Huo Yun'er died, her soul preserved

"Mom..." Huo Yuhao's eyes widened. Before his eyes, Huo Yun'er's back seemed to burst open, blood spraying in every direction. Her body flew forward like a rag doll, carrying Huo Yuhao three meters away.

"What happened? Something blocked me just as I was about to hit him?" The dog Soul Elder who had struck to kill stared blankly at his blood-covered hand.

He could feel that, just as his attack was about to strike Huo Yuhao, the air around him had seemed to solidify, slowing his attack by a beat. That blow should have struck both Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er at once.

Yet it was precisely that moment of stillness that had given Huo Yun'er the chance to take the fatal blow for Huo Yuhao.

The two were now three meters away from him, but a graceful figure had already stepped between him and the mother and son.

The newcomer was a young woman who looked eighteen or nineteen, with long black hair falling to her waist and bright, intelligent black eyes. Her delicate face was fair and flawless, and her quiet, gentle bearing was unforgettable at first sight. Six Soul Rings circled her: two yellow, two purple, and two black.

A Six-Ring Soul Emperor!

Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her hand, and a moon disc appeared in the air. Gentle moonlight spilled over the dog Soul Elder. He could not even resist. The soft moonlight fell upon him as though it weighed a thousand tons, crushing him flat against the ground.

He had not the slightest strength to resist; she finished him off effortlessly in a single move.

After doing all this, the female Soul Emperor turned to look at Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao, who lay in a pool of blood.

Only then did the other figures who had rushed out earlier arrive, men and women alike.

They exchanged glances and walked over to Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er.

Having been knocked flying and slid some distance across the ground, Huo Yuhao had scrapes on his body, but he had no mind to spare for the pain. He sat up and looked at Huo Yun'er, who lay across him in a pool of blood.

He opened his mouth, but no sound would come out no matter how hard he tried. His whole body trembled uncontrollably, as though, so long as he did not confirm it, the suspicion in his heart would not come true.

The woman with Soul Emperor cultivation stepped forward and checked Huo Yun'er's pulse, then looked at Huo Yuhao with a complicated expression.

"Sister Lexuan." Seeing her expression, her companions understood what had happened. For a moment, they wanted to speak but hesitated.

"My condolences." Zhang Lexuan sighed and shook her head, unable to bear it. In the end, she had still been a step too late.

Huo Yuhao ignored her, his gaze still fixed on his mother. His vision gradually blurred, and tears slipped unbidden from the corners of his eyes.

He could not understand. Had they made any mistakes along the way? The moment he heard Huo Yun's words, he had taken his mother and left without the slightest hesitation.

They had run more than fifty kilometers all afternoon and rested briefly because they thought they were safe. The moment they learned pursuers were coming, they had run again. They had been so close to safety. They had already met kind people willing to save them. Why had this happened?

Why?

Huo Yuhao stared blankly, instinctively holding Huo Yun'er tighter, wanting to feel the last of her warmth, wanting to feel once more that presence that belonged to his mother alone.

Everything had happened so suddenly. One moment, they had seen hope; the next, his mother had fallen, without even leaving any final words.

Life and death could sometimes come so suddenly that there was not even a chance for a proper goodbye.

Beside him, Zhang Lexuan and the others did not know how to comfort him.

And just then!

Within an illusory space, a towering palace shimmered with a faint golden radiance beneath a gentle halo of light.

A figure stood quietly amid the clouds and mist, gazing at the scene unfolding now. With a slight lift of his hand, blue-gold light rippled through the surroundings like waves of water.

A point of light that ordinary people had no way of perceiving slowly rose from Huo Yun'er's body and drifted upward.

But just as it reached a certain height, the space around it seemed to solidify. It abruptly plunged downward, flying toward Huo Yuhao's forehead.

"If you've seen enough, get lost!" Those seven words flashed mercilessly through the figure's mind. The next moment, everything before his eyes seemed to blur.

His gaze could not help turning sinister. "So it really is you! Shouldn't your consciousness have scattered and fallen dormant when I took your essence as you were nurturing the child of destiny? How do you still have the strength to resist?"

Unfortunately, no one answered his question.

A long time passed. The sun rose over the distant horizon, its light driving away the darkness and illuminating the earth.

Dragging her weary consciousness along, Huo Yun entered Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.

She also brought a white point of light with her, which hovered beside the multicolored ball of light representing her Douluo consciousness. In comparison, Huo Yun was like a huge basketball, while the point of light was more like a white grain of rice. Without looking closely, one might not even see it.

