Cain, Martial Soul: Darkgolden Three-headed Bat King. Level 91.
Martial Soul Talents: Bloodsucking, Venom, Curse
Special Ability: Rakshasa Bat Clone
Soul Ring Configuration: 2 Yellow, 2 Purple, 2 Black, 3 Red — all can be enhanced.
Domain: Rakshasa Domain (Rakshasa Prison). Inherited from the Rakshasa God. Gains human malice through the Rakshasa Domain to replenish and amplify divine power. After surpassing level 100, she can use Rakshasa divine power to conjure a massive Rakshasa Ghost King illusion within the domain to aid in battle.
Equipment: Rakshasa Demon Scythe (Divine Tool), Rakshasa God Armor (Pseudo Divine Tool)
Bloodline Ability: White Tiger Rakshasa Transformation — gained by drinking large amounts of White Tiger bloodline; enables a special transformation that grants the power of the White Tiger.
Other Items: Rakshasa Secret Realm, Rakshasa Stone Marrow
Thanks to the Hao Emperor Banner under his control, Huo Yuhao now has a crystal-clear understanding of Cain's abilities — even better than she does herself.
Most aspects remain unchanged, with the major developments being her special ability, domain, and bloodline ability.
The special ability represents an evolution of Cain's original Martial Soul, unlocking new depths of power thanks to the Rakshasa divine influence. She's now capable of disintegrating into a swarm of tiny bats, much like a vampire — each bat a manifestation of malice that can be used for combat or escape.
It somewhat mirrors Wang Dong'er's fifth soul skill, Butterfly God Dance's second-stage effect.
The domain is identical to Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Domain, though since Cain has not yet surpassed level 100, she cannot unleash its full potential. Still, the regenerative ability it currently provides is impressive.
Most notably, her divine power regenerates faster than Huo Yuhao can gather divine force through cultivation.
The bloodline ability was an unexpected bonus — a pleasant surprise to Huo Yuhao.
It means Cain can potentially gain other species' powers by drinking their bloodlines — drastically boosting her combat strength.
Even the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent remarked that this ability to absorb and convert powerful bloodlines is rare and formidable, even by cosmic standards.
Whereas Huo Yuhao has to accumulate bloodlines and slowly unlock their potential, Cain can directly activate powerful transformations after drinking enough of a given bloodline — skipping the refinement process entirely. It's a brutally efficient method.
The only downside is that using these abilities consumes the bloodline power, meaning she must constantly replenish the specific blood she relies on.
To sustain this power, Cain will need a stable supply of blood.
After thinking it through, Huo Yuhao was hit with a grim realization: aside from Dai Haoyao's White Tiger bloodline, the best candidate to supply her with high-grade bloodlines… was himself.
In that moment, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel like the tables had turned.
He who had spent his days robbing others of their bloodlines... was now someone else's blood bag.
But Brother Hao was never one to suffer a loss silently.
"Cain, I need you to assist me in cultivation!"
Having regained a physical body, Cain had also recovered her Yin essence.
Through dual cultivation, Huo Yuhao could now convert the divine power Cain gathers into his own — a far faster and more convenient method than painstakingly condensing divine force from the ambient world.
It's no wonder cultivation furnaces became a thing.
A teleportation light shimmered once again within the underground ruins of Slaughter City — Huo Yuhao had returned.
The first thing he did was raise a barrier, just in case.
His centipede-foot clone had been fully corroded.
With little time to waste, he didn't rush to dual cultivate with Cain. He'd already spent nearly a full day helping her inherit the Rakshasa God position.
Upon returning, Cain re-entered the Hao Emperor Banner, where she carved out her own Rakshasa World within the eighth soul ring — connected directly to the Rakshasa Secret Realm.
Her addition, along with the Rakshasa God position, boosted the Hao Emperor Banner's grade, and in turn elevated Huo Yuhao's overall strength.
His third-rank godhood was on the verge of breaking into second-rank.
A quick glance at the banner revealed that Jin Qiu'er was currently visiting Cain in her Rakshasa World. Curious about the newcomer and especially about the secrets of divine positions, she asked many questions.
Unfortunately, Cain, mentally a blank slate, knew nothing and had to rely on Jin Qiu'er for guidance.
Yet perhaps because their minds were similarly simple, the two hit it off, and Jin Qiu'er was soon taking Cain around to eat, drink, and play.
Cain, however, seemed uninterested in food. Her eyes constantly drifted to Jin Qiu'er's neck — something Jin Qiu'er hadn't noticed.
