Snow Emblem Calls an Old Friend

Time lost all meaning within the ice cave.

When Huo Yuhao struggled awake once more from deep sleep and intermittent self-recovery, his body felt slightly more "real" than before. The dull ache of the curse in his chest remained, and the sealed sphere within his soul was still an unstable hidden danger, but the weakness that had made him feel as if he could fall apart at any moment had eased somewhat. Thanks to the continued effects of the Voidheart Jade and the improved Soul Tool Spirit-Gathering Array Disk, along with the slow recovery of his own tenacious vitality, his basic physical strength had recovered to nearly that of an ordinary healthy adult. His Soul King-level spiritual power had become more condensed as well, and he could control it with greater ease.

He was no longer a cripple who could only lie sprawled across the ice. At the very least, he now had the means to move and defend himself to some extent.

"Time to leave," he murmured, his voice much clearer within the ice cave. His Spirit Eyes swept over the temporary shelter, confirming that no traces bearing divine characteristics had been left behind.

With a thought, he connected to the starlight sapphire ring. This time, he took out more than just medicinal herbs and ores.

The first thing to cover his body was a streamlined, close-fitting inner suit of armor. It was a dull dark blue, neither metal nor leather, and so light and soft that he could barely feel its weight. Back in the Divine Realm, he had used a rare divine material known as Stardust Mica, combined with certain concepts from lower-realm battle armor and divine armor, to attempt the creation of the foundation inner layer of Quasi-Divine Spirit Armor. It lacked the world-destroying power and domain of true divine armor, but its physical defense far surpassed ordinary three-word battle armor of the lower realm. More importantly, it was exceptionally effective at cushioning and dispersing energy impacts, and could passively absorb weak ambient energy—including natural essence, dissipated soul power, and even some harmful radiation—to maintain its basic functions. To him in his current state, it was equivalent to an additional sturdy, "energy-saving" safeguard for his life. As the inner layer activated and clung to his skin, it gave off a constant trace of warmth, effectively driving away the chill of the ice cave and making him feel considerably safer.

Next, a pair of ancient-looking silver-gray metal bracers that covered only his forearms appeared around his wrists, replacing the crude "basic spiritual barrier generator" from before. These too were creations from his time in the Divine Realm—the "All-State Spiritual and Soul Tool Auxiliary Wrist Unit." It integrated more efficient spiritual power amplification and stabilization circuits, multilayered energy detection and shielding modules, as well as monitoring and basic decoding functions for the common soul tool communication channels currently used across Douluo Continent. This had been one of his interests during ten thousand years of observing the lower realm's development. The wrist unit activated soundlessly, linking perfectly with his spiritual power. Tiny streams of data appeared at the edge of his vision, displaying the surrounding energy readings and safety assessments while beginning to scan for and connect to nearby soul tool information networks, like invisible feelers reaching into the outside world.

Finally, a flash of light appeared before him, and a silent soul tool vehicle emerged. It was sleek and sharp-lined, its entire body interwoven in deep-space dark blue and silver-gray. It had no wheels, hovering half a foot above the ground, and was nearly four meters long. Its form lay somewhere between a land-based sports car and a small aircraft, its mirror-smooth surface inscribed with hidden composite soul tool formations. This was the Realm Patrol light soul tool reconnaissance vehicle, a product of Divine Realm craftsmanship designed around efficiency, stealth, and adaptability. Its power came from an efficient soul tool core supplemented by solar energy, and it possessed high-speed ground hovering, short-range low-altitude stealth flight, optical camouflage, and a medium-strength energy shield. More importantly, its navigation system stored a Dynamic Continental Overview Map that Huo Yuhao had drawn based on intermittent Divine Realm observations over the past ten thousand years, supplemented by ancient memories. It covered Douluo Continent's major terrain and important energy nodes, such as former major cities, soul beast gathering areas, and known weak points in space. Though ten thousand years of change had certainly transformed both the landscape and its people, the basic framework of mountains and rivers, along with certain eternal energy landmarks, still held immense reference value.

With these preparations, Huo Yuhao felt completely different. The embarrassment of being seriously injured and stripped of his power remained, but the drifting sense of helpless isolation—of facing an unknown world empty-handed—had been largely dispelled by solid equipment and a clear objective. He was no longer a bedraggled fugitive. He was more like an explorer who had been stranded in a foreign land by accident, yet remained well-equipped and clear in purpose, even if he was a weak explorer.

He entered the Realm Patrol. The interior was compact yet comfortable, and its neural interface system connected to the unit on his wrist, allowing him to control it with his thoughts. He set it to stealth mode, activating basic optical camouflage and low-energy operation, then brought up the overview map and set the Star Dou Great Forest as his first destination.

"Set off."

The soul tool vehicle silently glided out of the ice cave, leaving an almost imperceptible shallow trace across the snowfield before accelerating southward. Inside, Huo Yuhao used the wrist unit to continuously gather information from the outside world, learning about the continent's current state and the Spirit Pagoda's situation through public soul tool channels while comparing the map and adjusting his route. What he saw along the way confirmed and deepened his concerns. The Spirit Pagoda's influence was everywhere. Its organization was rigorous, its technology advanced, far beyond what it had been when first established ten thousand years ago—but it also revealed a far stronger desire for control.

When he quietly drove the Realm Patrol to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and concealed himself behind a hill with a distant view, the sight before him still shook him to the core. The immense yet cold metal wall, the soul masters patrolling atop it, and the flashing soul tools all declared absolute isolation and control.

He stored away the Realm Patrol and activated the Spirit Armor's full concealment mode, causing his figure to nearly blend into the colors of the environment. Moving closer, he used his Spirit Eyes to pierce the distance and carefully observe the soul tool structures of the towering wall. The sorrow and anger born from the Spirit Pagoda's corruption grew even stronger in his heart.

It was time to attempt contact. Though he now had some support to rely on, any rash action would be dangerous when facing an existence like Di Tian.

He found a more concealed thicket and sat down cross-legged. The sense of security brought by his equipment allowed him to focus more intently. His consciousness sank inward as he cautiously touched the Mental Beacon left behind ten thousand years ago, sending out that snowflake-like wave of pure aura unique to "Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao."

He sent it, fell silent, and waited. The wrist unit kept his vital signs and spiritual fluctuations at their lowest levels, minimizing the possibility of outside detection.

The core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, Lake of Life.

Completely unlike the tense oppression of the outer regions, this place was still filled with life aura and primal soul power so dense they seemed impossible to dissolve. Yet a deep grief, fury, and unyielding will hung over the hearts of every soul beast surviving here like clouds that would never disperse. The lake water was no longer as clear as before. What it reflected was a sky cut apart by the towering wall, and the suppressed flames within every pair of beast eyes.