"Perhaps he only resurrected his mother later after going to great lengths? In that case, Xiao Zi, how about I preserve her soul first, as repayment for our temporary stay in his Sea of Consciousness?"
"That would be good."
The God of Destruction nodded in agreement.
"By the way, Xiao Lu, there's something else I want to discuss with you."
After a long while, Huo Yuhao groggily opened his eyes and looked around.
What greeted him was an unimaginable sight-
Half the surrounding vegetation exuded an aura of annihilation that made people afraid to approach, while the other half felt brimming with vitality, seemingly even beneficial for cultivation?
"This is..."
"Kid, you're awake?"
The voice came from within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.
With that, the God of Destruction pulled Huo Yuhao's consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness.
After a wave of dizziness, a young man and woman appeared before Huo Yuhao.
"Y-you, who are you? Where is this? How did I get here?"
Huo Yuhao was stunned by the two before him, for no other reason than that the aura surrounding them was simply too powerful.
Compared to that haughty duchess Huo Yuhao had met, the difference was like a firefly against the radiant moon-there was no comparison.
"This is your Sea of Consciousness. The two of us came here for certain reasons."
"As for what those reasons are, I won't tell you for now. But I see that you possess extraordinary talent. Would you be willing to become my disciple?"
"Extraordinary talent? Disciple? But my innate soul power was only one, and it's hard to find soul rings for a Spirit System martial soul. Does that really count as extraordinary talent?"
"You merely lacked nourishment when you were young, which kept your meridians from developing fully. Otherwise, with that martial soul of yours alone, your soul power couldn't possibly have been only rank one."
"Ah-"
The God of Destruction sighed.
The God of Emotion had lived like this before becoming a god. How on earth had he managed to attain godhood?
The aura of fortune on him now was something he had rarely seen in the Divine Realm either. Had it disappeared?
"Well? Are you willing to become my disciple? If you master what I teach you, you may well ascend to the Divine Realm like that Sea God before you. When the time comes, even your mother can be resurrected through it."
"Resurrect my mother?! I'm willing, Master! Whether I have to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire, I, Huo Yuhao, will never fear it. Please accept me as your disciple!"
Huo Yuhao dropped to one knee and looked at the God of Destruction before him.
With my current abilities, there's simply nothing about me for anyone to covet.
Even if he would be used, he had to improve as much as possible before that happened. At least, at the very least, he had to make the Duke's Mansion pay!
"Good. In that case, we'll give you our inheritances first."
With that, the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life simultaneously drew out a trace of divine power from within their divine consciousnesses and passed it to Huo Yuhao.
Instantly, a powerful aura swept over him. Anomalies appeared throughout heaven and earth once again, and the entire sky was dyed purple and green.
In the Sea God Pavilion, an old man on a reclining chair abruptly opened his eyes. Through the Golden Tree, he sensed what seemed to be the aura of a deity in the distance, but it was so elusive that even he could not pinpoint it.
"These are troubled times."
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, the legendary foremost ferocious beast was also down on one knee.
"My lord."
Before him was an enormous dragon, crystalline silver-blue all over and covered in dark purple dragon scales.
"The aura of a God King has appeared on this continent. Don't draw too much attention for the time being, and keep a close watch on that Auspicious Beast too."
"Could it be the one from ten thousand years ago..."
"Probably not. The aura is different."
"I see. Then, my lord, what are you doing now?"
After speaking, the Silver Dragon King transformed into a woman.
She had long, silky silver-white hair and icy violet, glasslike eyes. Her bearing was cool and untouched by worldly dust, and she wore a long dress in pale cyan and silver-white, with a faint, soft elemental glow lingering around her.
"This aura seems to offer a sign that I can return to my peak. I'm going out. You don't need to follow."
With that, the Silver Dragon King suddenly vanished from the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Yes."
After a long while, Di Tian stood up and stared blankly around him.
He suddenly remembered something. Was his lord really reliable in her current state?
At the site of the incident, everything had now settled down. Even the stunning scene left by the initial lightning strikes had long since returned to its original state.
Huo Yuhao was sensing the inheritances the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life had passed on to him.
With his eyes closed, he quietly felt them out. The inheritances seemed to have been divided equally between his left and right eyes.
And I've already reached rank ten now?
Huo Yuhao walked over to a nearby stream and began testing this power on the water.
"Spirit Eyes."
After activating his own original martial soul, Huo Yuhao tried sensing that aura of destruction.
At once, his left eye turned dark purple, and a purple-gold soul ring sprang out around him.
A spiritual ray utterly imperceptible to the naked eye shot out and plunged into the stream.
Several fish of varying sizes instantly floated to the surface.
"What a powerful ability! With this move, I could practically kill without leaving a trace."
Then what about the other one?
Huo Yuhao once again sensed the aura of life within him.
This time, his right eye turned emerald green, and likewise, a green-gold soul ring emerged around him.
Huo Yuhao aimed at one of the fish. Just as the gentle light entered its body, the fish twitched as though experiencing a final rally before death.
Then it died again...
After using these two moves, Huo Yuhao felt utterly drained. Unable to hold himself up any longer, he slumped down with his back against a tree.
The skills might be unbeatable, but my current soul power simply can't sustain abilities like these.
"It seems that when we bestowed our inheritances, your martial soul underwent a new mutation. It can even have these so-called soul rings attached to it. But there's no need to worry about that. We can directly simulate and create them for you, so you needn't worry about these two martial souls."
The Goddess of Life offered her analysis after watching Huo Yuhao use their skills.
"Indeed. But with your current strength, you can't bring out the full extent of their abilities at all. Moreover, my inheritance is far too corrosive. It isn't for you as you are now, so don't use it again unless it's a critical moment."
After speaking, the God of Destruction fell silent for a moment, feeling somewhat dejected. Precisely because his laws and the Goddess of Life's both nurtured and countered each other, the two of them could never have a child of their own.
The Goddess of Life saw what was on the God of Destruction's mind and comforted him. "Even with you being this way, Xiao Zi, I've always loved you."
"Xiao Lu~"
"Xiao Zi~"
Just like that, the two embraced tightly right in front of Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao: "..."
"Ahem. So, for now, you'd best only use your current martial soul and your master's wife's inheritance. Put them to good use, and they can nourish your meridians as well. There's no need to rush your first soul ring either. Once you've honed yourself for a year or so, choose one that suits you best."
"Yes, Master."
"That's all we have to say. Because of certain things that happened before, your master's wife and I were both gravely injured. We'll soon enter a state of quiet recuperation. Unless something is very serious, neither of us will awaken."
The God of Destruction enjoined him, word by word, "What happens next will depend on you. Do your best, my good disciple."
"Don't worry, Master. I'll cultivate diligently and live up to the trust you've placed in me!"
Before you continue