Ye Xeshui was currently giving Yan Shaozhe a brutal beating.
It was truly a case of "a mother beating her son."
Even Elder Song and the others failed to stop her.
Ye Xeshui was relentlessly slapping his face, and the more she hit, the more exhilarated she became.
Yan Shaozhe's face quickly swelled up.
"You pervert!" Yan Shaozhe shouted in pain and anger.
Ye Xeshui only hit harder and faster, determined to make up for his deprived childhood.
Zhongli Wu was utterly stunned by the scene.
"Wait... does the Grand Elder have a grudge against this Yan Shaozhe?" Zhongli Wu couldn't help but wonder.
That was until Long Xiaoyao's voice transmitted into Ye Xeshui's ears. Her previously smiling face turned pale, and without another word, she abandoned the fight and her original plans, rushing out of Shrek City to find Long Xiaoyao.
In the original story, Ye Xeshui and Long Xiaoyao only resolved their differences upon death. But now, due to the death threats they faced from the entity that once split into body and clone, they had long since come to terms with life and death and expressed their feelings to one another.
Perhaps because Mu En was no longer around, the knot in Long Xiaoyao's heart had unraveled, and he was now willing to accept Ye Xeshui's love.
The two of them had rekindled the fire of their youthful romance.
Upon suddenly hearing that Long Xiaoyao was gravely injured, Ye Xeshui couldn't care less about anything else. Not even her two biological sons, Zhongli Wu and Yan Shaozhe—if even her own father were here, she would still have rushed to Long Xiaoyao's side!
Ye Xeshui's abrupt departure left Yan Shaozhe and the others baffled.
Zhongli Wu was even more confused, utterly dumbfounded.
Thankfully, Feng Ling appeared shortly after and cleared up everyone's doubts.
"Chief! Something terrible has happened! The First Worshipper is seriously wounded, the Second Worshipper is dead, and all the other Worshippers have retreated!" Feng Ling shouted from afar.
Zhongli Wu's expression changed drastically. "What? How is that possible? Is there another powerful fighter hidden in Shrek?"
But while Zhongli Wu was in shock, Yan Shaozhe and the others were overjoyed.
"Has the Sea God blessed us? Truly our ancestors are watching over us!" Elder Lin couldn't help but exclaim.
Yan Shaozhe even had a sudden bold idea.
"Stop Zhongli Wu! We must finish him off today!" Yan Shaozhe shouted.
"Damn it!"
Zhongli Wu's face turned grim.
But taking him down was not that easy.
Although alone he couldn't defeat Yan Shaozhe and the others empowered by the Golden Ancient Tree, they also couldn't stop him if he chose to flee.
The Bone Dragon King roared at the sky, and Zhongli Wu, with Feng Ling, fled from Shrek City's boundaries on its back, disappearing quickly.
Yan Shaozhe and the others gave brief pursuit but did not press further.
After Zhongli Wu escaped, the Shrek defenders looked at each other and then burst into hearty laughter.
Although the attack from the Holy Spirit Cult was extremely dangerous and left many of them wounded—
They had successfully repelled the cult. Not only that, but the enemy also suffered heavy losses, even losing a Super Douluo-ranked Second Worshipper.
Shrek had taken damage, yes, but their name had been defended once again. Once word of this spread, Shrek's prestige would be even more unshakable.
Huo Yuhao had witnessed everything from within Shrek City, but he was far from satisfied.
"This Holy Spirit Cult is pathetic. Just one push and they've gone soft already. No endurance at all. Definitely not satisfying."
"As expected, I have to rely on myself."
Just in case, Huo Yuhao had long prepared for this moment—and now, he'd really need it.
While Yan Shaozhe and the others were still celebrating, none of them noticed that the dark clouds above hadn't dispersed. Instead, they were growing thicker and deeper, and faint thunder began to roll from beyond the clouds.
"Everyone, be careful. Something feels off!"
Huo Yuhao's voice echoed into the minds of all the strong warriors, warning them.
As the final Pavilion Master of the Sea God's Pavilion, Huo Yuhao still had to stand guard one last time.
Thanks to his warning, everyone became aware of the strange thunder coming from the sky.
It wasn't just the sky—now, the entire Shrek City was engulfed in a thick fog.
