"So, you are called Huo Yuhao."
A voice echoed across the vast, endless ocean beneath his feet.
Huo Yuhao instinctively glanced down, realizing he was standing atop its surface, surrounded by ten golden orbs of light that pulsed like distant stars.
Tian Meng, watching from the depths of his mind, could not access all of Huo Yuhao's memories.
He saw the entirety of Huo Yuhao's life—clear, vivid—but beyond that, it was shrouded in an impenetrable mist.
A foreign power guarded it, so overwhelming that it made him feel like nothing more than a grain of sand before a boundless desert.
What unnerved him even more was the realization that Huo Yuhao was not in the first stage of mental cultivation but had already entered the second—the Boundless Sea Realm.
And in the heart of this vast, spiritual domain stood something that should not exist: a kingdom situated in a snowy island.
It's impossible for a mental practitioner to suddenly reach the 2nd stage.
And another thought caught up to Tian Meng.
Why was there a kingdom here?
It had to be related to the strange force that had locked away his past.
Even more astonishing, this kingdom seemed capable of absorbing all of his powers. Tian Meng's powers that were considered to be at the level of a 1 million spirit beast.
But despite its potential, Huo Yuhao's body was too weak to wield it fully. His mind, however... his consciousness and this kingdom—they were anomalies with unknown origins.
Tian Meng had never encountered anything like it in his long life.
Moreover, another energy coursed through Huo Yuhao's being, he never had the time to ask it, but it seemed his curiosity was already answered as he stared at the Castle, the origin of the power that circulated throughout Huo Yuhao's body.
It felt like an extension of himself, flowing naturally, obediently responding to his will. It was almost... mechanical, like an army of tiny servants waiting for commands.
"Where is this?" Huo Yuhao asked, though he already had an answer.
He simply wanted confirmation from Tian Meng, who must have many years of knowledge of the mental consciousness in this world.
Huo Yuhao too had such knowledge but not in this world.
"This is your Boundless Sea Realm," Tian Meng replied. "In other words, the ocean of your mind. From now on, this will also be Ge's home. But there's something odd about it... too odd!"
"When I created your mental consciousness, I intended to form a simple sea. Yet somehow, your mind forcefully reconstructed it into a world. A kingdom. That shouldn't be possible. This is suspicious—far too suspicious."
Tian Meng thought that he had done something he shouldn't have been capable of doing.
Huo Yuhao remained silent.
Even without Tian Meng's ramblings, he could tell something had changed within him.
A fraction of his original power had returned—the Almighty. Though he could not alter the future as before, he could glimpse several seconds ahead, a fraction of his true powers now at his disposal.
Tian Meng, unaware of this, continued his explanation.
"I looked through your memories. This Spirit Eye of yours—it's both a Battle Spirit and your physical eye. Your mental sea serves as the storage for your mental power. To use the Spirit Eye, you must first convert Spirit Power into mental power, then release it through your Spirit Eye. The location of this mental sea is in the brain, behind your Spirit Eyes. Right now, your consciousness resides here, within your own mind."
It was similar to Reiatsu in a way. Huo Yuhao's Almighty used up Reiatsu to sustain it, which wasn't different from his previous world.
However, since Huo Yuhao could also use his spirit eye that could be integrated with the Almighty, he could temporarily share his Almighty without having to take a large piece of his soul through Auswählen.
But, this took both mental power and reiatsu to sustain, which was troublesome if he didn't have a balanced mind, body, and spirit.
It was something he lacked due to recently reincarnating and awakening in a human body.
'It seems he doesn't know the power related to me, besides the Martial Soul this body possesses.' Huo Yuhao also noted.
But then Tian Meng hesitated. His voice wavered slightly.
"Wait... why are there still memories that exist before your birth? This doesn't make sense! Hey! Answer me!"
However, it seems this worm wasn't as stupid as he had anticipated. Huo Yuhao intentionally allowed those thoughts to flow throughout his Sea of Consciousness intentionally.
"Hey! You know I can hear your thoughts! Come back!" Tian Meng didn't want to back down.
Huo Yuhao ignored him and started walking toward the distant kingdom.
As he approached, something began to form—a figure drifting in the air, its shape coalescing into humanoid form.
