In that moment, just as the explosion was about to expand and engulf everything in a 10,000 kilometres radius.
Within the depths of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a naked figure, encased in a thick ice jade block, began to stir.
From an outsider's perspective, there wasn't much change to Huo Yuhao's appearance and physique.
He remained lean yet powerfully muscular, every line of his body honed like a perfectly tempered blade. His skin was pale as fresh-fallen snow, almost translucent under the thick ice jade, radiating a faint, inner luminescence from the Yin-Yang Well's energies.
That devastatingly attractive handsome face: high cheekbones, a strong yet elegant jawline, and a natural, almost arrogant handsomeness that seemed to looked down upon all living beings.
His once-neat white locks now flowed luxuriously down to the middle of his back in smooth, flowing waves, shimmering with faint blue-silver highlights from the surrounding ice. Even while encased and motionless, the longer strands seemed to float ethereally, as if defying the frozen prison.
He opened his eyes, revealing emerald light and dragon pupils!
The block of ice around him shattered in an instant, massive dragonic wings seemingly made of ice jade crystals unfurled from behind his back.
Following after that was ice-jade dragon scales growing all across his body, from his neck down to his ankle, with his hands and feet transforming into sharp claws that gleamed with the sharpness to cut through steel. One red soul ring with golden strands manifested around him, brimming with icy killing intent!
Martial soul evolution, success!
Now, Huo Yuhao's second martial soul was no longer the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress, but the Ice Dragon Scorpion Emperor!
A never before seen martial soul that stood higher than even Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Clear Sky Hammer, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and even the legendary Seraphim from ten thousand years ago!
As soon as he woke up, Huo Yuhao felt an unbridled, seemingly endless energy flowing throughout his body.
It gave him the momentary illusion of taking on anyone and everything, even Gods!
Of course, he immediately broke free from such delusions and calmed down.
'This is...' He narrowed his eyes at the appearance of a small blue crystal within his heart radiating an intense light.
However, there was no discomfort or harm coming from it. Instead, a cool and refreshing sensation flow out of it as his heart beats.
He quickly recognized what it was, according to the memories of the Dragon Kings.
There are two ways to become a God: inheritance and faith.
Inheritance was inheriting the seat of a God. This comes with all sorts of advantages and disadvantages, the obvious disadvantage is that the inheritor would always be weaker than their predecessor unless they have the support of a higher class God.
Faith is one that gathers the admiration and worship from other living beings. This method is difficult to accomplish as faith energy is extremely mysterious and confusing to understand, the amount one requires to ascend as a God is immeasurable — simply because no one can tell how much is needed!
Poseidon took a thousand years by uniting the entire ocean world and gathering the faith of all the ocean creatures to ascend as a God. And so did the Angel God with the humans of the original inhabitants of the Douluo Continent.
There was actually a third method, one that was in the Dragon Kings' memories and the origin behind the small crystal in Huo Yuhao's heart; the reason why there was human Gods in the first place.
It was a method so difficult that no one else in Douluo Dalu has ever replicated not since the Divine War.
Law comprehension!
In the entire universe, there were numerous laws that held the fabric of existence itself together.
Some were small, all-encompassing principles: life, death, space, time, creation, destruction. Some call them ethereal with how out of reach they are to comprehend. For even some Gods and Immortals wouldn't easily touch upon such domains.
Many were broad and widespread, yet no less tyrannical in their dominion: ice, fire, lightning, earth, wind, light, darkness, poison, metal, wood. They are classified as corporeal, as they were laws that can see, touch, and easily understand.
To touch one was to brush against the truth of the world.
To comprehend one was to step beyond mortality.
And to engrave that comprehension into one's very being... that was the origin of the small crystal in Huo Yuhao's heart, it's a Law Seed; the initial stage of comprehension of the Divine Law of Water!
Upon reaching completion, this "seed" in his heart would sprout and opens a mysterious door that would send down a Heavenly Tribulation that would reconstruct Huo Yuhao's body and soul. Then the seed would transform into a Divine Authority special only to the holder!
It was because of this Divine Authority that there wasn't many or any Gods sharing the same divine domain, at least on the same class.
It's why Poseidon, Water Goddess, Ice God, and other liquid-based Gods wouldn't ever achieve God King status on their own.
Dead or not, only the Water Dragon King held complete dominion over Water! That was a true pure-blooded dragon, a disciple of the Dragon God whom favored her as a potential daughter in-law, and a top-tier God King level powerhouse.
Only another Dragon King or with the support of a God King could one ever usurp the Water Dragon King's Divine Authority.
In Huo Yuhao's current situation, one may call it an inheritance left behind by the essence of the Water Dragon King. But it was successfully formed mainly by his own understanding!
The essence was the foundation, but it was ultimately shaped from his body, soul, bloodline, and enlightenment during his transformation inside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
With this Law Seed, Huo Yuhao now has a clear path to divinity!
The only thing needed for his ascension was cultivation and a strong body to withstand the tribulation.
He stood straight in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. An overwhelming and majestic dragon aura spread out of his body, causing all the Icy-Yin energies in the well to swirl into him like a vortex.
