Facing away from the snowy plains, fishing alone on the icy river!
The last bait had been cast.
Finally, the bait twitched. Huo Yuhao's eyes sharpened. He braced his arm and wrist and yanked the rod back forcefully.
"Come on out, my spiked puffer!"
Seeing that another soul beast had taken the bait, Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and Wei Na all perked up.
After all, Huo Yuhao wasn't fishing for ordinary fish—but for dangerous, ten-thousand-year-class soul beasts!
Splash—
The surface of the icy river split open. A massive figure leapt out of the water, tracing a graceful arc through the air.
It was clearly a—
"Catfish?" Huo Yuhao blinked in confusion.
Wait, did Brother Tianmeng really just reel in the wrong fish?
A ferocious, icy-blue soul beast with a gaping mouth full of fangs shot out of the water, still hooked, yet lunging viciously at Huo Yuhao.
It was a fifty-thousand-year soul beast!
This made it the oldest and most powerful soul beast Huo Yuhao had hooked during this entire fishing expedition!
"Yuhao, watch out!" Zhang Lexuan quickly warned.
But Ma Xiaotao and Wei Na remained much calmer—they knew what Huo Yuhao was capable of.
Just as the catfish-like soul beast lunged toward him, Huo Yuhao released the rod with his left hand, clenched his fist, and struck out with a golden flash.
Bright Frost Centipede Fist!
A martial art similar to the Extreme Ice Frost Centipede Fist, except the former bore the attribute of light, while the latter carried the essence of extreme ice.
The Extreme Ice Frost Centipede Fist shimmered with mist, evoking a dreamlike beauty.
The Bright Frost Centipede Fist, on the other hand, blazed with golden light—radiant and dazzling.
The soul beast's attack was thwarted, and Huo Yuhao's punch sent it flying onto the riverbank, leaving a distinct imprint on its chin.
But even on land, the catfish soul beast wasn't helpless—it began twisting its massive body in an attempt to strike again.
Zhang Lexuan, however, didn't give it the chance. Raising her hand, she released her martial soul. Cold moonlight bathed the soul beast, triggering its countdown to death.
Some time later...
A tent had been pitched.
Inside the warm, spacious tent, a soul-powered stove glowed. Slices of grilled catfish meat lay across the iron mesh atop the stove, sizzling in golden, oily heat.
Huo Yuhao occasionally flipped the slices and sprinkled them with seasonings.
"This catfish soul beast is ugly, but pretty tasty. Just a bit greasy," Ma Xiaotao remarked as she munched, sounding like a seasoned gourmet.
"I think it's because Yuhao grills so well," Wei Na whispered, glancing over at Huo Yuhao now and then with eyes full of tenderness.
Ma Xiaotao side-eyed her, then grumbled and reached over to squish Wei Na's cheeks. "Since you're so good at sweet-talking, say more of it! You're making me look like an idiot!"
"Hahaha, Xiaotao-jie, don't pinch me, that tickles…"
Wei Na was no match and ended up being manhandled by Ma Xiaotao.
Zhang Lexuan quietly sat nearby, also sampling the grilled catfish. Her relaxed brows said it all—she was very pleased with the flavor.
Huo Yuhao sat beside them, smiling as he fed the three girls. But mentally, he was grumbling at Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
"Brother Tianmeng, where's the spiked puffer you promised?"
"Bro, it's not that I didn't deliver—it's just that there aren't any!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm replied helplessly.
"What do you mean?" Huo Yuhao frowned, suddenly realizing something was wrong.
Tianmeng pointed at the grilled soul beast currently being sliced and roasted.
"Allow me to introduce one of the most reviled soul beasts in the Extreme North—the Bone-Melting Ice Catfish!"
Huo Yuhao didn't recognize the species, but Tianmeng and Ah Hui did. It was one of the most hated soul beasts in the region.
The Bone-Melting Ice Catfish—an ice-type amphibious soul beast, primarily aquatic. Its most dangerous trait? A digestive system that could dissolve bone.
It was gluttonous to a terrifying degree, devouring nearly all life and resources in any area it inhabited. Once it had eaten its fill, it would move on—sometimes even climbing onto land to relocate and resume its endless feast.
Despite its bottomless appetite, it wasn't a devour-type soul beast. It ate purely to satisfy its hunger.
As such, it wreaked havoc on the already fragile ecosystem of the Extreme North.
"So you're saying… all the spiked puffers in this area have already been eaten?" Huo Yuhao grasped the situation.
