"Yuhao?!"
"Auspicious Emperor?!"
Both the human and soul beast side turned toward the source of the voice, eyes widening in shock as they saw Huo Yuhao and Qiu'er approaching.
"Yuhao! You're alive!" Yan Shaozhe exclaimed, feeling utter relief. He was the one who was supposed to help him, but failed miserably, and it resulted in this whole situation.
For days, he'd been feeling a crushing guilt gnawing at his heart, blaming himself for Huo Yuhao's disappearance. Seeing the boy alive and seemingly unharmed lifted a massive weight off his shoulders.
"Auspicious Emperor?!" Bear Lord and the other Great Beasts were all shocked to see her carrying a human on her back. The other soul beasts murmured in confusion and surprise, their hostility momentarily wavering.
Di Tian's piercing golden eyes fixed on Huo Yuhao, his expression as stoic as ever. "You broke through my barrier.... Not bad." He then glanced at Qiu'er. "Even if you had the help of the Auspicious Emperor."
"Everyone! Stop!" Huo Yuhao and Qiu'er positioned themselves in between both sides; Huo Yuhao faced Xuan Zi and the others, while Qiu'er faced Di Tian and the other soul beasts.
Elder Xuan stepped forward, his eyes wide. "Kid, how.... Are you hurt? Did they torture you?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head quickly. "No, no! I'm fine! I wasn't tortured or anything. It's... complicated."
Bear Lord growled lowly, his claws popping out. "What is the meaning of this?" He turned towards Di Tian, growling. "Di Tian! Weren't you supposed to kill that human? Why is he here, and with the Auspicious Emperor no less?!"
"Was the soul contract between them so strong that Di Tian wasn't able to resolve it?" Bi Ji muttered in concern.
"Everyone, please, calm down!" Qiu'er said in a commanding tone of voice, her Emperor Beast aura exploded out of her body.
"This fighting has to stop! If we continue on fighting, us soul beasts will be the ones to lose!"
"W-What did you say?!"
"Auspicious Emperor, did that human do something to you? You wouldn't say something like this!"
Di Tian raised a hand to silence the murmurs among the soul beasts, his golden gaze fixed on Qiu'er. "Auspicious Emperor. Explain yourself."
"How about we speak somewhere private?" Huo Yuhao suggested, turning towards Di Tian. "Just me, Qiu'er, the great beasts, Elder Xuan and a couple more Transcendent Douluos."
"Like hell we're going to agree to your—" Hell Demon Dragon King gritted her teeth, stepping forward to object. Bear Lord, Scarlet King and other soul beasts also felt the same sentiment.
"Fine."
However, Di Tian raised his hand, cutting off the protests from the other soul beasts. His golden eyes remained fixed on Huo Yuhao, as if trying to peer into his soul.
"We will speak privately as you suggest. But know this, human—if your words do not satisfy me, your comrades will not leave this forest alive."
The Bear Lord looked shocked and furious. "Di Tian! You can't be serious! That human is manipulating the Auspicious Emperor! We should just—"
Di Tian shot her a sharp glare, silencing him immediately. "Enough. I will hear them out. We have fought enough for today. There will be no fighting and killing unless we return, unless provoked, all sides are to stand down."
Both soul beasts and humans went quiet, silently adhering to Di Tian's words.
With a snap of his fingers, a pitch-black light sphere emerged and enveloped him, the other Great Beasts, Qiu'er, Huo Yuhao, Xuan Zi, Elder Song, Yan Shaozhi, and Xian Lin'er.
In the next instant, both groups were transported into a familiar cave.
'Huh. Wait, is this the same cave that I escaped from? What the hell...' Huo Yuhao's face darkened, feeling somewhat dejected.
"You've got your privacy," Di Tian walked forward and an intricate black chair made of hard ore materialized behind him. He took a seat, propping his hand under his chin and crossed his legs, his golden eyes locked on Huo Yuhao.
"Now. Talk."
The other Great Beasts took their positions around him — Bear Lord stood to the side, now in human form with his arms crossed and looking disgruntled, while Scarlet King leaned against the wall with a guarded expression. Bi Ji, calm and composed, stood near Di Tian, her emerald eyes observing Huo Yuhao carefully. While the Hell Demon Dragon King stood on the other side of Bi Ji with a cautious look.
Huo Yuhao glanced back at Xuan Zi, Elder Song, Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er — gesturing to them to let him handle it.
