Chapter 242: You Even Called Him Papa Back Then
The Snow Empress's voice echoed within Liu Yuan's spiritual sea, crisp and chilling. Do you have a way to make the Ice Empress leave Huo Yuhao?
Liu Yuan's hand paused mid-air. He stood by the edge of the steaming pool, his fingers gently clasping the stalk of a freshly harvested Immortal Herb. He maintained his posture, hovering just above his storage soul tool. The purple-gold light swirling within his Double Pupils flickered, betraying a fleeting ripple of thought.
The Snow Empress did not rush him. She stood gracefully at the edge of the extreme cold spring. The pristine white hem of her dress rested lightly against the frosted rocks. Wisps of freezing mist continued to circulate around her ethereal figure, though she was slowly drawing the ambient chill back into her core. Her delicate features remained perfectly placid, yet a deep, indescribable anticipation gleamed within her icy blue eyes.
Carefully depositing the Immortal Herb into his storage soul tool, Liu Yuan turned to face her. He replied through their mental link, his tone flat, laced with a pragmatic, unyielding certainty.
The Snow Empress's flawless brow furrowed. Is there truly no other way? Her voice rang out in his spiritual sea, tinged with a rare, bitter trace of unwillingness.
Liu Yuan shook his head. None. The Ice Empress has completely fused with him. Her soul, her soul bone, and her very origin essence are inextricably woven into Huo Yuhao's body. This isn't a simple case of possession or a temporary contract; it is an absolute, thorough binding. Forcing a separation now would only result in the immediate destruction of them both.
The Snow Empress fell silent. The faint glimmer of hope in her eyes extinguished. She shifted her gaze away from Liu Yuan, her attention drifting toward the youth squatting pitifully by the jagged rocks a short distance away.
Huo Yuhao was still awkwardly tending to the gruesome wound on his chest. His movements were clumsy, his breathing ragged. His face was entirely drained of color, and the dark, bloody scabs clinging to his forehead were still fresh and weeping. He cradled the Lovesick Heartbroken Herb in his trembling hands, treating the crimson flower as though it were the most precious treasure in the world. Yet, despite his devotion, he looked utterly wretched—a broken, pathetic sight.
Disgust flashed in the Snow Empress's eyes before she withdrew her gaze, turning back to Liu Yuan.
He stood tall by the spiritual pool, the purple-gold light in his Double Pupils tranquil and deep. His robes were immaculate, completely unruffled. Despite having just harvested dozens of priceless Immortal Herbs from one of the continent's most dangerous forbidden zones, his aura remained perfectly steady, as though he had merely plucked a few weeds from a courtyard. Standing the two youths side by side, there was no need for comparison. The sheer disparity in their bearing, power, and dignity was as vast as the heavens and the earth.
The Snow Empress sighed within his spiritual sea, her voice dropping to a frigid whisper. A pity for the Ice Empress... to be chained to such a piece of trash.
Liu Yuan did not respond. He knew exactly who she was referring to.
In the eyes of a supreme being like the Snow Empress, Huo Yuhao truly was nothing to look at. A boy who couldn't even protect himself, a fool who would kneel and shatter his own dignity to beg for a woman, a madman who would blindly throw himself into a boiling extreme hot spring—to an apex predator who had ruled the frozen northern wastes for hundreds of thousands of years, such pathetic, self-destructive behavior commanded zero respect.
Liu Yuan found it slightly difficult to maintain his stoic expression. He looked at the Snow Empress's aloof, frosty face and recalled the events of the original timeline.
In that original trajectory, this very same Snow Empress would eventually become Huo Yuhao's Soul Spirit, reduced to a childlike state where she actually called him "Papa." That absurd title had once been the subject of endless mockery. Yet here she was now, looking down on the supposed Son of Destiny and calling him trash with absolute, unfiltered disdain.
You even called him Papa back then, Liu Yuan mocked silently in his heart.