"Some probably fled, but within my spiritual detection range, there are none left. The other soul beasts you fished up were recent migrants—weak, and yet to encounter the Bone-Melting Catfish. If this continues unchecked, this entire stretch of the river will become void of soul beasts."
Then Tianmeng's tone shifted—now full of righteous fervor.
"But! Brother Yuhao has arrived!"
"With Brother Yuhao here, the skies clear! With Brother Yuhao here, peace returns to the river!"
Huo Yuhao: "…"
He wasn't here to purge catfish! The only reason this one got hooked was because Tianmeng lured it in!
Still, he had noticed that the soul beasts he'd caught earlier were indeed weak—the strongest being a ten-thousand-year shallow sea dragonfish.
This stretch of the river was already one of the densest regions for soul beasts in the outskirts of the Extreme North.
"But, Brother Yuhao, we did make another discovery!" Tianmeng suddenly chuckled mysteriously. "Guess what I found in the Bone-Melting Catfish's nest?"
"What? A soul bone? I mean, it's eaten so many soul beasts—it's bound to have dropped a few soul bones, right?" Huo Yuhao replied casually, handing more grilled meat to the girls.
That's not even a question.
But Tianmeng sounded proud. "Nope, not a soul bone. The Bone-Melting Ice Catfish can even digest those!"
It can digest soul bones?
Now that caught Huo Yuhao's attention.
That made the catfish's ghost more valuable—not just some throwaway fodder anymore.
Whatever Tianmeng had found clearly interested him now. So he played along.
"What is it, then? What could even the Bone-Melting Catfish fail to digest?"
Tianmeng, now fully satisfied, stopped being coy and declared proudly:
"A Bone-Melting Ice Catfish egg!"
Huo Yuhao: "…"
Unexpected, yet somehow not surprising.
"What's the point of that?" Huo Yuhao was more concerned with practicality.
"The egg is extremely toxic!" Tianmeng replied with a grin.
That answer made Huo Yuhao pause mid-flip with the grilled meat.
The Bone-Melting Ice Catfish itself was not inherently poisonous, but its eggs were highly toxic. This was a common trait among catfish-like species.
It was said that even regular catfish eggs carried strong toxins to protect themselves.
This piqued Huo Yuhao's interest.
To refine those nine special poisonous seeds into pills, he needed some auxiliary materials. The exact materials weren't fixed—the key lay in their medicinal properties.
Naturally, some of these materials needed to be extremely poisonous. Huo Yuhao had originally planned to use poisonous insects and herbs, but now he might have a new option.
"Brother Tianmeng, where are the eggs?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
"Brother Hao, don't worry! I already hid them by the edge of the ice river!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm patted his chest, showing absolute confidence in his task.
Huo Yuhao nodded in satisfaction.
But he didn't act hastily. After lunch, Huo Yuhao took on the role of the responsible man and went down to the river to wash the dishes and take out the trash.
This touched Ma Xiaotao and Wei Na deeply—it made all their efforts in bed seem worthwhile.
Zhang Lexuan also felt Huo Yuhao was a truly good person.
What they didn't notice, however...
While Huo Yuhao was cleaning the dishes, one of his centipede-leg clones brought back a fish egg the size of a human head, dark green in color.
It was unmistakably a Bone-Melting Ice Catfish egg.
That centipede-leg clone was one of the many Huo Yuhao had sent out earlier, tasked with scouting the surroundings for a suitable 200,000-year soul beast for him.
Ever since the Soul Master Tournament began, Huo Yuhao had been dispatching clones across the continent and the oceans to search for a soul beast suited for him.
Unfortunately, he hadn't had any luck so far.
For his seventh soul ring, his ideal target was a 200,000-year soul beast with both poison and ice attributes. The next best would be a poisonous one, and the fallback would be one with just ice attributes.
He wasn't considering any other options.
Because for the fallback option, he already had a target. If everything else failed, he would have to settle.
The moment he held the Bone-Melting Ice Catfish egg, Huo Yuhao felt a highly corrosive toxin trying to melt his hand—only to be completely neutralized by his powerful poison resistance.
"This egg isn't bad at all," Huo Yuhao said with a satisfied smile. "And I might even use it to refine pills, which saves me the trouble of sneaking off from the group to do it in secret."
Refining pills wasn't limited to just fire and water methods. Thanks to the ingenious—and often twisted—wisdom of demonic cultivators, many unique alchemical techniques had been developed, giving pills strange effects and properties.
For example, dual cultivation furnaces could produce pills that harmonized yin and yang.
Or using a pregnant woman to gestate a pill, resulting in one imbued with the innate energy of an unborn child.
