[Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie]
Star Level: 12 Stars
Attributes: Evil, Darkness
[Warrior Tribe / Fusion]
Description: An emperor fallen into darkness, transformed into the most wicked of beings.
Attack Power: 4500
Defense Power: 3800
Cough cough, alright, back to the topic.
In short, the Soul-Battle Emperor had been fused by Huo Yuhao into a super impressive artifact.
As the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie was born, the wind stopped, the rain ceased, and even the thunder went silent.
Only the high skies in the dark night still harbored massive accumulations of black energy, which had even grown denser.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie was essentially a soul-zombie crafted by the Death God Envoy. However, due to the blessing of fate and dragon energy, and the final lightning strike, it was born with the highest potential among soul-zombies. It retained the strength of a Titled Douluo and was no longer a mere support-type soul master. Its strong body and zombie power had become its weapons.
"Next comes the test of its abilities," Huo Yuhao muttered. "The plan on the other side must also begin now."
In some ways, the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie was no different from an ordinary zombie — upon awakening, it had an intense craving for fresh blood, especially the blood of its kin!
So, it ignored the two nearby Super Douluos and made a massive leap out of the ruined palace, flying straight toward the ancestral hall where the princes and princesses were gathered.
That direction not only held the princes and princesses but many other members of the royal family as well.
The scent of kin blood was overwhelmingly strong!
The Sun Douluo and the Turtle Douluo were still stunned, unable to understand how the coffin had been struck by lightning so coincidentally.
But as Super Douluos, their reactions were swift. As soon as the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie charged out, they sensed danger and quickly gave chase.
"Stay where you are!"
The Turtle Douluo bellowed, activated his martial spirit, and instantly launched a soul skill — a massive blue turtle foot appeared from thin air and stomped down on the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie to suppress it.
Etiquette no longer mattered now.
His Ice-Fire Holy Turtle Martial Spirit had two red flame turtle feet and two blue tidal turtle feet — flame for offense, tide for control.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie sensed the incoming attack and roared. It stiffly lifted both arms as if trying to brace the strike.
Then — BOOM!
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie was instantly crushed into the ground without resistance by the blue turtle foot.
"Did we suppress it?" the Sun Douluo asked sternly.
But the Holy Turtle Douluo frowned deeply.
As the blue turtle foot faded, both of them were shocked to find the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie had vanished — in the pit left behind, there was now a pitch-black tunnel.
The Sun Douluo instantly realized something was wrong and summoned his martial spirit: Heaven Sun.
Heaven Sun — a burning flame resembling a sun — was a high-quality fire attribute spirit suspected to be related to the legendary Sun Martial Spirit. Though not the ultimate flame, it came close.
With precise control, the Sun Douluo could concentrate the heat to maximize his combat power.
As soon as his martial spirit appeared, the temperature across the imperial harem soared. If not for his precise control, buildings might have caught fire.
His martial spirit's presence even activated the fire attribute of the Holy Turtle Douluo's Ice-Fire Holy Turtle, while weakening the water attribute.
Without hesitation, the Sun Douluo released his soul skill. From his head, the Heaven Sun shot a high-temperature beam like a laser, slicing the ground open to reveal the underground.
There was no time to worry about protecting the palace.
Sure enough, several hundred meters down, they saw the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie digging its way underground.
"Attack! That is no longer His Majesty, but a puppet of an evil soul master!" the Sun Douluo shouted.
The Holy Turtle Douluo nodded grimly, stomped the ground, and forced the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie out from underground.
The Sun Douluo immediately fired another heat beam, but this time, violent thunderlight erupted from the zombie, shattering the beam.
Having been born from lightning, the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie was not only immune to thunder and fire — weaknesses of ordinary zombies — but could even wield evil thunder offensively.
It also differed from regular zombies in another way: it had innate intelligence, as seen in its tunneling tactic.
Sensing the threat from the two Douluos, the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie chose not to fight but to find a way to escape — to feast on the blood of its kin.
It charged toward the two Douluos, unleashing evil thunder. Though not vast in amount, it was enough to make the two hesitate and avoid close contact.
The Holy Turtle Douluo now summoned a red turtle foot and smashed the zombie hard, sending it flying backward.
