Frost Douluo Su Tong, Level 99 Limit Douluo.
Angel Douluo Ye Guyi, Level 99 Limit Douluo.
Sword Fanatic Douluo Ji Juechen, Level 97 Super Douluo.
These were the three Huo Yuhao had chosen to awaken now.
The first two needed no explanation—once the Douluo Continent was elevated to a semi-divine realm and the heavenly laws loosened, Limit Douluo would almost naturally be able to step into the true deity realm. Moreover, when the Douluo Continent first ascended to semi-divine status, there would be no conventional godhood tribulations, so the risk of dying in the attempt wouldn't exist.
As for Ji Juechen, though his current cultivation was still far behind, the sword path of this era was vastly different from before. Over ten thousand years, countless sword-path soul masters had successively pushed this path to new breadth, some of them even Ji Juechen's descendants.
In this era, he could absorb the sword-path insights of the age, completing the missing piece of his own sword path and breaking through his bottleneck.
As for the others, they weren't suitable.
Especially the soul tool masters—those from ten thousand years ago had focused on soul tool research while neglecting soul master cultivation; few had even broken through to Super Douluo. In this era, breaking through to the divine level would be extremely difficult for them.
Though a "mechanical ascension" path theoretically existed, it hadn't yet been fully researched. Even if it became viable in the future, the two isolated success cases in the original story made Huo Yuhao hesitant to let his companions attempt it.
Implanting divine-level metals into the body was essentially planting a time bomb. Even with his Reincarnation Domain ensuring the initial transplant wouldn't have problems, he couldn't constantly monitor everyone for hidden risks. If something exploded when he wasn't watching, the consequences would be disastrous.
Even if this path was developed, it would require much more time to perfect before it could be given to anyone.
So Su Tong, Ye Guyi, and Ji Juechen were the most suitable candidates this time.
Huo Yuhao watched them awaken, his gaze slowly passing over each familiar face.
Su Tong, who greeted him first, was the quickest to regain full awareness. As an ultimate ice user, she was more adapted to the ice coffin's environment.
Next was Ye Guyi.
After awakening, a golden angelic projection flickered briefly in her ice crystal coffin, its sacred aura dispelling the chill that had accumulated in the chamber for ten thousand years. She opened her eyes, her blue gaze still hazy from waking, but sharpening the moment she heard Huo Yuhao's words: "Ten thousand years."
"So you really did fake your death back then."
Ye Guyi looked at Huo Yuhao, her expression complex—indignation at being deceived, but more relief and joy at seeing an old friend again.
Huo Yuhao said, "There were circumstances that forced it back then."
"Circumstances?" Ye Guyi's brow furrowed. She stared at him for a few moments, then finally let the resentment go, speaking softly, "Forget it... as long as you're alright."
She waved her hand, dropping the matter, and stood up somewhat stiffly. Ten thousand years of frozen slumber had left her body like a rusted machine, every muscle protesting movement. Her spirit power was sluggish, like a frozen river needing time to thaw.
At this moment, she'd probably struggle even against a Title Douluo.
But she knew this was a side effect of the long sealing—it would take time to adapt—so she didn't dwell on it.
After roughly estimating that recovery would take considerable time, she turned her attention to the other ice coffins in the chamber and asked softly, "Is this really ten thousand years later?"
It didn't feel real. It seemed like she'd only slept for a while, then opened her eyes to find the world had turned a page.
"Of course. Once you go out and see for yourselves, you'll feel it." Snow Empress stepped forward beside Huo Yuhao and smiled. "Snow Empress City today is completely different from back then."
"Snow Empress City? So this place was finally named after Snow Empress... senior?" Su Tong, who had been standing and stretching her stiff limbs, paused, then nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. This is no longer the Spirit Transmission Tower headquarters—as the Extreme North branch, naming it after you, Snow Empress, is very fitting."
Ye Guyi glanced at Huo Yuhao and Snow Empress beside him. "Snow Empress City? That does give me a bit of a sense that we're in the future. At least the Spirit Transmission Tower survived ten thousand years, and we woke up to find you here."
If they'd woken up to find the Tower completely destroyed and themselves dug up by some archaeological team, that would have been a disaster.
"Yes, the Tower has been passed down very well over the years—even the records are well preserved." Huo Yuhao chuckled and shook his head, his gaze turning to Su Tong as if he wanted to say something.
Su Tong drew a sharp breath at this, immediately thinking of those unofficial histories. Sensing trouble, she quickly looked around, then turned her gaze to the sky, speaking before Huo Yuhao could: "Speaking of which, Teacher, you brought us to this era to lead us to godhood, right? But now... I can't sense the Divine Realm at all. How are we supposed to become deities in this situation?"