But he kept the thought to himself. There was no benefit in voicing such things; the timeline had already fractured beyond repair, and he was the one holding the pieces.
"Let's go," Liu Yuan said aloud. His voice wasn't loud, but it cut cleanly through the misty air. "Our business here is mostly finished. Return to Elder Yi's domain. Once we get back, I need to enter seclusion to properly process these Immortal Herbs."
The Snow Empress gave a slight nod. Her physical form began to turn translucent. The swirling white chills contracted inward, shifting her from a solid entity back into an ethereal, illusory shadow. Her elegant figure grew fainter and fainter until she condensed into a brilliant orb of pure white light. The orb shot forward, sinking smoothly into the space between Liu Yuan's brows, returning to the sanctuary of Electrolux's Undead Demiplane.
With her departure, the biting, absolute zero aura lingering by the pool instantly dissipated. The dense layer of white frost-mist hovering over the extreme cold spring noticeably thinned out, restoring the natural balance of the environment.
Liu Yuan turned his attention toward the two towering figures nearby. "Teacher, Senior Brother, it's time for us to leave."
Du Busi nodded. The towering Body Sect Master stood by the pool with his thick arms crossed over his broad chest. His sharp gaze swept over the surrounding rock crevices, noting how thoroughly they had been picked clean. His rugged face remained outwardly stern, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward, betraying a deep, immense satisfaction.
"Quite a harvest," the old monster rumbled.
Liu Yuan did not bother with false modesty. He casually patted the storage soul tool resting at his waist. Inside lay dozens of pristine Immortal Herbs—each and every one a peerless, heaven-defying treasure that could ignite bloody wars in the outside world.
Long Aotian stepped forward, withdrawing his gaze from the swirling steam of the twin springs. He clapped a heavy hand on Liu Yuan's shoulder. "Junior Brother, once we return to the sect, you can enjoy a long, uninterrupted period of seclusion."
Liu Yuan gave a calm hum of agreement. His pragmatic mind was already rapidly calculating his next steps. These Immortal Herbs needed to be carefully categorized and processed. Some could be consumed directly to temper his Double Pupils and Body Martial Soul, while others required specific alchemical pairings to neutralize their violent properties. He needed to sort out which ones would maximize his own foundation, and which ones were best suited to elevate the core members of the Body Sect.
Then there was Du Busi's share. The specific Immortal Herbs capable of enhancing raw cultivation and purifying the physical vessel might just be the catalyst his teacher needed to shatter the final bottleneck and step into the legendary world of a Rank 99 Limit Douluo.
Du Busi stared at his disciple's back, remaining silent. The old man's eyes softened imperceptibly. He knew exactly what Liu Yuan was planning, and he knew his own responsibilities as the sect master to protect this monstrous genius.
The three of them turned, preparing to depart the valley. Just then, on the far side of the pool, Huo Yuhao finally staggered to his feet.
He held the Lovesick Heartbroken Herb with agonizingly light movements, terrified of bruising even a single crimson leaf. His chest was tightly bound in crude, haphazardly applied bandages. They weren't wrapped professionally, but they applied enough pressure to finally stem the heavy bleeding from his self-inflicted wound.
Dried blood crusted his pale face, and his Shrek Academy uniform hung off him in ragged, scorched tatters. He looked like a corpse that had just crawled out of a meat-grinder battlefield. Dragging his feet, he took a few heavy steps and stopped a short distance in front of Liu Yuan.
"Liu Yuan," Huo Yuhao rasped. His throat sounded like crushed glass, though his tone was noticeably steadier than his earlier hysterical state. "This time... thank you."
Liu Yuan merely looked at him, his expression an unreadable mask. He didn't speak.
Huo Yuhao's lips moved silently as he struggled to organize his thoughts. He swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "I know you don't like me. I also know you look down on this... this spineless behavior of mine. But regardless of our stances, if it weren't for you, Sect Master Du, and the Snow Empress stepping in, I wouldn't have been able to secure this herb. Wang Dong'er's illness... it would have been a death sentence."