"Qiu'er is technically a soul body. Even if Cain bites her, she might not draw out anything… But then again, the fluids in Qiu'er's body aren't limited to just blood…" Huo Yuhao mused, feeling a strange excitement before quickly pushing down those distracting thoughts.
"No doubt about it. It's the influence of the Rakshasa's malice!"
He'd deal with Bibi Dong later. For now, business first.
"Let's check out the other opportunity. If it's connected to the Asura God, it might give me a greater power boost — maybe even push me to second-rank god in one go," Huo Yuhao thought.
Of course, if it was tied to the Asura God, he would have to be very careful not to alert Tang Dog.
It was a shame — Slaughter City had once held many treasures. Now, most were gone.
He remembered that the Path of Hell once contained Darkgolden Three-headed Bat Kings — even the massive Nine-headed Bat King was born there. If he could find some remnant bloodline, it might help Cain evolve even further.
The sooner Cain became a god, the sooner she could help boost Huo Yuhao's strength.
Qiankun Love Valley had already been used up by Tang Dog. The enemy had already made his move, and time was running short.
Following the observed clues, Huo Yuhao's centipede-foot clone burrowed toward another opportunity, then carefully erased all traces of its path.
From a higher vantage, the ruins revealed a chance hidden within a tall tower. Inside one of the rooms stood a relatively intact stone stele.
"No doubt about it — this is Asura God-related," the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent confirmed after peeking out from its hiding place in the secret realm.
"What should I do?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Ever since acquiring the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent, Huo Yuhao's lack of experience and strategic planning had been covered.
He trusted the Serpent completely — their interests aligned.
"The Asura God's position is not vacant, and the secret realm it left behind is not ownerless. Triggering the Asura God's legacy would definitely attract the current Asura God's attention. So, our only option is to steal the power meant for that legacy," said the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent solemnly.
"It's time to use your luck manipulation. Only luck can shield us from the Asura God's perception."
"Wrap your luck around your hand, then press your hand on the stele! I'll guide you!"
With the Asura God's power within reach, Huo Yuhao and his companions couldn't help but tense up.
Even the Frost Centipede, Tianmeng, anxiously asked again:
"Great Holy Spirit… You're sure this won't go wrong, right?"
"Who do you think I am? Just put your hand on it!"
— Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent
Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent: No one understands micro-control better than I do!
Following the instructions of the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent, Huo Yuhao placed his palm on the stone stele and infused his luck (qi luck/fortune) into his hand.
Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent: "Normally, the inheritance of a god would be left within a secret realm. However, the pathways and methods to enter these secret realms are not singular. This stele is not the proper entrance to the Shura Secret Realm, but it is connected to it. Through this, we can extract the power of the Shura God from the Shura Secret Realm."
The Shura Secret Realm was not like the Rakshasa Secret Realm—it wasn't an unclaimed domain. With Tang Laodeng overseeing it, no outsider could enter without his permission.
However, Tang Laodeng hadn't sealed off the Shura Secret Realm completely. After all, it no longer contained the Shura God's inheritance. Even using it as a storage space was inconvenient, so there was no need to watch it closely.
Now, what Huo Yuhao and the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent aimed to do was to steal the power of the Shura God from within the Shura Secret Realm.
Secret realms are the manifestation of a god's power and naturally contain divine strength. Even if hollowed out, they still hold immense value for mortals.
As Huo Yuhao pressed his palm to the stone stele, he slowly closed his eyes and completely relaxed his mind, allowing the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent to take control of his power and spirit.
Huo Yuhao's consciousness, guided by the serpent's manipulation, entered the stele. In a daze, he felt himself arrive in a blood-red space filled with the scent of gore.
Unlike the dead silence of the Rakshasa Secret Realm, this blood-colored realm churned with boiling blood. The mere sight of it stirred an uncontrollable killing intent.
The Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent wasted no time. Using Huo Yuhao's spiritual power and fortune as fuel, it transformed into a flying serpent and dove straight into the blood, opening its maw and swallowing the blood without hesitation.
The moment it touched the blood, Huo Yuhao felt his mind explode with a thunderous roar. A terrifying killing intent surged uncontrollably from deep within.
This was the same type of malicious corrosion as from the Rakshasa God—only instead of evil will, the Shura God's malice was the will of slaughter.
"Already being affected? God-king-level power is still too dangerous for him right now. I suppose we'll stop here," said the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent. It clearly sensed Huo Yuhao's instability and had no intention of letting harm come to him. It decided to stop while ahead.
They had already obtained a portion of the Shura God's power—though not much, it was sufficient.
Just then, a golden radiance suddenly spread from Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, forcefully calming the violent, growing killing intent.
It also coated Huo Yuhao's soul and body in a golden sheen.