The fog came in two forms. One was pure white and mysterious, with an eerie stillness; the other was blood-red, ominous and chilling, and one could vaguely hear ghostly wails from within.
Unfortunately, the Holy Spirit Cult members, along with Bei Bei, had already left and missed the scene.
BOOM—
Another thunderclap shook the air.
This time, illuminated by a flash of lightning, Yan Shaozhe and the others clearly saw a towering, blurry figure within the clouds.
"Who goes there?" Yan Shaozhe shouted.
The dark clouds split, and with evil thunder descending, a figure clad in imperial dragon robes slowly descended from the sky, bathed in the glow of wicked lightning.
"The Corpse God descends! You mortals, kneel before me!"
That's right—the one who arrived was none other than the Corpse God!
His divine-level aura was unmistakable and entirely unrestrained.
It was clear now—this entire area around Shrek City had been sealed off by a combined power of divine-level being.
Yan Shaozhe and the others felt immense pressure. They truly felt like ants, able to be crushed at any moment.
They were also deeply shocked.
When had the Douluo Continent birthed such a terrifying figure?
Even without explicitly showing hostility, the Corpse God's murderous aura made one's blood run cold.
"Putting on airs!" Elder Lin shouted coldly, as if trying to recover a sliver of confidence.
But Huo Yuhao's voice followed quickly, "Everyone be careful! His aura is stronger than Long Xiaoyao's! And the Golden Ancient Tree seems to fear him! I suspect... he may have surpassed the level of Ultimate Douluo!"
Elder Lin: "…"
Is it too late to take back what I just said?
Yan Shaozhe and the others turned pale.
Still, Yan Shaozhe gritted his teeth and stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the Corpse God. "Senior, may I ask what brings you to Shrek? If there's anything we can do, we will not refuse."
The Corpse God took a step forward, now assuming the stance of an elder.
"Heh," the Corpse God chuckled lightly, "What I desire, you may not be willing to give."
"Please speak freely. We will try our best to satisfy your request," Yan Shaozhe said quickly.
"Trying is not enough. Besides, you are in no position to bargain." The Corpse God sneered.
"Please, senior, speak your wish. We will do everything in our power."
"Oh? In that case, I'll tell you—what I want is... the lives of everyone in Shrek City!"
Yan Shaozhe and the others' expressions changed drastically.
Of course, they could never agree to that. But what did it matter? The outcome was no longer in their hands.
The Corpse God ignored them, instead gazing down at the city and muttering, "It seems someone can't wait any longer."
The once-still white mist suddenly moved. It penetrated Shrek City's protective barriers and began to spread throughout the city. Anything touched by the mist—be it person or structure—fell into complete silence, devoid of life.
Attempts to attack the mist proved futile. It absorbed all attacks like the sea swallows pebbles—without a trace.
At last, fear overwhelmed reason. People in the city began fleeing from the mist.
But where could they run?
Half of Shrek City was surrounded by the white mist, the other half by the even more ominous blood mist.
And as the white fog advanced, the blood mist followed, releasing a swarm of Bloodfiend Wraiths.
Leading them—was none other than Zhou Yi!
Huo Yuhao: Come now, Shrek... If you don't step into my Hao Emperor Banner today, I'll have to collect the lives of every last one of you as payment~
Chapter 1092: Blood-Garbed Xu Qiudi, Soul-Devouring Ten-Thousand-Beast Banner!
The blood mist naturally originated from the Blood Massacre Orb, controlled by its artifact spirit, Eunuch Gao.
After developing for so long within the Sun and Moon Empire and feasting on the battlefields of both the Dou Ling and Star Luo Empires, the Blood Massacre Orb had grown even more powerful. It had generated more vengeful souls inside, and even Eunuch Gao had reached the level of Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo.
He hadn't broken through to Rank 100 solely because he lacked divine power to shatter the bottleneck.
However, Eunuch Gao was in no hurry. He planned to wait and accumulate more before breaking through—so his path to godhood would be more stable.
And the white mist?
Within the area shrouded in white mist, pinpricks of light gradually appeared. It looked like countless household lights in a foggy city—but all these lights glowed with a pale, ghostly hue, evoking a sense of death and danger.
When the white mist reached the front of Shrek Academy, something finally changed. The mist dispersed to reveal a tall mansion directly facing Shrek Academy.