But it wasn't to hurt him. The extreme energies of cold was welcoming him with overwhelming excitement and worship!
After all, these "waters" were formed from the remains of the Water Dragon King. Although these energies had no sentience, they still showed great enthusiasm upon returning to their origin.
Huo Yuhao raised his hand out, his dragonic eyes sharpened.
"By my authority, all form of water in this world, converge and protect all life!"
The world turned ice blue.
The temperature plummeted to incomprehensible levels.
In those small moments before the explosion spreads and decimates everything, dense bubbles of water quickly enveloped Snow Empress and the Immortal Herbs. The waters of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well dropped dramatically and compressed quickly around Huo Yuhao like a cocoon.
Huo Yuhao's voice, imbued with nascent divine authority, echoed across the Sunset Forest and further, compelling the very essence of water to obey his command.
Then, it was as if time itself had continued.
*BOOOOOOM!!*
The explosive force detonated. Sunset Forest, or of what remained of it since Tang San and Er Ming's attack, ceased to exist as a forest completely.
The detonation erased everything in its path.
Mountains melted like wax under an unseen sun.
The earth cracked open, splitting into abyssal chasms that glowed with residual 4th dimensional energy and something else entirely.
And the firmament sky itself fractured, showing layers of space twisting violently, revealing fleeting glimpses of the chaotic void beyond, of the vast universe, before snapping back under the world's natural laws.
And at the center of it all, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Though, what remained of it now was just a gigantic crater that was hundreds of meters deep with floating water bubbles and one water bubble that was blue and red in color.
"....W-We're alive?" Xiao Huo muttered in disbelief, hesitantly lowering its leaf. She looked around the water bubble with a shocked gaze.
Which is strange since it didn't have eyes.
The other immortal herbs looked at their surroundings, especially at the devastation, utterly dumbfounded.
How did they survived?!
"What..." Snow Empress mumbled, eyes wide. She too was at a loss for words.
Just as despair and helpless acceptance of death appeared in her heart, she had been saved by a water bubble that looked as if she could easily burst with a simple punch?
What the heck is going on here?!
'No, are they alive? Is Ice Empress? Huo Yuhao?!'
"Please, please!!" For the first time in her life, Snow Empress said this word with a desperate plea in her eyes.
Begging the world that her friend and her hope would be okay.
She shook her head and hurriedly placed her hands against the water bubble, trying to burst out of it. But unexpectedly, though not really, it was incredibly hard to destroy.
'No, not hard. But something like elastic?' Snow Empress momentarily noted. She desperately wanted to tear the bubble apart.
"No, no, no. You can't be doing this to me right now!" With her being seriously injured and weak, and desperate to see those she cares for to be alive, all of her rationality and self-control abandoned her.
She lowered her head, her eyes welled up with tears, her heart clenched in a painful vice.
She had faced countless battles, stood against overwhelming odds, but never had she felt such a profound sense of powerlessness.
The water bubble, a symbol of her salvation, was now her prison, keeping her from the only thing that mattered.
She needed to know. She needed to see them.
Then, her and the Immortal Herbs' water bubbles moved.
"Snow Empress? You..." A familiar voice, delighted and confused, was heard from out of the water bubble.
Snow Empress stiffened and she looked up, her eyes brightened considerably.
"Ice! Yuhao!"
Huo Yuhao floated before her and the Immortal Herbs, his dragon wings lightly flapping. Now he was fortunately clothed in black clothing.
And standing around him were Skydream, Jianxin, and Ice Empress. All unharmed.
The reason for this miraculous survival was because of the Divine Law of Water.
The Divine Law of Water wasn't simply controlling all forms of liquid, but also what symbolizes it.
Water considered many to be life, adaptability, humility, gentleness, transparency...
These were the basic understanding that mortals and many others had when talking about water.
The profound aspects that the Divine Law of Water encompassed wasn't just about the physical properties of water, but also the philosophical and existential concepts it represented.
Although the explosive energy of the Tyrant Spear was destructively overwhelming, even a God Officer wouldn't escape unharmed, but it simply couldn't overcome the vast gap between it and the Divine Law.
Huo Yuhao had simply used the Divine Law to create powerful water bubbles that would redirect the explosive force all around it into a harmless surge, allowing them to remain unscathed.
Just like how in a river, the water goes around an immovable large rock. Huo Yuhao used this logic against the explosion, albeit reverse.
The water bubbles would be like a large, immovable rock while the devastating explosion would be like an overwhelming river of water.
Moreover, the sheer power of the Divine Law ensured that the water bubbles held strong as well so it could redirect the explosion.
It was a testament to the profound nature of the Divine Law Seed, although just a seed for now, it shows to be capable of bending the plane to its will.
As Huo Yuhao watched as Ice Empress and Snow Empress hugged each other, with Skydream looking on with jealousy, his expression slowly turned dark.
Because his Eye of Destiny revealed itself, aching terribly.
A sign that a terrible crisis was happening!
'No rest, even for a moment.'
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
AN: Ya boi just can't seem to catch a break...