Unrivaled Tang Sect Volume 26

Book 26: Hidden Danger

Chapter 243: Representing the Tang Sect to Fight?

Wang Dong’er snapped, “Don’t try to change the topic. So how?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I told you that was a misunderstanding? Don’t you trust my character?”

Wang Dong’er wanted to smile, but straightened her expression. “I only believe what I see.”

Huo Yuhao was helpless as he said, “About that, what do you think I should do? I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

Wang Dong’er snorted and said, “Come in.” As she spoke, she dragged him into her room before locking the door. There were some things that shouldn’t be said outside. Her room was also pretty soundproof.

As she looked at Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er almost burst out laughing. This helpless-looking guy was really the guy that she liked?

“Huo Yuhao!”

“I’m here!” Huo Yuhao almost greeted her formally, and he acknowledged her words cautiously.

Wang Dong’er thought her words over before saying, “Owing to your performance last night, I decided that you are my man from today onwards. I’ll be responsible for you. Do you understand?”

“What?” Huo Yuhao’s tone varied greatly as he muttered this one word. He looked at Wang Dong’er in a daze and didn’t understand.

Wang Dong’er was furious, “What? You’ve hugged, touched, and slept with me. Are you going to shirk your responsibility? You’re my man from now on. You can’t look, like, or even touch other ladies. Do you understand?”

“Uh…” Huo Yuhao seemed to have understood her point.

Wang Dong’er was pleased as she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll treat you very well. I’ll feed you and give you water every day. You can also follow me. However, you need to listen to me. Do you understand?”

Huo Yuhao was in a daze. “Why do I feel like you’re keeping a dog instead?”

Wang Dong’er chuckled. “Yes, I am. You are the dog.”

“Aren’t you angry?” the look in Huo Yuhao’s eyes turned clearer.

Wang Dong’er straightened her expression once again. “Who said I’m not? I’m very angry!”

“Are you?” Huo Yuhao’s expression changed. He was no longer as cautious as before. He wasn’t a fool, either. Although love could make one foolish, he couldn’t possibly be relegated to the level of a dog! “Yes! What, what are you going to do? Don’t mess around!” Wang Dong’er was shocked to realize that a certain dog was walking towards her. This dog had also turned vicious.

“Nice! Wang Dong’er, how dare you trick me! See how I’m going to deal with you!”

“Stop playing around, I’m going to shout!”

“If you’re not scared of embarrassment, then shout all you want. No one will come and save you even if you shout until you lose your voice! I have a legendary soul skill called Hungry Tiger Pouncing on its Prey!”

“Ah!”

In the next moment, the bed became the battleﬁeld. Huo Yuhao was given a good kick by Wang Dong’er, and he ﬂew back onto the wall before sliding down.

As she was frightened, Wang Dong’er had kicked him forcefully. Huo Yuhao almost lost consciousness.

“Yuhao, are you alright?” Wang Dong’er was frightened and rushed to his side. She caressed his chest with an anxious look on her face. “It wasn’t intentional. Who asked you to be so naughty…?”

“I was naughty…?” Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened, and he looked at her as if she had reversed the truth. Who was the one scaring me? I was so afraid that my heart was beating extremely quickly.

“I can’t make it. My stomach is aching from your kick.” Huo Yuhao leaned on Wang Dong’er and refused to get up.

Wang Dong’er became even more anxious, “What do we do?

Do I carry you to the inﬁrmary?”

“No need. You have medicine with you. Give me some.” Huo Yuhao’s voice sounded even weaker.

“What medicine?” Wang Dong’er was stunned. Huo Yuhao’s voice suddenly turned weird. “Magical medicine.” After he ﬁnished speaking, he suddenly hugged Wang Dong’er and tried to kiss her.

Wang Dong’er was a Soul Emperor, and her reactions were quick. When Huo Yuhao moved, she reacted immediately, and subconsciously turned around. However, it didn’t work. Her lips still met his.

When their lips met, they both froze in place.

Huo Yuhao hadn’t planned on kissing Wang Dong’er on the lips! It was accidental…

Wang Dong’er’s lips were soft and refreshing. When their lips met, Huo Yuhao felt his soul shaking. He couldn’t describe that feeling with words. Their pupils dilated at the same time, and they maintained this position for several seconds.

“Oo…” Wang Dong’er reacted ﬁrst. She quickly moved back, and her face could be seen blushing red like an apple. Huo Yuhao remained where he was, and even licked his lips.

“You!” Wang Dong’er pursed her lips. It was hard to tell if she was furious or being coquettish.

“It wasn’t deliberate…” Huo Yuhao muttered almost immediately. However, he wanted to slap himself after he spoke. Even if it wasn’t accidental, he still took advantage of her.

Indeed, Wang Dong’er raised her brows and said furiously, “Get out!”

“Dong’er, listen to me…”

Wang Dong’er didn’t give him a chance to defend himself, and dragged him to the door of her room. Huo Yuhao didn’t even struggle, and was thrown out in a matter of seconds.

Bang! The door slammed shut. Wang Dong’er leaned on the door after she closed it and held her face with her hands. She stomped on the ground with her right foot, “This idiot, he stole my ﬁrst kiss just like that. So unromantic.”

Huo Yuhao was locked out, and could only scratch his head helplessly. He probably couldn’t enter her room anymore. However, he could tell that she wasn’t really angry. He was prepared to whip up some delicacies before coming back to coax her.

“Yuhao, Yuhao!” At this moment, an anxious voice sounded. Huo Yuhao turned around and saw vice-Dean Cai Mei’er walking towards him.

“No wonder I couldn’t ﬁnd you. So you came here to ﬁnd Dong’er. Quick, follow me!” Cai Mei’er approached him and dragged him away immediately.

Huo Yuhao was confused. “Dean Cai, what’s going on? What happened?”

Cai Mei’er replied, “You’ll know after you follow me. After we returned yesterday, I reported our ﬁndings to Elder Xuan. He was very concerned about your suggestion for soul masters to learn how to use soul tools, and asked you to report to him. Elder Song, Shaozhe and Xian Lin’er are all there. We’ll discuss it ﬁrst before bringing the matter up in the Conference in the Sea God’s Pavilion. Go and prepare.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao’s eyes brightened. This was an important matter that he was pushing for. If he succeeded, it would be very beneﬁcial for Shrek Academy’s future development.

The two of them came to the ﬁrst level of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Indeed, Elder Xuan was seated at the conference room table with his wine gourd beside him. However, it was evident that he hadn’t drunk anything today. While he was old, he was still full of energy.

Elder Song, Xian Lin’er, Yan Shaozhe, Huo Yuhao and Cai Mei’er sat in the other seats. They constituted slightly less than half of a proper Conference of the Sea God’s Pavilion.

Everyone smiled kindly when they saw Huo Yuhao. Elder Xuan asked, “Yuhao, did you get enough rest?” Huo Yuhao’s face was blushing slightly. Of course he had slept well. He had hugged Wang Dong’er to sleep!

“It was rather good. Thank you for your concern, Elder Xuan.”

As he spoke, he took his seat along with Cai Mei’er. Cai Mei’er sat one seat from Yan Shaozhe, whereas Huo Yuhao sat one seat from her.

Elder Xuan said, “Mei’er has already told me about what happened. It seems like there’s really going to be a huge change in the world of soul masters on the continent! First it was the Holy Ghost Church. Then the Dragon Emperor Long Xiaoyao appeared. Now it’s the three evil soul masters’ turn. I’m afraid we’re going to face more trouble in the future. But let’s forget about that for now, we’ll talk about it in the next conference. These evil soul masters can’t be resisted by ordinary Shrek Guardians anymore. We’ll have to deal with the matter prudently. Yuhao, tell me about your suggestion.”

“Yes!” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words. “In fact, this suggestion wasn’t initially made by me, but Teacher Wang Yan. The future development of the world of soul masters is bound to involve strong soul masters developing soul tools to their fullest. I’m an experimental product of Teacher Wang. After years of learning about soul tools and increasing my cultivation, I discovered that the abilities of soul masters and soul tools are not mutually exclusive.

“The Sun Moon Empire is able to attract so many people to become soul engineers mainly because soul engineers aren’t restricted by martial souls. As long as they have soul power, they can use soul tools and become soul engineers. It’s precisely this idea that has made our idea seem deviant, too.”

“In my opinion, soul masters without strong martial souls can be considered soul engineers if they use soul tools. However, they are just basic soul engineers. They aren’t strong. They won’t be able to unleash the full power of their soul tools. In fact, it’s not only us that took a roundabout way, even the Sun Moon Empire did the same thing. They are too focused on soul tools, and have neglected the inﬂuence of a soul master on soul tools. Our Ultimate Soldier Plan has indeed made some breakthroughs, but we are unable to distinguish them clearly yet.”

“What’s Shrek’s greatest advantage? It’s that we have the best soul master educational system and the best soul masters. Like I mentioned earlier, soul masters and soul engineers are not mutually exclusive.

“Let me give a simple example. Imagine we have a Class 4 soul cannon with a ﬁring range of three hundred meters in the hands of both an ordinary soul master and a member of our academy. The effect of this soul tool will be different for both sides. An ordinary soul master will try to increase his soul power and soul skills in order to continue using this soul cannon. Their abilities will become more and more negligible as a result, and they’ll need to rely on the soul cannon to attack. However, how can their judgment, senses, agility, and strength compare to our soul masters?”

“If I were an agility-type soul master carrying the same soul cannon, I could kill my opponent, who wouldn’t be able to put up any resistance. He won’t even be able to lock onto me. If I were a control-type soul master, I could control the situation and close the distance while ﬁnding the most appropriate opportunity to attack. If I were an assault-type soul master, I could use the ﬁrepower of the soul cannon to suppress my opponent, and use my physically strong body to ﬁght. If my opponent is at the same level of cultivation, how could he possibly beat me?

“That’s why ordinary soul masters will be much inferior to our soul masters if both sides use the same soul tools and are at the same level of cultivation. There’s an even wider gap in terms of the potential to grow even stronger.”

As he concluded, Huo Yuhao stood up and said, “Everyone, please take a look.”

As he spoke, he stood up and retreated a few steps. He lifted his right hand and revealed his Starlight Sapphire ring.

A streak of blue light ﬂashed, and an entirely grey, three-and- a-half-meter-tall metallic man was presented in front of everyone.

Although this metallic man looked a little simple, Dean Xian Lin’er couldn’t help but jump up from her seat when it appeared. She lost her voice as she said, “Human-shaped soul tool!...”

Huo Yuhao nodded and pointed at it with his right hand. The center of the soul tool cracked open, revealing an empty space.

Xian Lin’er was already very eager. She raced up in front of the metallic man and was appalled as she looked it over. “Yuhao, this is from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy…”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and replied, “No, I invented this myself. It contains some of Tang Sect’s secret techniques. If I commanded such a soul tool, I could attack up to one kilometer away, and its speed can be increased to the maximum using my twelve Class 6 soul thrusters. It can ﬂy at a high altitude for some time, too! I even installed enough Milk Bottles to provide it with independent soul power. Even if I deplete my own soul power, the Milk Bottles can sustain the ﬁghting strength of a Soul Emperor for some time. However, all this isn’t the most important thing.”

Huo Yuhao stepped forward in front of the human-shaped soul tool. He stepped inside of it, and it closed up. Under his control, the metallic man took a step forward.

“The most important thing is that it has the potential to be enhanced further. This is the future development path of soul tools. A suitable soul master using a suitable soul tool that can exhibit all types of ﬁghting skills will become the future trend. Human-shaped soul tools won’t be left out. However, some problems will arise as human-shaped soul tools develop.

“Soul tools aren’t everything on their own. The more unique they are, the greater their requirements on the person controlling them. Simply put, if a medicinally-boosted ﬁve- ringed Soul King controlled this metallic man, he would directly lose his ﬁghting ability and even his life from the instantaneous thrusting force when it ﬂies at high altitudes. However, this won’t happen to me. I can even use my spiritual power to lock onto my target, and tap into my various soul skills to aid it, complementing it to unleash greater ﬁghting strength. Even if it is damaged, I can still ﬁght on the battleﬁeld, since I’m a strong soul master in my own right.”

As he ﬁnished, Huo Yuhao exited the metallic man from the clanging metal doors. He returned to the table and said respectfully, “Elders, my ﬁnal conclusion is that soul tools are only weapons that can be used by soul masters. They are external items. Their presence won’t affect a soul master’s status. On the contrary, they might even make us stronger. Think about it. If our soul masters were equipped with the Illustrious Virtue Hall’s soul tools, we’d be invincible. However, can they do the same thing? No. That’s because they lack the most basic thing. Soul tools can be created and enhanced through research, but what about strong soul masters? Who has a foundation like Shrek Academy?!”

As he reached this last sentence, his voice was determined and resolute. Everyone was moved by his words. Even Yan Shaozhe’s eyes changed continuously.

The strength of Huo Yuhao’s speech was that he evaluated soul tools from the perspective of soul masters, and at the same time addressed their greatest worry.

Yan Shaozhe asked, “Yuhao, I have a question. According to what you say, I’d like to know how long it’ll take for a soul master to learn how to use these various soul tools?”

Huo Yuhao answered without hesitation, “If you’re talking about controlling different categories of soul tools, it’ll take two to three years.”

After hearing his reply, Yan Shaozhe heaved a sigh of relief. He thought that that wasn’t a very long time. However, his eyes brightened when Huo Yuhao continued, “However, I think that’s too long. In my opinion, I think it’s easy for soul masters to use soul tools. However, being eclectic isn’t a good choice.

That’s because different soul masters are bound to have different soul tools that suit them. It’s like how soul engineers have to choose their future path when they develop soul tools. When soul masters use soul tools, they should also make their own choices.

“For example, assault-type soul masters are most suited to use this human-shaped soul tool in front of me. That’s because their bodies are very strong and more tolerant. Their ﬁghting strength will greatly increase when using such a soul tool. This is especially so for ﬁve-ringed Soul Kings and six-ringed Soul Emperors, as they’ll directly gain the ability to ﬂy over long distances. The effect of this on the battleﬁeld will be immense!

“For auxiliary-type soul masters, they’ll need other soul tools. First, soul tools that suit them need to be sufﬁciently offensive. Then they’ll also need soul tools that they can use to defend themselves. The size of the soul tools will be bigger than this metallic man in front of us, and will be able to guarantee their survival on the battleﬁeld.

“For agility-type soul masters, soul thrusters would suit them. Their speed would be greatly increased. Along with close-combat soul tools, they’ll become very strong. From this, we can conclude that the best thing would be for every soul master to have a custom-made soul tool, and only use that category of soul tool. It’ll then take only a month or two to become familiar with and control one speciﬁc category of soul tools. For deeper familiarization, it’ll depend on one’s intelligence and learning speed.”

All the elders couldn’t help but nod as they listened to Huo Yuhao’s explanation. Elder Xuan revealed a comforted look, reassured by these words.

“Everyone, what do you think about Yuhao’s proposal?” Elder Xuan asked.

Elder Song sighed slightly and commented, “In the future, our world will belong to young people like them. The difference in our thinking actually led to such a huge discrepancy in our ideas. However, I must admit that I’m convinced.” Elder Xuan and looked at Yan Shaozhe before saying, “Shaozhe, what about you?”

Yan Shaozhe said, “Elder Xuan, Elder Song, everyone else. After hearing Yuhao’s words, I have a lot of feelings. I’m most shocked not by this metallic man, but his analysis of Shrek’s advantage. All this while, my biggest mistake was to look at others’ advantages, and I forgot about our own advantages. Yuhao has also convinced me. I reckon that we can try his method out. We can add two more lessons for the Martial Soul Department’s outer courtyard students, introduction to soul tools, and use of soul tools. The younger students can start interacting with soul tools during their learning process. The inner courtyard disciples can be equipped with custom-made soul tools, like Yuhao suggested. In this way, our Shrek Guardians will undoubtedly become stronger. Lin’er, I’ll need you to be in charge of educating the Martial Soul Department’s inner courtyard students on using soul tools.”

“Of course” Xian Lin’er looked at Yan Shaozhe with a slightly weird expression. But that was no surprise; in her heart, Yan Shaozhe was a stubborn old man! Who would have expected him to accept Huo Yuhao’s suggestion? Although Huo Yuhao had only mentioned the advantages to the Martial Soul Department, his proposal would also make the Soul Tool Department more important in Shrek Academy!

Xian Lin’er said, “It’s not that simple either. One or two months is a very short time. After everyone discovers a suitable category of soul tool, they will need time to study and understand it. They will also need to learn how to use soul tools without affecting their own abilities. This is very important.”

Elder Xuan said, “Yuhao and Shaozhe are already responsible for the research of Spirits. Lin’er, you shall be in charge of this matter. You can test it out in the inner courtyard ﬁrst. The extra two lessons that Shaozhe mentioned can be directly implemented in the outer courtyard.”

Xian Lin’er answered unhappily, “Elder Xuan, this is a little unfair.”

“Oh?” Elder Xuan was a little puzzled as he looked at her and asked, “What’s so unfair?” Xian Lin’er replied, “Yuhao is also one of us. I can tell you for sure that no one in the Soul Tool Department can make this human-shaped soul tool like him. I can’t, either. This proposition was also made by him. We can leave the matter about Spirits and let him help me ﬁrst.”

“We can’t do that.” Yan Shaozhe replied without hesitation. “Lin’er, you should know how important Spirits are to the future world of soul masters. There are different degrees of importance. We need you to helm things over at the Soul Tool Department!”

Xian Lin’er snorted and replied, “Didn’t you hear Huo Yuhao? What’s the future development trend? Spirits are a new discovery, but we don’t know if they can really replace soul rings in the future. We still need to carry out more experiments. Allowing our inner courtyard students to use soul tools and increasing their ﬁghting strength is more important.

“You… can’t put it this way. Spirits are the future.” Yan Shaozhe’s expression turned gloomy. Elder Xuan furrowed his brow and said, “Alright, the two of you squabble every time you meet. We shall leave it like that temporarily. Lin’er, you can ﬁnd Yuhao if you need help in the area of soul tools. Furthermore, isn’t He Caitou here too? According to Fan Yu, He Caitou’s research ability in terms of

soul tools is not inferior to Yuhao.”

Xian Lin’er and Yan Shaozhe ﬁnally quieted down after Elder Xuan persuaded them both.

Huo Yuhao’s expression turned gloomy. He had found more problems for himself! There was another matter that he had to monitor now… there were too many things he had to settle right now!

“Elder Xuan, what do we do about the two Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear cubs I brought back?” Huo Yuhao asked.

Elder Xuan replied, “They are your private property and have nothing to do with the academy. You can decide yourself.”

“What?” Huo Yuhao was shocked as he looked at Elder Xuan. What was going on? Did Elder Xuan’s words mean that the academy didn’t want the two cubs? They were Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears!

Elder Xuan was amused and said, “What? Is there a problem? They really are your private property. Take good care of them. As one of the top soul beasts, they can grow very quickly in the future with sufﬁcient nutrition. They might be very helpful to you in the future.”

“Also, I heard from Mei’er that you obtained three soul bones. Those three soul bones were obtained by you and Wang Qiu’er, so they naturally belong to the two of you. You can decide how you want to divide them. However, tell me how you feel about Wang Qiu’er.”

Undoubtedly, Elder Xuan was slightly biased towards him. Theoretically speaking, he couldn’t have achieved such gains without the entire team following him deep into the forest. But at this point, Elder Xuan deviated from the topic.

Huo Yuhao didn’t reject his offer either. After pondering for a while, he said, “Wang Qiu’er is indeed very strong. Her Golden Dragon is one of the strongest martial souls I’ve ever seen. I already think that I’m very strong and have an advantage in terms of my twin martial souls. However, I don’t have any conﬁdence of beating her in a duel.”

“In terms of personality, she’s a lady who’s cold on the outside, but warm on the inside, even though she’s unwilling to get close to anyone. Without her help, I would’ve been gravely injured even if I survived. She has unlimited potential.”

Elder Xuan squinted and said, “This means you think she’s credible even though she’s just entered the inner courtyard?”

Huo Yuhao nodded without any hesitation.

Elder Xuan nodded slightly and appeared pensive. “Alright, we’ll end things here today. All of you can return. Lin’er, return and prepare for what was proposed today. Tomorrow, we’ll conﬁrm things during the Sea God’s Pavilion conference. Yuhao, call the rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters. I have something to tell all of you.”

“Yes.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words respectfully. ------

Shrek’s Seven Monsters were usually in the inner courtyard. Even though their cultivations weren’t low, the inner courtyard was responsible for nurturing elite students like them. There were things to learn at every level. That’s why they only gathered at the Tang Sect on the weekends.

Huo Yuhao found them very easily. When he ﬁnally approached Wang Dong’er’s door anxiously, her door directly opened on its own.

Wang Dong’er, who was decked in the inner courtyard’s red uniform, looked ﬁery. She was stunned when she saw Huo Yuhao in front of her door, and almost punched him.

“Surely you haven’t been standing here all this while?”

Huo Yuhao said honestly, “Yes! I’ve been standing here as a punishment so that I can earn your forgiveness.” Wang Dong’er snapped, “Nonsense. I heard Dean Cai dragging you away. Your lies are not good enough.”

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Let’s go. Elder Xuan is looking for us. He seems to have something important to tell us.”

“Alright.” Wang Dong’er acknowledged his words before she closed the door to her room. After that, she followed Huo Yuhao to the ﬁrst level of the Sea God’s Pavilion.

As they walked, Huo Yuhao said softly, “Dong’er.”

“What?”

“Are you still angry?”

“Yes”

“How angry?” “Very angry!”

“What can I do to appease you?”

“Hmph!”

“Can two wrongs make a right?”

“……”

Wang Dong’er stared furiously at him as she stopped. However, she was greeted with Huo Yuhao’s burning gaze. He was even looking at her lips!

“You…” Wang Dong’er placed her hands on her hips and was about to erupt.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly twisted his head and said, “Let’s go. Elder Xuan is waiting for us.” After he ﬁnished speaking, he quickened his footsteps as they proceeded downstairs. Wang Dong’er mimicked a whacking action as she looked at him before following after him. She even pinched his waist a few times.

Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong’er had all arrived. However, they were not qualiﬁed to sit at the table. They lined up in a row and stood in front of Elder Xuan.

As a member of the Sea God’s Pavilion, Huo Yuhao could sit. However, how could he sit when the rest of them were standing?

Elder Xuan complimented them in his heart as he looked at these vibrant youths. They had grown much faster than he had expected. Undoubtedly, they were going to be the future pillars of Shrek Academy. This future was coming quickly, too.

“Alright, all of you are present. I called all of you here because I have something important to discuss with all of you.” Elder Xuan lifted his wine gourd and took a sip. As long as it wasn’t some formal gathering, he would drink. Fortunately, he didn’t act like a beggar now. Bei Bei said respectfully, “Elder Xuan, please enlighten us.”

Elder Xuan replied, “It’s less than three months to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. I believe all of you should be quite ready?”

Bei Bei answered, “Yes. We were going to report to you too. After Yuhao and Caitou returned, we practiced many times together. When are you free? You can check out our progress.”

Elder Xuan observed the seven of them. When Bei Bei said this, all seven of them revealed their self-conﬁdence. Their conﬁdence naturally originated from their abilities.

“I don’t need to check on the seven of you yet. I called all of you here today because I wanted to brief all of you regarding the tournament. Not long ago, we received news that’s not good for the academy… however, it’s an opportunity for all of you. The new edition of the tournament will be held in the Sun Moon Empire. Undoubtedly, all of you will be under great pressure, since you will be competing on the home ground of our main competitor. The Sun Moon Empire discussed some changes to the tournament system with the three empires earlier. They sought the opinion of the various academies and sects regarding their proposed changes.”

“Change to the system?” Bei Bei’s gaze turned cold. As competing members of the top academy on the continent, changes in the system were likely to neutralize some of Shrek Academy’s advantages. No wonder Elder Xuan said that this wasn’t a good thing for the academy.

Elder Xuan, “Yes, changing the tournament system. First, they want to change the qualiﬁcation requirements. The age restriction doesn’t change, the upper limit will still be twenty years old. However, they’ve expanded it to include all sects. This means that the tournament will now be renamed to the Continental Soul Master Youth Tournament. The number of teams will greatly increase. If this change is approved, there will be twice the number of competing teams.”

Attracting sects to participate? What was the purpose of doing so? All seven of them were stunned, but they couldn’t tell what the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s goal was. Huo Yuhao asked, “Elder Xuan, is it likely for it to be approved?”

Elder Xuan said without any hesitation, “Very likely! When this change was suggested, it received the support of many sects, especially the stronger sects. The tournament is a good way to showcase themselves to the masses. To these sects, it’s a good way to advertise themselves, so they were quite willing. For example, the Body Sect is conﬁdent in becoming champions.”

Chapter 244: Qiu'er, I'm Not One Who Picks on Others

After hearing Elder Xuan’s words, everyone went silent. If sects were allowed to participate in the tournament, they might no longer be odds-on to be the champions anymore. Just like Elder Xuan had said, there would be a lot of trouble if the Body Sect also competed in the tournament, not to mention the rest of the sects on the continent. The Body Sect wasn’t the only capable sect. In Huo Yuhao’s heart, the Clear Sky Sect was not inferior to the Body Sect.

Bei Bei said, “Elder Xuan, it’ll be much more difﬁcult for us in this tournament. You called for us because you want us to up our training intensity over the next few months?”

Elder Xuan waved his hand and replied, “No matter how the system changes, I’m conﬁdent in all of you. In the last tournament, the seven of you brought back the title of champions even under such unfortunate circumstances. Five years on, the seven of you are even better than before. So what if the other sects compete? Although this spells more trouble, I’m sure you’ll emerge as champions. However, have the seven of you ever considered the fact that a change in the system will be beneﬁcial for you even if it’s a bad thing for the academy? The seven of you belong to the same sect.”

After hearing his words, everyone was stunned. As members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, they naturally treated themselves as part of Shrek Academy. They were the main competing members of the academy. However, Elder Xuan’s words made it sound a little different!

Xu Sanshi was stunned as he asked, “Elder Xuan, are you saying that you are allowing us to compete in the tournament as part of the Tang Sect…?”

Elder Xuan smiled and replied, “I’m not approving anything.

It depends on whether the seven of you are willing.”

Their expressions changed as they looked at one another.

Elder Xuan said, “If the seven of you compete as part of the Tang Sect, the academy will send another team to compete. All of you will still be recognized as Shrek’s Seven Monsters. This means that everyone will still know that you are from Shrek Academy even though you are representing the Tang Sect. In this way, it’s equivalent to our academy sending two teams out. This is double insurance for the academy.”

Bei Bei hesitated, “However, if we win, the legacy of Shrek Academy’s glory in the tournament will…”

Elder Xuan replied, “When Elder Mu passed away, he once told me that glory can’t be your restraint. What’s a little glory compared to the better development of the academy and your futures? Don’t tell me that Shrek Academy will stop being the top academy on the continent just because we are not champions?” As he spoke till here, there was a look of pride in his eyes.

Bei Bei pondered for a moment before saying, “If we represent the Tang Sect, we’ll still face some problems. For example, we don’t have any substitutes. In addition, can the academy send a suitable team in our place?”

Elder Xuan replied, “You look down on the academy too much. I was still hesitating over this matter. However, didn’t Yuhao tell all of you that there’s a new talent in the academy?” Huo Yuhao said immediately, “Wang Qiu’er?”

Elder Xuan nodded and said, “That’s right. If the seven of you represent the Tang Sect, Wang Qiu’er will assume the role of team leader to represent Shrek Academy. There are still other outstanding students below the age of twenty in our academy. Although they aren’t as good as the seven of you, they aren’t that much inferior. I’ll give you a few days to think about it. Let’s make it three days. Within three days, you must give me a deﬁnite answer.”

“Yes.” Bei Bei acknowledged his words. From the way he clenched his ﬁst, it was evident that he wasn’t calm. He was even slightly agitated.

After bidding Elder Xuan goodbye, everyone gathered at Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi’s dormitory.

Xu Sanshi said, “Guys, what should we do? Should we represent Shrek or the Tang Sect?”

He Caitou said, “I’m ﬁne with both. To me, there’s not much difference. Elder Xuan was right. No matter who we represent, everyone will know that we’re from Shrek. If we represent the Tang Sect, it’s equivalent to Shrek sending two teams for the tournament.”

Jiang Nannan furrowed her brow and said, “I’m only worried. If we represent the Tang Sect, it’ll be very difﬁcult for Shrek Academy to become champions. Whether they lose to us or others, it’ll represent the end of Shrek’s glory in the tournament. We fought so hard to preserve this glory during the last tournament. If we lose it just like that, I’ll be very indignant. While Elder Xuan appeared to be very calm about the matter, the inﬂuence of this glory will impact Shrek greatly!”

Xiao Xiao didn’t mutter a word. She rarely opened her mouth during discussions.

Bei Bei turned his attention towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, “What about the two of you?”

Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment before replying, “I feel that we should represent the Tang Sect. In terms of selﬁsh motives, I want to do this for Teacher Xiao Ya and do my best to help the Tang Sect prosper. Disregarding selﬁsh considerations, we can’t rely on the academy forever. We need to make a name for ourselves too. As for the academy’s glory, I don’t think there’ll be any conﬂict even if we represent the Tang Sect.”

“No conﬂict?” Bei Bei was puzzled as he looked at him.

Huo Yuhao whispered something, and everyone’s gazes turned perplexed.

“Isn’t this a little shameless? Will the committee allow this?” Wang Dong’er couldn’t help but say. She looked at Huo Yuhao with a weird look on her face.

Huo Yuhao asked confusedly, “How is it shameless? We’re only showcasing our identities. No matter how the system changes, there shouldn’t be any special restrictions in this aspect.”

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi looked at each other. Bei Bei was relieved, while Xu Sanshi clapped his hands and said, “Sixth junior, you’re impressive. I didn’t expect you to inherit eldest senior’s slyness. Impressive.”

Bei Bei snapped and kicked, “Get lost. How am I sly?”

Xu Sanshi avoided his kick and said, “How dare you kick me?

Be careful, or I won’t give my best during the tournament.”

Bei Bei snorted and replied, “Then I’ll send Nannan up to deal with the most troublesome opponent around.”

“You!” Xu Sanshi opened his eyes wide and was ﬁlled with condemnation.

Bei Bei acted like he didn’t see anything and said, “I think that little junior’s suggestion is very good. Since this is the case, we’ve solved our greatest problem. I also agree that we should represent the Tang Sect to compete.”

Undoubtedly, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi and Huo Yuhao were the core of this team. Xu Sanshi didn’t say anything, but he appeared to be ﬁne with the suggestion. Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei had already agreed, and thus there was technically a conclusion already. Bei Bei took in a deep breath and said seriously, “Then let’s do our best for the Tang Sect’s glory in this tournament.”

As he spoke, he reached out with his right hand.

Everyone reached out their right hands and they stacked their hands together. A strong camaraderie surrounded the dormitory hall they were in.

“Yuhao, let’s go. Let’s tell Elder Xuan what we think. The academy can also prepare.” Bei Bei told Huo Yuhao, and they prepared to leave the dormitory.

After leaving, Bei Bei hugged Huo Yuhao’s shoulder. “Thank you.” He knew that everyone would have hesitated without Huo Yuhao’s support, since they were clearly aware that they were all members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters.

Among the seven of them, Bei Bei was undoubtedly the most eager to represent the Tang Sect. It was all for the Tang Ya. Tang Ya had been missing for close to ﬁve years, and there had been no news of her yet. What was the probability that she was still alive? Although Bei Bei had never mentioned it over the past ﬁve years, he knew the internal pressure that he felt. He just wanted to do something for the Tang Ya now, and he also prayed every day in the hopes that she was still alive.

Undoubtedly, the modiﬁed Continental Soul Master Youth Tournament was a good way to ﬁnd Tang Ya. If the Tang Sect eventually emerged as champions, Tang Ya would learn of the good news, and perhaps she would return. Even if they couldn’t ﬁnd her, Bei Bei’s promise to her could still be fulﬁlled.

Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly and said, “Eldest senior, I would have died in the Great Star Dou Forest if not for you and Teacher Xiao Ya. The two of you are my benefactors. I was also given the chance to enter Shrek Academy because of the Tang Sect. Although I’m a Shrek Academy student, I’m also a part of the Tang Sect. Without affecting the academy’s glory, I’m willing to ﬁght for the Tang Sect’s glory and Teacher Xiao Ya. When we emerge as champions, she’ll know about it and return.” Bei Bei said with conﬁdence, “Yes. Xiao Ya will be back. I will wait for her for my entire life.”

After receiving their report, Elder Xuan looked as if he knew this was going to happen. He only instructed them to make their preparations. When the change to the system was conﬁrmed, he would inform them about the registration method again.

After exiting the Sea God’s Pavilion, Bei Bei seemed to recall something. He asked Huo Yuhao, “Oh yes, a few people were here to ﬁnd you yesterday. They came to the academy directly. Since you weren’t around, the academy wasn’t able to host them. They came directly to me. I asked them to proceed to the Tang Sect ﬁrst. If you are not in a rush, you can go and ﬁnd them ﬁrst. They seem to come from the Sun Moon Empire. Na Na knows them too.”

After hearing Bei Bei’s words, Huo Yuhao was elated. It was good news! He immediately guessed who was here to ﬁnd him.

“Eldest senior, was it a soul engineer named Xuan Ziwen who was here to ﬁnd me?” Huo Yuhao asked immediately.

Bei Bei thought for a moment before replying, “I think there was such a person. I was busy with other things then, and didn’t bother to converse with them properly.”

Huo Yuhao was delighted. “It’s good if it’s Teacher Xuan. Eldest senior, he’s a Class 8 soul engineer! He’s also a chief researcher in the Illustrious Virtue Hall. If he’s willing to join the Tang Sect, our reputation in soul tools will soon grow in the continent!”

“Oh? What’s going on?” Bei Bei was interested after hearing his words.

Huo Yuhao recounted his bet with Xuan Ziwen, and how he had attracted him to join the Tang Sect.

After hearing his explanation, Bei Bei ﬁnally understood, and was also surprised. Undoubtedly, it was very difﬁcult to ﬁnd someone of Xuan Ziwen’s caliber! Huo Yuhao was greatly strengthening the sect by poaching someone as capable as him.

“Alright, that’s great. No, I must go with you. Oh, wait, the seven of us should go together. Teacher Xuan is very important. We need to show our respect for him.” Bei Bei said decisively.

Huo Yuhao said, “Eldest senior, did you mention that there were a few of them? Besides Teacher Xuan, who else is here?”

Bei Bei laughed, “Why are you asking me? If you don’t know, why would I know? Don’t think about it. You’ll know when we see them.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words, and the two returned to the dormitory to brief the rest before proceeding to the Tang Sect. They had great freedom in the academy. They only needed to consult their teachers when they had any queries. There weren’t any rules restricting their freedom.

---

The seven of them rushed over to the Tang Sect. After entering the courtyard, Huo Yuhao saw two familiar ﬁgures. He was stunned as he saw them, and mumbled, “The two of you really can’t be shaken off!”

Bei Bei stared at him and asked, “Yuhao, what do you mean?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I have to say this about these two! Eldest senior, you don’t know how much they pestered me. Why are they here with Teacher Xuan to ﬁnd me?”

The two individuals that Huo Yuhao mentioned were sparring as Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei entered the courtyard, but they stopped when the two of them entered. As they saw Huo Yuhao’s annoyed look, they revealed smiles on their face.

These two were Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan, Huo Yuhao’s old foes when he was at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy! Huo Yuhao certainly didn’t expect the two of them to be here in Shrek City.

Jing Ziyan placed her hands on her waist and taunted him, “Why Huo Yuhao, why don’t you welcome us? You’re acting tough just because we’re in your territory? If you’re unconvinced, why don’t you ﬁght us?”

Seeing these two pests, Huo Yuhao placed his hands on his waist and answered, “Okay! Are the two of you challenging the seven of us, or are we whacking the two of you?”

Jing Ziyan was joking, but Ji Juechen took it for real! He had found another pitch-black iron sword. He pointed it forward, and his aura soared. He wasn’t called a sword fanatic for nothing.

As they felt the sharp and vicious sword intent, the rest of the seven were stunned. What was going on? Were they enemies?

“Stop fooling around. Let’s clear things up before sparring.” Huo Yuhao looked helpless as he approached them. After that, he turned to the rest behind him and said, “Let me introduce you guys. These two guys are Jing Ziyan and Ji Juechen. They are my “good pals” from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy…”

Jing Ziyan grinned when she heard Huo Yuhao’s introduction. When he said ‘good pals’, he sounded extremely furious!

“They are my seniors and juniors in the Tang Sect. Surely the two of you didn’t come all the way from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to Shrek City to ﬁght me, right?” Huo Yuhao didn’t know what the two of them were up to.

Ji Juechen shook his head immediately.

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief. That’s right, they couldn’t possibly travel thousands of kilometers to ﬁght him.

However, Jing Ziyan followed with, “We came here to ﬁght many, many rounds with you!”

“What!” Huo Yuhao almost choked on his saliva. “Many rounds? Don’t you need to study?”

Ji Juechen replied, “We’ve quit the academy.”

Jing Ziyan said seriously, “When you were about to leave, we discussed and agreed that we learned more from sparring with you than anything we’ve learned from the academy. We are both more like soul masters. That’s why we believe this place might be more suitable for us, and why we’re here. We don’t really have anything over there that we’ll miss anyway. You can just give us a roof over our heads and ﬁght us every day. You can also choose not to ﬁght us, but we’ll stick to you wherever you go.”

Huo Yuhao was stunned as he stared at them. It was quite miraculous that they could actually pester him to such a standard!

Ji Juechen waved his sword and said, “Since we’ve cleared things up, can we ﬁght now?”

The rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, including Wang Dong’er, had no intention of helping Huo Yuhao. They all moved to one side to watch the show that was about to start. Wang Dong’er whispered to the rest in a bid to explain Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan’s background.

Just as everyone was ready to watch the sparring, a voices sounded out from the gate. “Huo Yuhao, come out.” This voice was very familiar. Huo Yuhao was stunned for another moment. He signaled to Ji Juechen before walking out.

It was Wang Qiu’er, who was standing outside.

Huo Yuhao was at a loss for words as he asked her, “Qiu’er, why are you here?”

She replied, “Why can’t I come? Are there terrifying beasts in the Tang Sect? I went to the inner courtyard to ﬁnd you, but I heard you were out. I guessed that you returned to the Tang Sect, so I came to ﬁnd you. Dean Cai told me that the three soul bones can be shared between the two of us. What do you plan to do with them?”

Huo Yuhao said, “I have something to deal with over here. Come in ﬁrst. We’ll talk about the soul bones later. Since you want them, I can give them all to you.” As he spoke, he ushered Wang Qiu’er inside.

Jing Ziyan rubbed her eyes as she saw Wang Qiu’er entering.

After that, she turned to the other side and asked, “Twins?”

Wang Qiu’er replied, “No.”

Wang Dong’er also answered, “We are not twins.”

They were both so ravishing, and were even lookalikes. Even Ji Juechen couldn’t help but take more glances at the two of them.

“Huo Yuhao, come.” Ji Juechen lifted his sword again. After he had stopped sparring, he had felt his improvement stalling. This also made him more certain that giving up his education at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to ﬁnd Huo Yuhao was the correct decision.

Huo Yuhao snapped, “Come, what come? Don’t you see that I have guests? Also, where’s Teacher Xuan?”

Ji Juechen’s eyes were already ﬁlled with the light of competition, and couldn’t be bothered. “Let’s ﬁght ﬁrst.” As he spoke, he lifted his blade, and a vicious sword intent was released. At this point, his soul power seemed different from before. It surfaced as a dim silver, and even his eyes shone with silver light. It was evident that his powers had improved.

Ji Juechen said, “Yuhao, I developed a deeper understanding of sword intent, which I have named Dragonslayer. Come on.”

“Dragonslayer?” Huo Yuhao’s expression turned weird, and he immediately twisted his head to look at Wang Qiu’er. He muttered, “I’m not someone who picks on others, but someone has named his ability Dragonslayer. Qiu’er, can you accept that?”

Wang Qiu’er coordinated with him and snorted, “Of course not. Let me ﬁght him instead.”

As she spoke, she took a step forward. She let out a deep roar, and the entirety of Tang Sect seemed to shake momentarily. Following this, a strong competitive will rose from her.

She didn’t have any sword or ﬁst intent, but only possessed an unprecedented and domineering ﬁghting will. Her deep dragon roar shook the air, and intense golden light started to surround her entire body in layers.

The rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters widened their eyes as they looked at her. This works? Yuhao still dares to say that he’s not a picky person? What is considered picky then? He passed on his hatred too easily.

Ji Juechen was also stunned when his opponent suddenly changed. However, he recovered very quickly. To him, it didn’t matter who his opponent was. The key was that his opponent was able to give him pressure. He couldn’t ﬁnd someone like that in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Otherwise, why would he travel all the way here?

It was easy to tell whether one was capable after they made their ﬁrst move. Qiu’er only stepped forward, but she immediately repressed Ji Juechen’s aura. This simple action already left him very impressed.

Ji Juechen squinted his eyes, but the sword intent that he had unleashed suddenly turned gentle.

While Huo Yuhao had passed on the trouble to Wang Qiu’er, he didn’t cease observing Ji Juechen. As his sword intent changed, his expression also changed slightly.

This… is he pulling off a reversal? No, it isn’t at that standard yet. How does he hide it? A hidden sword intent is the most terrifying weapon. I didn’t expect his improvement to be so great. He has already understood sword intent to such a standard.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be easy for him to deal with Ji Juechen. After all, he was focused only on swords, while Huo Yuhao had to learn many things. Perhaps he could beat him in overall abilities, but it would become increasingly difﬁcult for him to tackle Ji Juechen’s sword intent with just his own ﬁst.

At this point, Wang Qiu’er moved. She didn’t care about his sword intent or whatever tricks he had up his sleeve. In her eyes, her opponents would only meet with one result: destruction!

Wang Qiu’er burst towards Ji Juechen like a golden shooting star. Her right ﬁst also turned completely golden, and she attacked without using any ﬂowery skills.

Ji Juechen held his sword with both his hands. He made half a step with his left leg and thrust forward. As this sword pierced out, the silver light around him was sucked into the sword, eventually gathering at the tip. The moment it stabbed out, the surrounding air seemed to overlap. As a boom sounded, her ﬁst and his sword collided, and an explosion rang out.

No one had expected Wang Qiu’er’s ﬁst to change at the last moment.

Yes, it changed. Her ﬁst turned into a palm. She tore through space just like that, and avoided Ji Juechen’s sword. Her right palm struck the blade instead.

Her body turned as the sword aimed for her vitals. The vicious sword intent that shot out struck the wall and caused a huge explosion, blowing apart a hole at least three meters wide. Ji Juechen’s sword also started to crack at this point.

Wang Qiu’er crushed his sword with her palm. As she made a turn, her left ﬁst punched straight towards Ji Juechen!

Ji Juechen subconsciously lifted his hands to block. Another boom sounded, and Ji Juechen ﬂew back like a broken sack, slamming into the wall. Two strikes! From the start to the end, Wang Qiu’er only unleashed two strikes. The ﬁght ended just like that.

As she stood straight, a gust of violent wind seemed to blow beside her. Her sleeves and hair were blown backward, and the golden light around her body was withdrawn.

She was extremely strong! Everyone was stunned as they watched the ﬁght.

Jing Ziyan was the most shocked. She understood Ji Juechen’s abilities the best. After he gained a deeper understanding of sword intent, his own sword intent seemed to have undergone a huge transformation. However, he lost so pathetically to Wang Qiu’er, even more pathetically than the ﬁrst time he had fought Huo Yuhao. She also only had six soul rings, just like him!

Was this Shrek Academy’s ability?

Only Huo Yuhao could tell that Wang Qiu’er didn’t win easily, even though she appeared to be very relaxed. She seemed to have transcended space and avoided Ji Juechen’s sword intent. Her sleeves and hair were not blown back because she was trying to act cool. She was trying to neutralize the shockwave from Ji Juechen’s sword intent.

She stood there for ﬁve seconds before the wind around her calmed down and disappeared. She was slightly stunned as she looked at Ji Juechen, who had formed a human-shaped hole in the wall. She nodded at him and said, “Bring a better sword next time.”

Ji Juechen was covered in dust now, and even looked slightly pathetic. However, his eyes were especially bright. He looked back at Qiu’er and nodded.

Wang Qiu’er turned around to look at Huo Yuhao and said, “Find me after you return to the inner courtyard.” After she ﬁnished speaking, she didn’t bother with the others and left just like that, as if she had just done something insigniﬁcant.

Jing Ziyan’s facial muscles were cramping slightly as she muttered, “This, this is too much. Huo Yuhao, where did you ﬁnd that lady?” Huo Yuhao placed his hands behind his back and said carefreely, “Those from the Tang Sect are all of this standard. Don’t bother ﬁnding me in the future. Have you seen? These are my seniors. What are your plans?”

Ji Juechen didn’t bother with the dust on his body, and nodded at Huo Yuhao. He said, “Staying!”

Jing Ziyan also said, “We’re deﬁnitely going to stay here.

Give us a place to stay and eat. That’ll be enough.”

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and said, “You can’t stay. The Tang Sect doesn’t accept outsiders. You will only be fed and given a place to stay if you join us.”

Cough cough! Bei Bei coughed twice and hurriedly walked over. He said, “Since the two of you have come from afar, you can stay as long as you want. Of course, our doors will always be open to you. We are not as pathetic as little junior described us. Our sect has our own Martial Soul Department. I believe both of you know about the glory of the Tang Sect from thousands of years ago. We’re rebuilding the Tang Sect because we want to regain that glory again.” Huo Yuhao immediately added on, “Eldest senior, we can’t just accept anyone! Their abilities are a bit weak. Furthermore, we won’t accept outsiders. Once they learn from our sect, they can’t leave easily. Otherwise, we’ll have to get back what they’ve learned.”

Jing Ziyan glared and asked, “Huo Yuhao, who’s weak?”

Huo Yuhao answered, “I’m talking about you. Can you beat me? I’m ranked sixth in the Tang Sect, but you can’t even best me. Aren’t you weak?”

“You…”

As the two of them bickered, Ji Juechen’s eyes ﬂashed for a moment before he nodded and said, “We’re staying. We won’t go.”

Jing Ziyan snorted and said, “We’ll stay. When we learn the Tang Sect Secret Techniques, we’ll deal with you again.” Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “You’re welcome anytime. Alright, we are all Tang Sect brothers and sisters now. Let me introduce you.”

He introduced all his seniors to them. Ji Juechen was still a little stunned, and only nodded at everyone. However, Jing Ziyan made up for what he was lacking, greeting everyone properly.

Bei Bei secretly gave Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up. They could obviously tell that the two of them had rather strong abilities. While Wang Qiu’er won beautifully, did Ji Juechen actually lose so heavily? Change his sword, and it would be difﬁcult to tell.

Huo Yuhao said, “Brother Ji, have you been unable to ﬁnd a suitable sword?”

Ji Juechen nodded.

Huo Yuhao replied, “Try this.” As he spoke, he took out a sword from his storage-type soul tool and offered it to Ji Juechen.

There was a reason why Ji Juechen was called a sword fanatic. When he saw swords, he had the same reaction as Xu Sanshi when he saw beauties. His eyes immediately brightened, and he was ﬁlled with passion. He received the sword without any hesitation.

Once the sword entered his hand, he immediately said, “It’s a good sword, thank you.”

This sword’s blade surfaces were two different colors; one was black, and the other was white. Wasn’t this the Judgment Sword that had sparked the evil ﬁre within Ma Xiaotao during the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament?

Elder Mu had eventually given this Judgment Sword to Huo Yuhao. But Huo Yuhao didn’t use swords, and thus he took this opportunity to give it to Ji Juechen.

Ji Juechen poured his soul power into the sword as he held it. A stunned look arose on his face. The combination of light and darkness was something he had never experienced before, but it was present in this sword. It was a truly strong sword!

Huo Yuhao said, “This sword is a close-combat soul tool. It’s also the strongest close-combat soul tool that I’ve ever seen. It’s called the Judgment Sword. It caused huge problems for us during the last tournament. I’m giving it to you now because I hope that you can unleash its full power. It doesn’t have many

requirements of its user, and possesses great strength. I can feel that even the person who molded this sword was unable to unleash its full power. Just to reclaim this sword, Jing Hongchen came to Shrek Academy personally. From this, I’m sure you can tell how great it is.”

“Alright, thanks.” Ji Juechen thanked him for the second time, which showed how much he liked this sword. “A room for me?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “Okay. However, the two of you will need to shoulder some responsibility since you’ve joined Tang Sect.”

“Oh?” Ji Juechen was startled for a moment.

Huo Yuhao wore a serious expression on his face as he said, “At least you’ll need to be responsible for your own actions. Fix the wall.”

He was right. Two of the walls had been damaged. The courtyard of the Tang Sect was now exposed.

Ji Juechen’s expression stiffened, and he looked at Jing Ziyan as if he were begging for help.

Jing Ziyan was also in a daze. She snapped, “Why are you looking at me? You’re a big man. You want me to ﬁx the wall for you? Do you still have face?”

Ji Juechen’s expression turned bitter, and he asked Huo Yuhao, “Where are the bricks?”

Huo Yuhao’s lips twitched, and he tried his best not to laugh, “I’ll ﬁnd some for you.”

Jiang Nannan commented as she saw what happened, “Yuhao, don’t bully an honest person. I’ll arrange your living quarters. Regarding the wall, let the few of them think about it.” “Thanks.” Ji Juechen felt as if he had met his benefactor.

Xu Sanshi was a little worried as he saw Ji Juechen’s handsome looks and felt his naturally woody aura. He rushed to say, “I’ll go too, I’ll go too.”

Huo Yuhao was speechless as he said, “None of you saw how they tortured me in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy! I’m just exacting a little revenge on them.”

Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan brought Jing Ziyan and Ji Juechen away to their living quarters.

Bei Bei watched as they left and didn’t hide his delight anymore, “Little junior, it seems like the Tang Sect is becoming more and more prosperous! Those two aren’t ordinary.”

Chapter 245: The Tang Sect Grows Stronger

Huo Yuhao chortled, “They’re both fanatics. All of you are in for some trouble in the future. However, they’re also very direct people. They’ll be happy as long as you spar with them. I never expected Juechen’s sword intent to reach such a standard. He’s indeed very focused! Eldest senior, let’s ﬁnd Teacher Xuan quickly. He’ll be pivotal in the future development of soul tools in the Tang Sect!”

When they found Xuan Ziwen, he was beside the soul tool forge at the back of the Tang Sect. In addition, he didn’t look like a Class 8 soul engineer.

He was dressed very simply, and there were even oil stains on his clothes. As he squatted outside the forge and watched the workers forging the soul tools, his gaze never even moved slightly.

“Teacher Xuan!” Huo Yuhao called out.

Xuan Ziwen continued to squat as he turned around to look. He waved his hand before turning his attention back to the soul tools.

Huo Yuhao quickly walked towards him before squatting down as he reached him, “Teacher Xuan, don’t peek! They’re our secrets.”

Xuan Ziwen snapped, “Stop spouting nonsense. What procedures are needed to join the sect? Tell me quick. Did you know that waiting for you here the past few days was equivalent to wasting my life?”

Bei Bei was in a daze. This guy is even more direct than the previous two. Evidently, his passion was for soul tools. For people like Xuan Ziwen and Ji Juechen, who could be so devoted to a single thing, they were either lunatics or geniuses among geniuses!

Huo Yuhao naturally knew that Xuan Ziwen wanted to join the Tang Sect since he had volunteered to come on his own. He shot a look at Bei Bei immediately.

Bei Bei still didn’t understand, and quickly walked up to him before squatting down beside Xuan Ziwen. He said, “Hello Teacher Xuan, I am currently the eldest senior of the Tang Sect. Welcome to the Tang Sect. Let’s do it this way; you’ll be our deputy sect master from now on. You’ll be in charge of soul tools.”

Xuan Ziwen wasn’t bothered about such things. Otherwise, why would he leave the Illustrious Virtue Hall?

“Oh, alright. Yuhao, give it to me.” As he spoke, he gestured to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao naturally knew what he wanted, “Do you want the earliest set of information regarding the Tang Sect’s secret weapons or do you want them with my research?”

Xuan Ziwen replied, “The earliest set please. If I see your research, my train of thought might be disrupted. Oh, leave that metallic man with me, too. Can I enter now?” Although he was a soul tool fanatic, he was more in touch with the world compared to Ji Juechen. Otherwise, he would have rushed into the forge already. Huo Yuhao said, “Guys, bring one complete Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon for Teacher Xuan to study. Eldest senior, give one set of the hidden weapon manuals to Teacher Xuan.”

“Alright.” Bei Bei retrieved a set of hidden weapon manuals for Xuan Ziwen. “Teacher Xuan, let us arrange your living quarters.”

Xuan Ziwen’s gaze was ﬁxated on the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon that came out from the forge. His eyes brightened. “No rush, no rush. Go and get busy. You don’t have to bother with me. Yuhao, don’t leave today. I’ll ﬁnd you tonight for a talk.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao tugged Bei Bei and gestured to the rest of them before leaving. He understood Xuan Ziwen. He lost his sense of time once he entered his research state.

When they returned to the meeting hall, Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi had also returned. Their expressions were very weird. After Ji Juechen received the Judgment Sword, he took it and went into retreat. Jing Ziyan also went to rest. Bei Bei said, “Youngest junior, it’s not really a good idea to leave Teacher Xuan there on his own, right?”

Huo Yuhao shook and said, “Don’t worry, eldest senior. He came to the Tang Sect for proper reasons. Just let him do what he wants.”

Xiao Xiao was a little worried. “Yuhao, surely he’s not here to steal conﬁdential information before leaving, right?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and answered, “He’s not that kind of person. He’s only interested in soul tools. At least before he fully completes his research into soul tools, he won’t do anything. The Tang Sect is different from the Illustrious Virtue Hall. The Illustrious Virtue Hall is already the best place to create soul tools on the continent. Everything there is advanced. However, we’ve only just gained traction here, although we have developed things in a new direction. To Elder Xuan, this is the place that will bring him a greater sense of achievement. That’s why he chose to come over. There are many possibilities to combine the Tang Sect’s hidden weapons and soul tools; it’s practically impossible to calculate all of them. Under such a circumstance, he won’t leave anytime soon. I can also vouch for his character.” Bei Bei nodded and said, “If you doubt someone, don’t use him. If you use him, don’t doubt him. Teacher Xuan is already the deputy sect master of the Tang Sect. Everyone, please make sure not to spout such words in the future. Yuhao, what do you think we should do to coordinate with him?”

