“Yuhao, are you alright?”
His mother Huo Yun’er’s worried voice drifted in from outside the carriage.
“Mom, I’m fine,” Huo Yuhao replied, opening his eyes from his meditative rest.
“You look a bit pale.
Is the carriage too bumpy?
Should we stop and rest for a bit?” Huo Yun’er looked back at her son inside the carriage, her eyes filled with concern.
“No need, Mom.
I’m not tired; I was just thinking about some things.” Huo Yuhao’s voice was very calm.
“Thinking about things?”
Huo Yun’er’s tone held a touch of daze.
“Yuhao, you seem to have…
really grown up.
Tell Mom, what are you thinking about?”
Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment before saying, “I’m thinking that leaving the Duke’s Mansion was the right choice.
In the future, I will make sure you live a good life.”
Hearing her son speak with a composure unbefitting of a six-year-old child, Huo Yun’er felt a mixture of relief and heartache.
She didn’t press further, only giving a soft “Mm” before turning back to focus on driving the carriage.
To her, the reason her son’s personality had changed so drastically overnight was entirely due to the people and events in the White Tiger Duke Mansion forcing his hand.
Huo Yuhao looked at his mother’s frail back, his mind racing with countless thoughts.
After leaving the White Tiger Duke Mansion, he had used the hundreds of Gold Soul Coins he confiscated from Dai Huabin’s bodyguards.
With them, he bought the cheapest second-hand carriage and a draft horse at a market outside White Tiger City.
Having a means of transportation was far better than the mother and son traveling on foot.
Their goal was clear: head to the Heaven Soul Empire.
The Star Luo Empire was the White Tiger Duke’s sphere of influence; the longer they stayed, the more dangerous it would be.
After settling his mother, Huo Yuhao closed his eyes once again.
His consciousness sank into his spiritual sea.
Inside his spiritual sea, all was calm.
The fragment of his teacher Electrolux’s divine soul still resembled a speck of dust, floating silently and completely motionless, clearly still in a deep sleep to nourish itself.
Huo Yuhao turned his attention to the other side.
The Eye of Eternity, bound by countless grey chains, was similarly unresponsive.
This was a true super divine artifact and his final trump card from the Divine Realm.
According to his memories, once the Eye of Eternity was fully awakened, it possessed the terrifying ability to see through all illusions, reverse fragments of time, and even interfere with the trajectory of destiny.
But right now, it was sealed too tightly.
These grey chains were shackles of natural laws left behind from crossing the world barrier during his rebirth.
With his current innate rank 3 soul power, he couldn’t even shake the thinnest among them.
He could only vaguely sense its existence but could not utilize even a fraction of its power.
The only way to break the seal was to continuously raise his soul power level.
Every time he advanced a major realm, he should be able to undo a portion of the seal and gain a fraction of the Eye of Eternity’s power.
As for the source of ice and snow belonging to the Snow Empress within his body, it was hidden even deeper, like a slumbering dragon.
Until he had a suitable opportunity and a body strong enough to withstand it, he didn’t dare to lightly disturb it.
*One bite at a time, one step at a time,* Huo Yuhao cautioned himself.
In this life, he had plenty of time and patience to lay his plans and grow.
The carriage rolled along with a rhythmic, monotonous clatter that accompanied them for two days.
To avoid checkpoints and inspections on the main roads, Huo Yuhao chose a small path marked on the map that could cut through the mountain forests directly to another city.
Though remote and difficult to traverse, it was safe.
As the carriage entered the quiet mountain path, the surrounding light dimmed significantly.
Towering trees blotted out the sky, with only dappled points of light filtering through the gaps in the leaves.
Suddenly, “Whoa!”
Huo Yun’er, who was driving the carriage, abruptly pulled the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Huo Yuhao asked from inside.
“Yuhao, ahead…
there’s someone ahead.” Huo Yun’er’s voice carried a hint of tension and uncertainty.
Huo Yuhao lifted the carriage curtain and looked ahead.
There, standing quietly in the middle of the road, was a woman.
She was a woman whose beauty defied description.
She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, with silver-white hair falling all the way to her waist.
Her skin was fair, with the texture of mutton-fat jade.
Every single one of her features seemed to be the Creator’s finest masterpiece, coming together to form a face that should not exist in the mortal realm.
She was tall, her proportions so flawless that not a single blemish could be found.
Most striking of all were her eyes.
They were a pair of purple eyes.
Within their deep violet depths, countless stars seemed to slowly rotate.
She just stood there in the middle of the road, without speaking or making any movement.
She simply used those purple eyes to quietly watch the carriage as it approached and stopped.