But as the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie was flung through the air — it suddenly grew wings.
Those were from a Swan Martial Spirit — but no longer pure and noble white. The wings were hideous and grotesque, covered in scars and black feathers.
The Swan Martial Spirit had mutated — into a Zombie Swan Martial Spirit!
With a flap, it soared toward the ancestral hall with even greater speed.
By the time the two Douluos realized what was happening, it was too late. The zombie used its knowledge of the palace's terrain to dodge their attacks.
Finally, the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie slammed into the palace containing the ancestral hall. Instantly, screams rang out from within.
The Sun and Holy Turtle Douluos rushed inside, only to see a sight that made their eyes nearly burst with rage.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie had its jaws sunk into the neck of Xue Bo, clutching his shoulder and draining his blood.
Most of the people inside were too terrified to react. They had no time to prepare. The zombie had barged in and gone straight for Xue Bo — and succeeded.
When others tried to save him, they found they couldn't penetrate the zombie's defense, nor could they pry Xue Bo free.
Everyone could only watch as Xue Bo was rapidly drained of blood — slowly turning into a zombie himself. Other than despair, he could do nothing — his strength was far too weak.
No one grieved more than the Empress, for Xue Bo was her son — her hope for the future.
Some other princes, while terrified, even felt a twisted joy…
But they quickly stopped smiling.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie tossed aside Xue Bo's shriveled corpse, looked around at the surrounding royals — especially the princes and princesses — and showed a chilling, human-like grin.
Then, it exhaled.
"KRAAAHHHHHHHHH "
A gutteral sound came from its mouth — the airflow through its organs sounded like the warning snarl of a beast.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie was breathing!
The next second, it lunged at the next prince.
In the skies above, the black mist gathering had now been tinged with a hint of crimson — faint, yet vividly terrifying.
"Stop right there!"
Seeing the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie still attacking the other princes, Douluo Sun became furious. He unleashed his full power — scorching fire element transformed into blazing flames that encircled the zombie, trapping it in place.
Amazingly, the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie couldn't break free for the moment.
Douluo Tortoise gave Douluo Sun a strange look.
You old fox, if you could trap it, why did you let it get close enough to slash the Crown Prince?
If he hadn't seen Sun's forehead beading with sweat, Tortoise might've thought he was using the zombie to eliminate the Crown Prince on purpose.
Sun Douluo was silently frustrated. How was I supposed to know the zombie's target was that precise?
He had tried to destroy the zombie outright, but not only did he fail, it ended up attacking Xue Bo.
What had Xue Bo ever done to the late emperor? Why did the zombie slash him first?
Tortoise Douluo no longer hesitated. He summoned two crimson tortoise legs, which, together with Sun's flames, tried to suppress the zombie.
While the red tortoise limbs were better suited for offense, both Douluos couldn't breach the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie's defenses. They could only rely on brute force to hold it down and buy time.
Meanwhile, the other princes, princesses, consorts, and royal family members had fled behind the two Douluos. All were visibly shaken.
The Empress had even fainted from grief and was being treated by the imperial physician.
They hadn't saved the former emperor, which wasn't the physician's fault. But if he failed to save the empress now — his life might as well be over.
Imperial Physician: "This is a high-difficulty round!"
Among the panic, the princes were also deeply confused.
"Lord Sun, w-what exactly is that monster?" one prince asked with a trembling voice.
They were quite happy that Xue Bo had died — but now that the zombie was targeting them, not so much.
Could it be that the enemy had infiltrated the palace?
Sun Douluo stared at the flame-bound zombie and sighed heavily. "That is His Majesty — the true body of the late emperor. But for certain reasons, he has now become a puppet of an evil soul master... a monster. It is my failure in supervision that has led to this tragedy."
"What?!"
Everyone was stunned by Sun's words.
All eyes turned to the golden coffin — it had been overturned, revealing the fake "Douling Emperor" corpse lying on the ground. No one even bothered to look at it anymore.
No one had imagined the real emperor was a stand-in corpse?
Do corpses have decoys now too?