Yuhao thought for a moment and said, “Give him the rare materials that I brought back. Eldest senior, does our sect have money?”

Bei Bei smiled and replied, “We have some money. The academy is very supportive of us, and paid us beforehand when they ordered the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon. They also offered a good price.”

Huo Yuhao said without any hesitation, “Then let’s think of a way to exchange our money for rare metals. In this way, I’ll ask teacher Xuan whether he has any special needs before I make a list of them. After that, we can think of ways to obtain what he needs.”

“Alright.” Wang Dong’er laughed. “Why do I feel that your friends made a bad choice in befriending you? You’re obviously squeezing whatever value you can from them.”

Huo Yuhao wore a maligned look on his face, “What? I’m just catering to their interests.”

He Caitou stood up and said, “I’ll go to Teacher Xuan’s side to take a look. I only listened to how Yuhao complimented his capabilities, but didn’t have a chance to consult him. Now that we’re on the same side, I won’t stand on ceremony anymore.” After he ﬁnished speaking, he eagerly turned around and left.

Although Fan Yu and Xuan Ziwen were both Class 8 soul engineers, there were still big gaps in terms of their experience and thinking. He Caitou was quite pleased to see Xuan Ziwen here. Furthermore, he was also a Class 7 soul engineer himself, and was very familiar with the Tang Sect. With him around, Xuan Ziwen’s research would also be expedited.

Huo Yuhao said, “Eldest senior, let’s stay in the Tang Sect tonight and return tomorrow. Oh wait, I can’t. I still have to make a return trip. I also have a present for the Tang Sect.” Wang Dong’er stood up and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Bei Bei smiled even wider as he observed his juniors. As he looked at the sky outside, he muttered to himself, “Xiao Ya, if you’re still around, you’d be very delighted to see the improvements the Tang Sect has made.”

“Hey! Are you feeling emotional again? Don’t be like a girl,” Xu Sanshi taunted him.

“What’s wrong with girls?” Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were both displeased as they stared at Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi coughed. “Girls are great! Girls are gentle, passionate, and sentimental. However, guys are different.”

Jiang Nannan stood up and said, “I’ll go ﬁnd a gentle and passionate guy!”

“Don’t! My wife, I was wrong.” Xu Sanshi was deservedly the owner of the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle. He greatly encapsulated the true meaning of a turtle, adaptable!

“Who’s your wife? Watch your mouth.” After Jiang Nannan had established her relationship with Xu Sanshi, she stated that their status would develop according to the situation. Xu Sanshi had to be tested frequently. He was tormented and happy at the same time. In fact, he was even a bit of a masochist.

Bei Bei also stood up and added, “Sanshi, let’s go and workout. I’ve not whacked you in ages. I’m itching to do so.”

Xu Sanshi stopped cajoling Jiang Nannan and started to laugh coldly. “It’s still too early to tell who will lose. Nannan, let’s whack him together.”

Bei Bei wouldn’t allow himself to be disadvantaged like that and immediately said, “Two versus two, who’s scared of who? Xiao Xiao, pair up with me.”

“Yes.” Xiao Xiao was very obedient, and immediately agreed.

------ Two hours later, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er saw how pathetic two of them were when they brought the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear cubs back.

Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were ﬁne, but Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei looked pitiful. A bruise had even swelled up on Bei Bei’s forehead, and he was attending to it.

Xu Sanshi was in an even worse state, as half of his face was swollen.

Xu Sanshi was furious as he claimed, “Bei Bei, are you still human? We agreed not to hit one another’s faces, but you still did so. It was deﬁnitely deliberate.”

Bei Bei snapped, “Deliberate? Didn’t you do the same? Look at my head. Look how bad you hit it. The bruise is so big. You are completely inhumane. How can I show myself to others anymore?”

“Stop quarreling, stop quarreling! Seniors, we are back.” Huo Yuhao saw the two of them the moment he entered. He almost burst out in laughter, and rushed over to mediate.

“Oh, Yuhao. You’ve brought the two cubs back?” Xu Sanshi saw the two cubs immediately. His eyes brightened as he said, “Dog meat hotpot, right? Our diet will change tonight! Yuhao’s cooking is unrivalled! I’ll not pick on you anymore. Yuhao, let me give you a hand. Tell me how you want to kill them, cut their bellies or throats?”

As he spoke, Xu Sanshi had already wandered over. He was even salivating.

Huo Yuhao said helplessly, “Third senior, they can’t be eaten!

They are treasures given to the Tang Sect.”

Perhaps they felt that Xu Sanshi was going to harm them, but the two cubs started to roar furiously at him.

Xu Sanshi was startled as he exclaimed, “These two are really like bears, even though they aren’t mature yet!”

Huo Yuhao replied, “What do you mean they are like bears? They are bears, Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears! They are the biggest reward from our trip to the Great Star Dou Forest!”

Everyone had already gathered at this point. Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan couldn’t help but touch them as they saw how cute they were.

However, these two cubs were very aggressive even though they were still young. They were ready to bite back at whoever got close to them.

Xu Sanshi was the most domineering. He used each of his hands to grab the thick skin at the cubs’ necks and pick them up.

“They’re pretty strong! I’ve not eaten the meat of Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears before. I’ll make the both of you into hotpot if you continue to throw tantrums.”

Perhaps they understood his threat. As he picked them up, they immediately toned down, and whimpered non-stop.

“Piak!” Jiang Nannan slapped Xu Sanshi’s back. “You’ve hurt them.” As she spoke, she snatched one of the cubs. It was weird, but they seemed to understand humans. The cub immediately submitted to Jiang Nannan as it compared her to the ‘bad guy’ Xu Sanshi. It didn’t continue to bite her, and only stared at Xu Sanshi with an unfriendly look in its eyes.

Xiao Xiao also took this opportunity to snatch the other cub.

Bei Bei was in a bit of a daze, and whispered to Huo Yuhao, “What’s going on? Didn’t you go with the others from the academy? Even if there are rewards, shouldn’t they belong to the academy?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “Elder Xuan gave us these two cubs. Although they’re still small, they might become the Tang Sect’s secret weapons if we tame them well.”

Bei Bei glanced at the two of them and laughed bitterly. “Little junior, do you think Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears are so easy to tame?”

Huo Yuhao replied helplessly, “I don’t know either! At least they have yet to exhibit their destructiveness. I’ll ask the teachers from the Beast Dueling Area when I return to the academy and see how I can control them.”

Bei Bei nodded, “You can only do it this way. Settle them down ﬁrst. I’ve asked someone to buy dinner from the restaurant outside. Let’s take it as a celebration since we have three new members.”

“Great! I’ll inform them. However, I don’t know how deep Ji Juechen’s closed-door cultivation will be.”

---

Huo Yuhao’s conjecture was right. Ji Juechen was very deep in his closed-door cultivation, and didn’t attend the celebration dinner.

The dinner was sumptuous. In order to host Xuan Ziwen and Jing Ziyan better, Huo Yuhao even grilled some ﬁsh personally.

This wasn’t just a celebration dinner. Shrek’s Seven Monsters hadn’t gathered together for quite some time. They enjoyed a full meal, and spontaneously decided to stay at the Tang Sect tonight.

After the dinner, Xuan Ziwen called Huo Yuhao to his room...

Chapter 246: The Soul Tool Hall is Formed

Xuan Ziwen scratched his head as he sat on the sofa. He had also drank quite a lot, as he was hosted by Shrek’s Seven Monsters earlier.

Huo Yuhao poured a cup of water for him. Xuan Ziwen received the cup and said, “Thank you.”

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and said, “I should be the one thanking you. You gave up your privileges at the Illustrious Virtue Hall to come to the Tang Sect. I’m very grateful to you.”

Xuan Ziwen waved his hand and replied, “You don’t need to be grateful. I’m only pursuing what I like. Other things are less important. Before I left the Illustrious Virtue Hall, I submitted my Sealed Milk Bottle research. At least I managed to fulﬁl my responsibility to the Illustrious Virtue Hall.”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. Teacher Xuan managed to complete his research for the Sealed Milk Bottle! Undoubtedly, the Illustrious Virtue Hall would beneﬁt greatly from this. However, he didn’t say anything much. He could sense that Xuan Ziwen was still very attached to the Illustrious Virtue Hall. It was logical that he would repay them.

Xuan Ziwen looked at Huo Yuhao calmly and smiled. “You indeed didn’t disappoint me. I decided to come to the Tang Sect not because I was drawn by what you showed me. There are other reasons.”

As he spoke until here, he revealed a slightly disappointed look on his face, “There have been great changes in the Sun Moon Empire in the last two years. Jing Hongchen is about to go to war.”

Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and said, “He must be on Xu Tianran’s side.”

Xuan Ziwen was stunned, and he asked, “You know?”

Huo Yuhao laughed. In fact, he was one of the causes. How would he not know? Xuan Ziwen said, “As the Hallmaster of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen’s status in the Sun Moon Empire is extremely high. He’s like an advisor. His involvement in the imminent war means that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy will be dragged in, too. Even though the Crown Prince was at an advantage, the throne was the sole target of some people. They would either succeed or die trying. Why would they give up so easily? The Illustrious Virtue Hall will no longer give me a quiet research environment.”

“More importantly, the Crown Prince has always been very active. Once he succeeds to the throne, a huge war will start in the near future. I’m only a soul engineer researcher. I don’t want to be involved with and stuck in a war. I don’t want to be ambushed by the Body Sect again, either. My research requires stability. I’m not willing to rely on anyone either, even if it’s on Jing Hongchen. I hate politics.

“The Tang Sect’s atmosphere is very good and relaxed. Shrek City also holds a special position on the continent. I think I’m liking it here already.” As he spoke to this point, Xuan Ziwen revealed a smile on his face.

Huo Yuhao smiled too. “We’re more glad that you’re here. Maybe we’ll be involved in a war in the future. However, no one will force you to do anything. It’s ﬁne if you do what you like in the Tang Sect. We’ll do our best to handle external matters.”

Xuan Ziwen nodded and replied, “That’s great.”

He stopped for a moment at this point and looked at Huo Yuhao. After a brief moment of silence, he said, “Yuhao, have you thought of a future?”

Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment, and didn’t understand what Xuan Ziwen meant.

Xuan Ziwen looked at him seriously and asked, “Don’t you think that you are too complex? No one is omnipotent.”

Huo Yuhao ﬁnally understood what he meant, and nodded. “Yes, I understand. However, I don’t wish to give up on being both a soul master and soul engineer. I just proposed to Shrek Academy today that soul masters should be taught how to use soul tools.” He explained his proposition to Xuan Ziwen. Xuan Ziwen nodded and said, “That’s right, but it’s different from your situation. You aren’t just using soul tools; you are learning and developing them. You have even reached a deep level. I know it’s very difﬁcult for you to give up everything now. However, everyone’s energy is limited. No one can be a

master of all trades. You’ll need to make a choice.

“You are talented in the aspect of soul tools. You have become a Class 6 soul engineer, even though you are still so young. You are even on the verge of reaching Class 7. I am almost certain that you will become at least a Class 9 soul engineer if you continue to work hard. You won’t take more than twenty years, either. You might even become the youngest Class 9 soul engineer ever! However, I am also almost certain that every step from Class 7 onwards will become extremely difﬁcult. I’ve been a Class 8 soul engineer for eight years, and I’m only just approaching Class 9. My cultivation is still sorely lacking.”

“If you want to become a Class 9 soul engineer, you’ll be restricted by time in terms of your soul master capabilities. With your talent, it won’t be long before you become a Titled Douluo. However, it’ll be very difﬁcult to develop further if you invest your time in soul tools. Although a Titled Douluo Class 9 soul engineer is very strong, and you might even choose to become a Class 10 soul engineer, do you want that?”

Xuan Ziwen stood up and stepped forward slowly. “Your previous performance was too outstanding, and concealed some problems. However, these problems still exist. I saw everything that you’ve done in the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Kid, you are too tired.”

His words seemed to touch Huo Yuhao’s soul. His body shuddered slightly.

Xuan Ziwen walked up to him and patted his shoulder. He said, “I invested all my energy in soul tools. As an eight-ringed Soul Douluo, I don’t even remember what my soul skills are. However, I had plenty of time to think. What about you? Do you have plenty of time? You don’t. You don’t even have time to think. In your case, you might not even reach your peak in both aspects. The worst case scenario is that you’ll collapse.

“You’re already a Soul King. It’s time for you to choose. From the ﬁghting style that you always use, I can tell that you see yourself more as a soul master deep in your heart, and not a soul engineer. Am I right?”

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly.

Xuan Ziwen said, “It’s nothing much. I also think that you are more suitable to be a soul master. Compared to your talent as a soul engineer, your twin martial souls are undoubtedly more outstanding in the world of soul masters. Tapping into your greatest advantages is the correct path you should

choose.”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “However, I can’t forgo certain things.”

Xuan Ziwen walked in front of him and patted his shoulder, “I won’t make you forget them. Your research into soul tools will not be wasted, either, because you’ll understand them better. The person on the spot is bafﬂed, while the onlooker sees clearly. How did you propose to Shrek Academy? Why have you become lost when it comes to you?”

Huo Yuhao was in a daze, and asked, “Are you suggesting that I should stop researching soul tools, and only use them?”

Xuan Ziwen shook his head and said, “You’re only half right. I’m not asking you to stop researching, but to stop developing soul tools. With your foundational knowledge of soul tools, it’s ﬁne if you come up new concepts when inspiration arrives. However, don’t expend too much of your energy in this area. Since you have become a Soul King, you’ll need to expend more energy and effort in the future cultivation of your martial souls. If you want to be one of the best on the continent, you have to be focused. At least eighty percent of your time needs to be spent on that most important aspect.”

Xuan Ziwen’s gaze started to turn passionate as he spoke until this point. “Do you know why I’m trying to persuade you?”

Huo Yuhao was slightly moved, but he didn’t mutter a word.

Xuan Ziwen said, “That’s because I’ll be the person to design your soul tools in the future, when you reach the peak of the continent. The stronger and more complex the soul tools are, the stronger a soul master has to be in order to use them. There’s one thing about you that moves me the most… your knowledge. You are correct, the strongest individuals on the continent in the future will be the best soul masters equipped with the strongest soul tools. After seeing your human-shaped soul tool, my conception has changed slightly. Purely creating patterns and concepts of certain soul tools can no longer satiate my desire in the area of soul tools anymore. What I really want is to create the strongest soul tool in the world and create the ultimate combination of soul masters and soul engineers; the Ultimate Soldier.”

Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but open his eyes wide as he heard the words ‘Ultimate Soldier’. This was too coincidental!

Xuan Ziwen looked at him with a burning gaze and said, “This is also another reason why I was so willing to come here. Traditional soul masters don’t accept soul tools and don’t understand them. Soul masters at the peak of the continent will not be my test subjects. However, you are different. You possess the outstanding talent of a soul master, and you are enrolled in the best soul master academy. Your passion for soul tools is also very great, and you have a deep foundation there, too. Are you willing to be my test subject?”

Hui Yuhao laughed and bowed to Xuan Ziwen respectfully. “Teacher, it would be my honor!”

Xuan Ziwen rubbed his hands and said, “Alright then, take out all your new inventions over these past few years! I’m very eager!” Huo Yuhao was puzzled. “Didn’t you say you wanted to research on your own, in case you were affected by my research?”

Xuan Ziwen glared at him and said, “Don’t you think I sounded very noble in front of others when I said that? Do you really think that I’d be unaffected? It’s an embarrassing thing for a teacher to ask his student for his research products.”

Huo Yuhao’s lips twisted a little. He didn’t expect Teacher Xuan to have such a side to him.

“Alright, I’ll give them to you now. However, there’s a lot of content. It’s not early, either.”

Xuan Ziwen glared at him and asked, “What? Are you planning to sleep tonight? It’s a waste of time to sleep on such a beautiful night. Cut the crap and hurry up.”

To Huo Yuhao, he had no choice but to burn the midnight oil. However, Xuan Ziwen was very eager. As they discussed more about soul tools, Huo Yuhao also entered the same zone. They didn’t sleep for the entire night. ------

When the ﬁrst ray of sunlight shone into the Tang Sect the next morning, the entire the Tang Sect was dyed with a layer of dim gold.

A youth was standing not far away from the Tang Sect, pacing up and down. There was a slightly nervous expression on his face, but it looked more like enthusiasm.

“Am I too early?” The youth muttered to himself. “Let me wait for a while.”

As he spoke, he raised his head to look at the sky. His eagerness was evident.

Finally, he couldn’t take it any further as the sun rose further. He walked a few steps to the gate before knocking with the door clapper.

Even though the Tang Sect had made signiﬁcant developments in soul tools, they still used the most traditional and ancient gate.

Knock, knock, knock. The crisp sound of the clapper rang out.

It wasn’t long before the door was opened. A youth in white poked his head out.

“Who are you looking for?” The Tang Sect disciples were divided into ofﬁcial disciples and disciples-in-name. Ofﬁcial disciples didn’t have any speciﬁc regulations for their attire, but disciples-in-name had to wear white warrior robes. They looked very neat and tidy.

The youth outside replied, “I’m looking for Huo Yuhao. Is he around?”

The Tang Sect’s disciple-in-name nodded and answered, “Senior Huo is around.”

The youth was jolted, and said, “I’ll have to trouble you to inform him that Mo Xuan is looking for him.” In order to garner more respect from this disciple-in-name, he added, “I’m from Shrek.”

Indeed, the disciple-in-name started to act more prudently. “Please wait a minute. I’ll inform him now.”

While Huo Yuhao was still young, the Tang Sect was founded by the seven of them. The disciples that had entered the sect later all called him ‘senior’, apart from some special situations.

The youth who was pacing up and down outside the gate was Mo Xuan, who had entered and risked his life in the Great Star Dou Forest with Huo Yuhao not long ago. He was one of the inner courtyard disciples valued and nurtured by Shrek Academy.

Ever since he had returned, he had not felt calm. The all- terrain self-driving fort had left an extremely deep impression in his mind.

On the way back to the academy, Huo Yuhao had taught him a few control methods. Mo Xuan also tried them out himself. It was his ﬁrst time feeling that he didn’t need anyone to protect him.

In fact, even Huo Yuhao didn’t know how important Mo Xuan was to Shrek Academy.

In terms of abilities, an advanced student from the outer courtyard was able to easily defeat Mo Xuan. However, his abilities were too special.

At that point in time, Zhang Lexuan and Cai Mei’er had only brieﬂy mentioned how his auxiliary capabilities could be unleashed at long range. However, they didn’t speciﬁcally state how great that range was. Even Huo Yuhao had neglected this point.

With Mo Xuan’s ﬁghting strength, or rather, the lack thereof, how did he manage to enter Shrek Academy? Apart from Huo Yuhao, who had entered the academy by pulling strings, he had been the one who passed the test the most easily. He only had one ring then, and had only exhibited one soul skill before he was admitted by the academy. He only demonstrated an ordinary enhancement soul skill, which was called Halo. How strong could his soul ring be? Its effect was naturally very average. However, it covered a circle a kilometer wide!

This also meant that Mo Xuan could enhance everyone within this area if he was willing to. What kind of concept was that?

The enhancement was very negligible if only one person was enhanced that way. However, what if there were ten thousand people? If a certain aspect of everyone’s abilities were enhanced by ten percent, it would make for frightening numbers.

As a result, he was greatly valued by the academy as soon as he exhibited his ﬁrst soul skill. Not only was he directly admitted to the academy, but he was even immediately nurtured as a core disciple of the outer courtyard.

Over the years, Mo Xuan’s cultivation had increased steadily under the special care of Shrek Academy’s teachers. Although he couldn’t compare to some other students of the same age from the inner courtyard, the rate of increase of his cultivation was faster than other soul masters outside of the academy. His innate talent was also slowly realized under such circumstances.

Every soul ring he added would increase the region that he could cover with his Halo. It was terrifying! After he obtained six soul rings, his soul skills could be used within a circle that spanned six kilometers!

Shrek Academy had once formed a research group to discuss his special martial soul further. Their conclusion was that Mo Xuan’s martial soul had mutated, and created something that couldn’t be duplicated. When he exhibited his soul skill, the Halo that he unleashed would resonate with the various elements in the air before assimilating them. His Halo would be turned into a domain-type ability that was very weak, but covered a huge area.

If he fought in a war, how much would the overall abilities of those on his side increase?

Mo Xuan’s Halo’s enhancement effect was very ordinary to soul masters. It couldn’t compare to an outstanding tool soul like the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. However, his strength became more and more evident when there were more and more people around. His martial soul was born for war.

As a result, Shrek Academy didn’t value him any less than Huo Yuhao. They had even decided to allow him to enter the Sea God’s Pavilion when he gained eight rings.

However, Mo Xuan had his own ideas after he was valued by the academy.

He was still a youth, a passionate youth! As a soul master in Shrek Academy, how could he possibly not yearn to ﬁght?

Whenever he went out to train with his partners, he was always protected. He would practically do nothing as his partners went out to ﬁght and kill. He could only unleash his Halo that wasn’t too effective for his partners.

Mo Xuan often imagined how he would charge his way into the enemies’ fortresses along with the other inner courtyard students. However, could he do so? No, he couldn’t. Among soul masters at the same level, he was one of the weakest. He didn’t even possess any ﬁghting soul skills. How could he charge into enemy territory? How could he ﬁght his enemies?

This was the biggest pain that Mo Xuan held in his heart.

However, he saw a glimmer of hope when he was in the Great Star Dou Forest, something that could change his life.

Huo Yuhao’s words moved him greatly. The shock that he received from learning about the all-terrain soul fort was also unprecedented.

Under Huo Yuhao’s guidance, he had released a soul ray with a button and chopped down a thick tree. At that point in time, Mo Xuan was so excited that he almost screamed. This was the ﬁrst attack that he had ever unleashed as a soul master.

Soul tools. Yes, I can try soul tools! Soul tools wouldn’t clash with his Halo, either.

After being back for two days, his heart felt as if it were being scratched by a cat’s claws. He spent the entire night without sleep. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. In the morning, he went to ﬁnd Huo Yuhao with black rings around his eyes, but he found out that Huo Yuhao wasn’t in the academy.

Mo Xuan knew that Huo Yuhao and the rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were from the Tang Sect. He also found out the exact location of the Tang Sect from the other inner courtyard students before he made his way over. However, he didn’t inform Cai Mei’er about his intentions. After all, he didn’t know how the academy would react if they found out he wanted to learn about soul tools. What if they weren’t agreeable?

Mo Xuan had always been very grateful towards the academy for nurturing him. However, it was always his dream to become a warrior on the battleﬁeld! Eventually, his dream trumped his rationality, which was why he was here. He ﬁrst wanted to ask Huo Yuhao whether he could become a soul engineer, and what kind of soul engineer he could become.

Just as Mo Xuan was formulating his approach, Huo Yuhao walked out. Huo Yuhao also had black rings around his eyes, which were also slightly red. “Senior Mo Xuan, what you are here for? Please come in.” Huo Yuhao was confused by Mo Xuan’s sudden appearance. If he were in his normal state, he might have been able to guess. However, he was too tired now. The entire night of discussion had turned his voice slightly hoarse.

Mo Xuan was a little embarrassed as he said, “Yuhao, apologies for coming so suddenly. If the Tang Sect isn’t convenient, we can speak outside.”

Huo Yuhao dragged him in and laughed, “What’s there to be inconvenient? There is no difference between the Tang Sect and the academy. Senior Mo Xuan, you don’t have to be so formal. Come on, let’s talk inside. Ah——” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but yawn.

Mo Xuan was a little stunned as he looked at the younger student. He couldn’t help but ask, “You didn’t rest well last night?”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I didn’t rest at all. I was discussing soul tools with a teacher until morning. Senior Mo Xuan, it seems like you didn’t sleep well either?”

Mo Xuan laughed bitterly too. “My mind was ﬁlled with soul tools! You gave me a huge biscuit, and this biscuit is absolutely delicious.”

Although Huo Yuhao was a little lost, he quickly understood after he heard Mo Xuan’s words. “Senior Mo Xuan, you want to learn how to use soul tools, am I right? That’s not a problem. I’ve already suggested it to the academy, and Elder Xuan, Dean Yan, and Dean Xian have all approved it. The academy is about to start teaching everyone how to use soul tools.”

Mo Xuan’s eyes lit up. He knew he hadn’t made a wasted trip after hearing this news!

As Huo Yuhao spoke, he walked into the hall. It was still early. Even if everyone was up, they were still washing up and having breakfast. The front courtyard was very quiet.

Huo Yuhao offered Mo Xuan a seat and poured him a cup of water. After that, he said, “Senior Mo Xuan, you can ask me anything you want. As long as I know, I will answer you.” Although he was tired, he had a good impression of Mo Xuan, and was willing to give him a hand.

Mo Xuan also said without any hesitation, “Yuhao, you don’t have to keep calling me senior either. I feel very embarrassed in front of you. As a senior, I’m not that capable. If you treat me as a friend, you can call me directly by my name.”

Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, “Alright then. Mo Xuan, you can ask me anything if you have any doubts.”

Mo Xuan said, “Yuhao, can you tell me what level I’ll be able to reach if I start learning about soul tools now? You should know that my martial soul is slightly special. When I exhibit my soul skills, I don’t really need to control them, since they’re all domain-type soul skills. I’ve also learned many things in the academy, but I’m restricted by my martial soul. This knowledge only serves to enrich me. I want to be a soul engineer. I want to be like all of you, ﬁghting against our enemies and not hiding behind everyone’s backs.” When he reached this last sentence, he sounded much more agitated.

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment before asking, “Senior Mo Xuan, how old are you now?”

Mo Xuan said, “Twenty-ﬁve.”

Huo Yuhao said, “You are already pretty old if you want to start learning about soul tools. All the aspects of knowledge regarding the creation of soul tools are very complex. You need to have a strong foundation ﬁrst. It’s very difﬁcult.”

Mo Xuan was anxious after hearing his words, “However, didn’t you tell me that…”

Huo Yuhao lifted his hand to interrupt him and said, “Don’t be anxious. Let me ﬁnish speaking. You are indeed a little too old to learn about creating soul tools. However, it’s not too late for you to start using them. For soul masters like the two of us, using and creating soul tools are completely different things. My suggestion earlier was for you to try using soul tools to protect yourself and increase your ﬁghting strength.”

Mo Xuan continued to probe, “What standard can I reach if I only choose to use them?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “If you are just using them, I recommend you use all-terrain soul forts because of your situation. Not only will they help you raise an all-around defense, but they are also very strong, since they are quite large. With sufﬁcient Milk Bottles, you’ll greatly enhance your survivability and ﬁghting stamina on the battleﬁeld.”

After Xuan Ziwen’s research of Sealed Milk Bottles was completed, many soul tools could be greatly transformed. This was especially applicable for soul tools that were sizable. Even though it would take some time to charge them, they could be used for a long time without worrying about when the soul power in the Milk Bottles would be depleted. Furthermore, a soul master wouldn’t have to worry about the depletion of their own strength. With the appearance of such Milk Bottles and the Tang Sect’s techniques, it was no longer a dream for ordinary people to use soul tools in the future.

Mo Xuan nodded and said, “Does this also mean that my ﬁghting strength will increase as such soul tools become stronger? How long will it take me to learn how to use them?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “You’ll need at least a month to learn basic control of them. If you want to master them, you’ll need at least three months. Controlling soul tools is a matter of practice. You are a Soul Emperor, meaning that you’ll have sufﬁcient time to practice every day.”

Mo Xuan clapped his hands in excitement and said, “Great, I’ll learn how to control this all-terrain self-driving fort then. After I return, which teacher from the Soul Tool Department should I ﬁnd to help me with my learning?”

Huo Yuhao was stumped by this question, and replied helplessly, “You won’t be able to learn all this in the academy now. The academy can only start from the basics, so that you can learn how to use a greater variety of soul tools in the future. Furthermore, the all-terrain self-driving fort was the product of my research on all-terrain exploration soul tools when I was in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. I made reﬁnements and eventually came up with it. There should only be one of it in existence here.”

Mo Xuan was in a daze. “One only? Can you sell it to me then? I know it’s not going to be cheap, but I’ll try my best to come up with the money.”

Huo Yuhao replied, “I’m sorry, Mo Xuan. It’s not that I don’t want to sell it to you, but because there’s still a lot of conﬁdentiality surrounding the techniques that were used in the creation of this soul tool. We must keep it a secret. In addition, there’s still further research and development to be done. It’s a ﬁrst model for us. If we give it to you, we won’t have anything to work with anymore. Let me drop you a suggestion; I’ll give you priority to get one when Tang Sect starts to mass produce it in the future.”

Mo Xuan was ﬁlled with disappointment. “How long will I have to wait? I still have to learn how to use it!”

Huo Yuhao couldn’t answer this question. Xuan Ziwen was the only one who could answer how long it would take to produce this soul tool. There were many materials involved in making an all-terrain self-driving fort. There were even a few problems regarding its production that had to be rectiﬁed in various aspects. Furthermore, mass production would also reduce the quality of an all-terrain self-driving fort, since

cheaper materials would be used for production. In addition, all this could only be completed after continuous tests. Huo Yuhao couldn’t give him an exact time.

Mo Xuan furrowed his brow upon seeing how Huo Yuhao was being put in a spot. He was like a helpless person drifting in the ocean right now, who had found a life buoy; but the life buoy belonged to someone else, and he couldn’t use it.

Huo Yuhao asked, “Actually, you can strengthen your foundation by starting to learn how to use basic soul tools ﬁrst.”

Mo Xuan replied, “I understand what you mean. I’ll learn how to use basic soul tools. However, your self-driving fort is too attractive. I’m already too eager. Yuhao, do you think this could work…?” He paused for a moment at this point, as if he were very determined. He said, “Let me join the Tang Sect. In this way, I’ll also have the responsibility of guarding the Tang Sect’s secrets. I can also learn about the self-driving fort at the same time. Will this work?”

Huo Yuhao jumped in shock. “Mo Xuan, are you certain? Although we’ve just been re-established, we are still a sect. It’s easy to enter a sect, but it’ll be slightly more troublesome if you want to leave.”

Mo Xuan said, “Since I’ve chosen to join the sect, why would I want to leave? However, will the Tang Sect be willing to accept a trashy person like me, who has no ﬁghting strength?”

“Trashy? Stop kidding. There are no trashy characters in our inner courtyard. If you are willing to join the Tang Sect, I’ll welcome you with open arms and legs!” Huo Yuhao was delighted, and his fatigue seemed to have disappeared. Although he didn’t know the effective range of Mo Xuan’s Halo, he guessed that it must be very strong given how greatly the academy valued him. Strong soul masters would also be very useful for his future plans! Mo Xuan asked, “After joining the Tang Sect, does that mean that I can…?”

Huo Yuhao nodded his head immediately. “Of course. You don’t have to only use it in the Tang Sect either. I’m the only one in Tang Sect who knows how to use it. When we are in the inner courtyard, I can teach you.”

Mo Xuan was elated, and said, “That would be great! I’ll learn it ﬁrst! When you come up with a better one in the future, you must sell me one!”

Huo Yuhao chortled. “You’re part of the Tang Sect too, now. Don’t mention anything about selling. I’ll make it a priority to construct one for you ﬁrst.”

Mo Xuan answered eagerly, “That’s a deal! What kind of administrative procedures will I need to go through to join the Tang Sect?”

Huo Yuhao replied, “Wait a minute. I’ll call eldest senior ﬁrst.” ---

“What? You dragged someone else over? Inner courtyard too? Mo Xuan, why does he sound so familiar? Don’t tell me that he’s the one that can enter the Sea God’s Pavilion when he obtains eight rings? Yuhao, how did you do it?” Bei Bei spoke extremely quickly. He looked at Huo Yuhao as if he were looking at a freak.

It had only been a few days! Huo Yuhao had brought several members into the sect. They included Na Na, the soul engineers who were victimized by the Holy Ghost Church, Ji Juechen, Jing Ziyan, the two Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bears, and even the chief researcher of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. What could he not do?

After one more night, another member came knocking on the door. He was even one of the future members of the Sea God’s Pavilion!

Bei Bei had been in the academy for a long time already, and was even Elder Mu’s descendant. He naturally understood more about the situation in the inner courtyard then Huo Yuhao, so he naturally knew more about Mo Xuan than Huo Yuhao.

Seeing that Bei Bei was shocked, Huo Yuhao touched his nose and said, “Eldest senior, I really didn’t do anything. Mo Xuan was just attracted by my all-terrain self-driving fort. However, you know that this thing can’t spread. I didn’t say anything before he offered to join the Tang Sect. Can’t he do so?”

Chapter 247:The Continuously Strengthening Tang Sect

“Yes! Of course! Of course!” Bei Bei conﬁrmed his decision thrice. “Yuhao, do you know what Mo Xuan’s nickname in the inner courtyard is?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head. However, he could make a rough guess, especially after Bei Bei pointed out that Mo Xuan could enter the Sea God’s Pavilion in the future.

Bei Bei said, “His nickname was given to him by Dean Yan.

He’s called the War Controller.”

War Controller! What a domineering name!

Huo Yuhao was stunned as he asked, “He’s so strong? I’ve been enhanced by his Halo before. To be honest, its effect isn’t that great.”

Bei Bei laughed coldly and said, “For soul masters of our standards, his enhancement isn’t that great. However, have you ever considered the cumulative effect if thousands of soul masters were enhanced at the same time? The overall strength of an entire army can soar instantly. Whether it’s in terms of speed, strength, or defense, they’ll all be greatly enhanced. If abilities like Bloodlust were used to supplement it further, can you imagine how a battle will turn out?”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. “What? His Halo can enhance thousands of people at the same time? That is so unreal!”

Bei Bei replied ﬁrmly, “It’s so strong precisely because it’s unreal.” He explained what he knew about Mo Xuan’s Halo to Huo Yuhao.

“Mo Xuan’s abilities are a secret even in the inner courtyard. I heard about them from my grandfather. Even he was very impressed with Mo Xuan’s abilities, and decided that Xuan should join the Sea God’s Pavilion in the future.”

After Bei Bei mentioned Elder Mu, Huo Yuhao was even more astonished. For Elder Mu to be impressed, Mo Xuan’s Halo must be very strong indeed! Bei Bei said, “Let’s go, let’s not make him wait. Heaven is really helping us!”

There wasn’t any complicated process involved in joining Tang Sect. In fact, it was even much simpler, as Bei Bei was worried about delaying Mo Xuan’s admission into the sect.

“I’m willing to join the Tang Sect and observe the rules of the sect. The sect’s glory will be my glory, and the sect’s humiliation will be my humiliation. I’m willing to use my life to protect the sect. If I violate any of its rules, let me die a horrible death.”

“The swear-in ceremony is over. Welcome to the Tang Sect, Mo Xuan.”

Bei Bei opened his arms wide open and gave Mo Xuan a big hug.

As Mo Xuan hugged him back, he smiled. “Bei Bei, I should call you eldest senior in the future too.” In terms of age, he wasn’t much older than Bei Bei. Bei Bei laughed. “You won’t have to call me soon. You are also an ofﬁcial disciple. You can call me by my name. Yuhao, don’t hide your all-terrain self-driving fort anymore. Teach Mo Xuan after you return.”

Huo Yuhao laughed. “I’ll do that. However, I want to sleep ﬁrst. I spent the entire night discussing soul tools with Teacher Xuan. He has gone to meditate, and I’m extremely exhausted now.”

Mo Xuan smiled and said, “No rush, no rush. We can talk about it after we return to the inner courtyard. You can tell me if the Tang Sect needs any help. After all, I’m now a part of the Tang Sect.”

Bei Bei retrieved a script and said, “Mo Xuan, this script records some of our Tang Sect abilities. You can start practicing them. I know that you don’t have any offensive soul skills. However, our Tang Sect techniques are not much inferior to soul skills if you practice them well.”

Mo Xuan received the copied script and looked at it. There were only four huge words on it, “Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.”

This was the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record without the Hidden Weapon Hundred Separation, but it recorded the cultivation methods of the other Tang Sect Secret Techniques.

Bei Bei said seriously, “Memorize it before returning it to me. These are our secret techniques. Without our approval, you cannot spread them to anyone else. Otherwise, we’ll have to take back your powers.”

Mo Xuan turned serious too. “I know. Don’t worry.”

After sending Mo Xuan off, Huo Yuhao heard something loud resonating from the Sparring Arena. There seemed to be someone cheering loudly.

“Eldest senior, who’s at the Sparring Arena?” Huo Yuhao asked.

Bei Bei replied, “Caitou and Xiao Xiao. Nannan has lessons today and returned to the inner courtyard before daybreak. Sanshi didn’t leave, and Dong’er is around too. They’re also likely to be there. Let’s go and take a look.”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly. “I was looking for Dong’er too.” Although he was exhausted from staying up the entire night, he wouldn’t go to sleep immediately. He needed to meditate to recover ﬁrst. Cultivating with Wang Dong’er was naturally going to make his restoration faster.

After discussing things with Xuan Ziwen last night, Huo Yuhao felt that the burden on his shoulders had been lightened. Just like Xuan Ziwen had said, he couldn’t reach the peaks of both a soul master and soul engineer. He didn’t need to become a powerful soul engineer, he just needed to be a soul master who used soul tools. At least in the aspect of soul tools, Huo Yuhao knew that it was an unknown whether he could surpass Xuan Ziwen even if he gave his all to do so.

It was difﬁcult to make such a choice, but he didn’t need to ponder any further once he made it. He could put more of his energy into cultivating his twin martial souls and researching Spirits. Along with Xuan Ziwen’s various experiments, this was the more meaningful and valuable choice.

Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao felt the undulations of soul power the moment they entered the Sparring Arena. They saw that it was surrounded by Tang Sect disciples.

After years of development, the Tang Sect was no longer as sparse as before. Besides Shrek’s Seven Monsters, there was still Na Na and the young soul engineers that came with her. Bei Bei had also recruited some graduates from the outer courtyard. Of course, there were disciples from the inner courtyard, too. Mo Xuan was a good example.

Besides these ofﬁcial disciples, there were still some students and disciples in name that had come from Shrek City. They mainly cultivated and helped in the development of soul tools. The structure of the entire Tang Sect was becoming more and more complete. All of this was mainly settled by Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi. They weren’t just strong in their cultivations; they were also very talented in management! Along with Shrek Academy’s secret support, the Tang Sect’s development was proceeding quickly.

They also had their own source of income after they sold some secretly-developed soul tools. After some experiments, Shrek Academy also afﬁrmed the utility of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon designed by Huo Yuhao and He Caitou. The demand for the cannon thus soared greatly, giving a healthy ﬁnancial boost to their development. Xuan Ziwen’s arrival was also bound to greatly improve the Tang Sect. Xuan Ziwen told Huo Yuhao last night that he could start using his Sealed Milk Bottle. Although he left the method of developing the Sealed Milk Bottle with the Illustrious Virtue Hall, he was the only one who really understood its true meaning. The night wasn’t wasted, as Xuan Ziwen and Huo Yuhao conﬁrmed the plan that they could combine the Sealed Milk Bottle and Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon.

Once this plan was realized, the cannon would become the strongest soul tool that could be used by an ordinary person. Even though it could only be ﬁred a limited number of times, it could still be used for a long period of time as long as there were enough Milk Bottles to charge it.

What better place was there for them than Shrek Academy to charge these Milk Bottles? There were many strong soul masters in the academy!

After Huo Yuhao and Xuan Ziwen made their calculations, they concluded that Class 4 Sealed Milk Bottles had the best value, mostly because Class 5 and above Sealed Milk Bottles required costly, rare metals. Class 4 Sealed Milk Bottles required cheaper, more standard materials. One Class 4 Sealed Milk Bottle would power ﬁve shots of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon. Of course, the prerequisite was that the cannon shell couldn’t be above Class 3. However, this was already enough!

There were different classes of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon, too. Consideration of this also led to the formation of problems. The most ordinary cannons could only ﬁre up to a distance of one kilometer, and only used Class 3 and below stationary soul cannon shells.

Intermediate-level cannons could ﬁre Class 5 and below stationary soul cannon shells up to a distance of three kilometers. As for advanced-level cannons, they could ﬁre Class 7 and below stationary soul cannon shells. Of course, these cannons were also at least Class 7.

Currently, the Tang Sect was developing low- and intermediate-level Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons. They weren’t considering advanced-level cannons yet. After all, the cost of developing such cannons was too high. Furthermore, their cannons could ﬁre anywhere from six to eighteen cannon shells at once. Although the cost of such cannons wasn’t low, they were acceptable to most ordinary sects. The cost was even less of a concern for Shrek Academy. However, the stationary soul cannon shells could only be used once. They were expended the moment they were ﬁred, and needed to be replenished. Even if they were replenished by Class 3 stationary soul cannon shells, ﬁring eighteen shells at one go was equivalent to spending three thousand gold coins!

That was why advanced-level Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons would be developed in the future, but not in large quantities. If the supply of cannon shells couldn’t match the demand, what was the use of these cannons?

After discussing it with Huo Yuhao, Xuan Ziwen was more conﬁdent in some of Huo Yuhao’s strange ideas. There were many things that caught his eye and aroused his curiosity. However, Xuan Ziwen realized that there were many things that he wanted to do after discussing things all night.

After his discussion with Huo Yuhao, Xuan Ziwen decided to complete the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon ﬁrst. There were two reasons. First, the completion of the cannon would undoubtedly proﬁt the Tang Sect greatly. Secondly, with more money, they could invest more in their future research funds!

Another reason was Xuan Ziwen’s own problems. He had only just started learning how to develop Tang Sect’s hidden weapons. The contents involved were different from the formation arrays of soul tools that he had researched before. He needed time to adapt and experiment. It was naturally a good thing to start with something as simple as the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon.

As a result, Xuan Ziwen set two goals for himself. First, he wanted to complete the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon and combine it with his Sealed Milk Bottle. Second, he wanted to design and produce more economical low-level stationary soul cannon shells, a crucial matter.

Huo Yuhao directly told him that the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons would be more popular if cheaper and more powerful cannon shells were produced. When that happened, he would have more money to carry out other activities!

--- In the Sparring Arena, there was a ﬁght going on. The two parties involved were Jing Ziyan and Xu Sanshi.

Xu Sanshi was standing in the center of the Sparring Arena. He ﬂipped the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle into the air, which resisted Jing Ziyan’s attack. No matter how magical Jing Ziyan’s fog was, she couldn’t force him from his spot.

Huo Yuhao slapped his hand to his forehead and said, “They really can’t take a break! It’s so early in the morning, but they are already ﬁghting.”

Bei Bei smiled, “This is a good thing. It’s a form of motivation for everyone. If you don’t want to lose, you’ll have to work hard. Am I wrong?”

Those who were watching the ﬁght weren’t just the ordinary disciples. Wang Dong’er and Ji Juechen were present, too.

Ji Juechen was watching the ﬁght quietly, the Judgment Sword behind his back. He was still using his original sheath for it, which looked slightly unsuitable. Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao walked over. Ji Juechen looked at Huo Yuhao, and his eyes brightened. However, Huo Yuhao immediately said before he even opened his mouth, “Don’t ﬁnd me for anything. I didn’t sleep last night; I was discussing soul tools with Teacher Xuan. My mind isn’t in the right state now, and my ﬁghting strength is at a low point. Even if you defeat me in this state, I don’t think it’s honorable for you, right? How’s my third senior?”

Ji Juechen replied without any hesitation, “Impressive!”

Xu Sanshi and Jing Ziyan both had six rings. As an agility- type soul master, she didn’t stand a chance against the defense- type Xu Sanshi. The sparring had been going on for more than ten minutes already. Xu Sanshi hadn’t moved a single inch, and only defended against Jing Ziyan’s attacks. If this continued, Jing Ziyan’s soul power was bound to run out.

Ji Juechen appeared to be in good spirits, a passionate gaze in his eyes at this moment. After coming to Shrek City, he became more and more satisﬁed with his decision. If he had never come to Shrek City, he would never known how strong soul masters could become. They were at the same level, but Ji Juechen knew that Huo Yuhao’s seniors weren’t easy to deal with. Using Xu Sanshi as an example, he had no conﬁdence of breaking through the Black Turtle defense using his sword intent. Furthermore, he could also tell that Xu Sanshi was holding back slightly. Of course, Jing Ziyan was holding back, too. But overall, Xu Sanshi still had an advantage over her.

Huo Yuhao chuckled and replied, “Of course he’s impressive. My eldest senior is also very impressive. He even mentioned that we should all help to improve one another in the future.”

Bei Bei glared at him. Rascal, he sold me out the moment we arrived. He smiled before saying to Ji Juechen, “Brother Ji, your sheath isn’t very suitable. I’ll get the Soul Tool Hall to make you a new one when we return.”

Ji Juechen nodded and said, “Thanks. I would like to challenge you.”

Bei Bei knew that he couldn’t escape. He naturally wouldn’t shrink away from the challenge, either. Even though Ji Juechen had lost to Wang Qiu’er yesterday, Bei Bei could tell how strong he was. With his sharp eyes, he could also tell that Wang Qiu’er didn’t win the ﬁght easily, either. Just like Wang Qiu’er had mentioned, the outcome might be completely different if Ji Juechen had changed his sword.

“Alright, let’s wait for them to ﬁnish ﬁghting,” Bei Bei agreed readily. He was also getting a little itchy.

Xu Sanshi was very cooperative. As he stood in his spot, he shouted suddenly, “Sister Jing, I’m exhausted. Let’s stop now, okay? It’s not easy being your sandbag! Have you had your ﬁll?”

The purple fog consolidated and revealed Jing Ziyan’s ﬁgure. She was panting heavily, and perspiration had already formed on her forehead. On the contrary, Xu Sanshi appeared to be very calm, and didn’t look tired at all.

Jing Ziyan snapped, “You are such a dishonest fellow. Why aren’t you attacking?”

Perhaps it was because Jiang Nannan was not present, and thus Xu Sanshi couldn’t help but ﬂirt a little when he saw a lady.

“Hey, Sister Jing, how am I dishonest? People call me an honest, reliable guy. I’m holding a shield. How am I supposed to retaliate? I’m getting whacked so pitifully by you. I’m conceding defeat.”

Jing Ziyan rolled her eyes at him and retracted her martial soul. She said, “Alright, let’s end it for today. I’ll challenge you again when we return.”

Xu Sanshi chortled and replied, “Great! I’ll be ready to ﬁght you anytime.”

In fact, Jing Ziyan had put a lot of pressure on him. After sparring with Huo Yuhao, Ji Juechen wasn’t the only who had improved. Jing Ziyan’s martial soul was already very strange. Furthermore, her actual ﬁghting abilities were getting stronger and stronger. Her attacks were quite incisive.

Xu Sanshi only defended and didn’t attack. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but rather because he knew that he would give her an opportunity to exploit if he did so. In that way, it would be difﬁcult to predict the victor. This was only sparring, and not a life-and-death battle. That’s why he decided to defend all the way and created the stalemate. Jing Ziyan and Xu Sanshi stepped down. Ji Juechen drew his Judgment Sword, “Bei Bei, it’s our turn.”

Bei Bei smiled and gestured for him to enter the arena ﬁrst.

The two of them walked towards the center of the arena.

Xu Sanshi smiled, “Please be gentle. Don’t destroy the place any further. Brother Ji, do your best. Destroy him.”

Jing Ziyan revealed a weird look in her eyes and asked confusedly, “Why are you cheering Juechen on, and not Bei Bei?”

Xu Sanshi retracted his smile and appeared melancholic. “I have an enmity with him, thus I can’t cheer him on. I can’t wait for Brother Ji to give him a good whacking.”

Jing Ziyan snapped, “I don’t understand the messy relationships between guys.”

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er laughed as they stood at one side.

Wang Dong’er said softly, “Yuhao, go and rest. Didn’t you stay awake the entire night?” She knew that Huo Yuhao hadn’t slept at all. Otherwise, he would have found her to cultivate together.

However, she hadn’t gone and disrupted him, either. She prepared breakfast for him at the canteen when she woke up. When Mo Xuan came to ﬁnd him earlier, Huo Yuhao had already consumed his breakfast.

Huo Yuhao replied, “I’ll rest when this ﬁght ﬁnishes, but you’ll need to accompany me.”

“Alright.” Wang Dong’er understood that he wanted to cultivate with her.

However, someone objected immediately. Xu Sanshi twisted his head and said in shock, “Dong’er, you agreed?”

Wang Dong’er was stunned, and asked, “Why can’t I agree?” Xu Sanshi appeared depressed as he said, “Why? The Heavens, you are really unfair towards me...”

Not only was Jing Ziyan confused by his words, but even Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were completely lost. They didn’t know what he was doing.

Jing Ziyan asked doubtfully, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Sanshi was both sad and furious as he replied, “We are both dating, but why is Nannan so cold towards me? Yuhao is younger than me, and he’s not as developed as me. He’s also not as handsome as me! However, Dong’er agreed to his advances in broad daylight. I’m pitiful. It’s difﬁcult for me to even hold Nannan’s hand.”

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were instantly annoyed. Wang Dong’er said furiously, “Third senior, your thinking is too dirty. I’m returning with Yuhao to cultivate later. We have twin martial souls, thus it’s much easier for us if we cultivate together.” Xu Sanshi appeared as if he understood what she meant, and replied, “I understand, I understand. Ah, the sun shines brightly outside while the two of you draw the curtains and lay under the blanket in the room. Why don’t I have such a good life?”

Wang Dong’er wanted to explain further, but Huo Yuhao pulled her away. For such a matter, it would become more and more ambiguous the more they tried to explain themselves. Xu Sanshi was obviously mocking them. The best thing to do was to ignore him.

Jing Ziyan looked at Xu Sanshi deeply, and didn’t say anything.

Xu Sanshi was puzzled as he looked at the three of them, as he realized no one was bothering with him anymore. Huo Yuhao was holding Wang Dong’er’s hand as he turned towards the arena. Only Jing Ziyan was watching him with a burning gaze in her eyes.

Xu Sanshi was confused as he asked, “What are you looking at me for? Sister Jing, I’m already taken, even though I have to admit that you are pretty. No matter how harsh Nannan is towards me, my feelings for her are real. You’ve come too late. We can’t be together in this lifetime. Let’s see whether we are destined to be together in other lifetimes.”

Jing Ziyan sighed suddenly and gave a regretful look. She shook her head and turned her gaze towards the arena.

Xu Sanshi was stunned, and asked, “Why are you sighing? What’s wrong with me? Do you think it’s a pity that I already have a girlfriend?”

Jing Ziyan turned her attention towards him again and said seriously, “When I sparred with you earlier, I still thought that you were quite strong, and that you have a bright future. However, I realized there’s something wrong with a part of your body after everything that you’ve just said.”

As she spoke, she lifted her ﬁnger to point at Xu Sanshi’s forehead.

Xu Sanshi replied furiously, “What, what’s wrong with my brain?”

Jing Ziyan said, “You are so narcissistic, of course there’s something wrong with your brain! What kind of dirty stuff do you have in your brain? Stay far away from me in the future! Don’t infect me.” As she spoke, she even shifted a few steps away from Xu Sanshi.

Although Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were watching what was going on in the arena, their shoulders were twitching slightly as they hid their laughter.

A wicked person would be afﬂicted by a similar personality. Xu Sanshi was mocking everyone, but Jing Ziyan gave him a taste of his own medicine.

Xu Sanshi was in a daze as he stood there. After a while, his lips started to twitch and he ﬂung his head to one side. “A strong person doesn’t need anyone to understand him.”

As they were conversing, the ﬁght between Bei Bei and Ji Juechen began.

The two of them were standing in the Sparring Arena, separated by ﬁfty meters. Their soul rings rose at around the same time.

While Bei Bei appeared gentle and reﬁned most of the time, he turned serious when he was going to ﬁght. Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings rose from his feet. He also looked slightly bigger. Bluish-purple electricity surrounded his body, and dragon scales started to surface on his skin.

As his cultivation increased, the scales didn’t just cover his arms anymore.

The left side of his face was completely covered in scales, and his right arm ballooned in size. As the scales spread, they quickly engulfed his entire body. His shirt was almost torn apart as he grew in size.

As electricity sparkled, Bei Bei seemed to be ﬁlled with boundless strength. He slowly lifted his right claw in front of his chest, and his eyes turned bluish-purple. As electricity revolved around his body, the space around him also started to distort. It became very difﬁcult to tell where his actual position was.

Ji Juechen’s ﬁghting style never changed. He grabbed the hilt of his Judgment Sword with both hands and slowly lifted it up.

Initially, this sword was used by Ma Rulong against Ma Xiaotao during the tournament. Its power had activated Ma Xiaotao’s evil ﬁre completely, causing her to eventually be overcome. The results were tragic.

Right now, the situation appeared to be different, as the Judgment Sword was in Ji Juechen’s hands.

The auras of darkness and light surged out from this sword at the same time. The sharp sword intent from Ji Juechen’s body rose and combined with the aura of darkness and light.

A strong sense of danger caused Huo Yuhao and the rest to turn serious. Huo Yuhao hadn’t expected Ji Juechen to activate both the strength of darkness and light from the Judgment Sword at the same time. He didn’t plan to use the skills that came with this Judgment Sword, but intended to combine the strength contained within the sword with his sword intent. Huo Yuhao had to admit that Ji Juechen was indeed a madman in terms of cultivation.

The words ‘madman’ and ‘genius’ were usually synonyms. At least, that was the case for Ji Juechen.

The sword radiance that shot into the sky was unpredictable. It extended more than ten feet into the air, and was much stronger than Ji Juechen’s original sword intent. This was the strength of a Class 8 soul tool!

However, darkness and light were opposing forces. When they appeared at the same time, they were bound to conﬂict with each other. If one party gained the upper hand, it was bound to swallow the other party.

The powers of darkness and light covered different sides of the Judgment Sword. To ensure the balance of the sword, the strengths of both forces were equal. At this point, they were activated by Ji Juechen and there was no conﬂict between them. However, it was more dangerous like that.

