Huo Yuhao's body drifted helplessly through the twisted turbulence of space and time, like a fallen leaf. Everything around him was dreamlike and bizarre. At times, strange lights streaked past like lightning, illuminating the darkness in an instant;
At others, powerful energy storms roared past, threatening to grind everything in the world to dust. Within it all, Huo Yuhao's consciousness flickered between clarity and confusion, while scenes from his past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
He still could not accept it. Things in the past had seemed so close to being perfect. He had only just fallen in love with Qiu'er when she left him; he had almost been able to be with her, almost saved his teacher, and now his teacher had sacrificed himself for him again. He had almost touched the truth, but now the truth no longer seemed so important. He was going to die.
And yet, he gradually came to accept this ending. In the face of this manipulated fate, he felt he had wronged no one. Only the flames of hatred burned ever more fiercely in his heart, impossible to extinguish no matter what. But even so, what could he do?
Fate... Huo Yuhao murmured in his heart, his voice faint but full of grief and indignation. Once, I too believed devoutly in fate, naively thinking that heaven had arranged mine.
But only now do I understand that this damned fate is nothing more than someone pulling the strings at will from behind the scenes. They see us as insignificant chess pieces, and to achieve their unspeakable aims, they don't hesitate to make us pay the terrible price of our lives. All the pain I've suffered, all the hardships I've endured, came from those gods on high.
At the thought, a flicker of anger passed through Huo Yuhao's eyes. Why was I left to be manipulated? In the end, it was only because I wasn't strong enough, not strong enough to break that damned fate. If there were another chance, if I could start over... His thoughts came to an abrupt halt, but the longing and anger deep in his heart surged like a raging tide, nearly drowning him.
If I could start over, I would never enter the Tang Sect in my next life, never again be controlled by others. This enmity cannot exist under the same sky. The blood-deep hatred my teacher and I bear-whatever the price, Tang San, if I don't die, I'll be waiting on the road between life and death to send you on your way! Huo Yuhao let out a soundless roar of fury in his heart.
Meanwhile, within Huo Yuhao's divine soul space, the seven great Soul Spirits had gathered.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's enormous body shifted slightly, giving off a soft, bright blue light. He was the first to break the silence, his voice still somewhat languid but carrying an unprecedented resolve: "Yuhao, it's time for us to go too. Your Godhood has already shattered completely, and your body and soul are both at their limits.
"To protect you and keep you alive in this turbulence of space and time, we've decided to become the last of your strength and pour ourselves into your divine soul, to live and die with you. We only hope this strength can last until you find a chance to survive."
"I'm sorry, everyone. I dragged you into this," Huo Yuhao said hoarsely, his voice full of guilt.
"What are you saying, Yuhao? We should be thanking you for helping us become gods." The Ice Empress's voice was crisp and as cheerful as ever, as she tried to break the oppressive atmosphere.
"Yes, Yuhao. The days I spent with you were truly happy." The Snow Empress's voice was gentle, tinged with sadness. She looked at Huo Yuhao with a complicated expression, slowly drew close, and softly kissed his forehead. Her eyes full of reluctance and attachment, she said quietly, "Goodbye, Yuhao. May the God of Ice and Snow watch over you."
The Snow Empress turned gracefully and drifted toward the seven Soul Spirits. Yet the moment she turned, she paused involuntarily, then slowly looked back in Huo Yuhao's direction.
Yuhao... the Snow Empress murmured softly in her heart, her voice full of reluctance and concern. She poured all her tenderness into that one look, trying to engrave Huo Yuhao's likeness in the deepest recesses of her soul, to become an eternal memory.
A tear fell onto Huo Yuhao. The tears of ice and snow were filled with cold, yet what Huo Yuhao felt was warmth. It was just as Zhizun Bao once said in A Chinese Odyssey: "A friend of mine left something with me, but I didn't know what it was." Perhaps Huo Yuhao was now in that same state of confusion.
May we meet again in the next life, the Snow Empress silently wished. Then a trace of resolve flashed through her eyes, and, carrying her blessing for Huo Yuhao, she turned and drifted toward the seven Soul Spirits.
He watched from afar as the Snow Empress flew once more toward the Soul Spirits. The Soul Spirits also seemed to feel a sense of release. They did not regret being with Huo Yuhao; all that had happened flashed before them again, and they had no regrets.
She gently raised her eyes and slowly swept her gaze over the Soul Spirits beside her. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's enormous body radiated powerful spiritual power, while the Ice Empress stood with her arms folded and a stern expression. The other Soul Spirits each radiated their own distinctive presence as they waited quietly for her to speak.
The Snow Empress took a deep breath, and her clear, melodious voice rang through the divine soul space. "All right, everyone. Yuhao is trapped in a desperate situation, as we can all plainly see. His life is like a candle flickering in the wind, liable to go out at any moment. We can't hesitate in our decision any longer. For Yuhao, and for the journey we've shared, let's be on our way!"
As soon as she finished speaking, brilliant light burst from the Soul Spirits, and they transformed into streams of pure, powerful divine power.
The divine power surged toward the depths of Huo Yuhao's divine soul, carrying the Soul Spirits' memories of all they had shared with him. Yet though this power was mighty, it was also a double-edged sword.
Even as it brought Huo Yuhao a chance at life, it once again pushed his already fragile, lifeless existence into its final countdown. This was hope, but for Huo Yuhao, it was also despair.
Everyone... Huo Yuhao cried hoarsely in his heart, his voice full of pain and reluctance. The tears at the corners of his eyes could no longer be contained, pouring out like a flood. Scalding drops slid down his cheeks, gleaming with heartbreaking light amid the illusory lights and shadows of the divine soul space.
Why... why would you go so far for me?
And so they left, casting themselves without hesitation into the furnace that sustained the last of Huo Yuhao's life. Their figures gradually faded until they vanished.
As the Snow Empress departed, perhaps she truly held a faint hope in her heart, believing that the elusive God of Ice and Snow could cross this boundless expanse of space and time to protect Huo Yuhao.
But how could she not know that, in this space twisted beyond recognition, an air of despair pervaded every moment? What path to survival could there be? There was only a dead end utterly shrouded in despair.
In a sense, they were merely taking the step toward the end of their lives before Huo Yuhao, only to buy that unknown chance. Nothing more.
On reflection, for a girl, "see you in the next life" might have been the most sincere feeling she could express. She carefully entrusted the many regrets she could not speak of in this life to that impossibly distant next life, hoping with all her heart to make up for what this life had lacked and leave no regrets behind.
People often gave this hope of reunion in the next life the pretty name of "destiny," as though it were an arrangement made by heaven in the unseen. But how could this so-called destiny spanning life after life truly exist? It was merely a sliver of comfort people found for themselves when faced with a reality they were powerless to change.
In the next life, even if fate worked its wonders and brought Huo Yuhao and her together again, by then she would already be an entirely new individual, with a new soul and new memories, no longer connected to the woman she was in this life. And she was far from the only one.
How many people in the world held fast to hopes for the next life, longing to reunite with their loved ones then? Yet in the end, it was a flower in a mirror, the moon reflected in water, perhaps impossible to attain even in a lifetime. Of course, nothing in this world was absolute. Perhaps, at some unexpected moment, that infinitesimal chance of a turn for the better might arrive...