Of course, these methods were considered cruel and were forbidden by the righteous path.
But cruelty was relative. Using humans was cruel; using other creatures? That was simply another "way to make use of them."
At least, that was Huo Yuhao's view.
Not that he was above being cruel himself.
He had even considered using poison-element soul masters to refine pills—maybe it would help him break through to the ultimate poison.
"If I inject the nine seeds and various materials into this egg and use it as the medium to refine the pill, the result might have an extra trace of spiritual essence!" With that thought, Huo Yuhao made his decision and placed the egg into a special soul tool designed to store living things.
It was a pouch-sized storage soul tool, gifted to him by Ouyang Zhen. It was part of Ouyang's investment in Huo Yuhao, allowing him to carry living herbs and poisonous creatures.
Though the soul tool's space was only two cubic meters, it could easily hold the Bone-Melting Ice Catfish egg.
After tidying everything up quickly, Huo Yuhao returned to the tent to regroup with Zhang Lexuan and the others. They had already packed the tent.
"Looks like we won't be catching that Ice River Spinefish. What's our next soul beast target?" Ma Xiaotao asked curiously.
Everyone turned to Huo Yuhao.
He unfolded the map again, pointing to the nearest location. "The Thorn Forest. It's home to the Thorn Snow Centipedes and also has Ice Spiked Snakes."
Ice Spiked Snakes were solitary creatures, rarely forming large groups—most lived alone or in family units. But certain areas did see frequent activity, and most adult Ice Spiked Snakes had decent years and strength.
Thorn Snow Centipedes, on the other hand, were social creatures, often forming colonies. Their colonies could have high-level leaders with considerable cultivation.
However, it was unclear whether the previous beast tide had affected these species and if they were still residing in their original habitats.
The group of four set out once more.
After they left, two centipede-leg clones quietly crawled out of the ice river, approaching the pile of abandoned soul beast corpses.
Though the valuable materials had already been harvested from these corpses, the remaining flesh and blood still brimmed with essence.
The two clones divided the work—one stood guard while the other processed the bodies.
The working clone began devouring the flesh, bones, and even the bloodstained ice and snow.
After consuming a certain amount, it would coil up and refine the ingested essence.
Once refined, the clone would uncoil and regurgitate the waste, spitting out a concentrated blood-colored pellet.
The centipede clone worked quickly, and before long, a small pile of these blood pellets had formed nearby, radiating an oddly enticing fragrance.
The heavy scent of blood naturally attracted nearby soul beasts, but most were just ordinary ten-thousand-year beasts—none exceeding 30,000 years.
Every beast that dared approach and attempt to snatch the pills was promptly slain and converted into more blood pellets. Even century- and decade-old soul beasts weren't spared.
The clones had perfectly inherited Huo Yuhao's spirit of frugality.
After working for half a day, the two centipede-leg clones left. By then, half a meter of snow had been scraped from the riverbank, leaving behind nothing but scattered remains—and not a drop of blood.
Only the faint fragrance of the pills lingered in the cold wind.
Star Dou Forest
While Huo Yuhao's group headed north, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan entered the Star Dou Forest to help Xiao Xiao obtain her third soul ring.
Though it was labeled as a "trial," two Soul Emperor-level instructors were secretly accompanying them, so danger was minimal in the outer regions of the forest.
And sure enough, the hunt went smoothly.
Their target was a 1,500-year-old Strength Vajra Bear.
Its attributes and abilities were a perfect match for the Three-Life Soul Calming Cauldron.
The soul ring absorption also proceeded without issue.
Unfortunately, no soul bone dropped.
Still, Xiao Xiao was very satisfied. Her new third soul skill was slightly different from the original story's version.
"My third soul skill is called Power of the Cauldron."
"I can instantly release a burst of force in one direction for powerful suppression. And since my Three-Life Soul Calming Cauldron can split into three, I can suppress a single target from three directions simultaneously! The power scales with the cauldron's weight. It can also be combined with my other two soul skills to enhance their effects."
"In addition, the soul ring increased both the strength and defense of my cauldron!"
Xiao Xiao was delighted and demonstrated the skill immediately.
Three small cauldrons converged on a massive tree that required three people to encircle it, and instantly snapped it in half. The break twisted the wood into long splinters.
"So strong!" Jiang Nannan gasped, involuntarily trembling.
She was a glass cannon—if she got hit by something like that, she'd either be crippled or reduced to pulp!
Wang Dong also smiled. "This soul skill has greatly boosted Xiao Xiao's control and offensive capabilities."