The moment he saw those purple eyes, Huo Yuhao’s heart seized, and the blood in his entire body seemed to freeze.
Alarms blared frantically in his mind!
Others might only be shocked by her appearance, but Huo Yuhao, possessing the memories of a God King, recognized her identity in an instant!
The Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena!
It was her!
It was actually her!
The co-ruler of soul beasts, the silver incarnation split from the Dragon God, the true king of all soul beasts in the world!
The Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, before whom even Di Tian or the Snow Empress could only bow and submit!
Why was she here?
And looking at her posture…
she seemed to be waiting specifically for him?
Countless thoughts exploded in Huo Yuhao’s brain.
Almost instinctively, he wanted to tell his mother to turn around and flee immediately.
But he forced down that impulsive urge.
Flee?
In front of the Silver Dragon King, where could a child with innate rank 3 soul power and an ordinary human possibly run?
“Young lady, what are you doing here all alone?
Are you lost?
Do you need some help?” Huo Yun’er was kind-hearted after all.
Seeing that the other party was just a young woman, she asked.
Gu Yuena did not look at Huo Yun’er; she didn’t even spare her a single glance.
Her gaze pierced through the gap in the carriage curtain, locking directly onto Huo Yuhao inside.
She moved.
She took a step, walking slowly toward the carriage.
Huo Yuhao felt an indescribable pressure descend with her approach, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
Gu Yuena walked up to the side of the carriage, leaned down slightly, and approached the carriage window.
Her exquisite nose twitched slightly, as if she were carefully sniffing a scent.
Huo Yuhao dared not move a muscle, his entire body tensed.
“On your body…” Gu Yuena spoke, her voice clear and melodious, “…there is a very unique scent.”
Her purple eyes held a trace of curiosity and inquiry.
“It seems to be…
the scent of destiny.”
Huo Yuhao’s heart skipped a beat.
He forced himself to remain calm and said in the innocent tone fitting for a six-year-old child, “Big Sister, what are you saying?
I don’t understand.”
Watching his feigned innocence, the corner of Gu Yuena’s mouth suddenly curled into a faint arc, a smile that made everything around them pale in comparison.
“Little guy, stop pretending.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it resounded like a clap of thunder in Huo Yuhao’s mind.
“The old fellow deep within your soul is staring at me.”
Huo Yuhao’s pupils shrank violently.
…
A long-dormant, incredibly weak voice abruptly echoed in his spiritual sea.
[This little girl…
is not simple.]
It was Teacher Electrolux!
He had actually been awakened by Gu Yuena’s aura!
Huo Yuhao was shocked.
*Teacher!
You’re awake?*
Electrolux’s voice was more solemn than ever before.
“Be careful.
Her fundamental nature…
is exceptionally high.
Though she seems weakened, her combat power definitely exceeds that of ordinary gods.
Even this old man’s divine soul fragment was sensed by her.”
Before Huo Yuhao could respond to his teacher, Gu Yuena outside the carriage spoke again, saying something that shocked both Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun’er.
“I am going to follow you.”
She spoke as if it were a matter of course, leaving no room for doubt.
“Ah?”
Huo Yun’er was the first to react.
Looking at this beautiful woman with a face full of shock, she asked, “Young lady, you are…”
Gu Yuena still didn’t look at her, her purple eyes fixed squarely on Huo Yuhao.
She explained, “He has something I want.
I don’t feel at ease letting him leave my sight.”
Huo Yuhao cried out bitterly in his heart.
He could vaguely guess what it was.
What else could attract the Silver Dragon King other than the trajectory of destiny brought by his rebirth and veiled by the Eye of Eternity?
In his past life, he had never met Gu Yuena at this place and time.
In this life, because of his rebirth, the trajectory of destiny had shifted, drawing this seeker of fate.
What was this?
A “gift package” bundled with his rebirth?
This was far too overbearing and direct.
It didn’t give him any chance to refuse at all!
He tried to make one final struggle.
“Big Sister, I’m just an ordinary person fleeing with my mother.
There is no benefit in following me and sleeping in the wild,” Huo Yuhao said in his most sincere tone.
Hearing this, Gu Yuena suddenly reached out her hand.
Her movement was not fast, but Huo Yuhao felt himself locked in place by an invisible force, unable to dodge at all.
That fair, jade-like hand gently pinched his chin and lifted his face.
Gu Yuena leaned in close.
Those purple eyes, which seemed to contain the entire starry sky, stared straight into the depths of his eyes, as if she wanted to see right through his soul.
An unspeakable, terrifying pressure radiated from her body.