On the mansion were three blood-red characters:
White Tiger Manor!
It was none other than the Duke White Tiger's Residence—once refined by Huo Yuhao into a unique magical treasure. Though it appeared to be a building, it now affected an entire region and space.
Today, the entire range of the Duke's mansion formed a perpetual domain, and the white mist spreading outward radiated this domain further.
Any life consumed by the mist—flesh and soul alike—would be enslaved by the White Tiger Manor, becoming either servants or nourishment.
But the root cause of this transformation was not the architecture—it was the entity residing within the manor.
And that presence was none other than the former mistress of the manor:
The Duchess, the Ghost Bride, Xu Qiudi!
Inside the manor's main hall:
A lavish banquet was laid out.
A beautiful woman in a blood-red wedding dress extended a pale, smooth hand, her nails painted blood crimson. With a slender bamboo skewer, she picked up a small, neatly sliced cube of raw meat.
The meat was fresh, still steaming faintly with human body heat.
Bringing it to her lips, she closed her eyes and savored it delicately.
The one dining was indeed the Duchess, Xu Qiudi.
"Mother, are you pleased with the dish?" came a young voice beside her, tinged with anticipation.
It was the soul of Dai Yueheng. But his soul had been fully enslaved by the White Tiger Manor. Though he still called her "mother," in essence, he was nothing more than a servant.
Even Dai Yueheng's body and mind had transformed—though he retained memories of being a noble heir, he no longer saw himself that way.
In this White Tiger Manor, there were only two kinds of beings:
The Mistress, Xu Qiudi.
The Enslaved Servants.
Xu Qiudi swallowed the meat, opened her beautiful eyes, and looked at Dai Yueheng with tender affection.
She smiled and praised, "My son's knife work has become more refined."
"Hehe, as long as mother is happy," Dai Yueheng beamed with joy.
Dai Hao was not present.
Because Xu Qiudi didn't wish to see him.
She believed she was no longer "clean," especially after being humiliated in front of Dai Hao by Huo Yuhao. Even though Dai Hao was now her servant, she couldn't face him.
Xu Qiudi felt like she had simply gone to sleep, and when she awoke, she was both changed and unchanged.
Her love for Dai Hao remained. Her maternal affection for Dai Huabin and Dai Yueheng remained. Her hatred for Huo Yuhao burned just as strong.
But... she now enjoyed eating human flesh, drinking human blood, and devouring souls to enhance her strength. Her powers had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
She had broken the limits of a soul master.
She had become a Red-Garbed Wraith—Xu Qiudi, Rank 100!
Yet, she tragically realized that even after reaching Rank 100, she was still Huo Yuhao's puppet—unable to resist him.
If Huo Yuhao ordered her to strike, she had no choice but to obey.
Thinking of him, her body trembled with suppressed hatred—but in the end, she forced herself to calm down.
Because she knew: any defiance would only invite worse torment.
When the White Tiger Manor manifested across from Shrek Academy, Xu Qiudi sensed it.
She put down her bamboo skewer and rose from her seat.
"Shrek!!!" Her eyes sharpened, her voice laced with murderous rage.
It was all Shrek's fault!
If not for Shrek, how could their family have fallen to such ruin? How else could Huo Yuhao have gained such power and plotted against them?
Though she didn't fully understand why Huo Yuhao wanted her to attack Shrek, the thought of the Sea God Pavilion's master orchestrating Shrek's fall filled her with uncontrollable excitement.
At the same time, her fear of Huo Yuhao had deepened.
After all, not just anyone could dare plot the destruction of Shrek while serving as its Sea God Pavilion Master.
"My son, go show Shrek the new you."
"Yes, Mother."
Dai Yueheng replied with a twisted grin that contorted his once-handsome face.
Or rather—his face and body began to deform entirely.
The next second, Dai Yueheng leapt forward, transforming into a White Tiger Wraith, and charged out of the manor.
With Xu Qiudi's blessing, the power of the White Tiger Manor infused him, making him stronger than most Super Douluos.
All the manor's servants, though no longer soul masters and unable to use spirit abilities, had turned into special specters wielding deadlier powers.
Dai Yueheng's power was now to become a White Tiger Wraith.
With a roar, the spectral tiger launched itself toward Shrek Academy—directly toward Sea God's Island.
Shrek, having just caught its breath, was plunged back into peril.
