Huo Yuhao led Qian Shishi into the ruins of the temple.
Bibi Dong hesitated for a moment but decided to follow.
The temple ruins had long been destroyed. Later, the Xie and Qian families transformed the ruins into a dwelling, leaving many traces of everyday life behind.
From the foundation, it was clear that the original temple had been grand. But the stone houses now built upon it looked especially simple and crude.
The area was divided into several zones with many rooms—enough to house dozens of people.
Of course, the living conditions were rather basic.
But for the Xie and Qian families, residing here meant they were seeking refuge. They didn't have the luxury to be picky.
After arriving at the mountaintop, Huo Yuhao had already scanned everything with his spiritual sense and discovered stockpiles of supplies—enough to support over a thousand people for two years. This showed just how well-prepared the Xie family was.
And yet, the combined population of the Xie and Qian families was actually fewer than 500.
Eventually, Huo Yuhao led Qian Shishi and Bibi Dong to the deepest part of the ruins.
This place had been converted into a storage room.
Bibi Dong spoke with a complicated expression, "This used to be the location of the Angel God's statue."
Qian Shishi looked shocked. Clearly, she hadn't known this. She hurried to explain, "Our ancestors said that by the time they found this place, it was already in ruins. Nothing was left."
As a descendant of the Qian family, she naturally still held some faith in the Angel God. Though the god was no longer present and that belief had weakened, the Angel God was still considered their ancestor, and they remained respectful.
Now that the area where the statue once stood had been turned into a storage room, Qian Shishi feared being seen as disrespectful. She explained it was a mistake made by later generations out of ignorance.
Huo Yuhao, however, was curious about something else. He asked Bibi Dong, "You've actually been here before?"
The place of the Angel God's inheritance—Bibi Dong had been here?
Bibi Dong nodded and replied expressionlessly, "When I was young, my teacher brought me here once."
"Oh~ Qian Xunji, huh~"
Bibi Dong: "..."
To be fair, before Qian Xunji did that monstrous thing, he had treated Bibi Dong quite well—even allowing her to see the inheritance site of the Angel God. He had lived up to the title of 'mentor.'
It was no wonder that a young Bibi Dong had been so trusting, raised so naively.
Huo Yuhao didn't want to judge Qian Xunji's right or wrong. He just mused aloud, "I wonder what soul masters from the Pope's bloodline with Angel Spirits taste like? Bibi Dong, when you ate him, did it feel any different?"
"I only devoured him with my spirit. I didn't eat him with my mouth!"
"Pity, such a waste~"
Bibi Dong's face darkened further.
Qian Shishi turned pale with fear, staring at the two of them in disbelief and quickly backing away from both Huo Yuhao and Bibi Dong.
These two—one wanted to eat, one already had—could they still be called human?
And most unfortunately, Qian Shishi was herself a descendant of the Pope's bloodline, bearer of the Angel Spirit.
Sure enough, the next moment, Huo Yuhao pointed at Qian Shishi and asked Bibi Dong, "Dong'er, how do you think her spirit compares to your daughter's?"
"That's enough! Huo Yuhao, stop humiliating me!" Bibi Dong finally couldn't take it anymore.
Here in this special place, Huo Yuhao had been stabbing her in the heart again and again—every blow a critical hit.
Bibi Dong even struggled to contain the divine power within her, and a wisp of it leaked out. Qian Shishi immediately retreated further, her face deathly pale, overwhelmed by a sense of impending doom.
The divine power in Bibi Dong's body was still that of the Rakshasa God. But since she no longer held a god position, the Rakshasa power had taken on her own flavor—madness, danger, and the aura of death.
Huo Yuhao was completely unaffected by the Rakshasa power. On the contrary, he smiled and commented, "As expected of someone who once became a god. After everything, you still have some pride left."
If it were Zi Ji, she would have cried while helping him destroy the Star Dou Forest—and praised him for doing a good job.
What final bottom line?