"I got her back, Yuhao." As soon as she entered, Huo Yun called out to Huo Yuhao.

Hearing Huo Yun's voice, Huo Yuhao, who had just lost his mother and felt as though the sky had collapsed, immediately found someone to lean on.

His consciousness entered his Sea of Consciousness. Though a soul could not shed tears, the sobs in his voice were impossible to hide. "Mom, my mom, she..."

"I know. Don't cry, child. Although I can't easily change what's already happened either, I've preserved your mother's soul. Once you become powerful enough in the future, you can still bring her back to life." Huo Yun's words carried a weakness she could not conceal, but she still tried to comfort Huo Yuhao as gently as possible. To preserve Huo Yun'er's soul, and also completely obscure Tang San's view, she had used the world's essence. Yet this had triggered a backlash from the rules, leaving her suffering.

"Really?" Hearing this, Huo Yuhao, whose heart had been filled with despair and grief, could not help showing sparks of hope in his eyes once more.

"Yes. Once you're powerful enough, you can bring her back. Because of the rules, I, your mom, can't help you resurrect her, so you'll have to do it yourself once you're strong enough.

"So don't cry, child. First, take care of your mother's remains and find somewhere to settle down. I'm a little tired, so I'll rest for a while. Once I wake up, I'll take you to find a Soul Ring and help you officially become a Soul Master." By the end, Huo Yun's voice grew quieter and quieter. She was clearly nearing the limits of her exhaustion.

"Mm." Huo Yuhao sniffled and nodded firmly.

But Huo Yun did not respond. She had already fallen unconscious, and the multicolored ball of light had dimmed considerably. This made the white point of light, previously bathed in her radiance, all the more conspicuous.

From that point of light, Huo Yuhao sensed a familiar presence, that of his mother, Huo Yun'er.

With this spark of hope, the grief in Huo Yuhao's heart was swept away completely. He knew he still had a chance to resurrect his mother. He still had hope.

Leaving his Sea of Consciousness and returning to reality, Huo Yuhao wiped the tears from his face and looked toward the people who had saved him.

At that moment, only the young woman named Zhang Lexuan stood beside Huo Yuhao. The others were nearby, each busy packing things up.

"Thank you, big sister. You saved me." Huo Yuhao laid down his mother's remains, dropped to both knees before Zhang Lexuan, and kowtowed in thanks.

"It's all right. It was only a small effort." Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan hurriedly helped Huo Yuhao up and said gently, "More importantly, I think you should lay your mother to rest as soon as possible."

"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded. He had cried for so long that his voice was now somewhat hoarse.

With Zhang Lexuan and the others' help, Huo Yuhao soon buried Huo Yun'er's remains.

The scenery nearby was quite pleasant, and they found a beautiful clearing in the forest not far away.

There were six others with Zhang Lexuan. One clearly possessed a Sword Martial Soul, with two yellow, two purple, and one black Soul Ring-a Five-Ring Soul King. She easily felled a large tree, then carved it into a coffin before Huo Yuhao's eyes.

They placed Huo Yun'er's remains inside, dug a grave and buried it, then erected a gravestone inscribed with "Grave of my mother, Huo Yun'er." With that, the simple arrangements were complete.

There were no procedures or elaborate rites.

In truth, Huo Yuhao no longer cared about those things. In his heart, he had already resolved to become stronger, strong enough to resurrect his mother.

When that time came, this gravestone would truly be nothing more than a decoration. It might even have to be leveled in the future.

"Come to think of it, little brother, we still don't know your name or where your home is." Only after burying Huo Yun'er did Zhang Lexuan ask about Huo Yuhao's circumstances.

"My name is... my name is Huo Yuhao. My home is buried right here. My home is this world." Huo Yuhao turned to Zhang Lexuan. As he introduced himself, he instinctively wanted to give his own name, but quickly caught himself.

He no longer cared about the Duke's Mansion. To him, he had two homes: one was already buried here, and the other was the Douluo Continent.

"I see." Hearing this, the women among the seven could not help looking at Huo Yuhao with gentler, more sympathetic eyes.

Looking at the little Huo Yuhao, Zhang Lexuan could not help recalling her own experiences. This child, like her, was now all alone.

"In that case, why don't you come with us? We'll find somewhere for you. If nothing else, you'll at least have shelter from the wind and rain and be able to live a decent life." As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan held out her hand to Huo Yuhao.

"Thank you!" Huo Yuhao considered it, then ultimately agreed.