And that wasn't all.
Red mist and white mist merged above Shrek.
Zhou Yi shattered the wall connecting Shrek Academy to Shrek City, storming into the Academy and attacking everything in sight with wild destruction.
The Beast Enclosure suffered the worst.
Since it held the most living creatures, and although the Holy Spirit Church once avoided wasting time on it—now the coalition forces wouldn't spare a single target.
Even worms were dug out of the dirt and chopped to bits.
Behind Zhou Yi followed a figure, collecting the souls of soul beasts and infusing them into a small soul banner.
It was the soul of Ten Thousand Soul Douluo.
He had been refined into a special being by Huo Yuhao and was now called the Soul Collector Envoy, tasked with gathering souls when Huo Yuhao couldn't do it himself.
Under normal circumstances, with Huo Yuhao's Hao Emperor Banner under Shrek, there wouldn't be a need for him.
But Huo Yuhao had other plans—forged to craft something new.
As countless soul beast spirits were absorbed into the Soul Banner and burned with fate-fire, the weapon began to mutate.
Beast shadows appeared all over the banner's surface.
"If all goes well, once the refinement is complete, this Ten Thousand Soul Banner will transform into the Ten-Thousand-Beast Banner—a weapon specifically designed to counter soul beasts!"
A man without foresight will soon face ruin.
To prepare for the coming conflict with Star Dou Forest, Huo Yuhao was already laying the groundwork.
Huo Yuhao: "Ah, even the lady is still quite charming~"
At this moment, Shrek was under attack from three formidable forces: Corpse God, Eunuch Gao, and Xu Qiudi. Among them, the weakest was Eunuch Gao, a Level 99 Limit Douluo, while Corpse God and Xu Qiudi were both beyond Level 100.
All three possessed area-of-effect abilities and commanded hordes of underlings.
Their killing efficiency far surpassed that of ZhongLi Wu, Ye Xishui, or Long Xiaoyao.
During the previous Holy Spirit Cult invasion, they had fought for quite some time, yet only a few insignificant people had died.
But now, under the lead of Corpse God, nearly everyone in Shrek City was slaughtered in the blink of an eye, with only a few strong individuals still barely holding on.
Only those within the vicinity of Sea God Island—Shrek Academy's teachers and students—were spared under the protection of Huo Yuhao.
Corpse God fought in a very straightforward manner—pure power and speed, combined with an unstoppable corpse poison.
The city guards who had once jointly held off the Bone Dragon King for a moment couldn't even withstand two attacks. They quickly fell victim to the spreading corpse poison and were immediately killed on the spot, their corpses transforming into new zombie puppets.
Poison-type abilities are particularly deadly in wide-range combat.
Even with the boost of the Golden Ancient Tree, Yan Shaozhe and others couldn't stand against Corpse God. In the end, Shi Xing sacrificed himself, using his space-time powers to stall Corpse God for a moment, giving Yan Shaozhe and the others time to retreat back to Shrek Academy.
The cost: Shi Xing and the city guards were completely wiped out.
Of the dozen or so Title Douluo, only six managed to escape. They were Yan Shaozhe, Elder Lin, Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and two others from different factions.
Corpse God didn't rush to pursue. Instead, while the corpse was still fresh, he refined Shi Xing's body into a zombie.
"A zombie imbued with space-time power… That's rare. I must nurture it well," Corpse God said with a laugh.
He even had a bold idea:
Could he somehow enhance the soul ring quality of his Emperor Zombie?
Greed is a primal sin of humanity—and Huo Yuhao was no exception.
Within Shrek City, aside from a few individuals Huo Yuhao had specially marked to preserve their bloodlines and souls, all other "resources" were generously distributed among his subordinates.
Because to the current Huo Yuhao, even if he sacrificed every single life in Shrek City, it wouldn't bring him significant progress. In fact, the benefits wouldn't even match the gains from boosting his luck (qi fortune).
What Huo Yuhao needed now wasn't the flesh and souls of mortals—but higher-level substances capable of triggering his next transformation.
Like the essence of immortal herbs.
Back to the point.
The slaughter was swift and devastating. Everything collapsed rapidly like an avalanche. Shrek's defenses, both internal and external, crumbled at a visible pace.
