Huo Yuhao was so shocked by Huo Yun's words that his jaw dropped. The understanding of the Soul Master World he had painstakingly built over the past six months cracked a little at that moment.
What Soul Beast would ever want to become a Soul Master's Soul Ring?
But since his mother had said so, he believed it must be true.
"Isn't that a wonderful surprise?"
"Shocking would be more like it." Huo Yuhao no longer knew how to describe his feelings. A Million-Year Soul Beast becoming his Soul Ring-he would never even have dared to imagine such a thing before.
"But don't celebrate too soon. Before you go get your Million-Year Soul Ring, sort out your leave first. We'll be gone for at least half a month or so. Most of that time will be spent traveling, and getting the Soul Ring won't take long, but how are you going to explain being gone for that long?
"Don't tell me you're planning to tell them the truth."
That question from Huo Yun stumped Huo Yuhao. He certainly couldn't tell anyone about this.
Setting aside how troublesome it would be to explain, Huo Yuhao felt that figuring out how to explain it at all would be a problem.
And honestly, if anyone found out where he could obtain a Million-Year Soul Ring, there was no ruling out someone trying to snatch it.
What would they do if someone set their sights on the Million-Year Soul Bone and attacked them?
As far as Huo Yuhao currently knew, even a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast was guaranteed to drop a Soul Bone, so a Million-Year Soul Beast would surely have one too.
He would have obtained the Soul Ring, but someone would inevitably covet the Soul Bone.
An ordinary man was innocent; possessing a precious jade made him guilty.
Having already paid for his talent once, Huo Yuhao truly did not want to pay a second time over something else.
Perhaps it would be better not to drag anyone else into his affairs.
But the question was, how could he ask for leave? Saying he was going to obtain a Soul Ring definitely wouldn't work. Given Uncle Cao and Aunt Lan's personalities, they would certainly contact Strawberry and have him either go Soul Hunting with Strawberry or join one of Shrek Academy's groups heading out to obtain Soul Rings.
If he were obtaining an ordinary Soul Ring, he could indeed join them, but the Soul Ring he was getting was anything but ordinary.
After thinking for a long time, Huo Yuhao still couldn't come up with a good excuse. He realized that, at his current age, Uncle Cao and Aunt Lan would definitely refuse any request for leave.
"How about slipping away quietly and leaving a letter?" In the end, that was the only solution Huo Yuhao could come up with: leave a letter telling them where he was going, execute first and report afterward, and let them scold or beat him however they liked once he returned.
With no other options, he was simply throwing up his hands and letting things happen.
"That works too. A white lie is fine. After all, the less they're involved in certain things, the better it is for them." Huo Yun didn't really have a better solution either.
Having watched Huo Yuhao's life over the past six months, she realized that the people he called Uncle Cao and Aunt Lan already treated him like a son.
The two had no son of their own, only a daughter, so of course they wanted one. Who wouldn't like a good child like Huo Yuhao, who was hardworking, dependable, honest, polite, and never caused trouble?
Whether Huo Yuhao directly told them he was going to find a Soul Ring or found some other excuse to leave for over half a month, they would certainly worry. After all, he was only six years old.
Whatever he went out to do, they certainly wouldn't feel at ease and would want someone to accompany him.
But given Huo Yuhao's circumstances, ordinary people were better off staying out of it. Tang San had his sights on him, and those close to him could easily get caught in the crossfire and become leverage to threaten Huo Yuhao.
Especially now that Tang San no longer had any leverage left. Huo Yun had intercepted and kept Huo Yun'er, and he had now lost sight of Huo Yuhao as well.
They were safe for the moment, but there was no ruling out the possibility that he would strike to kill once he found them.
While agreeing to Huo Yuhao's plan, Huo Yun also made sure to remind him, "But Yuhao, white lies are fine; that doesn't mean we can go around deceiving people or make a habit of it.
"What we're going to do would bring them every harm and no benefit. It's the sort of thing we shouldn't drag ordinary people into.
"Never let down your guard against others, but never harbor the intent to harm them. Be someone who stands on his own, respects himself, has confidence, strives to better himself, and thinks for himself. No matter how strong you become, I hope you'll be that kind of person."
A child's values had to be built from an early age. Huo Yuhao had turned out the way he did late in the original story because someone had changed his values.
Early on, Huo Yuhao's character had been absolutely rock-solid. Later on... forget it. Better left unmentioned.