"I can still hold on. Keep going."
Huo Yuhao spoke to the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent calmly. His face was devoid of emotion, his gaze cold and unwavering. His eyes shone with majestic golden light—yet they looked hollow, devoid of vitality.
At that moment, he seemed no longer human—like a merciless, emotionless statue of a Buddha.
"So this is the technique of the Demon-Buddha Method? How interesting. Then let's see how far you can go."
The Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent praised him with a hint of curiosity, then cast off all reservations and began devouring the blood in earnest. This blood was all Shura God's power.
For lower beings, divine power was extraordinarily precious.
How could there be such a thing as too much?
In the Douluo God Realm, gods didn't devour one another, so they lacked proper safeguards over their divine power. You could say the realm followed rules too strictly.
As an unceasing flow of Shura God power poured in, Huo Yuhao's golden body began to corrode. The golden light coating his body and soul began to crack—then shatter. Beneath the fractures, blood-red energy pulsed like flowing blood.
The Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent never took its eyes off Huo Yuhao.
When the golden light across Huo Yuhao's entire body was covered in cracks—and when the golden light in one of his eyes was replaced by red—the serpent knew he had reached his limit.
It didn't linger. It promptly withdrew from the Shura Secret Realm. Under the protection of heavy fortune, it came quietly and left quietly, opening its maw and taking with it a sizable amount of Shura divine power.
However, compared to the vast amount of divine power still within the Shura Secret Realm, what the serpent took was but a drop in the ocean. Not worth mentioning. So insignificant that it went undetected—never alarming the master of the realm.
Outside the stone stele, Huo Yuhao's eyes snapped open, the golden light shattered, and blood-red light surged in his gaze.
"Go!" the returning Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent urged immediately.
Huo Yuhao had not lost his sanity. He harbored no attachment to the place and had no intention of scavenging further treasures. He turned without hesitation and fled at top speed down the tunnel, leaving the ruins of the Slaughter City behind.
Once he was gone, the depths of the underground Slaughter City returned to silence.
Moments later, the earth trembled. The tunnel he'd dug collapsed again, erasing all traces of his passage.
On the surface—
Huo Yuhao ceased his output of power. Having escaped, he now used his techniques to reseal the Slaughter City's entrance.
Then, Huo Yuhao kept fleeing. He eventually found a hidden location in the distance, concealed himself, and began cultivating the Demon-Buddha Method to suppress the swelling killing intent within.
Another day passed.
It had now been two days since Huo Yuhao had parted ways with his team.
At last, he emerged from hiding. Though he appeared pale—like someone recently recovered from injury—he had returned to normal.
This was due to the lingering effects of the Shura divine power.
"I didn't think the Shura God's power would be this hard to control," Huo Yuhao muttered with a hint of complaint. But the smile tugging at the corners of his lips could not be suppressed.
The once-uncontrollable Shura divine power had now been successfully mastered by him.
Doing a quick tally, Huo Yuhao realized—he had now mastered five types of divine power.
Wisdom Divine Power – Primarily stored in the Wisdom Secret Realm, it could be manipulated using his Frost Centipede martial soul.
Rakshasa Divine Power – Controlled by Cain, housed within the Hao Emperor Banner. Though Cain was limited by his strength, he could still wield the Rakshasa power to greatly boost his combat ability.
Shura Divine Power – Sealed by Huo Yuhao within the Heaven-in-a-Pot . Unfortunately, it was rootless water—once used, it was gone. However, Huo Yuhao had no intention of using it in combat. Instead, he planned to study it, to prepare for facing the Shura God in the future. For targeting the Shura God's position, this power would be his best tool.
Sea God Divine Power – Controlled by the Snow Lotus in Huo Yuhao's heart. Although this power was even less than the Shura's and could not be replenished, the Snow Lotus had already evolved by absorbing it and had even mastered a Sea God Technique. In future battles against the Sea God's position, the Snow Lotus would be crucial.
His Own Divine Power – Let's not forget, even without divine armor, Huo Yuhao was nearing second-tier god power levels. His own cultivation had broken through to the Zen Master Realm, and his soul power surpassed level 100.
Once a soul master broke level 100, they gained the ability to condense divine power.
However, due to the low ambient energy on Douluo Continent, vast compression of spiritual energy was required to induce a qualitative shift and form divine power.
At least, that was the case in this era of Douluo.
Only in the vicinity of the Golden Ancient Tree could divine power be condensed at a faster rate.
Hence, Huo Yuhao's own divine power accumulated very slowly.
The initial spark of divine power he obtained had been formed by converting the residual Wisdom Divine Power in the Wisdom Secret Realm—his first divine power seed.