After absorbing the soul ring, the three of them prepared to leave. The Star Dou Forest was still a wilderness—not a place to linger for too long.
Who knew what might be lurking in the shadows?
Sun Moon Empire, Jingyang Mountain Range.
Someone else was absorbing a spirit ring—but this time, it was their seventh spirit ring!
And this person's spirit ring configuration was extremely unusual: the first six rings were yellow, yellow, purple, yellow, purple, black.
Now, the newly added seventh ring was a black ten-thousand-year spirit ring.
It came from a sixty-thousand-year-old Six-Headed Demon Serpent, a creature whose potent venom was so toxic that even its blood could contaminate land or water.
The figure with this rare ring setup was none other than the long-absent Grim Reaper Envoy!
Now, however, his identity had changed—he was no longer the leader of a bandit group, but a glorious branch elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, with the privilege of cultivating at the cult's headquarters for an entire year.
At last, the spirit ring was fully absorbed. The Grim Reaper slowly opened his eyes, and under his hood, his heterochromatic eyes—one red, one blue—flickered with eerie light.
"Kekekeke— I've finally become a Spirit Sage!"
Unable to restrain himself, he burst into wild laughter.
But his laughter suddenly stopped.
"Stop laughing, you sound disgusting!" a voice full of disdain rang out—and bizarrely, it came from the Grim Reaper himself!
It was chilling, as though the Grim Reaper was suffering from a split personality.
But in reality, it was Huo Yuhao who had taken control.
Far away in the Extreme North, Huo Yuhao had sensed the breakthrough through a magical artifact and projected his consciousness through the Eye Artifact, temporarily taking over the Grim Reaper's body.
As for the Grim Reaper's consciousness—it fell into deep slumber, offering no resistance.
"So, he broke through to Spirit Sage before me? Interesting."
Though the Grim Reaper's cultivation surpassed Huo Yuhao's, he was still no match for Huo Yuhao, and could only serve as his puppet.
Huo Yuhao looked around carefully, confirming the surroundings.
There was no one else nearby. The only guards were hidden corpse puppets.
For this seventh ring hunt, the Grim Reaper didn't rely on anyone else—he hunted the Six-Headed Demon Serpent with only himself and his puppets.
This showed how summoning-type soul masters could sometimes achieve surprising results.
Huo Yuhao glanced at the serpent's corpse with some regret. Its venom was excellent, but he had no way to transfer it to his own location.
So instead, he chose to store the serpent's soul in a special soul tool designed to hold spirits, which the Grim Reaper carried.
This tool was a semi-artifact, crafted by the Grim Reaper using inheritance knowledge and spirit tool crafting techniques.
In short, it was a modified Level 3 soul tool—originally the Holy Summoning Banner—which he reforged using blood-refining methods, raising it to a Level 5 soul tool capable of storing more souls.
It had been renamed the Holy Soul Banner.
The price? It directly consumed five years of the Grim Reaper's lifespan.
A large investment with minimal return—typical of some dark cultivation methods.
Especially for non-professional dark soul masters, such miscalculations were common.
The banner's purpose was, of course, to help him collect souls.
It already contained many souls—most of them human—indicating the Grim Reaper had had some fruitful hunts lately.
As for the corpses, they would be used to refine more puppets. Bodies that couldn't be preserved perfectly were ultimately useless even if retained.
After confirming the area was safe, Huo Yuhao examined the Grim Reaper's current state.
"After joining the Holy Spirit Cult, he offered up Bei Bei, earning generous rewards: many human corpses and souls, even the corpse of a Spirit Douluo, a trove of spirit tools and rare materials, the title of branch elder, and a year of elite training at headquarters."
"He used the corpses to refine puppets. Stored the souls for me. The spirit tools and materials went into cultivation and corpse refinement."
"His year of training focused on learning more dark arts and absorbing the energy-rich environment at HQ."
"The cult's HQ is filled with corpse energy, which speeds up corpse refinement. The Grim Reaper also absorbed it to gradually transform from a semi-lich into a semi-zombie."
"His body became stiffer, but also stronger and faster—giving him the physical strength to withstand a sixty-thousand-year spirit ring."
"Using corpse energy and dark cultivation methods, he quickly broke through to Level 70."
"To hunt the spirit beast, he even temporarily activated an unfinished Spirit Douluo corpse, sacrificing a month's worth of refinement time. Acceptable loss."
"Given how ideal the cult HQ is for dark cultivation, he's guaranteed to become a Spirit Douluo in a year. With more resources, he might even reach High-rank Spirit Douluo, or even Titled Douluo!"