Someone—or something—had entered his mind. It was silver brimming in gold.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes.
Even though he could erase it with a mere thought, he chose instead to observe.
The figure solidified. A man with silver hair, tinged with a golden light. His eyes were closed, his presence unfamiliar yet calm.
"It was this rude stranger who tried to take my spot!" Tian Meng shouted, his face red with frustration, wisps of smoke practically steaming from his head.
Huo Yuhao paid him no mind. Instead, he addressed the newcomer in a cold, authoritative tone.
"Who are you?" His voice carried a quiet threat, direct with no fear as if stumbling to a random person who had intruded in his garden. "Answer carefully, or I will erase your existence."
The silver-haired man slowly opened his eyes, then lowered his head in apology.
"I... do not remember much," he admitted. "I awoke here, I am but a fragment of my soul. If I have intruded, it was unintentional. So I apologize."
Huo Yuhao studied him carefully.
"And what are you, exactly?"
The man's presence reminded him of Hueco Mundo, not in malice but in the lingering concept of death itself.
"I am Electrolux. Yi Lai Ke Si," the man answered. "I do not recall my origin, but... I sense you are not ordinary. If you grant me a means to recover my soul fragments and memories, I will offer myself as a source of power in return."
Huo Yuhao remained impassive.
Electrolux's spiritual aura held no deceit after saying those words, which is why Huo Yuhao never failed as a distant ruler. He both kept his allies and enemies close. As the Quincy Emperor, he had once ruled over spiritual beings, birthed from the very essence of Reiatsu itself. It was nothing new.
'Interesting.'
More than that, he could tell—Electrolux did not belong to this world.
A flicker of thought crossed Huo Yuhao's mind.
If another outsider had appeared here... then how many other worlds existed beyond this one?
And more importantly—if he regained his full power, could he return to his own world?
The world he had once lost.
Life felt more meaningful with purpose. Huo Yuhao nodded. "You may."
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the castle, not sparing a glance at the two behind him.
Tian Meng huffed at Yi Lai Ke Si before following, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"..." Yi Lai Ke Si trailed behind, his soul gradually restoring itself in this realm brimming with unimaginable spiritual energy.
Yet, despite its vast power, this energy felt foreign. Huo Yuhao couldn't fully wield it—his current body was too weak.
If he had his previous Quincy vessel, a construct of pure Reiatsu, he wouldn't have faced such limitations. He could have grown hundreds of times faster.
Still, the very nature of this place shielded him. Spiritual attacks held no threat to him here. For now, he was untouchable.
As he reached the castle entrance, he stepped inside. No gates barred the way. No guards stood watch. There was no need—the Boundless Sea Realm itself was a fortress.
Tian Meng glanced around, unease creeping into his voice. "What is this place...? It's so empty."
The silence pressed in, depressing and heavy.
The white structures loomed like relics of a distant past. This world wasn't built for life.
"This is a Kingdom known as Wandenreich. This is my Kingdom." Huo Yuhao muttered with an expressionless face.
"Then what happened to this Kingdom?" Tian Meng asked.
"It fell after the thousand year blood war."
"What war?" Tian Meng asked again, he was getting even more curious but Huo Yuhao didn't entertain his questions anymore.
Wandereich was a cold place, but Huo Yuhao wasn't affected by it. Neither Tian Meng or Yi Lai Ke Si was affected. Despite that, the Kingdom already had icicles, and the trees and lake were all frozen.
It was a snowy island with the Kingdom stretched from the eyes could see. Upon reaching the long path to the Kingdom, there was another entrance with a metal gate widely opened.
The Castle walls were tall and overbearing.
Numerous small pillars with crosses glowing in white light spread throughout the streets of this abandoned city-like kingdom. It was like a ghost city, the houses were silent and unmoving, without any activities.
Surprisingly, inside this city guarded by the castle walls, the cold didn't reach this place. It was completely unaffected.
The path to the Kingdom's Castle was high, with a long staircase reaching to the sky.
"Ugh... these stairs... are so long..." Tian Meng decided to transform to his human form as he walked, he couldn't use his powers to fly due to the oppressing force from the center castle, but it provided him with more spiritual energy due to the swirling energy.