As of now, Huo Yuhao's current level—in Douluo terms—could be described as Divine Officer : one with a divine ring, divine consciousness, and divine power, yet still without a divine position.
The condition for possessing a divine ring doesn't require much explanation.
The other requirement, "Spiritual Consciousness Becoming Divine," more accurately known as the Divine Soul Realm (Shenyuan Realm), relates to the classification system of spiritual power.
This classification in the Douluo Continent universe only emerged seven thousand years later, roughly three thousand years before Soul Land III: Legend of the Dragon King.
There are seven levels in total:
Spirit Domain Realm
Spirit Enlightenment Realm
Spirit Sea Realm
Spirit Domain Realm
Spirit Unfathomable Realm
Divine Soul Realm
Divine King Realm
In the future, machines and the soul-spirit system are used for accurate measurement. These levels also determine how many soul spirits one can host.
But in truth, even without machines, each level has distinct traits and outward manifestations.
Spirit Domain Realm: The mental level of ordinary people — you're born with it.
Spirit Enlightenment Realm: When soul masters begin to control their spiritual power. Typically, this is where Soul Emperors operate. The person becomes more sensitive and can better detect their own condition.
Spirit Sea Realm: Marks growth and maturity of spiritual power. A clear sign is that the soul master can now withstand the soul shock of a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
Spirit Domain Realm: The peak for 99% of soul masters. At this stage, spiritual power can detach from the body to probe. Non-spirit-attributed soul masters generally require nine soul rings to reach this. It allows resistance to soul shock from hundred-thousand-year soul rings.
Spirit Unfathomable Realm: Reaching this level usually requires opening a spiritual sea. Only Limit Douluos can glimpse it. Their spirit can envelop an entire area, detecting everything in detail. This is the true limit of mortal spiritual power. In this era, aside from Huo Yuhao, only Mu En may have reached this level.
Divine Soul Realm: The realm of gods. Requires one's spiritual power to undergo metamorphosis — spiritual consciousness must evolve into a divine soul, and mental power into divine soul power. One must at least be a demigod to begin this transformation.
Only after spiritual power reaches Shenyuan Realm and one condenses a divine ring can one break past level 100.
Currently, Huo Yuhao is in this realm.
Calling it "spiritual power" isn't wrong, though, since divine soul power is just an advanced form of it.
As for the God-King Realm, only actual God Kings can reach it — Huo Yuhao still has a long way to go.
In other words,Divine Realm spans five ranks:
Demigod
Divine Officer
Rank-3 God
Rank-2 God
Rank-1 God
It's the peak of spiritual power at the demigod level, but the entry point for Divine Officers.
To reach a Rank-3 God level, you must double the minimum standard of a Divine Officer. From Rank-3 onward, your divine soul power must grow a hundredfold to glimpse the next level.
For Huo Yuhao — whose strength lies in spiritual power — not only has his mental energy long evolved into divine soul power, but it has already reached the Rank-3 God realm.
As for his physical body, it's still at the Divine Officer level — but not far from Rank-3 either.
Overall, Huo Yuhao's current rank is the One Divine Ring Realm, and he's about to condense a second divine ring.
This venture he undertook saved him more than ten years of cultivation — hence the immense gain.
Once he condenses his third divine ring, he will officially become a Rank-3 God.
However, even then, Huo Yuhao won't be a "normal" Rank-3 God because he has no god position.
And he doesn't plan to inherit any god positions — because his cultivation system doesn't need it.
"Your Douluo god system has nothing to do with my cultivator rank system!"
He condenses divine power, transforms his divine soul, and uses martial souls — but he isn't a soul master.
Inequality resolved in an instant!
Huo Yuhao's divine power is actually black. But he claims it's due to his purple imperial soul power being so dense that it turns black.
The gap between divine power and soul power isn't just about magnitude. Divine power integrates laws of the god position and the intent of deities. This not only makes divine power stronger but also gives it unique effects.
Sea God's power contains the surge of the ocean and its boundless inclusivity.
Rakshasa's power holds ultimate evil and filth.
Shura's power encompasses pure slaughter and merciless judgment.
As for Huo Yuhao's divine power, he says it can contain anything, uphold justice, and exude supreme authority.
In short, Huo Yuhao's divine power is very flexible.
Now, he's just one opportunity away from reaching the Two Divine Ring Realm.
And Huo Yuhao has a new target:
The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's immortal herbs!
(Not the dual-flavor hot pot!)
Meanwhile, Wang Dong'er and the others were anxiously searching for Huo Yuhao.
Though he'd only been missing for two days, they were extremely worried.