The powers of darkness and light were about to cause an explosion.

At this point, a layer of silver light shot out from the sword tip. It squeezed in between the powers of darkness and light, segregating both forces. The unstable sword intent a moment ago slowly started to stabilize. The sword radiance also started to turn golden, silver and black. The sword radiance changed into a tri-colored blade in the air.

Only one day had passed! Ji Juechen had actually understood the Judgment Sword to such an extent. Huo Yuhao hadn’t expected this to happen.

He had passed the Judgment Sword to Ji Juechen because he had thought that Ji Juechen was more suited for it. As for Huo Yuhao, using a Class 8 soul tool would greatly restrict his freedom, as he had various other abilities. Elder Mu had once told Huo Yuhao that the Judgment Sword wasn’t ordinary. Although it was a Class 8 soul tool, its brilliance wasn’t inferior to Class 9 soul tools. Otherwise, why would Jing Hongchen make a sudden trip to Shrek Academy to demand the sword back?

At this moment, the Judgment Sword gave off a different feeling in Ji Juechen’s hands. The pure sword intent segregated the forces of darkness and light. However, these two forces were attracted to it like it was a magnet. The two forces wanted to overwhelm the opposing force, but this only served to consolidate Ji Juechen’s sword radiance.

Ji Juechen was like a stone statue as he stood there quietly. Only the sword radiance was unleashed. At this instant, Bei Bei felt a great sense of danger. He knew that the might of that sword was going to be extremely great once it was unleashed.

Solitary Sword Domain!

When he had faced Wang Qiu’er yesterday, Ji Juechen didn’t use his strongest offensive ability, as he was unfamiliar with his opponent. Once he entered his domain state, his spirit, energy and mind would fuse together. It was impossible for him to show any mercy then. That was why he had used his evolved Dragonslayer sword intent. However, Wang Qiu’er had been much stronger than he had expected, and thus he suffered greatly at her hands.

However, he wasn’t going to hold back today. As the eldest senior of the sect, Bei Bei’s abilities were immense. Ji Juechen had just received his Judgment Sword, and thus he was raring to go. He was giving his all the moment he appeared!

The last time Huo Yuhao had faced this domain, Ji Juechen had needed Jing Ziyan to help protect him. That was because incubating the domain required time. But this time, he used the domain immediately, as if he wasn’t afraid of being disrupted by his opponent.

Bei Bei moved!

Just as Ji Juechen settled into place, Bei Bei initiated his attack.

Bei Bei’s abilities had been increasing steadily over these past few years. His ﬁghting will had been affected by Tang Ya’s disappearance, and there were changes compared to the past. He had slowly infused his yearning for Tang Ya and his internal sorrow into his ﬁghting strategy, complementing it with his soul skills. Although it didn’t involve a fusion of spiritual and soul power as great as the Sovereign’s Descent, his own comprehension was getting better and better. He was slowly seeing the path that belonged to him alone.

Bei Bei stomped on the ground with his right leg, and his body shot forward like a bolt of lightning. In the air, he waved his right hand in Ji Juechen’s direction. His Thunderous Dragon Claw enlarged in the air and swept towards Ji Juechen.

Even though his Dragon Claw was formed using soul power and lightning, it still projected a vivid form in the air. When it was about to hit Ji Juechen, the size of the claw was just at the right size to envelop Ji Juechen completely.

At this point, the electricity surrounding Bei Bei’s body retracted. However, his scales turned bluish-purple. A bright bluish-purple light that undulated slightly emanated from beneath his feet. He also let out a deep dragon’s roar. It was very easy to tell if one was strong. Although Bei Bei had only unleashed his ﬁrst soul skill, his control and judgment left Jing Ziyan extremely impressed.

Ji Juechen’s Solitary Sword Domain needed to have some accumulation before it could be unleashed. However, he had reached a level where he could unleash an attack without accumulating very long.

Undoubtedly, his domain would be stronger if the accumulation was greater. Bei Bei sensed this threat, and thus he immediately made his move. If it were any other soul master, he might delay because of Ji Juechen’s weirdness. But every second of delay would strengthen the Solitary Sword Domain.

With Ji Juechen’s current cultivation, he could accumulate his strength for ﬁfteen seconds straight. Once these ﬁfteen seconds were over, he would have gathered his entire cultivation into one strike. After this strike, he would lose all ﬁghting strength. However, even a Titled Douluo would ﬁnd it difﬁcult to deal with such a strike. When Huo Yuhao had faced this domain in the past, Ji Juechen hadn’t made it so extreme yet. After modiﬁcation, he had carved out an extreme path for himself, and developed an extreme attack. He had turned all his strength into a single attack. He wanted an explosive strength that was lethal.

Bei Bei didn’t give him the full ﬁfteen seconds. To be accurate, the Thunderous Dragon Claw reached him after only two seconds had passed.

The Solitary Sword Domain was unleashed!

The radiance on the Judgment Sword dimmed. The original tri-colored sword radiance was covered by a dim layer of grey. As the sword radiance swept out, it converted into a streak of ﬂowing light that dragged Ji Juechen’s body along.

The Thunderous Dragon Claw couldn’t stop it from moving forward. In Bei Bei’s eyes, Ji Juechen had disappeared at this moment. What was left was only a sword blade without any aura, shining with a tri-colored glow. Shit! Bei Bei cursed in his heart. It was his ﬁrst time seeing such a sword intent. However, he was much more acute than others. When Ji Juechen’s sword swept out, he knew that he couldn’t resist it head-on. However, it was impossible to dodge it!

When Ji Juechen’s sword was unleashed, it completely locked onto Bei Bei. The sword radiance pursued Bei Bei, so fast that it couldn’t be avoided.

Chapter 248: Old and New Battle Teams, and New Rules

At this time, Bei Bei fully revealed his powers as the eldest brother of the Tang Sect.

His body, which had been charging forward, suddenly froze and became illusory. With his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he suddenly moved to the side.

Even though the sword light summoned by the sword fanatic was extremely fast, Bei Bei’s Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track had reached a new level. In an instant, the sword light ﬂashed past him, and the move that should have struck him was slowed by a single beat.

Within this small amount of time, Bei Bei’s eyes glowed with light. With a clear draconic roar, the ﬁve soul rings around his body shone with a brilliant radiance. His thick right arm swung out as he struck the sword light from behind.

In an instant, the dragon scales all over Bei Bei’s body started to change. They turned a brilliant shade of gold, and each bolt of lightning brimmed with bright energy.

He waved his right dragon claw, which disappeared into the sky. When it re-appeared, there was a second golden dragon claw in the sky, which clashed head-on with the sharp sword light.

Bei Bei, however, took this time to quickly retreat.

Crackle! It was as if lightning bolts from the nine heavens had struck the earth. The brilliant golden light turned into countless sparks of electricity.

Bei Bei’s golden dragon claw in the sky was unable to block the terrifying sword light, and was blasted apart. However, the speed of the sword light dropped rapidly, too. Following that, the countless rays of electric light that had been blown apart quickly congregated together, enveloping Ji Juechen and displaying the might of thunder and electricity.

While Ji Juechen was using his domain, he was still a soul master, not a rock. The power of his domain was unable to resist Bei Bei’s attack. He paused, but his remaining sword intent exploded out in that instant, blocking the golden lightning around him.

“Good!” Bei Bei bellowed. While he had moved back earlier, he suddenly changed course again and charged forward once again. A golden halo suddenly shone from his body, and as it shone forth, his entire body was basked in a brilliant golden nimbus. No one could even see his body within the golden light as he charged toward Ji Juechen mercilessly.

Ji Juechen did not show any sign of fear. He gripped his Judgement Sword tightly and swung it upward. The Dragonslaying Sword Intent quickly assembled, and another sharp sword light slashed toward Bei Bei. His attacks were always so simple and straightforward.

The ball of golden light that was Bei Bei started to change too. It took the form of a huge dragon head, which was obviously his fourth soul skill, Thunderous Dragon Head. However, his Thunderous Dragon Head was different from before.

Boom! A powerful explosion sounded, and a ball of golden lightning started to spread from the point of their clash. It extended outward for more than 30 meters, and in that area, the air was sizzling with electricity. Countless arcs of golden lightning crackled and buzzed. Some of them even started to resemble liquid, while some ball-shaped lightning clusters shook violently.

Tyrannical Emperor’s Thunderous Domain! This was Bei Bei’s powerful domain after he evolved his Radiant Holy Dragon!

The electricity crackled for a few more seconds before it slowly died down.They could slowly make out the ﬁgures of Bei Bei and Ji Juechen.

Bei Bei had a new layer of purplish-blue dragon scales all over him. The golden light around his body quickly faded away, and around seven to eight meters in front of him, Ji Juechen stood with his sword in hand. While his grip was still stable, his body trembled non-stop. The clothes on his body were more or less destroyed.

The side which represented light still shone brightly on his Judgement Sword, giving off a thick, bright aura. A drop of blood trickled down from the corner of Ji Juechen’s mouth. However, there was no sign of pain on his face. All there was, was a look of deep contemplation.

Bei Bei nodded his head at Ji Juechen and said, “Brother Ji, your sword intent is powerful indeed. What’s the ﬁrst move called?”

Ji Juechen appeared to have been jolted awake as he responded, “It’s a domain I came up with. It’s called the Solitary Domain. I lost.”

While he liked to ﬁght, he knew when he had lost and when he had won.

When Bei Bei used his Thunderous Dragon Head and attacked with his Tyrannical Emperor’s Thunderous Domain, he had used seven moves rapidly. However, the power of these seven moves was devoured by the powerful domain. Had Bei Bei not shown mercy, there was no way he would still be alive.

Bei Bei shook his head and said, “No, you did not lose. Instead, in terms of innovation, I’ve lost. Brother Ji, after you familiarize yourself with your Judgement Sword, it will be hard for me to defeat you. Your sword can limit my power.”

Regardless of whether it was Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi or Wang Dong’er, they all knew that Bei Bei was not lying.

While Ji Juechen had lost once more, his domain was able to directly force Bei Bei to use his most powerful Radiant Holy Dragon. If not, Bei Bei may not have been able to retreat intact from that attack.

While Bei Bei had won, Ji Juechen’s Judgment Sword had absorbed a large amount of light type soul power from Bei Bei. Ji Juechen was still not very sure how could he use his soul tool sword. If he knew, even if Bei Bei had won, it would not have been so easy.

Ji Juechen said, “Thank you for your guidance, I’ll spend more thought on it.” With that, he nodded at Bei Bei and turned to leave. He would not dilly-dally; this was not his style.

Jing Ziyan rushed up to him and asked, “Juechen, are you injured?”

Ji Juechen shook his head. When he looked at Jing Ziyan, a smile crossed his face. Then, he stopped and turned to look at Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er and said seriously, “Coming to the Tang Sect is the best decision I’ve ever made. In the future, I’m afraid I’ll continue to trouble you.”

As he said that, he bowed to everyone and then left, gripping his Judgement Sword tightly.

Xu Sanshi looked at Ji Juechen’s disappearing ﬁgure as he mumbled to himself, “Everyone says I’m crazy, but that guy is crazier than I am. In his eyes, nothing is more important than his sword.”

Bei Bei said, “That’s why he is so scary. His choice is a special path. He specializes in one thing and one thing only, and that’s his sword. He doesn’t even add a single soul skill to it. However, because of this, he’ll be able to reach a level none of us could in the future.”

Xu Sanshi said, slightly unimpressed, “So what? His way of cultivation is too inﬂexible. Furthermore, while he has a lot of explosive power, he can’t maintain it for long. As long as we ﬁght him by targeting his weaknesses, he can’t display the full extent of his powers.”

Bei Bei laughed. “It’s not easy to be the most powerful in any one area. Everyone has his or her own path, and we must respect his choice. Furthermore, don’t you think that his presence can help us train?”

Xu Sanshi’s mouth twitched, and he said, “That’s for you only. You were forced into a corner like a dog, and had to use your Radiant Holy Dragon. Shameful, shameful indeed.”

Bei Bei said unkindly, “You yourself said that his explosive power is strong. Had I not used the Radiant Holy Dragon, there was no way for me to beat him. Next time, you try to ﬁght him after you’ve been targeted by his sword intent.”

Huo Yuhao said from the side, “Big Senior, Third Senior, I’ll go and train with Wong Dong’er.”

Ji Juechen’s love for the sword had moved Huo Yuhao greatly. He felt a sense of urgency, as Ji Juechen was improving too quickly. Huo Yuhao feared that if he did not improve as quickly, he would be left behind.

An odd smile appeared on Xu Sanshi’s face as he said, “Go, go, stay safe…”

Without waiting for him to ﬁnish, Bei Bei interrupted him, “Nothing good can come from his mouth. Yuhao, Dong’er, ignore him and go. Today, we aren’t returning to the academy. Remember to come back for dinner.”

After they bade their Big Senior and Third Senior farewell, Huo Yuhao dragged Wang Dong’er back into their room.

Wang Dong’er appeared deep in thought. Huo Yuhao took off his coat, sat down by the bed and said, “What are you thinking of, Dong’er?”

Wang Dong’er replied, “What do you think of Ji Juechen, as well as Big Senior’s and Third Senior’s analysis?” Huo Yuhao said, “Both Big Senior and Third Senior are right. However, they don’t understand him well enough. In reality, Ji Juechen’s stamina is decent. However, when he faces powerful opponents, he likes to use his most powerful attack ﬁrst. Hence, this affects Big Senior’s analysis of him. If he changes his battling style, he’ll still be just as powerful. However, his weakness is that he is not ﬂexible enough. If we target his weaknesses, there are ways to beat him. For example, there’s a trick to beat the domain he used just now.”

Wang Dong’er asked curiously, “What’s that?”

Huo Yuhao chuckled, “Think about it, if I run away the moment he uses his domain, what will happen? The moment he tries to use his domain, his entire body will enter a certain state. He has to lock in on an opponent and slowly accumulate energy. Looking at things today, it is clear that his opponent must attack him ﬁrst. Only then can he use his domain. If his opponent doesn’t attack, he will continue to accumulate energy and after a while, his power will be extremely strong. However, if I run away from the start, his domain power would be maximized. However, even after he accumulates all that energy, how powerful can his attack be? Let’s not talk about anything else, but if I escape with a ﬂying-type soul tool, I can clear three kilometers in 15 seconds. No matter how powerful his domain is, he can’t attack someone three kilometers away.”

Wang Dong’er laughed, “Your plan is tricky indeed!”

Editor’s Note: Three kilometers/two miles in 15 seconds is 720 kph (500~ mph). Or 150 meters/second. About this fast.

Huo Yuhao said, “He probably went back to do more closed- door cultivation, I’ll remind him later. Actually, he really should change his ﬁghting style. He is powerful enough in this aspect, but he needs to choose when he should unleash his power. For example, if he can immobilize his opponent at the start of the ﬁght, or even cause them to lose their ability to move, and then accumulate and release his energy, I believe the effects will be vastly different. A mere second or two of accumulation would greatly injure his opponent.”

Wang Dong’er said, “Don’t you think he needs a partner? For example, if he partners with you, he can start accumulating energy from the start. Then, you’ll be in charge of pinning the enemy down and preventing him from running away. When he accumulates enough energy, you can use your Spiritual Shock to make your opponent lose control. Doing so will ensure that Ji Juechen’s Solitary Domain will become deadly.”

When he heard what Wang Dong’er had said, Huo Yuhao was stunned. Then, his eyes lit up and he jumped up. He rushed toward Wang Dong’er and hugged her tightly as he spun her around.

Wang Dong’er gasped in shock. She blushed as she tapped his shoulder and asked, “What are you doing?”

Huo Yuhao put her down and said excitedly, “The bystander has the best perspective! You are right! I am a control-type soul master, and his style of attacking is extremely offensive and even deadly. If we can work together, we can ﬁght those who are above our level. I can complement his weakness, is that what you’re saying?”

Wang Dong’er nodded.

Huo Yuhao wrung his hands and said, “I have always viewed him as an opponent, but I have never imagined that we could cooperate like this. With his sure-kill attack, we can even incorporate him into our team. He’ll be in charge of delivering the killing blow while we can help to control our opponent from the start. With his Solitary Domain as our coup de grâce, there are so many different ways to attack. For example, the moment he starts to accumulate energy, but before he has enough to release it, Third Senior can use his Mysterious Underworld Displacement to transport our most powerful enemy over. Then, he can unleash his deadly attack. Hehe.”

Wang Dong’er’s pupils shone brightly as she said, “Right, this can work too. However, he is overage. If not, he could have joined us for this Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament.”

Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “This is ﬁne, he’s now part of the Tang Sect. After all, a competition is just a competition. What is more important is the future of our Tang Sect. Looking at it now, it isn’t a bad thing for him and Jing Ziyan to tag along. Come, Dong’er, let’s take the time to cultivate. You all are six- ringed, and I need to get my sixth ring as fast as I can.”

With that, he took off his shoes and climbed onto his bed. He sat cross-legged and waited for Wang Dong’er to join him.

Wang Dong’er’s face turned sullen as she stood by the bed and asked, “Wait, I haven’t had the chance to ask you something yet. Yesterday, why did Wang Qiu’er look for you? How do you plan to split the soul bones with her after you return to the inner courtyard? Why do I feel that there’s something off about the way she treats you!?”

Huo Yuhao was stunned. He smiled bitterly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wang Dong’er snorted and said, “We are both women, and I can tell that when she looks at others, her gaze is icy cold. However, when she looks at you, her gaze will become gentle. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Elder Brother and the rest. They all noticed it too. I think Wang Qiu’er likes you.”

Cough cough! Huo Yuhao put on an angelic expression and said with a smile, “My dear Dong’er, don’t you believe me? I only have you in my heart.”

Wang Dong’er snorted and said, “I believe you. However, I still need to remind you. After all, she’s so pretty, and after a while, you’ll develop feelings for her. To prevent something like this from happening, you should avoid her as much as you can in the future. Give her the three soul bones so she won’t have a reason to keep looking for you.”

Huo Yuhao said with a smile, “Why do I feel that you are cute when you get jealous? Furthermore, there’s no reason for you to get jealous.” Wang Dong’er’s face turned red, and she tugged her ear as she said, “Who’s the one getting jealous?! Is there a reason for me to get jealous?”

“I’m in the wrong!” Huo Yuhao said with a bitter look on his face. “Let’s cultivate, if not, I’ll sleep.”

Wang Dong’er snorted, and only then did she take off her shoes and climb onto the bed. After she sat down, she noticed that Huo Yuhao’s ears were turning red. While keeping a poker face, she leaned over to give his ear a rub.

Huo Yuhao chuckled bitterly. “Trouble comes to ﬁnd me.”

Wang Dong’er said, “You have to promise me to interact with her less.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll interact with her less,” Huo Yuhao replied without hesitation.

“Are you lying to me?” Wang Dong’er asked suspiciously. Huo Yuhao bellowed instantly, “May heaven be my witness as I swear this to you from the bottom of my heart. If not, I’ll…”

“Fine, I believe you.” Wang Dong’er placed her hand over his mouth.

Huo Yuhao instantly pulled her hand off and pulled her into his embrace. Having Wang Dong’er, with her light fragrance, in his arms was too comfortable. This even made his blood go wild.

Huo Yuhao’s promise to interact less with Wang Qiu’er was genuine. How could he not know how special Wang Dong’er was to him? While he could not be certain that Wang Qiu’er liked him, his heart was already full of Dong’er. Regardless of how similar the two of them were, they were still separate people. Huo Yuhao would never hurt his beloved Dong’er.

“Dong’er,” Huo Yuhao said quietly.

“Eh?” Wang Dong’er replied. Huo Yuhao said, “I suddenly feel that Third Senior is right. Today’s weather is ﬁne. Why don’t we pull the curtains open and sleep for a while? Didn’t you say that it’s ﬁne for us to relax too? I’ll hug you to sleep, and I promise I won’t touch anywhere I’m not supposed to, alright?”

“No!” Wang Dong’er wriggled free from Huo Yuhao’s embrace, blushing. She raised her hands and said, “Let’s cultivate!”

While she was willing to lie in his embrace, they were not yet married! It was ﬁne if they cultivated together in the day, but if they fell asleep together and were discovered, it would be very embarrassing! Furthermore, the last time they fell asleep together was because they were drowsy. She was still unwilling to sleep with Huo Yuhao. After all, she was just a seventeen year-old girl. Her sense of restraint and shame was more than enough to let her rational side take over.

Huo Yuhao looked at her face, which was both blushing and ﬁlled with determination, and was stunned. “Dong’er, you are so pretty.” Wang Dong’er did not give him anymore chances as she said, “Cultivate! Look at you, your eyes are red.”

“Alright, let’s cultivate.” Haplessly, Huo Yuhao raised his hands.

Their palms came into contact with each other as they closed their eyes. The Haodong Power ﬂowed through both of them.

Light-type soul energy entered them and started to ﬂow like a great river. This energy made all the pores in Huo Yuhao’s body open up. It was extremely comforting.

He still felt the best next to Wang Dong’er! He could not help but think about the time when he fused his martial soul with Wang Qiu’er. Perhaps that fusion could increase his powers to a greater extent, but Wang Qiu’er’s forceful cultivation would make their fused martial souls extremely violent. Not only would they injure their opponents, but they would also injure themselves.

As their soul power ﬂowed and the Haodong Power kicked in, Huo Yuhao was able to catch some of the subtler changes. After the challenge of the Great Star Dou Forest, his overall strength had increased, including his control over his soul power. As the pressure increased, a soul master would be more be motivated to improve too.

A day passed by quickly, and the Tang Sect became busier. Xuan Ziwen’s inclusion changed the dynamics of the sect. Under his guidance, the Soul Tool Hall was becoming more efﬁcient. Of course, money was spent like water. While Xuan Ziwen personally made many exquisite tools for making soul tools, materials were still required. Huo Yuhao had brought many types of precious metals back, but they lacked ordinary metals, which had to be bought.

Xuan Ziwen was the go-to guy for making soul tools. However, he was no master of economics. After a single day, Bei Bei seemed extremely worn-out and ﬂustered. Even so, he tried to fulﬁll all of Xuan Ziwen’s requests. If the Tang Sect wanted to continue bettering itself, the Soul Tool Hall had to get its act together. This was not the time to save money. To purchase enough materials, he had to borrow a lot of money from the main businesses of Shrek City.

They would never doubt the honor of the Tang Sect, as Bei Bei also brought with him the guarantee from Shrek Academy. Hence, the Tang Sect’s Soul Tool Hall was ﬁnally able to take off. According to Xuan Ziwen’s plan, the Soul Tool Hall’s next step was expansion. Only by getting enough space could they continue to recruit people. Of course, they had to recruit experienced soul engineers! Only then could the Soul Tool Hall of the Tang Sect really take off!

As for this point, thanks to the communication between Bei Bei and He Caitou, the path for Xuan Ziwen to teach at Shrek Academy’s Soul Tool Department was cleared. While others might not know how powerful Xuan Ziwen was, how could Fan Yu and He Caitou, both of whom had visited the Illustrious Virtue Hall, not know? As a Class 8 soul engineer, Fan Yu was clear about the difference between Xuan Ziwen and himself. If not for the fact that Xuan Ziwen’s cultivation was not yet at the level of a Titled Douluo, he would have long since ascended to the level of a Rank 9 soul engineer. For him to instruct the Soul Tool Department was a privilege that money could not buy!

Going forward, all Soul Tool Department students, and even some teachers, were all assigned over to the Tang Sect. To demonstrate the sincerity of the Soul Tool Department, they even brought some money over and gave some ordinary metals to be used as materials for the students to use for practical lessons.

Undoubtedly, Xuan Ziwen had brought about a complete overhaul of the Tang Sect’s Soul Tool Hall. Here, he was the undisputed leader!

Not long after Bei Bei discussed things with his comrades, and they decided to thank Xuan Ziwen for his contributions to the Tang Sect by changing the name of the Soul Tool Hall to Xuan Hall, which would be personally led by him.

These were all formalities. With Xuan Ziwen, the foundation of the Tang Sect was secure.

------

Dawn...

In the morning, Bei Bei woke Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er up. Last night, only the three of them had stayed in the Tang Sect to rest. While Bei Bei tried to fulﬁll all of Xuan Ziwen’s requests, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er had cultivated for the entire day.

“Elder Brother, why did you wake us up so early?” Just as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er ﬁnished their cultivation on a good note, Bei Bei arrived. Right now, the sky was barely bright. It was very early.

Bei Bei said, “It is not I who called you. Teacher Xuan wants us to go with him early, and I suspect it has something to do with the new tournament. It’s likely that we’ll represent the Tang Sect for this tournament. Let’s go and eat ﬁrst. After breakfast, we’ll head back. Everyone else is waiting for us back in the inner courtyard.”

The three of them had breakfast, then left the Tang Sect for Shrek Academy.

This was the beneﬁt of being nearby. After a while, they were back in the inner courtyard. The other four members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were already waiting for them on the path back to Shrek Academy. After they linked up, they headed as a group toward the Sea God Pavilion.

When they reached the Sea God Pavilion, many people were already waiting there. They knew all of them.

Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe, and Cai Mei’er stood at the front. Next to them, there was a line of students. Not only were there disciples of the inner courtyard, but there were also a few from the outer courtyard. However, Huo Yuhao was familiar with all of them.

Among these students, Wang Qiu’er stood at the front. Next to Wang Qiu’er stood Dai Huabing, Ning Tian, Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, Xie Xuanyue, Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo. In total, there were ten of them.

Among them, Wang Qiu’er, Dai Huabing, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Xie Xuanyue were inner courtyard disciples. The other ﬁve of them were outer courtyard disciples. Other than Zhu Lu, the other four of them were from Huo Yuhao’s class. How could they not know each other?

As he looked at them, they naturally looked back.

Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo looked at Huo Yuhao rather normally. However, when their gazes fell on Wang Dong’er, they couldn’t help but turn to look at Wang Qiu’er. Their gazes ﬂitted between the two of them, and expressions of shock crossed their faces. Some of them, including Cao Jinxuan and Zhou Sichen, even looked excited. No one knew what they were thinking.

Bei Bei brought everyone before the three elders and lined everyone up smartly before bowing.

Elder Xuan nodded and said, “Good, everyone is here. Let us begin.”

As he said that, his gaze fell onto Shrek’s Seven Monsters, and he said, “Yesterday, we received a formal notice from the organizing committee of the tournament that the rules of the tournament have been ﬁnalized and conﬁrmed by all four countries on the continent. Hence, I can now tell you that the sects will take part in the new tournament. If you want to change your minds, this is your last chance.”

Bei Bei turned to look at his comrades. Everyone had a look of resolve in their eyes.

Bei Bei turned back and said respectfully to Elder Xuan, “Elder Xuan, Dean Yan, Dean Cai, we’ve decided that we are willing to represent the Tang Sect in this tournament.”

Elder Xuan nodded and said, “Good. Since you’ve decided, I wish you all the best. However, I must remind you that as you are representing the Tang Sect, you won’t receive any assistance in the tournament from the Academy. Your substitutes can only be chosen from the Tang Sect. You will be completely self-reliant, and your victory, or your loss, will have nothing to do with the Academy.”

“Yes,” the seven of them replied in unison. Naturally, they understood that Elder Xuan was not trying to absolve himself of responsibilities. Instead, he wanted to them to enter the competition properly. Elder Xuan said, “Next, I’ll tell you about the speciﬁcs of the competition. Remember, this competition is unlike those that took place before it. As the tournament seeks to attract sects, there will be an explosive increase in the number of teams taking part. Hence, competition will be stiff. After research by the Sun Moon Empire, they decided to set the following rules...

“The new tournament will be named the ‘Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament’. As there are many teams taking part in it, there will be elimination rounds until only 32 teams are left. The top 32 teams will be divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group will enter the top eight. Then, the progression will be preliminary rounds, group matches and ﬁnally, the ﬁnal match. All rounds will have individual elimination and group components.

“In each round, every participating team can send out seven participants, and only seven. Once the name list has been conﬁrmed, it cannot be changed. First, there’ll be individual elimination rounds. The two opposing teams will each send a competitor. Once the competitor defeats their opponent, they will continue to ﬁght until they lose, or the participant may choose to forgo the match voluntarily. A victory will net you one point, and the winning team from the individual elimination round will be awarded 2 points. After the individual elimination round, we’ll progress to the seven-on- seven group round. The participants will still be the seven who took part in the individual elimination, with no rest in between. Even if a team has injured participants and cannot send seven members, there will be no replacements. The winning team from the group round will earn 5 points. In the preliminary rounds, the team with the higher number of points will win.”

When they heard the rules of the competition, Shrek’s Seven Monsters fell into deep thought.

Elder Xuan continued, “I believe that you have realized that in the new rules, what is important is individual prowess. The individual elimination round is extremely important. If you can win all the points from the individual elimination round, then you’ll win the match without having to enter the group round. Hence, the order of deployment is extremely important. So you’ll need to go back and do some research, and ﬁnd what suits you best.”

Here, Elder Xuan turned his gaze to the side, looking at Wang Qiu’er and the rest, and said, “Standing before you are those who took part in the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. I can tell you that because of their exceptional performance then, they brought glory to the academy, and were bestowed the title of ‘Shrek’s Seven Monsters’. In this match, they will still participate, but not on behalf of the school. As for the ten of you, you will represent the school as either members of the main team or as substitutes. I hope you won’t let the school down and obtain good results. Shaozhe!”

“Yes!” answered Yan Shaozhe. He took a step forward and said, “The new team will be headed by Wang Qiu’er. The main team members include Dai Huabing, Ning Tian, Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, Xie Xuanyue, and Cao Jinxuan. The replacement team members are Zhou Sichen, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo. Due to the special nature of this competition, the school will not send lower-leveled participants, so as to give ourselves a ﬁghting chance.”

Only then did Huo Yuhao and the rest know that the ten of them who were called might not even have known why were they summoned.

Indeed, after they heard Elder Xuan’s explanation, as well as Yan Shaozhe’s announcement, their faces all changed. Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sichen, and the Lan Sisters were all excited. For them to represent Shrek Academy was an unimaginable honor! Even though it was because Shrek’s Seven Monsters could not take part, it was still an excellent opportunity that they should endeavor to seize.

However, the others wore uglier expressions.

As a student of the inner courtyard, Dai Huabing and Ning Tian had some news about it. From their perspective, they should naturally represent the Academy. After all, they fell within the age range and could be said to be the best among their peers.

However, they had never expected the Academy to pick a girl who resembled Wang Dong’er to be their captain.

Among them, Dai Huabing and Ning Tian, both of whom were hoping to be captain, wore ugly expressions on their faces. Ning Tian’s expression was not as bad, as she looked only slightly unnatural. Of course, this was also because of her relationship with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er. Dai Huabing’s face, however, was as black as a pot. He was never apt at concealing his emotions, and hence, he clenched his ﬁsts tightly.

“If there’s no other matter, it shall be set as such. From today onward, all of you will undergo special training,” said Yan Shaozhe.

“Sir!” Dai Huabing took a step forward.

“Eh?” Yan Shaozhe arched his eyebrows slightly as he looked at this talented, albeit hot-headed, student.

Dai Huabing said, “Dean Yan, may I ask what the criteria was for the selection of our new captain?”

Yan Shaozhe smiled slightly and said, “Strength, of course. Wang Qiu’er just joined the inner courtyard as a disciple this year, and she is an assault-type soul emperor. Among you, she is the strongest, and hence, she’ll be your captain.”

Dai Huabing protested, “Rank doesn’t represent everything.” As he said that, he glanced over at Huo Yuhao.

He was right. Huo Yuhao was proof of his point. He did not know how many times had he proven it to others.

Yan Shaozhe said coldly, “Go back to your spot.”

In front of the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, Dai Huabing did not dare to say anything else no matter how displeased he was. All he could do was fall back in line.

Chapter 249: The Powerful Wang Dong'er

Yan Shaozhe said in a low voice, “To familiarize everyone with the new rules, as well as to assess everyone’s skill, we shall now have a match between the old and the new team. As the new team has just been formed, they still need some time to learn to work together. Hence, we’ll only have the individual elimination round for today. The ﬁrst team to be completely eliminated loses. As there is a strength disparity between the two teams, the new team can send 10 members.”

Individual elimination? Shrek’s Seven Monsters were emotionless.

The new team, including Wang Qiu’er, looked extremely excited to try it out.

Evidently, they did not believe that the old team was better than them.

“This match will be held at Soul Duelling Area. Let’s go.” A ferry was already waiting for them at the Sea God Pavilion. Everyone boarded the ferry as it headed in the direction of the outer courtyard for the Soul Duelling Area. It was a bigger place, and hence, they could better demonstrate their powers there.

Dai Huabing stared intensely at Huo Yuhao across from him, a light swirling in his pupils. While he was conﬁdent in his own abilities, he had never beaten Huo Yuhao once in all these years. In particular, during the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date, the group of them were still unable to beat Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er. They had barely stood a chance back then. It was a huge blow to his conﬁdence.

While he tried to convince himself that it was because of Huo Yuhao’s and Wang Dong’er’s martial soul fusion skill, he did not know if he could have beaten them even if he used the martial soul fusion skill he had with Zhu Lu.

Once again, another chance had presented itself to him. This time, they would be competing in an individual elimination round. There would be no martial soul fusion skills. Could he beat Yuhao in a one-on-one ﬁght? Huo Yuhao sat opposite him, but he did not look at Dai Huabing. Naturally, he would not concern himself with what he was thinking. With respect to this mortal enemy of his who had killed his mother, hate would always surface in Huo Yuhao’s heart whenever he saw him, no matter how much

calmer he had become. He feared that he could not control this

emotion, and might kill him in the Academy.

I’m a ﬁve-ringed soul king, mother, can you see it? I’m already a soul king. In the future, I’ll head to the White Tiger Duke’s Mansion and avenge you. I’ll make those who caused us to suffer so much pay for what they did.

With this thought in his mind, Huo Yuhao’s eyes glazed over slightly. However, he was still looking straight ahead, but in the direction of Wang Qiu’er.

Wang Dong’er gently pinched his hand. Huo Yuhao’s body froze, and then he regained his senses.

“Are you that engrossed?” Wang Dong’er asked him half- jokingly. Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly and replied, “No, I’m thinking of other things.”

Wang Dong’er nodded and looked at the clear surface of the lake. “You don’t have to explain.”

“I…”

Cao Jinxuan chortled, “Class monitor, why don’t you introduce to us this beauty next to you? Hello, beautiful, I’m Cao Jinxuan. I used to be the class monitor’s classmate.”

Wang Dong’er looked at him coolly and said, “What’s there to introduce? Don’t you recognize me after I changed my hairstyle?”

After she said that, the four people from the class were all stunned. Why did this voice sound so familiar, as well as its tone?

Cao Jinxuan’s pupils contracted as he exchanged a look with Zhou Sichen. Then, they exclaimed in unison, “Wang Dong?”

Wang Dong’er stiﬂed a laugh and said, “That’s me.”

Cao Jinxuan stared in shock and said, “You, you, you are a woman? And you resemble our captain exactly! What is going on, what the heck is going on? Class monitor, class monitor, tell us now, what is going on? What’s your deal?”

Huo Yuhao chuckled, “She dressed up like a boy!”

Zhou Sichen pointed at Huo Yuhao and then at Wang Dong’er. “Dressing up like a boy? So the two of you cohabited together in the past! Did you know about this? Heavens The two of you were living together at such a young age. Heavens!”

Wang Dong’er stood up suddenly, her face ﬂushed red with anger. She said, “What do you mean by living together at such a young age? At that time, I was still a male student. We, we didn’t live together.”

Zhou Sichen chortled and said, “Right, right, you did not live together. All you did was sleep in the same room together.” With that, everyone around them could not help but smile.

Wang Dong’er’s eyes narrowed into slits. She gritted her teeth and said, “Zhou Sichen, if you have the guts, go up ﬁrst later. If I don’t beat you to a pulp, my surname is not Wang!”

Zhou Sichen did not fall for her trick. He immediately adopted a serious tone and said, “It is not I who decides when I should go up later. I’ll listen to my captain.”

“Eh, in that case, you’ll go up ﬁrst.” Wang Qiu’er’s clear voice drifted over.

“Er… captain?” Zhou Sichen looked at Wang Qiu’er in shock.

Wang Qiu’er ignored him. No one knew why she suddenly decided to help Wang Dong’er.

Wang Dong’er’s expression changed immediately. “Very good. In the match later, I want to be the ﬁrst to ﬁght, senior brother.” Bei Bei smiled and nodded.

Zhou Sichen looked crestfallen as he mumbled to himself. “How can I forget that she resembles our captain exactly? They must be sisters. I’m a fool! Cao Jinxuan, it’s all your fault. You coerced me into this! Class monitor, I’ve been wronged!”

Wang Dong’er was the class monitor back then. He was evidently not calling for Huo Yuhao here.

---

As the spectacle concluded, the ferry reached the shore of the lake, and everyone leapt out onto the shore. Led by Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe, and Cai Mei’er, they headed toward the Soul- Dueling Arena. Zhou Sichen’s expression looked as repressed as an eggplant.

Preparations had already been completed in the Soul-Dueling Arena. It was quiet inside. The only spectators for the individual elimination round would be Elder Xuan and the two deans. Naturally, they would act as the judges. Elder Xuan and Cai Mei’er stood at the side. Yan Shaozhe said to both teams, “You will each take the north and south sides. The captains will decide the order of battle. After a while, send your ﬁrst teammate out. I’ll be the judge. You have ten minutes.”

The two sides stood at opposite ends. Shrek’s Seven Monsters naturally said nothing. After some thinking, Bei Bei started to split them into teams. Like he had said earlier, Wang Dong’er was the ﬁrst to go.

The other side was more boisterous.

“You’ll be the ﬁrst later,” Wang Qiu’er said as she pointed at Zhou Sichen.

Zhou Sichen had a bitter expression on his face as he said, “Captain, we are going up against them! If we want to confuse them, you should send someone with the ability to rival Wang Dong’er. I don’t think I can do that!”

Wang Qiu’er frowned and said, “What good is a dishonest person? Since I’ve promised them, you’ll be the ﬁrst to go. Do you have any more questions?”

Zhou Sichen was normally a person with little self-control. However, upon noticing how domineering Wang Qiu’er was, he said nothing.

However, just because he kept silent did not mean the rest had no objections.

Dai Huabin snorted coldly and said, “As the captain, how can you deploy your teammates without seeking our approval ﬁrst? Is this how you want to win? To me, I think you want us to lose deliberately because you have good ties with them.”

Wang Qiu’er glared at him. Suddenly, Dai Huabin felt his heart constricting. It was as if a terrifying beast was staring him down.

“I don’t understand you. This is a spar, and the objective is to get everyone to know each other. Is there any problem in sending a particular person out ﬁrst? Is an intra-academy spar so important? What we want is to beat them in the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament. If you can’t respect my command, you’re free to quit.”

“You…” Dai Huabin was on the verge of exploding from rage.

However, Zhu Lu, who was at his side, pulled him back.

Everyone had become older, and they were no longer as impulsive as Dai Huabin was. His impulsiveness had ended his studies in Class 1. While he was treated well in Class 2, he was still weaker than Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, even though it was only by a bit. Zhu Lu knew how important this tournament was to Dai Huabin. Hence, he could not be allowed to do anything rash or impulsive now.

Dai Huabin said nothing. However, Wu Feng said mysteriously, “Captain, your resemblance to Wang Dong’er is uncanny. Are you sisters?”

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes turned cold and she said, “I’ll only say it once. I’m not related to her by blood. We are opponents. Other than that, we have no other ties. Is that clear?” Wu Feng glared at her. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you talk nicely?”

Wang Qiu’er turned around and faced Wu Feng. In that instant, a powerful energy surged from her body.

Wu Feng had a dragon-type martial soul. However, in front of Wang Qiu’er, she could not calm herself even if she released her martial soul.

She took a step back in shock, looking at Wang Qiu’er in a completely different light. “Superior suppression, how is that possible? What’s your martial soul?”

Wang Qiu’er ignored her. She turned her head to look at Zhou Sichen and said, “Go, don’t worry about winning or losing. Just try your best.”

“Ok,” Zhou Sichen replied in agreement. He turned and walked toward the arena. At this moment, he suddenly felt that Wang Qiu’er was even scarier than Wang Dong’er! Dai Huabin and Wu Feng were no weaklings, but she was still able to dominate both of them. No wonder the school made her captain. It was best not to get on her bad side!

He quickly walked out to the center of the arena. From the other side, Wang Dong’er also appeared.

Zhou Sichen wore a pained expression as he said, “Class monitor, please show mercy! Don’t damage my handsome face, my life’s happiness depends on it!”

Wang Dong’er laughed. “That can’t be right. I feel that your face is a let-down for all humanity! Let me do some cosmetic surgery for you...”

Yan Shaozhe, who was standing at the center of the arena, said, “That’s enough, let’s start.” With that, he slowly took a few steps back.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan were classmates. However, they had not trained together for quite some time already. They no longer knew each other well, and their memories of each other were stuck in the past.

The moment Yan Shaozhe said ‘start’, Zhou Sichen immediately released his martial soul. A thick Treasure Bible hung in mid-air. The light emitted by the Treasure Bible was much more powerful than in the past. Two yellow and two purple rings spun around the thick book, Zhou Sichen was now a four-ringed soul ancestor! However, his soul power was already at Rank 48, and he wasn’t far away from becoming a soul king. In Class 1, he was considered exceptional.

Just as he was releasing the Treasure Bible, Wang Dong’er moved. She did not rush to release her martial soul, but instead she leapt up and dashed toward Zhou Sichen.

As Zhou Sichen released his Treasure Bible, he was also retreating quickly. While he was an Assault System Battle Soul Master, his strategy was in summoning. His Treasure Bible’s specialty was that as it obtained soul rings, it could trap slain soul beasts within it. While he could only personally obtain a single soul skill from the soul beast, he could also summon the soul beast with its own characteristic soul skill. This was the advantage of his Treasure Bible. Few Assault System Battle Soul Master had such a summoning ability, and his Treasure Bible was one of the best.

Wang Dong’er was fast, but Zhou Sichen was no sluggard. They were all taught how to run by Zhou Yi. Zhou Sichen retreated quickly, but his Treasure Bible was already open. His ﬁrst soul ring started to shine.

A ray of yellow light appeared, dropping from the Treasure Bible onto the ground in front of him. A huge bear materialized and blocked Wang Dong’er’s path. This was Zhou Sichen’s ﬁrst soul skill, where he summoned the Earthen Bear.

Wang Dong’er continued to charge forward. When the Earthen Bear appeared, it immediately raised its paws and slammed them ferociously down.

Zhou Sichen did not call on it to hit Wang Dong’er. He was clear that with Wang Dong’er’s agility, the Earthen Bear could not strike her. All he wanted to do was slow her down.

The Earthen Bear’s paws hit the ground, and a loud blast sounded. A powerful earthquake headed toward Wang Dong’er.

Just as the Earthen Bear’s paws hit the ground, Wang Dong’er leapt up. Her battle experience could easily rival Huo Yuhao’s.

In mid-air, bright blue and gold light started to shine. The wings of the Radiant Butterﬂy Goddess comfortably spread open from her back, allowing her to soar upward immediately. In mid-air, they suddenly ﬂapped, and picked up speed as she ﬂew above the Earthen Bear’s head, heading straight for Zhou Sichen.

Zhou Sichen did not waste any time. After he called upon the Earthen Bear, his second, third, and fourth soul rings all started to shine with light.

He summoned the Flaming Demon Tiger, the Bramble Forest, and the Netherworld Python. The three soul skills were released almost simultaneously.

Zhou Sichen’s way of summoning soul skills had its own restriction. Chieﬂy, he could only release one soul skill once. For example, there could only be one Earthen Bear, he could not summon Earthen Bears non-stop. Only when it died could he call upon another one.

The Flaming Demon Tiger roared, and a huge ball of ﬁre ﬂew from its mouth as it bombarded Wang Dong’er in mid-ﬂight. Zhou Sichen disappeared into the Bramble Forest.

In just a few seconds, the Bramble Forest was already twenty meters wide. It had grown to a huge size, and its brambles extended out extremely quickly. Soon, it was as tall as a single person. The brambles on it came for Wang Dong’er like a huge wave, with some of them creeping across the ground before shooting upward. Looking at it, as long as Wang Dong’er approached it, the thorny vines would strike her!

Protected by the Bramble Forest, Zhou Sichen was no longer visible. His intentions were clear: he knew that he was no match for Wang Dong’er, who was a soul emperor. All he could do was slowly wear her down. This was an individual elimination round, and the winner had to have the stamina to continue. However, a soul master’s cultivation was limited.

Yan Shaozhe nodded his head from the sidelines. Zhou Sichen was a student with a very clear mind. He could maximize his own strengths, and he was not scared of depleting his soul power. The key was to make his opponent deplete her soul energy, too! Wang Dong’er, still suspended in mid-air, extended her wings further. As her second soul ring started to shine, the entire sky became basked in golden light. She carpet-bombed the Bramble Forest with her Light of the Butterﬂy Goddess.

The Flaming Demon Tiger’s ﬁreballs continued to ﬁre up at her. Also, while there many brambles, they were not powerful. The Light of the Butterﬂy Goddess was able to block many of them, and the rest were blocked by Wang Dong’er’s defensive soul power.

Wang Dong’er snorted, and suddenly back-ﬂipped. She no longer ﬂew ahead, but instead descended toward the Earthen Bear, which was slowly standing up.

Her body turned sharply, and the points of her wings made straight for the Earthen Bear’s shoulder. At the same time, she slammed her palms together, and a huge ball of light ﬂew out, aimed straight at the Flaming Demon Tiger.

The Earthen Bear was controlled by Zhou Sichen. As he noticed Wang Dong’er coming, he did not hesitate to instruct the bear to strike her with its paws. However, Wang Dong’er was a soul emperor! The difference in power was shown at this moment.

Blue and golden light ﬂashed. Wang Dong’er landed on the ground, and the Earthen Bear behind her froze. Two huge wounds, one blue and one golden, extended from the shoulders of the Earthen Bear all the way to its back legs, criss-crossing in the center of its back. Before the razor-sharp butterﬂy wings, its defensive abilities were evidently insufﬁcient.

Wang Dong’er accelerated at this moment. The ball of light headed toward the Flaming Demon Tiger exploded and turned into countless sharp blades, trapping the tiger within them. While this was only her third soul skill, it was supported by her Class 60 soul power. Every single knife brimmed with sufﬁcient destructive energy. The Flaming Demon Tiger was torn apart.

Among the four soul skills summoned, two had been destroyed.

However, Wang Dong’er did not charge toward the Bramble Forest. Instead, her wings changed. Her wings, which were blue like the ocean at ﬁrst, suddenly shone with golden light. Following that, a golden ﬁre started to burn at the tips of her wings. As the ﬁre blazed, it spread to every corner of her wings, eventually cloaking Wang Dong’er’s body in a layer of golden light. The bright golden ﬁre was as bright as daylight.

Wang Dong’er struck as she charged straight for the Bramble Forest.

Zhou Sichen did not try to summon his two soul skills again, as he was very clear that there was no way they could stop her. Hence, he decided to save his soul energy for his last two soul skills.

The Netherworld Python hid in the Bramble Forest, which was now thirty meters across, and continuing to expand.

As Wang Dong’er approached, the huge Bramble Forest started to curl up and try to entangle her.

Wang Dong’er snorted coldly, and her form turned ethereal. Tang Sect Secret Technique, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!

Her butterﬂy wings, shining with golden ﬁre, became as breathtaking as the Raiment of Light when combined with the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Her powdery-blue hair ﬂew in the wind behind her, and her two wings were like two ﬂaming scythes slashing in a sideways motion.

The moment the resilient brambles touched her ﬂaming wings, they retreated. With her Guillotine Wings, Wang Dong’er charged into the Bramble Forest like a combine harvester. Anywhere she touched, brambles would be sent ﬂying. The golden ﬁre started to spread in the bramble forest. It was an extremely powerful attack!

Zhou Sichen was depressed, this was a superior form of suppression! He believed that if he were a six-ringed soul emperor, it would not be so easy for Wang Dong’er to charge into his Bramble Forest. However, before Wang Dong’er, the Bramble Forest was far too weak. In particular, the ﬁre on her wings was a natural trump card against his forest. The only thing he could do was wear her down. Zhou Sichen tried to replenish his bramble forest while changing positions, preventing her from ﬁnding him. At the same time, the huge Netherworld Python slowly crept toward her.

Wang Dong’er’s ﬁre derived its power from its golden radiance. She was also using her Spiritual Power to track Zhou Sichen down. However, Zhou Sichen was crafty indeed. He replenished the brambles as quickly as she destroyed them.

Wang Dong’er nodded tacitly at his actions. If she did not want to use a high-level soul skill, the only way for her to defeat Zhou Sichen was to wear him down until he ran out of soul power! If that’s the case, let’s see who’ll be worn down ﬁrst!

At this moment, an illusory silhouette suddenly appeared behind Wang Dong’er. The silhouette was half-transparent, but huge. It wrapped itself around Wang Dong’er and constricted even her Guillotine Wings. While its resilient body crackled under the heat from her ﬁre, it was able to buy some time for Zhou Sichen.

Success! Zhou Sichen rejoiced in his heart. Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Sichen directed his Bramble Forest to head straight for her. If he could score a victory due to her carelessness, it would be glorious indeed!

However, while dreams may be nice, they were rarely real.

Just as Zhou Sichen tried to swamp Wang Dong’er with a huge amount of brambles in the hopes of suppressing her utterly and forcing her to acknowledge defeat, a powerful soul energy started to shake.

A ray of golden light about thirty meters long suddenly surged forth. The Netherworld Python was cleansed by this golden light, and all the surrounding brambles were reduced to dust.

Wang Dong’er’s fourth and ﬁfth soul rings shone intermittently. The moment the Hexagram Array kicked in, Wang Dong’er, who was above it, started to change too. She pointed out with her right hand, and the Hexagram Array suddenly ﬂew up. A giant golden pillar of light a hundred meters long, swept out. The terrifying power reduced the rest of the brambles to dust. Even Zhou Sichen was swept up by the bright golden light.

Immobilized by the light, there was no way he could move anymore. He tried to raise his hands to admit defeat.

Wang Dong’er’s ﬁfth soul skill, Hexagram Control. This was not the full extent of her power, but instead, she just borrowed some power from the Hexagram Array. If she released this power herself, its magnitude would be different. Of course, the way she released this power allowed her to save some soul power.

When the golden light dissipated, Zhou Sichen lay on the ground with a pained expression on his face. The Fire of Light had drained his soul power. If Wang Dong’er had not retracted her power in time, his clothes might have been burned off.

Yan Shaozhe said with a smile, “Sichen’s performance was decent. Go, send the next one.” Zhou Sichen rejoiced. It was not a bad thing to leave a good impression on his dean. He quickly bowed to Yan Shaozhe, gave a thumbs-up to Wang Dong’er, and headed back to his team’s corner.

Wang Qiu’er looked at her teammates, pointed with her ring hand, and said, “Your turn.” The rest of them looked at her and realized that she was choosing at random. The next teammate she wanted to send out was one of the Lan Sisters, Lan Susu.

Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo were both soul ancestors. They were Control System Battle Soul Masters, and their martial souls were their hair. However, the reason they were selected as substitutes for the main team was because of their martial soul fusion skill. In a one-on-one ﬁght, how could they ﬁght Wang Dong’er?

Evidently, they could not, as they were quickly defeated by Wang Dong’er after they were sent to battle her one by one.

Three to zero. The Shrek’s Seven Monsters had a score of three. “You.” The fourth person Wang Qiu’er pointed to was Xie Xuanyue.

Compared to the Lan Sisters, Xie Xuanyue was much more powerful. After all, in terms of cultivation, he was considered one of the most powerful alongside Dai Huabing and Ning Tian when he ﬁrst joined the Academy. At that time, Huo Yuhao had not yet shown his skills.

When Xie Xuanyue went up, the tides of the battle changed. While he was eventually defeated, he was able to deplete a huge amount of Wang Dong’er’s soul energy.

“Dong’er, come back. We’ll admit defeat this round and switch you out.” After Wang Qiu’er sent out her ﬁfth teammate, Ning Tian, Bei Bei recalled Wang Dong’er.

Wang Dong’er’s performance had been excellent as she had managed to win four battles consecutively.

“Caitou.” Bei Bei made a gesture at He Caitou. He Caitou strode onto the arena. His big bald head was unique indeed. Furthermore, he had left a deep impression on everyone during the Sea God’s Fate. On that day, Ning Tian had been another participant at the blind date. In the end, she lost…

Ning Tian was an auxiliary-type soul master, but she was a clever girl. While Wang Qiu’er picked her without knowing her power, she nevertheless strode up. While she could not ﬁght with her martial soul, she could use soul tools. The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect’s use of soul tools was different and superior to other sects.

However, Bei Bei was experienced and cunning too. During the Sea God’s Fate, he had already seen Ning Tian use her soul tool before. Coupled with his understanding of her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, he decided to send out his most experienced soul engineer.

“Admit defeat,” He Caitou said unkindly.

Ning Tian snorted coldly and said, “How do you know I’ll lose before we even ﬁght?” As she said that, a pair of wings extended behind her back, and light burst out from them. This carried her petite body into the air. It was a ﬂying-type soul tool.

Not only that, Ning Tian’s entire body became weaponized.

A soul cannon positioned itself on her shoulder, and many soul tools turned into armor all over her body. Her soul power congregated, and the soul cannon blasted in He Caitou’s direction.

He Caitou looked on helplessly. He lifted his right hand, and a white light ﬂashed past. The cannon shell Ning Tian had released exploded in mid-air.

Then, He Caitou’s pupils started to shrink.

Like a transformer, metallic sounds resonated from He Caitou’s body. He seemed to have implanted himself in the ground as countless thick cannons appeared all over his body. They locked in on Ning Tian, who looked like a target in the sky… Among Shrek’s Seven Monsters, who was the strongest?

If one asked Huo Yuhao, he would reply that under certain conditions, when the distance between the combatants was more than two hundred meters, his second senior was the strongest.

He Caitou’s research specialized in Soul Tool Fortresses and Stationary Soul Cannons. His aim was to inﬂict the greatest amount of damage possible. As the rest had yet to reach the seven-ringed soul sage level, He Caitou, as a soul engineer, was undoubtedly the most powerful.