But Sun Douluo wasn't someone who would joke about such a matter.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie continued to struggle within the flames, letting out beast-like roars — there was no trace of the dignified late emperor, only a dangerous, bloodthirsty creature.
Tortoise Douluo added, "There are complex reasons behind this. Only the Crown Prince and Prince Zongzheng knew the full truth. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince has already perished."
Everyone turned toward Prince Zongzheng, who, still trembling, quickly nodded in confirmation.
Prince Zongzheng had been responsible for royal affairs and oversaw the late emperor's funeral along with Xue Bo.
Sun Douluo spoke gravely: "This monster could break free at any moment. We cannot afford to waste time. The late emperor's body has become a monster and must be destroyed. Prince Zongzheng, quickly send people to summon Sect Master Ning and Head Huo. We need their help to destroy the body!"
"What? That's impossible!!"
Prince Zongzheng instinctively protested, joined by the shocked voices of other princes.
But Sun Douluo's brows shot up. "That's exactly what the Crown Prince said. And now? Look what happened to him!"
The room went silent.
Zongzheng quickly changed his tone. "Lord Sun is absolutely right. I'll send for them immediately!"
Sun and Tortoise both knew — the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie had to be destroyed. They could no longer even damage it, let alone kill it. Whatever would happen next was completely unpredictable.
They both now regretted not following Huo Yuhao's advice.
Such a major disturbance in the imperial palace had certainly been noticed by Huo Yuhao and his group. But he had no intention of interfering with the zombie.
As Huo Yuhao led his team to help, a figure in a black robe suddenly leapt from the shadows and engaged him in a fierce sky-bound battle.
It was Bourne, stalling Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao: "It's not that I didn't want to help — I got held up."
His Mutated Frost Centipede Martial Soul joined the fight with Bourne, putting on a show.
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luocheng, Wu Ming, and Hua Yao were intercepted by Shadow Douluo.
Only Ning Yutang and Madblade Douluo Xue Kuang made it to the palace to support.
When others heard that Titled Douluo-level enemies had infiltrated the palace and were fighting Huo Yuhao's group, everyone felt chills run down their spines.
Is there anyone in this palace who's actually on our side?
With no other choice, Sun Douluo, Tortoise Douluo, Madblade Douluo, and Ning Yutang had to work together to deal with the zombie.
The royal family members were escorted to the inner palace for safety.
As for the rest of the city...
There was nothing they could do.
Because at the moment chaos broke out, two Beast King legions launched a second assault and were battling the other Titled Douluos and army units on the city walls.
The Douling Empire could only pray they could hold the enemy at the walls.
But in truth — they had vastly underestimated the situation.
The two Beast King legions noticed the drop in temperature and realized "City situiation" as Bourne had foretold. They immediately began a full-force assault on Lingdou City.
Last time, they held back. This time, they didn't.
The Titled Douluos and soldiers standing in their way were annihilated almost instantly.
Those who previously held their own against the beast legions were now being instantly killed when the full strength of the legions was unleashed.
The walls of Lingdou City fell within minutes. The Beast King legions surged into the city and began an indiscriminate slaughter of all living beings.
Simply put — a massacre.
High in the sky, the Hao Emperor Banner fluttered in the wind, drawing the lost souls of the dead below into the path of transcendence.
Huo Yuhao watched coldly, offering no explanation.
After all, he hadn't done it personally.
Besides, all living beings must die eventually. This merely sped up the inevitable. And within the Hao Emperor Banner, those souls could still cultivate the Dao with Brother Hao.
The body dies, but the Dao remains — is this not beautiful?
Back in the palace...
Sun Douluo and the others still couldn't break through the zombie's defense. Their suppression was weakening.
A blood-fed zombie was a whole different level from a freshly awakened one.
Just earlier, the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie had been absorbing blood of kin. Now, it was about to complete its transformation.
And the danger didn't end there.
As the Douluos tried to destroy the zombie — a sneak attack suddenly flew toward Ning Yutang's back.
A silent attack comprised of five different colors of soul power—red, blue, gold, green, and yellow—burst forth from behind, aiming straight for Ning Yutang's back in a surprise assault.
Even the Sunlight Douluo and the Holy Tortoise Douluo failed to detect it.
