Five ten-thousand-year spirit rings slowly retracted, merging entirely into his body as his majestic Aura also withdrew.
Xu Tianhao slowly stood up and stretched his muscles and bones, his entire skeleton emitting a series of crisp, light pops.
The Gold-level second awakening of his Body Martial Soul, combined with the transformation of all his spirit rings into ten-thousand-year ones, made his entire presence become more stable and sharp.
The greenness of youth had faded, replaced by a few hints of a powerhouse's dominance and composure.
Xu Tianhao raised his hand to push open the heavy stone door of the secret chamber, but he had only taken half a step forward.
An extremely weak yet incredibly profound power of Divine Sense spread out without warning from the deepest depths of his sea of consciousness.
It lacked any aggression, yet it carried a sense of desolation and weight, instantly enveloping the entire sea of consciousness.
"Buzz—"
An extremely faint hum echoed within the sea of consciousness.
Xu Tianhao and the other's figures stiffened, their movements coming to an abrupt halt, both showing expressions of pleasant surprise on their faces.
Meanwhile, inside the sea of consciousness, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm said, "Tianhao! It's that grayish-black bead!"
"This thing has finally awakened! After waiting so long, it finally has some movement!"
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's tone could not hide its excitement; it had been observing this bead ever since it woke up from its slumber.
Because it had been unable to peer into it, its heart had long been filled with extreme curiosity.
Now that the bead finally had a reaction, it naturally couldn't suppress its inner excitement.
Xu Tianhao did not respond to the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's words; he simply calmed his mind and slowly sank his entire consciousness into the sea of consciousness.
His gaze was tightly locked onto that grayish-black bead that had been silent for so long.
The moment his consciousness completely locked onto the grayish-black bead, the originally dull and lightless bead suddenly bloomed with an extremely soft grayish-black halo.
The halo wasn't intense, yet it instantly filled the entire mental space.
Following that, the bead began to slowly loosen and disperse.
Like shattered colored glass, it peeled away bit by bit; there was no energy riot, but rather a peaceful and tranquil Aura.
In just an instant, the entire bead completely dissolved.
A tall, blurry figure with a grand temperament slowly condensed and took shape in the center of the sea of consciousness, floating quietly.
The figure's specific features could not be seen clearly; it was surrounded by a faint grayish-black mist. The figure was as straight as a pine tree, carrying an inherent indifference and majesty that looked down upon all living beings.
Even if it was just a wisp of a remnant soul, even if its Aura was so weak it was nearly dissipating, it still exuded an Aura that inspired awe.
A gentle yet weathered voice slowly echoed within the sea of consciousness.
Without any ripples, it clearly reached the ears of Xu Tianhao and the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm: "There is no need for the two of you to be nervous. My name is Electrolux, and I am but a lingering remnant soul."
"Thanks to the nourishment from this young friend's sea of consciousness, I have only just awakened today. I harbor no ill will, let alone intend to harm you in the slightest."
"Electrolux?" Hearing this, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm instantly retracted its excited expression.
Its round eyes were full of doubt, and it subconsciously muttered to itself, its voice carrying a hint of surprise.
"This name... sounds so unfamiliar. The accent and wording are completely different from us people of the Douluo Continent; it doesn't seem like a name from the Douluo Continent at all."
Although the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm usually had a flighty personality and occasionally carried a bit of a 'chunibyo' vibe...
Having lived for a million years, such an unfamiliar name made it instantly sense that something was wrong.
Electrolux's blurry figure moved slightly, seemingly letting out a light chuckle, and his gentle voice rang out again, tinged with a bit of relief and melancholy:
"You Big Worm actually have some insight and a transparent mind. You are right; I am indeed not a creature of this continent, and I do not belong to the same plane as you."
"I come from the distant Sacred Spirit Continent. Because I encountered a great calamity back then, my divine soul was destroyed, leaving only this wisp of a remnant soul that luckily shattered the Void Realm and drifted here, slumbering until now."