Huo Yun had told him to find somewhere to settle down first. Once she woke up, she would take him to find a Soul Ring and become a Soul Master. Until then, going with Zhang Lexuan and the others would be good. It would spare him from being hunted again by assassins sent by the White Tiger Duke's wife, and he could find somewhere to stay.

As for whether Zhang Lexuan and the others were bad people, out here in the wilderness, ordinary people faced with a child being hunted would generally stay out of it to avoid drawing fire upon themselves, let alone bad people.

"Then let's leave after we eat."

Since that morning-no, since rescuing Huo Yuhao the previous night-Zhang Lexuan and the others had not rested properly. They had spent the early morning burying Huo Yun'er and had had no time to eat at all.

Now that they had time, all of them simply made do with some dry rations.

As for the taste of those rations, having anything to eat was good enough. Huo Yuhao was not a picky eater. For a child from a poor family, being able to fill his stomach was enough. Who cared whether it tasted good?

After making do with a quick meal, Huo Yuhao watched Zhang Lexuan and the others take some unusual devices out of their pouches and strap them to their backs. They looked like wings.

"These are Flying Soul Tools. By pouring Soul Power into them, you can fly even without reaching Soul Saint." Seeing Huo Yuhao's curious gaze, Zhang Lexuan explained with a smile.

Huo Yuhao nodded with only a vague understanding. It was his first time seeing such a curious contraption, and even his first time hearing when Soul Masters could fly. Previously, he had only heard how powerful the various Soul Master ranks were.

"Come here, Yuhao. I'll carry you." For some reason, Huo Yuhao's bewildered expression made Zhang Lexuan want to smile. She walked behind him and picked him up.

"Let's go."

Before Huo Yuhao could ask what they were doing, Zhang Lexuan gave the command. Everyone soon channeled their Soul Power to activate their Flying Soul Tools. Slowly, the ground grew farther away in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and his field of vision suddenly became incomparably vast.

A long stream lay hidden among the trees, broad stretches of grass were pleasantly green, and all the rises and dips of the terrain came into view.

But before Huo Yuhao could remain immersed in the wonder of flight for long, he suddenly felt powerful Soul Power envelop him. He turned his head and heard Zhang Lexuan smile behind him and say, "The flight ahead will be very uncomfortable. I'll protect you with my Soul Power, so enjoy flying."

"Little Brother Huo, flying feels great. Speaking of which, you're six this year, right? Have you awakened your Martial Soul?" asked a plump young man traveling with them, who was around the same school year as Zhang Lexuan.

"I just awakened it yesterday." At the mention of this, Huo Yuhao's eyes dimmed somewhat.

Precisely because he had just awakened with innate full Soul Power, he and his mother had been hunted by the White Tiger Duke's wife.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression, the fat young man knew there must be a story behind it. For a moment, he was so embarrassed that he did not know what to say.

"Speaking of which, little fellow, do you know where we're going?" There were eight people in the group. Aside from Huo Yuhao, there were four men and three women. Apart from the female Sword Martial Soul wielder who had helped make the coffin earlier, the other two women were Zhang Lexuan and the one who had suddenly spoken.

Her looks did not compare to Zhang Lexuan's, and she had some acne on her face. She was not stunningly beautiful, but she had the delicate charm of a girl from a modest household and wore a sweet smile. From a distance, she was quite pleasant to look at.

While they were eating, Huo Yuhao had learned that her name was Cao Mei. Although his surname was Cao, because Cao Mei and "strawberry" sounded very similar, everyone had nicknamed her Strawberry. Incidentally, her Martial Soul was also a strawberry.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. He really did not know where they were going.

"Then listen carefully. We're going to Shrek City, home of the continent's number one academy, Shrek Academy. Surely you've heard the legends of our Shrek Academy?" Strawberry sounded rather proud when she mentioned Shrek Academy.

Huo Yuhao was taken aback. From Strawberry's words, "our Shrek Academy," that meant they were students of Shrek Academy, or people affiliated with it. No wonder they were so strong.

"Shocked, aren't you?" Seeing Huo Yuhao's blank expression, Strawberry thought he was too stunned to speak.

"A little." Huo Yuhao nodded.

"Then you should be more excited, because you're about to visit the home of the continent's number one academy."

Hearing this, a thought stirred in Huo Yuhao's heart. The continent's number one academy?

"Let's go." Seeing that Huo Yuhao had fallen silent again, Zhang Lexuan said nothing more. Having risen to a certain height, she suddenly accelerated. The others followed behind her, and the group sped off into the distance.