Chapter 166: The Unexpected Convergence
As the Body Sect launched their attack on Mingde Hall, Xiao Qiang immediately activated his spiritual detection, and within moments, he pinpointed Huo Yuhao's location.
True to the original storyline, Huo Yuhao, sensing the assault from the Body Sect, quickly began digging a tunnel to make his escape. However, he inadvertently ended up at the very location where Mingde Hall had stored the prototype mecha.
After muttering an apology to his teacher, Huo Yuhao wasted no time. With a swift motion, he used the nearby Starlight Sapphire, a crystal that had been placed near the mecha, to absorb the mecha prototype into his storage. Xiao Qiang, observing silently from a distance, was preparing to catch him in the act. However, before he could make his move, a powerful Titled Douluo from the Body Sect suddenly appeared before him.
"Boy," the Titled Douluo said coldly, "return to our sect. As the owner of the Body Martial Spirit, you should belong to the Body Sect as well."
Xiao Qiang, taken aback, could only stare at the Titled Douluo in silence.
While Xiao Qiang was occupied with the Titled Douluo, Huo Yuhao had already hidden the mecha prototype. Just as he was about to leave the area, he encountered a Soul Douluo from the Body Sect.
Having been observing the situation through his perspective skill, Huo Yuhao had already seen the appearance of the leader of the Body Sect, Du Bu Si. With his third soul skill activated, he managed to outwit the Soul Douluo, successfully tricking him into thinking he had left with the mecha prototype.
But the situation quickly took a turn when Jing Hongchen and Du Bu Si engaged in battle, drawing the attention of the Body Sect's Soul Douluo. The Soul Douluo immediately sensed that something was amiss, and without hesitation, made a move to seize the embryo from Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao, realizing the Soul Douluo was too powerful for him to handle, resorted to his plan—he tossed the soul beast embryo directly at the Soul Douluo. The Soul Douluo, caught off guard, quickly attempted to withdraw his strength, but it was too late. The Conferred God Platform, known for its strong internal defenses but weak external ones, was obliterated in an instant, revealing the soul beast embryo inside.
A tremendous force exploded outward, freezing the Soul Douluo from the Body Sect into an ice sculpture. Despite the proximity of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Martial Spirit, which could have frozen Huo Yuhao as well, his soul bone's invincible golden body skill activated just in time, saving his life once again, thanks to Alex's intervention.
At that moment, a large monkey suddenly charged out from Huo Yuhao's location and barreled into the Body Sect's Soul Douluo, smashing him aside.
However, the monkey's arrival was anything but fortunate. It inadvertently collided into the ongoing battle between Du Bu Si and Jing Hongchen, becoming the object of contention between the two.
"Titan Snow Demon Ape?" Du Bu Si muttered. "Well, well, it's a top-tier beast spirit that suits Aotian perfectly!"
"How dare you! That beast belongs to Mingde Hall!" Jing Hongchen yelled in protest. "The Body Sect has no claim here!"
A fierce battle broke out between Du Bu Si and Jing Hongchen, each vying for control of the Titan Snow Demon Ape. The beast, witnessing the chaos, made the same decision as the Snow Emperor had in the original story.
"Damn humans," the Titan Snow Demon Ape cursed, "you will regret hunting our soul beasts. One day, you will pay for your arrogance!"
With a furious growl, the Titan Snow Demon Ape detonated its own essence in a desperate attempt to end the conflict and take down both Du Bu Si and Jing Hongchen with it.
The explosion shook the entire battlefield, injuring both Jing Hongchen and Du Bu Si. A fragment of the Titan Snow Demon Ape's remaining essence drifted toward Huo Yuhao, who was unable to escape its pull. By sheer luck, the essence was captured by Alex.
"Still here, huh? Damn it!" Du Bu Si cursed.
"Calm down," Alex's voice rang out from Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea. "We're not enemies. At least, I'm not here to kill you. I actually have a way to preserve your consciousness and offer you a future—one that gives you the chance to rebuild."
The Titan Snow Demon Ape, stunned by the offer, asked, "What do you mean?"
"I can preserve your consciousness and make you Huo Yuhao's second martial soul," Alex explained. "If Yuhao becomes a god, you'll live forever, just like the Sky Blue Bull Mang and the Titan Giant Ape from thousands of years ago."
The Titan Snow Demon Ape hesitated. It had long since resigned itself to death after the explosion, but the prospect of surviving—of living on in a new form—was tempting. It was ready to agree, but just as it was about to speak, a familiar aura appeared on the horizon.
The Snow Emperor, feeling the presence of the Titan Snow Demon Ape, appeared without hesitation. She had come to claim the soul beast, sensing its residual presence.
With the force of her immense spiritual power, the Snow Emperor destroyed the Titled Douluo that had been engaged with Xiao Qiang in a single blow. She immediately focused her energy, honing in on the faint trace of the Titan Snow Demon Ape's aura.
As the Titan Snow Demon Ape sensed the Snow Emperor's presence, its initial resolve faltered. With the arrival of the Snow Emperor, the soul beast suddenly found itself with more options than before.
The Snow Emperor's energy, honed over 700,000 years, swept across the area. As she approached the Titan Snow Demon Ape, she effortlessly snatched the remaining trace of the beast's essence from Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
Alex, sensing the overwhelming power of the Snow Emperor, realized that control had slipped away from him. Had he been in his prime, he might have stood a chance, but now, as only a fragment of his consciousness, there was nothing he could do.
He turned to Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, thanks to your external soul bone, I've regained some strength. I wanted to pass my undead magic to you later, but now, it seems that I can't."
With a last, strained effort, Alex used what little strength he had left to teleport Huo Yuhao away from the battlefield. The confrontation had ended, but the cost was high.
"Retreat!" Du Bu Si roared in frustration, retreating from the ruins of Mingde Hall.
"Damn it!" Jing Hongchen cursed, his anger rising as he tried to make sense of the chaos that had unfolded. "How dare you come here to cause trouble? Don't you know my Benti Sect now protects the Sun and Moon Empire?"