With the shocking arrival of Huo Yuhao, the Holy Spirit Church broke into rare celebration. The long-anticipated banquet began amid cheers and jubilation. As for the unconscious Saintess Ma Xiaotao, she would only be formally introduced after waking. For now, only the upper echelons of the Church knew of this unexpected additional blessing.
Of course, with the Holy Son's appearance stealing all the attention, that particular surprise was quietly overshadowed.
Most of the younger evil soul masters were sharp enough to realize that even though Huo Yuhao currently had no soul rings, his overwhelming potential had made the entire Holy Spirit Church go mad with excitement. Anyone with a bit of brains would now do everything they could to curry favor with this newly appointed Holy Son.
Looking at the glasses of Bloody Marys laid out on the table, Huo Yuhao nearly gagged. The Holy Spirit Church had apparently inherited the "fine tradition" of the Slaughter City from ten thousand years ago. This stuff, once overconsumed, could cloud the mind or even cause full-on psychosis. No wonder the original novel described so many evil soul masters as utterly deranged—clearly, they'd been drinking this poison like water.
This was Huo Yuhao's first time attending an evil soul master banquet—and it was pure chaos. A true demonic carnival, filled with bizarre martial souls and freakish individuals letting loose. Normally hunted like rats, here in this deep underground world, they were free to indulge in their twisted version of life.
Maybe the story in Soul Land IV had it right—no one is born evil. But their chosen cultivation methods had forever set them apart from the norm.
Still, their sins couldn't be excused. It was like someone born with a mental defect—if they never commit a crime, it's fine; but if they do, justice must prevail. No exceptions.
At the banquet, Huo Yuhao also met characters who originally wouldn't appear until much later in the plot:
Ji Li, with the Brain-Eater Beast martial soul
Wang Xiaolei and Tang Dai, both with Skull-type martial souls
Lu Genggeng, who wielded the Wrath martial soul
Gu Yu, with the Bone Staff martial soul
And Yan Feng, a direct disciple of Zhongli Wu, who possessed the powerful Bone Dragon martial soul.
Huo Yuhao forced himself to drink a few Bloody Marys with these future players, then excused himself under the pretense of feeling unwell—and ran off to vomit his guts out.
Zhongli Wu had arranged a private pavilion for him in the deepest part of the underground palace, a gesture that doubled as a high-level security guarantee. Anyone who wanted to make a move on Huo Yuhao would have to get past Zhongli Wu and the Church's elders first.
Huo Yuhao swept the place thoroughly with his powerful spiritual sense. Finding no signs of surveillance, he finally relaxed a little. Being embedded in the Holy Spirit Church was like making a deal with the devil—like dancing ballet on a tightrope over a pit of blades. One wrong step, and he'd be beyond salvation.
Before this, his spiritual power hadn't fully evolved. If Zhongli Wu had tried to probe his memory back then, it could've spelled disaster. Fortunately, the mental backlash such a probe would cause had made it too risky, so Zhongli Wu had opted not to.
So, the first thing Huo Yuhao did upon settling in was to set a spiritual safeguard on his mental sea, in case the Church ever tried to read his memories in the future.
Even though Huo Yuhao hadn't studied any mental defense techniques, his Spirit Abyss–level spiritual power was already strong enough to forcibly protect his mind. If anyone—say, Zhongli Wu—ever did attempt a deep scan, the safeguard would activate immediately, erasing all traces of his past-life memories. Of course, that meant he himself would lose those memories as well.
But that was still far better than letting the Holy Spirit Church get access to the "entire script" of this world's story.
Only after installing this insurance did Huo Yuhao breathe a true sigh of relief. All he had to do now was survive the Church's training methods. As long as he could retain his rationality and sanity, whether he turned good or evil would still be his choice.
"Even though my spiritual power has grown a hundredfold, my physical condition hasn't improved much."
He muttered to himself after a quick self-inspection. Years of malnourishment had left his body significantly weaker than others at his level. That was why, despite having the power reserves of a Level 30 soul master, he could only release the output of a Level 10.
This imbalance also restricted his ability to use spiritual techniques. Even if he had a move like "Spiritual Shock" right now, going up against a Level 20 soul master would still only let him unleash Ling Tong–level power. If he tried to exceed his physical limits, his brain could quite literally explode from the strain.
"I've got to strengthen my body—fast,"
Huo Yuhao whispered, clenching his fists.
Creak—
Just then, without warning, the door opened.
