Chapter 42 - Fated Encounter in the Star Dou Forest (Patreon)

Bibi Dong wasn't really against him exploring the Star Dou Forest on his own, because Hun Tiandi was already very close to the peak of the Spirit King Realm, and his real combat prowess was around the Spirit Saint Realm.

If Hun Tiandi went all out, he could destroy even the True Martial Soul Avatar of the Spirit Saint with the Bloodviolet Seven Star Fiend Sword. His power was far above the average Spirit Saint, so Bibi Dong wasn't really fearing for his safety as long as he didn't really leave the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Which was something that he certainly didn't plan to do because the Outer Area of the Star Dou Forest was rather safe for him at the time. Hun Tiandi knew that entering the Inner Area of the Star Dou Forest would be pretty dangerous for him.

The last thing that he wanted was to become food for some random Spirit Beast passing by that would eat him for dinner. He planned just to have a small stroll around the area of the Outskirts, and perhaps he would hunt for some Spirit Rings for Hao Yue.

"You can, but stay in the area of my Divine Sense. In the case that you find something you can't fight or some kind of danger to your life, then flee immediately. Even though the old man came to an agreement with Di Tian, even he can't speak for all 100,000 Years Old Spirit Beasts in the Star Dou Forest."

Hun Tiandi just nodded and didn't say anything else.

He knew that the Divine Sense area of Bibi Dong was enormous; she was able to easily cover areas of several hundred kilometers as she was already a Demi-God Stage Limit Douluo, and her Spiritual Power also reached the same level as Hun Tiandi's own.

She could easily monitor most of the area where Hun Tiandi and their group would be moving through. 

"I know... I am not that stupid to enter into the Inner Area."

Currently, the Imperial Douluo Saint Court and the Great Star Dou Forest have an agreement, but that agreement is between the Court and Di Tian. Even Di Tian, despite his overwhelming power and prestige, didn't control the entirety of the Spirit Beast Race.

Neither did he control how every single Spirit Beast would behave, nor who they were allowed to attack and who not. 

Hun Tiandi decided that unless he reached Spirit Saint, he wouldn't be entering the Inner Area of the Great Star Dou Forest. He had his chance at living again, and he wasn't really keen on finding out if he could do so again.

The Inner Area of the Great Star Dou Forest was swarming with extremely powerful Spirit Beasts. Most, if not all, of the Spirit Beasts hated humans with a great zeal, and the feelings from the side of humans were also not really that positive.

On the Dou Qi Continent, the situation between humans and Magic Beasts wasn't like this, but on the Dou Qi Continent, humans didn't really need to hunt Spirit Beasts to advance their cultivation.

So the situation was vastly different.

The Spirit Beasts on the Douluo Continent would kill humans at first sight due to their hatred towards humans.

This was rather a common occurrence in the Douluo Continent, and every year, there were plenty of Spirit Masters who perished because they were killed and eaten by the powerful Spirit Beasts.

The infinite conflict between the Spirit Beasts and Spirit Masters.

***

"Well then... where should we go as the first stop..."

Hun Tiandi pondered over the matter as he walked side by side with Hao Yue as he searching for their targeted designation. Hao Yue was right now in the Spirit Ancestor Realm, according to his knowledge, and needed one Spirit Beast to reach the Spirit King Realm.

Then he would grow another head and obtain another attribute. The problem was that he needed to find a Spirit Beast with the Attribute that matched the Attribute of the new head, and it seemed that the 4th head would be of the Ice Attribute.

Unfortunately, there were not many Ice-Attributed Spirit Beasts in this place, as most of them were living in the Extreme North. That place was heaven for the Ice-Attributed and similarly Attributed Spirit Beasts.

Only a few of them were living in the Great Star Dou Forest.

Hao Yue's three heads then turned in a certain direction as Hun Tiandi headed there together with Hao Yue. Austin Griffin was very adept at sensing auras and other species of the Spirit Beasts, so he was certainly qualified to find the Ice-Type Spirit Beast that they were searching for.

As they wandered through the Star Dou Forest, Hun Tiandi looked around, but most of the Spirit Beasts escaped as soon as possible because they sensed the remnants of the Slaughter Aura.

Because of the Bloodviolet Seven Star Fiend Sword Martial Soul, which was an Ultimate Martial Soul with the Ultimate Slaughter Attribute, there were certain remnants of the said aura in his Spirit Energy.

And the Spirit Beasts were far more susceptible to the Spirit Energy than humans, and they could sense energy much better than humans. They could easily sense the overwhelming aura of Slaughter from his Spirit Energy, and that caused them to flee almost instinctively when they sensed it.

Nor did Hun Tiandi care, because the only ones that were escaping from him were the ones that were weak and couldn't withstand his might. Such Spirit Beasts were totally useless to him and to Hao Yue.

As he was strolling through the forest, suddenly he sensed something in the forest. 