Of course, he only had an advantage if he was sufﬁciently far away. Once other soul masters approached him, his advantage would be nulliﬁed. In other words, if Bei Bei fought He Caitou and they were two hundred meters apart, He Caitou might beat him. However, if they were only a hundred meters apart, no one knew who would win. If they were only ﬁfty meters apart, then Bei Bei had a higher chance of winning.

For Ning Tian, while her style was auxiliary-type, she was battling as a soul engineer. Against He Caitou, the top soul engineer of Shrek Academy, how could she stand a chance?

He Caitou released a barrage of highly-concentrated attacks against her. Just as he was about to follow up, Yan Shaozhe stopped him. Ning Tian was defeated.

Wang Qiu’er stood by the side. Other than her, everyone else on her team wore ugly expressions on their faces.

From the start of the competition, while they had superiority in terms of numbers, they had already lost ﬁve rounds. On the other side, only Wang Dong’er had forfeited a match. He Caitou’s powerful soul tools stunned everyone.

On Wang Qiu’er’s side, only Dai Huabing, Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, and Cao Jinxuan were left.

Wang Qiu’er turned to look at her teammates and sighed in her heart. The disparity in strength was vast indeed! Huo Yuhao’s team still brimmed with energy. It would be extremely difﬁcult for them to win this spar. Even so, she could not allow her team’s morale to be completely depleted. She had to raise their spirits. At this point, Wang Qiu’er said calmly, “I’ll go up next.”

With that, she strode to the center of the arena.

As they watched Wang Qiu’er stride out, Dai Huabin and the rest who had yet to battle were stunned. From their perspective, they thought that Wang Qiu’er’s arrangements had been random, and that they would be the last to be deployed. They never expected this to happen.

When Wang Qiu’er appeared, He Caitou’s relaxed expression turned serious. That day, he had personally witnessed how Wang Qiu’er had defeated Ji Juechen. While it could be said to be due to Ji Juechen’s choice of weapon, it was sufﬁcient to show how powerful she was.

During dinner that night, everyone tried to inquire about Wang Qiu’er’s powers. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er had given them short descriptions. Now, as she approached him, he naturally became more alert.

When Yan Shaozhe saw Wang Qiu’er striding out, he nodded silently in his heart. This girl was not one with all brawn and no brain. Choosing to ﬁght now was evidently her way of boosting morale.

Wang Qiu’er looked at He Caitou and then nodded at Yan Shaozhe to indicate that she was ready.

Yan Shaozhe announced, “Start!”

To ensure that the competition was fair, He Caitou, who was a soul engineer, had to retrieve all his soul tools after the last round. Hence, he needed to release his soul tools once again in the new round.

The moment Yan Shaozhe said ‘start’, Wang Qiu’er sprang into action. Blinding golden light shone from her body. She stomped down onto the ground with her right foot, and the ground burst with a heart-chilling sound as if a huge dragon had just trod on it. Within a two meter radius, the ground collapsed completely. Cracks extended out for more than ten meters.

With that stomp, Wang Qiu’er’s body ﬂew into the sky like a bolt of lightning. Her speed was so fast that others could barely see her.

Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan opened their mouths in shock. They did not follow Wang Qiu’er’s airborne body, but instead looked at the ground she had just stomped on.

Zhou Sichen mumbled to himself, “Is, is she still human? The amount of strength required to accomplish that feat is incredible! It’s beyond horrifying!”

Cao Jinxuan’s voice trembled, “Yes! It’s terrifying, indeed! When she released her energy, she did not even release her martial soul!”

Chapter 250: Huo Yuhao VS Wang Qiu'er

He Caitou could feel the fear, too.

While the Soul Duelling Arena was large, both combatants had to keep an initial distance of a hundred meters from each other. If the distance was too large, it would cause the competition to drag out. It was also unfair to soul masters who did not specialize in long-range attacks.

He Caitou tried to use his Soul Tool Fortress like before, attempting to suppress Wang Qiu’er with a powerful bombardment. However, he soon realized that Wang Qiu’er was already in front of him. He had never expected her to move at such a terrifying speed.

However, he was trained under the Ultimate Soldier Plan too. He was shocked, but he reacted quickly.

He immediately abandoned his plan to use his Soul Tool Fortress. A powerful ray of light shot out from his chest, and at the same time, he quickly retreated. At the same time, he raised his arms, and six cannons ﬂipped out. A powerful blast of soul power went straight for Wang Qiu’er’s body.

Creating distance, suppression with ﬁrepower. This was the most common ﬁghting style of soul engineers.

However, Wang Qiu’er was exceptional even by the standards of Shrek Academy.

Faced with He Caitou’s attack, she didn't even try to dodge. She lifted her right hand and was instantly wielding her Golden Dragon Spear. She completely ignored the lines of soul power that were coming for her. She shrieked a battle cry, and a powerful golden light enveloped her body. The shadow of a golden dragon ﬂashed behind her, and then disappeared. Following that, with a clear dragon’s roar, the Golden Dragon Spear turned into a bolt of golden lightning as it was hurled toward He Caitou.

Screw me! He Caitou’s face drained of color. That day, when Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er were discussing Wang Qiu’er’s abilities, they had both mentioned her weapon, which was almost as powerful as a Divine Weapon! The moment that golden lightning appeared, He Caitou felt the hairs on his body standing up. He released a powerful Class 7 protective soul barrier almost instantly. At the same time, he felt his body hurtling toward the ground. He ﬁred two thick cannons, which he had just released from his shoulder, instantly. Two high-explosive cannon shells ﬂew straight toward the golden bolt of lightning.

Even so, He Caitou did not relax. Another white cannon shell blew up in mid-air, from which a round protective shield with a diameter of three meters appeared. This was another Class 7 protective soul barrier that was released in the form of a cannon shell, allowing it to be placed at any corner of the battleground. It was a special soul tool He Caitou could also use for his own defense.

With a boom, the two cannon shells split apart. However, while they were powerful, they could not compare to the Golden Dragon Spear. The bolt of lightning pierced through the layers of ﬁre as it hit the round protective shield.

White ripples appeared on the round protective shield. After it was deployed, this shield could exist in mid-air for as long as 30 seconds. While it was not a stationary soul tool, it was still one of the top Class 7 soul tools in existence, called the Protective Angel Cannon Shield. If it was used well, its role in saving one’s teammates during a battle was remarkable.

However, the Protective Angel Cannon Shield was breaking apart now.

The Golden Dragon Spear stopped, and the shape of a golden dragon ﬂashed on top of the spear. The dragon’s roar became louder and louder. Following that, it pierced through the Protective Angel Cannon Shield. The Golden Dragon Spear did not slow down as it continued on its path toward He Caitou at an even faster speed.

What shocked everyone was the fact that Wang Qiu’er suddenly stopped. She seemed to be mumbling to herself, as if she were praying to the heavens.

He Caitou, however, sighed in relief.

While the Golden Dragon Spear was powerful, he could feel, at that moment, that its deadliness was gone. The Golden Dragon Spear no longer exerted any pressure on him. The Protective Angel Cannon and his two high-explosive rounds had diminished much of its power.

As he noticed that the golden ray of lightning was almost in front of him, He Caitou changed too. A pair of hammers appeared in his hands.

It was even Huo Yuhao’s ﬁrst time seeing He Caitou using a close-combat soul tool. However, he had to admit that these hammers ﬁt He Caitou well.

The hammers were only about 50 cm long, but their heads were more than half of the length, their entire bodies crackling with electricity. They were the Thunderous Warhammers, Class 6 soul tools!

With He Caitou’s physique, it was no issue for him to wield these hammers. Even though he had a food-type martial soul, he had studied the Tang Sect Secret Techniques too! His special favorite was the Chaotic Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.

At this moment, as the Golden Dragon Spear approached him, He Caitou turned his body vigorously, his two hammers were like a shooting star and moon. He smashed them at the Golden Dragon Spear. He believed ﬁrmly that with the explosive thunder power in his two Thunderous Warhammers, as well as his Class 7 protective soul barrier, there was no problem in him meeting the Golden Dragon Spear head-on.

He Caitou’s reaction could not be described as bad. Even the other six Shrek’s Seven Monsters could not ﬁnd any fault with it. However, Wang Qiu’er was no ordinary girl! Even Huo Yuhao, who understood her best, did not expect her to have such a ﬁghting style.

Clang! The sharp sound of metal hitting metal resounded in everyone’s ears. He Caitou’s hammers smashed into the Golden Dragon Spear.

While the Golden Dragon Spear was powerful, the intense golden light that it gave off was able to reduce much of the warhammers’ thunder. Bits of the golden light even crept onto them.

The Golden Dragon Spear that was already severely weakened was still capable of forcing He Caitou to take three steps back. However, this was the last of its strength. Smashed away by the hammers, it ﬂew into the air.

He Caitou, however, stared in shock as he noticed that the golden light that ﬂashed from the Golden Dragon Spear had been sent ﬂying into the air. A silhouette appeared next to the spear in mid-air, as if the sky had torn open to get her there, and grabbed onto it. Then, she came crashing down from the sky as she tried to smash He Caitou from above.

Wang Qiu’er, who was in the distance, had disappeared. A goddess of war, wielding the Golden Dragon Spear, had appeared before He Caitou.

Her Golden Dragon Spear can teleport her? Huo Yuhao watched with his mouth agape. He could not help but think about how Wang Qiu’er had appeared before him and helped him with his three-in-one martial soul fusion skill.

With such limited time, He Caitou could not react in any other way. He lifted his two warhammers as he tried to clamp onto Wang Qiu’er’s spear. Boom!

Instantly, He Caitou felt as if he had been hit by a mountain. While he was conﬁdent in his own abilities, and was a soul emperor, he was still far from Wang Qiu’er in terms of raw strength.

Everyone who was watching the ﬁght could clearly see He Caitou’s knees buckle and sink down. His entire body appeared to be absorbed by the ground, as the electricity from his Thunderous Warhammers turned golden.

He Caitou felt that his arms no longer belonged to him. Wang Qiu’er used the rebound of her strike to leap back into the air. As she was about to land, she turned around in mid-air and her spear reached out, pointing itself straight at He Caitou’s throat.

Resist? He Caitou could not even lift his arms, much less resist. His joints were immobilized by the massive force that had crashed down on them. How could he resist?

The spear’s tip stopped just an inch away from his throat. He Caitou opened his eyes wide in shock. He could feel that there was a force at the tip of the spear that was absorbing his soul. It was an ominous feeling that told him that he was only inches away from death.

“Wang Qiu’er wins.”

Yan Shaozhe’s voice stopped everything. From Shrek’s side, Xiao Xiao was already running at full speed.

Wang Qiu’er stuck her spear into the ground. She walked forward and chopped down on He Caitou’s arms. Only then did they come down.. they had been dislocated.

Wang Qiu’er then tugged at his arms forcefully. Ka! Ka! Instantly, she jerked his arms back in place. The sudden wave of pain made He Caitou sweat, but he was able to regain control over his arms.

“Thank you,” He Caitou said with a bitter smile.

In terms of power, he was not that far from Wang Qiu’er. However, Wang Qiu’er had used her advantages to their fullest.

When Wang Qiu’er approached He Caitou, Huo Yuhao had already closed his eyes. In close-combat, He Caitou stood no chance against Wang Qiu’er.

“Caitou, are you okay?” Xiao Xiao ran up to him and grabbed his arm, her face full of concern.

He Caitou chuckled and said, “It’s nothing, only a dislocation. Wang Qiu’er helped me put it back in place. Powerful indeed! I lost this round fair and square.” He gave her a thumbs-up. While he lost, he was not depressed. He pulled himself out from the ground and returned to his corner with Xiao Xiao. Only Xiao Xiao could feel that even now, He Caitou’s arms were still trembling, a testament to how powerful Wang Qiu’er’s attack had been.

When Wang Qiu’er beat He Caitou, her teammates’ faces showed a variety of expressions.

The one with the biggest change was Dai Huabing. When he saw Wang Qiu’er’s spear crash against the Thunderous Warhammers, forcing He Caitou into the ground, Dai Huabing’s throat tightened as he swallowed. He did not know what the result would have been had he faced her spear himself!

One could say that this was their ﬁrst victory. Wang Qiu’er’s power made all of her teammates lose their doubts about her. The explosiveness and length of the battle caused it to be over in the blink of an eye.

Bei Bei looked at his team and tapped Huo Yuhao lightly on the shoulder and said, “Go, Yuhao.”

“Why me, elder brother?” Huo Yuhao looked at Bei Bei with an innocent face.

Bei Bei said naturally, “You understand her best! Furthermore, when you asked us to help you take care of Ji Juechen, did we reject you? Go, it’s time to let them see how powerful you’ve become. You can do it.”

Huo Yuhao looked at his compatriots as if he was imploring them to do something. However, they all pretended that they did not see him, even Wang Dong’er. Helplessly and unwillingly, Huo Yuhao walked out.

He did not want to face Wang Qiu’er, not just because of how powerful she was, but also because of the weird relationship the two of them had! He did not know how he should face her.

For the other members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, the only ones who stood a chance against Wang Qiu’er were Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi. While Wang Dong’er was also a soul emperor, she had already fought, and He Caitou had lost. Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao, both of whom had yet to reach six rings, were obviously weaker than Wang Qiu’er. This was why Bei Bei sent Huo Yuhao out.

When Wang Qiu’er noticed that it was Huo Yuhao who walked out, her expression changed. Then, she ﬂicked her wrist and pulled her Golden Dragon Spear out of the ground, pointing its tip right at Huo Yuhao.

From afar, Elder Xuan and Cai Mei’er nodded. Huo Yuhao versus Wang Qiu’er. This was a ﬁght worth watching. One wielded the power of Ultimate Ice and was a twin-souled soul master. The other one was one with an Ultimate Strength martial soul. A match between the two of them would naturally be interesting. Even Elder Xuan wanted to see who was the most powerful of the two. After all, only when their strengths were similar could they use the full might of their powers.

When he looked at Wang Qiu’er, Huo Yuhao’s eyes betrayed a tinge of helplessness. He nodded at her and said, “Please be merciful.”

Wang Qiu’er snorted. She slowly raised her Golden Dragon Spear, and her eyes ﬂared up. There was no way she would be showing mercy!

Yan Shaozhe looked at the two of them, and a smile crept across his face. He said, “Remember, don’t actually draw blood. Start!”

The moment he said that, Wang Qiu’er started to move. Like before, her left leg stomped down forcefully on the ground, leaving a deep crevice. Her body was already barrelling straight toward Huo Yuhao.

When he saw the hole she left behind, Yan Shaozhe’s heart ached. We need money to repair the grounds again. With the power of this girl, what materials must we use to prevent her from leaving any more holes?

Huo Yuhao had no desire to pit his speed against Wang Qiu’er’s. With her powerful force, Wang Qiu’er’s short-term explosiveness allowed her speed to exceed that of a seven- ringed soul sage.

As he watched Wang Qiu’er, cloaked in gold, hurtling toward him, Huo Yuhao’s gaze turned sharp.

An orange-golden silhouette appeared behind him, and the adorable Snow Lady appeared once again. She twiddled her index ﬁngers habitually as she looked innocently at Wang Qiu’er, who was rushing toward her at high speed.

Huo Yuhao did not retreat. An intense layer of gold light shone from his body, and his eyes suddenly turned bright. Can it be? Does he want to meet her head-on? Everyone exclaimed in their hearts. They could not help but admire Huo Yuhao’s bravery.

At this time, the soul rings on Huo Yuhao’s body started to shine.

A white halo expanded. It was Enfeeblement. As a control- type soul master, it was impossible for him to clash head-on with her without ﬁrst attempting to weaken her.

After Enfeeblement, he used Spiritual Confusion on Wang Qiu’er.

Huo Yuhao was cunning indeed. When he used Enfeeblement, it was still traceable. As she noticed that a white halo was approaching her, Wang Qiu’er gathered her soul power, and with the power of the bloodline of the Golden Dragon, she was able to reduce its power by more than 80%.

However, at this moment, her rampage stopped. She was still 30 to 40 meters away from Huo Yuhao. Just as her legs touched the ground and she was ready to charge forward once again, Huo Yuhao used his Spiritual Confusion on her. This control of time was perfect for him, but terrible for Wang Qiu’er.

She was instantly befuddled. This caused her to lean to one side with each step she took. While each step she took still caused a boom to sound, her addled mental state caused her to lose her center of gravity. Her body leaned to one side, and she was already rushing toward that side. The effects of this off- kilter dash were mitigated considerably by her power. Had she been an ordinary soul master, her legs would have been broken by the amount of force she was using.

At this time, Huo Yuhao used his third soul skill. Two rays of purplish-gold light shot out from his eyes. This was Spiritual Shock.

As a spiritual-type attack, you could not block it even if you knew what it was.

Wang Qiu’er’s head snapped back due to the Spiritual Shock. Just as she was about to resume control over her body, she lost it once more as she fell to the ground. At this moment, Huo Yuhao moved. Like her, he pushed off with his left leg. While he was not as intense as Wang Qiu’er, the explosiveness of his speed was comparable to hers. This was because he still had four soul thrusters behind him.

His entire body shone with bright, golden light. Huo Yuhao was already ﬂying toward Wang Qiu’er at lightning speed. He punched out with his right ﬁst and sent her ﬂying.

Timing and soul skill control. Huo Yuhao did all this perfectly.

Everyone couldn’t help but fear for Wang Qiu’er. With Huo Yuhao’s control-type abilities, he was at an absolute advantage!

However, just as everyone thought Huo Yuhao had won with his punch, Wang Qiu’er, who had been sent ﬂying down, suddenly turned her body in mid-air. She faced Huo Yuhao, and her left ﬁst went ﬂying toward him. Her body was suspended in a slanted position in mid-air.

Of course, she did not break free from gravity. What supported her body was the Golden Dragon Spear in her right hand.

It turned out that Wang Qiu’er was able to break free from the Spiritual Shock. Then, she quickly steadied her body as she punched Huo Yuhao back.

When Huo Yuhao attacked, he had never expected himself to win immediately. If he could do that, Wang Qiu’er would not be Wang Qiu’er. However, he was shocked at how quickly she was able to free herself from his Spiritual Shock. This girl’s spiritual resistance was strong indeed!

As their ﬁsts matched, a low explosion could be heard in mid- air. Huo Yuhao’s body was sent ﬂying. Wang Qiu’er smiled. They were comparing raw strength, and she had a Ultimate Strength martial soul.

However, while Huo Yuhao was sent ﬂying, Wang Qiu’er did not pursue him. Golden light shone from both of their bodies as they clashed against each other. Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear, which she had used to barely maintain her balance, emerged from the ground ﬁrst. Her body turned, and she landed on the ground. Huo Yuhao’s body ﬂew, and the Snow Lady, who had been following him, changed. Her deep blue eyes were like a boundless ocean. Her small form expanded, and she reverted to her Snow Empress form.

Wang Qiu’er was shocked as she looked at Snow Empress’ deep eyes. In the next instant, what appeared before her was an endless patch of ice and snow.

The Snow Empress’ Chill merged with Huo Yuhao’s Domain of Perpetual Ice. The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice!

It was not wise to clash head-on with the pure power of the Golden Dragon. Huo Yuhao knew that he had no chance in a head-on collision. In order to beat Wang Qiu’er, he had to maximize his own advantages. Bei Bei had been correct; amongst everyone present, he knew Wang Qiu’er best.

The spectators could feel a sudden drop in temperature. Even though the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice only enveloped a radius of about 50 meters, the chill it emitted could be felt in the entire arena. This was because Huo Yuhao’s cultivation was not high enough. As he became more powerful, he would be able to control the chill to an extent whereby it would not leak out. Not only would this save soul power, but its power would also be stronger in the affected area.

Large patches of snow started to dance in the air, and Huo Yuhao disappeared amidst the snow. Countless snowﬂakes, shaped like knives, encircled Wang Qiu’er, and under the extreme cold, started to attack her.

She stood at her original spot, unmoving. She did not even try to ﬁnd Huo Yuhao. Wielding her Golden Dragon Spear, she appeared extremely calm. She closed her eyes as she sensed the changes around her.

A rather thin layer of golden light appeared from her body and enveloped her within it. However, this seemingly thin layer of light was able to block the snowﬂakes that came at her like little knives.

Standing in the center of the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, Wang Qiu’er’s soul power was being massively depleted as well. No matter how powerful she was, in the face of this domain, Huo Yuhao was able to combine his power with that of nature to attack her. The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice worked better in colder and wetter places. While Shrek Academy was not particularly cold, the presence of Sea God’s Lake nearby ensured a sufﬁcient amount of environmental humidity.

If someone could see the conditions of Huo Yuhao’s and Wang Qiu’er’s soul power, they would discover that both were dropping.

Wang Qiu’er’s dropped because she was resisting the power of the domain, and Huo Yuhao’s dropped because he was releasing his power.

In comparison, Huo Yuhao’s soul power depletion was less. After all, he was the one releasing his power. Furthermore, in an extremely cold environment, his soul power would recover faster than Wang Qiu’er’s. With the assistance of the Snow Lady, while his cultivation could not compare to Wang Qiu’er’s, his domain was more taxing on her than him.

However, Huo Yuhao was still a ﬁve-ringed soul king, and Wang Qiu’er was a six-ringed soul emperor. If they both had Ultimate Strength martial souls, both of them would have similar soul power. However, if they continued to deplete their soul power like this, while Huo Yuhao’s depletion was slower, there was still a big difference between his soul power and Wang Qiu’er’s. No one knew who would be the ﬁrst to run out of soul power.

Huo Yuhao released his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice not just to deplete his opponent’s strength. It was also because he knew he could not go against Wang Qiu’er head-on. They had been through thick and thin together, and he didn’t even want to ﬁght her from the start. The other reason was that he was searching for an opportunity as well. In the domain, Wang Qiu’er would be severely affected. This was equivalent to sealing her Golden Dragon’s Perception, while Huo Yuhao could sense her changes at any time.

Huo Yuhao just needed Wang Qiu’er to slip up by a bit, and he would have a chance at defeating her. Hence, he waited.

Even if he did not do that, and he lost to Wang Qiu’er, she would be unable to ﬁght another round because the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice would have depleted her soul power. As a control-type soul master, Huo Yuhao’s technique in this regard was considered exceptional.

Wang Qiu’er appeared to have fallen into Huo Yuhao’s trap. She stood there, unmoving. Her entire body was like a statue, and her Golden Dragon Spear touched the surface of the ground silently without a single movement.

Under this condition, Wang Qiu’er appeared to be full of weaknesses. However, the more she appeared as such, the more Huo Yuhao dared not touch her.

Wang Qiu’er was in no rush, much less Huo Yuhao. When he released his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, he also felt the change in his domain. He was not too familiar with it yet, and hence he could not use all its strength here. This was an excellent chance for him to sense its changes.

They stood there, frozen. The spectators on both sides felt uncomfortable. The longer the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice lasted, the more the temperature dropped. After a while, the temperature in the entire arena dropped to -20 degrees Celsius. Icicles started to form on the structures of the soul-dueling arena. The other students were forced to use their soul power to resist the cold.

Xu Sanshi asked, “Is Yuhao ﬁghting or dating!? Why is he not doing anything?” Bei Bei looked at him sideways and said, “Don’t talk nonsense.” As he said that, he motioned toward Wang Dong’er.

Xu Sanshi smirked, “Nothing, nothing, if Yuhao dares to dump you, Dong’er, I’ll… I’ll beat him until all his teeth drop to the ground.” He originally wanted to make a joke, but after Jiang Nannan, who was next to him, touched his waist, Xu Sanshi changed tactics immediately.

Wang Dong’er snorted in laughter and said, “Well done, fourth sister. Look after him well so that he’ll stop spouting nonsense outside every day. Third brother is a Casanova, so you really should keep an eye on him.”

Jiang Nannan snorted, “If he dares, let him run. If he runs, then he doesn’t need to come back anymore. I don’t care.”

Xu Sanshi immediately turned to her and smiled, saying, “Run? Where can I run to? No matter how fast I run, I can’t run away from my Nannan’s palm! If you tug me gently, I’ll come back to your side and accept whatever punishment you want to dish out, right?” Jiang Nannan said angrily, “Stop trying to use your glib tongue here, don’t stir shit between Yuhao and Dong’er, is that clear?”

“Yes!” Xu Sanshi agreed immediately.

Wang Dong’er was not anxious, as she could understand what Huo Yuhao was thinking. He wanted to wear her down. However, she was still uncomfortable with the fact that Huo Yuhao was not ﬁghting Wang Qiu’er directly. What kind of place did she have in his heart?

Time-wise, Huo Yuhao had released his domain for quite some time. If he continued in this way, he may not be able to sustain it for long.

Wang Dong’er understood Huo Yuhao best. Just when she made this prediction, Huo Yuhao, who was hidden in the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, started to move.

Like a snowﬂake, Huo Yuhao gradually approached Wang Qiu’er. In this domain, he was the master. Naturally, all signs of him would be covered by the domain.

Huo Yuhao reached out with his palms. At this moment, they took on different colors. His left hand was icy-blue, and his right hand was icy-white. Lightly, they came down on Wang Qiu’er’s back.

His soul power could not sustain the domain for long. Defeat and victory lay in this move. If he won, that would be ideal. If he lost, he would have depleted her soul power, and that was still good.

When he saw Wang Qiu’er before him, Huo Yuhao paused momentarily. However, he was about to place his left hand on her back. He could see that his left hand had been completely covered by crystalline diamonds, which gave off a dark, mysterious blue light.

However, at this moment, Wang Qiu’er moved.

That was right. In the domain, Wang Qiu’er could not sense Huo Yuhao’s presence at all. This was the power of the domain. However, as someone with the Golden Dragon martial soul, how weak could her intuition be? In the face of threats, even if she could not sense anything, she could at least sense danger!

Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear, which was in her right hand, pierced outward and shielded her entire back with light. As the spear released its light, a huge dragon roared, and an ear-shattering dragon roar rang out, causing the snowﬂakes around them to disappear.

However, this was still within Huo Yuhao’s Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice. His Spiritual Detection had always been centered on Wang Qiu’er. When she pulled out her spear, Huo Yuhao’s body had already moved.

With his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Huo Yuhao’s body ﬂashed past. His entire body was like a snowﬂake as he dodged Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear. His left hand continued on its trajectory toward her, but he now aimed for her waist.

Instantly, Huo Yuhao’s speed was maximized. As Wang Qiu’er had wielded her Golden Dragon Spear with all her soul power, her reaction was slow by half a beat.

With the coverage of his Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao’s timing was impeccable. It hit! Huo Yuhao’s left hand tapped on Wang Qiu’er’s waist. An extreme chill was shot into her body, and the strength of the Ice Empress’ Pincer assaulted her. A powerful energy pushed Wang Qiu’er away the moment his hand made contact with her body. Not only that, but Ice Explosion also entered her body along with the Ultimate Ice. This caused the blood near Wang Qiu’er’s waist to freeze over.

Wang Qiu’er was powerful indeed. For normal people, the waist was a weak point. It was where humans got their strength from. Once the waist was hurt, one could soon be rendered immobile.

However, Wang Qiu’er continued to stand there without moving. As Huo Yuhao’s palm made contact with her waist, he was actually unable to push her away. When his right hand touched her waist, he suddenly felt that it was as hard as steel. The Ice Explosion and Ultimate Ice had been delivered into her body, but his palm was already bouncing back. In that short time, Wang Qiu’er’s body spun around.

The Golden Dragon Spear was gone! Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Spear had disappeared from her right hand. Her dazzling spear light had disappeared too. Oh no! I’ve been tricked! Huo Yuhao instantly deduced that something was wrong.

However, at this moment, his wealth of experience in battling came into play too. Had it been anyone else, they would have tried to create distance the moment they realized they had been tricked. However, Huo Yuhao understood that it was no longer possible for him to do so. He had personally witnessed Wang Qiu’er’s speed and strength in close-combat. Even with the cover of his domain, he could not run away. If he lost his momentum, he might not even be able to parry her next blow. One must realize that much of his soul power had been depleted.

Hence, Huo Yuhao did not run. His right hand came out as fast as a bolt of lightning as he tried to slap Wang Qiu’er’s shoulder. He had to hit where it would hurt the most. At the same time, he covered himself with the Ice Empress’ Armor. An intense emerald light ﬂashed as he quickly released the Ice Empress’ Wrath immediately afterward.

In terms of reaction speed, Huo Yuhao could be said to have done all this perfectly. He could also feel that his earlier palm strike had not been completely useless. The Ice Explosion had already been inserted. However, he hesitated, and did not let it explode at the ﬁrst possible instant, as he did not know if she could handle the power of the Ice Explosion. If it really blew up in her waist, the damage would be extraordinary.

Huo Yuhao did so much, but Wang Qiu’er just did a very simple action. From the moment she acted, her entire action was one smooth movement. She stabbed out with the Golden Dragon Spear in her right hand, and then she let go of immediately. The moment Huo Yuhao tapped her waist, her body froze momentarily. Then, she prepared to punch out.

While resisting the domain, Wang Qiu’er released her ﬁrst soul skill, Golden Dragon Body, to ensure Huo Yuhao took the bait. When she was hit, she did not reinforce her body. Only by doing this could she truly confuse Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection.

Chapter 251: All You Know How to Do is Bully Me!

Wang Qiu’er’s aura suddenly changed when she twisted her waist for that punch, and Huo Yuhao felt as if he were really facing an actual Golden Dragon in that moment. The enormous ﬁst arrived before him, driven by an unrivaled and frighteningly huge strength. This was Wang Qiu’er’s punch!

They were about the same height. Wang Qiu’er’s frame was long and slender, and her ﬁst completely covered Huo Yuhao, even temporarily dispelling his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice. The power of Huo Yuhao’s domain couldn’t even conceal his body at that moment.

It wasn’t hard to imagine how terrifying Wang Qiu’er was at this instant.

Huo Yuhao’s Ice Empress’ Wrath even felt a little stiﬂed from that formidable draconic force, as if it was repressed within his body and he had no way of releasing it. The ﬁst hadn’t even reached him, but he already felt as if his body were about to break apart from that immense pressure. This was absolutely a matter of life and death!

Huo Yuhao’s eyes began to sparkle underneath all that pressure. His abilities were typically increasingly more explosive and ferocious when he was facing great pressure.

Not even Wang Qiu’er expected Huo Yuhao to respond in this manner in a circumstance like this.

She couldn’t even evade his attack; it simply wasn’t possible. She dodged Huo Yuhao’s right palm when she twisted her body and punched out, but an immense gravitational power emerged from the center of Huo Yuhao’s ﬁst at this moment. His right arm trembled at the same time, and his shoulder dislocated just like that, making his arm a few inches longer. Huo Yuhao wanted to rely on that minute difference to strike Wang Qiu’er before she could hit him!

Wang Qiu’er gave her all in this punch. She was as dominant as she could be, and Huo Yuhao’s right ﬁst’s gravitational force was strong, but it couldn’t move her at all. However, Huo Yuhao’s aim wasn’t to use the Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to pull Wang Qiu’er over. He wanted to use that suction force so that his ﬁst could land on her body before her ﬁst could reach him!

The suction force and dislocation were completed seamlessly. He raised his left hand at the same time and guarded his chest with his palm.

Thwack! Huo Yuhao’s dislocated right arm was ultimately one step ahead. Huo Yuhao couldn’t be bothered with the minor details in such a dire situation. His right palm that was being pulled forward by his Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon touched Wang Qiu’er’s chest on her left side.

Wang Qiu’er’s aura had been raised to its peak condition, but her body now quivered strongly, and her aura immediately plummeted as her entire body froze.

The Empress’ Palm – Snowless Glacier!

Yes, that seemingly harmless and ﬂoating palm embodied the Snow Empress’ most powerful strike.

Wang Qiu’er was still too careless after she tricked Huo Yuhao. She had not expected Huo Yuhao to be able to dislocate his shoulder at will; she had not expected him to pull his palm forward with such a unique method, and she had not expected that his palm strike would contain such an effect.

It’s so bouncy… was Huo Yuhao’s ﬁrst reaction before he was tossed into the air…

Boom…! Wang Qiu’er’s heavy right ﬁst hammered into Huo Yuhao’s left palm before slamming into his chest and sending him ﬂying a hundred meters into the distance. Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice domain was immediately dispelled at the same time.

Boom! Huo Yuhao crashed violently to the ground, and almost vomited a mouthful of blood. He realized to his surprise that Wang Qiu’er’s seemingly fearsome ﬁst contained more propulsion force than explosive impact, which meant she was showing him mercy after all! If she hadn’t held back, her ﬁst would still be weakened by his Snowless Glacier, but she would have still heinously wounded him. He would have vomited several mouthfuls of blood, and several bones would have been broken. Huo Yuhao would still have won, but he would have had to pay a heavy price for that victory. The snowﬂakes dissipated, and Wang Qiu’er’s body was revealed. She was just standing there, motionless. Her face was as black as could be, and nobody knew whether it was because she had been struck by Huo Yuhao’s Snowless Glacier, or because some fellow had accidentally touched one of her sensitive parts.

“Ahem, ahem.” Huo Yuhao stood up as he rubbed his chest.

Yan Shaozhe’s looked over, and his eyes showed doubt.

Even he couldn’t determine who had won this round with the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice blocking his vision.

Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “I won. I froze her over.”

He couldn’t even be bothered with regulating his breathing as he spoke, and he quickly walked towards Wang Qiu’er.

Are you kidding me? The Snowless Glacier landed directly on her chest! Her heart would have been frozen over in an instant no matter how powerful or how strong she is. Her life will be in danger if I don’t help her out of this.

Huo Yuhao walked briskly up to Wang Qiu’er. He discovered that Wang Qiu’er hadn’t lost consciousness. At the very least, her eyes were still ﬂowing with sharp hostility and murderous rage, but she was just standing there, and couldn’t move at all. She was naturally immobile as her heart had been frozen. Any attempt at moving around would cause her veins to explode, and she would die.

“I…” Huo Yuhao suddenly realized that he had messed up. He realized to his surprise that he had frozen Wang Qiu’er’s heart... which meant that he had to start from her heart when withdrawing his Snowless Glacier’s intense coldness. That also meant…

What do I do?

Everyone’s looking. Do I just go up and rub a few times?

That’s not very appropriate… This clearly wasn’t the time for contemplation. He grabbed his right arm with his left hand and ﬁxed his dislocated arm before he retrieved a Class 6 Milk Bottle and speedily absorbed soul power from it. He forced a smile as he said to Wang Qiu’er, “I didn’t mean for that to happen. You seemed like you were

going to kill me, so I had to use everything I had. Furthermore, I didn’t think it would have been so coincidental. That… that was an emergency, so you can just pretend nothing happened after this. Why don’t you close your eyes? I’m going to start healing you. I’m extremely worried, and it is my duty to help you, so I’m just healing you! I don’t mean anything else.”

Snowﬂakes appeared once more as he spoke. However, it wasn’t the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice anymore, it was just the Empress’ Chill.

The tiny Snow Lady glowed with orangish-golden light as she ﬂuttered behind Huo Yuhao’s back. She pointed into the sky with her little ﬁnger, and the snowﬂakes around her immediately started rippling as they enveloped both Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er’s bodies.

He didn’t dare to heal Wang Qiu’er like that in front of Wang Dong’er, so he had no choice but to provide some cover for himself… Of course, Huo Yuhao would deﬁnitely explain this as an attempt to protect Wang Qiu’er’s reputation.

Huo Yuhao grabbed Wang Qiu’er around her waist as the ﬂurry of snowﬂakes concealed them. He dispelled the Ice Explosion before he pressed his right hand on her left chest as he rubbed gently, and he gradually withdrew his Snowless Glacier’s savage and formidable chill.

He wasn’t having any indecent thoughts at all. She was frozen! It was still bouncy before this, but it suddenly felt as hard as a rock.

The Snowless Glacier’s effects were excessively powerful, and it wasn’t as easy to withdraw as the Ice Explosion was. This was especially so when it had taken effect on the heart, and taking it back was a slow and gradual process.

Huo Yuhao gradually began to feel that the blood in Wang Qiu’er’s body was ﬁnally starting to ﬂow and smoothen out. Her physique was just so formidable, and her heart stopping for a short period of time wouldn’t threaten her life. However, he started to feel as if something was wrong, and the hard rock in his hands slowly became a soft and springy steamed bun…

“Are you feeling better?” Huo Yuhao tried his best to make himself sound calm, and his movements began to slow. He realized that there seemed to be a little protrusion shifting around beneath his palm.

“Is it nice to touch?” Wang Qiu’er muttered coldly.

“It feels pretty good after thawing it.” Huo Yuhao carefully shifted his hands away, but his answer was sincere.

“Ah!” Wang Qiu’er screamed at the top of her voice. “Huo!

Yu! Hao!”

Her leg swung through the air like a whip.

Huo Yuhao hurtled through the air like a cannonball. He seemed to ﬂy a little further than he did before.

The snowﬂakes disappeared. The tiny Snow Lady was still hovering in the air, and she seemed a little dazed. Her eyes followed Huo Yuhao’s body through the air, and only then did she turn around and hurriedly chase after him.

Wang Qiu’er was just standing there, her enchanting frame was quivering as tears welled up in her eyes. She screamed once more, “All you know how to do is bully me!” She planted her right foot on the ground after this exclamation, and she made another crater in the Soul Dueling Arena before her entire body transformed into a golden lightning streak as she disappeared in a ﬂash.

Huo Yuhao was ﬂung from that kick to a place not far from his companions. Wang Qiu’er’s kick wasn’t as controlled as before, and even though Huo Yuhao’s arms managed to block it in time, he was kicked until he couldn’t take his next breath, and his eyes turned black as he fainted and collapsed on the ground just like that.

Silence. The entire ﬁeld was silent.

The same thought surfaced in everyone’s minds when they heard Wang Qiu’er near-hysterical exclamation. All you know how to do is bully me!?

What did he to do her?

“Yuhao!” Wang Dong’er darted forward and came beside Huo Yuhao. She didn’t touch his body, but grasped his hands and checked his condition and vitals.

Wang Qiu’er’s kick was heavy, but she wasn’t trying to kill him. Huo Yuhao had just fainted on the ground, and he wasn’t severely injured.

Yan Shaozhe was a little speechless with this outcome, and he swiftly came before Huo Yuhao. “How is it? Is he alright?”

Wang Dong’er’s expression was as calm as ever. “He’s ﬁne. The impact was overly forceful, and he fainted from the sudden impact. He should recover after resting for a little while.”

Yan Shaozhe tilted his head and said, “Today’s practice combat will end here. You guys can take him back to rest right now.”

“Yes. Thank you, Dean Yan.” Wang Dong’er began to carry Huo Yuhao over her shoulders. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou wanted to help, but she shook her head and rejected them all. Huo Yuhao was slung over her back, his hands naturally hanging slack in front of her. Wang Dong’er grit her teeth and strode out of the Soul Dueling Arena with a calm expression on her face.

Her pretty eyes gradually turned red only after she left through the Soul Dueling Arena’s main gate. Tears began to well up in her eyes as the thought of what had just transpired spun around in her head continuously. Even though she didn’t know exactly what had happened, she had interacted with Wang Qiu’er many times, and Wang Qiu’er’s ice-cold personality gave everyone a strong and lasting impression. However, Wang Qiu’er was nowhere near as cold and indifferent then, and that was especially so when she screamed those last words. Wang Dong’er felt as if there was a heavy hammer pounding on her chest.

Yuhao, you…

Tears trickled down her cheeks soundlessly, and Wang Dong’er picked up her pace as she hugged Huo Yuhao’s legs tightly. She didn’t want her companions to see her fragile side. No matter how much faith she had in Huo Yuhao, she had seen everything with her own eyes, and it would only mean he wasn’t in her heart if she still didn’t have any ill-feelings about this. It was only because he meant too much to her that her heartache was so intense.

A girl’s thoughts would be vastly different from a guy once her thoughts started getting into a blind alley. Wang Dong’er felt as if it wasn’t impossible that Huo Yuhao had feelings for Wang Qiu’er. In the end, Wang Qiu’er looked more like the Goddess of Light than she did, and Wang Qiu’er wasn’t inferior to her in terms of looks, ﬁgure, or abilities. Wang Dong’er didn’t have any advantage over Wang Qiu’er except for the time that she had spent together with him.

Wang Dong’er deeply believed that Huo Yuhao liked her. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t like someone else at the same time? Her second uncle had remarked before that men were generally capable of generous affection. But, but I can’t accept that! I have to be the only person in my lover’s heart...

She began to sob even more uncontrollably as she continued to think in this direction. There was no way she could accept sharing a lover with someone else. Huo Yuhao was still unconscious, or, if he had known what Wang Dong’er was thinking, he would have told her exasperatedly, “My dear, you’re thinking too much.”

Wang Dong’er carried Huo Yuhao all the way back to the Sea God’s Pavilion before she placed him down on the bed. She took his outer clothes off and helped him wipe his face, and took care of him so that he could sleep more comfortably.

Wang Dong’er took a chair and sat silently beside him. Her tears were no longer ﬂowing, but her expression was still as dark as ever, and the image of Huo Yuhao interacting with Wang Qiu’er echoed continuously in her mind.

Wang Dong’er’s heart became increasingly confused and disorganized the more she thought about it, because she was sure that Wang Qiu’er looked at Huo Yuhao drastically differently from how she looked at other people. Even though her eyes couldn’t be described as passionate, at least they weren’t as cold as they usually were.

She thought back to when she had found them inside the Great Star Dou Forest, and when Wang Qiu’er was lying on Huo Yuhao’s thigh. Did they develop true feelings for each other through suffering? She hadn’t thought much about it then because she chose to trust him. But what about today? What did Wang Qiu’er mean when she exclaimed like that? Why did Huo Yuhao choose to conceal them by releasing his domain once more? What happened between them when he did that? Wang Dong’er’s face became paler as she continued to think. At this moment, Huo Yuhao was completely submerged within his spiritual world.

---

What a brutal kick! I just wanted to save her! Huo Yuhao’s thoughts were full of exasperation and frustration.

He didn’t sleep for too long after fainting. However, he was unable to directly control his body when he woke up, and he realized to his surprise that his consciousness had entered his spiritual sea.

His spiritual sea’s vastness was far greater than before, his boundless spiritual sea torrential as tidal waves surged around it, while dense spiritual power undulations circulated like currents.

He had also showed mercy when he fought Wang Qiu’er. Otherwise, the outcome would have been entirely different if he had used his Eye of Destiny with all his controlling abilities at the beginning.

He didn’t know when he could truly wake up. Qiu’er, Qiu’er! Why did you have to shout like that? Your scream will bring me great trouble.

Huo Yuhao didn’t know that Wang Dong’er was thinking in all the wrong directions, but he was absolutely certain that everyone would misunderstand because of her exclamation. More importantly, he actually did touch somewhere that he wasn’t supposed to touch, and he couldn’t blame Wang Qiu’er for that.

“I’ve been wronged!” Huo Yuhao shouted at the top of his lungs within his spiritual sea.

He really hadn’t meant for that to happen. He had felt immense pressure from her, as Wang Qiu’er was the strongest person he had ever faced among others of the same age. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were also powerful, but their strength was very different from Wang Qiu’er’s style.

Wang Qiu’er was the kind to achieve victory with a single strike, just like when he battled Ji Juechen. How different could the two of them be? The reason why she was terrifying was because of her explosive power. The frightening offensive force generated from the collision after her explosive attack made Huo Yuhao numb just thinking about it. This wasn’t a sensation that Bei Bei or Xu Sanshi could give him!

He didn’t know what Wang Qiu’er’s attitude toward him was like during this battle. She had saved him at the last minute inside the Great Star Dou Forest, and Huo Yuhao couldn’t develop any negative thoughts about her no matter what happened, as she had saved his life. This was the reason he decided to grind her down with his domain, so that neither of them would be hurt no matter who emerged victorious.

He had never expected Wang Qiu’er to erupt in that fashion, and that instance of explosive anger made Huo Yuhao feel as if his life was in danger.

It was instinctive for him to give everything he had under such circumstances, and he never thought that he would accidentally touch Wang Qiu’er’s heart with his Snowless Glacier. This was a bitter misunderstanding.

The Snowless Glacier was extremely powerful once it took effect on Huo Yuhao’s target. If Huo Yuhao hadn’t saved her, Wang Qiu’er would have been done for. He had had no choice but to save her, and he couldn’t waste a single second. So, he had saved her, but the deed brought great trouble upon himself. But what other choice did he have? Wang Qiu’er’s ﬂying kick made Huo Yuhao feel so aggrieved, and the real

reason why he fainted was because of what she had shouted. There was almost no way for him to remedy this misunderstanding.

“How am I going to explain this to Dong’er?” Huo Yuhao stared at the vast spiritual sea before him with a bitter look on his face.

He really didn’t know what to say. Do I have to tell Wang Dong’er the truth, that I touched Wang Qiu’er somewhere I really shouldn’t have? In that case, wouldn’t Dong’er be infuriated? However, how else do I explain it if I don’t tell her the truth?

“What outrageous acts have you committed now, you rascal? Why do you look so despondent?” a lazy voice suddenly rang out from all directions at that moment. Huo Yuhao’s melancholic frown immediately froze when he heard this voice. In the next moment, an indescribable elation erupted from his eyes. “Brother Skydream, brother Skydream! Where are you?”

He leapt to his feet, and controlled his consciousness to form a body as he ﬂew into the space above his spiritual sea. He didn’t care about anything else as he shouted as loudly as he could.

Yes! That lazy voice belonged to the Skydream Iceworm.

Skydream and Iceworm and the Ice Empress had been hibernating ever since the Snow Empress entered the state of polarity that day, sending Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea into turmoil, and forcing Electrolux to burn his own divine sense to save the others. A long time had passed since then, and he hadn’t heard anything from either of them.

Huo Yuhao had attempted to awaken them countless times. However, he couldn’t feel the Ice Empress and Skydream Iceworm’s auras inside his spiritual sea anymore. His initial despondence and sorrow immediately vanished when he heard Skydream’s voice at this moment. Skydream was not just a friend and a companion to him, the Iceworm was also his savior, and he wouldn’t be here today if he hadn’t merged with the Skydream Iceworm back then. His martial soul had become increasingly powerful with Skydream’s help, and he had obtained four million-year soul skills and a second martial soul, which allowed him to merge with both the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress afterward. The reason why Electrolux’s divine sense entered his mind was also because Huo Yuhao’s fusion with the Skydream Iceworm had produced intense spiritual undulations which had attracted his remnant.

Skydream’s position in Huo Yuhao’s heart was extremely high and respected. He truly treated Skydream like his own brother. Skydream had truly changed his destiny, even though the Iceworm was just a little too lazy.

“Hehe. I’m still alive. Why are you crying?” Skydream’s voice was tinged with deep emotions. Specks of golden light gradually rose up from Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea immediately afterwards, and combined to form Skydream’s frame once more. However, the golden halo around his body had completely vanished.

Huo Yuhao only realized that the face that he had conjured with his consciousness was ﬂowing with tears when Skydream mentioned it.

Huo Yuhao ﬂew up before the Skydream Iceworm in a ﬂash, and opened his arms wide before hugging the pudgy body while he leaned forcefully against the immense but soft frame.

“Brother Skydream, teacher Electrolux has…” Huo Yuhao began to bawl when he thought about all the unfortunate things that had happened.

Skydream heaved a faint sigh and said, “I know. Electrolux is truly a human that deserves our respect. Both the Ice Empress and I thought he was going to draw upon our strength to complete that ritual back then, but who could expect that he actually immolated himself in the end? He was the one that saved us all…”

Skydream Iceworm also began to lament and sigh with despair and regret at this point.

Huo Yuhao sobbed for a quite a long while before he recovered. He raised his head and said, “How have you been, brother Skydream? You should be ﬁne by now. The halo around your body…”

A human face appeared on Skydream’s head, and he made a human-like expression of exasperation. “I’ve fused completely with you. Even though my spiritual origin is still sealed away, it’s been completely submerged into your spiritual sea. This body is all that I have left, and this is only a projection of my consciousness. More accurately put, I am only a guest taking up residence in your body at this point, and you can chase me out anytime you want if you wish it. Of course, that also means it’s over for me if that happens.”

Huo Yuhao replied angrily, “Can you not make hypothetical speculations? That will never happen!”

Skydream chuckled and said, “It’s all right, it’s all right. I don’t think I’ll die even if I leave your spiritual sea now. Electrolux’s ritual is truly miraculous, and it’s made certain transformations to both the Ice Empress and me.”

“Transformations?” Huo Yuhao stared at him with a confused look.

Skydream chided him, “Have you grown stupid? Spirits! Are you trying to say that both the Ice Empress and I are not fusing our strengths and our spiritual imprints with you willingly? The truth is that we completed the spirit seal that day too. However, we are different from the Snow Empress in a way that our process was even more successful. The reason is because we fused together a long time ago, and we were already a part of you.”

Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened and his jaw grew slack. “Brother Skydream, are you saying that you’ve also become my spirit? Does that mean you can leave my body to ﬁght?” Skydream chortled and said, “I’m not very good at ﬁghting, although I do can take a stroll outside. I’m not entirely your spirit yet, and I will only become one after a certain degree of conversion. Fortunately, I was smart enough back then to let you absorb Imitation. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to release your martial soul when I fully convert into your spirit.”

A thought crossed Huo Yuhao’s mind and he said, “Is that because the soul ring you attached to my body will be different from normal situations after you change into a million-year spirit?”

Skydream nodded and said, “I don’t have a soul ring for you, as my soul ring has long become part of your body. However, once I change to a spirit, the soul ring will also change to a certain extent. It will be different from the Snow Empress’ spirit. There’s no way for me to tell what it will look like, but you’ll ﬁnd out when it happens.”

Huo Yuhao said, “What else needs to be done before you can change into a Spirit? Do you want to become a spirit, Skydream? Please don’t force yourself if you don’t want that.” The human face that Skydream had conjured made an annoyed look as he said, “Of course I do, you idiot! I will never be able to go outside if I remain like this, and I can only stay inside you. I can ﬁnally get out of here when I become a spirit. My memories and my intelligence were preserved during that ritual back then. I am extremely willing to become a spirit! Nothing much will happen to you when I become a spirit, because I’m not that adept with ﬁghting in the ﬁrst place. The most I can do is help you use some of the abilities that I have given you when necessary. The ritual is simple, all you have to do is sign the pact and it will be done.”

Huo Yuhao laughed and said, “I won’t be so courteous anymore, then. However, teacher mentioned before that I can’t assimilate too many spirits, as it will consume too much of my spiritual power. You won’t suck me dry, will you?”

Skydream replied angrily, “Why did I choose a fool like you all those years ago? I’ve already said that the ritual has been completed, and all that’s left is the pact! Everything that needs to be absorbed has already been absorbed! Furthermore, my situation and the Ice Empress’ situation is different from the Snow Empress, as we were the ﬁrst to have fused with you. This is the reason why we completed the fusion long ago, and we have provided our own spiritual power to integrate into your own, so we don’t need your spiritual power anymore. Otherwise, we would have separated your spirit into pieces when you fused with the Snow Empress back then. Quickly now, give me that pact, so I can go outside and roam the world.”

Huo Yuhao wouldn’t reject Skydream’s request, and immediately began to chant the Pact Sealing Spell that Electrolux had imparted to him.

Huo Yuhao’s torrential and tumultuous spiritual sea gradually began to calm during his incantation. Skydream said no more, and just levitated silently in midair.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes slowly turned golden as he raised his right hand, and drew runes in the sky continuously that drifted towards Skydream.

Skydream gradually closed his eyes. His enormous frame became a little smaller with every rune that landed on his body. Gentle spiritual power circulated through his body, and his aura was slowly undergoing mystical transformations. Huo Yuhao’s senses were the most acute, and the ﬁrst thing he felt was separation. Skydream was being converted to his vassal spirit, and that meant Skydream was separating himself from his own spiritual origin. It also meant that Skydream was ofﬁcially leaving his spiritual origin to Huo Yuhao.

The Skydream Iceworm’s virtual body was growing smaller, but it was also becoming more material, and his life energy was becoming increasingly dense.

The Skydream Iceworm’s two supreme treasures were his spiritual origin that he had bestowed upon Huo Yuhao, and his life origin imprint formed by a million years’ worth of life energy. At this moment, his life origin imprint seemed like it was being awakened as the pact took effect. He continually released immense amounts of life energy, which continuously fused with Huo Yuhao. The ripples gradually made Skydream’s body even more solid and material.

Huo Yuhao ﬁnally released the ﬁnal rune successfully, and the pact was complete.

Skydream’s frame had become small enough to ﬁt on a palm, and he suddenly soared into the sky as a white streak of light. His tiny golden eyes were ﬁlled with excitement.

There was a golden imprint on his forehead, looking just like a vertical eye. It was the pact that bound him to Huo Yuhao.

Just like Skydream had said before, there was a huge rift between completing the process with the Snow Empress back then and completing the process with Skydream at this moment. Huo Yuhao didn’t feel any abnormal undulations in his spiritual power or his soul power; the pact was already completed. Skydream had ofﬁcially become Huo Yuhao’s spirit from this moment onwards...Huo Yuhao’s second spirit!

Whoosh! Skydream’s body ﬂashed and disappeared within Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea just like that. Huo Yuhao’s consciousness returned to his physical body, and he subconsciously opened his eyes.

---

It was already completely dark outside. Wang Dong’er was gone, and Huo Yuhao was the only person left in the room. The chair that Wang Dong’er had sat on while she was watching over him was still beside his bed.

Wang Dong’er had left when the sky turned dark. Huo Yuhao had still been asleep, but his vitals had returned to normal, and everything seemed ﬁne. Wang Dong’er didn’t know how to face him when he woke up, so she chose to run away from this problem. From her perspective, everything might be different when she woke up the next morning, or everyone would just forget about what had happened before. Perhaps Huo Yuhao would give her a reasonable explanation. Despondence and grief was exhausting, and Wang Dong’er had fallen into a deep sleep once she returned to her room.

“Brother Skydream!” Huo Yuhao swiftly sat up on his bed and called out softly.

“Hehe, you can’t ﬁnd me, you can’t ﬁnd me!” Skydream’s voice rang out in Huo Yuhao’s mind.

