The setting sun cast a golden glow on the Sea God Lake, and a gentle breeze rippled across the water. Huo Yuhao stood by the lake, watching the graceful figure rushing towards him in the distance, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face.
" Yuhao!" Jiang Nannan stopped in front of him, panting, her long golden hair shimmering in the setting sun. "Why did you call me so urgently? Is something wrong?"
Huo Yuhao didn't answer immediately, but instead looked deeply into her eyes. Those amber eyes overlapped with the image of the girl crying in the rain in his memory.
" Nannan," he said softly, "I think I've remembered something."
Jiang Nannan's body visibly stiffened. She cautiously pressed on, "You... remembered something?" Her voice held an undisguised anticipation.
"How is your aunt?" Huo Yuhao asked gently.
These words were like a key to unlocking her memories, and Jiang Nannan's pupils suddenly contracted. Tears instantly filled her eyes, reflecting a dazzling light in the setting sun. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
The next moment, she threw herself into Huo Yuhao's arms.
"It really was you!" Her tears soaked Huo Yuhao's clothes. "I knew it... I knew it..."
Huo Yuhao gently embraced her trembling body. "It's me."
"I've waited for you for so long..." Jiang Nannan looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, and the face of the boy before her perfectly overlapped with the black-robed man in her memory. "You said I would find you soon... You didn't lie to me..."
"Yes," Huo Yuhao wiped away her tears, "You found me."
Under the glow of the setting sun, Jiang Nannan could no longer suppress her emotions. She tiptoed and gently pressed her lips to Huo Yuhao's. The kiss carried the salty taste of tears, yet it was sweeter than honey.
"I knew it..." After they separated, she buried her face in Huo Yuhao's shoulder, her voice muffled, "You two are the same person... that's so great..."
Huo Yuhao stroked her long hair, gazing at the shimmering lake. The circle of time closed perfectly at this moment, and all causes and effects found their conclusion. And the girl in his arms was the best witness to this wondrous fate.
As the sun set, it cast long, long shadows of the two people, as if stretching to the very end of time.
Jiang Nannan's matter was finally over. Huo Yuhao stood by the dormitory window, watching the last rays of sunset disappear into the twilight. The night breeze brushed against his face, bringing a slight chill. This should have been a peaceful night for rest, but—
"Clang--"
A distant and heavy bell suddenly echoed in his Time Sea of Consciousness and Sea of Consciousness to tremble slightly.
"Hmm?" Huo Yuhao suddenly opened his eyes, his Golden Pupils flashing brightly in the darkness like two shrunken suns. He subconsciously pressed his temples, his brows furrowed. "The chimes of the Time Sea of Consciousness?"
The bell last rang on its own twelve days ago. Based on past patterns, it usually takes at least three months before it rings again. But this time... the interval is so short?
His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the table. The wooden tabletop made a dull sound under his taps, each tap feeling like a blow to the heart. Outside the window, moonlight shone through the window frame, casting dappled shadows on his handsome face.
"Interesting..." After a moment's thought, a cold smile appeared on his lips, and a chilling glint flashed in his eyes. Since the bell had summoned him on its own initiative, there must be a deeper meaning behind it.
He raised his right hand, and a wisp of scarlet mist condensed in his palm, sometimes transforming into a sharp blade, sometimes into chains. The killing intent manifested; it seems it can only be cultivated in specific places.
Huo Yuhao naturally wouldn't refuse this opportunity. After all, the past divine inheritance site might bring him some significant improvements, especially the killing intent he had used before. Although that killing intent had materialized, it was ultimately uncontrollable.
One wrong move and he'll suffer a backlash. The Slaughter City a good place, enough to allow him to completely control his killing intent, or rather...
"If we can seize this opportunity to completely control this power in the Slaughter City..." A glint of brilliance flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, "And even transform it into our own domain..."
Presumably, Tang San will go there someday, and then he'll seize that opportunity to beat him up again, letting him taste what it means to be killed a hundred times.
His black robes fluttered without wind, and Huo Yuhao's figure gradually became ethereal. Before disappearing completely, he took one last look at the calendar hanging on the dormitory wall—the date on it seemed to be much earlier than he remembered.
The lingering sound of the bells gradually faded away, like light being swallowed by darkness.
When Huo Yuhao regained consciousness, the humid air was filled with the fragrance of grass and trees and the unique stench of Soul Beast. He slowly opened his eyes and saw towering ancient trees that blocked out the sky. Sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
" Star Dou Great Forest?" He looked around, then suddenly stopped. Behind him was the entrance to a hidden cave, a place he knew all too well, the same cave where Bibi Dong had stayed.
Memories flooded back, and he seemed to see the woman with flowing purple hair standing at the cave entrance, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she turned back.
"A cruel joke of fate, or a deliberate arrangement? Is this some kind of random reorganization?" Huo Yuhao muttered to himself. He keenly sensed that this teleportation wasn't entirely random. Was the Time Sea of Consciousness guiding him back to some key juncture?
He shook his head and raised his hand to form a hand seal. His aura suddenly changed, his black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and his originally azure eyes transformed into dazzling Golden Pupils, gleaming with a dangerous light in the shadows.