"Through my aura-sensing technique, I've also detected that the core of the cult HQ may hold a huge secret… No kidding."
Overall, the Grim Reaper's memories showed no issues.
His development had gone quite smoothly—so much so that Huo Yuhao felt like this was his "Travel Frog" finally bringing back results.
He remembered the beginning...
The Grim Reaper had smuggled Bei Bei across the Mingdou Mountains into the Star Luo Empire, nearly getting caught by Sun Moon Empire border troops.
It was a dangerous journey.
Then, under Huo Yuhao's (unseen) guidance, the Grim Reaper went straight to the Evil Demon Forest—home of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Want to join the cult? Just head straight to the HQ. Simple.
Was it risky?
Absolutely. He could've died instantly.
But if he dared bring Bei Bei to the cult, he had to accept that risk. What Dragon Xiaoyao would do with him was unpredictable.
At the time, Huo Yuhao wasn't sure if Tang Ya had joined the cult like in the original story, but he knew she had become a dark soul master and committed massacres in Heaven Dou City—killing many city guards, many of whom had been previously knocked out by Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei.
What upset Huo Yuhao the most was—
Tang Ya got the meat, and he didn't even get the soup!
Huo Yuhao: I'm never playing nice with Big Sis Tang Ya again!
The Grim Reaper brought Bei Bei to the Holy Spirit Cult.
At worst, he'd lose a puppet body.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind that at all.
After obtaining the Grim Reaper's Corpse Explosion Technique, his remaining value was limited—unless he could find a new path to stay useful.
But he made sure of one thing: Bei Bei would be fine. Dragon Xiaoyao would never let anything happen to Bei Bei.
Just shouting "Bei Bei is the descendant of the Grand Elder" was enough to ensure no one dared hurt him. That would guarantee a meeting with Dragon Xiaoyao.
Dark soul masters who feared death wouldn't dare gamble on whether the Grim Reaper was lying.
Dragon Xiaoyao and Mu En were like brothers. Saying Bei Bei was Dragon Xiaoyao's descendant? Totally believable.
Huo Yuhao had gone to great lengths for Bei Bei's safety.
And it worked.
When the Grim Reaper reached the Evil Demon Forest, cult members at the edge intercepted him.
They were ready to kill him for his treasures—until he shouted: "This boy with me is the Grand Elder's descendant! I have urgent news for the Grand Elder!"
No one dared attack him after that.
Instead, they obediently reported the situation up the chain.
They all assumed the Grim Reaper was one of the Grand Elder's men—and he was a dark soul master.
Only Bei Bei knew the truth—but he stayed silent, coldly observing.
He wanted to watch the Grim Reaper die, even if it meant dying with him.
Still, the realization that the Sun Moon Empire housed such a cult terrified Bei Bei. He wanted nothing more than to get word back to Shrek Academy.
But to his surprise, when the cult's Chief Worshipper met him—not only did he not kill them, he even rewarded the Grim Reaper handsomely.
Afterward, Bei Bei was handed over to the Chief Worshipper. What happened after that, the Grim Reaper didn't know—it wasn't part of the free preview.
But rumors spread: Bei Bei had been accepted as the Chief's disciple, and even became the training partner of the Blue Silver Saint Maiden—er, training companion.
The Saint Maiden even gifted the Grim Reaper many rewards in return.
Only then did Huo Yuhao confirm that Tang Ya really had joined the Holy Spirit Cult.
Whether Tang Ya and Bei Bei reunited—and what happened between them—Huo Yuhao still didn't know.
Just as Huo Yuhao was preparing to assign the Death God Envoy a new mission and leave, footsteps suddenly echoed through the forest, immediately catching his attention.
Someone was coming!
And Huo Yuhao instantly realized — those footsteps weren't accidentally exposed; the person was deliberately making noise to alert him of their arrival.
They were applying psychological pressure in advance.
No — their target wasn't Huo Yuhao himself, but the Death God Envoy!
And they made no attempt to conceal their hostility.
This piqued Huo Yuhao's interest.
In a flash, his thoughts raced through countless possibilities.
"Could it be a passing soul master who discovered that the Death God Envoy is an evil soul master? Trying to uphold justice and eliminate evil?" Huo Yuhao speculated — and then quickly dismissed the idea.
The Death God Envoy had been hunting soul rings in the Jingyang Mountain Range, which was connected to the Demonic Forest. It was also a vital resource zone for other soul masters.
There were even rumors of 100,000-year-old soul beasts in the area.
So it wasn't impossible to run into other soul masters there.