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Have you forgotten the Spiritual Detection you gave me?” He activated Spiritual Detection at once and surveyed the entire room. “You’re cheating!” Skydream’s exasperated and unconvinced voice could be heard once more. Huo Yuhao ﬁnally found him using Spiritual Detection – Skydream was on his body, but hidden in the folds of his clothes.

He lifted Skydream from the folds of his clothes. Huo Yuhao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he saw the Skydream Iceworm’s appearance.

Skydream was like an absolute miniature version of his former body. He was a bit over six inches long, and only as thick as a pinkie ﬁnger. His entire body was translucent, like white jade, and his subtle movements gave off a faint aroma.

Skydream’s frame was extremely tiny, but the life energy that he released gave Huo Yuhao the feeling that he had obtained another piece of Life Gold. Skydream’s tiny golden eyes were like yellow diamonds in the night sky as they sparkled brilliantly.

“Skydream, why do I feel like your spirit is different from the Snow Empress’ spirit?” Huo Yuhao asked doubtfully. The Skydream Iceworm answered proudly, “Of course it is. Don’t forget, I’m a million year soul beast, and I fused with your body a long time ago. I have retained my intelligence in its entirety, and I am now an independent entity, while I do not need to absorb your strength to maintain myself anymore. Come, come, come!” His tiny frame started wiggling in Huo Yuhao’s palm as he spoke.

Huo Yuhao looked on in shock as a streak of light emerged from his storage-type soul tool and rushed in Skydream’s direction.

Huo Yuhao would have forgotten about it if Skydream hadn’t drawn it out. Wasn’t this the layer of skin that Skydream had shed after they fused inside the Great Star Dou Forest back in the day? They had relied on this skin to restrain the Ice Empress before they convinced her to fuse with him.

Skydream’s shed skin glowed with a faint white radiance, and gently covered his body as he continued to wriggle.

Skydream opened his mouth and bit down on the center of the skin. His body shone with a faint layer of white and golden light as he gradually merged with the shed skin.

The light on the skin became more intense, and it began to shrink... just like what had happened to Skydream in Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea. The skin slowly plastered to and fused with Skydream’s body.

“I understand!” Huo Yuhao suddenly exclaimed, his eyes as wide as ever while he stared at the Skydream Iceworm. His eyes were ﬁlled with incredulity; Skydream was almost undergoing a reincarnation, and that meant that the life origin imprint that he had integrated into Huo Yuhao’s body all those years ago was being extracted to fuse with Skydream’s shed skin and form a brand-new Skydream Iceworm. Skydream was making himself a brand-new body, and would be able to survive independently even if he didn’t return to Huo Yuhao’s body. He could even survive easily in a place far away from Huo Yuhao.

“How is this possible? You’re creating life, brother Skydream!” Huo Yuhao exclaimed with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

The skin ﬁnally minimized completely, and fused seamlessly with Skydream.

Chapter 252: The Second Spirit

Skydream tossed his head from side to side. “Create life? That’s not possible, and neither am I the Creator. How do I put it? I can call this pseudo life creation, I guess...

“My life origin imprint has been preserved extremely well. Under such circumstances, I can be considered independent after completing the pact with you. The Snow Empress’ life imprint integrated with her embryo when she was converting to it, and her life imprint ultimately dissipated with her divine sense when the polar reversal happened, a situation that will deﬁnitely arise when human soul masters assimilate spirits. I’m different, as I had already fused with you beforehand, and I was a lot more powerful than you were back then, so my life origin imprint was excellently preserved. It is the reason why I can rely on my own life energy to absorb the origin energy of heaven and earth to sustain my own life energy after existing independently from our pact. However, that doesn’t mean that I can create life.

“I don’t have to rely on your strength anymore, but I still have to rely on this pact between us. My body will crumble without this pact, and that also means that everyone will still perish if you die: me, the Snow Empress, and the Ice Empress, who has yet to awaken. I’m different from them because I can leave your body for a short period of time, and I don’t have to return to your body on normal days, although these are only the main differences. Of course, I have more autonomy. Even though I’ve given my spiritual imprint to you and I can no longer unleash all those spiritual-type abilities by myself, my life energy has given me another way to help you. I’m a million-year spirit, and also the only million year spirit on the entire Continent. I can’t be entirely useless, can I?”

Skydream was feeling a little proud at this moment.

“Release your martial soul and take a look.”

Huo Yuhao followed his instructions and released his Spirit Eyes.

He was the only person in the room, so there was no need to hide the color of his soul rings.

Five soul rings appeared one after another – one white, and four black soul rings. His Imitation had become a ten thousand-year soul skill when he absorbed Skydream’s spiritual power.

However, Huo Yuhao had no attention for his four black soul rings. His eyes were immediately ﬁxed upon his ﬁrst white million-year soul ring.

This white soul ring was clean like jade under normal circumstances, and was not much different from a ten-year soul ring, and it wouldn’t display golden patterns like the Ice Empress’s soul ring.

However, the white soul ring was now different.

A soul ring was a virtual projection of light shaped like a circle. Light was transparent, and only varied in terms of color and how bright it was.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that his ﬁrst soul ring was no longer made of light. The white soul ring drifted into the sky, and Huo Yuhao could immediately feel that his four spiritual-type soul skills could be unleashed at any time. However, this white soul ring seemed like it had become entirely material.

He raised his hand subconsciously and attempted to touch it.

His hand would go through his other soul rings, as how could one touch light? However, Huo Yuhao felt warmth on his ﬁngertips when he touched his ﬁrst soul ring.

Yes, that was a real sensation... the white ring had become tangible and solid, and felt like it was sculpted from jade. Huo Yuhao touched it gently, and he could feel as if his own spiritual power was being caressed.

Skydream jumped lightly and ﬂew up before Huo Yuhao’s eyes. “The soul ring has become solid! This is the power of my million-year spirit. Watch carefully!”

Skydream’s body contorted as he spoke, and he landed on the solidiﬁed soul ring. His body immediately turned golden as he started circling around the solidiﬁed soul ring.

Circle after circle of golden light began encircling the ﬁrst soul ring, and the soul ring actually turned golden in the blink of an eye.

The soul ring drifted into the air and paused for a moment above Huo Yuhao’s head before ﬂoating forwards, and a golden layer of light covered the entire soul ring, transforming into a golden shield that was about half a meter in diameter as it hovered in front of Huo Yuhao.

“A shield?” Huo Yuhao asked with astonishment.

“Life Reﬂecting Shield! This is my spirit’s ability. What do you think? The name is really cool, isn’t it?”

“Sounds pretty normal,” Huo Yuhao answered truthfully.

“Normal?” Skydream’s voice became several pitches higher. “You actually think it sounds normal? Do you know that my Life Reﬂecting Shield uses my own life energy as its foundations, and it’s completed by using your spiritual sea as a framework. It can reﬂect any physical and spiritual attack!. If your opponent is weaker than you are, everything will be reﬂected, and the attack will be partially reﬂected even if your opponent is stronger than you are. You have to take everything else, but the Life Reﬂecting Shield will absorb and dispel part of the attack, and my life energy will take the hit. The strike will never touch you unless my life energy can’t take it anymore.”

“Uh…” Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened. This wasn’t just better than normal, that was a godly skill that could protect his life! However, Huo Yuhao immediately thought about a few issues, and hurriedly asked, “Brother Skydream, what’s the surface area that this shield can cover? How many times can I use it in one day? If my opponent’s attack is too strong, will you get hurt?”

Skydream was satisﬁed with Huo Yuhao’s questions, and he said happily, “You do have a conscience after all, and you’re concerned about me! You can use this shield as many times as you want in theory, but in reality I recommend that you not use this shield more than three times in a day. It isn’t because I’m afraid that too much of my life energy will be expended, it’s actually because this skill uses your spiritual sea as its framework. I am expending life energy when using it, but you will be consuming spiritual power. If you use it too much or inappropriately, you might even damage your spiritual origin. Three times a day is the most reasonable number.

“I don’t think you have to think too much about what happens when the opponent’s attack is too powerful. If your opponent’s strike is so powerful that it can obliterate my immense life energy in its entirety, what chance do you have left to live? We will just die together. The consumption of my life energy is related to the reﬂection. Do you still remember your Life Guardian Blade? It can absorb other physical beings’ life energy, while my Life Reﬂecting Shield can absorb any living being’s life energy. More accurately put, when my Life Reﬂecting Shield reﬂects the opponent’s attack, the reﬂected attack will deﬁnitely take effect on his or her body and cause harm, which will be converted into life energy to replenish my own. This means that consumption is not a big deal for me unless the opponent is way too powerful. My life energy can also be replenished through you, or if I eat something for restoration. Of course, I only eat good things, and I have been eying and craving that grilled ﬁsh of yours. Make a few for me to try when it’s convenient.”

Huo Yuhao’s heart was racing. “The grilled ﬁsh is easy. What about the area of effect?” Skydream answered mildly, “Only in front of you. Were you hoping that I could provide a three-hundred and sixty degree protective barrier for you?”

“No, no. Frontal protection is enough.” Huo Yuhao stared at the shield before him, in awe at his good fortune. He had always been lacking in terms of defense. The Ice Empress’ Armor was no longer enough to satisfy his defensive needs, and this was especially true since the Ice Empress was still in hibernation, so his Ice Empress’ Armor couldn’t evolve any further. He hadn’t dared to meet force with force when he faced off against Wang Qiu’er, but similar circumstances in the future would be a lot different now that he had this Life Reﬂecting Shield.

“There’s nothing I can do against soul tools. I can only block soul masters’ attacks,” Skydream added thoughtfully.

“You can’t block soul tools? But soul tools are also released by soul masters’ soul power!” Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.

Skydream shook his head and said, “I’ve said before that this is a Life Reﬂecting Shield, and I can only rely on the sensation on my life energy to reﬂect attacks to ensure accuracy. Soul tools are ﬁred through metal components, and there’s no way I can sense that. The defensive capability is still there, but there’s no way I can reﬂect that attack. This is especially true for those stationary soul tools, and my defensive capabilities will probably be worse than normal against them. Therefore, you should try to avoid using this skill when you’re dealing with soul tools.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged. He was already extremely satisﬁed despite that limitation. In the end, a soul skill couldn’t be all-powerful, as wouldn’t one be invincible if that was possible? Skydream’s soul skill was already a great boost to his defensive capabilities!

Skydream yawned, “Alright, that’s all. I’m going to sleep now, don’t disturb me.” His body stretched as he spoke, landing on Huo Yuhao’s left hand as he spoke. He wrapped himself ﬁve times around Huo Yuhao’s fourth ﬁnger, transforming into a multi-spiralled jade ring. If one didn’t know what it was and perceived it with the naked eye, nobody would be able to tell that this was actually a life form.

Huo Yuhao was a little exasperated and at a loss as he stared at Skydream. He decided to pick this place… Huo Yuhao was still wearing his Starlight Sapphire storage-type soul tool on his middle ﬁnger on the same hand. He was now wearing two rings on the same hand, and he was starting to look like a parvenu.

“Can you ﬁnd another place to rest, brother Skydream? Why don’t you return to my spiritual sea to sleep?” Huo Yuhao probed.

“No! I’m not going back there, it’s so boring inside. I will not go back unless you can wake her up. Furthermore, I need to absorb nutrients from heaven and earth to sustain my life energy in my semi-life form state. Are you asking me to absorb your life energy from within your spiritual sea?”

When Skydream mentioned the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, Huo Yuhao hurriedly asked, “How is the Ice Empress, brother Skydream? Is she alright?”

Skydream sounded a little gloomy as he said, “She’s all right, but she expended too much energy when she burned her origin back then, so she needs a longer time in hibernation to recover. If you come across any ice-type herbs or whatnot, you should eat more of them, as that will help her recover. Oh, I miss her so much! I am going to ﬁnd her in my dreams, so you better not disturb me. When you want to use the Life Reﬂecting Shield, just release your martial soul and channel soul power into my body. I will release the shield naturally.”

“Alright. You can go ahead and sleep, and I’ll get something delicious for you to eat afterwards.” Huo Yuhao stared a little helplessly at Skydream . He had lived for a million years, but he had probably spent more than nine-hundred and ninety- nine thousand years sleeping.

“Eh, wait a minute.” Skydream was just about to fall asleep when he abruptly sprang up from Huo Yuhao’s ﬁnger and hovered before him. His tiny golden eyes were full of doubt and confusion as he silently levitated above Huo Yuhao’s left hand, as if he were trying to sense something.

“What’s wrong, brother Skydream?”

Skydream shook his head and signaled for to him to be quiet.

Skydream’s tiny eyes sparkled with faint golden light, and Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Eyes were naturally released in the next moment. Huo Yuhao felt the waves in his spiritual sea become tumultuous as waves of spiritual power were released one after another, while Skydream’s body gradually turned golden in color. Skydream could still use Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power, as they were connected through the pact after he had changed into a spirit.

But this deployment was different from before. Skydream was using his own strength before this, but he could only use Huo Yuhao’s strength now, and Huo Yuhao could immediately stop the process if he wasn’t willing.

Skydream drifted forward after he turned golden and landed on the Starlight Sapphire ring on the middle ﬁnger of Huo Yuhao’s left hand.

He ﬂew into the air once more after a short moment. His voice sounded solemn as he said, “Why do you have a spiritual imprint in your ring, Yuhao? No, this should be a spiritual seal, and it’s extremely powerful as well. Do you know that it’s dangerous for you if others’ spiritual imprints remain attached to you? They can spy on you, and they can even trigger some things in your body to cause you harm. Maybe they will even choose the most important checkpoints of your cultivation to disrupt you. Quickly, take it out. I will help you dispel that spiritual seal.”

“Spiritual seal? I don’t think there’s any,” Huo Yuhao answered in shock. His spiritual power was formidable, and there was no way he wouldn’t know if someone had left a spiritual seal on any of his possessions.

Huo Yuhao suddenly thought about something. He realized what was going on, and he said, “I know what you’re referring to. There is no need to worry, brother Skydream.”

He raised his left hand as he spoke. The Starlight Sapphire ring ﬂickered with blue light, and a tiny pouch appeared in his hands – it was the one Wang Dong’er had handed to him back then.

Skydream’s head swayed faintly, and he immediately nodded and said, “Yes, this is the one. What’s this?”

Huo Yuhao said, “The Clear Sky Sect’s sect leader asked Wang Dong’er to pass it to me. It’s a pouch, and I don’t know what’s written inside. Uncle Niu Tian added a seal so that Wang Dong’er wouldn’t take a sneak peek at its contents, but I can’t open it yet because my cultivation isn’t high enough. I reckon it probably contains some words of encouragement.”

Skydream insisted on his opinion and said, “It’s not a good thing for you to have someone else’s spiritual seal on you. Let me help you open it.”

Chapter 253: Yearning Heartbroken Grass

Huo Yuhao contemplated momentarily, and he ﬁgured that opening the pouch wouldn’t hurt, and there was no harm in taking a look. He nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll have to trouble you, then. But I can’t open it with my spiritual power. Brother Skydream, don’t you need to borrow my spiritual power?”

Skydream said proudly, “It’s not because you don’t have enough spiritual power to open it, it’s because your spiritual power control isn’t there yet. This spiritual seal can’t stump me.”

Skydream’s body bounced lightly as he spoke, and he landed on the pouch as his translucent body ﬂickered with golden light.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes glowed at the same time, and a radiant golden light gradually ﬂowed out along with his spiritual power.

He could feel that his spiritual power was undergoing peculiar transformations as it was channeled into Skydream.

That’s… Compression!

Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power began to compress under Skydream’s direction. Skydream had given his spiritual origin to Huo Yuhao, but he still had the most substantial spiritual imprint, one that had been baptized by a million years of life. Unless the Calamity Necromancer Electrolux came back to life, there was nobody else in the world that could compare to Skydream in terms of spiritual power manipulation.

Yes, this was a form of spiritual power manipulation. Spiritual power was an energy that originated from the spirit world, and was presented as far more abstract and illusory compared to soul power. The effects that spiritual power could achieve often couldn’t be compared to soul power on the same level. The energy that belonged to the spiritual realm and soul power were like two parallel lines that did not intersect.

If soul masters were to choose which power they wanted to boost, almost all soul masters would choose soul power. This didn’t mean soul power was stronger than spiritual power, it was because soul power was a lot easier to control and manipulate than spiritual power. A soul master had to rely on his spiritual power to control his soul power, while going deeper and manipulating spiritual power directly was an extremely high-level ability. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power control was mainly present in two forms. The ﬁrst was his Sovereign’s Descent that Dragon God Douluo Mu En had imparted to him, where he would delicately fuse spiritual power and soul power. He would produce immense ﬁghting strength after fusing both energies when he was in a unique spiritual state. The other form referred to his multiple soul skills.

Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power at this point was strong enough for his Spiritual Detection to reach a six-hundred meter radius around him, and he could reach more than three kilometers if he used it in a single direction. However, what if he didn’t have Spiritual Detection as a soul skill? How far could he sense if he just used pure spiritual power? That would be a question of his control over his spiritual power.

Why were Huo Yuhao’s attacks more powerful, and all his Spirit Eyes soul skills ampliﬁed, when he released his Eye of Destiny? The Eye of Destiny actually gave him better control over his spiritual power, and also had that mystical power of destiny. Exemplary spiritual control required more than just formidable spiritual power. One also had to continually practice using it. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power control was unrivaled among other soul masters of his level, but he was way too far below Skydream’s standard.

The compressed spiritual power gradually ﬂowed into the pouch. Huo Yuhao felt as if Skydream were using his spiritual power to form a key, and Skydream was soundlessly and discreetly opening the door in front of him.

The pouch’s spiritual seal was exceedingly tough. Skydream went deeper in his attempt to open it, and Huo Yuhao realized that the Iceworm had underestimated the spiritual seal’s strength. The seal was extremely solid, and he wouldn’t be able to open it even if he was a Soul Emperor if he used his current cultivation level as an estimate. He would probably require his martial soul true body to have enough control to open this pouch by himself.

However, the seal couldn’t stump Skydream. The compressed spiritual power became increasingly focused under Skydream’s control and gradually drilled into the seal, unraveling it from the inside. This was a great opportunity for Huo Yuhao. Skydream was controlling his spiritual power after all, and this meant that Huo Yuhao could clearly feel the entire manipulation process. This was greatly beneﬁcial to learn how to manipulate spiritual power.

Huo Yuhao began to feel a little dizzy from time to time as spiritual power continued ﬂowing out. He could feel that his spiritual sea’s level was plummeting, but he wasn’t worried at all. Skydream had a complete understanding of Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power, and he naturally wouldn’t do something that he wasn’t conﬁdent of, and would never hurt Yuhao, either.

An hour passed, then a soft ding sound could be heard as the pouch’s mouth emanated a strange golden light. This golden light transformed into a green streak before it disintegrated into ﬁne specks and gradually vanished into the air.

The golden light on Skydream’s body disappeared along with the lights. He grunted and said, “The seal was strong, but it couldn’t stump me. Don’t be too hasty to look at the pouch, Huo Yuhao; you should meditate as soon as possible. Wait for your spirit to recover before anything else. If you don’t recover from this extent of spiritual power consumption as soon as possible, it will affect your spiritual sea’s volume.”

He returned to the fourth ﬁnger on Huo Yuhao’s left hand as he spoke, and transformed back into a jade ring.

Huo Yuhao had intended to meditate even if Skydream hadn’t reminded him. He had become a little dizzy, and his vision even became a little blurry from all the spiritual power consumption.

Huo Yuhao crossed his legs and sat down as he focused his eyes and looked inwards. The dizziness and fatigue helped him enter his meditative state even faster than he normally did, and his consciousness became more focused, while his spiritual sea gradually returned to its usual calm.

The pouch shone with faint light, which gradually grew pale as it laid silently on the bed beside Huo Yuhao.

The pain in Huo Yuhao’s chest and between his ribs was taken care of by his powerful regenerative abilities by the time he woke up from meditation, while more than half of his spiritual power had been restored. “Oh!” Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and gradually opened his eyes. Soul power naturally circulated around his body, and the gentle, ﬂowing undulations became smooth and ﬂourishing. His body had been growing physically while his cultivation had increased over time. Due to the shock from his martial soul fusions with both Wang Dong’er and Wang Qiu’er, and his spiritual sea reaching the Boundless Ocean level that nourished his body, he was now increasingly resistant to his Ultimate martial soul’s negative effects, so his cultivation speed was now conspicuously faster than before.

He glanced at the sky outside. The sky was dark blue, night was about to recede, and dawn was coming.

Sigh… Huo Yuhao’s emotions had naturally calmed down after a night of meditation, and his initial pleasant surprise from Skydream’s awakening had subsided. He felt calm and at peace, which also meant he naturally thought about the troubles that he was about to face.

How am I going to explain yesterday’s situation to Dong’er? It feels like there’s no way I can explain this properly. No matter how unintentional it was, the truth is that I still touched her in the end. Will Dong’er forgive me? Should I lie? Should I craft a white lie?

Huo Yuhao began to feel stuck at this mental barrier once more. He cared too much about Dong’er, and that was the reason why he didn’t want any blemish or wedge to exist between their feelings in their relationship.

What should I do? Huo Yuhao stood up and opened the window, fresh air ﬂooding the room through the opening.

He immediately felt his spirits lift after the cold morning wind coursed over his body.

“Forget it. I’m just going to tell her the truth. It’s still better than me coming up with a lie, as a lie will need countless other lies to cover up for it. Furthermore, I don’t even know how to explain it to Wang Qiu’er. It will weigh on my conscience if I craft lies, and I will be feeling this guilt for a long time to come. It’s better to have a short period of suffering than a long one. I will explain it to Dong’er, and I will tell her everything about the situation before I will attempt to ask her for forgiveness. Once I smooth things out with Dong’er, I will ﬁnd an opportunity to apologize to Wang Qiu’er.” The positive energy of honesty gained the upper hand in the end. Very often, lies could solve problems temporarily, but they were usually unable to solve problems permanently. Lies would pile up day after day, and the day would come when all these lies would erupt, and it would be very difﬁcult to remedy the

situation once that day arrived.

Huo Yuhao made up his mind, and was no longer despondent. He hadn’t done anything wrong in theory. If Dong’er was still unsatisﬁed, perhaps he would just touch her a few times too!

A strange smile appeared on Huo Yuhao’s face as he thought about this, and his heart began to beat faster. Dong’er isn’t as developed as Wang Qiu’er. I wonder how it will feel…

“Ahem! That’s way too far. How can you be so indecent and wretched, Huo Yuhao? How can you have these thoughts in your mind?” He slapped himself lightly across the face, and pulled back his wandering mind. There would always be a path to take when the time came, and there was a solution to everything. He could probably ﬁx a few sumptuous meals for Dong’er, and he could say some nice and sweet things to her, and this whole thing would blow over. Huo Yuhao lowered his head and glanced at the extra ring on his left hand that Skydream had formed, making sure that last night wasn’t a dream, and his mood immediately became better. Skydream was awake now, he had changed himself into a spirit, and he had given Huo Yuhao another soul skill. The

big competition was coming soon, so this was as good as good news could get!

Huo Yuhao had his own plans for the future. However, he had never told anyone about them; not even Wang Dong’er knew about them. No matter what happened in the future, this season’s competition was the most important task he had to face at the moment.

“Oh, yes. I have yet to see what’s inside the pouch.” Huo Yuhao immediately recalled the pouch that had been opened the previous night when he looked at Skydream’s ring, and hurriedly returned to his bed.

The pouch was still lying silently on the bed, and Huo Yuhao bent down to pick it up. The truth was that he was quite curious about its contents. Niu Tian, the Clear Sky Sect’s sect leader, had asked Wang Dong’er to pass this pouch to him, but the pouch had been sealed. On the surface, it seemed as if Niu Tian didn’t want Wang Dong’er to see this pouch’s contents. What can it be that Dong’er can’t see, but I can?

If he hadn’t interacted with Niu Tian and Tai Tan, he would have concluded they were trying to mess around with him. However, he had met the two sect leaders before, so he erased that thought from his mind.

Huo Yuhao reached into the pouch after opening it. There was an ancient-looking parchment inside, which turned out to be extremely large after he unfolded it. It was almost twice the size of normal letter-writing paper. The parchment’s edges weren’t regular, and it looked as if it had been made without being properly cut, which made it appear more primitive and ancient.

The parchment had two sections. The ﬁrst part seemed like a letter, while the second part looked like a map.

Huo Yuhao sat down beside his bed in confusion. He took a look at the letter’s contents. His face immediately turned ghastly pale after that one look, and his hands even began to shake.

Yuhao, I trust that you’ll have the ability to complete this task when you can see this letter. I hesitated one too many times before I decided to pass this responsibility to you. I told Dong’er when I gave this pouch to her that she can only give this pouch to you when she’s sure that you will become her future husband, and only when she knows that you’re worth all her heart and all her love. It seems like you’ve already done that, so both my younger brother and I wish you

two all the best. However, there’s something I have to tell you, as this concerns your future with Dong’er.

Dong’er was born within the Clear Sky Sect, and her physique has been extremely weak ever since she was born. My younger brother and I, as well as her parents, tried everything we could to strengthen her body, but all our attempts were futile. We suddenly discovered when she was three years old that she had a strange, very unique disease. You should know that a human’s martial soul is still dormant at the age of three, and it will only awaken at the age of six. However, Dong’er’s martial soul was strangely awakened when she was three years old, and two appeared at the same time. Her physique was congenitally weak, and the premature awakening of her martial souls took an immense toll on her body. This episode created an enormous hidden wound.

You will notice upon close inspection that a golden trident- like pattern will appear on her forehead when she’s stretching the limits of her body and her abilities. That pattern is a seal that her father put on her to suppress the hidden wounds in her body. Her parents are roaming the world in order to ﬁnd exotic herbs and medicines to remedy her disease. That’s the reason why they’re often not at the Clear Sky Sect, while my brother and I take care of her. Her father mentioned to me that the seal can only suppress her internal wounds until she turns twenty, and if they still can’t ﬁx her injuries by the age of twenty, then she might…

Huo Yuhao began to feel the weight of this letter as he read these words. He felt as if a large hand was tightly wound around his heart, and the heartache was almost suffocating.

He couldn’t wait to read the rest of the letter’s contents.

Dong’er’s parents ﬁnally found a herb that could ﬁx Dong’er’s internal wounds during one of their perennial attempts. The only problem was that this herb is too challenging to retrieve, as the criteria were too difﬁcult to satisfy. This herb can only be retrieved by a man that loves her, and this man has to use his blood to retrieve this herb. Forcefully plucking this plant will damage it, and it will lose its medicinal effects. It has a very apt name... it’s called Yearning Heartbroken Grass. We’ve tried every method we could think of to retrieve it, but every attempt ended up being fruitless. In order to retain this last strand of hope, we could only swallow it down and wait for the person that loves Dong’er to appear. When Dong’er passes this pouch to you, she will be deeply in love with you, and will no longer holding anything back. I don’t know how you feel about Dong’er, as she has been always been a girl dressed like a guy before this. However, if you do open this pouch, and when you read this letter, ask yourself whether your love for Dong’er is deep enough and focused enough. I implore you as Dong’er’s senior that you retrieve that herb for her. This is for your future happiness, and also for Dong’er’s life...

Dong’er’s parents are always outside searching for substitute medicines, but Dong’er is seventeen years old now. She’s nearing twenty, and her parents haven’t returned… hope is gradually slipping away. Therefore, both Tai Tan and I were exceptionally delighted when we ﬁrst saw you, as you have given us real hope. This was the reason we tested you in the all the ways that we did, so that we could assess whether your mentality would allow you to become Dong’er’s savior. We were quite satisﬁed with the outcome… at least, we saw many virtues on you before you left. Dong’er has made a great choice, and you’re a man that is worthy of her. However, Dong’er’s life is starting to count down, and I plead that you retrieve that Yearning Heartbroken Grass, so that Dong’er’s hidden injury can be ﬁxed.

The reason why there’s a seal on this letter is because Dong’er doesn’t know about all this. We wanted to let her grow up happily, so we have never told her about this. We love her too much, and our only hope is that she can grow up peacefully and happily. Yuhao, I sincerely plead that you do not tell her the truth before you bring back that Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Even if you don’t successfully complete this task in the end, we hope that she will be happy and peaceful in her last days.

Huo Yuhao’s hands clenched unwittingly at this point. He had not expected that Dong’er had such a fatal injury, and that she only had a little more than two years left to live! This was something that Huo Yuhao couldn’t accept, no matter what! He grit his teeth and forced his tears back, as he knew that he had to be strong at times like these. He knew that even if he was left with a single thread of hope, he had to bring back the herb that could save Dong’er’s life.

He bit down hard on his lower lip and left a deep bite mark. He was stimulated by the pain, and refocused his attention as he continued reading the parchment. The map below depicts where the Yearning Heartbroken Grass is located. This is a place ﬁlled with danger and peril, and it’s also a place inhabited by soul beasts, while the exact location where the Yearning Heartbroken Grass grows is even more hazardous. There is a detailed introduction of the plants that grow in the area below the map. When you reach it, you have to try and ﬁnd a book that Dong’er’s father personally left behind. The book details all sorts of herbs and poisonous plants and their differences, and it will also guide you to ﬁnd the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. There are detailed instructions and signs on the map that will lead you to where the book is hidden. You have to ﬁnd the book ﬁrst before you search for the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Also, please remember not to venture too far inside. That place is charged with the origin energy of heaven and earth, and these herbs and poisonous plants have been living there for far too long, to the point where some have evolved into plant-type soul beasts. These soul beasts will bring great danger and trouble to you.

Please go, if you truly love Dong’er. We will await your good news. Do take care of yourself.

Niu Tian had signed off beneath the text. Huo Yuhao couldn’t care about anything else as he read the last sentence. He sprang to his feet and surveyed his surroundings, and there was only one thought in his head. I have to go, right now! I have to help Dong’er ﬁnd that life- saving herb!

He didn’t want to dally around for another second as he thought about this. He originally wanted to leave a note for Dong’er before he took off, but his mind was a mess, and he recalled that Niu Tian had mentioned in the letter that he couldn’t tell Dong’er about this matter, at least not before he found that Yearning Heartbroken Grass. He was irrational and more confused because he simply cared too much for her. Under these circumstances, he only took a few clean sets of clothes before he raced out of the room.

Huo Yuhao stopped in his tracks when he arrived at the staircase. He took a deep look at Dong’er’s room. It’s still early. I’m sure Dong’er is still sleeping or cultivating.

Don’t worry, Dong’er. I will pay any price to bring back that life-saving herb for you! Huo Yuhao quickly darted down the stairs. He widened his stride once he exited the Sea God’s Pavilion, and he ran as fast as he could towards the academy’s main gate. He was just so worried, and it felt as if Wang Dong’er’s life would be in danger with every moment that he delayed.

Right as he ﬂew down towards the lakeshore and soared towards the outer courtyard, a pair of astonished eyes watched Huo Yuhao’s frustrated and urgent behavior from a place not too far away.

Where’s he off to? The pair of huge blue eyes ﬂowed with doubt and suspicion. Hmph! That bastard. That day he, he… I can’t let him off the hook! I’m going to follow him.

The owner of this pair of blue eyes ﬂew into the sky while these thoughts ran through her mind. She raced across the lake in pursuit of Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao didn’t wish to stick around for a moment longer. He immediately soared into the sky once he left Shrek Academy, and he extended the ﬂying-type soul tool behind his back while he infused it with soul power. The soul tool propelled his body into the air, and he started ﬂying into the distance.

“Huo Yuhao! Come down right now!” an exclamation rang out behind him.

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. However, he had already raced more than ten meters away, and he quickly controlled his ﬂying-type soul tool to turn around. He looked back and saw a ﬁgure with ﬂowing blue hair drifting toward him.

“Dong’er!” Huo Yuhao shouted in surprise. Wang Dong’er’s image ﬁlled every corner of his mind at this moment.

“I’m not your Dong’er. Tell me, what should we do about what happened yesterday?” Wang Qiu’er said angrily.

Huo Yuhao only realized that Wang Dong’er wasn’t the one pursuing him. It was Wang Qiu’er, who he had taken advantage of the previous day. “I’m sorry, Qiu’er. Yesterday was all my fault. However, I have something important to do right now. I will take all punishment and accept whatever you want to do to me when I come back. I need to go.” He turned back around as he spoke, and his ﬂying-type soul tool erupted with light once more. He couldn’t be bothered with the entanglement between Wang Qiu’er and himself. There was nothing more important than ﬁnding the herb that could save Wang Dong’er’s life!

Wang Qiu’er could clearly see his frustrated and worried look. A thought crossed her mind as she stomped her right foot on the ground, and her body bolted forward.

Wang Qiu’er was unrivaled amongst others of the same level in terms of explosiveness over short distances. Huo Yuhao’s ﬂying-type soul tool still had an acceleration process, and he was only just speeding up before Wang Qiu’er arrived behind him and grabbed his shoulder.

“Don’t mess around, Wang Qiu’er. I really have something important to do!” Huo Yuhao exclaimed angrily.

Wang Qiu’er was equally furious. “I’m messing around? Stop ﬁnding excuses for yourself. You took advantage of me yesterday. You’re going to let it go just like that?”

Huo Yuhao had to drop back to the ground because of her forceful pressure. He shook his body vigorously and broke free from Wang Qiu’er’s grip. “Wang Qiu’er, I really have something very urgent to attend to. I’ve already said that you can do anything you want to me when I return. Is that not enough?” Huo Yuhao’s voice was solemn and intense.

Wang Qiu’er was momentarily stunned. This was the ﬁrst time she had seen Huo Yuhao like this, and she asked doubtfully, “Even the color of your face has changed. What’s up?”

Huo Yuhao’s expression was truly discolored. His face was pale and tinged with green – his expression was as dark as it could get.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “This has nothing to do with you. There’s a place that I have to go to, and I have to go right now. I can’t delay for another second. That’s it.” He turned around and prepared to leave as he spoke.

Wang Qiu’er blocked his path in a ﬂash. “You can’t leave unless you explain it to me.” Huo Yuhao clenched his ﬁsts, and his next words were squeezed out from between gritted teeth. “My patience has its limits, Wang Qiu’er. Don’t think there’s nothing I can do against you.”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and said, “You have the conﬁdence to defeat me? Come, try it!”

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. He knew that he couldn’t ﬁght Wang Qiu’er right now, as he had to retain his strength to search for that medicine to help Dong’er. He took a deep breath and suppressed the wrath in his heart, and he tried his best to make his voice gentler. He lowered his voice and said, “Alright, I’ll explain. A friend of mine is severely injured, and I need to ﬁnd an herb to save her life – to save her life, do you understand? I must ﬁnd this herb, and her life might be in danger for every second that I waste, and if I’m too late... So, I beg you – please step aside and let me go, right now!”

He was close to shouting when he got to the last two words.

Wang Qiu’er was slightly taken aback when she listened to his explanation. She frowned and said, “Will it be dangerous?”

Huo Yuhao said decisively, “I have to go even if I have to venture into the depths of Hell. I’ve already explained it to you, so please don’t stop me any longer. Otherwise, I will no longer treat you as a friend.” He began to move once more as he spoke.

“Huo Yuhao!” Wang Qiu’er blocked him yet again with a ﬂash.

Huo Yuhao was truly infuriated this time, and he immediately unleashed his Spirit Eyes, while his Eye of Destiny appeared at almost the same time. He knew that he would have to use his Eye of Destiny to defeat Wang Qiu’er.

“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to stop you from saving her – let me go with you. You will have a greater chance with one more person tagging along. Give me one of those ﬂying things.” Wang Qiu’er explained.

Huo Yuhao was almost about to ﬁre off his Spiritual Shock, but he paused as he stared at Wang Qiu’er’s eyes, which were full of sincerity. He didn’t think too much about it, and said, “Alright then.” He took out a reserve ﬂying-type soul tool and passed it to Wang Qiu’er as he spoke.

Wang Qiu’er took the soul tool, then she asked a little embarrassingly, “This… how do I wear this?”

Huo Yuhao was rendered speechless. This girl doesn’t know a thing about soul tools! He was far too worried, but he couldn’t afford to piss off this girl before him. He had taken advantage of her yesterday, and that gave him a guilty conscience. Furthermore, he wasn’t entirely conﬁdent of defeating Wang Qiu’er if they actually fought.

He felt a little helpless as he stepped forward and helped Wang Qiu’er put the ﬂying-type soul tool on as he briefed her on how to use it. With that, he soared into the sky and infused as much soul power into his own ﬂying-type soul tool as he could before he raced towards the east as fast as he could.

Huo Yuhao felt a lot better once he was surging through the air. He wasn’t that concerned about Wang Qiu’er not being able to catch up – it would actually be better if she couldn’t, as that would save him a lot of trouble. Even if she could, she would be of great help with her abilities. The only thing in his mind was to reach his destination as quickly as possible, and he couldn’t be bothered with anything else.

This was Wang Qiu’er’s ﬁrst time interacting with soul tools. However, one had to admit that she was very adaptable – she was a little unstable when she ﬁrst took off, but she quickly mastered the ﬂying-type soul tool’s controls. Huo Yuhao had already become a small black dot on the horizon at this point.

Wang Qiu’er was a Soul Emperor after all, and she was a lot stronger than Huo Yuhao in terms of cultivation. She ﬁgured out the important parts before she began to speed up as much as she could, and she determined Huo Yuhao’s direction of ﬂight as she swiftly pursued him.

There wasn’t much cover in the sky, and Huo Yuhao had no intention of concealing his movements. Wang Qiu’er ﬂew through the air for a while before she gradually closed the distance.

“This soul tool is quite interesting – it can actually ﬂy through the air at such rapid speed. Interesting, interesting.” Wang Qiu’er’s expression was ﬁlled with curiosity, and she continuously felt the transformations in her ﬂying-type soul tool as she sped through the air.

Huo Yuhao was ﬂying in front, but he didn’t have to turn back to look. He activated Spiritual Detection and immediately sensed Wang Qiu’er, who had already caught up with him.

You’re quite adaptable, huh? Follow me, then.

He didn’t bother with Wang Qiu’er anymore as he began to study the map.

The map clearly marked out the geographical relationship between Shrek Academy and his destination. The destination was within the Heavenly Soul Empire, and he had to travel east from Shrek Academy all the way to the Heavenly Soul Empire’s Heaven Dou City, and then he would have to continue northeast. There was a place there where soul beasts resided, called the Setting Sun Forest.

The Setting Sun Forest paled in comparison to the Great Star Dou Forest, and it was inferior both in reputation and in surface area. However, this was still a forest inhabited by soul beasts. His ﬁnal destination was located right within this Setting Sun Forest.

Huo Yuhao didn’t seem like he had to rest at all. He used a Milk Bottle to replenish his soul power, while he channeled as much as he could. Wang Qiu’er behind him had voluminous soul power, and she relied on her impressive cultivation to ﬁnally catch up to Huo Yuhao after two hours.

“Hey, don’t you have to rest?” Wang Qiu’er snapped. They were ﬂying at such breakneck speed that speech was extremely difﬁcult, and they had to release soul power to protect their faces before they could speak.

Huo Yuhao glanced at her and handed her a Milk Bottle. “You can gradually channel soul power inside, and soul power will bounce back to you. You just have to absorb that, and you can replenish your soul power.”

Wang Qiu’er had no experience with ﬂying-type soul tools, but neither was she averse to using them. She took the Milk Bottle and attempted to use it in the way Huo Yuhao had described, and she suddenly felt a clean and pure energy ﬂow into her body, and her soul power was swiftly restored.

“This… this can restore soul power? Your soul tool research has reached this level?” Wang Qiu’er asked with a look of astonishment.

Huo Yuhao wasn’t in the mood to explain anything else, so he snapped, “Even if you’ve never tasted pork, I’m sure you’ve at least seen a pig before. Do you not know about Milk Bottles?”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and said, “All I can see is a pig ﬂying in the sky.”

Huo Yuhao extended two ﬁngers and said, “Two pigs.”

“You! You’re the pig!” Wang Qiu’er’s face ﬂushed red.

Huo Yuhao stopped talking because he had to conserve energy and focus on ﬂying; Shrek Academy was quite far away from Heaven Dou City. They continued ﬂying for another two hours, but then began to feel a little fatigued, even though they had Milk Bottles to replenish their soul power. Wang Qiu’er realized that he was ignoring her and shot him a glare. She grunted coldly and said, “Who is it exactly that you’re trying to save?”

Huo Yuhao didn’t respond.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” Wang Qiu’er nudged him.

They were ﬂying rapidly through the air, and Huo Yuhao was startled and almost lost his balance. He glared at her and said, “Just do it if you want to kill me. Can you stop spouting nonsense? I’m getting frustrated!”

“You…” Wang Qiu’er was just about to erupt, but she held herself back for some reason. She grunted again, but said nothing more.

------

The sky was already bright at this moment. It was a new day, and two very important people were suddenly missing from Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard.

“Yuhao? I haven’t seen him. Didn’t you send him back last night?” Bei Bei stared in confusion at the frustrated Wang Dong’er before him.

Wang Dong’er had woken up early in the morning, and gone to Huo Yuhao’s room to see how he was recovering, while she also hoped to listen to his explanation about what had happened the previous day.

But to her surprise, Huo Yuhao’s room was empty when she arrived. His bed was messy, while he himself was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s not in his room, eldest senior brother. I’ve already searched around the inner courtyard, he’s nowhere to be seen.” Wang Dong’er was worried. She was sad, but she was more concerned with Huo Yuhao’s safety. Huo Yuhao had disappeared without a trace, and he didn’t leave a note or anything behind – how could she not be worried?

Xu Sanshi said lazily, “Perhaps Huo Yuhao feels like there’s no way he can account to you for what happened yesterday, and so he ran away. Could he have eloped with Wang Qiu’er? Hehe.”

Wang Dong’er was infuriated. “If you spout any more nonsense, third senior brother, our friendship is over.”

Bei Bei glared at Xu Sanshi and said, “Stop making things worse. Little junior brother should have said something to Dong’er even if he’s out on ofﬁcial business. He has left without a trace, and that’s quite problematic. Don’t worry, Dong’er. How about this: I’ll look for Elder Xuan, and I’ll ask him if he’s assigned Yuhao anything, and then we’ll search carefully inside the academy for him. It’s still very early in the morning, so he can’t have gotten far.”

Chapter 254: Invading a Territory?

Xu Sanshi didn’t dare to be sarcastic after looking at Wang Dong’er’s worried expression. He hurriedly got up from the sofa and said, “I’m leaving too. Don’t worry, Dong’er, Yuhao knows what he’s doing. He must’ve had something urgent come up if he left in such a hurry.”

Xu Sanshi’s words reminded Wang Dong’er. Perhaps Elder Xuan has assigned him something?

The group appeared before Elder Xuan a few minutes later.

“Mission? No, I haven’t assigned him with anything. Didn’t you guys come back together yesterday? What’s wrong? Has Huo Yuhao vanished?” Elder Xuan was equally astonished. It was quite a big deal for Shrek Academy if a student went missing, and this was especially alarming because Huo Yuhao was a member of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Huo Yuhao could be said to be Shrek Academy’s future cornerstone.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you guys look.” The entire academy began to move with Elder Xuan’s announcement, and everyone started to look for Huo Yuhao.

------

Two hours later, inside the Sea God’s Pavilion...

“Nothing—we’ve searched everywhere. He’s not in the academy. I’ve sent people over to Shrek City, and nobody’s seen Huo Yuhao recently.” Elder Xuan lowered his voice as he spoke.

Six of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were gathered at this moment. Huo Yuhao had gone missing, and this was a big deal to everybody.

Elder Xuan’s eyes descended on Wang Dong’er as he said, “Did he say anything to you yesterday, Dong’er? What did he do?”

Wang Dong’er had been worried for the entire morning, and her eyes were long since red. Huo Yuhao was still nowhere to be seen even though they had been searching for more than two hours, and she couldn’t be any more worried than she already was. She was just anxious in the beginning, and then she was incensed, but all that was left in her heart right now was nervousness. She was even thinking that she wouldn’t pursue anything about what had happened between him and Wang Qiu’er yesterday if he could just return safely. What a kind-hearted girl!

She tossed her head from side to side and said, “He was still asleep when I escorted him back to rest. However, his vitals had returned to normal. I… I should have stayed by his side. This is all my fault, all my fault!” Wang Dong’er’s voice was starting to break, and she was about to cry.

Elder Xuan said, “Don’t be hasty. There’s something odd about all this. We have discovered from our preliminary investigations that Huo Yuhao isn’t the only person that has gone missing. Someone else has disappeared.”

“Ah?” Everyone was astounded. Was it possible that this other person was the key to ﬁnding Huo Yuhao?

Elder Xuan glanced at Wang Dong’er and said, “The other missing person is Wang Qiu’er.” Wang Dong’er felt as if a lightning bolt struck down on her when she heard that name. Her eyes turned black, then she stumbled forward, and would have fallen if Jiang Nannan hadn’t been supporting her. Huo Yuhao had gone missing, and he had actually gone missing at the same time as Wang Qiu’er. They, they…

Wang Dong’er didn’t dare to follow that train of thought.

Xu Sanshi’s eyes widened as he muttered softly under his breath, “Was I right? Maybe they really eloped.”

Bei Bei kicked him and whispered, “Shut your ﬁlthy mouth! Huo Yuhao isn’t an unaccountable person. I think something is wrong.”

Elder Xuan stared at Wang Dong’er’s face, which had lost all color. “Bei Bei is right, I think something is wrong. Have you guys considered the possibility that Wang Qiu’er has kidnapped him?”

Elder Xuan’s words were like a lifeline to Wang Dong’er, and she immediately recovered as she stared at Elder Xuan with widened eyes.

Elder Xuan said ponderously, “I’ve found it a little strange ever since she joined the academy because she simply looked too much like Dong’er. In fact, they look almost identical, and their names are equally similar. Dong’er is also positive that they are not related by blood, while Wang Qiu’er’s martial soul is of Ultimate strength, something that I have never seen before. All these factors raised my suspicions. However, she has relied on her own abilities to join the inner courtyard, so we cannot reject her. Furthermore, her abilities are quite formidable.

“My suspicions were greatly allayed ever since your hunting expedition into the Great Star Dou Forest. However, something must be wrong, since she vanished along with Huo Yuhao at the same time. Even though outsiders are unaware of how important Huo Yuhao is to Shrek, he has participated in the tournament before, and his twin martial souls are no secret to anyone. It’s not impossible that one of our rivals has sent Wang Qiu’er to us with Huo Yuhao as the target. Don’t panic, everyone, I have already gathered all the academy’s teachers, and we will head out to search for him. I hope that Huo Yuhao is safe. You guys can start moving and head elsewhere to look for him.” “I’m going right now.” Wang Dong’er couldn’t wait any longer as she turned around and disappeared in a ﬂash.

Everyone bid their farewells to Elder Xuan and departed one after another, until only Bei Bei remained.

“Why aren’t you going?” Elder Xuan turned towards Bei Bei.

Bei Bei frowned and said, “Elder Xuan, do you really believe that Wang Qiu’er has kidnapped him? I don’t think that’s right. Shrek wouldn’t be the number one academy on the Continent if someone could kidnap him from the Sea God’s Pavilion. Nobody knows how senior sister Xiaotao left all those years ago, but we were under attack from powerful enemies back then, and our academy was emptied out as a result. However, you were here with the other elders inside the Sea God’s Pavilion to hold down the fort. How could you guys let Wang Qiu’er, who’s just a Soul Emperor, kidnap him?”

Elder Xuan tilted his head and said, “You’re still coolheaded. The others’ minds were a mess. You’re right… it’s unlikely that Wang Qiu’er has kidnapped him. However, you saw how dejected Dong’er was just now, and I had to ﬁnd a way to stabilize her before anything else could be done. We don’t know why Huo Yuhao has decided to leave, and we don’t even know if he left together with Wang Qiu’er. But we can’t have any internal problems. I did feel him leave after I got up in the morning. He left by himself, but it felt as if he was in a hurry. I didn’t think much about it back then, but it seems he must have run into something. Think carefully, has anything important happened to Huo Yuhao recently?”

Nobody would ever think, not even in their wildest dreams, that Huo Yuhao’s emergency originated from the pouch that Wang Dong’er had given him.

……

Inside Clear Sky Castle...

“Eh?” Niu Tian was tasting the fragrant wine in his cup when his eyes suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong?” Tiu Tian glanced at him curiously. Niu Tian frowned and said, “That’s strange! How has the seal been opened so quickly? That’s really strange.”

Tiu Tian was also surprised as he said, “Are you referring to that pouch that you gave her? It’s probably Huo Yuhao if it’s been opened.”

Niu Tian nodded, but he shook his head immediately afterwards and said, “It’s not strange that Dong’er has given the pouch to him. Could you not tell when they returned the last time? Dong’er’s heart is locked onto that fellow. What I ﬁnd strange is, how does Yuhao have the ability to open that spiritual seal? Does that mean he sought someone else’s help to open it?”

Tiu Tian drank a mouthful of wine and said, “If it’s open, then so be it. He will have to face our ﬁnal test whether or not he found someone else to help him open it. In the end, the assessment doesn’t just test his abilities. More importantly, it tests his love for Dong’er.”

Niu Tian said, “I’m not worried that he found someone to help open the seal, nor am I worried that he’s found someone to help him ﬁnd the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. What I’m worried about is that he may have opened the seal by accident, and if that’s the case, that place is simply too dangerous for him with his current cultivation. I’m afraid something might happen to him.”

Tiu Tian was a little confused. “I don’t think so. That fellow is quite intelligent. Can he not retreat and run away if he realizes something is amiss? Besides, can your spiritual seal really be opened by accident? I think we should be more concerned about this fellow showing the letter’s contents to Dong’er.”

Niu Tian heaved a faint sigh and said, “Forget it. We weren’t the ones who came up with this test, anyway. Since the test has already begun, we will submit to fate.”

“Fate?” Tiu Tian gazed at the distant sky through the window, and an understanding smile appeared on his face.

Niu Tian was momentarily stunned as he watched his brother’s expression. Then he seemed to understand as well, and he smiled faintly as he stared at the clear blue skies outside. “Yes! Fate.” ……

Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er ﬂew for ﬁve hours, and the Heavenly Soul Empire’s Heaven Dou City was ﬁnally peeking out over the horizon.

“Hey, let’s take a break!” Wang Qiu’er exclaimed softly.

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao nodded and glided downwards.

They had been travelling for full speed for ﬁve hours, and he was so exhausted that all his strength seemed to have left his body. Soul power could be replenished with a Milk Bottle, but he had to rely on soul power and his own body to defend against the air resistance from high-speed ﬂight. His body was sore from ﬁve hours of ﬂight, and he felt as if his entire skeleton was falling apart. He wouldn’t be able to take it anymore if he didn’t rest.

They found a small patch of open ground and landed. Huo Yuhao’s expression was as calm as water. He withdrew the ﬂying-type soul tool behind his back, crossed his legs, sat down on the ground, and immediately began to meditate.

“Hey, aren’t you going to eat?” Wang Qiu’er could clearly see that there was something wrong with Huo Yuhao’s current behavior. The frustration and worry that seemed to come from his bones had made him a little irrational.

“I’m not too hungry. You go ahead.” Huo Yuhao’s storage- type soul tool always carried some food and water; this was one of the Ultimate Soldier Plan’s main requirements.

He handed some food and water to Wang Qiu’er before he immediately continued to meditate.

Wang Qiu’er didn’t push further, and she took the food and water and began to eat. She quietly stared at the cross-legged youth sitting before her as she ate.

Am I going to venture with him into another world of soul beasts? It’s only me and him this time. What does he want, exactly? The Setting Sun Forest? How can that compare to the Great Star Dou Forest? The quality of soul beasts in that area is far inferior to the even Great Star Dou Forest’s Hybrid Region. Perhaps we won’t ﬁnd a single hundred thousand year soul beast over there.

Wang Qiu’er silently criticized Huo Yuhao in her mind as she watched him. This guy has such average looks. Wang Dong’er is so pretty, so why is she so interested in him? But he doesn’t look so good today. He’s frowning even when he’s meditating.

Wang Qiu’er had really thought that Huo Yuhao told her everything he did because he wanted to avoid her when she ﬁrst stopped him at the academy. However, she was starting to understand that Huo Yuhao had probably actually run into something urgent. She had never seen him so worried and anxious, not even when they faced off against the three evil brothers in the Great Star Dou Forest. Which friend of his was injured that made him so distraught?

Could it be Wang Dong’er? But Wang Dong’er looked ﬁne.

Every girl was born with a tendency to probe into others’ secrets and be nosy, and Wang Qiu’er was no exception. She stared at Huo Yuhao, who was still meditating, and thoughts ran wild in her head. It didn’t take long before she consumed all the rations in her hands. “This tastes terrible!” Wang Qiu’er ﬁnished her food, but she couldn’t help but mutter and criticize it under her breath. She thought to herself that this was a far cry from what he had made before. He makes really delicious food, though. Perhaps that’s why Wang Dong’er likes him so much?

Huo Yuhao meditated for two hours. He recovered some energy, and his heart was a little calmer than before. He knew that he wasn’t in the right state of mind, and he kept telling himself to calm down after he ﬁnished meditating.

The greater the danger he had to face, the calmer he had to be. Emotional disturbances would only make things worse and harder to deal with in the long run.

That was one of the Ultimate Soldier Plan’s deﬁning principles, and Huo Yuhao bore it in mind. He wouldn’t have lost so much self-control if it hadn’t been Wang Dong’er who was in mortal peril, because he was just too concerned about her safety. Wang Dong’er was simply too important to him, and it wasn’t an easy task for him to ease his nerves in the face of this threat. Don’t worry, Dong’er. Even if I have to face all the dangers in the world, I will help you get that herb and I will bring it back!

Huo Yuhao wasn’t hasty to get back on his way, and he fetched some food and water before he began to eat by himself. He wanted to be in his best condition to search for that herb.

Wang Qiu’er watched Huo Yuhao quietly consume his food, and she couldn’t help but frown. This guy looks quite interesting when he’s deep in thought.

“Hey, don’t you have anything to say to me? I’m here to help you,” Wang Qiu’er spoke up, displeased.

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh and said, “Qiu’er, I will ﬁrst apologize about what happened yesterday. Even though it was an accident, I will not deny away my responsibility, it was my fault. I didn’t correctly judge how strong your attack was, which eventually led to… it was just my fault. However, what I have to do now is exceedingly important to me, more important than my life. Therefore, I will be extremely grateful if you truly want to help me and I will owe you a favor. If you just want to watch the show, or if you want to cause trouble for me, then I beg you… you can do anything you want to me and I’ll take it, but only after I’ve completed this task. Thank you.”