It was not a soul power pressure, but an absolute suppression originating from a higher level of life essence.
Huo Yuhao felt like a lonely boat in a raging storm, liable to be overturned at any moment.
A clear voice rang directly in his mind.
This was a mental exchange that Huo Yun’er, standing beside them, could not hear at all.
[Nonono!
I’m the one who calls the shots here, you know.]
Gu Yuena’s mental transmission actually carried a hint of playfulness!
[You have no right to refuse.]
Huo Yuhao’s heart sank to rock bottom.
He knew she was telling the truth.
In the face of absolute strength, any words or schemes were pale and powerless.
To her, his current self probably was no different from an ant.
Resistance would only court destruction.
He took a deep breath and responded with difficulty using his spiritual power.
[…Fine.]
He chose to compromise.
*But I have one condition.*
Gu Yuena’s eyebrows raised slightly, seemingly surprised that he actually dared to set conditions.
Summoning all his strength, Huo Yuhao made his mental transmission firm and clear: [You must promise me that you will absolutely not hurt my mother.]
Gu Yuena’s gaze finally shifted away from Huo Yuhao’s face, casting a flat glance at Huo Yun’er, who was filled with worry and confusion.
[Of course,] her voice sounded in Huo Yuhao’s mind again.
[I do not kill unrelated people.]
Only after receiving this guarantee did Huo Yuhao breathe a sigh of relief.
As long as his mother was safe, everything else could be planned in the long run.
He gave a reassuring smile to the anxious Huo Yun’er outside and nodded.
Although Huo Yun’er could not hear the conversation between her son and the mysterious woman, she understood her son’s eyes.
She wanted to say something, wanted to ask what was going on, but the words faltered on the tip of her tongue when she saw her son’s beyond-his-years composure.
She ultimately chose to swallow all her questions.
She chose to trust her son.
And so, an extra passenger was mysteriously added to this escape journey.
Their journey of three thus began.
Huo Yun’er was still responsible for driving the carriage, though her expression was much tenser than before.
From time to time, she would peer worriedly through the gap in the carriage curtain.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was quite bizarre.
Inside the tiny cabin, Gu Yuena occupied half the space, simply sitting there.
She neither spoke nor cultivated, merely staring unblinkingly with her purple eyes at Huo Yuhao, whom she had pulled over to her side.
Stared at like this, Huo Yuhao felt thoroughly uncomfortable, as if sitting on a bed of needles.
Gu Yuena seemed unfamiliar with and curious about everything in the human world.
She would pick up Huo Yuhao’s water skin and spend ages studying the crude carvings on it.
She would lift the carriage curtain and gaze at the trees rapidly receding outside, her eyes reflecting deep thought.
She was like a dry sponge, greedily absorbing all the information of this world.
But her attitude toward humans was one of utter indifference.
Along the way, they encountered a caravan of traveling merchants.
Seeing Gu Yuena’s face, those merchants all looked struck by her celestial beauty.
Some even wanted to step forward to make conversation.
But Gu Yuena merely spared them a flat glance.
That glance held no emotion whatsoever, much like a human looking at a stone by their foot.
Yet those merchants felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
They instantly shut their mouths, not daring to steal another glance, and hurriedly departed.
In her world, it seemed that aside from Huo Yuhao, no other human was worth even a fraction of her attention.
“Who on earth are you?”
After studying Huo Yuhao for the entire journey, Gu Yuena finally spoke again, voicing the confusion in her heart.
“Your soul…
is very strange.
It is clearly weak, yet it seems wrapped in a layer of mist that even I cannot see through.”
She reached out a finger and poked Huo Yuhao’s cheek, her movement like someone examining a novel toy.
“Why does it seem like I can’t read you?”
Huo Yuhao’s heart leapt into his throat, but he had no choice but to squeeze out a stiff smile.
“Big Sister, I’m just me, just an ordinary kid.
You must have misseen.”
He laughed it off outwardly while screaming frantically inside.
What a joke!
The secret of his rebirth was his greatest trump card, second only to Teacher Electrolux!
This must absolutely not be exposed!
Especially not in front of this Silver Dragon King, whose strength was unfathomable!
Otherwise, heaven only knew what she would do to him.
Gu Yuena tilted her head, watching his insincerity.
A flash of amusement flickered in her purple eyes.
She didn’t press further, merely retracting her hand and saying flatly, “Is that so?”
Huo Yuhao didn’t dare answer.
He could only keep his head lowered, his heart bound in immense tension.
He knew he had already been targeted by this most terrifying of existences.
The road ahead would likely be far more tumultuous than he had ever anticipated.