When both body and spirit are shattered, even dignity and faith fall to dust.
A true strong one—mortal or god—would let their belief support them through destruction without ever being defeated.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao hadn't yet met such a person on the Douluo Continent.
Bibi Dong fell completely silent, withdrew her power, and refused to respond to Huo Yuhao—pretending to play dead.
Huo Yuhao chuckled, no longer paying her attention. His simple test had verified her condition: she still had some pride, but her body had obeyed. In the end, she hadn't struck.
Training a dog required constant obedience tests in order to adjust the next steps in the training.
"Now then, next is the final inheritance of the Angel God!"
Huo Yuhao raised his hand and momentarily blocked the sky using his own destiny energy. Then he crouched down, placing both hands on the ground, injecting his power into the core of the Angel God's inheritance hidden within the temple.
Outer structures like statues or even temples could be destroyed, but the Angel God's inheritance couldn't be destroyed by mortals.
Just like the Rakshasa God's inheritance—though the god was gone, the legacy remained. It just required special methods to activate.
When Huo Yuhao entered the Rakshasa realm, he only needed divine power as a key, because the Rakshasa God hadn't set strict restrictions at the time.
To unlock the Angel God's inheritance, however, one would normally need the full strength of at least one Ultimate Douluo.
That was the standard method.
But for Huo Yuhao, only a negligible amount of energy was enough to open the gate to the Angel God's legacy.
A golden pillar of light surged from beneath the foundation, filled with divine holiness, meant to pierce the sky—but was blocked by Huo Yuhao's power, not even spilling beyond the temple.
A golden portal formed.
Huo Yuhao stepped in first, leaving just one line behind: "Come with me~"
Qian Shishi hesitated, but chose to follow.
Bibi Dong followed as well, filled with anxiety and worry. She hoped that Qian Renxue had no residual soul left here—so she wouldn't fall into Huo Yuhao's hands and suffer. But she also longed to see Qian Renxue again.
It was a case of wanting, but also not wanting.
Passing through the golden portal, the three arrived in the Angel's Secret Realm.
It was a white palace resembling a cathedral, glowing with gold and silver light. Exquisite murals adorned the walls and ceiling, telling what seemed to be a great epic.
At the center stood a pure white statue of the Angel God.
Bibi Dong recognized the statue's face—it was Qian Renxue's.
The cathedral was filled with divine, radiant, pure, and scorching power. It felt like everyone's soul was being purified, and all evil would be burned away by holy fire.
Bibi Dong instinctively felt uncomfortable upon entering. Fortunately, since the power wasn't actively controlled, she wasn't attacked.
When she looked at Huo Yuhao, though, she was shocked to see that the man she considered more evil than Qian Xunji was completely unfazed—smiling and bathed in holy light as if receiving a blessing.
The biggest reaction came from Qian Shishi. Upon entering, she involuntarily underwent martial soul possession. Her Six-Winged Angel Spirit took over, transforming her into a pure and holy saintess.
In fact, Huo Yuhao had also sensed the call—but the one being summoned wasn't him, it was the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul.
Since nothing dangerous occurred after Qian Shishi's Martial Soul Possession, Huo Yuhao didn't suppress it any longer.
A surge of verdant life energy burst from Huo Yuhao's body. Immediately, a three-meter-tall Healing Angel Puppet appeared behind him and gently embraced him.
Both Bibi Dong and Qian Shishi looked at Huo Yuhao in shock.
Bibi Dong: "You have another Angel Martial Soul?!"
Qian Shishi: "You're a twin martial soul user? You're also of the Qian Clan bloodline?!"
Bibi Dong believed the Healing Angel Puppet was a variant Martial Soul like Grandmaster's, an independent Martial Soul with its own consciousness—just like Luo Sanpao.
But it was only somewhat similar—not the same.
The eight blood-red spirit rings on the Healing Angel Puppet proved her power and uniqueness.