They searched thoroughly across the wilderness, but found no trace of him — nor even many of the remaining evil soul masters.
In fact, the previous ambush on the hill was the last stand of evil soul masters in this area. Not all were present, but very few remain now.
Thanks to Huo Yuhao and the others' sweep, the entire wilderness was practically cleansed — cleaner than it had ever been.
Even the Heaven Soul Empire noticed something was off. Once they found out it was Shrek Academy's investigation team purging the evil soul masters, they simply let it happen.
Of course, they also took the opportunity to send troops and secure key locations in case enemies from the Sun-Moon Empire attempted to sneak in.
In the past, for various reasons, the Heaven Soul Empire had avoided fully eradicating the evil soul masters — and now Shrek was doing the job for them.
But for Wang Dong'er and the others, none of that mattered compared to finding Huo Yuhao.
Thankfully, he finally returned.
When Huo Yuhao reappeared — pale and seemingly badly injured — Wang Dong'er burst into tears of relief, while everyone else let out a sigh and then quickly grew concerned about his condition.
Huo Yuhao didn't expect that he now held such importance in Wang Dong'er's heart.
Among all of them, Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao were clearly the most emotional.
Because they cared the most, they worried the most.
In response to their questions, Huo Yuhao smoothly shared a story he made up:
"I didn't expect the Holy Spirit Cult to have such dangerous tactics!"
"Those four evil soul masters sacrificed themselves and fused together. Though I ultimately killed them, their suicidal assault wounded me and caused me to pass out. I only woke up today."
"Fortunately, my injuries aren't severe. I'll recover with some time."
Hearing this, everyone finally understood.
No wonder they couldn't find him — he'd been unconscious the whole time.
At the same time, they were all shocked by the Holy Spirit Cult's brutality.
"That's the evil soul masters for you — sacrificing lives with such ruthless and dangerous methods."
Xu Sanshi sighed.
But Wang Dong'er grew more serious and asked urgently:
"Huo Yuhao, be honest — did your soul or spirit get damaged? Otherwise, with your strength, how could you pass out for two whole days?"
Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly:
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Yes, their final attack damaged my spirit. Fortunately, my spiritual cultivation is strong, so it wasn't a major issue. But I'll still need some time to fully recover."
"Captain, maybe we should return to the Academy and let Elder Zhuang check on you. We don't want lasting effects."
Cao Jinxuan, worried.
Injuries to the spirit are the hardest to heal.
"Don't worry. I know my own condition. It's not as bad as you think. I'll recover naturally — it won't impact my upcoming tasks."
Huo Yuhao gave a reassuring smile.
Though still concerned, everyone trusted Huo Yuhao's judgment. He wasn't one to downplay serious issues.
"Still, we should get it checked."
Xiao Xiao insisted.
"We'll head east to the Douling Empire and stop by Tiandou City. We can request a healer from the Heaven Soul royal family to examine him."
Everyone agreed with the suggestion.
"Alright, let's do that. Let's set off now."
Huo Yuhao smiled helplessly.
Without wasting time, they left for Tiandou City, seeking a healing-type soul master.
Coincidentally, the Sunset Forest was near Tiandou City — and the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was within that forest.
Tiandou City
Heaven Soul Imperial Palace
Huo Yuhao was now being examined by the Imperial Physician of the Heaven Soul royal family. Though not a Titled Douluo, she was an eight-ringed veteran healer, a powerful Healing-type Soul Douluo.
Most notably, her martial soul was the legendary — Nine-Hearted Begonia!
The royal doctor was a graceful, kind-looking, plump matron, radiating a benevolent air. Her name was Xing Nianci.
Most likely, she was a descendant of Ye Lingling from ten thousand years ago.
Back then, during the Tang Sect: Peerless Generation era, the Nine-Hearted Begonia was a Ye Clan inheritance. Even if a woman inherited it, they would recruit a son-in-law to continue the bloodline.
But over ten thousand years, this tradition clearly broke. The martial soul had become a family legacy across different clans.
In Legend of the Dragon King, the Nine-Hearted Begonia appeared again, wielded by a muscular woman surnamed Shi.
During the check-up, Huo Yuhao casually chatted with Xing Nianci and learned that even now, the Nine-Hearted Begonia martial soul can only exist in two individuals simultaneously.
Currently, those two are Xing Nianci and her daughter.
And since families no longer rely solely on the Nine-Hearted Begonia martial soul for inheritance, the old rule — where the previous generation had to commit suicide for the next to awaken it — is no longer needed.
Xing Nianci concluded her examination of Huo Yuhao, withdrew her martial soul, and smiled at the others.