He stood up as he spoke, and bowed courteously toward Wang Qiu’er at the end.

“You…” Wang Qiu’er’s eyebrows knitted. She felt a little awkward. This guy was the one who took advantage of me! Why do I suddenly feel like I am the one who is letting him down?

“We’ll settle this when we get back!” Wang Qiu’er wanted to put on a strong front even though she felt differently inside.

Huo Yuhao stared at her seriously and said, “Then you’re willing to help me?”

“Yes,” Wang Qiu’er nodded and said, “I’m already here. Am I supposed to just watch? The Setting Sun Forest shouldn’t have many powerful soul beasts, and we shouldn’t run into any danger if we team up. The key question is, what exactly are you looking for? Looking for something inside a forest isn’t easy. Do you have a target?”

Huo Yuhao’s spirits were lifted when Wang Qiu’er said she was willing to help him. He couldn’t be bothered by his awkward relationship with her at a time like this. When Wang Dong’er’s life hung in the balance, all he wanted to do was acquire that herb no matter what price he had to pay. Wang Qiu’er’s abilities were formidable, and they shared a martial soul fusion skill, the Dragon Roar of Destiny. Their martial soul fusion had even fended off that triple martial soul fusion. Ultimately, this expedition was a lot more likely to succeed with her around.

“I have a map, and this map has the rough location of what I need to ﬁnd. We just have to search around for a bit when we get there, and that should be enough. Qiu’er… let’s not hurry into the Setting Sun Forest. I still have the three left leg bones that we picked up from last time. Why don’t we absorb one piece each, so that we can further boost our strength?”

He retrieved two wolf-ape left leg bones from his storage- type soul tool as he spoke.

“Alright.” Wang Qiu’er didn’t object. One of these things belonged to her anyway, and she took one before she sat down with her legs crossed.

Huo Yuhao said, “I’ll protect you. You can go ﬁrst.”

“Okay.” Wang Qiu’er made sure she was sitting properly cross-legged. She waved her right hand, and a golden streak of soul power enveloped the left leg bone.

The left leg bone was entirely purplish-black in color, and it ﬂickered with pale silver light. A deep dragon roar could be heard as the soul power on Wang Qiu’er’s body trembled, and a golden layer of light and encompassed and permeated the entire bone immediately afterwards.

Ding! A faint chiming sound could be heard, and the left leg bone transformed into a ﬂowing purplish-black beam of light that drifted toward Wang Qiu’er. It followed her golden soul power, and she directed it into her left leg before it disappeared.

Purplish-black light circled twice around Wang Qiu’er’s left leg before it vanished, and her body began to shine with golden light once again. Huo Yuhao was standing guard for her, but even he could feel an immense pressure coming from her. What a powerful martial soul!

Even though the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion was also an Ultimate martial soul, Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion was still a little inferior to the Golden Dragon in terms of strength. Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon martial soul was probably at a higher level than the Dragon God Douluo’s Radiant Holy Dragon and the Dragon Emperor Douluo’s Darkness Holy Dragon, which meant that it was probably the purest inheritance of dragon-type martial souls. Who knew how powerful she would be if she could become a Titled Douluo one day?

Huo Yuhao took out the map and began to study it. The map wasn’t complicated, and there were clear instructions about where he had to enter the Setting Sun Forest from. His destination was quite close to the forest’s center, and there were several other important places that were marked out in detail.

He had to ﬁnd that book that recorded the various herbs and venomous plants before he could search for the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Wang Qiu’er’s formidable body was on full display throughout the absorption process… for ﬁfteen minutes! She actually only took ﬁfteen minutes to complete the absorption process!

Huo Yuhao’s mouth hung slack with astonishment when she leapt off the ground and onto her feet. That’s incredibly fast! She’s absorbing a soul bone, and it’s a soul bone produced by a ten-thousand year soul beast. How can this process be so easy for her?

“It’s your turn.” Wang Qiu’er gestured at Huo Yuhao.

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao didn’t ask any more questions. He sat down with his legged crossed and began his own fusion.

Huo Yuhao had absorbed three soul bones before this. He had fused with the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s torso, which included all the chest and rib bones, and was possibly his strongest soul bone. He had the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, which contained the mighty Ice Explosion, and he also had the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear’s Right Palm Bone, which carried the Darkgolden Terrorclaw’s formidable power. All three soul bones were rare and exotic. At this moment, Huo Yuhao was starting to fuse with his fourth soul bone.

This soul bone didn’t exceed Huo Yuhao’s current cultivation. Furthermore, his body was far stronger than it was all those years ago. But his fusion process wasn’t as quick as Wang Qiu’er’s. He ﬁnished absorbing it after one hour.

Huo Yuhao felt as if his body was a lot lighter than before when he jumped up from the ground, and his left leg felt exceptionally strong. He bounced on his feet, and he realized that his jumping strength had been greatly boosted.

“Have you tried its soul skill?” Huo Yuhao asked Wang Qiu’er.

Wang Qiu’er shook her head and said, “Let’s try it together.”

They infused soul power into their respective Wolf-Ape Left Leg Bones at almost the same time. Silver light immediately ﬂickered on their legs, and their bodies vanished into thin air in the next moment before they reappeared at their original locations.

Both Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er had a look of a pleasant surprise in their eyes. It was just as Huo Yuhao had hoped! The soul skill that they had obtained was Instant Shift!

A soul skill like Instant Shift was like a life-saving trump card for any soul master. Even though the soul skills carried by soul bones could only be used for a ﬁxed number of instances, this was already good enough to give them both a delighted surprise. Both Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er would have never obtained this soul skill from their martial soul fusion skills, as Instant Shift was known as a top-tier agility-type soul skill, and neither of them were agility-type soul masters. Of all the soul masters that Huo Yuhao knew, only Jiang Nannan possessed this ability.

Huo Yuhao immediately attempted it once more. Silver light ﬂickered beneath his feet, and he reappeared ten meters away.

“The maximum distance is ten meters. It’s a little shorter than those wolf-apes!” Huo Yuhao had chosen a distance that was further away, but the Instant Shift had ended at ten meters. It was clear that this was its maximum range. Wang Qiu’er appeared beside him in a ﬂash. “That’s good enough, so you should be content. Ten meters may seem like a very short distance, but it’s usually enough to turn the tables of a battleﬁeld. Eh, why do I feel something peculiar when I’m next to you?”

Huo Yuhao also realized that his left leg began to warm up when Wang Qiu’er came next to him, as if Wang Qiu’er’s left leg had become a magnet and was pulling on his own left leg.

They were both veteran soul masters, and they channeled their soul power subconsciously at the same time.

Something strange happened next. Two silver streaks of light burst out from their left legs, and then intertwined together as they enveloped their bodies. They both disappeared at the same time for an instant, and their bodies instantly switched positions in the next moment.

“This…” Huo Yuhao stared at Wang Qiu’er with an astonished look on his face.

Wang Qiu’er said decisively, “Let’s try again further away.” She raced out as she spoke, and ran about a hundred meters away as she gestured toward Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao released his soul power and activated his left leg bone as he attempted to establish a connection with Wang Qiu’er on the other side. However, he realized that he couldn’t feel anything at all, and nothing changed. Wang Qiu’er came ten meters closer, and Huo Yuhao continued to try. Nothing was different from before.

Wang Qiu’er wasn’t hasty either, and she slowly shifted forward bit by bit.

Finally, when she was about ﬁfty meters away from him, silver light exploded from their bodies at the same time, and Wang Qiu’er immediately appeared before Huo Yuhao. This wasn’t the Instant Shift carried by their left leg bones anymore, as Instant Shift only had a range of ten meters. This magnet-like force between them increased its range by by ﬁve hundred percent, and this was achieved with just Huo Yuhao pulling Wang Qiu’er to his side. This effect was similar to Xu Sanshi’s Mysterious Netherworld Displacement after his Shield of the Xuanming Turtle evolved into the Xuanwu Shield, except Xu Sanshi’s Mysterious Netherworld Displacement could target opponents weaker than he was. Huo Yuhao could only use this with Wang Qiu’er.

They exchanged a look, and they thought about the countless possibilities. They already had a martial soul fusion skill, and this special effect carried by their left leg bones was a cherry on the cake for them. In addition to their new Instant Shift ability… both of them felt as if they had struck a jackpot.

Wang Qiu’er said, “This ability probably originates from the three Wolf-Apes’ triple martial soul fusion skill. Even though that triple martial soul fusion cannot be passed down through their soul bones, this ability is still quite impressive. I don’t want the last soul bone, but you can’t give it to the wrong

person. This is very important for the both of us.”

Huo Yuhao didn’t conceal his intentions. “If you don’t mind, I want to give it to Dong’er.”

Wang Qiu’er shot him a glare and grunted as she said, “Whatever. I don’t want it. Just make sure she doesn’t cause me any trouble.”

A sorrowful look ﬂashed across Huo Yuhao’s face. Cause you any trouble? Dong’er has to live for that to happen.

“Let’s go. We’re going to the Setting Sun Forest.” It was nearly noon at this point.

The sun was high in the sky, and it radiated scorching warmth.

“Let’s go, then.” Wang Qiu’er agreed. Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief when she began to cooperate, and they activated their ﬂying-type soul tools before they soared into the sky once more.

Huo Yuhao wasn’t acting hastily anymore, and he ﬂew together with Wang Qiu’er as they followed the map’s markings and traveled towards the Setting Sun Forest.

They hadn’t ﬂown for long, however, before Huo Yuhao suddenly felt something and gazed into the horizon, while he slowed down at the same time.

“What’s wrong?” Wang Qiu’er asked confusedly.

“Someone’s coming here.” Huo Yuhao answered.

Wang Qiu’er followed his gaze. Indeed, there was a group of people ﬂying towards them in the distance from where Heaven Dou City was located. They were in a fan-like formation, and their formation gradually changed in the sky and formed a semicircle that wrapped toward the two of them.

“Enemies?” Wang Qiu’er asked confusedly.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “Perhaps not. They should be from the Heavenly Soul Empire. This is my fault for being so careless. We’re very close to Heaven Dou City, and we are just ﬂying through the air without attempting to conceal our movements. I think we have attracted the sentries’ attention.”

Wang Qiu’er’s mouth twitched, and she said, “We’re just ﬂying in the sky. What does that have to do with them?”

Huo Yuhao was a little speechless. “Ever since we’ve had ﬂying-type soul tools, every nation’s laws and control has become a lot stricter than before, and this is especially so for the airspace above or around cities. Heaven Dou City is the Heavenly Soul Empire’s capital city. Think about it, if someone ﬂew over the royal palace and tossed down a powerful stationary soul cannon shell, what would happen?” Wang Qiu’er said, “Is that actually preventable? If we ﬂy high enough, to a height where they can’t see us anymore before we toss the bomb, they can’t do anything about it.”

This was the ﬁrst time a smile had appeared on Huo Yuhao’s face ever since they left Shrek Academy. “This proves how little you know about soul tools! It’s not as easy as you make it seem. Let’s not talk about how difﬁcult it is to be precise when we’re too high in the sky. With current soul tool technology, ﬂying-type soul tools have a limit to how high they can ﬂy, rarely can one ﬂy higher than one kilometer above the ground at this point. Any telescopic soul tool on the ground that’s watching the skies will be able to discover someone ﬂying around, and night-vision telescopic soul tools can monitor the airspace at night.”

The group had surrounded them while they talked. There were ten soul engineers, and everyone wore standardized ﬂying-type soul tools. They weren’t ﬂying very fast, so it wouldn’t be impossible if Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er wanted to shake them off. He wanted to get to the Setting Sun Forest as fast as possible, but he also didn’t want to bring unnecessary trouble upon himself. If they were suspected to be spying upon Heaven Dou City, and thus attracted the attention of powerful individuals in the Heavenly Soul Empire, then there would be real trouble for him. The Heavenly Soul Empire’s national strength couldn’t compare to the Star Luo Empire, but they were still a nation with a long history, and solid foundations.

The soul engineers didn’t attack as they came up, they just surrounded the two of them. Huo Yuhao didn’t unleash any offensive soul tools, and he raised both hands to show that he meant no ill.

These soul engineers from the Heavenly Soul Empire were all wearing leather armor, which was clearly intended to lessen the weight they had to carry. The person leading the group was a girl with a cold look on her face, appearing both elegant and noble. The ﬂying-type soul tool behind her released pale blue light.

“Who are you? How dare you ﬂy around inside our capital city’s airspace? You’re looking down on my country. Follow me.” Her cold voice felt extremely charming and nice to hear, but the contents were a little unpleasant.

Huo Yuhao was slightly taken aback as he stared at the young girl before him confusedly. “You… are you Mu Xue?” The ice-cold young girl was also momentarily stunned. She stared at Huo Yuhao with the same doubtful look and asked, “How do you know my name?”

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief once she conﬁrmed his speculation. “Have you forgotten, Mu Xue? We’ve met before inside the Great Star Dou Forest. Back then, Uncle Mo was the one leading the group, and you guys were inside the Great Star Dou Forest to hunt soul beasts. My name is Huo Yuhao.”

Mu Xue scrutinized Huo Yuhao for a moment longer. A look of revelation came over her face as she said, “Oh, yes, I remember now. You’re that student from the Star Luo National Academy, Huo Yuhao, am I right?”

“Yes! That’s me.” Huo Yuhao hurriedly nodded his head. Back then, he, Wang Dong’er and Xiao Xiao, had entered the Great Star Dou Forest under Elder Xuan’s protection when they met Mo Feiyun and his company. This girl, Mu Xue, had also been part of the company, along with another pretty girl named Wei Na. The two of them had left a fairly strong impression in Huo Yuhao’s mind. Mu Xue’s face suddenly turned cold. “That’s enough. Stop trying to worm your way through into being friends with me. Follow me.”

Huo Yuhao was shocked. “Follow you? For what?”

Mu Xue’s voice was ice-cold. “You have trespassed into my capital city’s airspace. You know that, so why do you still ask me that question? Even though we’ve met before, today’s situation is very different, and our private relationship cannot interfere with my duty. Let’s go.” She came up with the other soul engineers as she spoke.

She turned towards Wang Qiu’er as they moved up.

It wasn’t just her; all the other soul engineers were also focused on Wang Qiu’er. This wasn’t because they had realized how powerful Wang Qiu’er was, it was because Wang Qiu’er was simply too beautiful.

Wang Qiu’er looked more like the Goddess of Light than Wang Dong’er did. There wasn’t any cover in the sky at this moment, and sunlight shone upon her body and made her ﬂowing blue hair shine with pale golden light. Her enchanting beauty was nearly suffocating.

Mu Xue had always been conﬁdent about her looks, and this was especially so because her martial soul’s unique quality was different from normal people. However, she felt a little inferior before Wang Qiu’er. She paled in comparison in terms of looks and aura, and even in terms of her ﬁgure.

Huo Yuhao frowned as he lowered his voice and said, “I’m sorry, Mu Xue. I’m in a hurry, and today’s matter is just a misunderstanding. I have somewhere I need to be, and I accidentally trespassed in the Heaven Dou City’s airspace. I am sincerely sorry that this happened, but time is of the essence. I can’t delay any longer.”

Mu Xue also lowered her voice. “You don’t get to make that decision. Are you resisting arrest? You have to know that we have the authority to shoot you down since you’ve trespassed over our airspace. I’ll bring you back to the city because we have been acquainted, and we’ll investigate to make sure that there’s nothing wrong with the two of you, and then we’ll let you go. Don’t worry, we’ll be just and follow ofﬁcial procedures.” Huo Yuhao was a little exasperated as he shook his head. “I’m sorry, I really don’t have the time.”

Mu Xue’s face turned black as she shouted angrily, “Take them down!” The nine other soul engineers immediately began to move upon hearing her orders, and each of them took out a soul tool from behind their backs.

These soul tools were about half a meter long, and there was a thick cannon barrel at the front with an opening that was roughly thirty centimeters in diameter. Nine cannon barrels were trained on Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er at the same time.

As a Class 6 soul engineer, Huo Yuhao couldn’t be more familiar with this soul tool. These were soul paralysis rays, and they were enhanced versions. Even ﬁve-ringed or six-ringed soul masters would be immediately paralyzed and immobilized if these rays hit them. Of course, that meant these paralysis rays had to hit them ﬁrst!

Chapter 255: The Setting Sun Forest

These soul engineers didn’t show any mercy at all, and all nine soul paralysis rays ﬁred at nearly the same time. One could tell that they had a lot of practice, as their shots didn’t just target them, but also blocked off their paths of escape.

Huo Yuhao was also a soul engineer, and he could be considered one of the most outstanding soul engineers of Shrek Academy’s younger generation. Huo Yuhao would have let himself down if he was so easily taken down by these Class 4 soul paralysis rays.

A yellow light suddenly expanded from Huo Yuhao’s body and enveloped the two of them: a Class 6 soul barrier!

Nine beams of light landed on the barrier and created ripple after ripple, but the soul barrier didn’t so much as tremble. Huo Yuhao knew that they had no choice but to ﬁght.

“Don’t do anything, Qiu’er.” Huo Yuhao instructed Wang Qiu’er as his eyes suddenly lit up. The air within thirty meters of them seemed to contort, and the nine soul engineers’ second shots all missed, while three of them were accidentally struck by their companions and fell from the sky.

Light erupted from behind Huo Yuhao’s back as he activated his soul thrusters explosively and crashed against two other soul engineers. He had never been afraid of meeting force with force with anyone at his level, except for Wang Qiu’er. Furthermore, these soul engineers were just four-ringed Soul Ancestors, and they weren’t even powerful Soul Ancestors.

He forcefully knocked these two soul engineers out of the air, and golden light ﬂickered in his eyes as he turned towards Mu Xue, who was about to make a move.

Mu Xue suddenly felt an intense dizziness in her head, and immediately lost her balance. They were high up in the sky, and losing control meant she could no longer hover, so she plummeted towards the ground.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and save her!” Huo Yuhao shouted at the soul engineers before they could ﬁre off a third wave of soul paralysis rays as he dragged Wang Qiu’er off and turned around to run.

Three of the soul engineers were struck by their own paralysis rays and plunged limply through the air. Mu Xue was struck by Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Confusion and temporarily lost control of her body. The other two that were sent hurtling through the air were relatively stronger than the others, but Huo Yuhao didn’t damage their ﬂying-type soul tools, so they could still move around. The remaining four soul engineers were able to rescue their fallen comrades, but that also meant they couldn’t pursue Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er anymore.

Huo Yuhao shook his head lightly as he watched the falling soul engineers and their comrades who were attempting to rescue them. He controlled his ﬂying-type soul tool and positioned himself accurately behind Wang Qiu’er before he pressed his hands against her back and activated the soul thrusters. Searing white ﬂames extended from behind his back, and Huo Yuhao pushed Wang Qiu’er forward as they rocketed through the air. They raced for several hundred meters before he turned around as he held Wang Qiu’er’s hand and they immediately completed their martial soul fusion. He pushed his ﬂying-type soul tool to the highest possible speed, and the two of them transformed into a ray of light as they disappeared over the horizon.

By the time the Heavenly Soul Empire’s team of soul engineers ﬁnally settled down, the two of them had already become two black dots in the distance. Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er had completely vanished from their ﬁeld of view when they managed to gather themselves.

“Bastards!” Mu Xue’s ﬁsts were tightly clenched, her pretty face all tensed up.

“What should we do, team leader? Do we report to our superiors and request reinforcements? These two are difﬁcult to deal with,” one of the soul engineers whispered to Mu Xue.

The fury on Mu Xue’s face vanished and she answered coldly, “There’s no need. I can tell from their behavior that they don’t mean any harm. Otherwise, do you think we’d still be hovering in midair? Let’s go back. I will report this to our superiors.” She was still rational. If Huo Yuhao had really wanted to hurt them, he deﬁnitely would’ve had something else up his sleeves if he could release a Class 6 protective barrier. It was unlikely that any of them would have survived this ordeal if Huo Yuhao had unleashed his true abilities. ---

Wang Qiu’er didn’t struggle as Huo Yuhao grasped her hand. She was being pulled along, and this meant she was positioned slightly behind him, and could clearly see Huo Yuhao’s proﬁle.

Huo Yuhao’s face was still scrunched up like before, and his expression was still as black as ever. However, he was a lot calmer than he was when he had left the academy.

Wang Qiu’er felt the circulation of soul power between their bodies, and their soul power was intertwined and even ﬂourished. Her eyes were a little lost and vacant.

This feeling…

Their combined efforts had raised their Class 6 ﬂying-type soul tools’ ﬂight speed to the highest possible level, and Heaven Dou City was now far behind them.

An enormous forest gradually came into view in the distance. They were about to reach their destination according to the map’s instructions.

It was common knowledge that soul masters shouldn’t ﬂy above a place inhabited by soul beasts, as it made them easy targets. Huo Yuhao dragged Wang Qiu’er along and quickly descended from the sky, and naturally let go of her hand once they landed on the ground.

“Have you not seen enough after staring at me for so long? Have I recently become more handsome?” Huo Yuhao turned around and smiled at Wang Qiu’er.

Wang Qiu’er grunted and said, “Why didn’t you kill those people? They were so unreasonable. You didn’t let me ﬁght, either.”

Huo Yuhao laughed exasperatedly. “They were just executing their duties, and they had no intention of hurting us. How could I kill them? Furthermore, we did trespass into a city’s airspace, so we were in the wrong.”

“Is this the place?” Wang Qiu’er didn’t pursue the matter, instead changing the topic. Her eyes turned towards the vast forest in front of them.

Huo Yuhao nodded and retrieved the map. He had already determined their direction while they were still ﬂying, and the forest had a jagged patch at this location, which was easy to ﬁnd when they were looking down from high in the sky. It was a lot easier to follow the map and venture into the forest after ﬁnding this prominent geographical feature.

“Let’s get going.” Wang Qiu’er was the ﬁrst to move, and she widened her stride towards the forest.

“Be careful,” Huo Yuhao hurriedly caught up with her. “According to the map’s markings, the place we are looking for is full of dangers.”

Wang Qiu’er tilted her mouth indifferently and said, “It’s just a tiny Setting Sun Forest, how dangerous can it be? Don’t forget that I lived in the Great Star Dou Forest by myself for a year.”

Huo Yuhao had nothing else to say. She was incredibly powerful, after all. However, he activated his Spiritual Detection at once and shared it with her before they proceeded.

The reason why those soul engineers had lost their ability to aim was due to Spiritual Interference, a soul skill of his that had been continuously evolving. It was also a soul skill that Huo Yuhao hadn’t used for a long time. The logic was the same as when he used Imitation when he faced the three evil soul master brothers in the Great Star Dou Forest: not using this soul skill didn’t mean it wasn’t good. He had to hide it because it was far too powerful.

Spiritual Interference wasn’t as brutal or forceful as Spiritual Shock. However, there wouldn’t be any negative backlash, and he could use it continuously. This soul skill was a nightmare for most soul masters, and could cover an increasingly larger area as Huo Yuhao’s cultivation increased over time. Huo Yuhao could currently cover a radius of ﬁfty meters at this point, and he could reach one hundred meters if he was focusing on a smaller target area, and he could reach two hundred meters if he used his Eye of Destiny. This was the reason why Huo Yuhao had been so calm and composed when the soul engineers had surrounded them. Huo Yuhao had once remarked to Skydream that Skydream had changed his entire life, and that statement was absolutely true. He could only have today’s success and his exemplary accomplishments with the abilities and help that Skydream had given him. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t even have passed Shrek Academy’s freshman examination.

The Setting Sun Forest’s vegetation was a little sparse compared to the Great Star Dou Forest, and the plant species were slightly different as well. The main reason for this was due to their distinct geographical locations.

The Great Star Dou Forest was located in the Continent’s central regions, and the temperature there was pleasant. The temperature within the Great Star Dou Forest remained between twenty to thirty degrees celsius year-round, while winter was almost nonexistent, and ice and snow were rarities.

The Setting Sun Forest was more than a thousand kilometers north of the Great Star Dou Forest. If they travelled far enough north, they would enter the Extreme North, and so this forest’s temperature was much lower than the Great Star Dou Forest’s. Under such circumstances, coniferous trees were the main plant species found in this area, as they were more suitable for living in below-average temperatures. There were also some subtropical plants in the area as well.

There were not that many species in this forest compared to the Great Star Dou Forest, and therefore it appeared to be comparatively scarce. However, the plants that could survive in a place like this would naturally have superior survival capabilities.

They stepped into the Setting Sun Forest, and they hadn’t even taken that many steps before soul beasts appeared within Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection. These soul beasts were pitifully weak, Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er didn’t even have to release their auras, and the soul beasts were already scampering away. There was no need to talk about these soul beasts attacking them.

“They’re all ten-year soul beasts. This place is terribly barren and infertile,” Wang Qiu’er frowned.

Huo Yuhao said, “You can’t compare this place to the Great Star Dou Forest. In the end, the Great Star Dou Forest is one of the most prominent places in the entire Continent, and the Core Region’s Slaughtering Grounds is comparable to the core regions of the Extreme North. Those spots, along with three other extremely dangerous places, are known collectively as the Five Great Forbidden Regions.”

Wang Qiu’er grunted and said, “There should only be three. The other two only appeared because of our collision with the Sun Moon Continent. Don’t you want to speed up?”

“Alright. Let’s pick up the pace.” They didn’t feel any threatening presences within the Setting Sun Forest, and Huo Yuhao naturally didn’t want to waste any more time. The two of them quickened their pace and ventured deeper into the Setting Sun Forest.

The vegetation here wasn’t as dense as the Great Star Dou Forest, so their movements were unimpeded. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was anxious and worried, so he was moving forward at sixty percent of his maximum speed, while Wang Qiu’er followed closely beside him. The two of them had a tacit understanding, and they didn’t hold each other’s hands anymore. They were both exceptional individuals among everyone else at the same level, even before they had their martial soul fusion skill.

Soul masters would only truly enter the realm of high-level soul masters when they got their seventh soul ring. For people like Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er, who were both prodigious soul masters with Ultimate martial souls, their respective strengths were comparable to that of a seven-ringed soul master.

They were deep within the Setting Sun Forest after racing forward for about two hours, and the vegetation became increasingly dense the further they went. However, what made Huo Yuhao surprised was that they had already gone deep into the Setting Sun Forest, yet he still hadn’t detected any powerful soul beasts with Spiritual Detection. They rarely came across any thousand-year soul beasts, let alone ten- thousand year soul beasts.

The occasional thousand-year soul beast that dared to come near with malicious intentions were chased away in fright when Wang Qiu’er released a little bit of her aura. They hadn’t had a single ﬁght after traveling for two hours, an experience thatcould even be described as unimaginable. “Let’s take a break.” Huo Yuhao had regained his composure after fusing with the soul bone before this. Wang Dong’er still had more than two years before her injury would take her life, and this matter wasn’t that urgent. Huo Yuhao had also seen how incredibly powerful Niu Tian and Titan were with his own eyes, and if a powerful individual like Niu Tian said that this place was ﬁlled with dangers, then it couldn’t be false.

Even though they hadn’t encountered any trouble with soul beasts on their journey thus far, Huo Yuhao still decided to take a break after travelling for a certain duration of time so that they could recover to their optimal states before they pushed forward. He had been inside many places inhabited by soul beasts, and his experience told him that maintaining his best condition was the number-one law of survival. His abilities were relatively formidable, but they still paled in comparison to a world ﬁlled with soul beasts.

They found a place that was higher than the areas around it so that they could conveniently survey their surroundings, and make it harder for them to get ambushed. They rested while munching on their rations at the same time.

“How far are we?” Wang Qiu’er asked. Huo Yuhao answered, “Not far. The sky is still bright, so it’s easy to tell the direction. We will probably be nearing our destination within two hours.”

Wang Qiu’er nodded and said, “Yuhao, I don’t know why, but I feel as if something is not right.”

“Eh?” Huo Yuhao was astonished, and he had always been impressed by Wang Qiu’er’s senses. She had the Golden Dragon’s Perception, which was probably more sensitive and at a higher level than his Spiritual Detection. After all, Spiritual Detection could only detect tangible things and real things, while Wang Qiu’er’s Golden Dragon Perception had some clairvoyant abilities.

“What’s wrong? When did it begin?” He hurriedly pursued the issue.

Wang Qiu’er answered, “I can’t quite put a ﬁnger on it. There’s this unsettling feeling in my heart, and it’s there even though it’s not serious. It began a few moments ago... it seems like the Setting Sun Forest does have some abnormal entities.” Huo Yuhao frowned and said, “Can you tell where this unsettling feeling is coming from?”

Wang Qiu’er glanced at him and said, “It’s coming from the direction we are moving towards. This is the reason why I asked how far we are from our destination. I’m getting this ominous feeling even when we’re still two hours away, and that means this unsettling feeling will become an alarming and perilous feeling if we continue forward. I suggest we turn back.” Wang Qiu’er’s attitude was extremely solemn when she uttered these words.

Huo Yuhao went silent and began to contemplate. This was the ﬁrst time since he had met her that this girl had shown such subtle fear. Yes, she’s right. We still have two more hours to go, and her Golden Dragon Perception is already sensing danger. How perilous will the dangers we face on this expedition be?

Wang Qiu’er didn’t push him, and returned to silently eating her rations.

Huo Yuhao gobbled his rations in a few mouthfuls, and he drank some water before he started to rest. He didn’t meditate, as resting like this could also help him recover his expended soul power, and he could also prepare himself.

Wang Qiu’er’s eyebrows knitted slightly. She couldn’t tell what decision Huo Yuhao had made from his expression, but she was sure that he was considering her words. This fellow had always been quite composed.

Fifteen minutes went by.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes once more, and Wang Qiu’er opened her eyes at the same time, as if she had felt something, and looked in his direction.

“Go back.” Huo Yuhao muttered calmly.

“Alright,” Wang Qiu’er stood up, and a rare smile appeared on her face. “Composure is a virtue.” She turned around towards where they had come as she spoke.

She took but a few steps before she unwittingly stopped in her tracks and turned back. Huo Yuhao was not there anymore, but he wasn’t behind her. He was moving forward in the opposite direction, which meant he was going towards their initial destination.

“Hey! Did you not say that we’re going back?” Wang Qiu’er shouted. She sounded a little melancholic.

Huo Yuhao didn’t stop moving as he said, “You can go back by yourself. You didn’t have to accompany me on this dangerous adventure in the ﬁrst place. Mind your own safety on the way back – goodbye.” He began to pick up the pace and sped deeper into the Setting Sun Forest as he spoke.

Wang Qiu’er was rooted to the spot. She could feel an unprecedented aura from Huo Yuhao’s body, and she felt as if his frame had become a lot bigger than before in that instant. She felt as if nothing could stop him on his path forward.

Who is he trying to save that’s making him so stubborn and persistent? Family, perhaps? But he doesn’t have any family, all he has left are his enemies. A strange look ﬂickered across her eyes, as if she had just recalled something. Wang Qiu’er rubbed her ﬁst and ﬁnally stomped on the ground as she launched herself in Huo Yuhao’s direction.

Wang Qiu’er was a lot faster than Huo Yuhao in terms of short distance explosiveness, and she caught up with him in no time.

“Thank you,” Huo Yuhao said without even turning back.

“What are you thanking me for?” Wang Qiu’er’s tone didn’t sound very pleasant.

Huo Yuhao said solemnly, “That you can chase me down means you are now my friend in my heart.”

Wang Qiu’er sounded a little depressed as she said, “So you haven’t been treating me like a friend this whole time?”

Huo Yuhao said, “No. I’m talking about a good friend that is deserving of my trust. We haven’t known each other for that long, after all.”

“Hmph! What makes you think I’m not trying to drag you back?” There was a tinge of threat in Wang Qiu’er’s voice.

Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “You’d be doing it for my own good even if you attempted to drag me back. Of course, I would resist.”

Wang Qiu’er grew quiet, but she had already arrived beside Huo Yuhao, and was looking sideways in his direction.

Huo Yuhao turned around and gave her a doubtful look. He met her radiant and piercing gaze, and he immediately felt a little embarrassed. “You staring at me at such a close distance gives me a lot of pressure.”

Wang Qiu’er lowered her voice and said, “It’s really very dangerous! Is it truly worth it?”

Huo Yuhao tilted his head slightly, and his eyes turned diagonally upwards to the sky. He spoke with a calm voice, almost as if this was a matter of fact. “I’ve thought about losing her and what would become of me. I realized that my entire world would turn gray, and I would no longer have any vitality. Perhaps, I might even lose the will to live. That’s when I realized, to my surprise, that her life had become more important than my own.”

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes grew slack. Her big blue eyes ﬂowed with incredulity.

“How… how is that possible? How can someone else’s life be more important than your own? Is there something wrong with your brain?”

Huo Yuhao gave her a doubtful look and said, “Why are you agitated? We will always have someone whose life is more important than our own. If my mother was still alive, her life would be more important than mine in much the same manner.”

Wang Qiu’er’s powerful body started to quiver faintly. She lowered her head and muttered under her breath, “A… a sentiment like this actually exists, where other people’s lives are more important than your own? But only the strongest will survive, and we should do anything we can do continue living, whatever the means. We only live once, and we won’t get this life back once it’s gone.”

Huo Yuhao answered plainly, “You’re right, we only live once. What you’re talking about is the law of the jungle, but not the law of humanity. Humans have ﬂesh, blood, and emotions. We are not soul beasts, and neither are we animals. We are humans. If everyone attempts to survive by doing anything he or she can whatever the means, and if everyone views his or her own beneﬁts and interests as more important than anything else, how different would we be from wild beasts? The main thing that distinguishes us from beasts is our emotions and our sentiments, and the fact that we know how to love.”

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes were completely blank. Her eyes weren’t just blank, it felt as if she was in a daze, and her emotions began to destabilize.

Huo Yuhao had no idea why she was how she was, but he thought about it for a while and understood how she felt. Perhaps she encountered one too many dangers during that year she was living inside the Great Star Dou Forest by herself, and those dangers gave her this desire to survive.

He tried his best to make his tone a little gentler as he said, “You don’t have to think so much. Everyone has their own ways to live. Perhaps the reason why you haven’t experienced what I’m talking about is because you haven’t truly loved someone before. Think about it: our parents gave birth to us and raised us since we were born. How much suffering, effort, sweat, and tears did they have to put in? Did they want anything from us? No. Parental love is unconditional and selﬂess. Even though I lived in poverty as a kid, and I’ve never had a father, my mother’s love for me was no less than what other parents had for their own children.”

Wang Qiu’er suddenly raised her head vigorously and said angrily, “Nonsense! My parents never took care of me. They abandoned me from the day I was born, and they left me to live in a foreign environment. Do you know how much pain and suffering I’ve been through to survive? Have you experienced the isolation, the helplessness, the panic that nobody is around to help you, that you can just die at any moment? I only love myself!” She was almost growling when she reached the last sentence.

Huo Yuhao was astonished by the intensity of her reaction, but he could also relate to that dejection in her heart. The resentment was faint, and only surfaced from time to time, but it was acute and extreme.

This… What experiences has she been through? So much resentment has accumulated in the deepest recesses of her heart, to the point where it’s almost impossible to believe.

Strangely, they both grew silent. Huo Yuhao didn’t know how to console Wang Qiu’er, and Wang Qiu’er didn’t seem like she could control her emotions, but she didn’t attempt to express them anymore. That faintly discernible resentment vanished along with their words.

They continued forward as Huo Yuhao tried his best to determine their location, and a soul tool meant for that purpose appeared in his hands. It was already a challenge to determine the four cardinal directions inside the dense forest, but Huo Yuhao relied on what the Ultimate Soldier Plan had taught him, and he was sure he was on the right track. ---

An hour passed before Huo Yuhao made a gesture and immediately stopped walking.

“Let’s take another break. How do you feel?” he turned and asked Wang Qiu’er.

Wang Qiu’er’s emotions had settled down by now, but her charming face was as cold as ever. She shot a cold glance at Huo Yuhao and said, “I am now absolutely certain that the place you’re heading towards is the source of the danger.”

“You already feel danger? But have you realized that there seem to be fewer and fewer soul beasts the further we go?” Huo Yuhao frowned as he informed her.

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and said, “That’s what is most terrifying. Soul beasts inhabit this area, yet they cannot live here, even though they’re extremely adaptable. That shows how dangerous this area is. I think it won’t take long before we will encounter these dangers ﬁrst-hand.” Huo Yuhao stared at her with a calm look and said, “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

Wang Qiu’er said, “Stop spouting nonsense. Let me ask you, Huo Yuhao… Is Wang Dong’er the person that you are willing to throw your life away to save?”

“Eh?” Huo Yuhao glanced at her, astonished.

Wang Qiu’er continued, “I have been thinking about it, and I ﬁgured that only she is worth it.”

Huo Yuhao replied, “You’re wrong. My companions are also worth risking my life for.”

Wang Qiu’er pressed on, “And this time? Is it her?”

Huo Yuhao nodded his head lightly.

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes froze momentarily, and she grew silent for a few seconds. “I knew it.”

Huo Yuhao said, “Let’s rest a little more. Did you not say that danger is about to come?” He didn’t continue Wang Qiu’er’s topic because he realized that her eyes had become a little peculiar, to the point where her aura had changed.

“Alright.” Wang Qiu’er didn’t say anything else as she casually found a place to sit down. They sat opposite each other quietly while they rested.

This break was relatively shorter, as they hadn’t travelled for too long before this. Huo Yuhao stood up again after ﬁfteen minutes and gazed forward into the distance.

It was afternoon at this point, and there was still some time before evening. However, the temperature was starting to decline, and there was a crisp and cool feeling within the forest.

There were far too few soul beasts within the Setting Sun Forest at this moment. At least, Huo Yuhao drew this conclusion from his observations as they proceeded in that direction. This sentiment hadn’t been that intense when he had entered the Great Star Dou Forest. There were many soul beasts within the Great Star Dou Forest, and innumerable mighty entities among them. However, the Setting Sun Forest’s landscape seemed to reﬂect the seriousness of the damage that soul masters had inﬂicted on the world of soul beasts. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before the Setting Sun Forest became just a normal forest.

However, human soul masters needed to hunt and kill soul beasts to obtain soul rings if they wanted to increase their cultivation.

This necessity would always lead to conﬂict and disharmony, unless all the soul beasts in the world went extinct one day. If that day did come, there would no longer be any soul masters, either.

It was apparent that they would have to emphasize their research into spirits. However, even if their research was successful, the most they could do was reduce the need for soul beasts. The truth was that spirits still required soul beasts as a foundation. These thoughts ﬂashed by one after another in Huo Yuhao’s mind. He was a gifted student from Shrek Academy, and he was clear on the fact that this conﬂict would erupt in the near future. It could take ten years, a hundred years, or a thousand years, but the human world would be adversely affected if soul beasts went extinct. After another millennium, the soul master profession would become ancient history, and would no longer exist.

Forget it. I’m not going to think about all that for now. No matter what happens in the future, obtaining that herb for Dong’er is the most important task at hand.

They raised their guard as they continued forward, as peril could descend upon them at any time. Wang Qiu’er retrieved her Golden Dragon Spear, and Huo Yuhao stretched his Spiritual Detection to its limits, focusing in one direction from time to time.

They moved forward for another ﬁfteen minutes. Even Huo Yuhao felt a little unsettled at this point, and he had an ominous feeling that something was here that made him feel a little stiﬂed and pressured. Wang Qiu’er murmured, “Wait.”

Huo Yuhao immediately halted in his tracks and turned towards her. “I also think something is amiss. How are you feeling, Qiu’er?”

Wang Qiu’er surveyed her surroundings as she lowered her voice and said, “Have you realized that the light around us is a lot weaker than before?”

“Eh?” Huo Yuhao had been using Spiritual Detection this whole time, but his Spiritual Detection was mainly focused on soul beasts that could appear, and other sources of danger that could attack them in some way. Wang Qiu’er’s reminder made him realize that this place was a lot dimmer than before.

“Can it be because the sky is getting dark?” He rarely came to the northern regions, so he didn’t know much about the weather in these parts.

Wang Qiu’er shook her head and said, “It’s still afternoon. Even if we go further north, there can’t be so little light. Furthermore, there are no clouds blocking the sun, and you can see the trees’ shadows on the ground. Furthermore, we are comparing the sunlight now to how it was ﬁfteen minutes ago. How can the sky turn dark within such a short period of time? There is only one possibility that can cause the light to dim and weaken... the air.”

“Air?” Huo Yuhao asked doubtfully.

Wang Qiu’er said, “Don’t you have Spiritual Detection? Concentrate it on a relatively small area and focus on what’s inside, observe and see how the air is changing in that space, and then jump up into the sky and perceive how different the air is up there from how it is down here. You should be able to discover something.”

“Alright...” Huo Yuhao answered slowly.

Huo Yuhao immediately focused his attention and used Spiritual Detection on the air in front of him. He discovered something different the moment he concentrated.

Even his Spirit Eyes found it difﬁcult to distinguish the ﬁne dust that was drifting around through the air. These dust particles were pale white. They weren’t thick and dense, but they were ﬂoating stably. They were inside a tremendous forest, and the air inside the forest should be a lot better than the outside world. These dust particles clearly wouldn’t be here under normal circumstances.

Huo Yuhao jumped into the air and activated his ﬂying-type soul tool. His body was propelled upwards as he surged into the sky.

He pierced ten meters above the canopy, and his vision instantly lit up, as if he had just broken through some barrier, everything around him very bright and clear.

Huo Yuhao was still using Spiritual Detection, and he immediately discovered that the ﬁne particles disappeared completely once he was out of the forest.

He looked down toward the Setting Sun Forest beneath him, but his naked eye couldn’t distinguish anything.

A thought ﬂashed by in Huo Yuhao’s head. He continued channeling his ﬂying-type soul tool so that he could ﬂy even higher up.

Huo Yuhao looked down once more when he went even higher, and he could ﬁnally see what was going on.

The Setting Sun Forest looked extremely calm, but there seemed to be a faint and thin fog ﬂoating around inside the forest. What made him even more astounded was the fact that this fog gradually dissipated and vanished where they came from, but it was a lot denser in the place they were heading towards. It felt as if a patch of cloud had descended on the forest, and even the vegetation was blurry and obscured. These clouds weren’t just white, as he could even see multi-colored hues in the distance.

What… what is this?

Huo Yuhao didn’t have too much time to think. He immediately returned to the forest and relayed his discoveries to Wang Qiu’er.

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes grew a little slack as she stared at his eyes, but she immediately recovered as she blurted out, “It’s a miasma, this should be a miasma!”

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. “Miasma?” He only had a fuzzy understanding of the term.

Wang Qiu’er lowered her voice and said, “A miasma is a kind of venomous gas that gradually arises from decaying and decomposing vegetation and animals that are not taken care of, and if there isn’t any wind or rain to blow it away. I’ve seen this before inside the Great Star Dou Forest, but I’ve never seen it like the way you describe it. It covers such an enormous surface area, and it even contains specks of various colors.

“Different miasmas have different toxic effects. A lighter miasma will cause dizziness, vomiting, and diarrhea, while a heavier miasma can be fatal. It seems like the danger that I sensed before this is related to this miasma. The only thing is, where is this immense miasma coming from? Toxic miasma is not to be triﬂed with, and it’s not something that we can resist with just our soul power. What do we do?”

Huo Yuhao contemplated momentarily, then said, “It seems like it’s not just because of soul masters hunting that there are so few soul beasts inside the Setting Sun Forest. This phenomena must also be closely connected to this miasma. Qiu’er, you should turn back. It’s too dangerous here, and there’s no need for you to accompany me to face this peril.”

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes widened as she said, “We have encountered a situation that normal human ability cannot fend off, and you still haven’t changed your mind? Will you still go inside if you know that you will never come out alive?”

Huo Yuhao answered, “I have a solution for this. Even though this solution isn’t perfect, it will increase our chances of venturing deeper within. However, it’s quite dangerous. I must go inside for Dong’er, and I will never have the courage to go inside again if I back down today. Go back, Qiu’er. Let me prepare.”

There was miasma in the air around them, but it was still relatively weak and thin. Their physiques were quite formidable, and it wasn’t difﬁcult for them to resist the miasma at this point. This was the reason why Huo Yuhao had no intention of turning back.

Huo Yuhao released his all-terrain self-driving fort onto the open ground beside him and got to work.

Chapter 256: Ice and Fire Destroy the Poisonous Miasma

Wang Qiu’er naturally stayed with him. She followed him beside his all-terrain self-driving fort and said, “Are you going to use this toy to barge through the miasma? That’s entirely impossible! The toxic fog inside is too dense, and you can’t even determine the right direction to go. Even if you can do so, you’ll still need to breathe when you go inside! There won’t be much for us to breathe in the depths of the miasma, so what are you going to do? When that happens, will you even be able to escape? Furthermore, I am conﬁdent that certain toxic miasmas are extremely corrosive, so metal will gradually become dysfunctional, and could even melt. You think this thing of yours can fend off all the miasma? Stop dreaming!”

Huo Yuhao made no reply as he continued working on his all- terrain self-driving fort. It was just as Wang Qiu’er had said, he was attempting to make the self-driving fort more airtight.

Huo Yuhao was very familiar with this soul tool. The Starlight Sapphire ring’s immense space meant he could bring along a lot of materials, so he took less than an hour to complete the adjustments to make the all-terrain self-driving fort more airtight.

Huo Yuhao went inside to try it out, using Spiritual Detection to scan every single detail and component. He made sure that the internal regions were completely airtight before he came out, and began to work on something else on the outside. From Wang Qiu’er’s perspective, Huo Yuhao was incessantly stripping things off the self-driving fort before he added something else in their place in a manner that seemed overly complicated.

Another two hours passed before he ﬁnished reﬁning his all- terrain self-driving fort, and the sky was started to turn dark.

He began to retrieve soul tool after soul tool from his Starlight Sapphire storage ring, and laid them all out neatly on the ground.

He took out sixteen Milk Bottles, and some stationary soul cannon shells. These shells were marked with various patterns and markings, forty-six of them altogether. Huo Yuhao picked out nine shells that had red markings and put the other shells away before he took out another normal storage-type ring and put it on his right hand’s middle ﬁnger. He placed those nine shells inside this ring.

It was clear that he was sorting his inventory and his equipment. He checked his sixteen Milk Bottles and discovered that some of them weren’t stored to the brim with soul power, so he immediately began to infuse soul power into these half- full Milk Bottles eventually completely ﬁlling every single one. Every single Milk Bottle would be imperative to the subsequent operation, and every single Class 6 Milk Bottle could completely restore his soul power over a period of time.

Wang Qiu’er looked on as Huo Yuhao completed his tasks seriously, and her expression changed continuously.

There was only one thought in her mind. She was still throwing around the statement that Huo Yuhao had just said to her before this.

“I’ve thought about losing her and what would become of me, and I realized that my entire world would turn gray, and I would no longer have any vitality. Perhaps, I might even lose the will to live. That was when I realized to my surprise that her life has become more important than my own.”

She was so important in his heart, and he would risk his own life to break through this miasmic world for her. A person could actually give so much for another person. Why? How is that possible?

She silently watched Huo Yuhao ﬁnish everything he was doing as she immersed herself within these complicated emotions. The sky had already turned dark when he ﬁnished up with his Milk Bottles.

Huo Yuhao only made some time to rest at this moment. He raised his head and glanced at Wang Qiu’er before he heaved a faint sigh and said, “Why haven’t you left?”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and replied, “Why should I leave? I want to see how a fool is going to kill himself.”

Huo Yuhao smiled when he heard “fool”, as the images of Wang Dong’er and himself on the Sea God’s Lake surfaced in his mind.

“I’m not a fool. I should be an idiot,” Huo Yuhao chuckled in reply. Wang Qiu’er was taken aback. “Is there something wrong with your brain?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “She was the one that said that. She told me before that I’m an idiot, and I’m her idiot. No matter what, this idiot has to be idiotic one more time. The sky is getting dark, you should leave at ﬁrst light tomorrow. If you wish, you can wait for me outside the Setting Sun Forest, and you can go back without me if I’m not out within three days. However, please don’t tell anyone about what happened to me. Just let them believe that I’ve disappeared.”

Wang Qiu’er’s emotions erupted once more, and she began to shout at Huo Yuhao. “Idiot! You truly are an idiot, and there’s nothing that can save you from your idiocy. Is it worth it? Is it really worth it?”

Huo Yuhao didn’t mince words as he replied decisively, “Yes, it’s worth it. I have to try, no matter how much danger and peril I have to put myself through, so that Dong’er may continue to live. At the very least, I have to ﬁgure out the true mysteries contained within this place, and I will not give up even if there is but one sliver of hope. How can I look on with open eyes as Dong’er passes into the void from her hidden wound? How can I look on as my entire world turns gray? I can’t let that happen.”

Wang Qiu’er bit down on her lower lip. “Idiot, idiot! Idiot!”

Huo Yuhao didn’t bother with her any longer, and he collected some relatively drier branches from around him and began to make a campﬁre.

Huo Yuhao had no qualms about starting a ﬁre here, as there weren’t many soul beasts left in this area of the Setting Sun Forest. He was quietly observing how the faint miasma in the air reacted to his campﬁre at the same time.

Heated rations were still tastier than cold ones. Huo Yuhao didn’t dare to cook food from the things around him, as the plants and vegetation around him had been immersed in this miasma for an incredibly long time, and they probably contained all contained toxins to some degree. He made some thick soup from the rations and food that he had brought along with him and began to eat. Wang Qiu’er’s emotions had exploded for a moment, but she swiftly returned to normal. She came over to his side and began to eat as well.

Night inside the Setting Sun Forest was a lot colder than inside the Great Star Dou Forest. There wasn’t much wind, but the environment’s eerie cold and humidity was still exceedingly uncomfortable.

Fortunately, they had this campﬁre. The two of them sat around the campﬁre and sipped on their warm soup, and this helped them dispel the chill.

Gulp… Huo Yuhao ﬁnished the soup in his bowl and stretched out comfortably. He got to his feet and surveyed the area with Spiritual Detection to make sure there were no dangers or threats around them before sitting back on the ground.

Wang Qiu’er sipped her soup in small mouthfuls. She was very serious in this endeavor, as if she was holding some precious treasure in her hands. “Qiu’er, at which time of day is this miasma the thickest?

When is it the thinnest?”

Wang Qiu’er answered coldly, “It’s thickest in the morning, and it’s thinnest at midday.”

Huo Yuhao’s eyes closed into a squint. “Since that’s the case, it’s probably because the morning is a lot more humid than the rest of the day. The accumulated moisture throughout the night probably makes it easier for this miasma to travel. Sunlight is strongest at midday, and the moisture within all this miasma will partially evaporate under direct sunlight. It will thin without the help of voluminous water vapor. Is that correct?”

Wang Qiu’er nodded.

“That’s good, then.” Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, and he seemed like he was starting to meditate beside the campﬁre.

“Hey! What are you going on and on about?” Wang Qiu’er sounded a little upset. Huo Yuhao opened his eyes once more. He heaved a faint sigh and said, “I’m serious, Qiu’er. You should leave at ﬁrst light tomorrow.”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and said, “What makes you think you can tell me what to do? Do you think you are the only one that is allowed to do idiotic things?”

Huo Yuhao shook his head. “But there’s no need for that. It’s too dangerous, and I am not even ten percent conﬁdent in succeeding. I’ll have to rely on guesswork, trial, and error for many things.”

“Stop beating around the bush. Say it, what’s your plan, exactly? Since I have already followed you this far, do you think I can just look on while you venture into danger and peril all by yourself? Who do you think I am?” Wang Qiu’er’s voice was ice-cold. Even though her tone was cold, her words were warmer than even the campﬁre before him when they fell into his ears.

Helpings hands in one’s direst moment were usually the most precious things one could ever have. “Thank you.” Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and said, “If you’re willing to help, then I think our chances of success will be raised to thirty percent. If this toxic miasma is the only threat in this place, then I have an eighty percent chance of escaping with my life at least. The only thing I’m worried about right now is if there are other dangers besides this toxic miasma.”

Wang Qiu’er was astounded when she heard his words. “Are you being blindly optimistic? Why do you think you have an eighty percent chance of escaping with your life?”

Huo Yuhao answered, “Perhaps I’m not as familiar with forests inhabited by soul beasts or with miasma as you are, but my judgment and decision-making skills are still quite reliable. The person that imparted this map to me is a senior, and I am positive that he harbors no malicious intent. This is the reason why he added a seal on the map when he gave it to me, so that I would only come here to ﬁnd the Yearning Heartbroken Grass to save Dong’er’s life when I was strong enough. I opened this seal by chance, and before I have obtained the necessary strength.

However, the records suggest that not every area on the way to my destination is covered by this toxic miasma. Otherwise, I may not even have the conﬁdence of retrieving what I’m looking for even if I were a Titled Douluo. This miasma greatly hinders my Spiritual Detection, so how else could I ﬁnd what I need to ﬁnd? I trust that this task that this senior has given to me isn’t that difﬁcult to accomplish.”

Wang Qiu’er grunted and said, “These are but your conjectures.”

Huo Yuhao chortled and replied, “We have to hypothesize boldly, but we have to prove it conscientiously and carefully. Furthermore, I have other safeguards. You’ve already said that this miasma is strongest during the early morning, and it will weaken at midday. That means there is no doubt that we should move forward at midday. Furthermore, since the warmth from sunlight impedes the miasma, why don’t we create something hot so that we can weaken the miasma around us?”

“I’ve been observing it using Spiritual Detection ever since I started the campﬁre, and I realized that the miasma has no way of resisting ﬁre, and clearly vanishes around this campﬁre. It’s apparent that ﬂames are fatal to this miasma. I don’t have any ﬁre-type abilities, but some of the soul tools that I carry around can create some ﬁre, and are proving extremely effective. I’ve already attached these soul tools to the all- terrain self-propelling fort, and I’ve made the fort even more airtight than before, along with some other changes that will be imperative to keeping us alive.

“Also, my second martial soul possesses Ultimate Ice. Perhaps ice won’t have the same effect on the miasma as ﬁre does, but the miasma carries miniscule toxins that will be greatly weakened under exceedingly cold temperatures. Furthermore, my Ultimate Ice can affect the water vapor that makes up the fog. The miasma will also be weakened without water vapor to help it permeate.