"Cross... cross-plane?" The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was completely stunned, and its floating mental body even swayed slightly.
Hearing the words 'cross-plane', it didn't even care that the other party called it a 'Big Worm' anymore.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's eyes bulged, full of disbelief, and its gaze toward Electrolux instantly changed from doubt to awe.
Its speech even became stuttered, its previous casualness completely vanished, and its tone became more than a degree more respectful.
"You... you actually came from another plane? Drifting across planes until now, then just what kind of sacred being are you? You must have been a top powerhouse in the Sacred Spirit Continent!"
Stormy waves surged in the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's heart. Even a Limit Douluo could not break through planar barriers, let alone drift across planes.
Such methods had long exceeded its understanding.
This wisp of a remnant soul before it, even if its strength was far from what it used to be, was definitely a legendary figure. How could it dare to be the least bit negligent?
Electrolux sighed softly, his voice carrying a hint of undetectable loneliness as he said faintly:
"Old matters are too painful to recall. I now only have a wisp of a remnant soul left, and my divine soul is incomplete."
"Now my memories are even more fragmented. I can no longer remember many past events, my own cultivation, or my former identity."
"Only this wisp of remnant consciousness remains to barely survive. I am no sacred being, just a destitute remnant soul."
"Ah, this..." Hearing this, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's eyebrows instantly shot up.
The awe on its face faded slightly, replaced by a trace of suspicion.
It quietly retracted its Aura and moved its mental body to huddle next to Xu Tianhao's consciousness.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm lowered its voice and used a mental transmission that only the two of them could hear, whispering, "Tianhao, this guy isn't a swindler, is he?"
"Right off the bat, he says he's from across planes, then says he can't remember the past and won't give any useful information."
"Could he be trying to trick us out of our spirit power, residing in your sea of consciousness to heal, only to turn the tables on us later?"
Although the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was in awe of unknown powerhouses, it was by no means stupid.
This explanation was too mystical and lacked substantive proof, making it inevitably suspicious.
After all, the sea of consciousness concerned Xu Tianhao's life; there was no room for the slightest carelessness.
Hearing this, a faint smile curled at the corners of Xu Tianhao's mouth, as he already understood the situation.
He wasn't flustered or suspicious like the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm; instead, he was exceptionally calm.
He could clearly perceive that there was no Killing Intent or malice on Electrolux's body.
Right now, this remnant soul's Aura was so weak it could dissipate at any time; he simply didn't have the ability to harm him.
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Tianhao cupped his hands slightly toward Electrolux's figure, showing perfect etiquette and full composure:
"Since Senior was able to break through planar barriers and reside in my sea of consciousness, it means we are fated."
"Since Senior is already here with an incomplete divine soul and fragmented memories, you likely have nowhere else to go. My sea of consciousness may not be vast, but it is quiet and stable."
"If Senior does not mind, please rest and recover your divine soul here without any reservations."
"I have only one wish: I only ask that Senior does not act against me or those around me in the future. As for other matters, I will not interfere."
His words were spoken openly and generously, giving Electrolux sufficient respect while also clearly stating his bottom line.
He was neither aggressive nor submissive, showing great character.
Hearing these words, Electrolux's blurry figure seemed to startle slightly, then he chuckled again.
His laughter was full of praise and admiration as he said gently, "What a fine 'fated', what a fine young man."
"So young, yet possessing such breadth of mind and poise—steady, composed, neither arrogant nor rash. You are far more transparent than your peers; you are indeed an interesting child."
"Since you have extended such a warm invitation, I shall accept it. I will reside and recover here; pardon the intrusion."
As his voice fell, Electrolux said no more, and the grayish-black mist around him slowly retracted.
That grand figure gradually faded and condensed, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed back into that grayish-black bead, floating quietly in a corner of the sea of consciousness.
The bead's halo withdrew, returning to silence once more as if it had never awakened.