However, the way the other party approached — it wasn't like they were coming to uphold justice. It was more like they were out for revenge or to pick a fight!
Thinking over the Death God Envoy's potential enemies, Huo Yuhao considered Shrek Academy, Bei Bei, and maybe even the Blue Silver Saintess Tang Ya.
However, the ones who eventually showed up weren't any of those he had guessed.
Instead, it was three sinister-looking middle-aged evil soul masters wearing the robes of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Huo Yuhao hid behind two corpse puppets of Soul Emperor level, his entire body cloaked in a large mantle. Narrowing his eyes, he examined the three men.
Hmm, it was clear — the Death God Envoy didn't know these three.
But based on their attire, it was clear that they were members of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Technically, Holy Spirit Cult Disciples ranked below branch elders.
However, disciples didn't necessarily have to defer to branch elders — unless the elder was particularly powerful.
After all, Holy Spirit Disciples were core members who could remain at the cult's headquarters. They either had unique talents or were considered prodigies among evil soul masters — often with strong backing.
The three looked at the Death God Envoy with mockery, like cats eyeing a cornered mouse.
"Who sent you?" Huo Yuhao spoke in the Death God Envoy's voice, sounding wary of the approaching trio.
At this point, he suspected Bei Bei or Tang Ya had sent assassins after the Envoy.
In the Holy Spirit Cult, the Death God Envoy had no known connections. He had kept to himself lately, rarely communicating with others — let alone making enemies.
After all, training was all-consuming, especially with corpse refinement. His schedule was packed; there was no time to make trouble.
Yet when Huo Yuhao asked his question, the three men laughed — mocking the Envoy's cluelessness.
The man on the left said, "You're the Death God Envoy, huh? What an arrogant title! We three brothers just don't like you — we want to teach you a lesson. Got a problem with that?"
"That's right! And don't think you can get away with this," added the man on the right. "Even if you're a branch elder, you're just a Soul Emperor with a garbage soul ring setup. If not for a patron's endorsement, you'd be nothing but a servant! In the Holy Spirit Cult, if you don't have power, you're worse than a dog!"
Finally, the man in the center smiled and said, "So, be a good boy and maybe we'll let you live. And if you're willing to share some of those rewards you've been hoarding, maybe — just maybe — we'll let you join us."
The trio was outrageously arrogant, giving the Death God Envoy no chance to speak. They activated their martial souls, revealing high-tier Soul Emperor strength — and each had optimal soul ring configurations.
Huo Yuhao fell silent.
Damn, these guys were just green-eyed monsters!
And then he realized — he'd nearly overanalyzed the situation. He'd thought on Tang Ya and Long Xiaoyao's level when the truth was far simpler.
These three just wanted to rob the Death God Envoy.
"So that's it. The Death God Envoy is just a six-ring Soul Emperor with lousy soul rings, yet he's loaded with rewards — making him a target for envy."
"The Holy Spirit Cult is an evil soul master organization, after all — power rules, not morals. Since they can't attack him within the cult, they waited until he left to make their move."
"But Long Xiaoyao's rewards were given secretly, while Tang Ya's were public… Heh, Sister Tang Ya, you've gone dark too~"
"But these three fools don't even realize the Death God Envoy has already broken through to Soul Sage!"
After all, it was nearly unheard of — even for evil soul masters — to go from newly minted Soul Emperor to Soul Sage in such a short time.
But the environment at Holy Spirit Cult HQ was just that ideal for dark cultivation…
Huo Yuhao scanned the three evil soul masters, a flicker of greed in his eyes.
They saw the Death God Envoy as prey — but weren't they themselves perfect fuel?
"The local evil soul masters really are rude!" Huo Yuhao chuckled — and struck first.
The two corpse puppets lunged at the three men.
The trio wasn't fazed — in fact, they looked like they wanted to laugh.
Controlling corpses wasn't uncommon in the Holy Spirit Cult, and the two he had brought were merely Soul Emperor-level zombies.
While refined corpse puppets had enhanced physical strength, they couldn't use martial souls or soul skills — so against peers, they weren't overwhelming.
And one of the three just happened to have a soul skill that countered corpse manipulation.
The two on the sides moved in immediately.
"These corpses you brought — we won't let them go to waste!"
"Hahaha! Soul Emperor corpses — what a treat~"
Their martial souls were Carrion Devourer Birds and Scavenger Demonic Fish — both could gain strength by consuming corpses. They were purely evil martial souls.
To them, those corpse puppets were a feast delivered to the door.
The man in the middle joined in too. He was a Soul Emperor with a Tool Martial Soul: Soul-Stealing Bloom, specializing in soul disruption.