It wasn't until Ning Yutang's level-nine soul barrier was triggered—blocking the deadly strike—that the others realized something was wrong.
A cold sweat broke out across everyone's backs.
If that attack had been aimed at anyone else, and it hadn't been blocked, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Ning Yutang was visibly shaken. His level-nine soul barrier had shattered and could no longer be used, which meant that the earlier attack had reached the barrier's maximum defensive capacity.
The power of the attack had clearly reached the Title Douluo level!
Xue Kuang stood protectively in front of Ning Yutang, gripping his Martial Soul—a massive broadsword—with killing intent radiating off him without restraint.
"Who's there?!" Xue Kuang shouted loudly toward the rear.
"Tsk. As expected of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's master. So well-resourced. A self-activating level-nine soul barrier—there are barely a handful of those in the entire Douling Empire. Even the Douling Emperor didn't have one."
A teasing voice rang out.
The Sunlight Douluo's face darkened. If the Douling Emperor had a self-activating level-nine soul barrier, he wouldn't have died so easily.
He did have a level-nine barrier, but it required manual activation—not automatic triggering.
As the mocking voice faded, the attacker appeared before them.
It was a figure clad in the black robes of the Holy Spirit Cult, face completely obscured. But her curvaceous figure could not be hidden even by the robe—it was clearly a woman. Five differently colored feathers floated around her; this was her Martial Soul. Most shocking of all, the soul rings on the five-colored feathers were all red—nine in total!
The woman's identity was Nanmen Yuzhi.
The Five-Colored Feather was her second Martial Soul, awakened through the Heavenly Creation Sacred Cigar, a Martial Soul said to have once been possessed by an ancestor of the Nanmen Clan. It allowed control over the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. More uniquely, these elements could combine to produce special effects. When united, they formed the Five-Colored Divine Light, capable of both powerful attacks and sealing effects.
All nine of the soul rings on her Five-Colored Feather were god-bestowed soul rings from Huo Yuhao.
Now, acting on Huo Yuhao's command, she had come to send these people to their deaths.
"Holy Spirit Cult Envoy, here to escort you all on your final journey," Nanmen Yuzhi said with a lilting smile.
Titles and identities are self-proclaimed. Now that she wore the Holy Spirit Cult uniform, who would dare say she wasn't one of them?
No more words—battle erupted.
Nanmen Yuzhi's first five soul rings flashed, not to unleash attacks, but to activate the elemental enhancements of her five-colored feathers.
All five were amplification-type soul rings, enhancing the elemental attributes of her Martial Soul.
While the Sunlight and Holy Tortoise Douluos continued suppressing the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie, the Mad Blade Douluo, empowered by Ning Yutang, charged at Nanmen Yuzhi.
Just then, the five elemental forces exploded forth, forming rings of colored light that forced the Mad Blade Douluo back.
He managed to shatter two or three of the rings, but the rest were impenetrable.
Nanmen Yuzhi's sixth soul ring then flared as the Five-Colored Feathers merged into a beautiful five-colored fan.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Feather Fan Fusion – Divine Light Unleashed!"
Waving the fan toward the Mad Blade Douluo, beams of Five-Colored Divine Light shot forth like soul-tool laser blasts, each one devastating in power.
Unlike her earlier elemental attacks, this was the true power of her Martial Soul—the Five-Colored Divine Light.
Each wave sent out a beam with the destructive force comparable to a level-nine soul tool laser cannon.
Though the Mad Blade Douluo blocked a few, he couldn't hold off them all.
Under intense pressure, he activated his Martial Soul True Form, intending to break through and kill Nanmen Yuzhi.
To support him, Ning Yutang also activated the True Form of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, fully boosting him.
With the full power of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda behind him, the Mad Blade Douluo's attacks now rivaled that of a Super Douluo.
Nanmen Yuzhi, however, simply turned her wrist and enveloped herself in the Five-Colored Divine Light as a defense.
And then she smiled.
Did they really think she was stupid enough to come alone without a plan?
A hidden spiritual ripple suddenly burst forth within the palace, striking both the Sun and Tortoise Douluos.
Both groaned and bled from their facial orifices—clear signs of a psychic attack.
