Time lost all meaning in the ice cave.
When Huo Yuhao struggled awake once more from deep slumber and intermittent self-recovery, his body felt slightly more "real" than before. The dull, cursed pain in his chest remained, and the sealed sphere within his divine soul was still an unstable danger, but the weakness that had made him feel as though he might 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 revival 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 more smoothly.
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.
"It's time to leave," he murmured, his voice much clearer within the ice cave. His Spirit Eyes swept over the temporary refuge, confirming that he had left behind no traces bearing divine characteristics.
With a thought, he connected to the starlight sapphire ring. This time, he took out more than just medicinal herbs and minerals.
The first thing to cover his body was a streamlined, close-fitting suit of inner armor. It was a muted dark blue, neither metal nor leather, incredibly soft and so light that he could barely feel its weight. Back in the Divine Realm, he had used a rare material known as Stardust Mica, combining certain concepts from lower-realm battle armor and divine armor to attempt the creation of the "Quasi-Divine Spirit Armor" base inner layer. It did not possess the world-destroying power or domains of God Rank armor, but its physical defense far surpassed that of ordinary Three-Word Battle Armor from the lower realm. More importantly, it possessed exceptional buffering and dispersal properties against energy impacts, and could passively absorb faint energy from its surroundings—including natural essence, stray Soul Power, and even certain harmful radiation—to maintain its basic functions. For him at this moment, it was like gaining a sturdy, "energy-efficient" safeguard for his life. The inner layer activated and clung to his skin, releasing a steady hint of warmth that effectively drove away the ice cave's chill and made him feel much safer.
Next, a pair of antiquated silver-gray metal bracers that covered only his forearms appeared around his wrists, replacing the crude Basic Mental Barrier Generator from before. This too was one of his creations from the Divine Realm—the "Omni-State Mental and Soul Tool Auxiliary Wrist Unit." It incorporated more efficient circuits for amplifying and stabilizing spiritual power, multilayered energy detection and shielding modules, as well as monitoring and basic decoding capabilities for the common Soul Tool communication channels currently used across the Douluo Continent. This had been one of his interests during his ten thousand years of observing the lower realm's development. The wrist unit activated soundlessly and connected perfectly with his spiritual power. Extremely faint streams of data appeared at the edge of his vision, displaying energy readings and safety assessments for the surrounding environment as it began attempting to scan and connect to nearby Soul Tool information networks, invisible tendrils reaching toward the outside world.
Finally, light flashed before him, and a sleek Soul Tool vehicle with sharp lines and a body woven from deep-space dark blue and silver-gray appeared without a sound. It had no wheels. Its chassis hovered half a foot above the ground, and its body was nearly four meters long, somewhere between a land-based sports car and a small aircraft. Its mirror-smooth surface bore concealed composite Soul Tool formations. This was the "Realm Patrol" light Soul Tool reconnaissance vehicle, a product of Divine Realm craftsmanship built around efficiency, stealth, and adaptability. Its power came from an efficient Soul Tool core supplemented by solar energy. It was capable of 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" Huo Yuhao had drawn from sporadic Divine Realm observations over the past ten thousand years, combined with ancient memories. It covered the Douluo Continent's major terrain and significant energy nodes, such as former great cities, Soul Beast gathering areas, and known weak points in space. Although ten thousand years of change had undoubtedly transformed its geography and peoples, the fundamental framework of its mountains and rivers, along with certain eternal energy landmarks, still held tremendous reference value.
With these preparations, Huo Yuhao felt completely different. The embarrassment of being seriously injured and stripped of his strength remained, but the sense of drifting helplessly through an unknown world, isolated and 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 purposeful—though admittedly, 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 designated the Star Dou Great Forest as his first navigation point.
"Depart."
The Soul Tool vehicle silently glided out of the ice cave, leaving an almost imperceptible shallow mark across the snowfield before accelerating southward. Inside, Huo Yuhao used the wrist unit to continuously gather outside information, learning about the current state of the continent and the Spirit Pagoda through public Soul Tool channels while comparing it against the map to adjust his route. What he saw along the way confirmed and deepened his concerns. The Spirit Pagoda's influence was everywhere. Its organization was rigorous and its technology advanced, far beyond what it had been when it was first founded ten thousand years ago, yet it also revealed a stronger desire for control.
When he silently drove the Realm Patrol to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and concealed himself behind a hill from which he could observe it from afar, the sight before him still shook him to the core. That towering yet icy metal wall, the Soul Masters patrolling atop it, and the flashing Soul Tools all proclaimed absolute isolation and control.
He put away the Realm Patrol and activated the Spirit Armor inner layer's full concealment mode. His figure nearly blended into the colors of the environment. Moving closer, he used his Spirit Eyes to pierce the distance and carefully study the Soul Tool structure of the high wall. The sorrow and fury in his heart, born from the Spirit Pagoda's corruption, grew even stronger.
It was time to attempt contact. Though he now had some means to rely on, any rash move against an existence like Di Tian would be dangerous.
He found a more secluded thicket and sat down cross-legged. The sense of security brought by his equipment allowed him to focus more fully. His consciousness settled, and he carefully touched the Mental Beacon he had left behind ten thousand years ago, sending out that snowflake-like wave of pure aura unique to the Ice Douluo, Huo Yuhao.
He sent it, fell silent, and waited. The wrist unit maintained his vital signs and spiritual fluctuations at their lowest levels, minimizing the possibility of detection from the outside world.
The core region of the Star Dou Great Forest—the Lake of Life.
Completely unlike the tense oppression of the outer region, this place was still suffused with life energy and primal Soul Power so dense they seemed impossible to disperse. Yet a deep grief, indignation, and unyielding will hung over the hearts of every Soul Beast that survived here like storm clouds that would never fade. The lake water was no longer as clear as it had once been. What it reflected was a sky severed by high walls, and the suppressed flames burning in every beast's eyes.
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