A couple hours ago.
Huo Yuhao and Qiu'er stood before the exit of the cave, and as expected, a black-light barrier completely sealed off the exit. It wasn't just the tunnel, it enveloped the entire cave from top to bottom.
"Will this really work?" Huo Yuhao asked, his face full of doubt.
Qiu'er nodded. "I'm certain. However, human, in order for this to work you have to use a considerable amount of strength."
"A considerable amount of strength..." Huo Yuhao muttered as he clenched his fist and began to ponder.
'Although my meridians are broken, my body has recovered completely. Without using any soul power my body itself is around the level of a Soul Douluo or a peak Soul Sage all because of the Ultimate Ice-Fire Refinement I underwent.'
'However, would that really be enough even with whatever power Qui'er is going to use? This is a seal placed by the Beast God, Di Tian!'
'Wait, don't I have...' Huo Yuhao remembered about the external soul bone he got from the Darkgold Terror Claw Bear.
He closed his eyes, concentrating with the small amount of spiritual power he managed to recover to open up his Eye of Eternity.
Qiu'er stared at the Eye of Eternity in shock and awe, sensing the immense otherworldly power within it that felt as though it wasn't inferior to her own Eye of Destiny.
In fact, it probably was even superior by some aspects!
'...Why does this feel kinda embarassing?' A bead of cold dripped down Huo Yuhao's cheek, opening the Eye of Eternity had consumed more than half of the spiritual power he has right now.
Without wasting any more time, a flash of gold light shone from his Eternal Eye and the external soul bone emerged.
"That is... A damaged soul bone of a Darkgold Terror Claw Bear? But not at the same time? Weird," Qiuery asked curiously.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Long story short, I was being hunted by a Darkgold Terror Claw Bear before I was struck by the Heavenly Tribulation. And if I remember of its characteristics correctly, the bear was around 50-60,000 years old or so."
He paused for a moment and nervously asked, "You don't suppose the Bear Lord is going to attack me for having this soul bone, right?"
Huo Yuhao had long since knew about the identities about the Great Beasts in the Great Star Dou Forest and can easily figure out who sent the Darkgold Terror Claw Bear after him. Obviously, who else could it be but the only Darkgold Terror Claw Bear of Great Beast level—Bear Lord.
'However, it's just a possibility. Especially since Darkgold Terror Claw Bears aren't known for using spiritual power.'
If Huo Yuhao was going to stay for a while in Great Star Dou Forest, then he had to weed out the one who was raising the Skysplitting Demon Dragon or he'll die.
She shook her head. "Not really. In fact, I think he'll respect you for it, albeit secretly due to his intense hate towards humans. Uncle Bear respects those who are strong, and those who can defeat his kin, known to be equal to True Dragons, would earn his begrudging acknowledgment."
"But...he would attack you on sight, simply because you're a human."
"Great..." Huo Yuhao grumbled and sat on a cross-legged position, the external soul bone on his lap. It was a right palm bone, with 3, 12-inch long, golden blade-claws with dark golden halos revolving around it, and emerald light veins all across the palm was the sign of the Life Gold's influence.
Despite the external soul bone missing two claws, there doesn't seem to be any issues with it at all. In fact, after being coated and refined by the life energy of the Life Gold in the Eternal Eye, it seemed to have gotten a bit stronger and doesn't show any form of resistance to him.
Which was extremely lucky. Huo Yuhao was really prepared to take on a painful experience of absorbing it since a.) it's from a 50-60,000 year old Darkgold Terror Claw Bear, and b.) his meridians were still a wreck so the circulation of his soul power would be extremely unstable and prone to backlash.
Yet, it seemed that the refinement it received from the Life Gold had calmed the soul bone's inherent ferocity, making it much more compatible with his body.
"This shouldn't take too long then," Huo Yuhao muttered and turned towards Qiu'er.
"Qiu'er, prepare whatever power you're about to use. When I finish absorbing this, I'll immediately start attacking the barrier."
Qiu'er nodded. "Very well, human."
Huo Yuhao wryly smiled. "You can just call me Yuhao. I'd appreciate it."
"Okay."
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and started absorbing the soul bone into his right palm.
With a strong body that can handle up to the 5th Inner Gate, a top-tier physique with two Ultimate elemental attributes, and zero resistance from the soul bone.
It only took around an hour before the absorption process was finished.
Huo Yuhao looked at his right hand, which looked a bit bigger and more robust than before, with faint golden patterns etched along his fingers and palm.
When he willed it, the three golden blade-claws extended from between his knuckles, gleaming with a fierce, metallic light.
He flexed his fingers experimentally, feeling the claws respond as if they were a natural extension of his body.
When he willed it, the claws retracted smoothly, merging back into his knuckles without leaving a trace nor were there blood dripping out, the skin on his knuckles almost immediately closed.
He could feel his soul power surging throughout his body, and he was sure that his cultivation would've risen if he had gotten a fifth soul ring. Unfortunately, some of the energy contained in the soul bone was leaked out because of his broken meridians.
'How unfortunate.'
