Within the Sea of Consciousness stood a palace.
Inside the hall, clouds and mist swirled, and flickering candlelight illuminated the exquisite wine on the table. Nezha reclined lazily in a carved jade chair, gently rocking the wine cup in his hand and sending ripples across the amber liquid.
He raised an eyebrow at Huo Yuhao across from him, a teasing, playful look in his eyes. "That Soul Skill you forced out by overdrawing your strength was quite a sight. Kid, I didn't expect you to have some real skills."
Huo Yuhao gave a faint, bitter smile, looking somewhat weary. "It was only luck. With my current strength, I wouldn't stand a chance against a Soul Emperor. If Teacher Zhou hadn't suppressed his cultivation, the outcome would have been decided long ago." His voice was low, carrying helplessness and unwillingness over his lack of strength.
Nezha suddenly sat up straight and said, "You still need to grow. Some things can only be resolved through strength. Only by becoming strong can you keep others from coercing you, from binding you with something, and from becoming shackles on your heart."
"When you become strong enough, those shackles will fall apart on their own. By then, whatever you want to do, even heaven and earth won't be able to stop you."
Huo Yuhao listened quietly to Nezha's words and understood what he meant. He also understood why Nezha had said them, so he merely gave a faint smile and let the matter pass.
"Thank you for your guidance, Third Prince. I'll remember it in my heart. It's getting late, and I shouldn't trouble you any longer, so I'll take my leave." With that, he rose, cupped his fists, and bowed to Nezha.
"Wait!" Just as he was about to leave, Nezha suddenly spoke. "Huo Yuhao, drinking alone is rather dull. The grilled fish in your memories looked rather good. Next time you come here, why don't we share a drink?"
Huo Yuhao was briefly taken aback. Then his face lit up with a smile. "It's my honor to have caught your fancy, Third Prince. I won't let you down!" He bowed once more, and his figure gradually faded from the palace.
An unknown amount of time later, Huo Yuhao entered the Sea of Consciousness once more. The moment he appeared, he sensed an unusual presence. It was savage and overbearing, full of primal brutality and oppressive might, as though a slumbering ancient Ferocious Beast had suddenly awakened.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who had been sleeping soundly, was startled awake by the presence. The fuzz all over his body stood on end as he grumbled, "What was that?! Disturbing my sweet dreams..."
Before he could finish, a deafening dragon's roar suddenly rang out from the depths of the Sea of Consciousness. Immediately afterward, a strange golden light burst from the void. It flickered and twisted, gradually condensing into the enormous phantom of a golden dragon.
The golden dragon was a hundred zhang long, its scales flashing with dazzling golden light. Its blood-red vertical pupils gleamed with killing intent and madness.
"Wh-what kind of monster is that?!" Trembling with fright, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly hid behind Huo Yuhao and clutched the hem of his clothes with his tentacles. "Yuhao, why does your Sea of Consciousness keep producing all these demons and monsters? One look at that golden dragon tells me it's bad news!"
Huo Yuhao's gaze turned solemn, and he quietly circulated his Soul Power, but he showed no fear. "Tian Meng, stand aside. Leave this to me!" he said steadily, as though he were completely confident. "This is an old acquaintance too. Let me handle greeting him."
The golden dragon seemed to sense Huo Yuhao's provocation. It raised its head and roared at the sky, then charged wildly through the Sea of Consciousness. Space shattered inch by inch wherever it went, whipping up terrifying mental storms. The entire Sea of Consciousness shook violently, on the verge of collapse.
Just then, a streak of red light suddenly flew out of Huo Yuhao's body-it was the Red Armillary Sash Nezha had left behind! Nezha had known for some time that a presence was roaming Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, so he had placed the Red Armillary Sash on Huo Yuhao while they were drinking earlier. That was also one reason Huo Yuhao had the confidence to face the golden dragon.
A flicker of understanding passed through Huo Yuhao's eyes. Without hesitation, he leaped up like a bolt of blue lightning and landed firmly on the golden dragon's neck. The golden dragon realized someone was riding it and flew into a rage. It shook its head madly and flew upward through the Sea of Consciousness, trying to throw Huo Yuhao off.
Huo Yuhao condensed a Fireball Technique in both hands and slammed it into the golden dragon's head. But the dragon's scales were incredibly hard. Not only did the blow do little damage, it also thoroughly enraged the dragon. Roaring, the golden dragon spewed scorching dragon breath toward Huo Yuhao.
"Soul Shock!" Huo Yuhao shouted. This time, the Soul Shock did not emerge from his body. Instead, a brilliant white light descended from the heavens like a thunderbolt and struck the golden dragon hard.
The tremendous impact made the golden dragon's entire body shudder, and it let out a roar of pain. Huo Yuhao was also caught in the force and hurriedly used his movement technique to dodge.
The blow dealt the golden dragon a serious injury. Though Huo Yuhao's body from his previous life had died, his divine soul remained. If he reached the level of a Titled Douluo now, he might be able to inherit the Emotion Godhood from Rong Nianbing once more. Of course, that was a matter for later.
The golden dragon was still putting up a stubborn resistance. Huo Yuhao knew he couldn't give it a chance to catch its breath, so he pressed his attack. "Three Forms of Emotion!" he roared, emotion power gathering around his fists as he hammered the golden dragon's head like a furious wind and driving rain. Every punch was accompanied by the dragon's pained roars.
The relentless barrage of this form left the golden dragon somewhat dazed.
"Red Armillary Sash, go!" At Huo Yuhao's command, the red sash shot out like a spirit serpent. The Third Prince had taught him how to use it, and he was now quite proficient.
People said treasures recognized their masters, but the Red Armillary Sash showed no sign of resisting Huo Yuhao. Like a streak of red fire, it wrapped around the golden dragon in an instant. As though alive, the sash tightened more and more, firmly restraining the dragon's movements.
Huo Yuhao then swept his right hand through the air with two fingers extended like a sword and shouted, "Sword, fall!" In an instant, a gigantic blue sword formed in the sky and came crashing down toward the golden dragon with the force to destroy heaven and earth.
The moment the sword fell, the golden dragon let out a desperate wail. Its presence grew weaker and weaker, and it teetered on the brink of collapse.
But this was still far from enough. It wasn't time to end it yet. He took a deep breath. "Three Forms of Emotion - Palm Annihilation."
Huo Yuhao murmured softly as the emotions in his heart burst forth. Now there was nothing in his heart but sorrow and gloom. His palm strike looked almost weightless, yet it contained enough power to shake heaven and earth.
Under the impact of that power, the golden dragon's body gradually turned transparent. In the end, it became a phantom and fell into the mental space, condensing into a golden core that dropped to the ground.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm collapsed at Huo Yuhao's feet, his fuzz still trembling uncontrollably. His mung-bean-sized eyes bulged so wide they seemed about to fall out of their sockets. "Is that really something a person can do?! No, bro, is this right? Is that the kind of strength someone your age should have, catching a dragon barehanded?"
His tentacle pointed mechanically at the golden dragon's phantom as it slowly dissipated. "Good heavens! You can't be some god who secretly reincarnated, can you?!"
He wrapped himself around Huo Yuhao's thigh with a whoosh, all eight tentacles clinging tight like a drowning man clutching at a straw. "Big shot! Golden thigh! Please protect me! From now on, if you point east, I'll never go west. If you say to beat up the Soul Beasts in the south, I won't touch a blade of grass in the north!"