Huo Yun didn't want Huo Yuhao to turn into his later self. The way he had been at the beginning was already very good.
For instance, in the original story, Huo Yuhao had even led an army to attack ordinary civilians. In Huo Yun's eyes, that was the last thing he should have done. It was fine to want to stop a war, but dragging civilians into it went too far.
War itself was undesirable. One side invaded, the other fought back, but all that fighting served the interests of those at the top. Who ever cared what the ordinary people below thought?
To put it plainly, what mattered to the people was whether they could live well, with enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear.
If those at the top wanted to fight for their own interests, then let them fight. Better yet, let them bash each other's dog brains out, so long as they didn't drag ordinary people into it.
"I understand, Mom." Huo Yuhao nodded firmly, committing those words to memory.
"Let's go. Mom will scout the way for you, just like before."
With his decision made, Huo Yuhao immediately left a letter in the most conspicuous spot, packed his things, took some of the money he had earned over the past six months, and quietly slipped out of Cao's Rice Bowl under Huo Yun's guidance.
By the time Uncle Cao and Aunt Lan failed to see Huo Yuhao at mealtime and went to his room to look for him, he had already bought some necessary supplies, run out of Shrek City, and headed south following Huo Yun's directions.
In the Heaven Dou Empire on the Douluo Continent, an unnamed mountain rose into the clouds deep in the wilderness.
The peak was not only majestic but also looked extremely precipitous. Almost three sides of the mountain rose in sheer cliffs, as though sliced by a blade. Only one side had a gentler slope, and even that was only in comparison to the other three. Climbing it would be extremely difficult for an ordinary person.
A misty sea of clouds drifted slowly over the peak, and deep within it stood a towering castle.
The gray castle exuded an ancient air, with the imposing presence of one standing atop the highest summit.
Inside the castle, a burly middle-aged man and another middle-aged man with a somewhat leaner build sat on chairs in the great hall. The leaner man was resting with his eyes closed, while the burly man held an enormous chicken leg and wolfed it down.
Suddenly, as though both had sensed something, the middle-aged man opened his eyes, and the burly man put down his chicken leg.
At some point, a curtain of water had appeared out of thin air before them.
"Long time no see, Da Ming, Er Ming. How have you been?" On the other side of the water curtain, an imposing figure whose face was almost too blurred to make out greeted them with a smile.
"Fine, of course. It's just that we can't leave this space as we please. Life here is nice enough, but staying in one place for too long still gets uncomfortable," the burly middle-aged man complained.
"There's nothing to be done about that. You don't want to stay in the Divine Realm, and gods can't interfere in mortal affairs at will. My parents have complained to me about it too. And then there's that girl Xiao Qi, who thinks about going to the Douluo Continent to play all day long. What a headache." As he spoke, the imposing figure couldn't help sighing.
"It can't be helped. Everywhere has its own rules, after all. Without a compass and square, you can't draw circles and squares. If all the rules were broken, wouldn't the world descend into chaos?" the middle-aged man said with a light laugh.
"Yes. That's why I spent so long arguing your case. I've secured permission for you to travel around the continent, provided your strength is sealed below the level of a god and you don't go around causing trouble," the figure beyond the water curtain said.
"That's wonderful! You have no idea how bored out of my skull I've been all these years. I've wanted to get out and look around for ages." The burly middle-aged man brightened at the news.
"Besides that, there are actually two small favors I'd like to ask of you, Da Ming and Er Ming."
"What favors?" the middle-aged man asked.
"As I mentioned before, that girl Xiao Qi has always wanted to visit the Douluo Continent. I plan to seal her memories and send her to you. Sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to look after her for a while," the figure beyond the water curtain said.
"What's the big deal? With how close we are, your and Xiao Wu's child is our child. Besides, I like that girl Xiao Qi too. What's looking after her for a few days?" The middle-aged man agreed without a second thought.
"Also, I've had an ominous premonition recently, a feeling that something major is going to happen on the Douluo Continent. Earlier, I sensed a god-level soul that didn't belong to this world disappear near the Douluo World.
"But the Divine Realm Core showed no response. The God of Destruction and the others used that to reject my proposal to investigate the Douluo Continent. Still, I'm worried, so I'd like you two to investigate secretly on the continent, in case my senses were muddled and I was mistaken." As he said this, the figure beyond the water curtain noticeably lowered his voice, clearly afraid of being overheard.