But instead of looking for their assailant, they turned in horror toward the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie.
The brief lapse in their suppression had given it the opening it needed.
"ROOOAARR!"
The zombie roared, bursting free from its fiery prison and unleashing its power. Earth fiend energy surged from the ground and formed a domain-like aura around it.
All remaining flames were extinguished.
"This is bad! Retreat now!" shouted the Holy Tortoise Douluo, panic evident on his face.
He knew very well—once the zombie was free, there would be no suppressing it again.
But it was too late.
Nanmen Yuzhi's seventh soul ring lit up.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Five-Colored True Form!"
She merged with her Martial Soul, transforming into a beam of radiant divine light.
Then came her voice from within the light:
"Eighth Soul Skill: Five-Colored Grand Array—Arise!"
The divine light spread out, covering the palace. Five colored feathers reappeared, stationed at five key points.
The entire space was sealed—no one in or out.
A beast arena had been formed between the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie and Ning Yutang's group of four.
The Mad Blade Douluo attempted to break the barrier but found that his full-force attack only stirred some ripples in the Five-Colored Divine Light—it couldn't be broken.
This Eighth Soul Skill was a powerful control-type technique. Unless Nanmen Yuzhi ran out of soul power or was overwhelmed, the barrier could not be breached.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie did not hesitate. It lunged at the Sun and Tortoise Douluos.
The Sun Douluo immediately activated his Martial Soul True Form.
The Tortoise Douluo, though unable to use his at the moment, still fought with all his might.
"Yutang, go all out! Kill that monster first!" the Holy Tortoise Douluo shouted urgently.
They had realized—this newly freed zombie was far more terrifying than before.
Ning Yutang quickly joined in to assist.
The battle began suddenly—and ended just as swiftly.
The zombie charged at the Sun Douluo's true form and pierced it with its body.
The true form collapsed.
The zombie grabbed the Sun Douluo's arms and bit deep into his neck, drinking his blood.
"It can suppress Martial Soul True Forms!" the Tortoise Douluo exclaimed in shock.
"Let him go!"
The Mad Blade Douluo roared and slashed with a blade of energy, trying to save his comrade.
But the zombie took the hit head-on, finishing its grisly feast.
Though not blood-related, the blood of a Super Douluo was a powerful boost—enough to bring the zombie to a new level.
The Sun Douluo's 150 years of cultivation had become fuel for the zombie's evolution.
Before its transformation, it had been barely contained. Now that it was free, it could never be suppressed again.
Defeating the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie? Regretfully, Ning Yutang's group didn't have the power to do so.
The zombie tossed aside the Sun Douluo's shriveled corpse and stared at the others with a vicious glare—filling them with despair.
The corpse's face was twisted in agony—a pitiful end for the Douling Empire's once-proud Guardian Douluo.
Tortoise Douluo and Mad Blade Douluo both knew—it was time to risk their lives.
Ning Yutang's mind was racing as well. Proud of his intellect, he was desperately searching for a way to break the deadlock.
However, what awaited them was only despair.
Tortoise Douluo charged to the front.
"Blood Mad, take Yutang and break out! I'll hold it off!"
Mad Blade Douluo hesitated. He had tried already—but he simply couldn't break the seal of the Five-Colored Divine Light!
In truth, Tortoise Douluo knew this too, but he had no choice.
Although Sun Douluo was already considered elderly at over 150 years old, Tortoise Douluo was even older, with far more battle experience.
It was precisely because he understood the severity of their predicament that he resolved to sacrifice himself to give Ning Yutang and Mad Blade Douluo a chance.
"Monster, with my strength, I may well perish with you!" Tortoise Douluo roared.
He then charged forward, ready to explode alongside the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie.
The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie showed no fear and chose to face him head-on. The evil lightning within it burst forth, more violent and powerful than before—it had clearly grown stronger.
"Grandpa Tortoise, at this point, our only hope is to join forces!" Ning Yutang said gravely.
Tortoise Douluo was of Ning Yutang's grandfather's generation—an ancient figure of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. His long life came from his turtle-type martial soul.
Mad Blade Douluo shouted and joined the fray.
"Old Tortoise, I'll help you!"