It was the spiritual presence, or rather, it was a Soul that was moving through the forest as it had just now woken from hibernation or a similar state. And the power of the Soul that was moving through the forest was rather interesting, because it was even more powerful than his own Soul.

Far more powerful.

But at the same time, it was in something that seemed to be in an injured state... in the Dou Qi Continent, he had seen this several times already. It usually happened when a powerful cultivator was killed, and his Soul Cultivation was strong enough for his Soul to survive on its own.

Cases like that were rare, but they happened when cultivators had powerful Soul Cultivation, which were usually the Alchemists of the Dou Qi Continent, because the Alchemists needed to have a strong Soul.

Hun Tiandi immediately unleashed the power of his Spiritual Realm and raised all of his defenses to the maximum. Still, it was futile because soon enough, he saw the golden sphere of energy that shot towards his brows at tremendous speed and entered his sea of consciousness.

Much to his horror, all of his defenses were totally ignored, and at the same time, he was rather shocked because nothing had happened. 

Hun Tiandi looked directly into this Spiritual Sea and noticed that the golden sphere of energy, which was the remnant Soul of some peerless powerhouse, was just floating there and doing nothing.

He was rather curious about the remnant Soul, but he didn't try to expel it or to do anything because the remnant Soul wasn't doing anything, and it was just floating there. He felt that this could be some sort of opportunity for him. 

If handled correctly.

It seemed that this was the remnant of the Soul of God, because the power of the Soul was Divine in origin, and he could tell this when he compared it to the Divine Altar of the Angel Goddess, located in the depths of the Angel Goddess Shrine within the Spirit City.

He decided first to find a safe place, because he wanted to deal with the remnant Divine Soul of being that was most probably God in his Spiritual Sea. This was rather a serious problem, but the good thing was that the remaining Soul didn't try to take over his body.

Not like it was possible, because he had decided on a method to protect his body from being taken over, and even though the Divine Soul was the remnant Soul of God, it was severely weakened, and he was confident in dealing with it.

Hopefully it wouldn't really come to that...

"We need to find some safe place where I can meditate and deal with something..."

Hun Tiandi said to Austin Griffin Martial Soul, as he then went to search for a safe place, and fortunately, it didn't take him that long to find a suitable location that could be used for safe meditation.

When he found the safe place, he ordered Hao Yue to guard him as he then entered his Spiritual Sea.

The safe place that was hidden and where Hao Yue would be guarding him was needed because when he entered the Spiritual Sea, he wouldn't be able to defend himself from possible attacks on his person during the time his consciousness was in the Spiritual Sea.

Even though the Austin Griffin Martial Soul was at the Spirit Ancestor Realm, it was strong enough to tear apart epak Spirit Kings and even fight against the Spirit Emperors. Hun Tiandi didn't know the exact limit of the Austin Griffin Martial Soul, as he had never let it fight any Spirit Emperor to the point of death.

He pondered over the matter as he decided that it would be a rather good choice in the when he returned back to the Saint Court.

Perhaps after the next evolution, Hao Yue would be able to fight against Spirit Saints, which would be a significant boost toward his combat prowess. Hun Tiandi also planned to promote to the Spirit Emperor as soon as possible, when they found a suitable Spirit Beast that would fit his requirements.

There were not many suitable Spirit Beasts with enough cultivation strong enough to be his Spirit Rings while also having the same attributes like the Bloodviolet Seven Star Fiend Sword.

Spirit Beasts with the Slaughter Attribute or Blood Attribute were extremely rare, like really, really extremely rare.

Both of these Attributes were very rare, even among the Spirit Beasts.

***

Spiritual Sea

Hun Tiandi looked at the golden sphere, which was the Divine Soul of some being, and it began to shake slowly as he entered his Spiritual Sea. 

Soon enough, a figure took the place of the golden sphere.

It was a man.

A tall, elegant, and commanding figure, radiating both regality and menace. His most striking feature was his long, silvery-white hair that cascaded over his shoulders, framing his sharp and pale face.

His expression was cold and unwavering, with eyes that seemed to pierce through whoever gazes into them, suggesting wisdom, arrogance, and perhaps an immortal patience. He was clad in a grand black robe embroidered with intricate golden patterns, the fabric flowing down to the ground in jagged, regal hems.

The outer cloak was lined in deep crimson on the inside, creating a stark contrast when it flares open, giving him a dramatic, almost theatrical presence. Golden armor plates with sharp, angular designs covered his shoulders, chest, and gauntlets, his ornately crafted staff blending beauty with intimidation.

The armor pieces resemble the wings and claws of a predatory beast, hinting at both power and danger. In his hand, he wielded an enormous staff that served as both a weapon and a symbol of authority.

The staff's head was elaborate and spiked, shaped almost like a crown of thorns or twisted flames, exuding an aura of dark majesty. His stance was tall and unwavering, showcasing immense confidence and an awareness of his own superiority.

Now that he looked at the golden sphere and the man who appeared in its place, Hun Tiandi realized that it was indeed someone who was far more powerful than he was in his first life.