Bibi Dong suddenly remembered—Huo Yuhao had already shown two Martial Souls: the Frost Centipede and the Hao Emperor Banner. So what was this third Martial Soul?
Could there really be three Martial Souls in one person?
Qian Shishi: "Healing Angel Martial Soul? I remember this being a legacy Martial Soul from the Star Luo Empire. Like his first Martial Soul, it's a detached-type Martial Soul. I can't believe he kept this a secret and trained it to this level—eight 100,000-year spirit rings…"
Huo Yuhao wasn't hiding his face, and with his peerlessly handsome features, Qian Shishi couldn't possibly forget him. She knew his displayed strength as well.
She assumed Huo Yuhao only had twin Martial Souls.
And since she'd never seen a fierce beast ring, she mistakenly thought all eight rings on the puppet were standard 100,000-year rings.
The Healing Angel Martial Soul was a symbolic legacy of the Qian Clan's side branches, of extremely high quality—giving up combat ability to greatly enhance healing capabilities.
Unfortunately, it failed to be passed on within the Qian Clan and was lost. The clan couldn't reclaim the inheritors to recognize their ancestry.
But upon seeing the Healing Angel Martial Soul now, Qian Shishi suddenly developed a strong affection for Huo Yuhao—her gaze softening as if seeing a long-lost relative.
"They say Huo Yuhao is an orphan. And recently, our clan's scouts confirmed that Shrek Academy and the Sea God Pavilion were wiped out by evil soul masters… Maybe the Qian Clan has another chance!"
"If Huo Yuhao can gain the recognition of the Angel God and become a god, the Qian Clan will truly rise again!"
"And if we go further—if we had a child together…"
Qian Shishi's thoughts grew brighter, her body trembling with excitement.
Huo Yuhao ignored their shock.
He gently patted the puppet's arm. The Healing Angel Puppet understood and brought him before the Angel God's statue.
Though the three-meter puppet appeared small compared to the ten-meter Angel God statue, a resonance was clearly forming between the two.
The puppet gazed at the statue with confusion, yearning, and reverence.
She didn't recognize the Angel God, yet felt a maternal warmth from the statue.
The closer they got, the stronger Huo Yuhao felt the summoning force from the statue.
If not for his higher priority, the puppet might have gone up to touch the statue herself.
As Huo Yuhao laid his hand on the statue, he realized it was calling another person too—Qian Shishi.
And the call for her was even stronger than for the puppet.
But Qian Shishi didn't respond.
She wanted Huo Yuhao to receive the inheritance.
"So, Qian Shishi really resonates with the Angel God statue. I originally wanted to use her to bait the Angel God's legacy, then trap her in the Hao Emperor Banner afterward."
"But since the Healing Angel Puppet also resonates with the inheritance, no need for the detour."
"The Angel God's legacy—I'll take it!"
Although the Angel God's divine spark had shattered and the godhood was gone, the leftover inheritance was still extremely valuable—at the very least, enough to enhance the Healing Angel Puppet.
Huo Yuhao forcefully accessed the inheritance within the statue.
He injected his spiritual power into it and found himself in a holy space, filled with light.
Just as he began to guide the power, he noticed a phantom figure within the light.
Upon closer inspection, it looked like the statue's face—but older, perhaps a woman in her late 20s or early 30s. Her beauty rivaled Bibi Dong's, but with a more mature, saintly aura.
It was only a remnant soul, weak and asleep.
"Is that… Qian Renxue?"
"She lived to 300 before dying, so she appears older—but still beautiful. Standing with Bibi Dong, they'd look like sisters. One a saint, the other a witch."
"This remnant soul still retains god-level quality. As expected—even if her godhood shattered and she fell to Spirit Douluo level, a once-divine soul doesn't decay like a mortal's."
"The light energy in this statue is preserving Qian Renxue's soul. She can sleep here forever."
Huo Yuhao, experienced in dealing with divine souls, began precise manipulation.