"How could that be? San, you're a God King, and you're telling me your senses were muddled? What kind of joke is that?" The middle-aged man was utterly shocked.
"Exactly! Does that God of Destruction lack even that much judgment? He rejected your proposal just because the Divine Realm Core didn't react? What if a god-level soul really does enter the Douluo Continent and stir things up? If it's a good god, fine, but if it's an evil one, wouldn't all living beings be plunged into misery? What was that bastard thinking?" The burly middle-aged man beside him looked furious. To him, this was a complete disregard for the countless lives on the Douluo Continent.
"Some rules can't be broken, after all. No one else sensed it, only me. If we investigated and found nothing, it would embarrass the God Realm Committee. Perhaps they have their own concerns. That's why I wanted to ask you two privately to help investigate," the figure in the water curtain said helplessly.
"All right, we'll investigate. Speaking of which, can you roughly sense where that soul disappeared?" the middle-aged man asked.
"It should have been near the Star Dou Great Forest. Go take a look. Take these along. They can conceal your auras. As long as you don't reveal strength at god-level or above, even if there really is a god there, they probably won't be able to detect your true cultivation." As the figure spoke, two bracelets glowing blue and gold flew out of the water curtain.
"No problem. We'll go search around the Star Dou Great Forest right now." Putting the items away, the middle-aged man prepared to get up and leave.
"Once you return, I'll send Xiao Qi over. Sorry for the trouble of looking after her then."
"All right."
With that, the water curtain in the middle of the hall dispersed. Once it was gone, the middle-aged man and the burly middle-aged man vanished in a flash, leaving no trace.
After spending nearly three days traveling, Huo Yuhao finally reached his destination: the Star Dou Great Forest.
Shrek City actually lay northwest of the Star Dou Great Forest, but the Soul Beast they sought wasn't in that direction. It was to the south. The Star Dou Great Forest lay almost between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, two of the Douluo Continent's four great empires.
It covered an enormous area and was extremely dangerous inside. All kinds of Soul Beasts lived there, from ten-year and hundred-year ones to ten-thousand-year and even hundred-thousand-year ones.
According to what Huo Yuhao had learned from Strawberry, Zhang Lexuan, and the others, at least five of the beings on the Ferocious Beast rankings lived in the Star Dou Great Forest. It was the largest gathering place of Soul Beasts on the entire Douluo Continent, and the strongest.
Only the ocean could overwhelm the Star Dou Great Forest in sheer numbers, but the ocean covered far too vast an area. Compared to it, the Star Dou Great Forest was a minor witch before a great sorcerer.
Moreover, the Soul Beasts in the ocean were extremely scattered. Although there were many powerful ones, they were too widely dispersed to count.
Still, Huo Yun didn't know how many powerful beings the ocean contained. She had no authority over the ocean and couldn't see it. At present, what she could govern was the earth and the sky.
To save time and keep Uncle Cao and Aunt Lan from worrying, Huo Yuhao had practically sprinted the entire way, sitting down to rest and eat some dry rations whenever he grew tired.
Of course, from time to time, Huo Yun guided him to fruit growing on trees beside the road, provided it was along their route.
Juicy fruit certainly tasted better than dry rations.
The fruit Huo Yun found for Huo Yuhao was always perfectly ripe and as sweet as could be. He was her own child, after all; she couldn't let him eat rotten fruit. Their circumstances might not allow for anything too good, but things couldn't be too poor either.
After what could practically be called running over a thousand li, Huo Yuhao finally reached the southern side of the Star Dou Great Forest.
He looked at a wooden sign planted beside the road. It read: Fifty li ahead lies the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul Beasts roam there. Exercise caution.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and asked Huo Yun, "Mom, is this the place?"
"That's right. Just take a few steps forward and activate your Martial Soul. Listen to me: the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm will definitely come looking for you on his own. He's not far from here," Huo Yun instructed.
At that moment, her consciousness had already spread across a hundred-li radius around them, tracking every Soul Beast's movements and whether any might cross paths with Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao was only level ten now and didn't even have a Soul Ring. His combat strength was approximately zero. Encountering any Ten-Year Soul Beast would be enough to put him in a life-or-death situation.
Walking past the wooden sign, Huo Yuhao activated his Martial Soul and entered the forest, where danger lurked on every side.
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