"Still, this is pretty cool." Huo Yuhao muttered as he popped the claws out again and turned towards Qiu'er, and was surprised.
Qiu'er's third eye, shining brightly like the sun, illuminated the cave, casting long shadows on the walls. The flow of fate, destiny and fortune began to converge around her like a whirlpool.
This was the power Qiu'er was talking about, the Eye of Destiny's ability to manipulate destiny, fate and fortune for the user and around them.
She was planning to increase Huo Yuhao's fortune and luck.
Getting through the barrier with brute force wasn't going to work, especially since it was made by Di Tian who is known publically as the strongest soul beast in the continent, but there was a possibility that it would work.
A very, very small chance of it working. But if Huo Yuhao's luck was amplified and hit that small chance just right, then it might be enough to break through the barrier.
"Yuhao! Get ready!" Qiu'er cried out.
Huo Yuhao snapped out of his daze and nodded. He turned towards the barrier and pulled back his arm, the golden blades gleamed as Qiu'er's Eye of Destiny shot a golden-red ray of light towards Huo Yuhao.
"Woah. It feels so...tingly!" Huo Yuhao exclaimed and clenched his fist, the golden blades sang as they vibrated with newfound power, resonating with the golden-red energy enveloping his arm. The tingling sensation spread throughout his entire body.
"Alright. Let's see if lady luck is really on my side!"
He punched forward with all his might, the Darkgold Terror Claws exuded an aura of pure destruction. The golden-red energy surged through his arm, merging with the metallic gleam of the claws.
The claws tore through the air, creating a vacuum in their wake as they struck the barrier. The metallic hum intensified, and the space around his arm distorted as if reality itself was breaking apart.
The barrier screeched, appearing like a ripple on water, vibrating violently as if resisting the overwhelming force. Cracks spread rapidly from the impact point, forming a spiderweb of fractures across the translucent surface.
"Ugh!" Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth, the muscles in his right arm straining as he poured every ounce of his physical strength into the attack.
"Break!" he roared, pushing his fist deeper into the barrier.
With a final, deafening "CRACK", the barrier shattered like fragile glass, bursting outward in a flurry of energy fragments. A shockwave erupted from the impact, sending leaves and dust swirling into the air.
The dark force that had been trapping him dissipated instantly, and a fresh, invigorating breeze entered the cave.
Huo Yuhao stumbled back, panting heavily, his right arm trembling from the force he had just unleashed. The claws slowly retracted back into his knuckles, the skin sealing seamlessly with no trace of damage.
Qiu'er walked up beside him, breathing hard but looked stable as she rubbed against him. "It worked! We did it!"
Huo Yuhao nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead, stroking her head. "Yeah... I can't actually believe that it worked."
It was a barrier made from Di Tian after all.
"He probably half-assed it, not expecting you to help me destroy it."
Qiu'er tilted her head. "....He probably did. Although that barrier was strong enough to seal soul beasts below 200,000 years old until the barrier disappears."
Huo Yuhao sweatdropped. "S-Seriously?"
"Di Tian might be called the Black Dragon King, but his mastery over spatial strength is said to rival even pure blooded Space Dragons." She then glanced at his hand.
"The Darkgold Terror Claw helped a lot, it seems."
In the soul beast world, the claws of a Darkgold Terror Claw Bear is known to be able to rend through the air, earth and space with a mere swipe of their claw. Its ability to tear through space massively increased Huo Yuhao's odds on destroying the barrier.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "I'll think about its abilities later on. C'mon, we gotta stop them!"
"Hm! Hop on!"
Huo Yuhao blinked, turning to Qiu'er. "Uh..."
"What are you waiting for?! Get on my back! If I'm not close to you when you approach them, the soul beasts would attack you!"
"O-Okay...." Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment, but quickly nodded. He carefully climbed onto Qiu'er's back, feeling a bit awkward as he settled in. Qiu'er was surprisingly sturdy despite her elegant appearance, and her golden fur was soft to the touch.
'I'm riding a talking soul beast for the first time... Somehow, I find this more weird than having past lives.'
"Hold on tight," Qiu'er said in a low growl.
Huo Yuhao wrapped his arms around her neck, trying not to grip too tightly. "Alright.... I'm ready!"
Without another word, Qiu'er sprang forward with a powerful leap, her movements smooth and graceful as she dashed through the forest. The ground seemed to blur beneath them as she moved at an incredible speed, weaving through trees and underbrush with practiced ease.
The sounds of intense battle and undulations of soul power rippled through the air, growing stronger as they approached the clearing. Explosions echoed in the distance, accompanied by fierce roars and shouts.
Then...it suddenly went quiet.
As they approached the center of the core region, where the Lake of Life is, Huo Yuhao and Qiu'er saw the humans stand defeated before the soul beasts.
'Elder Xuan?' Huo Yuhao quickly noticed Xuan Zi talking with Di Tian. Although he couldn't use his Sharingan yet, having practiced the Purple Demon Eyes made his base form eyes stronger than average so he can quickly and easily see more than a Soul Douluo.
'Is that a trigger? I have to stop Elder Xuan!'
"Wait!"
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3/3 chapters of the week