His target was the Death God Envoy himself — he intended to sever the link between the Envoy and his corpse puppets.
But Huo Yuhao had already begun moving the Death God Envoy's body.
The release of the corpse puppets was just a distraction — bait to mask the real strike.
Yellow, yellow, purple, yellow, purple, black, black!
Seven soul rings suddenly appeared — the aura of a Soul Sage left the three dumbfounded.
"A Soul Sage? Impossible!"
"Go ask the Death God in the afterlife!" Huo Yuhao said with a laugh.
After all, the Death God Envoy's job was to send people to the Death God. Nothing wrong with that.
Then Huo Yuhao moved like thunder, unleashing his full strength.
The Death God Envoy, supposedly a support-type summoner, suddenly charged into the battlefield, displaying terrifying physical power.
In a flash, he was right in front of them.
Half-zombie physique, Soul Sage-level strength — the three were crushed without resistance. In a blink, Huo Yuhao had snapped their necks one by one.
What should've been an intense battle — was over in less than a minute.
Had they focused all three of them on the Death God Envoy, maybe they could've stalled. But they were distracted by the corpse puppets…
Still, the victory wasn't without cost.
Huo Yuhao raised the Death God Envoy's right hand and examined the back of it. During the fight, when he snapped their necks, that hand had been exposed to sunlight — and now had visible burn marks.
"So, zombies in this world still fear sunlight."
That's also why the Death God Envoy kept regular corpse puppets around.
To kill soul beasts, he had to use a Soul Douluo corpse — a major cost in time and effort to refine — mostly due to environmental hazards.
Then why not hunt at night?
Pfft. You really think the Jingyang Mountains are safe at night?
All the powerful soul beasts liked to come out for a stroll after dark.
The Death God Envoy would end up as their midnight snack.
To be safe, Huo Yuhao acted decisively—he captured the souls of the three evil soul masters and began a brutal soul search. From their shattered memories, he pieced together the situation.
These three—let's call them the "Flower, Bird, and Fish Trio"—had not been sent by anyone. They were simply out to kill and rob for personal gain.
However, they weren't completely without background.
As previously mentioned, to become a core disciple at the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters, one must either have exceptional talent or powerful connections. These three fell into the former category: middle-aged, still only Soul Emperors, but when working together, they could annihilate a target body and soul. United, they were strong enough to contend with a Soul Sage who hadn't activated their Martial Soul Avatar.
Even so, within the Holy Spirit Cult, they were at the bottom of the hierarchy.
That's why they were desperate for a breakthrough!
If all three could advance to Soul Sage, their combined power would skyrocket—possibly strong enough to confront even a Soul Douluo.
Because of this potential, the Sixth Elder, Hatred Douluo, had taken an interest in them and brought them under his wing.
In other words, their biggest backing was the Sixth Elder—a Title Douluo!
But even then, the trio wasn't highly valued by him.
Otherwise, they wouldn't still be stuck as mid-level Soul Emperors.
They needed to prove their worth first to earn more favor.
The best way to do that? Break through to Soul Sage.
If they succeeded, the Sixth Elder would likely pay more attention to them, elevate their status, and grant them greater rewards.
Put simply, they had some backing—just a little.
Even if the Reaper Messenger killed them now, as long as he didn't go overboard and cause a scandal that would publicly embarrass the Sixth Elder, the elder wouldn't care.
In fact, he might even admire the Reaper Messenger more and extend an olive branch to him.
Controlling the Reaper Messenger, Huo Yuhao drained the trio of their blood, quickly cleaned up the battlefield, and left the Jingyang Mountains with the corpses of the soul masters and soul beasts in tow, returning to the Holy Spirit Cult.
"The Reaper Messenger's most important task now is to increase his strength. Only by becoming stronger can he gain higher status in the Holy Spirit Cult—and in the future, bring me even greater benefits."
On the return journey, the Reaper Messenger's eyes gradually regained clarity. His consciousness returned, yet he showed no confusion or doubt.
Because of the false memories Huo Yuhao had planted in him, everything made perfect sense.
Realizing he had been ambushed, the Reaper Messenger resolved to adopt a cautious training path. He would remain low-key until he was strong enough to leave the Holy Spirit Cult again.
Far North
Huo Yuhao's consciousness descending into the Reaper Messenger didn't interfere with his real body's actions—he was simply multitasking.
Night soon fell.
The soul tool clock chimed the hour.
The group found a sheltered spot, pitched their tents, and settled down for the night.
