Spring went and autumn came. Huo Yuhao was now eleven years old.
For a full year, Huo Yuhao had obediently stayed within the Holy Ghost Cult, tempering his physical body in the blood pool. Zhongli Yu, who was responsible for forcing him to cultivate, had also benefited from Huo Yuhao's good fortune, absorbing a great deal of essence in the blood pool, and her own soul power was rapidly increasing.
During this period, Zhongli Wu and a group of Holy Ghost Cult elders even suggested taking Huo Yuhao out to relax and have some fun, but all their offers were rejected by him.
What a joke. Isn't cultivating while hugging the Saintess more fragrant? Huo Yuhao complained in his heart, but he also understood that the reason he avoided going out was his fear of his transmigrated self affecting the world line. The earlier the major changes to the world line occurred, the sooner his god's-eye view would lose its meaning.
According to normal development, for the past year, Huo Yuhao should still have been in the Duke's Mansion, suffering bullying as a servant. But the transmigrated Huo Yuhao had already blown up the Duke's Mansion.
The destruction of a small Duke's Mansion would not have any major impact on the entire continent. At most, the White Tiger Duke would grieve for a period of time over the death of his official wife. Judging from his promiscuous personality, Dai Hao would most likely remarry a woman from the Star Luo imperial family. This was also a common tactic used by the Star Luo imperial family to restrain their subjects.
The eleven-year-old Huo Yuhao was still a youth, but as he was now old enough to understand worldly affairs, the enchantress Zhongli Yu rarely dared to tease him anymore. Compared to the Huo Yuhao from the original novel at the same period, he was a full head taller, with a well-proportioned and extremely explosive physique. Influenced by the blood pool, his entire being was filled with a fierce and cruel aura, like a ferocious beast that chose its prey to devour.
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In the blood pool, the originally crimson water had completely returned to its clear state. Huo Yuhao enjoyably nestled in Zhongli Yu's embrace, washing his face with milk, carefree and at ease.
Zhongli Yu's pretty face was flushed, her bewitching appearance capable of driving almost any man mad. She was gratified by Huo Yuhao's obsession with her. Over the past year, this boy had not been shy with his hands, and she, the Saintess, had long been molded into his shape.
After a year of brewing, their relationship had reached the point of being as sticky as glue, which was also the result Huo Yuhao wanted. He would leave the Holy Ghost Cult sooner or later, and if possible, he would try every means to take this woman with him.
"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Zhongli Yu asked, her breath like orchids as she rested her fragrant cheek on her hand and spoke to the Huo Yuhao in her arms.
"Yes. I've already spoken with the council of elders. You will come with me to protect my safety. The Cult Master and the others will also be at ease," Huo Yuhao said drowsily with his eyes closed.
The blood pool had completely lost its body-tempering effect about half a month ago. Now, it was just a natural bathtub for Huo Yuhao. His physical strength had been tested by the high-ranking members of the Holy Ghost Cult and was unanimously judged to be comparable to a Soul Elder. At his age, all the younger generation on the continent could only look up to him.
"Are you planning to take me and elope?" Zhongli Yu said suddenly. Having been by Huo Yuhao's side for so long, she could already communicate with him on a deep level at certain times. Sometimes, she could see that this Holy Son, Huo Yuhao, wasn't actually that interested in their Holy Ghost Cult.
After spending a year together, during the rare moments when Huo Yuhao was serious, Zhongli Yu would feel that she was not facing a mere ten-year-old boy, but a world-weary adult man. Especially when he was lost in his memories, the sea of stars in his Spirit Eyes deeply attracted her.
"Are you willing to leave the Holy Ghost Cult?" Huo Yuhao suddenly opened his eyes, meeting Zhongli Yu's charming, silky gaze with a smile.
Zhongli Yu was instantly choked by Huo Yuhao's question. They looked at each other for a long time. Finally, she returned to her usual cold and indifferent appearance in front of outsiders. "I am the Saintess of the Holy Ghost Cult."
Hearing Zhongli Yu's answer, Huo Yuhao didn't say any more. Everything was understood without words. He stood up straight in the clear pool water, splashing up a spray, and walked out leisurely, leaving the cold-faced Zhongli Yu behind.
Only after Huo Yuhao's footsteps could no longer be heard did Zhongli Yu's frozen cheeks slowly relax. She gave a bitter smile, her beautiful eyes filled with melancholy. Yes, due to a woman's sixth sense, she felt that she very likely couldn't keep this youth. Even though she was the Saintess of the Holy Ghost Cult, she hadn't told Zhongli Wu her intuition at the first opportunity.
Huo Yuhao was drowning in her land of softness, but how was Zhongli Yu not also intoxicated by the strange feeling Huo Yuhao gave her?
"Yuhao..." Zhongli Yu's beautiful eyes gradually became dazed.
...
The next morning, at the outer periphery of the Evildemon Forest.
Huo Yuhao and Zhongli Yu were ready to set off. A group of Holy Ghost Cult elders had all come to see the Holy Son off.