Finally, when Corpse God, Eunuch Gao, and Xu Qiudi's armies of zombies, blood wraiths, and specters encircled Sea God Island, despair was etched onto every face on Shrek's side.
Outside of Sea God Island—protected by the Golden Ancient Tree—there were no survivors. The rest of the region was shrouded in blood mist, white mist, and toxic fog, obscuring everything from view.
Shrek's past prosperity and glory now seemed like fragile illusions, easily shattered by absolute power.
Everyone shared the same thought:
This is the end of Shrek.
"It's all gone, everything! Everyone's dead!"
"Millions, all gone! How could they do this? What do they even want?!"
"Ancestor Sea God, can't you look down and save your descendants?"
"I've failed the ancestors of Shrek!"
Inside the barrier of the Golden Ancient Tree, many people began to break down. Yan Shaozhe dropped to his knees, sobbing. Cai Mei'er, Xian Lin'er, and others remained silent, their faces full of despair.
Corpse God had now arrived at the barrier, ready to strike at any moment.
At this critical moment, Elder Lin looked toward the Golden Ancient Tree. Determination filled her eyes as she whispered:
"We still have Huo Yuhao. We still have the Golden Ancient Tree. We still have one last hope!"
And what was Huo Yuhao, their last hope, doing?
He was checking the time. "Two hours, thirty minutes. Not bad, the pace is quite fast."
The entire Shrek region was now surrounded by Corpse God and company's powers, and Huo Yuhao had used his qi fortune to block outside detection.
Blocking such a wide area consumed luck every second, so the quicker things wrapped up, the better.
The faster Shrek fell, the less luck Huo Yuhao spent—and the more he could earn by absorbing Shrek's qi fortune.
Thanks to this shielding technique, he could act freely without worrying about being detected by the old fogeys of the God Realm.
By the time Old Tang realizes what's happened, it'll all be over.
"Next… There shouldn't be any surprises, right? If someone were secretly guarding Shrek, they'd have acted already within these two hours."
Huo Yuhao's real concern was Tang Hao and A Yin—both divine-level beings.
What if, upon suspecting trouble, Old Tang had planted them nearby as a precaution?
If they really were here, he had to continue playing the good guy to prepare for a clean backstab later.
"But since no one's made a move yet, I guess I'll make mine. Time to break that barrier…"
As long as Huo Yuhao didn't personally kill anyone, he could absorb all of Shrek Academy's qi fortune effortlessly.
However, just then, Huo Yuhao noticed something.
Elder Lin was saying something.
"I want to sacrifice myself to the Golden Ancient Tree!"
Her words shocked everyone.
"When I was young, I once met Elder Mu's teacher—the Sea God Pavilion Master of that generation. At the end of his life, he sacrificed himself to the Golden Ancient Tree and used its power to bless future generations. This proves that sacrifices can empower the Golden Ancient Tree!"
"I hope the power from my sacrifice can help you break out!"
"No!" Huo Yuhao objected immediately. He had to keep up appearances. "Elder Lin, I still have divine will granted by Lord Sea God! I can use those three strands of Shura God's divine power!"
Everyone's eyes lit up at his words.
"No!" Elder Lin hesitated, but ultimately shook her head. "That power is meant for you to save the continent in the future. If you use it now, what will become of the future?"
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao was stunned. Why is Elder Lin so noble-minded?
Before, he could justify not using the divine power because the top enemies hadn't appeared.
But now she wouldn't let him use it even under these circumstances? She must be truly virtuous.
"My decision is made," Elder Lin declared. "If it really doesn't work, then let Yuhao use the Shura God's divine power!"
To Elder Lin, this was a matter of accounting.
Using the divine power now might save her life—but if saved for the future, it could help Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan ascend to godhood, giving Shrek a new chance to rise again.
Now that Shrek City was destroyed and Shrek Academy reduced to ruins, even defeating the invaders wouldn't bring back its former glory.
Only by producing another god could Shrek truly rise anew.
Yes, Elder Lin was gambling—with her life. She was betting everything on this moment, hoping that Shrek's future could be reborn from ruin and reach even greater heights!
Huo Yuhao: "If you were a second later, I was about to defect!"
Elder Lin made a bold move—but the problem was, the dealer and the opponent were in cahoots.
"Elder Lin, you mustn't…"
Huo Yuhao was the first to step forward and try to stop him.