“I’ve combined all this with the prepared safeguards to keep us alive. Even if we can’t venture too deep inside, we will have no problem breaking out, since all we have to do is prevent the miasma from corroding our ﬂying-type soul tools. That being the case, we will have no problem escaping from here.”

The incredulity in Wang Qiu’er’s eyes grew stronger and stronger as she listened to Huo Yuhao’s analysis. She was truly astonished… she had just been daydreaming beside him during this short period of time, but he had already come up with so many solutions to deal with the problem. Everything he said made perfect sense. Rational judgment told her that not everywhere within this miasma was dangerous, and they also had ice and ﬁre to handle the problem. The danger from Wang Qiu’er’s point of view seemed to diminish.

Huo Yuhao chortled as he stared at the astonished look on her face. “Do you suddenly feel that I am smart and powerful?”

Wang Qiu’er snapped, “Enough nonsense. Hurry up and rest.

We’ll get moving tomorrow.”

They began to meditate beside the campﬁre. The miasma was undeniably dangerous, but it also formed a protective dome around them. There were so few soul beasts in the area that they weren’t threatened at all. The night passed without any other words.

------

Huo Yuhao activated his ﬂying-type soul tool at ﬁrst light and soared into the sky to monitor the surrounding miasma.

Wang Qiu’er’s words were accurate. The miasma in the morning was conspicuously denser, and he could see faint white fog around their location. However, the miasma around these parts was not that toxic, and dissipated or disintegrated when it came near the campﬁre.

Huo Yuhao adjusted his altitude from time to time so that he could better monitor the situation, and he recorded everything that he saw. He didn’t dare to be careless about anything that concerned his and Wang Qiu’er’s safety, especially anything that would have an impact on whether he could retrieve the Yearning Heartbroken Grass or not.

The sun rose fully as he continued to observe and calculate. Huo Yuhao continuously communicated his observations to Wang Qiu’er, and they patiently waited for midday to arrive.

Finally, it was almost time. Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er ate some more, had their ﬁll of water, and set off in their peak condition.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes were as cold as ice as he stared at the thinning miasma in the air.

The weather was good today; the sun was radiant as it loomed over the earth, and there wasn’t a single cloud to be seen. Truthfully, it wasn’t what Huo Yuhao had wanted most. What he wanted most was heavy rain and a thunderstorm!

The miasma would be weakened to a larger extent if a heavy downpour came down upon the Setting Sun Forest. Unfortunately, this was still the dry season, and storms were few and far between in the northern regions to begin with. The scorching sun completely dashed his hopes.

“We’ll be setting off soon, Qiu’er.” Huo Yuhao turned towards Wang Qiu’er. “Let’s go.” Wang Qiu’er’s expression was equally cold and stoic, but there was a tinge of excitement beneath her eyes. This was the ﬁrst time she had encountered a situation like this, where Huo Yuhao’s intricate and comprehensive plan resolved the various dangers and threats. She was ﬁlled with

curiosity and excitement against a natural phenomenon such as this, and the mystery of the unknown and uncertain dangers was extremely stimulating to her.

Huo Yuhao extended the ﬂying-type soul tool behind his back, and reached out for Wang Qiu’er with his left hand.

Their lives were at stake, and it was necessary to conserve as much soul power as they could with every step they took so that they could maintain themselves at their peak conditions. Their martial soul fusion would have a substantial part to play in this endeavor, and Huo Yuhao couldn’t be bothered with anything lesser at a time like this.

Wang Qiu’er glanced at him and hmphed, but eventually slipped her left hand into his palm.

Their hands clasped together, and their soul power naturally interacted, ﬂourishing soul power undulations rippling out. Huo Yuhao looked up at the sky as he grabbed Wang Qiu’er’s hand, and channeled soul power into her before they both soared into the sky.

They surged out of the Setting Sun Forest and continued to climb higher and higher. Their Class 6 ﬂying-type soul tools propelled them up, and they quickly reached several hundred meters in the sky. However, Huo Yuhao showed no signs of stopping as he continued ﬂying upward with Wang Qiu’er.

The miasma beneath them covered a tremendous area, which Huo Yuhao had roughly gauged beforehand. The strongest part of the miasma permeated to about three hundred meters above-ground, and these were the parts that had hints of color. The miasma here looked exceptionally beautiful, but was also exceedingly dangerous.

They climbed to about seven hundred meters before Huo Yuhao stabilized his altitude. They were currently high enough to avoid the miasma’s toxicity, and he took another glance at it before he pulled Wang Qiu’er along and ﬂew towards the place where the miasma was the thickest. Never once did he consider using the all terrain self- propelling fort to move forward on the ground toward their destination. The miasma on the ground would become increasingly thick, which meant that it would also become more corrosive. This would take a continuous toll on the fort’s

protective barrier and his soul power, whereas using their

ﬂying-type soul tools expended a lot less.

More importantly, his Spiritual Detection would be greatly impeded as they went deeper into the thick miasma. This meant that it would be impossible for him to determine direction and proceed toward his destination as fast as he could.

It was different in the sky. Discerning direction in the air was convenient, and he was almost sure that the place where the miasma was the densest was likely where he had to go. The place where exotic things existed were undoubtedly unique, and this toxic miasma could be considered one of this place’s unique features.

Even if using ﬂying-type soul tools consumed more soul power than moving along the ground with his all-terrain self- propelling fort, Huo Yuhao would still choose the sky because it was a lot faster, and they could reach the skies above their destination in no time. Huo Yuhao’s subsequent plan could be executed as fast as possible, and this meant he would be conserving soul power.

The area they were coming from was in the toxic miasma’s outer regions. They were ﬂying as fast as they could through the sky, and it took but a few minutes before they reached the sky above the area where the miasma was most dense.

Huo Yuhao held onto Wang Qiu’er with his right hand as he raised his left hand into the air. A beam of light sparkled from his ring, and a stationary soul cannon about one and a half meters long appeared in his hands. He held the cannon stably on his shoulder, and let go of Wang Qiu’er’s hand for a moment. He swung his wrist, and the storage ring on his left hand immediately produced two stationary soul cannon shells in his hands – these were the cannon shells with red markings that he had picked out the previous day.

Huo Yuhao placed one shell into the barrel and held onto the other one as he activated Spiritual Detection. He was looking down from the sky, and the area he could cover was naturally greater than usual, while there was nothing obstructing his vision. Wang Qiu’er controlled her ﬂying-type soul tool and ﬂew behind him while she tilted herself backward, so that she wouldn’t affect his ﬂying-type soul tool’s stability as she grabbed his shoulders with both hands at the same time. Their martial souls began to fuse, greatly boosting Huo Yuhao’s soul power.

Huo Yuhao didn’t pause at all, swinging his right hand and tossing the cannon shell in it down. It fell away rapidly, while he quickly supported the stationary soul cannon with his right hand and locked onto the shell with his Spiritual Detection. Just as te cannon shell was about to pierce through the thick miasma, Huo Yuhao ﬁred his soul cannon.

Boom! The tremendous recoil pushed Huo Yuhao several meters through the air as a brilliant red beam erupted from his soul cannon. The cannon shell barreled forward at devastating speed, and went straight for the other cannon shell that Huo Yuhao had tossed out earlier.

The shell ﬁred by the stationary soul cannon naturally ﬂew a lot faster than the one that was in freefall through the air. Huo Yuhao had used Spiritual Detection to lock onto his target, and his accuracy was comparable to ruler measurements. A red streak of light unerringly struck the cannon shell that had just plunged into the thick miasma.

Boom, boom, boom! A series of explosions could be heard, and the thick miasma was immediately tainted ﬁery-red. The entire miasmic cloud began to tremble violently and tumultuously as sparks ﬂew in all directions.

The stationary cannon shell that Huo Yuhao had used was a Class 5 explosive incendiary bomb. It wasn’t as powerful as the Giant Lightning Cannon that he had used before, but it had an extremely large area of effect. The explosion would also generate a terrifying amount of intense heat, whose waves would permeate in all directions. A single Class 5 explosive incendiary bomb could cover a radius of at least a hundred meters, and was exceptionally violent!

Huo Yuhao opted to use two shells, and made it so that these two shells would collide and detonate in the air for an even more explosive impact, which would cause even more damage to the miasmic cloud. On the other hand, detonating the cannon shell on the ground might damage the herb that he was supposed to retrieve. He wanted to obliterate the miasma, not this magical herb! His calculations could be said to be impeccable and precise, and he executed his plan as perfectly as could be.

Huo Yuhao didn’t conserve his stationary soul cannon shells, and ﬁred another two more, one after another without hesitation. More frightening explosions rippled through the air.

The ﬁrst explosion had already cleared away a large amount of the toxic clouds, and the second explosion detonated at a position slightly below the ﬁrst one. Their vision immediately became clearer when the second explosion went off.

“Let’s go.” Huo Yuhao swiftly stored his stationary soul cannon before reaching back with his right hand and grabbing Wang Qiu’er’s arm, and they plunged towards the ground.

The stationary soul cannon had opened a path, but it couldn’t be maintained for too long. Once the high temperature dissipated, the thick miasma in the surroundings would immediately start to condense once more. Four Class 5 stationary soul cannon shells had opened this path, and Huo Yuhao couldn’t waste such a great opportunity. Their bodies plummeted rapidly, and they quickly dove toward the thick miasma. Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er could clearly see that the surrounding miasma was starting to close up at an alarming speed. The miasma was just too thick and dense, to the point where it seemed to materialize in the sky as

it collapsed in on the hole.

The vegetation beneath them was conspicuously different from the plants in the Setting Sun Forest’s outer regions. Many of these plants were dotted with colors, but this spectacle didn’t represent anything good at all. Colorful plants often meant acute venom; this was common knowledge they had learned at Shrek Academy.

Huo Yuhao was extremely calm at this moment. He pushed his Spiritual Detection to its largest possible range and meticulously monitored everything that was happening around him. It was clear that there was no way out once he and Wang Qiu’er submerged themselves in the toxic cloud, and they could only move forward. They only had this one chance. If they backed out, they would no longer have the ability to delve into this mysterious miasmic world a second time.

They barreled through several hundred meters in the blink of an eye. They were just about to hit the ground when Wang Qiu’er went ahead and punched downward. Golden light erupted amidst a deep dragon roar as fearsome strength compressed the air around them until it began to crackle shrilly. Wang Qiu’er created a deep crater in the ground as explosions continued to ring out, and the colorful plants on the ground, and the liquids within them, were sent ﬂying in all directions.

They landed stably on the ground, and Huo Yuhao activated his Class 6 protective soul barrier immediately, enveloping them both, and swiftly began to survey his surroundings.

The world around them was so colorful that everything felt like rainbows. The multicolored plants on the ground covered every single piece of ground, and not a single inch of soil could be seen. There were hardly any trees or woods in this area, which was probably because of the corrosive power of the plants’ toxins.

Wang Qiu’er was a little surprised as she observed, “Strange... the miasma on the ground isn’t as dense as it is in the sky...” This was true. They were in the miasma’s core regions, and the miasmic clouds here were tinged with the colors of the rainbow. However, it was only present as a faint mist here, and even though it hindered their vision to a certain extent, it wasn’t enough to block their line of sight completely. The miasma was undoubtedly a lot thinner than the thick and toxic clouds in the sky above them.

Huo Yuhao explained, “Clouds and mist always permeate and drift away upward. I already noticed this, as even though the miasma is dense in these parts, it’s obvious that it’s drifting upward, so the miasma on the ground probably isn’t as toxic as it is above us. However, these multicolored miasmic clouds are still extremely dangerous. I can already feel the miasma corroding my protective barrier, even though it’s energy- based.”

Huo Yuhao had already determined the right direction when they were in the sky. He pulled Wang Qiu’er and immediately proceeded towards their destination.

They were very careful as they pushed forward. Cold energy condensed beneath Huo Yuhao’s feet, and a layer of frost appeared on the ground with every step that he took so that he could block off the plants they were walking on.

The soul protective barrier could clear away the plants in front of them, but it couldn’t do anything against the plants beneath their feet, so Huo Yuhao had to resort to this clumsy method. There was no doubt that this consumed soul power, but it was safer than otherwise. He was not about to let himself

come into contact with any of these venomous plants or the multicolored miasma, as he had no idea how toxic these things could be. It would be almost impossible to retreat if something happened to him right here, or if a hole opened in his protective barrier.

They began to see some things that made their skin crawl as they pushed forward. Enormous bones and skeletons would appear on the ground from time to time, and those bones were also as multicolored the miasma around them. Clearly, these weren’t plants, but the remains of soul beasts that had perished from the poison.

Crack! A sound could be heard from not too far away, which startled them both. They concentrated their soul power at almost the same time as they gazed in the direction the sound came from. A large skeleton began to lean sideways. The bones beneath it had clearly become fragile and brittle from the corrosion, and the skeleton crashed to the ground with a loud boom in the next moment, exploding into a million broken pieces. The brilliant colors above them became even denser than before.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er both drew cold breaths as they looked on. They could see that the venom was so toxic that it could corrode bones, to the point where these bones became fragile, and eventually disintegrated. It was not hard to imagine the number of soul beasts that were buried underneath these multicolored plants.

A soul beast’s skeleton was the toughest part of its body, and some were even used by humans as special materials. One of the items that best represented this was undoubtedly the Golden Dragon Spear in Wang Qiu’er’s hands. It felt as if everything in this miasmic world was being corroded. This toxic cloud was just too overwhelmingly poisonous!

Wang Qiu’er muttered, “These remains have become nutrients for the toxic miasma. The miasma continuously murders other living beings, and even the birds ﬂying through the skies above have become victims. This cycle has made the miasma stronger and stronger. Perhaps, after millennia, the entire Setting Sun Forest will become a toxic and miasmic forest. That’s just… too horrifying.”

Huo Yuhao’s eyebrows were tightly knit together as he began to pick up the pace. He had realized that the colors outside his soul protective barrier were becoming denser as the multicolored miasma began to stick to his barrier. He could withdraw his protective barrier to shake off the toxic miasma, but that would mean he and Wang Qiu’er would be exposed to it.

The toxic miasma was exceedingly corrosive, and Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that his soul power was being consumed at an alarming speed. This was deﬁnitely not something that he wanted to see, so he had no choice but to push forward more quickly than before. When they reached a point where both he and Wang Qiu’er couldn’t take it anymore, he would use an explosive incendiary bomb to open a path like before, and they would then use their ﬂying-type soul tools to escape from this toxic world. It was the only way to stay alive.

The world around them was full of brilliant colors as they continued forward. The map wasn’t useful anymore at this point. Huo Yuhao could still use the map to roughly determine their location before they came in, but he could only rely on luck and continual Spiritual Detection to ﬁnd his destination once they were inside.

Huo Yuhao would activate Spiritual Detection to sweep in a single direction every few minutes. This method was a little clumsy, but it was still effective. In addition to his exemplary memory, it made sure they were not walking around in circles.

An hour quickly passed. Huo Yuhao had already expended his ﬁrst Milk Bottle. However, Wang Qiu’er was the one that actually used the Milk Bottle, as he had to focus his energy on his Spiritual Detection. Their soul power was connected, so replenishing Wang Qiu’er’s soul power meant Huo Yuhao was also replenishing his own.

Huo Yuhao began to narrow down his destination after the hour of exploration. However, the miasmic clouds outside were starting to put more and more pressure on him, to the point where the multicolored miasma completely blocked off his vision outside the protective barrier. He also had to strengthen his protective barrier continuously to maintain its integrity.

“Wait,” Huo Yuhao whispered as he immediately pulled on Wang Qiu’er. She was already in his embrace before she could even react.

Wang Qiu’er was still carefully perceiving everything around her, and this sudden change startled her. A dense masculine aura smacked her in the face, and she even felt a little dizzy, as if she had been struck by the toxic miasma outside.

An incredibly cold aura emanated from Huo Yuhao’s body in the next moment, and this aura crossed over Wang Qiu’er’s body and permeated outside.

“I’ve done it!” Huo Yuhao’s delighted voice could be heard, and Wang Qiu’er was shocked awake as Huo Yuhao released her from his embrace at the same time.

Wang Qiu’er turned to look, and saw that the multicolored radiance had been replaced by icy-blue colors in a ﬁve-meter radius around them. Voluminous rainbow-colored particles had been blown into the air, and the dense miasmic particles that were originally plastered on the soul protective barrier vanished at the same time.

This is…

The Domain of Perpetual Ice. Huo Yuhao had used his Domain of Perpetual Ice to freeze the water vapor within the toxic miasma, and he controlled these frozen particles to push outward so that his barrier was a little cleaner.

This method was a little dubious, and it felt as if he was drinking poison to quench his thirst. In the end, the Domain of Perpetual Ice consumed a lot of soul power, and Huo Yuhao wouldn’t have decided on this method if not for the fact that his protective barrier was reaching the end of its life.

Huo Yuhao withdrew his barrier at this moment and released it against immediately afterwards. His soul power consumption was instantly restored to the optimal level. Huo Yuhao also took this opportunity to take a breather.

Wang Qiu’er forcibly suppressed her palpitating heartbeat as she suggested calmly, “Why don’t you use your third eye to probe around? We may consume a lot more soul power if we continue going around in circles.”

She didn’t need Huo Yuhao’s explanation to understand that the embrace happened because he didn’t want her to get hurt because of his soul skill. Bringing their bodies into close contact meant that Huo Yuhao could use their martial soul fusion to unleash his soul skill beyond her body, and it was clearly the best choice at the moment. But… but this guy still hugged me in the end!

Chapter 257: Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes

The truth was that Huo Yuhao also had butterﬂies in his stomach. Wang Qiu’er’s body was a lot softer and more tender than he had imagined. Of course, that tenderness only lasted for a second before it became rock-hard. He was afraid that Wang Qiu’er would suddenly erupt, but her calm words made him extremely relieved. What an intelligent girl! Huo Yuhao was full of awe and admiration inside.

Huo Yuhao nodded and closed his eyes, and golden light ﬂickered on his forehead as he slowly opened his Eye of Destiny. He stopped moving forward and remained where he was. The extreme chill brought about by his Domain of Perpetual Ice could be maintained for quite a while, and that slowed down the toxic miasma’s assault.

His initial judgment was correct, ice and ﬁre were exceedingly damaging and controlling towards the miasmic clouds. It was a pity that he was far from strong enough. If he had been a Titled Douluo, he could possibly channel his Domain of Perpetual Ice with all his might to create an enormous blizzard and actually obliterate some of this miasma. If he kept sweeping across this area for a prolonged period of time, he wouldn’t need very long to clean out all the miasma in this area. If he could ﬁnd the origin of all this, this large naturally-occurring disastrous land would no longer consume life.

Faint light continued to ﬂicker as Huo Yuhao’s face ﬂowed with a subtle chill. The Eye of Destiny on his forehead glowed with golden light, and his martial soul fusion with Wang Qiu’er boosted his Eye of Destiny’s power exponentially.

His martial soul fusion with Wang Dong’er also gave him an all-around boost, but Wang Qiu’er gave him an explosive ampliﬁcation, and this was mainly presented in his strength and his spiritual power. This boost was extremely pure, just like their martial soul fusion.

Huo Yuhao’s martial soul fusion with Wang Dong’er could be considered a general boost, while his martial soul fusion with Wang Qiu’er could be considered a speciﬁc boost. The ampliﬁcation direction was different, so each had their own effects. At this moment, Wang Qiu’er’s explosive effects were more effective for this attempt at stretching the limits of his Spiritual Detection. Huo Yuhao channeled his Eye of Destiny with all his might, and a powerful golden beam of light ﬁred out from his vertical eye. This golden beam was deep and profound, and even Wang Qiu’er didn’t dare to stare directly at his brilliant golden eye.

Scenes ﬂashed by in Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection, and his head also began to swivel as he searched his surroundings. Even Huo Yuhao himself was astonished by the distance he could reach with Spiritual Detection. He realized, to his surprise, that he could reach far past his normal limit of ﬁve kilometers. His soul power was consumed at an alarming rate, but the vast distance that he could reach undoubtedly saved him a lot of time.

This ampliﬁcation is so powerful, it feels even stronger than it was inside the Great Star Dou Forest. This thought crossed Huo Yuhao’s mind, and his eyes grew slack in the next moment. The golden light disappeared, and his vertical eye closed up before it vanished with another ﬂicker of golden light.

“How is it?” Wang Qiu’er asked softly, and she seemed a little fatigued as well. In the end, Huo Yuhao wasn’t the only one expending spiritual power. Huo Yuhao’s eyes sparkled as he replied, “I think I have found the direction leading to our target! The miasma over there is different. I think it’s more toxic, and I can see that the miasmic clouds beyond that patch are conspicuously lower than before. It’s likely to be the valley that we’re looking for. Let’s go, quickly!”

He grasped Wang Qiu’er’s hand as he spoke and raced in the direction he had just identiﬁed.

They were naturally moving a lot faster than before now that they had a proper target. Huo Yuhao didn’t conserve any soul power, and raised his protective barrier to the highest possible level to keep all the miasma outside as they pushed forward as fast as they could.

His Spiritual Detection had reached more than seven kilometers, and his target was right at the end of that range.

This place was ﬁlled with deadly venom, but Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er only needed ﬁfteen minutes to rush seven kilometers. The second Milk Bottle was already in Wang Qiu’er’s hands, and a different world from before swiftly appeared in the distance in front of them.

Everything was bluish-green, and just so astounding and eerie.

Cyan hues blanketed the earth, while the plants that grew around them covered large patches of earth in a seemingly messy and disorganized manner of teals, aquas, and turquoises. Faint blue-green mist ﬂoated up from them before gradually beginning to expand outwards.

“What kind of plant is that?” Huo Yuhao didn’t dare to venture forward blindly, and he halted in his tracks as astonishment ﬂowed from his eyes.

These blue-green plants extended to either side of them. They weren’t that tall, about half a meter tall, and every single plant had nine strangely shaped leaves. These leaves resembled human hands, but each one had seven ﬁngers, while some of the relatively larger ones had nine ﬁngers. There were enormous cyan ﬂowers located at the tips of every leaf, and the mists were being released from the large ﬂowers’ stamens. The mist gradually expanded in all directions before ﬂowing into the multicolored miasma.

The cyan hues they let off were a substantial part of the multicolored miasma.

Huo Yuhao gazed far into the distance, and could see with his formidable vision that huge patches of miasmic clouds were gathered behind these bluish-green plants. These miasmic clouds were gradually ﬂowing towards the ground, but their densities were comparable to what they had encountered in the sky before this.

It was no wonder he couldn’t see this when he was still in the sky, as the densest miasmic clouds were sinking down in this area. There was no question that the place the miasmic clouds were sinking into was a mountain valley.

Wang Qiu’er stared at the bluish-green plants before them, as if she were trying to distinguish something. Huo Yuhao quickly retrieved a bright silvery piece of metal from his storage ring and threw it towards the blue-green plants in the distance. It was a piece of platinum, a metal which had a very high resistance to corrosion.

The platinum piece hurtled through the multicolored miasma and quickly became tainted with various colors. However, astounding and terrifying transformations began to happen to it when it reached the space above the bluish-green mists in the sky.

The platinum began to emanate dense streams of green mist when it came into contact with the toxic green clouds, and then its volume began to diminish at breakneck speed. Half of the platinum had disappeared by the time it hit the ground, and it only took about three breaths before that tough and corrosion-resistant metal vanished into thin air.

“This… this corrosion is so strong.” Huo Yuhao drew a cold breath. He felt as if his legs were ﬁlled with lead, and he didn’t dare to take another step forward. He could tell from how the platinum was corroded that this acidic mist was not something that his Class 6 protective barrier could defend against.

Could he ﬂy past it from above? However, the cyan mist reached an incredible height, and looked like it formed a dome that loomed over the valley. What exactly is this? How can it be so horrifyingly toxic and acidic?

Huo Yuhao retrieved a soul tool as thoughts spun around in his head, and ﬁred a soul ray at the green mist in the distance.

A red beam of light surged forward and left a ﬁery radiance behind in the air. This was a soul ﬂameray, and even though it was just a Class 3 soul tool, it was extremely effective at burning things up.

The rainbow-colored miasma surged and dissipated when it came into contact with the ﬂame. However, once this ﬂame ray reached the green mists beyond, the multicolored miasma had a lot more green inside, and it became conspicuously more resistant to the ﬂames.

When the ﬂames reached the green mists, the scene that Huo Yuhao absolutely didn’t want to see occurred. The toxic green clouds suddenly became a lot stronger than before after the ﬂames incinerated it. The green clouds all around them surged with lightning speed as they poured back along the cleared path burned by the ﬂame, right towards where Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er were standing.

“Run!” Huo Yuhao dragged Wang Qiu’er as he turned around to run without hesitation. He knew very well that he couldn’t let a single ounce of that green mist touch his body, or they would both remain here as fertilizer!

They turned and ran in the opposite direction. Huo Yuhao brought out the stationary soul cannon from before as he ran, and the green toxic mist chased them down from behind as if it had a life of its own. The bluish-green mist was moving even faster than their running speed, and he didn’t dare to hesitate or delay for even a single second.

He ﬁred twice, and the poisonous clouds in the air exploded to open up a path for them. Huo Yuhao grabbed Wang Qiu’er as they soared into the sky, while he unleashed his Domain of Perpetual Ice to its highest defensive capability as he pulled her into his embrace. He activated his ﬂying-type soul tool, and the four soul thrusters behind his back erupted at the same time, raising his speed to the highest possible level and driving him through the air. The green clouds loomed behind them, but Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er soared through the hole within the poisonous clouds in the air that they had just opened up before the green clouds could reach them. Huo Yuhao ﬂew eight hundred meters into the sky in one go before he dared to slow down. His forehead had already broken out in a cold sweat.

Wang Qiu’er hadn’t done anything at all. Besides completing his martial soul fusion for him, she was just following him around.

Huo Yuhao hugged her for a longer duration than before this time, and there seemed to be an extra something in Wang Qiu’er’s otherwise calm expression.

“That’s too frightening. The green toxic mist isn’t afraid of ﬁre, and it can even retaliate.” Huo Yuhao released Wang Qiu’er from his embrace, and only then did he realize that the girl hadn’t even opened her ﬂying-type soul tool. Her pretty eyes seemed like they were deep in thought.

“Hey, open your ﬂying-type soul tool. My soul power has been consumed until there’s almost nothing left,” Huo Yuhao hurriedly reminded her. “Oh.” Wang Qiu’er acknowledged as she infused soul power into the ﬂying-type soul tool behind her, and she worked together with Huo Yuhao to stabilize herself in midair.

Huo Yuhao glanced downwards. What he saw was a torrential green mushroom cloud, which had surged ﬁve hundred meters into the air before it gradually receded. The multicolored miasmic clouds were assimilated once they came into contact with this green cloud, as if the miasmic clouds for several kilometers around them had been riled up with this explosion. It felt as if the toxic clouds had been infuriated.

“Why do I feel like these poisonous clouds have a life of their own? I am absolutely certain that my target is located in the valley behind those poisonous green clouds.” Huo Yuhao’s eyebrows were tightly knit together.

Wang Qiu’er suddenly lowered her voice and said, “I remember now. I know what those green plants are.”

Huo Yuhao was pleasantly surprised as he said, “What is it?” He had to understand what these toxic things were so that he could devise a plan to ﬁght against them.

Wang Qiu’er replied, “That looked like the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes.”

Huo Yuhao was taken aback. “Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes? What’s that?” He had learned about many plants during his lessons at Shrek Academy, as some soul beasts existed as plants, but he had never heard of this one.

Wang Qiu’er stared at him with solemn eyes and said, “You are right about one thing; these poisonous clouds do have life, and this life originates from those ﬂowers.”

A thought crossed Huo Yuhao’s mind as he asked, “Are you saying that these bluish-green ﬂowers are plant-type soul beasts?” Wang Qiu’er nodded and said, “At least some of them are.

“The Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes is one of the most poisonous plants in the world. Its toxins contain acute corrosive acid, and it’s known as the number-one corrosive toxin, while also containing an extremely powerful neurological poison. Coming into contact with it will cause the physical body to decay, and one will also have to withstand intense pain and suffering. However, this ﬂower is also very rare and precious, and it’s possibly every plant-type soul master’s dream. If plant-type soul masters can ﬁnd a Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes that has already become a plant-type soul beast, and assimilate it as their own soul ring, then that soul master will possess the ﬂower’s intense venom. You’ve already seen how powerful that poison can be.”

Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened, and his jaw hung slack. “Are you telling me that this area that is at least a kilometer wide and possibly stretches around the entire valley is ﬁlled with these Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes soul beasts? There are so many of them, yet they can still be considered an endangered species?” Wang Qiu’er’s eyebrows were locked together as she said, “I am also very surprised at this fact, and that’s also why I didn’t tell you about it in the beginning. According to what I remember, the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes likes to live in groups, but their reproductive capabilities are terrible. They have strict requirements for their environment, and they have to absorb immense amounts of nutrients to sustain themselves during their growth process. Not all the ﬂowers that we just saw have evolved into soul beasts, but most of them have already completed the evolution process. Otherwise, how could they control so much of the bluish-green toxic clouds to attack us?

“I think you noticed that some of their leaves were shaped like human hands with nine ﬁngers. This species is known as the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Nine Absolutes, and that means they have evolved to become plant-type soul beasts. Furthermore, this ﬂower also belongs to a superior level in the world of plants, and has at least ten thousand years of cultivation when they evolve into soul beasts. That also means that there are possibly hundreds or thousands of Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Nine Absolutes among the plants we saw. Let’s not discuss us, even a group of Titled Douluo would be in a hurry to get away from here. The ten-thousand year Jade Phosphorous Exotic Flowers channel something called the Jade Phosphorus Poison Cloud, and every plant releasing their poisonous clouds at the same time is a power that’s nearly invincible.”

Huo Yuhao drew a cold breath as he heard Wang Qiu’er’s explanation. Huo Yuhao had always believed ever since he got that letter from Niu Tian that this task was accomplishable, since Niu Tian had given it to him. Even though it was possibly overwhelmingly challenging, he should at least have a chance of success.

However, after listening to Wang Qiu’er’s explanation of how frightening the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Nine Absolutes was, he understood that his chances were as slim as they could get. He would undoubtedly become fertilizer for the these ﬂowers if he pushed forward forcibly.

There were countless plant-type soul beasts around this place... top-tier plant-type soul beasts! They could also work together, and they could launch an attack with a colossal area of effect, as if they were an army. They could be said to have no loopholes at all.

How could he have even a sliver of chance under such circumstances? Huo Yuhao grew silent, and even his eyes began to dim and grow solemn. He could no longer see any hope at all.

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes ﬂowed with struggle and conﬂict as she stared at Huo Yuhao’s dejected and defeated face, as if she were hesitant about something.

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh and said, “I will remember this place. Let’s retreat and rest up.” He had already used two Milk Bottles, and even though he still had several incendiary cannon shells, they would be completely useless against the Jade Phosphorous Poison Cloud, and ﬁre even seemed to make these clouds stronger. If they pushed forward blindly, they would be simply sending themselves to certain death. He wasn’t afraid of death if he had to do so to save Dong’er, but he couldn’t just die for nothing.

Huo Yuhao grabbed Wang Qiu’er’s hand as he spoke, and turned around and ﬂew away from the valley. He ﬂew out of the area covered by the miasmic clouds before they descended back into the Setting Sun Forest.

Huo Yuhao took the two empty Milk Bottles from Wang Qiu’er once they were on the ground, and then gradually infused soul power into each Milk Bottle while he silently contemplated.

His mental state wasn’t in the right condition at the moment, and there was no way he could make it better. He was faced with an impossible situation, and there was practically no way he could move forward. As intelligent as he was, Huo Yuhao began to feel as if he was at his wit’s end, and he had exhausted everything he had.

Wang Qiu’er just stood there as she watched his dark and gloomy expression. Her tensed brows began to smooth out as she heaved a faint sigh and said, “I don’t think I’m wrong to label the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes as rare and precious. Venomous ﬂowers as powerful as this are extremely rare even deep within the Great Star Dou Forest, and there are hardly more than three that appear at the same time even if they do. They require too much from their surroundings, and that means it’s very difﬁcult for them to evolve into soul beasts. So many Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Seven Absolutes existing in this area only proves one thing.”

Huo Yuhao looked up at her and asked, “What does it prove?”

Wang Qiu’er lowered her voice and said, “It proves that the valley behind them truly contains some exotic treasure, and I’m certain that, whatever it is, there’s a lot of it. Perhaps the valley has an environment that’s extremely beneﬁcial for growth, and that has provided enough nutrients for these ﬂowers.

“I observed carefully when you pulled me through the air before this. I realized that the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes dots the area surrounding the valley, but not a single one grows near the edge of the valley. That means there should be something inside the valley that’s countering them and holding them back, such that they don’t dare to spread inside the valley. The miasmic clouds that we faced before this probably come from these ﬂowers – such an enormous volume of these ﬂowers has led to the death of many soul beasts, while the vegetation all around has been corroded. The forest’s unique location and environment also means that it’s a lot easier for this miasma to form, and this accumulation over the years has resulted in the level of miasma that we see now.”

Huo Yuhao lowered his voice and said, “That also means that my judgment is correct. The herb that can save Dong’er must be located within that valley. However, we still have no way of crossing over to the other side. The Jade Phosphorus Flowers of the Seven Absolutes, and the Jade Phosphorus Flowers of the Nine Absolutes that they have evolved into, aren’t something we can ﬁght against. The Jade Phosphorous Poison Cloud is probably so dense that the clouds will dispel my Class 6 soul protective barrier immediately once they touch it. If that happens, the two of us will melt into liquid in the blink of an eye.”

Wang Qiu’er frowned and said, “You don’t have to make it sound so disgusting. Haven’t you heard of the saying that everything in the world has a weakness? The ﬂowers are strong, but there must be something in the world that can counter it. For example, such a thing exists in that valley. Furthermore, I also know one such weakness.”

Huo Yuhao was taken aback as he said urgently, “You… why haven’t you told me before?”

Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “You are the one who wants to save Wang Dong’er, not me. I would have told you if you hadn’t been so melancholic.”

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned, and emotions undulated in his eyes for a moment. “Please tell me, Qiu’er. I…”

Wang Qiu’er interrupted him roughly and said, “Sure, I can tell you. But only if you kneel down and beg me to.”

Huo Yuhao was stunned once more, and then he was instantly infuriated. “Are you crazy?”

Wang Qiu’er stared at him with an extremely noble and cold look. “I’m not crazy, you’re the one that’s crazy. So what if you can pierce through the Jade Phosphorus Poison Clouds? Can you predict the dangers that you will face afterwards? Since you’ve already decided to die, what use do you have for dignity? Kneel and beg me, and I will tell you. Otherwise, scram back to the academy.”

Huo Yuhao gradually calmed down, and he heaved a faint sigh. “Does this really have to happen, Qiu’er?”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly, but said nothing.

Huo Yuhao turned around and gazed at the miasmic clouds in the distance. “I have already explained so much to you. Why do you still not understand?”

Wang Qiu’er didn’t even look at him as she turned around and began walking in the direction that led out of the Setting Sun Forest. She was very sure that Huo Yuhao had no chance of ﬁnding that herb and surviving through the ordeal at the same time.

“Wait!” Huo Yuhao called out to her.

Wang Qiu’er turned around and glanced at him coldly. “Let’s go!”

Huo Yuhao stared at her deeply and said, “Since it has to happen, then so be it.”

Wang Qiu’er’s expression relaxed a little. Is this guy ﬁnally going to cooperate with me? However, for some reason, there was a thread of disappointment deep within her heart. In the end, one’s own life was more important...

However, her large blue eyes suddenly began to widen just when that thought appeared in her mind… because as she looked on, Huo Yuhao’s tall ﬁgure knelt grandly on the ground in her direction.

Huo Yuhao’s expression was still as calm as ever... yes, he was kneeling on the ground. This was the ﬁrst time that he had knelt down in front of someone other than his mother.

Men would never kneel without a good reason, but he was full of determination as his knees touched the ground.

“I beg you, Qiu’er, tell me what the Jade Phosphorous Exotic Flowers’ weakness is. Thank you.” His voice was still as calm as before, but this calm was heartbreaking. Every single word pierced Wang Qiu’er’s heart as if they were sharp blades.

He… he’s actually kneeling down. He’s actually kneeling down before me! He has relinquished a man’s dignity just to save her. Why? How can this happen? Why?!

Wang Qiu’er felt as if her face was growing cold, and she touched her cheeks subconsciously, and felt tears. I’m crying... I’m actually crying! Are my tears ﬂowing for him? No, why would I cry for him? Why?

Her lips were trembling, and she continued to quiver as tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. She rushed to his side and grabbed his collar before she lifted him up from the ground and hurled him heavily against a thick and tall tree beside them.

Boom! The large tree shuddered as leaves drifted down onto the ground. They ﬂuttered all around the two of them, and it felt as if they were being bathed in a rain of greenery.

Huo Yuhao’s face was still calm and composed. Tears continued to trickle down Wang Qiu’er’s face, and her emotions immediately erupted.

“Are you trying to protest against me?!” she shouted at him hysterically.

Huo Yuhao said nothing. He stared at her with a faint smile on his face, and his smile was just so calm and plain in that moment…

“Why? Why do you have to give so much for her? Is she worth it?”

He was still smiling faintly, and he still didn’t make a sound. He had already shown his heart from the moment he knelt down in front of her. He had to go, no matter what he had to face.

“Go, go, go!” Wang Qiu’er continued to shout. “Just go, and go to your death. The Jade Phosphorous Flowers fear the cold!. If you channel your domain to the strongest possible level, even those Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Nine Absolutes will be afraid of you. Go, you bastard! I will not follow you to a certain death, you can go by yourself if you want to die for her! You will never return, ever!”

She tossed him heavily into the distance as she spoke, and he ﬂew for dozens of meters before ﬁnally slamming into a tree. Huo Yuhao didn’t utter a word from beginning to end, he was just quietly staring at her with a faint smile on his face. He still wore the same smile even when he got to his feet after crashing into the enormous tree, which had snapped in two from the impact.

“Thank you.” He ﬁnally opened his mouth, and said words that couldn’t get any simpler as he strode towards the miasmic clouds.

Wang Qiu’er didn’t follow him this time.

Huo Yuhao paused after a few steps and turned back around. He looked at Wang Qiu’er, who was still rooted to the ground, her shoulders still quivering.

“You’re a nice girl, Qiu’er. We will always be friends whether I return from this expedition dead or alive.” He left this statement for her and gave her a radiant smile before he turned back around. He didn’t stop or slow down this time as he widened his stride and walked away. His steps were determined and unwavering. “Bastard!” Wang Qiu’er suddenly exclaimed and hurled her right ﬁst violently. She hammered heavily on the large tree that she had just tossed Huo Yuhao against.

The tree was thick enough for a person to place his or her arms around, but the broken half of the tree ﬂew backwards into the distance and slammed against another large tree before it broke apart into smithereens. Her punch was just too strong and ferocious.

Wang Qiu’er bit down on her lower lip as she collapsed to the ground, and tears ﬂowed down her face uncontrollably. “Why? How can there be a fool, an idiot like him? Why is he willing to give his life for a girl? He’s still going to do it even though he knows he’s going to die! Has he really gone crazy?”

Huo Yuhao’s faint smile surfaced repeatedly before her eyes... that despicable smile! The ﬁnal image stopped at the moment he knelt down before her.

Wang Qiu’er knew that she would never forget this moment, when he knelt down in front of her for another woman. She would remember this for the rest of her life. “Huo Yuhao! You… you’re such a bastard!” Wang Qiu’er shouted in Huo Yuhao’s direction as he departed the scene. Intense golden light erupted from her body, and every inch within ten meters around her glowed with golden luster.

Huo Yuhao wasn’t that far away, so he could still hear her voice. That faint smile appeared on his mouth once more, but he didn’t turn back around.

I’m sorry, Qiu’er. Perhaps this is the best ending. After all, I am the only person that should be here for this dangerous endeavor.

So, the Jade Phosphorous Seven Exotic Flower was not afraid of ﬁre, but it was afraid of extreme cold. No wonder uncle Niu Tian had ﬁgured that he had the ability to venture into this place.

What Huo Yuhao didn’t know was that Niu Tian had decided to give that pouch to Wang Dong’er because of Huo Yuhao’s Snow Empress Spirit. He had both Ultimate ice and snow, and extreme chill was a natural counter to the toxic miasma all around him. Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to be strong enough. Niu Tian had never expected that Huo Yuhao had Skydream Iceworm, and that Skydream was strong enough to break the spiritual seal. This ended up with Huo Yuhao coming into the Setting Sun Forest prematurely.

Huo Yuhao hadn’t moved too far before he found a relatively ﬂat place to sit down. He began to meditate to restore his soul power, while he ﬁlled the ﬁnal two empty Milk Bottles at the same time.

Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, and began to devise and reﬁne the plan in his mind. It was impossible to make his plan entirely seamless and without loopholes, but he had to make sure to prevent all dangers that could possibly appear.

Today’s adventure wasn’t a complete waste, as he had managed to ﬁgure some things out, while also discovering that the Jade Phosphorous Flowers were the true originators of the toxic miasma. This information was imperative to his operation and what he was about to do.

Wang Qiu’er seemed to have given up on him, and didn’t follow him. Huo Yuhao had had a peculiar sentiment when he knelt down; he had wanted to show his determination to her, but he had also wanted to consolidate this determination for himself. Furthermore, he had become a lot calmer and more rational than before.

He had thought it through. He didn’t have to ﬁnd the herb on this expedition, and the mentality of paying with his life even if he was unsuccessful was irresponsible. What he had to do was do everything he could and whatever was necessary to obtain that herb.

It wasn’t embarrassing to ask for help. If he couldn’t do it by himself, then he would have to ask the academy for help. Shrek Academy’s abilities meant there was deﬁnitely something they could do against all this miasma. Furthermore, the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Nine Absolutes would be extremely beneﬁcial for the academy’s plant-type soul masters.

According to Niu Tian, Wang Dong’er’s hidden injury would only be triggered at the age of twenty, while she was currently only seventeen years old. Niu Tian would never use Dong’er’s life as a joke, so this time estimation should be accurate. That also meant that he had more than two years left.

On the other hand, if Skydream hadn’t helped him open that spiritual seal, he would never have opened that seal by himself to see everything that he had seen until after at least another year. That also meant that this endeavor wasn’t that urgent.

Huo Yuhao gradually realized all this after he encountered the Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Seven Absolutes. The worry, the anxiety, and even the feeling of valiant sacriﬁce settled down after he thought everything through. What he had to do now was everything he could to probe the valley’s secrets. Obtaining sufﬁcient and valuable information was enough.

If he didn’t have the strength to ﬁnd this herb, it wouldn’t be difﬁcult to rely on his own abilities to retreat safely so that he could go back with his life. He would then ﬁnd another opportunity to come back here to retrieve the herb when his chances were boosted to the highest possible level, and that outcome was what he really wanted.

The reason why he said all that he did to Wang Qiu’er was because he really didn’t want to owe her this favor. Huo Yuhao could faintly feel something from Wang Qiu’er’s emotions and her attitude… However, he already had Dong’er, and he couldn’t touch Wang Qiu’er’s feelings at all, and this was especially true because they were in a perilous place. Even though he knew that his operation would be a lot easier if he had Wang Qiu’er’s help, he didn’t dare to ask her for more help.

He knew that he couldn’t afford to owe her this favor. Therefore, he would rather she leave his side than allow her to continue on this hazardous adventure with him. Huo Yuhao had still perceived Wang Qiu’er as just his friend before this, and when they pushed through the poisonous clouds, he had unleashed his abilities while hugging her at the same time. However, she had subconsciously leaned into his shoulder, and it was then that Huo Yuhao realized something wasn’t right. I’m sorry, Qiu’er…

---

Midday had just passed, and Huo Yuhao wasn’t about to wait until the following day. He recharged both Milk Bottles and used another hour to rest so that he could be at his optimum condition.

This was the hottest time of the day, so the miasmic clouds weren’t any stronger than before. Huo Yuhao checked his inventory and equipment once more before he activated his ﬂying-type soul tool and soared into the sky, and back towards the place locked in his memory.

Huo Yuhao had Spiritual Detection to accurately determine his location, and he quickly found the place where the dense multicolored clouds sank downward, and where bluish-green lights shone faintly.

He didn’t plunge through the toxic clouds here. Instead, he hovered in midair about one kilometer from his destination.

“This is about right. I won’t touch those Jade Phosphorous Poison Clouds.” Huo Yuhao mumbled under his breath, and the stationary soul cannon was back on his shoulder in the next moment.

His method was no different from before, and he tossed one shell before he ﬁred another one from his shoulder immediately afterwards. Two incendiary explosive bombs collided in midair, and the subsequent explosion created an enormous hole in the miasmic clouds. Huo Yuhao didn’t ﬁre another two rounds with the experience from before, as he had enough understanding and judgment about the poison clouds’ thickness and strength. He didn’t have to waste his cannon shells, as those things, would be critical to protecting his life when he broke out from this place.

Huo Yuhao plummeted towards the ground as soon as the hole appeared.

Right at this moment, a golden light erupted beside him without warning and dove down through the sky along with him.

The owner of this golden light was burning up with pale golden ﬂames, and the faint miasma dissipated and vanished when it came into contact with these ﬂames.

“You… why have you followed me?” Huo Yuhao’s voice was full of exasperation.

There was no question that Wang Qiu’er was the owner of this golden light. Huo Yuhao hadn’t used Spiritual Detection at all so that he could conserve soul power, which was why he had no idea that Wang Qiu’er had followed behind him, and that she had picked this “opportune” moment. They were both barreling through the poisonous clouds, and there was no way he could reject her participation anymore.

Chapter 258: Paradise on Earth

Wang Qiu’er’s pretty face seemed like it was covered with a layer of frost. “Do I look like someone who doesn’t ﬁnish what I start?” She grabbed Huo Yuhao’s left hand authoritatively as she spoke, and the two of them initiated their martial soul fusion.

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh. He wasn’t willing to receive too much help from her so that he could prevent their feelings from developing. However, he was still relieved when Wang Qiu’er did catch up with him. His exploration attempt would be a lot more relaxed than before with her around, and he would also be a lot safer than otherwise.

His soul protective barrier enveloped Wang Qiu’er within it, so she stopped releasing her golden ﬂames to defend herself, and the two of them landed on the ground as if they had been together the whole time.

They were back in that rainbow-colored world, but they were a lot more familiar with their surroundings from their previous experience. Huo Yuhao pulled Wang Qiu’er along the moment they landed and ran towards the edge of the ravine where the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes was growing.

“Why aren’t you breaking through the middle? Have you forgotten its location?” Wang Qiu’er asked confusedly.

Huo Yuhao said, “You said it before, I don’t know what unforeseen dangers I may face over there, so I can’t just break through the middle. It will be too late if I run into any contingencies and I have to deal with them on the spot. Furthermore, I also want to test the extent to which these Jade Phosphorous Flowers are afraid of the cold.”

Wang Qiu’er glanced at him coldly, and that noble and aloof feeling made Huo Yuhao feel as if he was being looked down on.

“I thought you weren’t afraid of dying. Why don’t you just throw your life in and get it over with? So, you’re afraid of dying after all. I guess I overestimated you before.”

Huo Yuhao snapped, “Why would we want to die if we can live? That’s enough, let’s not bicker. We are consuming soul power. Take the Milk Bottle, and I’ll have a go.”

Huo Yuhao gave a Milk Bottle to Wang Qiu’er just in case she needed it, and the two of them stopped about thirty meters away from the Jade Phosphorous Flowers.

The Jade Phosphorous Poison Clouds produced by these ﬂowers were still gathered together, but they didn’t permeate too far outside, and only loomed over the valley.

Their mentality had been greatly affected after their initial astonishment when they ﬁrst saw these ﬂowers, but Huo Yuhao began to feel something different now that he was back here for the second time.

“It’s too neat... Qiu’er, don’t you feel like these ﬂowers are arranged too neatly? Why do I feel like someone did this?” Huo Yuhao lowered his voice as he spoke.

Wang Qiu’er was momentarily stunned, and couldn’t be bothered with bickering anymore. “Now that you mention it, it does seem like it...” Huo Yuhao ﬂipped his right hand, and a water bag appeared in his hands. He released Wang Qiu’er’s hand, and she naturally shifted behind his back as she pressed her right palm against his back so that they could maintain their martial soul fusion.

Huo Yuhao opened the water bottle and poured out the water from inside. The water that was poured out was immediately frozen in midair by his Ultimate Ice soul power, and a large sphere of ice quickly appeared before him.

Wang Qiu’er looked on as Huo Yuhao did all this, a strange feeling surfacing in her heart. This guy seems to trust me a lot, I’m pressing against a vital point on his back! If I channel my soul power, I can break his nerves and end his life. He’s not afraid of that? Hmph… why should I even kill him? Killing him will dirty my hands, Wang Qiu’er thought to herself arrogantly.

The sphere of ice was roughly a foot in diameter. Huo Yuhao’s left hand was holding it up, and gradually turned icy- blue, while the temperature within his protective barrier began to plummet. Huo Yuhao shook his wrist, and the enormous ball of ice ﬂew out as it spun through the air. Huo Yuhao was a disciple of the Tang Sect, and he had great control over his ﬁngers and wrists. He was using one of the Tang Sect’s hidden weapon techniques as he hurled the ball of ice, which emanated an icy-blue radiance as it ﬂew straight out.

The multicolored miasma was extremely powerful, and immediately seemed like it was about to attach itself to the sphere of ice once it appeared. However, this sphere of ice contained Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice, so how could the miasma attach itself to it so easily? The multicolored particles were blown in all directions wherever this sphere of extreme chill went, and it was clear that the toxic miasma was severely affected after the water vapor inside was frozen.

The sphere pierced through the multicolored miasma, and it ﬁnally arrived at the bluish-green Jade Phosphorous Poison Clouds. Just as Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er had speculated before, these poison clouds were controlled by those ﬂowers that had evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Nine Absolutes, which were plant-type soul beasts. Large patches of poison clouds were stirred up once this sphere of ice plunged into them, and the bluish-green mist poured forward. However, every kind of poison mist or gas had a unique characteristic… they deﬁnitely contained some water within them. Pure smoke or mist dissipated extremely quickly, and there was no way it could drift through the air for a prolonged period of time, and it would be blown away by the wind.

Once the poison clouds approached the sphere of ice, Huo Yuhao could see that the poison mist was pouring forward into the chill from his Ultimate Ice, while it produced large volumes of bluish-green particles that drifted in all directions. The area that the poison clouds covered would then increase for an instant, but then quickly thin.

Huo Yuhao’s experiment clearly wasn’t as simple as tossing the sphere through the clouds, and he raised his left hand as he clenched it tightly.

Boom!

The ball of ice immediately exploded, and the Ice Explosion that Huo Yuhao had infused into it unleashed its full force. A violent explosive force immediately caused the sphere to dissipate into countless ice particles that ﬂew in all directions, while the shockwaves swept towards the Jade Phosphorous Flowers around them.

Huo Yuhao was already using his Spiritual Detection to meticulously observe how the ﬂowers reacted.

The ﬂowers surrounding the vigorous explosion began to sway and tremble like tidal waves, but they were a lot tougher than Huo Yuhao had expected. He had infused Ice Explosion into that sphere of ice, but he wasn’t able to blow away even a single petal, and he only managed to make them sway and shake, while their bodies were undamaged.

A strange scene occurred just when Huo Yuhao was feeling a little disappointed.

The bluish-green ﬂowers quickly closed up, as if they were children who were drawing their blankets over themselves because they were afraid of the cold. The ﬂowers ten meters around the explosion closed up, and the poison clouds in that region became a lot thinner than before. “They are afraid of the cold!” Huo Yuhao was elated. A thought surfaced in his mind as orange-gold light radiated, and the tiny Snow Lady came out from the middle of his eyebrows and hovered next to him.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly told the Snow Lady not to leave his soul protective barrier through his mind, so that she wouldn’t be hurt by the poisonous clouds outside.

“Yi yi ya ya!” The Snow Lady’s big dark-blue eyes ﬂowed with indifference and contempt. She pointed at the poison clouds outside before she waved her tiny and tender little ﬁngers at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao was shocked as he asked, “You’re not afraid of poison?”

“Yi yi ya ya!” The Snow Lady gave him an afﬁrmative answer before she ﬂew out of the protective barrier.

Huo Yuhao was just feeling a little worried as the orange-gold light on her body began to sparkle. Intense chills billowed from her body as the humid miasma in the air began to transform subtly. Large patches of multicolored miasma swiftly began to dissipate as if they had encountered something terrifying, and uncountable multicolored particles drifted to the ground while the air around them cleared up.

“This…” Both Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er were stunned on the spot. The toxic clouds that they had so feared were like nothing before the little Snow Lady. What was going on?

“Idiot. Ultimate Ice is the best counter to all the toxins in the world. Didn’t you know that? Useless!” Skydream’s lazy voice appeared in Huo Yuhao’s mind.

Where would I ever know that from…?

The corner of Huo Yuhao’s mouth twitched as he spoke in his mind, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier, brother Skydream?”

“I just woke up.”

“……” The Snow Lady turned around in midair and ﬂew back, while the orange-gold light radiating from her body wrapped back around to envelop Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er inside. The poisonous clouds around them were instantly dispelled, and there wasn’t much left to threaten them at all.

Huo Yuhao turned towards Wang Qiu’er as he forced a laugh and said, “It seems like Ultimate Ice can counter acute poison after all.”

Wang Qiu’er frowned and said, “Seems like it. If that’s the case, then Ultimate Fire can probably counter toxins as well.”

Huo Yuhao said, “Let’s not talk about all that. Let’s take a look and see if we can venture deeper into the valley.”

They began to walk toward the Jade Phosphorous Flowers while the Snow Lady protected them. The intense chill from the Snow Lady’s body was a lot stronger than the sphere of ice from before, and both the multicolored miasma and the Jade Phosphorous Poison Clouds had no way of fending her off. The ﬂowers closed up one by one as the extreme chill assaulted them, while the surrounding poison clouds dissipated continuously, and could no longer threaten the two of them.

Ultimate Ice can beat all toxins… how did I not know that…? It’s no wonder uncle Niu Tian wasn’t worried about sending me here at all...