He channeled the Angel God's power into the Healing Angel Puppet and simultaneously used the Hao Emperor Banner to pull in Qian Renxue's remnant soul.
As soon as the statue's power was activated, Qian Renxue's soul stirred—as if waking to see who disturbed her slumber.
But immediately afterward, she was stuffed into the Hao Emperor Banner and fell asleep again under its influence.
Huo Yuhao: Gotcha~
As the Angel God's inheritance merged into the puppet, she was bathed in holy light, beginning her transformation.
Qian Shishi, witnessing this, felt no anger at losing the chance. Instead, she became overjoyed.
"He really was chosen!"
"Ancestors bless us! Angel God bless us! The Qian Clan has hope again!"
Bibi Dong: "…"
She almost wanted to punch Qian Shishi awake.
"Hope? The Qian Clan is about to suffer!"
But she knew—it was pointless trying to reason with these faith-driven clans.
Inside the glowing cocoon of light, the Healing Angel Puppet continued evolving. Huo Yuhao backed away, letting the process unfold.
From the shape of the glow, one could tell: her form was growing, her six wings expanding, and most notably—a golden spirit ring was forming around her body.
As the radiance faded, the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul completed its transformation. But now, she was no longer a Healing Angel, and not even a puppet in form.
She had transformed into a Six-Winged Angel!
Or rather, she had returned to her origin, becoming the most powerful form of the Angel Martial Soul.
Her puppet body transformed into one of flesh and blood, warm and living. She could still manifest independently, retaining her consciousness, which had become more intelligent and perceptive.
She resembled an angel walking out from ancient legend!
The connection between Huo Yuhao and her didn't disappear; instead, it deepened. Their bond became even more intimate, and their powers remained intertwined.
Through this connection, Huo Yuhao clearly understood the current state of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
The Six-Winged Angel, with her eyes closed, floated before the statue of the Angel God, radiating purest divine power. A domain spread outward from her as its center.
That was the innate domain possessed by the god-level Martial Soul—the Angel Domain.
The second domain followed: the Life Domain, originally belonging to the Healing Angel.
The Six-Winged Angel, a god-level Martial Soul, possessed pure holy energy with purifying and dissolving effects.
Her attributes were: Divine, Light, Flame, and Life.
Among them, the Divine attribute had reached an Ultimate level.
Her purification ability was derived from this ultimate Divine attribute. It could not only cleanse evil but also "purify" the opponent's powers—an utterly unreasonable force.
Unfortunately, this purification didn't apply to physical substances.
As the Martial Soul evolved, the soul rings and soul skills transformed as well. The previously gear-like soul rings merged fully with the Martial Soul, influenced by its nature and altered accordingly.
The first eight blood-red soul rings were bathed in holy golden light, eventually transforming into brilliant gold.
Then, the soul rings began to shimmer, one after another:
First ring: the Forest Deer King appeared.
Second ring: the Rainbow-Scaled Butterfly King.
Third ring: the Wind-Snow Swan.
Fourth ring: the Ice Crystal Turtle.
Fifth ring: the Ice Bear King.
Sixth ring: the Ice Jade Scorpion.
Seventh ring: the Three-Tailed Cold Scorpion.
Eighth ring: the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King.
"The soul ring skills transformed into Divine-type summoning abilities, allowing summoned soul beast puppets to fight. These puppets not only retained their original strength but were enhanced with extreme divine attributes—thus more accurately named Holy Puppets. Unfortunately, they lack souls."
"Summoning Holy Puppets is just one of the soul skills. As hundred-thousand-year rings, each ring has a second soul skill, born from the fusion of the soul beast's power and the Six-Winged Angel's strength."
"With these abilities, the Six-Winged Angel now also possesses strong combat power, transitioning from a purely support-type Martial Soul to an assault-type Martial Soul."
"Now, for the Ninth Soul Skill!"
The Six-Winged Angel's ninth soul ring gleamed—this ring, condensed after receiving the Angel God's legacy, carried only a single soul skill:
Divine Skill: Angel's Descent!