Yan Shaozhe and the others also had tears in their eyes as they pleaded with Lin, some even trying to take her place.
But Elder Lin had already made up her mind.
"Stop trying to convince me. It's more important that you survive!"
Huo Yuhao: I was just trying to be polite, honestly.
Elder Lin: What did you mean by that?
Just then, Huo Yuhao noticed two unusual figures breaking into the fog-shrouded Shrek City.
It was none other than Bear Lord and Red King—two soul beasts sent out from the Great Star Dou Forest on the orders of their master, drawn by the aura of the Purple Radiance Annihilation Dragon.
Huo Yuhao immediately sensed their intrusion and activated his Aura Sight to assess the situation.
To his surprise, their arrival actually revitalized the fate energy surrounding Shrek—indicating that their presence could bring new hope to the city.
Regardless of their reasons, they had arrived.
"Has Shrek's luck hit rock bottom and started to rebound? Nothing is absolute—perhaps in total despair lies a spark of life? Do all beings seek that slim chance of survival?" Huo Yuhao thought, feeling sarcastic.
Seriously, even now Shrek still manages to find a way out?
What's next, Shrek graduates from the School of Interception?
"Then again, not all of Shrek's people are here. Some of our elite and high-level members are with the monitoring group in the Douling Empire. Like a centipede, even when dead, it doesn't stiffen immediately~"
"Wait… wasn't I the centipede?"
Still, Huo Yuhao wasn't about to give up this chance. He just chose not to act openly for now. He didn't believe Bear Lord and Red King alone could defeat the Corpse God and Xu Qiudi.
He would strip them both down to their hides if he had to.
If Bear Lord and Red King actually managed to revive Shrek today—wait, better not jinx it. Brother Hao always plays it safe.
One way or another, people could come later—but today, that Golden Ancient Tree must be taken!
Without needing Huo Yuhao to push him, Elder Lin began the sacrificial ritual to the Golden Ancient Tree.
In reality, sacrifice wasn't exactly a skill—it was a technique seen among both soul masters and soul beasts.
Only powerful individuals could perform it. The principle was simple: burn one's entire being and offer it up to the target, transforming into a form that could be absorbed.
A human soul master could sacrifice their strength to a soul beast, granting the beast immense growth.
Of course, humans sacrificing to soul beasts was almost unheard of.
The precedent of Shrek's elders sacrificing themselves to the Golden Ancient Tree could be counted as a rare exception.
In theory, people could even sacrifice to each other. A strong human, after sacrificing themselves, would not produce soul rings—but if the receiving soul master had the ability to absorb others' life, flesh, soul, or spiritual power, the sacrifice would succeed. Otherwise, it would fail.
Huo Yuhao had a sudden thought:
"Could this kind of sacrifice allow for bloodline inheritance? Could it stabilize the chances of powerful martial spirits appearing in descendants?"
But thinking it through, it wasn't worth the cost.
A genius heir with a powerful martial spirit was not as valuable to a clan as a currently powerful senior. A strong figure provided protection and guidance—without them, even geniuses would struggle to grow or realize their full potential.
Only when an elder was nearing the end of their life would such a sacrifice make sense—to leave a legacy for the family.
As Huo Yuhao was off in his own thoughts, Elder Lin had already started the sacrificial process. Golden light radiated from her body.
Her full name was Lin Huiqun, a 97th-level Super Douluo. Even the former 98th-level Xuanzi wouldn't act recklessly in front of her—not just because she managed the important Treasures Pavilion, but because she was an extraordinary powerhouse in her own right.
Her martial spirit was an artifact type called the Treasure Gourd. Though not inherently elemental, it possessed immense control abilities. She was a control-type soul master.
She could go toe-to-toe with 98-level experts and even maneuver against Ultimate Douluo.
Control-types were the core and soul of any team. With one present, a group's combat power rose significantly.
This was likely why Lin hadn't gone to the Douling Empire—she was the last control-type titled Douluo left in the Sea God Pavilion. Having her guard Shrek brought peace of mind.
She had already shown her power in previous battles. Without her, Yan Shaozhe and the others would've had an even harder time.
Unfortunately, in her youth she focused on cultivation. After reaching Shrek's upper ranks, she got busy with managing wealth—neglecting her personal life. As a result, her martial spirit wasn't passed on.