Huo Yuhao, Ma Xiaotao, and Zhang Lexuan took turns standing guard.
Although it was the polar day season in the Far North and still bright even at night, rest was essential.
Exploring this dangerous forbidden zone required peak physical and mental condition to avoid accidents caused by carelessness.
Huo Yuhao took the first watch.
The three women were fast asleep inside the tent.
Sitting alone nearby, and sensing no immediate threats while the others rested, Huo Yuhao began his own secret activity.
He took out the Dissolving Bone Ice Catfish eggs and several rare materials.
Then, he opened his mouth and spat out nine lotus seeds, each a different color—these were the Nine-Colored Poison Seeds, fused with the deadly toxins of the Ninefold Jade Phosphor Grass, a pseudo-immortal herb.
Strictly speaking, the Jade Phosphor Grass wasn't a true immortal herb—it was a fake.
Though it possessed nine kinds of deadly toxins, what truly gave it "immortal herb" properties was the hidden Seagod divine power within it.
Based on Huo Yuhao's analysis, the Ninefold Jade Phosphor Grass had originally been an ordinary Phosphor Blossom over 50,000 years old, forcibly evolved by being infused with Seagod power.
The nine toxins could fuse into one terrifying poison—but this power wouldn't strengthen a soul master's poison affinity. On the contrary, it might kill them outright.
Without the divine energy of the Seagod, it would be nothing but a deadly weed—a plant of certain death.
But that divine energy could purify a soul master's body and enhance soul power—though it didn't necessarily help one become a god, it would mark them with the Seagod's aura, making them susceptible to the Seagod's influence in the future.
Even if the divine power was infused into a common weed, it could transform into an "immortal herb."
"The Ninefold Jade Phosphor Grass may not be a true immortal herb, but with the right alchemical technique, these nine poison seeds can produce effects beyond even the grass itself!"
Once he was in the right state of mind, Huo Yuhao wasted no time.
Let's begin.
He first condensed an ice basin, placed the Ice Catfish eggs inside, then added various rare poisonous and medicinal herbs—including a precious bottle of Snow Lotus Dew.
This showed how much he valued this alchemical attempt.
Next, he used his cultivation to extract the poison and medicinal properties, fusing them into the catfish eggs.
It was like boiling marbled tea eggs.
As he carefully refined the mixture, he stayed alert to his surroundings and checked the tent to avoid being discovered.
During this time, two of his centipede-leg clones returned to his side, bringing with them a large number of spirit pills formed from refined blood and flesh.
He assigned them to keep watch.
As for the blood-condensed pills, after some thought, Huo Yuhao tossed them all into the ice basin as well to be refined together.
As more toxins, medicines, and blood essence were infused, the catfish eggs began to change.
The embryo inside the egg, assaulted by all these elements, rapidly developed. In just one hour, it hatched into a juvenile Ice Catfish and began to take shape, even emitting spiritual energy fluctuations.
Moreover, the egg radiated a soul power aura on par with a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
If it finished hatching, it would emerge as a ten-thousand-year-level beast and might even mutate into a top-tier or super soul beast!
But unfortunately for it—Huo Yuhao didn't want a soul beast pet.
"Now's the time!"
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao activated the nine seeds and placed them onto the egg. Then, he spat out a mouthful of heart blood, covering both the egg and the seeds.
Afterward, his face turned pale, but he ignored the fatigue, eyes fixed on the egg.
Strange blood-red light glowed from the egg.
The nine seeds fused one by one into the egg without damaging its shell.
With each fusion, the egg changed color. The juvenile Ice Catfish was instantly poisoned, and pain radiated from its soul.
White, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, black—
Nine colors cycled across the shell. When the final black hue faded, the egg turned pure white, flawless like jade.
But inside, the catfish's once-lively consciousness had completely shattered in agony.
Its awareness was utterly annihilated by the nine toxins—only a living body remained.
This body then began to compress and condense, gradually transforming into a pill.
At last, Huo Yuhao smiled.
"It worked."
He carefully stored the egg into a soul tool.
Now, he only needed to wait seven days for the pill to fully form.
There was no special requirement—it just so happened that the original embryo would've taken seven more days to hatch.
After finishing everything, Huo Yuhao had regained his normal complexion. His heart blood, with the help of the Snow Lotus, recovered swiftly.
The Snow Lotus even sacrificed a portion of its own power for this.
Heart blood is incredibly precious to a cultivator, as it's tied to their very life force. Normally, recovery is no easy feat.
"Thank you, Snow Lotus," Huo Yuhao murmured, touching his chest with a warm smile.