Hearing this, Ye Guyi paused, then looked up at the sky, frowning as she tried to sense.
At a certain level, one could sense the Divine Realm. Though her current condition was poor, that sense shouldn't have disappeared. Yet after searching, she found that—as Su Tong had said—the Divine Realm had vanished from her perception.
"A lot happened over the ten thousand years." Huo Yuhao smiled as he watched Su Tong, who was clearly changing the subject. "The Divine Realm was swept away by space-time turbulence and lost contact with the Douluo Continent. That's why you can't sense it. But don't worry about becoming deities—I wouldn't have awakened you if I wasn't confident."
Ye Guyi realized he was right.
Indeed, Huo Yuhao had always been cautious; he wouldn't do something without confidence.
And after realizing that, even Ye Guyi found Su Tong's behavior unusual.
When had Su Tong ever cared so much about becoming a deity? After such a long separation, shouldn't she be talking more with Huo Yuhao and Snow Empress instead of rushing to ask about that? It wasn't like her.
But Su Tong ignored her gaze, her face beaming as she adopted the posture of a diligent student seeking her teacher's guidance. "Then Teacher, how do you plan to lead us to godhood?"
"Just wait for the right moment." Huo Yuhao glanced at her and answered with the same smile.
Ye Guyi looked back and forth, sensing something off in the atmosphere.
Just then, Ji Juechen—who had remained silent since waking—finally stirred. A surge of sword intent erupted from him, sweeping away the chill spreading through his body.
"It's been a long time. You've grown stronger."
He looked up at Huo Yuhao and spoke.
Though his consciousness had returned upon hearing Huo Yuhao's voice, his cultivation was inferior to Su Tong's and Ye Guyi's, so his condition was worse. He'd needed to meditate and adjust his state until now.
Huo Yuhao's gaze shifted from Su Tong to Ji Juechen, allowing Su Tong to breathe a secret sigh of relief.
Feeling the battle intent radiating from Ji Juechen, Huo Yuhao smiled helplessly. "You don't want to fight me right now, do you? Your current condition isn't suited for combat."
"I just want to know how strong you are now." Ji Juechen's tone was calm, but his eyes were sharper than a sword's edge.
At this, Ye Guyi and Su Tong's gazes also turned to Huo Yuhao.
Though he wasn't radiating any external aura, they could sense the hidden, abyss-deep pressure that far surpassed what he'd been ten thousand years ago.
But they couldn't tell exactly what level he'd reached, so they too were curious about his strength.
After all, ten thousand years ago, Huo Yuhao had already been close to the divine level. If he'd grown stronger now, then surely he'd already—
Before the word "godhood" fully formed in their minds, Huo Yuhao manifested his Battle Armor. A terrifying pressure quietly emanated from him, making the three newly awakened figures freeze, their pupils contracting sharply.
This gap in life level—Huo Yuhao had truly become a deity?
The pressure appeared and vanished in an instant, the Battle Armor receding. Huo Yuhao said casually, "I can become a deity at any time now. An ordinary Level 100 true deity is no longer my match."
The chamber fell silent for a moment.
Ye Guyi snapped back to reality, her expression complex.
She'd thought that after reaching Limit, the gap would have narrowed somewhat. Now it seemed the distance between her and Huo Yuhao remained vast.
Su Tong's heart sank.
Oh no. Her teacher at the Divine Origin realm could already easily defeat her current self. With divine-level power, disciplining her would be even easier.
She glanced at Huo Yuhao, her eyes darting as she stealthily edged toward Snow Empress.
Snow Empress noticed this and smiled inwardly.
On the other side, Ji Juechen savored that terrifying pressure. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'll recover first."
An ordinary person would have given up all thoughts of challenge after that display. But Ji Juechen clearly wasn't ordinary.
"Alright." Huo Yuhao looked at his blazing eyes and smiled. "I'll wait. But in this era, there are plenty of people who can be your opponents. You don't have to focus only on me."
"How many?" Ji Juechen looked up.
"In this era, there are over two dozen Limit Douluo. Counting Battle Armor Masters and spirit beasts, there are hundreds of Super Douluo-level experts. And there are several who've touched the divine level."
Huo Yuhao calmly recited a string of astonishing numbers, shaking all three of them.
Over two dozen Limit Douluo. Hundreds of Super Douluo. Even divine-level experts. The world ten thousand years later had grown this strong?