"So, are we just going to stare at each other or?"

Hun Tiandi asked as both of them stared at each other for some time, before he initiated the conversation.

"You don't need to be that wary of me... I am just a remnant Soul... I wasn't that lucky as you were."

The former Heavenly Soul Emperor just nodded, as that sentence was all he needed to know: the man in front of him was also from another world, just like he was. It was a rather intriguing experience, that was for sure.

"So what are you or who are you?"

Hun Tiandi asked slowly because he didn't sense any hostility from the man, and now that he had appeared in his true form, he could see how severe the injury to his soul was, and he probably had only a few opportunities to use his full power before his remnants dissipated.

Possession of a different body was possible because his soul could actually collapse if something went wrong during the possession.

"My name is Yi Lai Ke Si, also known as Calamity Necromancer Elektrolux. Or I was when I was still alive."

Even to Hun Tiandi, it sounded like a rather impressive title when he was alive.

"Hun Tiandi, in my first life, I was known as Heavenly Soul Emperor. So, now let's return to the previous conversation. Why are you in my Spirit Sea?"

After he introduced himself, he directly posed the question to the now-introduced Calamity Necromancer Electrolux, Yi Lai Ke Si.

"My Divine consciousness and remnant of Divine Soul are already on the last bit of strength that is remaining. I have been searching for a person with either an unnatural potential for Soul Cultivation or an extraordinarily powerful Spiritual Power, so that they could survive even further. I want to propose a cooperation between us."

The Calamity Necromancer Electrolux stated as he then looked at Hun Tiandi, who didn't wear in Hun Tiandi's Spiritual Sea.

"What kind of cooperation?"

He was still somewhat suspicious, because making a deal with someone who was far more powerful than you wasn't always the brightest idea. There were many dangers to it, and even more dangers that the more powerful person wouldn't really adhere to the agreement.

"Let me recuperate my Divine Consciousness in my Spiritual Sea, and in return, I would help you with my knowledge and power if possible or when you would need it."

The agreement seemed to be relatively straightforward.

He was still somewhat wary, but as he saw Yi Lai Ke Si, he realized that forcibly removing him from his Spiritual Sea was impossible for him and even for everyone that he knew. 

Most likely, he would need the divine intervention of the True God, which would remove the Divine Consciousness of Electrolux. Obviously, with the Divine Realm being cut from the Material Plane.

And there was even no binding agreement or anything.

Truthfully, there was no real need to do so, because even Hun Tiandi wasn't really confident in creating a Soul Binding Contract that would be able to definitely bind even someone as powerful as Electrolux.

"What do you want me to do? As I can see, most of your Soul Origin is lost, recovering it would be..."

Even Hun Tiandi, with all of his knowledge in the Souls, wasn't really sure how to recover so much of the Soul Origin that Yi LaiKe Si had lost.

Soul Origin was the fundamental aspect of the Soul; it was like the Origin of the very own soul of a person, and it was what made the Soul the Soul. Losing the Soul Origin was something that was almost impossible to heal or recover from.

If someone lost some part of their Soul Origin, it could be recovered "through very special skills, and even Hun Tiandi would be able to recover the Soul Origin if something below 20% of it was lost.

Anything more than that would already be mission impossible for him to recover because the loss would be too significant. Fortunately enough, he never lost any of the Soul Origin through his very long life, so he didn't need to solve this.

The only time he lost some of his Soul Origin was during his death at the hands of Xiao Yan, but weirdly enough, it was recovered when he was reborn in this world. 

"I am aware of that this won't recover my Soul Origin is impossible without the Divine means, and that's not happening anytime soon. As long as you can ensure that my Soul Remnant won't dissipate, it would be more than enough for me."

Electrolux said that he didn't expect someone to find a method to recover the lost Souwasn'tin for him, because such a thing would be rather impossible. Right now, his priority was to ensure that his Soul Origin wouldn't dissipate into nothingness, which could happen rather easily in his current condition.

"Then we are in agreement."

Hun Tiandi, in the end, agreed to the proposal of Electrolux.

For the time being, there was no better choice or path.

***

After everything was finished, Hun Tiandi exited his Spiritual Sea and turned to the real world, as he looked at Austin Griffin, who was lying down on the ground. Hun Tiandi looked around the cave, and then he focused on his own body, but he didn't see anything suspicious or bad happening to his body.

"Well... it seems that he was telling the truth about the agreement."

He muttered as he then returned back to the previous activity, which was to search for a suitable Hao Yue to advance to the Spirit King Realm, which would take some time, because the Ice-Type Spirit Beasts were extremely rare in the Star Dou Forest.

During the upcoming hours, they searched for the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, looking for an Ice-Type Swoon Beast suitable for Hao Yue.

He had to admit that it was like a mission impossible, because the number of such Spirit Beasts was very low, and the ones that were suitable for Hao Yue were even fewer in number.