"Is that so?" Tortoise Douluo sighed but his gaze quickly firmed up.
"Fine—then let's seek life through death!"
He had not misjudged Ning Yutang—at least in this moment, Ning Yutang was willing to stand with them and face the crisis together.
But even if they managed to defeat the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie, how much strength would they have left to face the worshippers of the Holy Spirit Church?
Their situation was like a narrow path blocked at both ends—they could only choose the relatively better option.
Then, just as Ning Yutang was supporting the two Douluos, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his brain—as if a red-hot iron rod had been stabbed into his skull, violently churning his mind. He had no soul tool capable of defending against spiritual attacks.
In truth, Ning Yutang's spiritual power wasn't weak. But against a soul master who specialized in spiritual power, it simply wasn't enough.
His brain matter liquefied and flowed from his nostrils.
Before he could even scream, the light faded from his eyes. His martial soul avatar dissipated, and his corpse crashed to the ground.
"Yutang!" ×2
Tortoise Douluo and Mad Blade Douluo immediately felt their augmentation vanish. When they turned and saw Ning Yutang's corpse hit the ground, their eyes filled with rage and grief.
But in the next instant, Tortoise Douluo let out a scream—the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie had taken advantage of their distraction and seized him, sinking its fangs into his neck and beginning to drink his blood.
Tortoise Douluo—fallen!
Mad Blade Douluo went completely berserk. He unleashed all his power and even attempted self-destruction.
However, that eerie spiritual force returned, interrupting his self-detonation. The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie seized the moment to pierce through his martial soul avatar and drain every drop of his blood.
Thus, Sun Douluo, Tortoise Douluo, Mad Blade Douluo, and Ning Yutang—all perished.
Nanmen Yuzhi watched, heart pounding.
What frightened her even more was that the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie didn't stop—it seemed to sniff something and turned toward a hidden corner before pouncing.
"No!" Nanmen Yuzhi cried, hurriedly dispelling her eighth soul skill, trying to intervene.
But it was already too late.
Yet the unexpected happened. The Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie suddenly froze midair, fell to the ground, and stood still—retracting all its power and fangs.
It had clearly been subdued.
From the previously hidden corner, a figure cautiously emerged—Tu Xijun!
It had been Tu Xijun who launched the spiritual attack from the shadows. Her martial soul was no longer the original Jade-Faced Enchantress Fox.
She now possessed a true body martial soul, making her look even more seductive and dangerous.
This was a second martial soul awakened using the Heaven-Earth Creation Sacred Cigar—her true body martial soul: Enchantress.
Tu Xijun ended her martial soul avatar state, and from her body emerged a woman identical to her in appearance.
The woman appeared to be in her twenties, with breathtaking beauty and a curvaceous, seductive figure. She wore a revealing pink gauze dress and radiated a bewitching aura, each gesture full of temptation.
The woman-shaped martial soul returned to her soul imprint.
This was a special true body martial soul. In the distant future, Demoness Douluo Li Mengjie would have a similar martial soul called "Witch."
Its avatar state was identical to that of the true body martial soul, akin to a poisonous undead martial soul that mirrored the user's form.
Moreover, outside the avatar state, the martial soul could act as a puppet clone capable of fighting independently.
However, the Enchantress martial soul lacked self-awareness and was entirely controlled by Tu Xijun, with a primary attribute of spiritual power.
Awakening two spirit-type martial souls gave Tu Xijun exceptionally powerful mental strength.
Though her soul power was only at the Spirit Douluo level, her spiritual strength had reached the Title Douluo level—allowing her to ambush other Title Douluos from the shadows.
Nanmen Yuzhi dispelled her martial soul avatar and went to support the trembling Tu Xijun.
Tu Xijun had truly been frightened. Only by directly confronting the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie could one feel the sheer terror it exuded.
"Thank you, sister," Tu Xijun said gratefully.
Nanmen Yuzhi smiled gently.
"No need to be so polite. We owe this success to you, little sister."
As she looked at Tu Xijun, not much older than her own daughter, Nanmen Yuzhi felt mixed emotions. In some aspects, she herself could not compare.
Some talents simply couldn't be taught or acquired later.