Ye Guyi and Su Tong—who had moved to Snow Empress's side—exchanged glances, seeing the same complexity in each other's eyes. They had once stood among the continent's peak, yet waking up now, they felt a dazed sense of not keeping up with the times.
Ji Juechen's hand tightened slightly. His eyes held no fear—only fire.
These were all worthy opponents.
"Are there any who specialize in the sword path?" he asked.
"Quite a few. Several Limit Douluo excel in sword techniques—some are even your descendants. And with ten thousand years of development, the sword path has established a complete system. You'll certainly find inspiration and progress there."
Huo Yuhao paused, then added with a smile, "Beyond that, among the Limit Douluo and divine-touching experts, many are skilled in spear techniques and staff methods. Some of their paths converge with the sword path—they should also be worth challenging and learning from."
Spear God, Sword God—they ultimately led to the same destination.
At this, Ji Juechen's millennium-long stony face actually showed visible excitement.
Of course, the main reason clearly wasn't hearing that descendants had become Limit Douluo—it was "so many worthy opponents."
For him, this era was unquestionably the best.
His sword wouldn't be lonely; his path wouldn't be solitary.
"Thank you." He looked at Huo Yuhao and spoke two words with sincerity. His tone remained flat, but they carried more weight than any lengthy speech.
Without Huo Yuhao, he wouldn't have had the chance to pursue godhood, nor to come to this era teeming with experts and flourishing sword paths for another life.
Ye Guyi also took a deep breath, ready to give thanks.
Even from brief descriptions, she could feel the brilliance of this era. Though she wasn't a battle fanatic, the prospect of pursuing the divine level and continuing to grow in such an era was enough to stir excitement.
"Stop."
Huo Yuhao raised his hand, halting Ye Guyi's words before they could emerge. "After all we've been through, those words would just create distance. This was my promise to you—I'm only fulfilling it now. And..."
He paused, his gaze passing over the three and the familiar figures in the other ice coffins, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"I just want to see familiar faces in this era."
Ye Guyi's words caught in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to continue, so she changed the subject.
"The Battle Armor you mentioned—is that the soul tool you and Minister Xuan were researching back then?"
"Exactly." Huo Yuhao nodded and gave a general explanation of this era's Battle Armor.
Because Battle Armor prototypes had already existed ten thousand years ago, the three accepted them readily—but the enhancements still shocked them.
Ye Guyi's eyelids twitched. "A twenty-level spirit power boost and all-attribute enhancement... Three-Word Battle Armor Masters are basically Super Douluo-level combatants... Four-Word Battle Armor plus a Title Douluo can reach the Limit level... Does that mean the Limit Douluo of this era with Four-Word Battle Armor are far stronger than us old-era Limit Douluo?"
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. "There is indeed a difference between having Battle Armor and not. Though Four-Word Battle Armor's enhancement diminishes at the Limit level, it still exists. By this era's standards, your level is only semi-divine—there's a higher tier called quasi-divine. But even against fellow semi-divines, most Limit Douluo of this era have Four-Word Battle Armor—it wouldn't be easy for you to defeat them."
Almost no one who reached the Limit level was weak, especially in this era—many of the older Limit Douluo were formidable.
Su Tong and Ye Guyi had high-quality martial souls, but at the Limit level, that advantage wasn't so great. With the Battle Armor gap, it truly wouldn't be easy for them to overcome this era's Limit Douluo.
"And beyond ordinary Four-Word Battle Armor, there are even stronger ones—essentially divine artifacts. The one I'm wearing now allows a Limit Douluo to reach the divine level and provides decent enhancement even at the divine level."
While Huo Yuhao explained Battle Armor, Su Tong listened while transmitting to Snow Empress: "Mistress, how far have the unofficial histories about Teacher developed over the years?"
Transmitting to me as "Mistress" right in front of Yuhao—your will to survive is truly impressive.
Snow Empress's eyes held amusement as she delivered a devastating blow: "They're completely out of control. After you left, the Auspicious Beast and some bold individuals kept fabricating stories about Yuhao—now there are all sorts of unofficial histories. Of course, you still deserve most of the credit for reaching this scale."
Hearing this, even without knowing the details, Su Tong felt her scalp tingle.
"Teacher... knows everything?"
"What do you think?" Snow Empress countered.
Su Tong was silent for a moment, then suddenly said solemnly, "Mistress, save me!"
"I'm no match for Yuhao." Snow Empress replied airily.
Can't save you. No hope.
The Auspicious Beast has already paid the price. Now it's your turn as the instigator.
Su Tong panicked. "But you participated back then too! You can't just watch me die!"
***
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