Divine power burst forth from her.
Floating midair, the Six-Winged Angel opened her eyes at last—eyes now golden and sacred, like an emotionless deity.
This was a divine skill—not just an amplifier, but a foundation for becoming a god!
At last, the Angel God's power was fully absorbed by the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. Her strength broke through to the divine level and continued rising. New divine rings condensed upon her.
One… two… three divine rings—she became a third-rank god!
But it didn't stop there.
Four… five… six divine rings—second-rank god!
Then, a seventh divine ring appeared—
The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul officially reached the same level as Huo Yuhao: the realm of a first-rank god!
However, she did not acquire a godhood (divine office), so she only possessed first-rank godly power.
The Angel God's godhood had been shattered. The divine position did not re-form just because the Six-Winged Angel inherited the legacy. So compared to first-rank gods in the Divine Realm with actual godhoods, she was still somewhat weaker.
But she was also free of their constraints—meaning she still had room to grow.
Huo Yuhao could sense it clearly: the Six-Winged Angel had only absorbed the Angel God's legacy—she had not reached her limit. She still held untapped potential.
Qian Shishi had already fallen to her knees in prayer, chanting words passed down since the time of the ancient Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago. Her face radiated pure faith and reverence toward the Angel God.
Perhaps in the past, Qian Shishi followed tradition mainly to revive her clan. But at this moment, she declared, "Don't stop me—I'm a fanatic now!"
As for Bibi Dong, her gaze carried disappointment—she had hoped to glimpse Qian Renxue's residual soul, but never saw it. Yet this also brought her some relief.
Bibi Dong noticed something else: the statue of the Angel God had changed. Qian Renxue's face was gone—replaced by the visage of the Six-Winged Angel.
And that face now belonged to none other than Wang Xian'er in her youth. A true beauty back then, her looks inherited by the Six-Winged Angel became even more divine and untouchable. Now, sanctity enhanced her charm—so divine, she seemed too beautiful to be real.
Compared to Qian Renxue, the Six-Winged Angel appeared gentler and more lovable.
In the next moment, all the divine power on the Six-Winged Angel's body was withdrawn. All the celestial phenomena vanished.
She gently descended from the air like a fairy from the Divine Realm, now dressed in light silks, standing before Huo Yuhao. Her golden, pure eyes were filled with endless tenderness.
At this moment, the Six-Winged Angel stood at 1.7 meters tall—half a head shorter than Huo Yuhao. With her wings folded back, she looked more ordinary… more like a real person.
Huo Yuhao smiled and opened his arms.
The Six-Winged Angel smiled joyfully and flew into his embrace, like a young bird returning home.
"I'm so happy… I'm so delighted… I love you~" she spoke—her voice like a mountain spring, flowing directly into Huo Yuhao's heart.
Her speaking surprised Huo Yuhao—but it also made perfect sense. He felt a surge of happiness.
As for her emotions, Huo Yuhao never doubted them. The Six-Winged Angel's affection for him was off the charts.
Aside from Snow Lotus and Brother Tianmeng, his Martial Souls were the ones he trusted the most.
"I love you too," Huo Yuhao replied and leaned in to kiss her.
The Six-Winged Angel kissed him back—but she wasn't satisfied. Instead, she exerted strength and pinned Huo Yuhao down onto the floor.
"My lord… what are we now?" she asked.
"Don't ask so much~" Huo Yuhao replied, eyes half-closed.
Six-Winged Angel: Everyone, I've made it to the top~
After a full day and night—
The Angelic Secret Realm was also taken into the divine domain by Huo Yuhao, transformed into the Temple of Angels, becoming the third divine sanctuary within the realm.
Qian Renxue's remnant soul was once again placed into the Temple of Angels by Huo Yuhao to continue its healing.
But this time, with Huo Yuhao's power nourishing her, Qian Renxue's soul was no longer just barely hanging on for survival. It was being repaired, and eventually, she would fully awaken.