Just as they continued their mutual flattery, the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie moved again—not to attack the two women, but to charge toward the imperial harem.
Nanmen Yuzhi and Tu Xijun exchanged glances and followed, not forgetting to collect the withered corpses from the ground.
Corpses drained by the zombie held no nutritional value—but they could still be used as fertilizer for flowers.
When Nanmen Yuzhi retrieved Ning Yutang's body, she couldn't help but sigh. She had met him many times since the Nanmen Clan began cooperating with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Who would've thought he'd meet such an end?
If anyone was to blame—it would be his daughter, Ning Tian.
Ning Tian sought control of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Ning Yutang, as the current sect master, was in the way.
It wasn't as though Ning Tian hadn't given him a chance—she had once proposed fully supporting Huo Yuhao.
But Ning Yutang and some elders were reluctant to side with Huo Yuhao. Worse, they planned to cultivate Ning Tian's cousin, Ning Zhirou, as the heir.
Yet Ning Zhirou was also one of Huo Yuhao's people.
Now, Ning Tian had already drawn in most of the younger generation and had the confidence to oppose the older generation—so, Ning Yutang had to go.
If all went as expected, Ning Tian, still within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, had likely already joined forces with the Nanmen Clan's elites to eliminate the old guard and fully seize control.
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was merely a microcosm of the current Douling Empire. After tonight, the Douling Empire would fully become Huo Yuhao's backyard.
Ning Tian: I Ask My Father to Return to Heaven!
The Harem.
Now it was filled with deathly silence.
The princes, princesses, imperial concubines, and royal clan members who had fled here were all now lifeless.
As Nanmen Yuzhi and Tu Xijun stepped into the harem, a thick stench of blood assaulted their senses. They exchanged glances — they had already figured out most of what had happened.
This seemingly safe haven was, in fact, the biggest trap.
The once bustling harem, filled with palace maids and eunuchs, was now deserted. The once-glorious red palace walls now looked like they were dyed with blood.
Finally, they pursued the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie to the Phoenix Palace — the Empress's residence.
Outside the palace, a massive blood pool had been dug up, filled with warm, flowing blood.
The zombie dove into the pool, rapidly absorbing the blood — all of it clearly prepared in advance, sourced from blood relatives.
More royal clan members continued to be brought in and bled dry.
The Death God Envoy stood beside the blood pool, orchestrating the zombies as they transported victims and drained their blood.
Zombies are extremely sensitive to the quality of blood — they could instantly discern which blood was "useful."
The grisly scene made Nanmen Yuzhi and Tu Xijun hesitate to enter the palace, but they didn't retreat — they were here to see Huo Yuhao.
The Death God Envoy turned to them and rasped, "He's inside. You may enter."
Only then did the two women muster the courage to step inside.
The palace was not as depraved as they had feared.
Instead, Huo Yuhao stood neatly dressed with a gentle smile, waiting for them.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Nanmen Yuzhi was overwhelmed with emotion. "It—it was what I should do."
The mature, graceful woman now looked like a shy young girl meeting her crush.
Tu Xijun, more clear-headed, said, "All of this is for our future."
Despite her stunning looks, Tu Xijun was career-minded, and Huo Yuhao admired her for it. Even though she had given herself to him physically, she never relied solely on him — she had her own ambitions. Each time Huo Yuhao empowered her, her aspirations grew ever more ambitious.
The Dou Ling Empire could no longer contain her. Much of this elaborate plan had been orchestrated by Tu Xijun herself.
Even Ning Tian was merely her assistant — though he had no idea. He believed the outcomes were all due to his own efforts.
If Tu Xijun were to engage in palace intrigue, few could rival her.
Inside the palace were not just Huo Yuhao, but also the Dou Ling Empress, a few concubines, and some princesses — all unconscious.
They were kept because they carried phoenix energy — natural Phoenix Cauldrons.
While dragon energy could be drawn from royal members, most of it had been concentrated into the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie. Huo Yuhao now considered turning it into a new puppet.
Kirin energy could be absorbed from imperial talent. With the fall of Lingdou City, massive amounts of unclaimed Kirin energy had become available — Huo Yuhao quickly collected it before it dissipated.