A curvaceous figure entered his field of vision.
The woman looked to be in her early twenties, with long, glossy black hair cascading to her waist. Her body was perfect—voluptuous without a trace of fat. She wore dark red eyeshadow, and her alluring, fox-like eyes glimmered with seductive charm. Her bright red lips parted slightly, stirring thoughts no child should have.
"You're the Holy Son, Huo Yuanjia?"
she asked lazily, her gaze drifting over Huo Yuhao as he sat cross-legged on the bed. Her sultry tone made even the not-yet-mature Huo Yuhao blush furiously.
"And you are…?"
he asked warily. He didn't dare underestimate her. Anyone who could casually walk into the deepest part of the Holy Spirit Hall was certainly no ordinary person.
"Calling me senior is a bit much,"
she said with amused interest, stepping closer. Her long, shapely legs drew elegant arcs as she moved. She leaned forward slightly, placing her hands on the edge of the bed and whispering in his ear with a mischievous glint in her eye:
"I'm Zhongli Yu, the Church's First Saintess—and your future partner."
Huo Yuhao had to forcefully suppress the urge to cheer out loud. He awkwardly shuffled backward.
Seriously? It's only my first day here and someone's already thirsty for me?
"Surely you jest…"
he murmured, gazing in awe at the breathtaking woman before him. She was by far the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Of course he was tempted—but this was not the time.
Zhongli Yu… Zhongli Wu… It was clear that this woman was the Holy Spirit Church leader's close blood relative. To win over Huo Yuhao's loyalty, Zhongli Wu really was pulling out all the stops.
"Perhaps you don't know: in our Church, once the Holy Son appears, all Saintesses belong to him."
Zhongli Yu leaned in again, her fingers trailing toward him, her posture blatantly seductive.
"You mean to tell me you're not interested?"
"You're the only one, Holy Son,"
she added, inching even closer. Their faces were now only inches apart. Huo Yuhao could even smell her intoxicating scent in her breath.
"N-no, wait—this isn't right…"
Huo Yuhao stammered, backing away until his back hit the wall. He tried to sidestep her, but she suddenly grabbed his face—and the next moment, soft, wet lips silenced everything he was about to say.
His eyes widened in shock. He tried to activate his Spiritual Eye, but it was instantly suppressed by Zhongli Yu's overwhelming soul power. Then he felt something snake into his mouth—like a warm, fragrant serpent, invading without restraint.
His mind blurred. His consciousness slipped.
Only at the last moment did he realize: this was all part of the Church's plan.
But even knowing that—even as a two-lifetime virgin—he was still determined to face this head-on.
The Saintess fights dirty. She seduced me! Caught me off guard! Is that okay?
…Yes. Yes, it is. Please do it again…
When she finally let go of the now-unconscious Huo Yuhao, her face was flushed. His spiritual resistance had far exceeded her expectations. It had taken considerable effort, and this was her first time using this technique.
But it had worked.
She had successfully planted the Holy Spirit Church's exclusive spiritual brand within him. This brand would evolve as Huo Yuhao grew stronger, and no matter what he did in the future, his life and death would be at their mercy.
"Well?"
Zhongli Wu had appeared in the room without anyone noticing.
"Grandfather, it's done,"
Zhongli Yu said, quickly adjusting her clothes and bowing. Her face still bore a faint blush. She hadn't expected that kid to actually grope her—her flawless skin was now covered in scratches.
"Whether he truly dedicates himself to our Church… depends on you. Win him over completely."
Zhongli Wu's voice was calm, like issuing a trivial order.
"His martial soul is spiritual. Unless absolutely necessary, we can't afford to turn him into a hollow puppet."
"I understand,"
Zhongli Yu replied softly.
Zhongli Wu said no more. He was already having people dig into Huo Yuhao's background. Every soul master's martial soul awakening was recorded in the empire's registry—even blowing up the Duke's estate couldn't erase that data.
Only by confirming Huo Yuhao's true identity and origins could Zhongli Wu fully commit to nurturing him into a god.
As the saying goes:
"Where the mountain ends and the water dries, a new path awaits beyond the willows."
Neither Zhongli Wu nor Huo Yuhao realized that the Duchess, in a desperate attempt to hide his existence, had used her royal connections to forge Huo Yuhao's records—changing him from noble-born to a servant's son.
Who would've thought...
She'd unknowingly given her most hated child the perfect disguise.
(End of Chapter)
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