Naturally, during the repair process, Huo Yuhao would also "add some ingredients" — to ensure that when Qian Renxue awoke, she would pledge herself to him.
Her remnant soul had been sleeping inside the angel statue, likely awaiting a successor to inherit the Angel God's legacy and then use her final strength to guide them.
But in Huo Yuhao's view, relying on successors was far less efficient than taking matters into his own hands and personally rectifying past defeats.
Since he had the power, he would do everything himself, not leave trouble for future generations.
This wasn't out of concern for descendants — who knows if they might turn out to be "mutants"?
After all, the original founders of the Spirit Hall never would have imagined their successors would eventually ruin the entire organization.
As for the Qian Clan and Xie Clan, they weren't spared either — all were absorbed into the divine nation, becoming Huo Yuhao's followers.
They were stationed near the Temple of Angels.
Qian Shishi became the Saintess, leading the other Qian women to form the Saintess Order.
This was formed at Qian Shishi's own suggestion — their sole purpose: to bear Huo Yuhao's children, ensuring the light of the Six-Winged Angels once again shone across the world.
The Angel Set left behind by Qian Renxue was now in Qian Shishi's possession. With Huo Yuhao's personal tutelage, she was nearing Titled Douluo level. Training within the divine nation only accelerated her strength.
Given a chance by Huo Yuhao, Qian Shishi could even ascend to godhood, and with the Angel Set on her, she might be able to re-establish the Angel God's divine position.
Meanwhile, the Qian men and members of the Xie Clan formed a Knight Order, tasked with guarding the faith in the Angel God.
No—more accurately now, the Six-Winged Angel God.
Since the original Angel God's divine position was shattered, the god enshrined in the temple was now one named after the Six-Winged Angel race.
The Six-Winged Angel bestowed blessings upon the saintesses and knights, granting them the power of holy light. As long as their faith remained steadfast, they could draw upon this divine light to greatly enhance their strength.
Their devotion would fuel the Six-Winged Angel's growth—and also power up Huo Yuhao himself.
On the Douluo Continent, divine beings could absorb belief without having to answer prayers—so there was no concern about "toxic faith."
But the Six-Winged Angel wasn't idle either—she did something even Huo Yuhao didn't expect:
She began to nurture a Snow Lotus!
Not the mortal kind—but by combining the powers of the Six-Winged Angel God, Huo Yuhao, the Rakshasa God, and the God of Wisdom, she sought to create a new body for Snow Lotus.
Possessing incredible life-based powers and aided by the Golden Ancient Tree, the Six-Winged Angel had truly acquired the power of creation.
"Is this... reasonable? Is this... even fair?"
Huo Yuhao was left stunned by her actions.
But one thing was clear—this body, created using the power of multiple gods, would far surpass any physical body born from even an Ultimate Douluo.
A fitting vessel for Snow Lotus!
A true sisterly bond — even after benefiting herself, the Six-Winged Angel didn't forget Snow Lotus.
Huo Yuhao had considered making an equally powerful body for Middle Corpse, but ultimately gave up — because Middle Corpse didn't deserve it.
Besides, the resources consumed to create Snow Lotus's body left no room for crafting another one.
But if this plan succeeded, Snow Lotus would reincarnate as a born god, surpassing even god-offspring.
In the current Divine Realm of Douluo, only the original Five God Kings held the original divine positions of born deities.
Middle Corpse's body would still follow the original plan—using an Ultimate Douluo as the mother.
Feng Ling's soul had already been cleansed. She was currently absorbing the Dark Phoenix's origin near the Wutong Tree.
Once she finished this process and absorbed Huo Yuhao's divine blood, she would definitely break through to Ultimate Douluo, and possibly even become a quasi-god.
Her martial soul would also evolve.
With this potential, she was perfect to serve as the mother vessel.
As for Ye Xeshui, Feng Ling was the more suitable choice:
Ye Xeshui was too old, and
Her Blood Soul Puppet cultivation was too advanced, while her Light Phoenix martial soul had never been trained.