"Everyone, please rest assured. Young Lord Huo's body is perfectly fine—mentally, he's just a bit weary. But based on my diagnosis, there's no major issue. I'll prescribe a calming tonic for him. As long as he takes it regularly, Yuhao's condition will quickly improve."
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief and expressed their gratitude.
"Thank you for your help, Imperial Physician Xing. I'm deeply grateful," Huo Yuhao said with a cupped-fist salute.
Xing Nianci maintained her gentle smile and said warmly, "No need for such courtesy, Young Lord Huo. Your injuries were sustained in the fight against evil soul masters, all for the sake of peace across the continent—I should be the one admiring you. If you don't mind, I'll be bold and ask you to call me Aunt Xing."
This wasn't out of place at all—after all, Huo Yuhao was Mu En's disciple, and by seniority alone, he ranked high. But disregarding Shrek Academy and considering just personal ties, calling her "aunt" was reasonable.
It was clear that Xing Nianci was seeking to establish a personal connection with Huo Yuhao.
"Of course, Aunt Xing. And there's no need for you to call me 'Young Lord' either. You're my elder—just call me Yuhao," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile.
"Alright, Yuhao. If you ever need anything, you can come to the Heavenly Soul Imperial Palace to find me," Xing Nianci said, her smile growing more sincere.
Originally, Xing Nianci had only a neutral impression of Huo Yuhao. There were no particular shared interests between them—her goodwill mostly stemmed from his past connection with Wei Na.
Even though Shrek Academy publicly claimed that Huo Yuhao and Wei Na had lost part of their memories—and Wei Na had returned to the Heavenly Soul Empire—who knew if old feelings might someday rekindle?
But during her examination, Xing Nianci was surprised to find that her martial soul, Nine-Hearted Begonia, had a strange reaction to Huo Yuhao.
She suddenly realized that Yuhao might be able to help her and her daughter—and perhaps even influence the future of the Nine-Hearted Begonia's legacy.
This reaction wasn't due to a potential martial soul fusion technique. Instead, it was a yearning—a desire for evolution.
The Nine-Hearted Begonia passed down today had already diverged from what it had been ten thousand years ago.
Specifically, it had undergone mutation.
Back then, it had always been a life-attribute healing-type martial soul. But starting five thousand years ago, some Nine-Hearted Begonia souls had mutated into poison-attribute control-type martial souls.
According to research, this likely resulted from the martial soul no longer being passed down solely within the Ye family. Some kind of unique bloodline fusion had introduced the potential for mutation.
However, this mutation was unstable.
Now that Huo Yuhao had triggered such a strong reaction in the Nine-Hearted Begonia, Xing Nianci wanted to investigate further—not just for herself, but also for her daughter and their future descendants.
But this clearly wasn't the time for that conversation.
So, after leaving behind a prescription, Xing Nianci took her leave.
Only then did Huo Yuhao glance toward Wang Dong'er and the others. He raised an eyebrow, spread his hands, and said, "Didn't I say I was fine? I'm a healer myself—how could I not know my own condition?"
Xiao Xiao stuck out her tongue sheepishly.
"You jerk! Totally ungrateful!" Wang Dong'er snapped in frustration.
Wasn't she just worried about him?
She really didn't get how Huo Yuhao managed to attract so many girls!
Xu Sanshi chuckled and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, waggling his eyebrows. "Little bro Yuhao, keep this up and you'll lose Junior Sister Dong'er. Don't forget—Dong'er's your junior sister now, not your junior brother~"
Clearly, now that Xu Sanshi had a new goal in life, many of his inner knots had unraveled.
Simply put, as long as it didn't involve Jiang Nannan, Xu Sanshi was still a straightforward and reliable big brother.
Cao Jinxuan immediately joined in the teasing with a round of playful "Oooohs~!"
Wang Dong'er arched her brow and shot a side glance at Xu Sanshi and Cao Jinxuan. "You two—wanna spar with me?"
They instantly stood at attention.
After all, Wang Dong'er was now a Soul Sage—definitely not someone they could mess with.
Jiang Nannan and Meng Hongchen stood to the side, silently amused.
As companions, Huo Yuhao's team was top-notch.
Just then, Jiang Nannan spoke up. "Even though Yuhao's condition isn't too serious, to be safe, we should stay in Heaven Dou City for a while longer. Better to be cautious."
"Exactly, exactly!" Xu Sanshi chimed in.
No one objected.
So the group decided to rest in Heaven Dou City for three days and observe whether Huo Yuhao's condition improved before taking on their next mission.
Yuhao had no objections.
After all that killing in the wild lands, the team needed some downtime—to relax and clear their heads.