Elder Xuan and the others frowned, shaking their heads, wanting to be the ones to handle it since they were the adults, but Huo Yuhao ignored them and took a step forward.
"Di Tian. You and every soul beast, not just in this forest, but in the whole world want one thing the most out of anything—"
"Godhood. If there's one thing I understand in our world, is that strength reigns supreme. As long as one has absolute power, they can do whatever they want. And with divinity, one can even lead a whole race towards prosperity, salvation and freedom."
"And from what Qiu'er saw in a probable future, was a path that leads to the salvation of Soul Beasts. You didn't divulge what it was, but when Qiu'er mentioned those strange rings and your expression changed, I started to think. What were those rings that made you quickly change your mind almost instantly?"
Huo Yuhao smirked. "There has been no record of soul beasts having soul rings, except when they reincarnate into a human—but I know for a fact that wouldn't happen to you and the other Great Beasts. So I deduce that, those were no ordinary soul rings. Those were Divine Rings!"
"The road to salvation, to Divinity, lies with me."
The expressions of the Great Beasts, except Di Tian, Xuan Zi and the others changed constantly from hearing his words.
"Di Tian, is what he's saying true?!" Bear Lord asked, his eyes wide.
Di Tian slowly nodded. "He speaks the truth." He then told him and the other Great Beasts about what Qui'er told him.
"Unbelievable."
"That human will help us become Divine Beasts..?"
"I believe we already made a deal, human. What else do you wish to talk about?" Di Tian leaned back in his chair, his golden eyes still fixed on Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao looked straight into his eyes and said, "Di Tian. I am a man of reason and logic, I believe you are as well. Do you honestly believe that only I can bring you the result you wanted? I doubt it, you all doubt it."
"Which is why I wanted you all to stop earlier. A truce between humans and soul beasts is what's needed right now."
Di Tian furrowed his brows, doubtful. "A truce?"
Huo Yuhao nodded and explained. "It's a start to a very long plan that I made. Soul masters have to hunt down soul beasts in order to acquire soul rings and soul bones in order to progress their cultivation, a process that has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years."
"However, Soul Beasts are finite and their numbers have been dwindling for generations. As humans grow stronger and their soul tool technology advances, the rate at which soul beasts are hunted increases exponentially. Eventually, it will reach a point where soul beasts face complete extinction."
The Great Beasts fell silent, some of them exchanging uneasy glances. Even Bear Lord, despite his usual gruff attitude, looked thoughtful.
"And as Soul Beasts faced extinction, so too will soul masters." Di Tian surmised calmly.
"Exactly. This situation for both our races is a double-edged sword," Huo Yuhao continued. "Soul beasts face extinction due to being hunted for soul rings and soul bones. But once soul beasts are gone, soul masters will lose the very foundation of their cultivation and cause the ecosystem of the world to collapse."
"In order to prevent this from happening, cooperation between soul beasts and humans is the first great step."
"If the world knows that Shrek Academy has made an alliance with the soul beasts of Great Star Dou Forest, then many would be hesitant to venture into the forest without discussing with the academy. Shrek Academy is known to be the best school within the entire continent for soul masters, many soul masters would give face to them."
"This would give me time to implement my plan to save soul beasts and change the cultivation system of soul masters."
Di Tian, the Great Beasts, Xuan Zi and the others looked at Huo Yuhao with a mixture of intrigue and skepticism.
If it were anyone else who said this, they would've dismissed it as crazed ramblings of a mad man that had lost himself in the head.
But this man, no, boy was vouched for by the Auspicious Emperor and was known as the most talented genius of the entire Shrek Academy history.
If anyone had the right to have his words to be heard—it would be Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao wouldn't have been this confident and came up with a plan that could change the world, if he didn't know of a way to get stronger without using soul rings.
That's right. From his Ancestor and his own memories, and from the stories of his teacher Electrolux, he would create a new system.
A system of cultivation that uses the power of the elements, without the need of soul rings. That would serve as a great foundation and he would advance it further as he grows stronger.
However, he also understands that this change wouldn't be easy. It would take years, decades even!
All because people are slow to change, for all sorts of reasons.
He would change this world....for the better.
Huo Yuhao smirked.
"I have a name for the plan, a sort of metaphor if you would humour me. As it started off with a vision in the night—"
"I call it the "Eye of the Moon" plan."
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Huo Yuhao: This world...shall know TRUE PEACE!
1/3 chapters of the week