He carefully adjusted his grip around the base of the Lovesick Heartbroken Herb, his knuckles turning stark white from the tension. "So... thank you. Truly."
Liu Yuan observed the bruised and battered youth. After a brief silence, his calm voice broke the tension. "You don't need to thank me. I already made it clear that I only intervened on Elder Yi's behalf. If you want to direct your gratitude anywhere, direct it to him."
Huo Yuhao's gaze shifted to the space just behind Liu Yuan, but the towering gray illusory shadow was already gone. Electrolux had long since retreated into the Undead Demiplane. Even so, Huo Yuhao knew the ancient necromancer could hear him. Ignoring the searing pain in his chest, he bowed deeply toward the center of Liu Yuan's forehead.
"Elder Yi. Thank you for your grace."
No voice answered him. The only sound lingering in the heavy air was the faint, violent hissing of the extreme cold and extreme hot springs colliding at the center of the pool.
Straightening his posture, Huo Yuhao turned his attention to the two Body Sect powerhouses. He respectfully cupped his fists. "Sect Master Du, Brother Long. Thank you as well."
Du Busi merely gave a cold, dismissive snort, entirely ignoring the Shrek student. Long Aotian glanced at the battered youth and gave a curt, silent nod, accepting the gesture.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind the cold reception. He was acutely aware of his identity and the political reality of their situation. The relationship between Shrek Academy and the Body Sect was notoriously hostile. Liu Yuan stepping in to save his life was an unmatched anomaly. The mere fact that a monster like Du Busi hadn't crushed him on the spot to eliminate a future threat to the Body Sect was already a massive, unpayable favor.
"Then I will take my leave," Huo Yuhao said softly. He turned around, dragging his exhausted body toward the narrow exit of the valley.
After taking only a few steps, he paused. He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto Liu Yuan one last time.
Liu Yuan remained rooted in his original spot. The oppressive purple-gold light within his Double Pupils had been fully restrained, yet his deep gaze still carried an unnerving weight—a look that seemed to pierce through all illusions and see the absolute truth of the world.
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, the words catching in his throat. He swallowed hard, wrestling with his own doubts. After a long moment of hesitation, he finally spoke. "Earlier... you told me that when I return, I should ask Wang Dong'er if she is actually sick or not."
Liu Yuan met his gaze, his expression placid. He did not interrupt.
Huo Yuhao's voice dropped, carrying a heavy, complicated undertone. "I will ask her."
Liu Yuan gave a slow nod. "Just make sure you remember to do it."
Huo Yuhao said nothing more. He turned his back to them, tightened his protective grip on the Lovesick Heartbroken Herb, and limped toward the exit. His battered silhouette grew fainter and fainter within the dense, swirling mist where the extreme cold and extreme heat clashed, until he finally vanished entirely into the narrow stone crevice.
Absolute quiet returned to the edge of the pool. The extreme cold spring continued to gush with freezing energy, just as the extreme hot spring bubbled with boiling fury. The two diametrically opposed currents flowed in a perfect, delicate balance within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, never interfering with one another. The thin layer of frost clinging to the surrounding rocks slowly melted away under the ambient heat, revealing the smooth, grayish-white stone beneath.
The fertile crevices surrounding the divine spring were now completely barren. Every single Immortal Herb of value had been thoroughly uprooted and claimed by the Body Sect. All that remained were a few scattered, immature sprouts whose medicinal age and quality were far too low to be worth their time.
Liu Yuan stood in place for a long moment, his gaze lingering on the dark crevice where the supposed Son of Destiny had disappeared. After a brief silence, he turned back to the two men waiting for him.
"Teacher, Senior Brother. Let's leave as well."
Du Busi nodded in agreement, his powerful aura flaring slightly to ward off the ambient mist. Long Aotian gave a firm grunt of affirmation. Together, the three figures turned their backs on the legendary treasure trove, their footsteps echoing softly as they walked toward the exit of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
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