And it was the perfect chance for him to visit the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The Heavenly Soul royal family, upon learning that Huo Yuhao's team would be resting in Heaven Dou City, warmly invited them to stay in the palace. But Yuhao declined, citing the need to avoid suspicion.
Even so, the royal family arranged the best luxury suites for them at the royal hotel in the city.
They even assigned a personal attendant to serve the group.
Her name was Muxue, a female Soul Master who had been Wei Na's childhood friend and subordinate. In the original story, she accompanied Wei Na to the Star Dou Forest to obtain a soul ring. A prodigy in her own right, she would later rise to prominence in the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Now, with five soul rings, Muxue held considerable status in Heaven Dou City.
If Wei Na hadn't gone to the Body Sect to cultivate her second martial soul, she would've personally come to take care of Yuhao.
Clearly, the royal family hoped Huo Yuhao and Wei Na would get back together.
After all, they had invested so much. Wei Na had already given him everything—if they gave up now, it'd be a huge loss.
Day One.
During the day, Huo Yuhao accompanied his companions as they relaxed and experienced the life of ordinary people in Heaven Dou City.
At night, he entered the Wisdom Secret Realm to stabilize and enhance his power. He also brought Cain into the secret realm to dual cultivate. His physique was strengthened, and the dual cultivation helped restore his divine energy.
Day Two.
Daytime continued in restful fashion. With the aid of medicine, Huo Yuhao looked visibly better. Xing Nianci visited again, performed another treatment, and introduced her daughter to him.
Later, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong'er took both Yuhao and Nianci's daughter out shopping around the city, and their relationships grew closer.
At night.
Huo Yuhao stealthily evaded all surveillance and arrived at the Sunset Forest, just outside the poisonous miasma surrounding the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well.
A single day's rest was more than enough—and now was the time to harvest the well.
If he didn't make use of his newly boosted strength, wouldn't it be a waste?
"There's two hours until dawn—let's make this quick," Yuhao murmured, the corner of his lips curling into a slightly wicked smile.
Beneath his black cloak, one red and one blue eye stared intently at the poisonous fog.
The one who had come to the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well tonight…
…was not Huo Yuhao…
…but Compassionate Demon!
"I've come to the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well with only three things in mind: plunder, plunder, and damn it—more plunder!"
Huo Yuhao spread his arms wide and proclaimed loudly.
"And we'll start by looting this poisonous miasma!"
But first, he needed to put up a concealment screen over the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
With luck converging, he masked the heavens. As long as Old Tang wasn't watching the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well at this very moment, he wouldn't notice anything wrong until Huo Yuhao removed the concealment.
This marked the first time Huo Yuhao had ever used luck on such a grand scale.
Not even when raiding the Slaughter City ruins had he employed this much luck—back then, he only used it to obscure himself.
Now, he was shrouding the entire Sunset Forest from any potential surveillance and cutting it off completely from the outside world.
Such a vast deployment of luck naturally came at a high cost, but if he could claim all the immortal herbs within the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, the price would be well worth it.
After finishing the setup, Huo Yuhao didn't strike immediately. He tilted his head and scanned the sky. Only after confirming that no ocean-blue light was present did he begin to move.
Then came his forces.
The Titan Snow Demon Clan, the Snow Demon Clan, and the Ice-Titan Clan—hundreds of massive spiritual entities descended into the forest and charged straight into the poisonous fog without hesitation.
The deadly toxins held no threat to these soul-formed troops.
And among them were more than ten who had reached the hundred-thousand-year level. They could easily crush soul beasts like the Biphos Seven Venom Flowers that guarded the area.
While his troops ravaged the toxic miasma, Huo Yuhao passed through it directly and plunged into the core of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well itself.
The originally carefree immortal herbs stirred in alarm. From the moment the Sunset Forest became shrouded in luck, they had sensed something was off.
But being unable to perceive luck—and knowing almost nothing about it—they couldn't identify the source of their unease. Nor did they realize that they had already become prey in a trap.
All they could do was sit in anxious confusion.
Only when the sounds of battle began to echo from the poisoned mist did they finally understand—an enemy was attacking the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well!
"Hmph! Who's the lunatic bold enough to try this? Do they not know what death means? Even those Biphos Seven Venom Flowers outside should be enough to tear them apart!" From the spring, the fiery and temperamental Blazing Apricot Orchid let out a cold snort.
"Ajiao, the enemy seems well-prepared. They're not to be underestimated—don't let your guard down," advised the Octagonal Ice Crystal Grass from the opposite bank.
The other awakened immortal herbs all readied themselves for battle.
Now, within the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well, several herbs had cultivated to the hundred-thousand-year level and gained sentience.
