The Death of Huo Yun'er

"Mom! What happened to you?"

In the small courtyard, Huo Yuhao leaned over Huo Yun'er's bedside.

Huo Yun'er's forehead looked as though it had struck something. Blood kept seeping out, staining the bandage wrapped around it red.

She lay unconscious. Only the faint rise and fall of her chest showed that she was still alive.

"What happened?"

Huo Yuhao looked up at the person beside him, his eyes red and bloodshot.

The person stammered,

"Young Master Huo, I don't know! Madam slipped and fell down the stairs today. It looked like nothing more than a scrape on her forehead, but she lost consciousness."

As Huo Yuhao grew frantic, a soft hand took his, calming him.

"Yuhao, don't panic! Imperial Brother has gone to fetch Senior Wang Xian'er."

Hope stirred in Huo Yuhao's heart. He had heard of Senior Wang Xian'er. She was far more skilled than Ye Fei, who had treated him and his mother before.

With the Healing Angel as her Martial Soul, Senior Wang Xian'er was a level 95 healing-type Super Douluo and one of the finest healers on the Douluo Continent.

Xu Jiawei led an elderly woman with silver hair into Huo Yun'er's room.

Behind her came Ye Fei, who had treated Huo Yun'er before.

"Where is the patient?"

Everyone hurried aside, revealing Huo Yun'er on the bed.

Wang Xian'er strode over and placed a hand on Huo Yun'er's arm. After a moment, her brow furrowed.

"Medical Immortal, how is my mother?"

"How strange. I can sense only a minor injury, yet somehow the wound has aggravated an old internal injury. Since it flared up, her life force has been steadily draining away."

"Ye Fei, was this happening when you treated her before?"

Ye Fei frowned as well.

"Teacher, I examined Madam Huo's old injury. It wouldn't affect her life. And after two years of rest, such a slight injury should have healed!"

"How strange!"

Ye Fei's answer baffled Wang Xian'er, but treating the patient came first. Nine Spirit Rings rose beneath her feet: two yellow, two purple, and five black.

Her silver hair turned snow-white, while her aged face rapidly grew younger.

In moments, the figure standing before Huo Yun'er was a winged girl who looked seventeen or eighteen.

Wang Xian'er pointed a finger, sending streams of green light into Huo Yun'er's body.

The wound on Huo Yun'er's forehead healed visibly.

Yet Wang Xian'er's expression grew graver.

After a long while, she withdrew her Martial Soul and returned to her elderly appearance.

"Senior Medical Immortal, how is my mother?"

Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Xian'er hopefully, waiting for good news.

"Alas."

Instead, Wang Xian'er only sighed.

Huo Yuhao's heart sank. He hurried up to her.

"Senior Medical Immortal, how is my mother?"

"I don't understand it either. That old injury is barely detectable, yet my soul skills cannot heal it. Even when I infused her with life energy, her life force drained faster."

"Child, I've managed to hold on to part of her life force. She'll wake soon. Prepare yourself to make arrangements after she's gone."

The words struck Huo Yuhao like a bolt from the blue. He collapsed to the floor.

"Yuhao!"

Xu Jiujiu rushed to him and hauled him up.

"Yuhao, Aunt Huo looks like she's waking. Go to her."

Trembling, Huo Yuhao walked to Huo Yun'er's bedside.

"Mom!"

That morning, his mother had been full of energy, promising to make him something delicious. In a single morning, the loss of her life force had left her haggard. Huo Yuhao broke down crying.

"Yuhao, don't cry! Mom's right here."

Just awake, Huo Yun'er heard his sobs and reached out with a trembling hand to stroke his cheek.

Xu Jiujiu came to her bedside too and took her other hand.

"Aunt Huo, you'll be all right!"

"Heh, Jiujiu, you don't have to comfort me. I know my own body. I've had a few good years since leaving the Duke's Estate. That's enough for me."

She spoke lightly, but her gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao, full of reluctance to leave him.

After a long while, Huo Yun'er turned to Xu Jiujiu.

"Jiujiu, you two are what worry me most. I don't have much time left. I'm afraid I'll have to leave Yuhao in your care."

Xu Jiujiu clasped Huo Yun'er's hand tightly in both of hers.

"I will, Aunt Huo. I'll take good care of Yuhao."

At Xu Jiujiu's promise, Huo Yun'er gave Huo Yuhao a few last, lingering looks.

Then her hands slipped from theirs and slowly fell limp.

In a shadowy corner of the Sea God Hall in the Divine Realm.

Sea God Tang San held a disc-shaped device in one hand to observe the lower realm while carefully sending down thin strands of his divine power. He muttered,

"Douluo Consciousness! You think hiding the Child of Destiny's fate will stop me from interfering?"

Suddenly, he sensed the strands of divine power he had sent down vanish.

Eyes bloodshot and breathing hard, Sea God Tang San roared,

"Damn it! Who dares meddle in my affairs? You're courting death!"

At that very moment, a thin white membrane appeared around the Douluo Continent, blocking the Divine Realm's view.

The sight only made Tang San angrier.

"Douluo Consciousness, you want to challenge me?"

Without hesitation, he channeled his divine power to shatter the barrier.

Boom!

Just as Tang San's blue divine power was about to strike the white membrane, a dark-purple bolt of lightning crackling with destructive energy smashed it apart.

Tang San looked up and found a hooded figure standing in the doorway of the secret chamber. He had no idea when the figure had arrived.

"Destruction, what's the meaning of this?"

"Gods may not interfere in the affairs of the lower realms. Tang San, as an enforcer of the Divine Realm, are you breaking the very law you uphold?"

"Can't you see something has happened down there?"

"Of course I can. But Douluo Consciousness is vital to the safety of the Douluo Continent. We cannot afford a mistake. This matter must be discussed first."

With that, the Destruction God King turned and left Tang San's secret chamber.

Watching Destruction depart, Tang San smiled enigmatically.

"We'll see about that, Destruction. Mu Bai still has another move prepared. Once he brings the Child of Destiny's mother's soul to the Divine Realm, the boy will have no choice but to obey."