"Regardless, let's go to the Spirit Hall first." He took out an ancient-looking token from his Storage Soul Tool. The Pope Token gleamed with a dark golden luster in the sunlight, and the finely carved scepter patterns on it were clearly visible. "This thing should be put to good use."
According to his memory, the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academy should have already begun. As the host city, Heaven Dou City must be bustling with activity right now. Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a slight smile, "I wonder if I'll be able to catch the finals..."
After leaving the cave, Huo Yuhao hurried towards the Spirit Hall. The depths of the Star Dou Great Forest were fraught with danger, but for him now, it was nothing more than a leisurely stroll.
"Roar!" A jet-black Netherworld Leopard leaped out of the bushes, its sharp claws gleaming coldly. Huo Yuhao didn't even stop, merely glancing at it coldly. In an instant, a tangible killing intent surged forth like a tidal wave, and the Thousand-Year Soul Beast froze on the spot, its eyes filled with fear. Finally, it whimpered and lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.
"You're smart enough to know what's good for you." Huo Yuhao snorted and continued forward. Occasionally, he would encounter low-level Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that didn't know their own mortality blocking his way. He would simply wave his hand, and several black shadows would rise from the ground, instantly tearing their prey to shreds and then storing them in the Undead Demiplane.
(Here, the undead soldiers suddenly appeared, dragging the Soul Beast into the demiplane, instantly boosting Huo Yuhao's prestige.)
"The quality is a bit poor, but it's barely usable." He was assessing the newly acquired "soldiers" when suddenly his ears twitched.
"Form ranks! Moon Blade, prepare!" A clear, cold female voice came from afar, followed by a deafening explosion and the roar of Soul Beast.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow and instantly extended his divine sense. The scene a hundred meters away was clearly imprinted in his mind: five Soul Master were leaning against a towering ancient tree, surrounded by a dense pack of wolves.
The three leaders were distinctly different: the Demon Charm Hu Liena, the Xie Yue wielding Moon Blade, and Yan, whose body was engulfed in flames. In front of them, an old man with white hair was struggling to maintain the defensive barrier.
" The Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall?" Huo Yuhao observed the battle with great interest. Two enormous wolf kings led their pack in continuous attacks, each with a cultivation level of ten thousand years, one of which was a high-level ten thousand-year cultivator. To make matters worse, there was also a ten-thousand-year-old Mandala Snake slithering among the treetops, and a Swift Shadow Black Panther lurking in the shadows, waiting for its chance to strike.
"Tsk, these guys are really unlucky. Did they just stir up a den of Soul Beast?" Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow with amusement. Logically, with the strength of the Golden Generation and the protection of Soul Saint, dealing with one or two ten -Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast should be more than enough. But in the current situation, there are simply too many...
" Fifth Soul Skill, Flying Sand and Wild Flame!" Yan roared, and the scorching fire wave temporarily forced back the wolf pack, but he quickly knelt on one knee, clearly having exhausted his Soul Power.
Xie Yue saw the wolf king heading in Hu Liena's direction, then said, " Nana, be careful."
Indeed, the wolf king did use a diversionary tactic, making these people busy but unable to fight the strong. But were the weak also difficult to defeat?
These wolf kings are quite intelligent, comparable to the Mandala Snake. Snake-type Soul Beast are known for their cunning, and the only ones smarter than snake-type Soul Beast are the pack-living wolf-type Soul Beast.
As for that black panther, it's purely a speed-type...
Huo Yuhao, perched in the tree, was observing the direction of the group. After detecting them with his divine sense, he had already rushed here at top speed.
He then found a tree and activated his Simulation Soul Skill, concealing his aura and hiding himself. This was all commonplace for him; in this Star Dou Great Forest, there was absolutely no one who could hide better than him.
This is professionalism, and a reputation built on quiet dedication—something Bibi Dong can attest to.
Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on Hu Liena. The girl's delicate face was stained with blood, and only four Soul Ring flickered behind her. "Strange, according to the timeline, she should already be level 50. The timeline doesn't match up. What's going on..."
"Never mind that, the plan is more important now. After all, it's much better to rely on them to enter the Spirit Hall than to just swagger in with the Pope Token."
Just then, a wolf king seized an opening in the defense and pounced on Hu Liena. The old man tried to rush back to her aid but was entangled by another wolf king and the Swift Shadow Black Panther. It looked as the sharp wolf claws were about to fall—
"Looks like I should give them a heads-up." Huo Yuhao's Golden Pupils lit up, and his figure vanished from the spot like Gui Mei.
The next second, a dark figure descended from the sky, stomping heavily on the wolf king's back. Accompanied by the crisp sound of bones shattering, the ten -Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast howled and collapsed to the ground. The black robe fluttered in the wind, and the newcomer slowly raised his head, his brilliant golden eyes shining like two cold moons in the shadows.
"Do you need any help, everyone?"
P. S.: This part is a bit out of character. All I know is that Hu Liena was already a level 50 Soul King when she appeared. I don't know when she obtained her Fifth Soul Ring.
And by now, the Soul Master Tournament should have started as well.
The part about Tang Hao will be written later; the most important part is still about Tang Hao...
After all, Huo Yuhao would appear during his moment of glory, and that's when Bibi Dong would say goodbye to Huo Yuhao.