This sacred spring greatly accelerated the growth of plant life—and that included plant-type soul beasts. A single day of cultivation here equaled ten days outside, making it a paradise for plant-type soul beasts.
Even better, the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well shielded its residents from heavenly tribulations. As long as they cultivated enough, they didn't need to worry about the ten-thousand-year breakthrough lightning, meaning that most herbs had a fair shot at becoming full-fledged beasts.
Thanks to this advantage, several herbs replanted here millennia ago had reached the hundred-thousand-year mark within ten thousand years.
Of course, not all had awakened sentience. Some, like the Snow Lotus of old, possessed the same age and quality—but lacked consciousness.
After all, among all soul beasts, plants found it the hardest to awaken intelligence.
The wait didn't last long.
A thunderous explosion echoed through the spring as a single figure burst through the blockade of plant-type soul beasts and stormed into the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
The figure wore a black cloak, showed no special traits, and radiated no discernible energy. The only eye-catching detail was the pair of heterochromatic eyes—one blue, one red—that glowed quietly beneath the shadow of his hood.
Naturally, the immortal herbs didn't rush to confront him.
Instead, they disguised themselves as ordinary flora, waiting to see what this intruder intended.
What surprised them, however, was that the cloaked figure had entered alone.
Huo Yuhao scanned the area, taking in the layout of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well. He quickly noticed that the spring hadn't withered at all despite him having taken the Dragon King's bones earlier.
It made sense—after all, the Dragon King had been buried here for who knows how many centuries. His power had long since seeped into the land, transforming the region into what it was now.
Even without the Dragon King's remains, it would take an exceptionally long time for the spring to decay.
And only a few years had passed.
"Still, since none of the local herbs have come out to greet their new sovereign, I suppose I'll have to be a bit more... persuasive." A crooked smirk tugged at Huo Yuhao's lips beneath his hood.
The Crooked-Smile Dragon King had arrived—time to make them all bow!
A wild, domineering aura surged from beneath the black robe. At that moment, Huo Yuhao no longer seemed like a man—but rather a savage beast awakened from ancient times.
This time, he unleashed a power he'd never shown anyone before—a bloodline power: the Behemoth Lineage!
Through his tattooed markings, the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear channeled this lineage into him. With Huo Yuhao's continued growth, even the bear had reached near-hundred-thousand-year cultivation, its combat strength now comparable to a fierce beast.
Feeling the danger radiating from him, the immortal herbs could no longer remain hidden.
Among them, the gatekeeper herb—Yuxiang Kirin Immortal Herb—was the first to emerge, shouting loudly, "Who are you?! What are you doing here?! Do you know where you are?!"
In response, she was met not with words—but a dark-golden claw strike.
Soul Skill: Darkgolden Terror Claw!
Facing Huo Yuhao's direct assault, the Yuxiang Kirin Immortal Herb let out a cry of alarm. She could sense the looming specter of death.
In that moment of crisis, dual streams of ice and fire burst from the spring and met the claw, attempting to deflect it.
There was an explosive clash. Ice and fire shattered instantly, the darkgolden claw only weakened—but not broken.
The Yuxiang Kirin Immortal Herb was on the verge of tears. It's over…!
Luckily, a third force intervened—this one not by destruction, but by neutralizing the attack altogether.
That made Huo Yuhao pause. "Oh? Now this is interesting~"
He turned his gaze toward the source of the third force.
There stood a tulip-like immortal herb.
From its petals, a human-shaped illusion formed—its features hazy, but its presence tense and solemn in the face of Huo Yuhao.
"A tulip? Could it be... Beautiful Silk Tulip?"
Ten thousand years ago, it had been consumed by Ning Rongrong.
Among immortal herbs, the Beautiful Silk Tulip was second only to the Yearning Heartbroken Red
If the Yearning Heartbroken Red was the god among immortal herbs...
Then the Beautiful Silk Tulip was their king, capable of commanding all natural spirits!
It was a legendary herb, often underestimated.
And in the future, it would become the leader of the six great feral beasts of the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
In the original story of Peerless Tang Sect, the Beautiful Silk Tulip never made an appearance. But now it seemed it had always been here—just hidden.
While admiring the tulip, Huo Yuhao casually reached down and grabbed the Yuxiang Kirin Immortal Herb. The poor thing, having just survived a brush with death, was uprooted without resistance and pulled into the sky.
The other herbs could only watch helplessly—Huo Yuhao's speed was simply overwhelming.
Cradled in his hand and unable to resist, the Yuxiang Kirin Immortal Herb let out a final cry of despair:
"Bitter, indeed~"