Same as Xuan Zi.
When they died, their martial spirits would likely die with them.
But that was fine. Even if the bloodline couldn't be passed on, leaving the martial spirit behind was enough.
As Lin performed the sacrifice, Huo Yuhao wept with emotion—while secretly refining her bloodline and soul using his Fate Technique.
Huo Yuhao: Grabbed in one go, refined on the spot!
Just like when he crafted the puppet martial spirit of the Healing Angel—but this time, he was refining Elder Lin's true essence.
Even Elder Lin had no idea her sacrifice would give Huo Yuhao this opportunity.
By the time she sensed something was wrong, it was already too late. Huo Yuhao had refined her essence and martial spirit, using her flesh and soul bones to forge a martial spirit vessel, and finally erased her consciousness—turning her into a spirit.
Thus, Lin disappeared from the world, bewildered and confused to the very end.
Inside the Golden Ancient Tree, Huo Yuhao raised his hand, and a golden gourd the size of a human head fell into his palm. It looked as if it were cast from pure gold, adorned with gems and agate, with silver thread outlining elegant patterns—luxurious in every sense.
"Perfectly inherited the original abilities—can absorb and trap enemies. Internally, it contains a special space where additional powers can be fused in, letting the gourd continually evolve and grow stronger."
"From now on, I'll call you 'Treasure Immortal Gourd.'"
Through Huo Yuhao's refining, Lin's essence was used to its fullest. Upon creation, the Treasure Immortal Gourd reached the level of a half-divine artifact. Much of this came from the spirit within it.
Of course, the spirit didn't bear Lin's old face—but the young and beautiful version of Lin Huiqun, elegant and noble in aura.
A martial spirit influences the soul master's temperament and appearance. The more powerful and unique the martial spirit, the more apparent its effects.
No—she could no longer be called Elder Lin. Huo Yuhao decided to name her Hu Baobao.
As he obtained this half-divine item, the others outside—Yan Shaozhe and the rest—were weeping, watching Lin's figure vanish. Then, the Golden Ancient Tree burst into radiant gold light.
A golden pillar shot toward the Corpse God, like divine judgment punishing the world's filth.
Elder Lin: Wait, something's wrong—there's a traitor! Stop the sacrifice!
Huo Yuhao: Request to stop denied.
"What's going on in Shrek City? Is everyone dead? This place gives me an extremely dangerous feeling!"
The Red King's three dog heads scanned the surroundings warily, moving cautiously through the thick white fog.
Shrek City was completely deserted. Not even the scent of humans remained. The entire city had become like a ghost town, abandoned for a long time.
However, the Bear Monarch paid it no mind. He stomped through the city with his massive body, casually destroying anything in his path like a monster rampaging through an urban jungle.
He sneered, "Who cares what kind of danger there is? We just need to complete our lord's mission. Anyone who gets in our way, I'll rip them to shreds with one swipe!"
The Red King could only nod in resignation.
He might've been a skinny mutt, but the Bear Monarch's thigh was definitely thick! Even Ditian had been injured by him. As long as it wasn't an Ultimate Douluo they were facing, Bear Monarch was practically unbeatable.
There were only one and a half people in Shrek City that the soul beasts had to take seriously.
One was Xuan Zi, who had broken through to the ultimate level, but his lifespan was almost up. In a fight, they could probably just outlast him.
The "half" was Huo Yuhao — not yet an Ultimate Douluo, but Ditian once said he had the potential to reach that level. He was also cunning and not to be underestimated.
The two beasts had been sent by their lord to find a dragon with destructive aura, but found nothing. Instead, they stumbled upon the suspiciously silent Shrek City.
From the outside, the entire city was shrouded in mist, eerily quiet and obscured. It looked completely unnatural.
But the two beasts were fearless in their strength. Sensing something was wrong, they didn't retreat — they charged in to investigate.
Then, they saw it — a terrifying power erupting from the direction of Sea God Island. It wasn't just Ultimate Douluo level… it was something even greater!
"How can such power exist?!" Bear Monarch cried out in shock.
Even the Red King was speechless with astonishment.
The fog seemed to part, revealing a phantom image of the Golden Ancient Tree expanding to cover the entire Sea God Island. Then, a golden beam shot out from within.