This mismatch might cause issues.
Feng Ling, on the other hand, had a purer foundation.
"Next, I might use the bloodlines of Ye Xeshui and Yan Shaozhe's Light Phoenix to stimulate the dark and evil powers within Feng Ling... Maybe something interesting will happen," Huo Yuhao mused.
This journey had taken less than a month, yet Huo Yuhao had achieved most of his plans:
"Upper corpse complete, middle corpse about to separate. Got the Angel God inheritance, evolved the puppet martial soul into the Six-Winged Angel, recovered Qian Renxue's soul…"
He mentally tallied his accomplishments.
"Next up: ocean invasion — and capturing Long Xiaoyao, Ye Xeshui, and the Demon Emperor. Oh, and the Demon Emperor has a daughter, right? My monster squad already found her…"
But if he acted in the seas, Tang Old Dog wouldn't just sit by. The northern movement of the Titan already hinted that he was watching the ocean.
So this plan required caution.
"Like, maybe I should create a distraction for Tang Old Dog…"
"Aside from the Clear Sky Clan, what else could distract him? Probably just his two half-daughters…"
Wang Dong'er had the Sea God's divine will protecting her — not easy to target. But Jin Qiuer was different.
Her soul had already shown signs of weakness—sleeping more and more.
Tang Old Dog's plan was likely to fuse the two girls into one in the future, combining fate and power.
"But what if I completely healed Wang Dong'er and Jin Qiuer's souls — without any of Tang Wutong's memories? Just their original identities?"
"Would they still call him 'Dad'?"
He chuckled darkly.
"Saying I found some soul-healing treasure while adventuring sounds reasonable, right? Something like a twin lotus… Maybe throw in some life and destruction attributes…"
"The Divine Realm might just explode from that!"
"Jie Jie Jie—"
Faking things? Huo-bro is a master.
Back when Tang Dog faked his immortal herbs, you think Huo Yuhao couldn't do the same?
Huo Yuhao: "Bad ideas? I've got so many. Endless. Just endless."
After two months, Huo Yuhao returned to the core region of the Great Star Dou Forest.
"You've had a breakthrough, Yuhao?"
The moment everyone saw him, they were shocked.
Though they knew how fast his strength increased, wasn't this too fast? Had he reached Ultimate Douluo in just two months?
Huo Yuhao shook his head, signaling they were overthinking it. He explained, "I didn't break through. I came back this time because of something unexpected."
"Unexpected?" someone echoed in surprise.
"I found an immortal herb," Huo Yuhao said, astonishing everyone.
"What?!"
All were stunned.
Moments later, everyone cultivating in the core region, including fierce beasts, gathered around him.
Those present from Shrek Academy included Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, Zhang Lexuan, Han Ruoruo, Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, Xu Sanshi, and Cao Jinxuan.
The others were either helping rebuild Shrek City on the ruins of Spirit Hall or off training elsewhere.
Yan Shaozhe, despite his injuries not being fully healed, left the core region after breaking through to Super Douluo.
His injuries no longer hindered his combat ability, and he had responsibilities—managing Shrek's affairs, contacting other powers, and leaving valuable cultivation time to others.
Moreover, after breaking through, further progress would be difficult in the short term.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er were in similar situations. They remained mainly to guide the younger generation.
With their guidance and the aid of the core region's environment, those training there from Shrek showed clear progress.
As for the soul beasts, four were present: Ditian, Bi Ji, Wan Yao King, and Jin Qiu'er.
Wan Yao King, a rare plant-type fierce beast, was especially interested in the immortal herb and knew about them. He had become a fierce beast precisely because he had once devoured one.
Though plant-type soul beasts were usually kind, competition for survival among plants was just as ruthless—only rarely noticed.
Jin Qiu'er came by out of curiosity, and also to see how Huo Yuhao was doing—whether he had gotten stronger again.
