But in the plane where I reside, becoming a god means becoming a true god, possessing eternal life and absolute freedom. And I already know how to become one."

Electrolux's phantom trembled slightly.

"Since you already possess a method to attain godhood, why do you need this old man's help?"

A meaningful smile curled across Yan Jingzhe's lips.

"At this point in time, there is a God King standing above all else, controlling everything. He wants to turn Douluo Continent into his own private garden. Unless he nods his approval, no one can become a god." His voice was soft, yet he pronounced every word clearly. "And if I wish to become a god, I can only ask for Senior's help."

"Once I succeed, I can help Senior stabilize your divine consciousness, or even help you become a god."

The Sea of Spirit fell silent.

After a long while, Electrolux spoke again, this time with a hint of seriousness in his voice.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Good. Senior, help me fuse this item first." Yan Jingzhe said. "We can discuss the future when there is time."

"Life Gold?"

Yan Jingzhe did not answer, merely nodding.

He took a carving knife from his storage ring—Life Gold.

"Please help me, Senior."

"I can, but I also need to absorb some life energy to stabilize my remnant soul."

"No problem, Senior. Then I'll begin."

With that, he pressed Life Gold directly against his forehead, took a deep breath, and prepared to begin the fusion.

However, the moment his spiritual power touched the core of Life Gold, an immense surge of life energy erupted from the crystal. Like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam, it crazily poured into his forehead.

In the original story, this item could stabilize Electrolux's remnant soul and cause Huo Yuhao's vitality to soar. The energy it contained was beyond imagination. Yet what he was attempting now was not simple absorption, but complete fusion—melding the entire piece of Life Gold into his flesh and blood.

The scale of this undertaking was far greater than he had imagined.

The life energy was like an out-of-control dragon, rampaging through his body. His meridians swelled with agonizing pain. Yan Jingzhe gritted his teeth and desperately mobilized his soul power to restrain the violent energy, but the effect was negligible.

"Senior..." Yan Jingzhe forced out two words through clenched teeth. "Help me."

"Hold on. This old man is coming."

As his words fell, the gray mist rose from Yan Jingzhe's Sea of Spirit and slowly condensed into Electrolux's phantom. This time, the phantom was far more solid than before. It was no longer a vague outline; his features and expression could be clearly seen.

Electrolux extended a hand and pressed it against Yan Jingzhe's forehead.

A cold force poured from his fingertips. It was not an attack, but control. The force was like a precise net, wrapping layer after layer around the life energy released by Life Gold, then slowly and methodically guiding it into Yan Jingzhe's bodily meridians.

The violent life energy became like a tamed beast, gradually calming down.

Yan Jingzhe felt the pressure throughout his body suddenly lighten, and he could not help letting out a long breath.

"Do not be distracted." Electrolux's voice was cold and steady. "This old man can only help you control the flow rate. The true fusion still depends on you. Circulate your cultivation method and guide the energy where it needs to go."

Yan Jingzhe did not dare delay. He immediately circulated his cultivation method. Golden light-element soul power flowed through his meridians, absorbing, assimilating, and fusing the tamed streams of life energy.

The process was slow, but stable.

Electrolux's control was like a precise valve, keeping the rate at which Life Gold released energy within the perfect range—it would neither be fast enough to burst his meridians nor slow enough to drag the process out.

One shichen passed.

Two shichen passed.

The Life Gold at Yan Jingzhe's forehead gradually shrank bit by bit until it finally vanished completely.

The last trace of life energy was fully absorbed by him.

Yan Jingzhe slowly opened his eyes, a flash of blue-gold light passing through the depths of his pupils. He felt a subtle change in his body—not an increase in soul power, but a leap in the very essence of his life.

It was like a pond on the verge of drying up suddenly receiving a source of living water.

More importantly, the cluster of gray mist floating above the Sea of Spirit had become much more solid than before.

Electrolux's phantom appeared once more within the gray mist, looking considerably clearer than before.

"Thank you, Senior. How do you feel?" Yan Jingzhe asked.

"Much better than before." A trace of exhaustion colored Electrolux's voice. "I absorbed some life energy. At the very least, it can keep my remnant soul from dispersing."

"That is good."

Electrolux fell silent for a while before suddenly saying, "This old man needs to sleep for a time now to stabilize my remnant soul. If you need anything, simply call for me."

"Understood, Senior." Yan Jingzhe replied respectfully.

Electrolux said nothing further. The gray mist condensed into a ball once more and sank into the depths of the Sea of Spirit.

Yan Jingzhe withdrew from his Sea of Spirit and felt the power surging within him. Life Gold had been fully fused, and Electrolux's remnant soul had also been initially stabilized.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.