Phoenix energy, however, was extremely rare — usually found only in the emperor's harem.
Though it didn't help Huo Yuhao much, it was essential for Snow Lotus.
Now, without needing intimate contact, the phantom of Snow Lotus hovered over the concubines, spinning and drawing strands of phoenix energy into itself.
Of course, not all were retained just for their phoenix energy.
Some had rare destinies or physiques — ideal Furnaces.
For instance, one princess named Xue Hui, age 12, had a mature figure and was considered an adult on the Douluo Continent.
She had both dragon and phoenix energy, with the fates:
[Purity],
[Self-Sacrifice],
[Noble Lady].
These may seem simple, but together they made her ideal for Buddhist cultivation.
[Purity] made her morally untainted and hard to corrupt.
[Self-Sacrifice] allowed deeper understanding of compassion and easier detachment from illusions.
[Noble Lady] indicated noble birth, natural elegance, and great fortune.
Especially with [Self-Sacrifice], her potential in cultivating Joyous Zen would be remarkable.
Even Huo Yuhao commented:
"This girl is destined for Buddhism. I intend to support her as the Dou Ling Empire's heir."
While her fate wasn't suited for ruling, it was uniquely compatible with imperial destiny.
Nanmen Yuzhi and Tu Xijun looked at Xue Hui in astonishment.
"Soul Elder? A genius indeed," Nanmen Yuzhi noted her strength.
Tu Xijun focused on her background:
"Princess Xue Hui? I've heard she has excellent talent. Though she only awakened the royal Swan Spirit, she has innate full soul power. Quiet, humble, and deeply favored by the former emperor — supporting her makes control easier."
Thus, the fate of the Dou Ling royal family was sealed.
Some were used to empower the Thunder Soul Emperor Zombie. Others, the Phoenix Cauldrons or special Furnaces. The rest? Pawns — like Xue Hui — groomed as puppet rulers.
The Dou Ling Empire couldn't be destroyed completely.
Otherwise, too many would lose sleep.
Besides, Dou Ling, Tianhun, and Xingluo Empires weren't Huo Yuhao's true targets.
His true enemy was — Shrek Academy!
The plot to have the three nations besiege Shrek Academy had already begun.
Next, Huo Yuhao took Nanmen Yuzhi and Tu Xijun outside the capital, where they saw the imperial guards being crushed by the Beast King Legion.
This was the last force in Lingdou City capable of resistance.
Yet with the massacre in the city and the coup in the palace, many soldiers had lost the will to fight.
There were exceptions.
One young soldier resisted fiercely — his spirit was a long spear.
Tu Xijun explained:
"That's the Grand General's son. Had these events not happened, he would've inherited his father's political legacy. Prince Xue Bo tried to recruit me and him — I represented the civil faction, he the military."
Huo Yuhao murmured,
"The Grand General's son… I believe the whole general's household was wiped out, wasn't it? In that case, let them reunite in death."
From the Hao Emperor Banner, the ghost of the Grand General emerged, hurling a spear downward — aimed at his own son.
Boom!
As the imperial guard collapsed, Huo Yuhao nodded.
"Now it's time to clean up."
Tu Xijun stepped forward:
"Sister Yuzhi and I will escort Princess Xue Hui and others out of Lingdou City. We'll seek aid from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in Jiubao City. The sect's new leader, Ning Tian, will support her claim to the throne."
"Then, we'll unite the remnants of the Dou Ling Empire to resist the Sun-Moon Empire's invasion."
Huo Yuhao added,
"Dou Ling alone won't be enough. The Death God Envoy will take the zombie army and clash with the Beast King Legion of the Sun-Moon Empire."
"This will give the Dou Ling remnants a chance to expel the Beast King Legion — but the zombie army will become a new threat, requiring Shrek Academy's intervention."
"That way, Shrek's forces will be divided."
Nanmen Yuzhi asked, "And then?"
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly.
"Then... the next target is the Star Luo Empire."
"Since Xu Jiawei cannot decide, let the throne go to someone who can — like Xu Jiujiu."
Then, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, tell the Death God Envoy to dig up the Dou Ling imperial tombs too~"
Huo Yuhao: "How magnificent — just making up stories on the fly~"