Am I dead? Am I truly dead already? Even as he teetered on the brink of death, his heart was still filled with doubt, for everything had happened too suddenly...
Just then, something strange suddenly occurred. Everything before his eyes abruptly became clear. He... he saw himself...
Had Wang Dong been awake, he too would have been utterly terrified by this...
The instant Huo Yuhao was about to be struck by the flames, his Spirit Eye suddenly flashed. Both the golden light and his eyes turned an icy white, like ten-thousand-year profound ice.
And a wave of icy cold air continuously emanated from his body, spreading outwards, quickly dispelling the scorching atmosphere. The fiery red figure also let out a cry of pain and was sent flying backward.
The white Spirit Ring beneath his feet gradually transformed into a brilliant golden color. With him at the center, everything within a hundred-meter radius, even Sea God Lake, froze solid, transforming into a world of ice and snow.
The red-clad figure trembled, suspended in mid-air, as an immense pressure continuously condensed. Huo Yuhao raised his right hand; his right index finger had, at some unknown point, transformed into a sparkling, luminous blue ice shard. A voice suddenly rang out.
—How dare you touch the one I chose, how dare you disturb my sleep. Go die.
With a slight flick of his index finger, a blue light flashed and shot straight towards the red-clad figure.
The temperature around the red-clad figure rapidly plummeted. Perhaps sensing the approaching danger, the figure subtly dodged to the side. Immediately after, a loud phoenix cry echoed.
Behind the figure, a massive fire phoenix suddenly appeared. Six spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, two black—appeared simultaneously. A Spirit Emperor!
Among the six spirit rings, the second, third, and sixth simultaneously lit up. The flames around the figure deepened in color. The fire phoenix spat out a thin stream of flame, flying to confront the extremely cold blue light.
Hissing sounds erupted. Seeing its flame dissipate, the fire phoenix immediately flew to shield the red-clad figure.
A massive explosion rang out. The red-clad figure was blasted backward, falling into Sea God Lake. Its entire body was enveloped by the icy cold, and the lake's surface instantly erupted with a large amount of white steam.
Huo Yuhao was about to continue his attack when he suddenly paused. The voice rang out again.
—How annoying, more people are coming. Hmm, this kid's physique is improving remarkably quickly! Looks like I can give him more power now. I'm off to hide.
The white light quickly vanished, the surrounding cold air also dissipated, and everything returned to normal. Huo Yuhao's white eyes reverted to their normal state, and his entire body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Just a moment ago, terrifying spirit power fluctuations had rippled around the lake shore. Yet now, everything had completely returned to normal. On the shore, only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong lay unconscious on the ground.
At this moment, ten figures appeared in the distance, flying rapidly towards them.
—Not good, outer court disciples are hurt.
In a flash, they arrived at the lake shore, led by an old man in a white robe. He strode through the air towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. With a wave of his hand, he lifted their bodies, suspending them in mid-air.
—Thankfully, they're only unconscious, not injured. Teacher Li, come heal these two.
—Yes.
The middle-aged man in white, who had been standing behind them, respectfully stepped forward. If Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had been conscious, they would have been startled to recognize this teacher as the Soul Saint powerhouse who had used his Life Tree martial soul to heal them yesterday.
His soul rings flashed. Streaks of emerald light swirled around Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, slowly seeping into their bodies. The withered plants nearby also miraculously recovered, and one could vaguely feel the plants around Sea God Lake emitting a gentle emerald glow.
"Xiao Tao is here."
Another man in white, standing behind them, plunged into Sea God Lake with a splash, pulling out the red-clad person who had fallen in earlier.
The red-clad person was soaked through, and only then did their figure become clear. It turned out to be a girl.
The old man in white walked over and placed his right hand on her shoulder. A surge of dense white soul power rapidly flowed into her body.
"How strange!"
The old man in white frowned, as if there was something he couldn't understand.
He turned to face Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, asking Teacher Li, "Teacher Li, how are those two outer-court disciples?"
Teacher Li replied, "They're fine. They'll wake up in a moment."
The old man in white continued, "Thankfully, no mistakes were made. It seems Xiao Tao still had a bit of consciousness just now. Teacher Li, take these two disciples back. Tell them not to speak of what happened. Otherwise, they will be directly expelled. Remember to give them some compensation. Let's go back."
The last four words were directed at the others. He helped the red-clad girl up, and in a flash, transformed into a streak of white light, vanishing into the horizon.
***
"You woke me up so soon. How annoying!" Tianmeng Iceworm's voice echoed in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea.
Huo Yuhao asked blankly, "Brother Tianmeng, was that you who made a move just now?"
Tianmeng Iceworm said, "Of course it was me, otherwise you would have been roasted to death. That fellow's fire attribute is really strong, and it seems she even has a phoenix bloodline. Otherwise, a single finger from me would have been enough to kill her. Oh well, forget it. That girl must have lost her mind just now. Her flame also seemed strange, even evil, but I've been eating ten-thousand-year ice marrow for many years, I'm not to be trifled with. How could she compare to me? Little Yuhao, your cultivation progress is really smooth, and your physique has improved quite a bit. My ten energy seals are almost ready for the first one to be opened."