Even more shocking was that a figure was resisting the Golden Ancient Tree's attack — and not losing ground! Evil thunder became a sea of lightning, eroding the tree's defenses.
In that moment, Bear Monarch and Red King felt like insignificant mortals who had wandered into the battlefield of gods — completely outmatched.
After a short but intense clash, the mysterious figure actually won, breaking the Golden Ancient Tree's attack and shattering its protective barrier.
Then came the cries of war.
Red and white mists surged into Sea God Island.
Red King and Bear Monarch exchanged glances and made the same decision — retreat immediately. No more investigating Shrek City.
But as they turned to leave, they were startled to find a figure silently standing behind them.
"What the hell?!" Red King yelped.
Bear Monarch roared, "You damned thing! You scared your grandpa Bear!"
They had truly seen a ghost this time — the one who had appeared before them was none other than the Soul-Harvesting Messenger, Myriad Soul Douluo.
In his hand was the Myriad Beast Banner, now a rough prototype. He planned to use these two ferocious beasts to test its power — and possibly complete it in one go.
The banner still lacked a main soul. And it only needed one.
Although Bear Monarch seemed like the obvious choice due to his strength, Red King had potential too. He carried partial true dragon blood and his flames neared the level of Ultimate Fire. Once his bloodline was fully awakened, he would shed his canine form and become a true dragon.
Bear Monarch's strength came from his Behemoth bloodline — a rarity in Douluo Continent. The most potent known Behemoth bloodline was in Huo Yuhao, a human. His bloodline had originated from the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear tribe.
As the beasts prepared to fight, the elder made his move. He simply hurled the prototype Myriad Beast Banner straight at Red King.
Red King unleashed near-Ultimate Fire to burn it, but the banner was unaffected.
Before Red King could react, it smashed into one of his dog heads — dazing him instantly. His head drooped, his vision blurred.
"Red King?! What's wrong with you?" Bear Monarch exclaimed.
He hadn't expected the banner — seemingly unremarkable — to pack such power.
"You filthy mutt, using dirty tricks against us!" he yelled at the elder.
The remaining dog heads gave him odd looks. "Who are you calling mutt?"
But the elder wasn't interested in chatting. He was just a tool following Huo Yuhao's orders.
Under his control, the banner struck again and again. Bear Monarch, with his tough hide, could resist somewhat. But Red King had no chance — every dog head was smashed in turn. If he didn't have three, he'd already be dead.
In the end, Red King could only cower behind Bear Monarch and let him take the hits.
The test was complete. The banner's suppression effect on soul beasts was confirmed — it didn't need full power to be effective.
It was time for the next phase.
With a bloodthirsty roar, a Blood-Marked White Tiger burst from the mist, wings spread wide, and pounced on Bear Monarch — pinning him to the ground.
It was none other than Dai Hao, formerly of the White Tiger Duke's House.
From soul master to demon… from demon to ghost.
Dai Hao had skipped decades of training and broken through his limits. From a Soul Douluo, he had become an Ultimate Douluo.
His martial soul had evolved from a pure White Tiger to the Blood-Marked White Tiger, wings and all — nearly a holy beast in form.
But the blood marks were a sign of his mind being overtaken by killing intent. He now lived for combat and slaughter.
Perfect for taking down Bear Monarch and Red King.
One tiger versus two beasts — and he wasn't losing. He was winning.
"Where did this freak come from?" Bear Monarch was shocked.
Even the Star Dou Forest didn't have tiger beasts this strong.
Red King, meanwhile, was getting wrecked. One dog head bitten off, another smashed by the banner. Only one head remained conscious.
Dai Hao lunged for the last dog head.
Just as Red King was about to die, a hidden force within him activated — a fiery red dragon shadow surged out, wrapped in silver light, blasting Dai Hao away.
Watching from the shadows, Huo Yuhao's eyes widened.
"That's… the power of the Silver Dragon King?"
Indeed — the energy bore the Silver Dragon King's will. She didn't attack immediately but scanned the area, searching for something. Finding nothing, her gaze landed on Dai Hao and the elder.
That one glance startled her.
She had sensed the aura of soul beast suppression from the Myriad Beast Banner.
"How can something like this exist in this world?!"
Silver Dragon King: Is that martial soul even legal?
Myriad Soul Douluo: No idea. My master gave it to me!