Compared to the original novel where he set off alone with a few daily necessities, as the Holy Son of the Holy Ghost Cult, Huo Yuhao was armed to the teeth. Besides several level seven or eight trigger-type soul tool cannonballs lying quietly in his storage soul tool, Huo Yuhao had over a hundred trigger-type invincible shields all over his body. In Zhongli Wu's words, even if faced with a joint attack from peerless experts like Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui, Huo Yuhao could remain unharmed for several seconds.
The reason Huo Yuhao gave for this trip was naturally to pay respects to his mother, Huo Yun'er. The Holy Ghost Cult was eager for him to stop cultivating and relax, so there were no obstacles when he proposed the long journey. Besides, with a Saintess who was close to the Titled Douluo level accompanying him, they naturally wouldn't worry about the Holy Son's safety.
After all, a flower grown in a greenhouse can never become a strong expert.
This was also the first time Huo Yuhao had seen Zhongli Yu's martial soul: the Death God Demonic Puppet, a top-tier evil martial soul inherited from the Zhongli lineage. The eight soul rings—seven black and one red—that floated at her feet forced Huo Yuhao to re-evaluate Zhongli Yu's true strength.
This time, the journey was led by Zhongli Yu flying with Huo Yuhao. The speed was not much slower than when they had arrived. Huo Yuhao breathed in the fresh air for the first time in a long while. After a whole year underground, the smell of darkness and blood had long exceeded the limits of what a normal person could endure.
Although Huo Yuhao was much taller than a year ago, there was still a considerable gap compared to the slender Zhongli Yu. He simply lay on her back, inhaling the fragrance that made his heart race, and closed his eyes to rest.
"If you move around randomly, I'll throw you off," Zhongli Yu issued a cold warning.
Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment, then laughed in spite of himself. However, he obediently refrained from any strange behavior. This greatly annoyed Zhongli Yu. In the past, when she threatened him, this fellow would always shamelessly climb up the pole. Why had his personality changed after coming out?
Was it because of my rejection yesterday? Does he really want to leave the Holy Ghost Cult? At this thought, Zhongli Yu couldn't help but feel even more annoyed, and her gaze became more complex.
"Don't try any tricks. You are the Holy Son of our Holy Ghost Cult. The ultimate evil ability in your martial soul, once exposed, will surely bring disaster!"
Is she kindly reminding me? Huo Yuhao found it amusing in his heart. Whether a person's martial soul was righteous or evil actually depended on that person's stance and code of conduct. There was no such thing as an absolutely evil martial soul, only so-called evil hearts.
"That's not necessarily true," Huo Yuhao said lazily with a smile.
"You!" Zhongli Yu directly stopped her speeding figure and, in mid-air, grabbed Huo Yuhao by the collar. "If the Holy Son dares to betray our cult, we will surely hunt you down, no matter how far you run!"
Huo Yuhao looked at the angry, beautiful face before him, and his heart couldn't help but soften. She had perfectly inherited the peerless beauty of a young Ye Xishui, and due to her martial soul, she had an added demonic charm. Her slender eyes reflected Huo Yuhao's handsome face, and the constantly fluctuating light seemed to be making a difficult choice.
The brand Zhongli Yu had planted in Huo Yuhao had long been discovered by Bibi Dong in his spiritual sea. Let alone Bibi Dong, who was the Rakshasa God, even the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and Electrolux whom he was about to meet could easily erase such a thing. Leaving it in his spiritual sea was merely to lull the high-ranking members of the Holy Ghost Cult into a false sense of security.
Huo Yuhao's eyes suddenly became affectionate. He raised a hand and slowly caressed Zhongli Yu's beautiful cheek. At that moment, in Huo Yuhao's pupils, Zhongli Yu seemed to only see herself. Yes, in heaven and on earth, there was only herself. Of course, this was an atmosphere that Huo Yuhao had quietly created using his spiritual power.
"Are you willing to let me go?"
These four short words almost made it impossible for Zhongli Yu to breathe. At this moment, she didn't know whether she should be angry or moved.
Was she willing? Whether it was her or Huo Yuhao, they were just people, not emotionless machines. A year of being together day and night had long secretly planted a seed in Zhongli Yu's heart.
"I didn't expect you to be quite the saint of love," Bibi Dong's strange voice sounded in Huo Yuhao's mind, which made the latter quickly brush it off in his consciousness. Since ancient times, heroes have had a weakness for beautiful women. Huo Yuhao was no exception. Before transmigrating to this world, he was just an ordinary person who couldn't be more ordinary.
Just as Huo Yuhao was brushing off Bibi Dong in his mind, Zhongli Yu pulled him into her embrace, her voice unknowingly carrying a hint of a sob.
"You're not allowed to go! I won't let you go..."
"Sigh..." Huo Yuhao sighed deeply in his heart. Indeed, since ancient times, the grace of a beauty is the hardest to bear. He gently patted Zhongli Yu's back but did not give a reply. He didn't want to lie to this woman.
"Don't worry..."
The two of them were suspended in mid-air, embracing tightly in the morning light. The gentle morning sun shone on their bodies, and the scene was once extremely warm.