Her appearance, however, made the atmosphere awkward.
Everyone from Shrek knew who Jin Qiu'er was and her role in the beast tide years ago. Naturally, they couldn't treat her as a companion.
Still, as "guests under the beast's roof," their ability to train in the core region was partly thanks to Jin Qiu'er. Her special identity made it hard to treat her as an enemy either.
It was neither friendly nor hostile—just awkward.
Fortunately, Jin Qiu'er needed frequent sleep and prioritized cultivating during her waking moments. She rarely appeared in front of the Shrek crowd.
Besides, she only cared about one and a half people.
One: Huo Yuhao, with whom she shared a martial soul fusion skill.
Half: Wang Dong'er, who looked strikingly like her.
Once close friends with Jin Qiu'er, the girls had distanced themselves due to the awkwardness. Jin Qiu'er didn't try to salvage the relationship either.
Once everyone had gathered—especially with both Wang Dong'er and Jin Qiu'er present—Huo Yuhao began his show.
"This is the immortal herb I found!"
Huo Yuhao pulled out a soul tool capable of storing living things. Upon opening it, he revealed a unique twin lotus—two blooms on a single stalk, one black and one white.
Its extraordinary aura made all who saw it visibly react.
As the soul tool opened, two dragon shadows flew out from the lotus—one black, one white. They circled the area before returning into the flower.
"This is an immortal herb? It seems even stronger than the one Yuhao got before. At least that one didn't come with visual effects like this," Xian Lin'er remarked in awe.
If it had a dramatic entrance, it had to be precious!
Huo Yuhao quietly thought: even in creating fakes, I have to surpassOld Tang .
"So rich in life force—it surpasses even my life attribute in purity," said Bi Ji slowly. "Not only that, the black bloom carries a destructive aura that makes my heart tremble."
But the most excited one was Myraid King. His eyes were locked on the lotus with undisguised greed.
"I sense the attributes of life, destruction, and the same Ultimate Wood attribute as myself! And this immortal herb has already developed sentience!"
"Ultimate Wood, life, destruction… and sentience. So this is an immortal herb?" Zhang Lexuan murmured.
Ditian squinted, shock in his gaze. Even in his youth, he had seen many rare items—but none as extraordinary as this.
Huo Yuhao also sensed the Silver Dragon King's divine sense scanning the herb. Though she found no flaws, she didn't try to take it.
The herb had been artificially cultivated by Huo Yuhao from a seed using special methods. Other than not being naturally grown, everything else was genuine—and its effects rivaled naturally born immortal herbs.
Everyone's gaze—human and beast alike—turned scorching as they stared at Huo Yuhao.
Because only he had the right to decide the herb's fate.
The fierce beasts didn't attack, due to Huo Yuhao's strength and their cooperative relationship.
But clearly, those who came just to watch… now wanted the herb for themselves.
Huo Yuhao didn't rush. Instead, he explained, "I found this herb in a secret realm. It grew in a space filled with both life and destruction—two opposing forces. Unfortunately, the realm collapsed after I picked the herb."
That gave the herb a plausible origin.
Secret realms were rare but not unheard of on the Douluo Continent.
For example, the place where the Silver Dragon King hid was considered a secret realm.
Such locations were usually tied to gods, and the Silver Dragon King, listening carefully, grew wary.
"A realm filled with life and destruction… Could it have been created by those two God Kings? Is this herb connected to them?"
Huo Yuhao continued, "According to my examination, this herb has developed sentience. To consume it, you must gain its approval—otherwise, it will attack anyone who tries."
"I brought it back so we could all try to earn its recognition and—if successful—use it to strengthen ourselves!"
As soon as he finished, Bi Ji hesitantly spoke up.
"Wait, please."
"This herb has developed intelligence. It's on the verge of becoming a soul beast, and may even become a fierce beast someday. Maybe we should plant it here in the core region… and nurture it!"
Bi Ji's kind heart had finally made her speak up.