Tian Meng even thought of returning back to the sea, where he felt more free, but decided against it, due to Huo Yuhao's ambiguous attitude.
"..." Yi Lai Ke Si silently walked to the steps glancing at the view. He wondered what was like to live in this place. It was unlike anything he had ever seen.
Once they've reached the top, the gate to the Castle opened with Huo Yuhao walking through the hallways as if it was his home.
When he thought of the throne he had in mind.
It was an isolated throne wielded through authority and pure might. It was but a silent kingdom without any shred of colors besides the color white of the structure and black reflecting the shadows of this Lost Kingdom.
It was a realm made from the mind of Yhwach, a godlike being who had never known weakness. He had not climbed from mortality to divinity like Tang San. He had been born as a god, devoid of love, hope, trust, or any other human emotions.
All he had ever known... was power with the authority to see through the future and alter it to his liking.
He was feared because he could not be defeated. He was needed by those who lacked power to change their fate. He then accepted the name of Yhwach, which he was called by his people.
Huo Yuhao entered the throne room. His gaze swept across the vast chamber before settling on the cold crystal behind the throne—the body of the Soul King, encased in frozen eternity.
Huo Yuhao wasn't surprised since he had absorbed the Soul King.
He ascended the steps, each one echoing in the empty throne room. Memories stirred, distant yet vivid.
Yhwach lost to Ichigo because of his arrogance. He had not taken into account the powers of Sosuke Aizen, Uryu Ishida, and Ichigo's allies. He was ignorant of the fact he couldn't be defeated as he could alter the future.
If his arrogance in the past led to his ruination, then he would get rid of it.
His eyes lingered on the throne. Not with sentiment. Not with longing. But with the silent determination as he once possessed.
He would reclaim his power... No—he would surpass it.
He had observed. He had adapted. He had conquered. That was the purpose of his existence.
He lowered himself onto the throne, resting against its cold surface with a lofty gaze. He sat on the throne bringing old memories causing it to flicker to life—loneliness, power, the weight of standing above all. No one he deems as his equal.
No one could ever understand him.
So, he had stopped caring as that was the point of his life.
Tian Meng and Yi Lai Ke Si watched in silence.
The atmosphere in the room changed—it felt overwhelming. The deceased Soul King's presence resonated with Huo Yuhao, making the castle tremble ever so slightly.
Tian Meng swallowed hard, pressing himself against a pillar, trembling.
'What kind of monster did I make a contract with?!'
Yi Lai Ke Si, however, showed no fear. Only admiration.
"Just… who are you?" He finally asked.
Yi Lai Ke Si knew this boy... wasn't from this world. It was all proven before his eyes.
This world... it was created by a divine king who stood above it all. And, he was now facing that very being.
Huo Yuhao exhaled softly, his eyes half-closed, unreadable.
"Huo Yuhao," he murmured. "That is the name I have taken. The past… no longer matters." He spoke like a whisper but it resounded throughout the throne room like a telepathy.
He closed his eyes dismissing the conversation. "You may go anywhere you like. Find a place to rest. There is more than enough room for both of you in this world. As for me… I will return to my physical body. However..., I will entertain one question for each of you before I leave."
"..." Electrolux still deciding on what to say, however, he was overtaken.
"T-Then. What are your plans?" Tian Meng mustered his courage and said with a quivering voice.
"To restore my power, and then… to return to my previous world." Huo Yuhao paused before glancing at Yi Lai Ke Si, waiting for his question.
"How are you going to regain your power?" He muttered.
"Information, I know very well, I don't possess enough knowledge so I will be relying on either of you or through external factors." Huo Yuhao slowly closed his eyes as Tian Meng and Yi Lai Ke Si were left contemplating.
And with that, his consciousness drifted away to a quiet solemnity.
After a while seeing that Huo Yuhao's spiritual body was glued to the throne.
They went out to do what they wanted to do in their spare time at the places they have chosen.
As for Tian Meng, he spent most of his time lazily resting after his now hidden from the dangers of the outside world while Yi Lai Ke Si spent most of his time cultivating and exploring Wandenreich like an avid explorer and diligent cultivator.