Child of Destiny

Watching Huo Yun'er's hand slowly fall, Huo Yuhao called out anxiously to everyone in his spiritual sea:

"Teacher, Brother Sky Dream, Sister Ice Empress, you can save my mother, can't you?"

Huo Yuhao pinned his last shred of hope on those in his spiritual sea.

The Ice Empress and Tian Meng exchanged a glance, then shook their heads helplessly.

One wielded ice, the other spiritual power. Neither could save someone whose life was slipping away.

Huo Yuhao turned his hopeful gaze to Jiang Ziya. Surely his teacher, with all his extraordinary abilities, could save his mother's life.

But Jiang Ziya only shook his head slightly.

"I am but a remnant soul now. I cannot bring the dead back to life."

At those words, the last spark in Huo Yuhao's eyes seemed to go out.

"But I can preserve your mother's soul. When you grow strong enough, you can bring her back."

Huo Yuhao looked at Jiang Ziya as though grasping his last lifeline.

"Teacher, is that true?"

"Of course it is."

Golden light shone from Jiang Ziya as he chanted words no one else could understand.

A faintly translucent figure drifted out of Huo Yun'er's body on the sickbed.

A closer look revealed that it was Huo Yun'er's soul.

Jiang Ziya was guiding her soul into Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea when—

A blue-gold light rose from Huo Yun'er's body, seized her soul, and flew toward the sky.

"How dare you! I wondered why Huo Yun'er had an old injury that refused to heal after years of rest. So someone was behind it."

Jiang Ziya roared, golden light blazing around him. A Whisk formed of magical power flew from his hand and plunged toward the blue-gold light.

Boom!

The two lights collided above Star Luo City, unleashing rolling thunder.

The residents of Star Luo City mistook the deafening noise for a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

"Fellow cultivator, will you lend a hand, or just stand there watching?"

Still controlling the Whisk, Jiang Ziya addressed the gray ball of light in the spiritual sea.

For the first time in over two years, the long-silent ball of light spoke.

Another aged voice rang through the spiritual sea.

"Playing with souls in front of me? How foolish!"

The gray light transformed into a white-haired old man in gray robes. In his hand was a Staff made of soul power. He pointed it, and a streak of gray light shot out.

In an instant, it pierced the blue-gold light and pulled Huo Yun'er's soul free.

With Huo Yun'er's soul out of the way, Jiang Ziya could finally fight without holding back. After only a few exchanges, the blue-gold light had dimmed so much it seemed ready to go out.

Just then, a white light tinged with gray shot down from the heavens. Its sudden force instantly obliterated Jiang Ziya's Whisk.

Facing two powers that seemed to come from the Divine Realm, Jiang Ziya's expression turned grave.

If I were still alive, dealing with these two traces of divine power would be nothing.

Even if the ones behind them came in person, I wouldn't fear them.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ziya and the Gray-Robed Elder were both remnant souls. Their power was a dwindling reserve: every bit they used was gone, and they could not replenish it quickly.

Even together, they could only fight the two divine powers to a standstill.

Just as Jiang Ziya began to struggle, a gentle yet immense energy rose from the ground.

Understanding dawned on Jiang Ziya's face. "So that one has intervened!"

The Gray-Robed Elder also sensed their new ally and exchanged a glance with Jiang Ziya.

With that energy's help, the two finally wore away both traces of divine power.

"Teacher, senior, are you all right?"

Seeing how tired the two elders looked, Huo Yuhao stepped forward and asked worriedly:

Earlier, when that blue-gold divine power had emerged from Huo Yun'er's body and clashed with Jiang Ziya,

Huo Yuhao could only wait in the sickroom for his teacher to return.

Over the past few years, he had come to regard Jiang Ziya and the soul spirits as family.

He had already lost his mother today. He could not bear to lose another loved one.

Jiang Ziya patted Huo Yuhao's head and said gently:

"I'm fine. Sorry I worried you."

He then turned to the Gray-Robed Elder.

"Fellow cultivator, I take it you have Girl Huo's soul. What should I call you?"

"Electrolux."

Electrolux offered only his name, then pushed a gray ball of light toward Huo Yuhao.

"Mom!"

Through the gray light, Huo Yuhao could see what lay inside.

Huo Yun'er lay there as if asleep, her expression peaceful. She looked as though she were still alive.

"Take another look at your mother, little one."

Huo Yuhao jerked his head up toward Electrolux in his gray robes.

"Elder Electrolux, what do you mean?"

"A human soul cannot remain exposed for long, or it will quickly dissipate. It needs a place that can nourish it. As it happens, I have such a place. Consider this payment for my lodging these past few years."

After hearing Electrolux's explanation, Huo Yuhao reluctantly said one last goodbye to his mother.

Once he had said goodbye, Electrolux swept his Staff through the air. A gray rift appeared before Huo Yuhao, and he felt waves of chilling air coming from the other side.

"Fellow cultivator, impressive. You even have a Minor Grotto-Heaven."

Huo Yuhao could not tell what it was, but Jiang Ziya could.

It was clearly a small world, though its laws were incomplete. It could not exist as an independent world.

After his mother was taken away, the pale-blue eyes of Huo Yuhao blazed with the flames of vengeance.

He was no fool. He had seen that someone seemed to have deliberately prevented his mother's old injury from healing, leading to her death.

"Teacher, do you know who did this to my mother?"

Jiang Ziya stroked his beard and thought for a moment before answering:

"Those two powers did not come from Douluo Continent. They seem to have come from what you call the Divine Realm."

"The Divine Realm?"

Before Huo Yuhao could speak, Tian Meng and the Ice Empress, who had been watching nearby, cried out together.

"Yes, the Divine Realm. I cannot identify the blue-gold divine power, but I sensed that the gray-white Soul Power resonated with your bloodline."

"Resonated?"

Jiang Ziya's words struck Huo Yuhao like a thunderclap.

Bloodline resonance... If the continent's legends are true, the only person whose power could resonate with my bloodline is my supposed ancestor, Dai Mubai, the Evil-Eyed White Tiger!

Once he realized that, he could also guess who wielded the other divine power.

Among the Shrek Seven Devils, the only one who matched that energy was the legendary Sea God Tang San, supposedly "Pure as Ice and Jade."

Huo Yuhao clenched his fists so tightly that his teeth ground together.

He forced the words out one by one:

"Teacher, why? Why would they do this to me?"

"Because you're this world's Child of Destiny."