Prologue Four

He had accepted the Emotion God Position so as not to disappoint the Soul Spirits' expectations. In the Divine Realm, he had endured Tang San's provocations. When Qiu'er's soul disappeared, he had swallowed his anger. For his mother's sake, he had accepted Tang San's lies in the Divine Realm. Even now, fighting the God of Destruction, all he could do was take back the Golden Dragon Spear. He didn't hate Tang Wutong. He hated himself for being unable to save those who had passed away, hated his weakness, hated that he wasn't strong enough, and hated Tang San for wantonly playing with other people's fates. But in the Divine Realm, there was nothing he could do. He didn't want to lose his mother again.

Huo Yuhao looked at the Golden Dragon Spear in his hands. He could have found excuses for everything he had done and blamed it all on others, but he didn't want to do that. He murmured softly, "Qiu'er, Dong'er, you were both wrong. I'm not an idiot or a fool. I'm just a good-for-nothing and a joke."

Huo Yuhao left his mother a message, saying that something had come up today and he wouldn't be coming home, so she shouldn't wait for him. He also severed his connection with Tian Meng and the others in the Sea of Consciousness. He didn't want his family to see any of this.

Huo Yuhao held the Golden Dragon Spear as if it were something precious and went to an uninhabited place in the Divine Realm. He no longer had the presence or dignity of a god; he was as helpless as he had been in his youth. He pressed the spear in his arms against his forehead. There wasn't the slightest response, and the last shred of hope in Huo Yuhao's heart was shattered. He refused to put it down for a long time. At last, he slumped to the ground, the spear still in his arms. Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, but tears continued to slide down his cheeks. At that moment, he no longer looked like a god, but like a child hiding in a corner and crying. He didn't know what else he could do to bring Qiu'er back. It was as if he had returned to that tiny woodshed, helpless and despairing, with no idea where the road ahead led. Mentally exhausted, he eventually fell asleep alone, clutching the spear.

Huo Yuhao didn't know how long he had been holding the Golden Dragon Spear when a fluctuation of Divine Power jolted him awake. He opened his eyes and saw countless black cracks spreading across the sky over the Divine Realm, while the fluctuations of Divine Power grew more and more intense. Huo Yuhao didn't know what was happening. All he could do was put away the Golden Dragon Spear and quickly contact Rong Nianbing.

"Master, what's happening?"

"Yuhao, hurry to the Divine Realm Center. The Golden Dragon King is out, and the Divine Realm is caught in Space-Time Turbulence. Only the Center is safe now."

As soon as Huo Yuhao heard this, he hurried home. He had to bring his mother back first. But no matter how fast he flew, he couldn't outpace the spreading cracks.

Huo Yuhao flew with all his might, but the Divine Realm's barrier was on the verge of collapse. He could only race onward at full speed. Just as he reached Huo Yun'er, the rifts of Space-Time Turbulence had already spread to her. Huo Yuhao was about to open the Undead Demiplane and let his mother hide inside, but the Space-Time Turbulence sucked Huo Yun'er and her son in with unimaginable force.

Space-Time Turbulence was a place where even a God King could barely survive, let alone someone like Huo Yun'er, who wasn't even a Divine Official. As soon as she was pulled in, her body began to collapse. In his desperation, Huo Yuhao could only transfer Huo Yun'er's soul into his Sea of Consciousness, then use all his strength to resist the Space-Time Turbulence.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, even though Huo Yuhao had transferred Huo Yun'er's soul as quickly as he could, it had still suffered irreversible damage. It could only be sustained by Huo Yuhao continuously sending it Divine Power.

"Brother Sky Dream, lend me your power, then protect your Spiritual Origins."

Hearing this, the Soul Spirits didn't hesitate. They handed their power over to Huo Yuhao, then sealed their respective Spiritual Origins. Even with that power, Huo Yuhao was far from at ease. He had to use Divine Power to protect both his body and his Sea of Consciousness, while also sending Divine Power to Huo Yun'er's soul. Just maintaining his current state was already extremely difficult.

"Yuhao, stop sending me Divine Power," Huo Yun'er said as she tried to sever their connection.

"No, Mother. Don't do this. I'll definitely take you all back. Please, don't do this." Huo Yuhao hurriedly tried to stop Huo Yun'er, but the tremendous drain caused the Sea of Consciousness to shudder.

"Yuhao, I'm already more than content that I got to see you grow up. The days in the Divine Realm were the happiest of my life. Tian Meng and the others chatted with me, and you cooked for me. I never thought I could live a life like this. You've always been so sensible. Even when you were mistreated outside, you never wanted to show it in front of me. I knew you were afraid I'd worry. Yuhao, from the time you were little until now, your mother hasn't been able to give you much. I can't become a burden to you. Yuhao, live well." In the Sea of Consciousness, Huo Yun'er looked at Huo Yuhao with loving eyes and embraced him there. Then her soul began to refuse the Divine Power.

"Mother, no! Mother..." Huo Yuhao had no Divine Power to spare to stop her. All he could do was watch helplessly as his mother smiled and gradually faded away before his eyes.

Huo Yuhao had no time to grieve. The Space-Time Turbulence was relentlessly destroying his body. He could only hurry out of the Sea of Consciousness and protect it with Divine Power.

Huo Yuhao was now in the midst of Space-Time Turbulence. Its wanton energy was constantly eroding his body. He looked at the surroundings: energies of all kinds gathered and dispersed, drew together and separated. He had no time to admire the scenery. He could only use Divine Power to protect himself and withstand the Space-Time Turbulence, but human strength had its limits. Huo Yuhao could only rely on the Gold of Life inside him and the little Divine Power he had left to protect the Sea of Consciousness.

Huo Yuhao's body was like a shattered porcelain vessel, breaking apart, mending, then breaking apart again. He endured the agony of his body being torn apart and reformed. After an unknown length of time, his Divine Power was finally about to run out. All kinds of scenes seemed to appear before his eyes: life with his mother, time with Brother Sky Dream, time with Shrek, time with Elder Yi, and time with Qiu'er...

Is it over? Huo Yuhao thought. But he still had to keep Tian Meng and the others alive. He still hadn't brought his teacher and Qiu'er back.

Huo Yuhao struggled to keep his eyes open, afraid that if he closed them, he would disappear. All he could do now was place the Gold of Life in the Sea of Consciousness and use the Eye of Destiny and the Gold of Life to protect the Soul Spirits' Spiritual Origins. With the Evil Eye's External Soul Bone as a vessel, he had already given up on his own body. As long as he preserved Tian Meng and the others' Spiritual Origins, they would have a chance to survive once they left the Space-Time Turbulence.

Huo Yuhao didn't know how long he held on. He could only feel the chaotic energy tearing his body apart and eroding his mind. Feeling his own shattered body, Huo Yuhao said, "I'm sorry, Brother Sky Dream. It seems I can't stay with you all anymore." Having exhausted his Divine Power, Huo Yuhao could only slowly close his eyes and accept his fate.