Huo Yuhao’s conﬁdence was greatly boosted with this discovery. He lowered his voice and growled, “Let’s go!”

Huo Yuhao grabbed Wang Qiu’er’s hand as they soared into the sky. The Jade Phosphorous Flowers were extremely poisonous, and were naturally untouchable, but they had their ﬂying-type soul tools. The little Snow Lady landed on Huo Yuhao, and the orange-gold light that she released became their best defense.

Huo Yuhao was afraid that the speed at which the Snow Lady’s chill took effect was limited, so they didn’t ﬂy very quickly. However, the mass of Jade Phosphorous ﬂowers wasn’t that wide, and it didn’t take long before they pierced through the ravine of death and arrived next to the edge of the valley.

The edge of the valley was extremely steep, like it had been cut off by a knife. Multicolored miasma was still concentrated within the Jade Phosphorous Poison Clouds, and they blocked Huo Yuhao’s vision to a large extent.

Huo Yuhao exchanged a look with Wang Qiu’er. They had discovered that Ultimate Ice was a natural counter to acute poison, so the ominous and perilous feeling in her mind was greatly reduced.

“Let’s ﬂy down?” Wang Qiu’er gestured downwards.

Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “Be careful.”

“I know that.” Wang Qiu’er rolled her eyes, and her Golden Dragon Spear appeared in her hands with a ﬂash of golden light.

Huo Yuhao carried her as they jumped into the air. The Snow Lady was still clearing the way for them as they controlled their ﬂying-type soul tools and gradually descended into the valley.

They swiftly entered the multicolored poison clouds. The Ultimate Ice was extremely effective at clearing the path ahead, and not a single ounce of the poison cloud broke through to their defenses.

This is fantastic! Huo Yuhao was ecstatic. His adventurous and explorative heart was piqued once more, and he could tell from the current situation that he had a much better chance of ﬁnding that mystical herb.

The multicolored miasma here was thick, just like it was in the sky. Huo Yuhao couldn’t see anything at all, and he couldn’t even detect anything with his Spiritual Detection. However, he still left his Spiritual Detection activated, channeling soul power into his protective barrier at the same time, so that he could avoid all possible threats and dangers.

What happened next proved that Huo Yuhao’s meticulousness was warranted. A black shadow suddenly appeared soundlessly within his Spiritual Detection’s area of effect, and swept towards them at an alarming speed.

“Watch out!” Huo Yuhao growled.

Hovering in midair at this moment was undoubtedly the most dangerous thing they could do. Huo Yuhao didn’t dare to conserve soul power as he swung his right hand out and instantly slashed through the dense mist with his Darkgolden Terrorclaw. His right hand slashed through the air with lightning speed, using the complete version of his Darkgolden Terrorclaw.

The Snow Lady and Huo Yuhao’s mind were connected, and that meant they had exceptional chemistry with one another. She blew in the direction of the attack, and cold energy burst ahead of them. Large patches of poison clouds dissipated and cleared up their vision.

It was a dark-blue vine dotted with rainbow-colored patterns. It was as thick as a human thigh, and whipped towards them like an enormous python. However, the Darkgolden Terrorclaw was the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear’s signature move, and Huo Yuhao gave everything he had with this strike. A dark golden streak of light ﬂashed by, and the thick vine was immediately cut into a million pieces as it drifted away in the wind.

Huo Yuhao raised his voice and reminded Wang Qiu’er, “It’s clear that there are precious and exotic things here that are extremely beneﬁcial for plant growth. This should a place inhabited by many plant-type soul beasts, and they are extremely powerful. Be careful.”

Several other thick vines swept towards them at this moment. The rainbow colors on these vines were clearly caused by the toxic miasma, and the fact that they were completely ﬁne meant they probably contained acute venom as well.

“You control our descent. Let me try!” Wang Qiu’er shouted as she thrust her Golden Dragon Spear forward while she grabbed the other end of it, so that her Golden Dragon Spear could reach the maximum area of effect. She was the Golden Dragon after all, and she was always dominant and fearsome.

Perhaps she had been stiﬂed for too long after dealing with the poison clouds for two days, or perhaps this was a cathartic release of her fury towards Huo Yuhao, but her strike was exceptionally ferocious.

She was using her Golden Dragon Spear like a ﬂail. A thick blue vine whipped towards her, and Wang Qiu’er swung her Golden Dragon Spear towards it like a lightning bolt. A boom could be heard as she smashed the vine into the distance.

Vines were typically quite ﬂexible and elastic, and the front parts would still whip forward even if the vine itself was struck.

However, the vine didn’t react this way as it was struck by the Golden Dragon Spear. The vine ﬂickered with golden light and rippled back into the distance, breaking apart into pieces as it ﬂew through the air. Light circled around the Golden Dragon Spear, and Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that Wang Qiu’er’s life energy had become a little stronger than before. The Golden Dragon Spear lived up to its name as a god’s weapon. It could absorb life energy from its target. Huo Yuhao felt faintly terriﬁed in his heart, and he was consoling himself on his good fortune when he managed to defeat Wang Qiu’er that day.

Bam, bam, bam! The Golden Dragon Spear waltzed through the sky, every strike accurately struck the dark-blue vines that were whipping toward them, and every single vine eventually disintegrated into pieces.

Wang Qiu’er didn’t seem like she was under any pressure at all, even though more vines continued to appear. Golden light continued to ﬂicker around her as she protected Huo Yuhao and herself impeccably.

Huo Yuhao controlled their descent, but he didn’t dare to move too quickly, as he didn’t know what awaited them at the bottom. He extended his Spiritual Detection in the direction of those ﬂying vines and attempted to ﬁnd their source.

He quickly discovered where these vines came from – they were all growing on the cliff, and some of these vines even reached a hundred feet long. They could feel Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er’s presence, so they launched their own attacks. Furthermore, the number of vines growing on the cliff walls increased the further down they went.

“Let’s go further down.” The vines are limited in length after all, I can just ﬂy along the cliff wall.

Huo Yuhao took Wang Qiu’er along as they dropped tens of meters deeper into the valley. The aggressive dark-blue vines that were attacking them eventually disappeared, and it was clear that the two of them had exceeded the vines’ attack range.

An agile mind was enough to help them avoid some problems.

They descended a lot faster than before without the blue vines attacking them, and split the clouds open as they pushed ahead. They dropped about three hundred meters before the poison clouds around them suddenly cleared out, and their blocked vision instantly became became clear. Huo Yuhao hurriedly controlled their momentum and hovered in midair. It was a lot easier to run into problems if they were attacked when their senses suddenly changed.

However, his entire body froze right when he stopped in midair, and Wang Qiu’er was equally stunned.

They had been extremely careful and vigilant ever since the day they entered the Setting Sun Forest, and kept their guards up against any possible dangers that could appear.

They knew that their expedition wouldn’t be smooth-sailing or relaxed when they discovered the toxic miasma.

The multicolored miasma, the Jade Phosphorous Flowers of the Seven Absolutes, the Jade Phosphorous Poison Clouds, and the venomous vines growing from the valley’s walls… every single entity could have been fatal. This place was protected by so many fatal poisons, so what kind of sinister place was this?

But, but… What was before Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er now far exceeded their expectations. They had pierced through the multicolored poison clouds, and what they breathed in was an unprecedented fresh air full of life energy. The place they were looking at wasn’t sinister at all, it felt like heaven on earth!

The air was completely covered by the rainbow-colored clouds, and the rainbow colors shone and reﬂected over the valley, making it appear extremely enchanting.

The valley walls in the distance were full of the dark-blue vines that had ambushed them just now, and the entire wall looked like it was made from sapphires that ﬂickered with a faint rainbow-colored luster.

The valley couldn’t be considered large, but many different plants were growing within it, while there were just too many colors to count as they gazed across it. There were so many beautiful ﬂowers, and each was prettier than the last, bearing all sorts of fruits. Many plants shone with varying degrees of light, and one could tell even with the naked eye that these plants were exotic and extraordinary. The most astonishing thing was the lake in the middle of these plants. The lake was clearly separated into two parts. One side was icy-blue in color and it exuded a faint white air, while the other side was ﬁery-red, and the light above this side was slightly distorted. One part was blue and the other was

red, and these two parts were like colossal jewels engraved into the ground. The waters evaporating from this lake permeated the dense life energy from the lake all over the valley.

Ever since Huo Yuhao became a soul master, he had to absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth whenever he had to train using his Mysterious Heaven Technique. However, he had never encountered a place with vital energy as strong as the paradise that he was in right now.

Not even Clear Sky Peak could compare to this place. Huo Yuhao had only felt this overwhelming vital energy from the Frigid Jade Essence Bed that was now broken. However, the Frigid Jade Essence Bed had only contained pure cold and iciness, while this mystical world that they were in contained almost every single element, and also vast amounts of life energy.

Their eyes grew slack from their awe and astonishment. Everything before their eyes was just too enchanting and pristine!

“This… this is a paradise!” Wang Qiu’er’s voice was trembling. Her body shone with faint golden mist, as if were she responding to and reciprocating with the thick life energy within this valley.

“I am certain that there is nowhere else on the Douluo Continent that is as suitable for plant growth as this place is. The life energy in this place is at least ﬁve times that of the Great Star Dou Forest’s Core Region. How can there be such a place on the Continent? It’s possible that someone is protecting this place, too...”

Wang Qiu’er had the same opinion as Huo Yuhao did. Neither of them believed that the Jade Phosphorous Flowers outside had grown out by themselves. Their arrangement was just too neat.

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of admiration and said, “You do need formidable power to protect a paradise such as this. This place is just too beautiful. Why does the lake have two different colors? What is it, exactly? Do you know?” Wang Qiu’er shook her head and said, “I’m not an encyclopedia. How can I possibly know everything? Let’s go down. There are no more miasmic clouds here.”

Huo Yuhao said, “But I feel like this place is even more dangerous than before. Have you not felt that most of the plants here have evolved into plant-type soul beasts because the life energy in this place is overwhelmingly dense?”

Wang Qiu’er was momentarily stunned, and gazed downwards carefully. Many plants had begun to sway because they had appeared, and some had even turned in their direction, while other plants shone more intensely.

“What should we do?” Wang Qiu’er asked, “We can’t just turn back, since we’re already here.”

The greatest disadvantage that plant-type soul beasts had compared to animal soul beasts was mobility. Many plants couldn’t move around, and were just rooted to the spot, so their attack and control range was limited to an area with their bodies at the center. This was like the vines that they had encountered on the cliff walls – they couldn’t reach beyond their maximum length and distance to attack the two of them.

However, plant-type soul beasts were extremely formidable in the range that they could reach, and were possibly stronger than animal soul beasts in this respect. This was the reason why even exceptionally powerful animal soul beasts wouldn’t want to come to a place where many plant-type soul beasts

were gathered.

Huo Yuhao took out his map and looked at the map’s lower part.

The map that Niu Tian had drawn was separated into two parts. The ﬁrst part depicted the Setting Sun Forest and the valley’s rough location within the forest, while the second, more simpliﬁed part depicted the location of the book that he had described in his letter.

Niu Tian had repeatedly reminded him in the letter that Huo Yuhao had to ﬁnd the book before he began his search for the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.

Huo Yuhao was extremely clear about this. From prior experience, he deeply believed that everything that Niu Tian had said in the letter was important. They were already inside the valley, so the most important thing for them was to ﬁnd the book that detailed the plants inside and their characteristics.

Huo Yuhao scrutinized the simpliﬁed map in his hands while he carefully matched it against the landscape beneath him.

This map was a little too simple, drawn with lines to create a minimal outline. However, Huo Yuhao quickly found the things that were marked out, and the lines did draw the dual- colored lake. He continued to match the landscape against his map as he drifted forward with his ﬂying-type soul tool so that he could match their location with what was drawn on the map. The map was simple, but the markings were clear, and Huo Yuhao quickly found his target. According to the map’s instructions, his target was located at the shore where the lake’s blue and red parts intersected. There was a ﬂower drawn at that rough location on the map to show that the book was there.

They were in the air, but Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Eyes made it extremely easy for him to directly lock onto a plant beneath him.

It was an enormous light-pink ﬂower that didn’t have any leaves. Its stem was almost ten feet long, and its ﬂower was huge, its diameter more than three feet across. Every single petal was almost transparent as if they were water crystals, and the light-pink ﬂower swayed along with the mist in the air. It grew on the shore next to where the lake’s red and blue water joined.

Huo Yuhao paid attention to it because it was simply too enchanting and riveting. Its body was also located where the two bodies of water joined, and another reason was because there were no other plants within a hundred feet of it! This plant therefore stood out in a valley that was ﬁlled with plants...

Huo Yuhao studied it, and realized that there were other plants with similar characteristics, and also other plants with no other plants in a radius around them. These plants shared the same traits: they were either extremely peculiar, or they were just otherworldly beautiful, and they shone with varying degrees of light.

“That enormous ﬂower should be what we’re looking for,” Huo Yuhao said to Wang Qiu’er, and he directed her with Spiritual Detection so that she could also locate their target.

“Do you know what ﬂower that is?” Huo Yuhao asked Wang Qiu’er.

Wang Qiu’er shook her head and said, “I can’t tell. At least, I have never seen something like that inside the Great Star Dou Forest. However, I have a feeling that the plants contain more energy the closer they are to the dual-colored lake. Plants like this one, that are next to the lake and occupy such a huge territory, have probably evolved into soul beasts, and plant- type soul beasts are more formidable than animal-type soul beasts in the range that they can control. Are you sure the book is located there? What have you discovered?” Huo Yuhao shook his head as he forced a smile. He had already channeled Spiritual Detection to the highest possible level to detect a single spot when he found this enormous ﬂower. The light-pink ﬂower seemed to emanate a pale light mist that blocked off his spiritual power entirely, while it was obvious that the book was nowhere to be found in the open ground around it. The book would probably have been

decomposed by this humid environment if it had been placed on the ground just like that.

“It seems like we have to go closer to investigate.” Huo Yuhao lowered his voice as he spoke.

Wang Qiu’er said, “Let me go. Cover me.”

She was just about to move, but Huo Yuhao pulled her back and said, “Did you not say that these plants are typically afraid of heat and cold? Let me go, you cover me. Don’t worry, I will be extremely careful.”

Wang Qiu’er shot a glare in his direction, but she didn’t dispute his words. She was conﬁdent that she wasn’t inferior to Huo Yuhao in terms of ﬁghting strength, but she knew that she wasn’t as versatile as he was. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was adept with soul tools, and he was deﬁnitely a lot better than she was at running for his life.

Huo Yuhao gradually descended through the air towards that large light pink ﬂower. He had raised his vigilance to the highest possible level. His right hand’s Darkgolden Terrorclaw was extended, while the soul thruster on his chest was charged as much as it could be. He could immediately escape if something were to go wrong.

Diamond crystals transformed into armor and enveloped his entire body, and his entire body began to sparkle under the brilliant lights. Huo Yuhao also released a little of his Domain of Perpetual Ice, and maintained the area of effect at one meter around him while he continuously emanated extremely chilly energy.

The valley’s plants seemed exceptionally calm as he drifted down through the air, and not a single plant attempted to attack him. Huo Yuhao chose to land on the edge of the empty space around that enormous ﬂower.

Huo Yuhao was just telling himself that his defenses were raised to the highest possible level, when a faint aroma suddenly wafted into his nostrils.

Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment before he felt goosebumps break out all over his body in the next moment. How could I have forgotten about that? I calculated everything, but I failed to realize that the fragrance from these plants can also be an attack.

Huo Yuhao subconsciously stopped breathing as he placed his Darkgolden Terrorclaw before his chest, while he channeled the soul power within his body with all his might in an attempt to force out the aroma that he had just inhaled. His Ultimate Ice was extremely effective as a counter to most toxins, after all. Huo Yuhao was astonished at this moment, but he wasn’t panicky at all.

However, another situation that exceeded his expectations happened again. The smell immediately integrated with his body once it entered, and he couldn’t force it out because he simply couldn’t ﬁnd it within his body.

What made Huo Yuhao even more astonished was that the aroma refreshed his mind, and he felt like his tensed nerves were relaxed before this brain became clear and smooth. Even though he had only inhaled a miniscule amount, it was enough to make him feel as if his body and soul had been rinsed by clean water, and he felt an indescribable comfort over his entire body. This was the ﬁrst time he had experienced this sensation ever since he had entered the Setting Sun Forest.

What’s going on? Why am I having such sensations? Does this mean that the large ﬂower’s aroma isn’t harmful or poisonous?

Huo Yuhao was about to experiment further by inhaling a little bit more when the pink ﬂower suddenly lit up.

A pink layer of light with the plant at the center appeared, and it reached about a hundred feet in diameter as it encompassed all the open ground around it, and Huo Yuhao as well.

Huo Yuhao began to half-squat. He didn’t run away immediately, as he had to try his best to understand more and experience more about this place, or this expedition would be wasted. Furthermore, even though he wasn’t yet considered a top-tier soul master, he had his twin martial souls and an Ultimate martial soul, so his ﬁghting strength was comparable to most seven-ringed Soul Sages. Huo Yuhao was also relatively conﬁdent in his own abilities.

What surprised him was that he didn’t feel very different after that pink light appeared. He took a small breath, and he felt as if the aroma was becoming denser. The sensations he felt in his body were even better than before, and that smooth and comforting feeling made him feel better at controlling and manipulating his soul power.

Huo Yuhao was a spiritual-type soul master, and he could immediately tell that the aroma had a rejuvenating effect. The aroma was energizing, and made him feel exceptionally comfortable at the same time, to the point where he felt at peace, and his state of mind was lifted to an unprecedented level.

However, those weren’t things that Huo Yuhao wanted. He began to move once he could tell that the pink light dome didn’t cause him any harm, and orange-gold light ﬂickered as the little Snow Lady appeared on his shoulder.

The Snow Lady was even more ﬂexible with her control of Ultimate Ice, and she didn’t need to consume too much of Huo Yuhao’s soul power. The Snow Lady raised her little ﬁnger under Huo Yuhao’s direction, and a icy-blue streak of light ﬁred towards one of the enormous ﬂower’s petals.

The streak of light struck the ﬂower petal, and it was immediately converted into a circle of icy-blue light that expanded outward. Ultimate Ice wasn’t a joke, and this temperature that was more than a hundred degrees below zero was absolutely fatal for plants. The enormous pink ﬂower quivered, and its purple stamen rippled as a pink light immediately rippled from its body.

This light was a lot denser than the dome around them, and Huo Yuhao could feel a sense of majesty in all this.

The giant pink ﬂower shook faintly in the next moment, and the chilly energy carried by the Snow Lady’s attack vanished. A ﬁery-red streak ﬁred out from behind it. However, it wasn’t going for Huo Yuhao and the Snow Lady. Instead, it transformed into a ﬁery-red ﬂower that was similar in structure to the original ﬂower, but was one-tenth the size.

How strange! This was the ﬁrst time that Huo Yuhao had seen anything like this, and it was truly miraculous. There was no question that this enormous pink ﬂower was a plant-type soul beast, but the surprising thing was that its offensive capabilities weren’t that strong.

The ﬁery-red light didn’t come from its own body, it came from the red part of the dual-colored lake behind it!

At this moment, Huo Yuhao began to feel as if something wasn’t right. Even though he had the Ice Empress’ Armor protecting him, the air around him had become exceedingly dense, while the temperature changes were very intense. He was located at the intersection between the lake’s two parts, and this feeling was most obvious in this region. The blue lake water was cold, while the red lake water was a lot warmer. These two bodies seemed to be in conﬂict, but there was nothing one side could do to the other.

If it hadn’t been for his Ice Empress’ Armor, Huo Yuhao would have been affected by the temperature in this place with his current cultivation. This was especially true as the dense vital energy in the air around him didn’t seem very welcoming to him. He attempted to absorb a little bit of it, but was immediately impeded by the temperature shocks caused by the dual-colored lake. It felt as if these two varying temperatures had already integrated into the vital energy of heaven and earth, and that energy was now especially violent and aggressive.

But Huo Yuhao couldn’t just give up just like that. The Snow Lady raised her little hands under Huo Yuhao’s direction, and another icy-blue ray of light ﬁred out toward that enormous ﬂower.

Chapter 259: You You

This time, the ﬁery-red ﬂower that was levitating in front of the enormous pink ﬂower began to move. It rotated in the air and absorbed the icy-blue beam. The beam disappeared, while the ﬁery-red ﬂower merely dimmed a little.

The Snow Lady’s attack wasn’t that powerful, but it was still Ultimate Ice. It was absorbed and dispelled so easily, so it wasn’t difﬁcult to imagine what the red water’s temperature was like. It had to be a temperature produced by Ultimate Fire!

The large pink ﬂower seemed to have been infuriated at this moment, and every single petal began to tremble before they started to sway rhythmically, and they shifted as if they were lifting something upwards.

Huo Yuhao’s mouth hung slack as he looked on in fright. Flower after ﬂower that resembled the one that had just appeared were created from the red lake water and positioned behind this huge pink ﬂower. There were thousands of them, and they congregated behind the large pink ﬂower in throngs and masses. This fellow can actually control the strange lake water...

Huo Yuhao hadn’t imagined he would end up facing off against so many entities that originated from Ultimate Fire, and he was almost ready to tuck tail and run without any hesitation at all. However, an amicable female voice could be heard right at this moment.

“Human, it’s your good fortune that you can make it here, but I will no longer show you mercy if you continue to provoke me.”

Huo Yuhao’s charged soul thrusters were prepared to erupt before he suddenly stopped everything. He stared at the giant pink ﬂower before him with slack eyes and his jaw half-open as he mumbled, “You… you can talk?”

Huo Yuhao had encountered soul beasts who could talk before, but it was the ﬁrst time he had seen plants who could talk.

Wang Qiu’er came up beside Huo Yuhao with a ﬂash of golden light and grabbed his hand. Her face was full of anxiety as she muttered, “That’s a hundred-thousand year plant-type soul beast. Prepare to run!”

Yes, one hundred thousand years! Typically, only hundred- thousand year soul beasts could speak the human language. The Cerberus that he had seen before could speak the human language, and this peculiar giant ﬂower before him also could. This meant the ﬂower was likely to be a hundred-thousand year plant-type soul beast.

No matter how much conﬁdence Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er had in their abilities, they would never consider themselves strong enough to ﬁght a hundred-thousand year soul beast.

A hundred-thousand year soul beast was comparable to a powerful Titled Douluo, and certain especially formidable hundred-thousand year soul beasts could challenge a Transcendent Douluo. They had actually run into an unassailable problem!

“I’m not a hundred-thousand year soul beast.” The giant pink ﬂower’s petals began to open and close, and her voice was just so friendly and warm that the two of them felt extremely comfortable listening to her.

“Yes, you have an aura similar to the ice well... no wonder you could break through the Jade Phosphorous Flowers outside to reach this place.” The large ﬂower muttered under her breath, and there seemed to be a hint of excitement in her voice.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er’s soul power was completely interjoined. They glanced at each other, and they could see the astonishment in each other’s eyes. This ﬂower was clearly a hundred-thousand year soul beast, yet she claimed that she wasn’t. Furthermore, her voice sounded warm and amicable, and it didn’t seem like she harbored any intention of attacking them.

Huo Yuhao was extremely intelligent, and immediately tried to probe the ﬂower. “Greetings, senior. We’ve found our way here by accident, and we don’t know where this place is. We didn’t want to provoke or offend you, and I hope that you can forgive us.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened! It’s nothing much, I can forgive you.” It was easy to talk to this giant pink ﬂower, and the ﬁery-red ﬂowers that were ﬂoating in the sky returned to the red side of the lake and disappeared as she spoke. The pressure that Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er had faced before vanished in an instant.

Huo Yuhao didn’t lower his guard even though it was easy to talk to this large pink ﬂower. He asked once more, “Senior, I don’t know where we are. Since you can speak the human language, why do you say that you’re not a hundred-thousand year soul beast?”

The large pink ﬂower replied, “This place is called the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. That person says that this place is one of the world’s Three Great Cornucopias. Since the two of you are here by accident, then please leave as quickly as you can. You are lucky to have met me. If you had run into the other short- tempered fellows, they would probably have killed you on the spot as fertilizer. However, I haven’t seen humans for a long time, and I’m very happy to see you guys here today. Quick, talk to me, and I might even consider giving you some beneﬁts.”

The corner of Huo Yuhao’s mouth twitched, because he realized to his surprise that this amiable enormous pink ﬂower actually liked to nag! “Alright! Let me accompany you in conversation, then. The empty space around you should be considered safe, right? I haven’t asked yet, senior, what is your name?”

The large ﬂower tilted as if it were a human head that was deep in thought. “That person says that I’m a medicinal herb, and he calls me the Delicate Silk Immortal. You can call me You You.. yes, that name sounds good. Does it sound good?”

“Yes, it sounds really good.” Huo Yuhao hurriedly followed the large ﬂower’s conversation. He was thinking about something else. This ﬂower was known as the Delicate Silk Immortal, so she should also be a medicinal herb? An immortal herb, and a herb that had already evolved into a plant-type soul beast...

“You haven’t told me yet, senior. Why do you say that you’re not a hundred-thousand year soul beast?” Huo Yuhao immediately ﬁred off another question.

The Delicate Silk Immortal giggled and said, “That’s because I haven’t lived to a hundred thousand years of age. I’m only ten thousand years old. Actually, I’m a little more than ten thousand years old, but I can’t really remember anymore.”

Wang Qiu’er beside Huo Yuhao blurted out, “That’s impossible! How can you be only ten thousand years old? If you’re just ten thousand years old, it’d be impossible for you to have enough consciousness and intelligence to evolve into a plant-type soul beast. Furthermore, you can already speak!”

You You spoke with obvious pride. “I’m sure you didn’t know this, but even though I’m not a hundred-thousand year soul beast, my abilities have reached that level. The Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well nourishes us, so the plants that live here grow ten times faster than the plants in the outside world. That is the reason why I’m just ten thousand years old, but I’m equivalent to a hundred-thousand year plant. You humans are quite stupid, eh.”

Astonishment! You You made it sound so casual, but both Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er were full of surprise and awe as they heard this.

One day spent in this place was equivalent to ten days in the outside world. Plant-type soul beasts could grow ten times faster than if they were outside – what a terrifying number! That also meant that there were probably a lot more plant-type soul beasts in this place than they had initially thought, and they were probably far more frightening at the same time. It was just as the Delicate Silk Immortal had said, that it was their good fortune that they came to her before going anywhere else. No – Niu Tian’s guidance in his letter had saved them, because if they had gone somewhere else and

encountered another short-tempered and aggressive hundred- thousand year plant-type soul beast, they would probably have been dead by now.

“Hey, why aren’t you guys talking anymore? Say something, guys. Chat with me, quickly! If not, I may decide to stop protecting you. Without my protection, even the plants and the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well’s aura will harm you.”

Thoughts spun in Huo Yuhao’s head, and he quickly came to a decision. He bowed respectfully towards the Delicate Silk Immortal and said, “I’m sorry, You You, I’ve lied to you, and I am now apologizing to you. The truth is that we didn’t come here by accident, and we’re here for a purpose. Someone wants me to come here to ﬁnd a book. Have you seen this book?”

The Delicate Silk Immortal’s enormous ﬂower suddenly began to sway vigorously from side to side. “Ah, ah, ah! So you have been sent by that person. It’s actually him! How is he? I haven’t seen him for so long, and he doesn’t often come back to see everyone. Tsk, tsk.”

Truthfully, Huo Yuhao didn’t know who “he” was referring to. Was it referring to Wang Dong’er’s father or Niu Tian?

“He… he should be alright. Is that book really with you?” Huo Yuhao continued to probe.

“Yes, yes. It is.” The purple stamen in the ﬂower’s center began to sway rhythmically, and an ancient book that was crafted from some unknown material drifted into view.

Huo Yuhao was elated! Every single one of uncle Niu Tian’s words have turned out to be true. I just didn’t expect this book to be protected by a hundred-thousand year plant-type soul beast. That’s incredible! Is the Clear Sky Sect actually that powerful?

Huo Yuhao still didn’t know what other plants there were inside this place, but he was absolutely certain that this valley was ﬁlled with exotic entities and resources. Any plant here grew ten times faster than they normally would... what kind of principle was that?

“Can you give it to me, You You? Thank you.” Huo Yuhao began to feel excited as he realized that he could possibly retrieve the medicinal herb that could save Wang Dong’er’s life.

“No can do. I’ve been protecting it for ten thousand years, so how can I give it to you so easily?” You You’s answer made it sound as if she couldn’t bear to part with that book.

“Ten… ten thousand years?!” Huo Yuhao was stunned on the spot. He suddenly realized that the person that had left this book behind, the person that You You was speaking of, wasn’t Niu Tian, and neither was it Dong’er’s father. Who could that be? Ten thousand years! He left this book here for ten thousand years? That’s almost impossible to believe...

“Yes! It’s been ten thousand years. That person said that this book can only be given to his descendant, or to someone with the right destiny. Furthermore, his descendants have to undergo a test before they can claim this book. You have to do two things if you want this book: you have to prove that you’re his descendant, and then you have to pass the test. Only then can you take it.”

Huo Yuhao asked confusedly, “How can I prove that?”

The Delicate Silk Immortal’s voice became a little solemn as she said, “It’s quite dangerous if you want to prove yourself. If you are unsuccessful, then you might die; that’s the rule he left behind. He said that this place is almost like heaven on earth, and we can never let evil humans know about this place. Those that are pretending to be his descendants will have to die. I will deﬁnitely not kill you, but it’s hard to say the same about the other guys. Are you sure you want to prove that you’re his descendant?”

Huo Yuhao felt his heart skip a beat. He understood that the Delicate Silk Immortal was speaking the truth. Plant-type soul beasts could be in every corner of this place, and he probably wouldn’t even have a chance to run if they all attacked him at the same time.

Huo Yuhao’s calm and composure paid off at this moment. He pondered momentarily before he said, “You You, can you tell me how I can prove that I’m his descendant? Someone directed me here, but I do not know whether I am his descendant. I don’t wish to die, so can you tell me how I can prove that I’m his descendant? This way, I will be surer of myself.”

“Yes, alright. You have to eat an herb to test if you’re his descendant. If you survive after ingesting it, that proves that you’re his descendant, and if you die, that means you’re not.”

“Ah?” Huo Yuhao had never expected the test to be like that. There weren’t any hints or clues at all! It would be truly regrettable if he died from rashly eating some herb.

“What herb is it?” Huo Yuhao pressed the issue.

The Delicate Silk Immortal shook her large ﬂower and said, “I can’t tell you that. If you decide to take this test, then I will bring it to you.”

“No! You can’t do it.” Wang Qiu’er exclaimed almost without hesitation, and she grabbed Huo Yuhao’s arm while she stared at him anxiously. Huo Yuhao turned around to her, and his eyes were full of complicated emotions. “It’s likely that I will succeed, Qiu’er. Even though I don’t know what this thing about descendants is about, and I don’t know who the person who left this book behind ten thousand years ago was, I know that obtaining this book is the only way I can ﬁnd the medicinal herb to save Dong’er’s life. Uncle Niu Tian directed me here, and I trust that he won’t harm me. He must think that I’m a descendant of the person that left this book behind, and so he has assigned this task to me. Therefore, I am ﬁfty percent certain that I will be ﬁne.”

“No! Absolutely not.” Wang Qiu’er’s words were decisive. “Fifty percent? The other ﬁfty percent will cost you your life, don’t you know that? Do you think it’s worth it for you to die just like that? I can tell you that every single plant in this place is sophisticated, and I have studied plant-type soul beasts before. However, I do not recognize more than two-thirds of the plants in this place. Your chances of survival don’t even stand at ﬁfty percent, I don’t even think you have a thirty percent chance to survive. If you die, I…”

Wang Qiu’er suddenly realized that Huo Yuhao didn’t seem to be listening to her. His eyes seemed a little vacant, and he was looking up diagonally into the sky, as if he were thinking about something.

Yes, Huo Yuhao was thinking, and he was thinking about Wang Dong’er.

The Wang Dong that he knew surfaced continuously in his mind, to the point when Wang Dong became Wang Dong’er.

Wang Dong was his arrogant dormmate, and then became his best buddy. They cultivated together, studied together, and teacher Zhou Yi scolded them when they were late together…

They fought side by side in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, and they fought with everything they had to defend Shrek’s honor and glory…

At the Sea God’s Fate on Sea God’s Lake, the Raiment of Light had been heavily imprinted in the deepest parts of his heart.

The truth was that he had felt that something wasn’t right with Wang Dong a long time ago, and had wanted to test her gender when they met again. However, he didn’t have to investigate anything, and she revealed her gender to him during the Sea God’s Fate.

Chapter 260: Polycoria

Mutual Feelings, Love at First Sight, Love at Second Sight, Destined in Three Lives, Eternal Love!

Huo Yuhao couldn’t forget about everything that had happened that day, and how beautiful she was. She’s the Clear Sky Sect’s little princess, but she still chose me without any regrets or complaints...

He could never forget the nights that he had shared with her, every night when they stayed together beneath the same roof, the same window, and every night when they cultivated together…

Huo Yuhao was absolutely certain that Wang Dong’er would give everything she had for him, too. He could feel the love she had for him, she had become a lot gentler than before, and her love for him drove this personality change. Everything fell into his eyes.

He could clearly remember that Wang Dong’er had shyly told him when she gave him the pouch that her ﬁrst uncle had told her she could only give the pouch to him when she was completely sure that he was the one. This meant she was giving her entire life to him.

“Dong’er…” Tears trickled down Huo Yuhao’s cheeks. His eyes were full of the memories he had of her.

I miss you so much, Dong’er.

Wang Qiu’er looked identical to Wang Dong’er, and she was standing right next to him. However, he felt as if Dong’er was so far away from him, as if she were on the other side of the world. He really wanted to take her into his embrace at this moment.

Wang Qiu’er was stunned as she watched Huo Yuhao’s tears roll down his face. This wasn’t the ﬁrst time she had seen him cry, but for some reason, she felt her heart grow cold this time. It’s obvious that his tears aren’t ﬂowing for me… is he thinking about her?

Is she really that good? But we look exactly the same! Why?

Why is this happening?

Huo Yuhao suppressed his emotions and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes as he softly pulled away Wang Qiu’er’s arm that was holding on to his own.

“You’re right, my chances of survival aren’t great.” Huo Yuhao began to speak, his expression once again calm and composed.

Wang Qiu’er was delighted. She was about to say something before Huo Yuhao turned towards the Delicate Silk Immortal and said, “You You, will I be able to leave this place in peace if I decide not to try?”

You You said, “Yes. As long as you don’t touch anything else in this place, and you’re not afraid of the intense poisons outside, then you can leave as and when you want to.” There was no question that she had a lot of self-conﬁdence in her speech. It was still hard to say exactly how many hidden dangers there were inside this valley. At the very least, You You was conﬁdent enough that she wasn’t afraid of Huo Yuhao bringing outsiders into the place. Perhaps there were more hundred-thousand year plant-type soul beasts in this place then everywhere else on the Continent combined. Huo Yuhao nodded and told her, “Thank you.”

He turned around and stared at Wang Qiu’er. Wang Qiu’er returned his gaze with a complicated expression in her eyes and said, “Let’s go.”

“Alright.” Huo Yuhao nodded his head gently, but his eyes were still welling up with tears.

Wang Qiu’er took the initiative to grab his hand. Even though the Delicate Silk Immortal had said she wouldn’t stop them from leaving, there were still many other dangers in this place, and it was still a lot safer for them to maintain their martial soul fusion.

However, just when Wang Qiu’er began to infuse her soul power into Huo Yuhao, she realized that her soul power didn’t connect with his.

“You…” Wang Qiu’er glanced at him in surprise. Huo Yuhao’s wrist suddenly ﬂipped around at this moment, and he used the Tang Sect’s Arresting Technique to accurately pinch Wang Qiu’er’s carpal vein as he injected soul power into her. Wang Qiu’er immediately felt as if half her body had become extremely numb.

Huo Yuhao then raised his right palm and sliced down onto her neck. Wang Qiu’er’s pretty eyes were ﬁxed on Huo Yuhao with a look of incredulity, but her body still crumpled downwards like a rag doll. Not in her wildest dreams did she expect Huo Yuhao to attack her!

Huo Yuhao pulled gently and supported her waist with his right hand as he carefully placed her ﬂat on the ground.

Huo Yuhao was very apologetic as he said, “I’m sorry, Qiu’er. I know you won’t let me make this choice if I don’t do this to you. Yes, you’re right; it’s very likely that I will fail this test. However, if I don’t even have the courage to try it, I will be letting Dong’er down.”

His expression became extremely relaxed when he uttered the last few words. Huo Yuhao gazed into the horizon and said, “We are bound to do crazy things from time to time in our lives. Dong’er, my only hope is that I can see you again.” “Whew… you’re such an idiot!” Skydream’s voice rang out in Huo Yuhao’s mind.

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned, and he frowned faintly as he replied, “Are you going to stop me too, brother Skydream? I…”

Skydream said plainly, “That’s enough, you don’t have to say anything more. Just do it. Why would I stop you? If the Ice Empress were the one that was injured, I wouldn’t cower away, either! Furthermore, you’re underestimating how strong your body is. Don’t forget that your body has absorbed Life Gold before, and you possess Ultimate Ice as well. You went through so much suffering when you fused with the Ice Empress back then, and the circumstances were so difﬁcult, but you did it anyway. Your willpower is far superior to that of the average person, and I don’t believe you will die just from eating some herb.”

Huo Yuhao said, “What if it’s poison?”

Skydream grunted and said, “It’ll be perfect if it’s poison. Do you know the Delicate Silk Immortal’s identity? She’s so high up in the hierarchy that she can be considered above the other immortal-level herbs. I think most of the other plant-type soul beasts within the valley will listen to her command. I am also a soul beast, and I can feel that she doesn’t harbor any hostility against you. What’s more important is that the Delicate Silk Immortal possesses formidable resistance against poison. The reason why there aren’t any other plants growing around her is because she is the natural counter to all toxins. With her beside you, all you have to do is breathe vigorously even if you’ve been poisoned. It would be quite hard to die from it even if you wanted to.”

Huo Yuhao’s eyes grew a little slack. “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier? If I could have explained to that to her, then I wouldn’t have had to knock her unconscious. When she wakes up, I…”

Skydream’s tone was a little arrogant as he said, “I just woke up.”

“Alright, you win.”

He had been so sure he was going to die, but that negative thought was immediately converted into absolute conﬁdence after he listened to Skydream’s consolations. Yes! How can an herb kill me? I don’t believe that.

Huo Yuhao’s thoughts stopped here as he stepped before the Delicate Silk Immortal. He lowered his voice and said, “Please give me that herb. I am willing to undergo this assessment.”

“Hehe! That’s great! You’re so courageous. Let me think, what should I give you?” The Delicate Silk Immortal was clearly quite ecstatic, and her enormous pink blossom was tossing from side to side.

Huo Yuhao immediately became despondent. What’s happening? Has she not decided upon the herb way before this? Why is she making an impromptu decision? This Delicate Silk Immortal is so eccentric…!

The Delicate Silk Immortal seemed to detect the changes in his emotions. She spoke with a scolding voice, “Don’t worry. I’ve been alive for far too long, so it’s normal that my memory isn’t fantastic. Let me take a look at you.” A purple beam of light ﬂoated out from her stamen as she spoke and landed on Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao maintained his vigilance, but the Delicate Silk Immortal’s ability arrived with no warning, and he couldn’t detect anything with his Spiritual Detection, either. This meant the Delicate Silk Immortal was stronger than he was in every possible way, and if he wanted to stop it, he could only meet force with force, because he had no chance of avoiding it.

Fortunately, the purple beam didn’t contain any hostility at all. The Delicate Silk Immortal withdrew it after a while and muttered to herself, “So, that’s the case. Let me give you this.”

Another purple beam shot out from her stamen as she spoke. This purple beam ﬁred into the distance, and reached one hundred meters across the valley before it landed in a patch of vegetation.

The purple beam paused momentarily before it was withdrawn. Huo Yuhao had powerful eyes, and he could instantly tell that there was a single plant at the other end of it now. This herb was entirely unassuming, and its entire body was bluish-green. What was strange was that the plant had three snowy-white leaves in the center, and there were several drops of water in the middle of these leaves, as if they were the remnants of the morning’s dew.

Huo Yuhao knew nothing about this herb. He had no idea what it was, and the herb was quickly brought before him under the Delicate Silk Immortal’s guidance.

It was impossible for Huo Yuhao not to be nervous. This herb could be mortally dangerous to him, after all! Huo Yuhao’s eyes focused as he stared at the herb. “You You, how should I consume it?”

The Delicate Silk Immortal answered, “First, let me ask you a question. You’ve come to the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well today, and no matter who told you about it, you must have a reason for being here. What are you doing here?”

Huo Yuhao lowered his voice and said, “I’m here in search of a magical herb, called the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. I need it to save someone’s life.” The Delicate Silk Immortal said, “Yes, that must be it. I knew nobody would attempt to go through all those poison clouds for no reason at all. Lift your head and open your mouth.”

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. It was impossible for him not to be hesitant about something that concerned his life or death. However, the thought that Dong’er could collapse in front of him and there would be nothing he could do about it ﬂashed across his mind, and whatever hesitation he had before vanished into thin air. He gradually raised his head and opened his mouth, his eyes even more determined now.

The Delicate Silk Immortal controlled the herb and slowly brought it before Huo Yuhao. She tilted the plant, and the transparent dewdrop-like water droplets on its leaves immediately ﬂowed into Huo Yuhao’s mouth.

Huo Yuhao felt a sweet taste ﬂow down his throat, and a crisp aroma that refreshed his heart and mind immediately ﬁlled every corner of his body.

Is this poisonous? Why does it taste so good? Huo Yuhao was still thinking to himself when he realized to his surprise that the herb was rapidly wilting away after the dewdrop-like liquid ﬂowed into his mouth. The plant became a pile of dust in no time, and all it left behind were a few seed-like pods.

Purple light ﬂashed, and these tiny seeds ﬂew far away into the distance. Nobody knew what the Delicate Silk Immortal had in mind for them.

There’s no reaction at all? Huo Yuhao immediately channeled and circulated his soul power after ingesting those droplets as he protected his internal organs.

Huo Yuhao discovered that the liquid worked similarly to the Delicate Silk Immortal’s fragrance. It was extremely easy absorb it, and the liquid immediately became part of him once he ingested it, so there was no way he could separate it with his soul power. He didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, clean and refreshing sensations coursed over his entire body, feeling very comfortable.

Huo Yuhao didn’t dare to delay. He sat down cross-legged and quietly felt all the delicate changes that were happening to his body.

It didn’t take long before the thing he was waiting for arrived.

The refreshing sensations extended across his entire body at ﬁrst, but that feeling gradually started to withdraw and follow his veins through his limbs as they travelled upward towards his head. This poison targets the head? Huo Yuhao felt his heart skip a beat. The brain was the most intricate part of the human body, and it was also the most important part, as the spiritual sea was located inside the brain. If toxins damaged the brain, even if he survived the ordeal, he could lose his rationality and his ability to think.

Huo Yuhao controlled his soul power, and his soul power immediately congregated into seven defensive lines at breakneck speed. These defensive lines webbed over his body in an attempt to block that fresh and chilly feeling from pushing up into his head. He reached downward with his spiritual power at the same time and combined it with his soul power, so that he could make use of the Sovereign Descent’s mystical effects.

From Huo Yuhao’s perspective, fusing his soul power and his spiritual power provided an all-round defense, and was probably enough to barricade that peculiar herb’s effects.

However, Huo Yuhao realized he was wrong when the refreshing sensation surged up into his head. The herb’s effects didn’t travel along his passageways like his soul power did! The sensation had integrated into his veins, and it circulated through his body along with his blood!

Huo Yuhao reacted quickly once he discovered this, and he swiftly sealed off his veins and passageways.

This response was effective. His veins stopped circulating, and since the herb’s effects were sealed within his veins, they also stopped ﬂowing through his body.

Huo Yuhao heaved a faint sigh of relief, but he quickly realized that he was just being daft. How long could he seal off his veins and passageways? Completely sealing off his veins meant that he was stopping his heart from beating. Even though he was a powerful Soul King, he could probably only keep this up for several minutes before he would die from the lack of oxygen.

If the herb’s effects were concentrated in one place, he could let blood from his body into that area so that he could expel the toxin from his body. However, the problem was that the herb’s effects were pouring in from every single part of his body! That meant that there was no way he could completely expel the toxin from his body unless he drained every single ounce of blood that he had. What kind of herb is this? It’s so ﬁerce and formidable. Huo Yuhao’s mind began to work at lightning speed as countless thoughts surfaced in his mind in an attempt to ﬁnd a solution. However, his efforts were was futile; he couldn’t ﬁnd an appropriate response for this problem.

He had now kept his veins sealed for a little too long, and he began to feel weak and suffocated. He couldn’t keep this up for much longer.

That’s it… looks like I can only take the hit.

Huo Yuhao recalled what Skydream had just said to him, that toxins were useless as long as he was around the Delicate Silk Immortal. Since that was the case, then it was possible that the Delicate Silk Immortal hadn’t given him poison. If so, then what could possibly happen to him if the herb’s effects integrated with his body? He could only truly feel how it would affect his body through the integration process.

It was better to try it than to let himself die from suffocation. With that in mind, Huo Yuhao gradually withdrew his spiritual power back into his spiritual sea, before slowly reopening his veins so that his blood could ﬂow once more.

The refreshing feelings appeared as soon as his veins were released. The sensations continued ﬂowing upward through his veins, and slowly congregated towards his head.

Huo Yuhao concentrated all his attention on the ﬂow of these sensations. The clean and refreshing feeling quickly reached across his chest, but didn’t attack his heart in any way as it continued travelling upward, just as he had suspected.

The sensations swiftly crossed his neck. Even though Huo Yuhao was controlling the speed of his blood ﬂow, the refreshing feeling was bound to continue upward as it ﬂowed along with his blood. The sensations rushed into Huo Yuhao’s head, but they didn’t launch an attack against his spiritual sea or against his brain – they just exploded.

This eruption made Huo Yuhao momentarily confused and hysterical. He felt a cold and clean-feeling wave burst across his brain, and there was an indescribable restrictive feeling about everything. The sensations then began to congregate towards his eyes as if they were all rivers ﬂowing into an ocean. Oh no! Huo Yuhao lost his composure as he suddenly considered a possibility. What did the Delicate Silk Immortal discover when she surveyed his body? She was trying to inspect his martial soul! His martial soul was his Spirit Eyes, so the Delicate Silk Immortal picked an herb that speciﬁcally

targeted his Spirit Eyes.

The intensely refreshing feeling had completely covered his eyes at this moment. Huo Yuhao felt as if his Spirit Eyes were being continuously rinsed by a peculiar force, as if something was being continuously injected inside them. What confused him was the fact that he didn’t feel any agonizing sensations at all, and though he tried everything to make this feeling disappear, nothing worked. He couldn’t do anything even when he sealed off his veins and blood ﬂow.

Does she want to obliterate my Spirit Eyes? That was what Huo Yuhao was most afraid of. However, he was already stuck in this situation, and the only thing he could do was channel his soul and spiritual power, and do all he could to protect his Spirit Eyes.

His Spirit Eyes were neither fragile nor weak. They were his main martial soul, and had been cultivated constantly through the Purple Demon Eyes, so they could in fact be considered powerful and formidable. Simply put, even if Huo Yuhao’s eyes were stabbed by normal metal, it was unlikely they would be hurt.

Spiritual power circulated around and through his Spirit Eyes. The refreshing sensation’s backﬂow and absorption seemed extremely quick, and the feelings gradually disappeared. Huo Yuhao became increasingly nervous. He was most afraid that this peculiar force would erupt again after integrating into his body, and completely destroy his Spirit Eyes.

The clean and fresh feeling slowly became ﬁery warmth. His eyes felt as if they were being bathed in lukewarm water, and his soul power and spiritual power became supplements for absorbing the herb’s effects. Huo Yuhao didn’t feel any pain, nor did he experience the eruption that he was expecting. Instead, he could feel an unprecedented degree of comfort in his eyes. The energy that had been injected into his eyes was nourishing his Spirit Eyes, and every pulse of absorption made him feel incredibly comfortable.

This… is this actually a harmful herb? Doubt ﬁnally surfaced in Huo Yuhao’s mind. Can it be that I am that person’s chosen one, the person that the Delicate Silk Immortal speaks of? It seems like my judgment was correct. Uncle Niu Tian dared to send me here, and that means I should be able to pass the assessment in front of me.

His anxieety slowly faded, and he began to regain his composure. Huo Yuhao continued channeling his soul power and spiritual power as he began to catalyze his absorption of the herb’s medicinal effects.

The girl that he had knocked unconscious came to right at this moment.

Wang Qiu’er possessed the Golden Dragon martial soul, and her physical capabilities were extremely powerful, and Huo Yuhao hadn’t used that much force when he sliced down on her neck. It didn’t take too long before she naturally recovered by herself.

Wang Qiu’er couldn’t be bothered with being angry when she saw Huo Yuhao sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. She didn’t even have to think to guess what he had done. “You’re such an idiot!” Wang Qiu’er cursed under her breath, her large pinkish-blue eyes full of worry and anxiety. She targeted the Delicate Silk Immortal in the next moment, and pointed the Golden Dragon Spear in her hands as she exclaimed, “What… what did you give him?”

The Delicate Silk Immortal giggled and said, “I have given him something good, of course. But I won’t give it to you even if you want it.”

Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “Listen… if something happens to him, I will make sure you die right where you are even if I have to pay with my life. I may even destroy everything else in this place. You’d better pray that nothing happens to him.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal was a little surprised as she said, “You sound like you have a lot of self-conﬁdence. Where is your conﬁdence coming from?”

Wang Qiu’er looked up at the sky as she gradually raised the Golden Dragon Spear in her hands. Her body became a little translucent, and a strange energy ﬂowed from her body in the next moment. She was shining with a faint scarlet-gold light. This light wasn’t intense, and neither were there any soul power undulations. However, the Delicate Silk Immortal’s enormous ﬂower trembled when this scarlet-golden light appeared, and even the plants around them started to quiver faintly.

“You… how can you possess a power like that? You, you…” The Delicate Silk Immortal’s voice was no longer smooth, as if she had suddenly recalled something.

The scarlet-gold light was withdrawn as Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “Tell me what you’ve given him, and whether he will be alright. I will make sure everyone else will die with him if he dies.”

“Calm down. I didn’t give him anything bad,” the Delicate Silk Immortal explained hurriedly, as if she were a little fearful of Wang Qiu’er now.

“You didn’t give him anything bad?” Wang Qiu’er asked doubtfully. “No!” The Delicate Silk Immortal continued, “That person left this rule behind all those years ago, and this rule is targeted at the people who come to this place in search of medicine and herbs to save someone’s life. The truth is that there isn’t a ﬁxed herb for all these adventurers, and I choose the herb on a case-by-case basis. First, I have to be sure that the adventurer is here to save a life, and then I have to see whether the adventurer has the courage to consume the herb that I’ll eventually give him. If the adventurer decides to consume this herb, that proves he or she has the courage, and this adventurer is willing to sacriﬁce his or her own life to save someone else. I will approve of a person like this, and this adventurer will be worthy of undergoing the subsequent assessment.”

Wang Qiu’er’s eyes grew vacant as her jaw hung slack. “This… what’s going on?” She turned back towards Huo Yuhao, where she saw a scarlet-gold sphere hovering above his head, while scarlet-gold light threads gradually wove and integrated themselves into his eyes.

The Delicate Silk Immortal said, “That person said that this is a test of a person’s personality, and a person cannot be evil if he or she is willing to sacriﬁce his or her life for someone else. Yes, he’s courageous enough, and I’ve given him a mystical herb that’s extremely suitable for him, and he should be thanking me. Please don’t use that ability that you just showed me. Even though it’s likely that we won’t be able to resist it, you will deﬁnitely die along with us.”

Wang Qiu’er grunted coldly and said, “Why would I ﬁght you to the death if you hadn’t threatened us? This guy is so foolish, but he has his fool’s luck. The person that you speak of is a real bastard...”

Somewhere deep within the clouds in some unknown place, that person unwittingly sneezed…

The Delicate Silk Immortal was a little displeased as she said, “You are not allowed to speak ill of him, he’s a very good person. He could have destroyed us all when he ﬁrst came here, but he didn’t, and he even gave us a general plan so that we could use the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well’s effects to grow as quickly as we could. He’s our savior! Otherwise, I wouldn’t help him at all!”

Huo Yuhao did proﬁt from his misfortune, after all. The refreshing feeling in his eyes gradually disappeared. He felt as if his spiritual power had been boosted, and that this transformation was qualitative rather than quantitative. The water inside his spiritual sea was originally golden, but there was now a blurry purple layer of light hovering above it. Both colors merged together to become a beautiful hue of purple-gold.

Huo Yuhao’s entire spiritual sea was now in his grasp when he willed it so, and even Skydream, who had transformed into a ring on his ﬁnger, had a faint purple layer encircling him.

The vertical eye above his spiritual sea that represented the Eye of Destiny didn’t change much. That also meant that the herb had only affected his Spirit Eyes.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes after the last of the herb’s effects had been assimilated. He realized to his intense shock that the world had become entirely different when he perceived it again.

The world around him seemed to be a lot more colorful than before. His eyes could detect the most delicate and intricate changes in his surroundings, and he could see the peculiarities of every detail even when he didn’t release his martial soul. Huo Yuhao looked up at the sky above him. What he saw wasn’t those rainbow-colored poison clouds. Instead, he saw countless minute particles, and he could distinguish each particle’s color even though he was quite far from them.

Huo Yuhao turned back towards the Delicate Silk Immortal, and he realized that he could see the vast life energy circulating inside her. This life energy was a faint pink color, and it wove continually between her petals, stamen, and neck. He could even see what the energy undulations were like in the lake behind her.

Huo Yuhao released his Spirit Eyes – he subconsciously wanted to try and see how his body would react with his Spirit Eyes activated – and he discovered that time began to slow.

Huo Yuhao scrutinized everything with his Spirit Eyes. Not only did everything become a lot clearer than before, but everything seemed to also slow down. This sensation was just too strange, to the point where he almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

What he had just ingested wasn’t a harmful herb, it was a mystical herb that was exceedingly beneﬁcial for his Spirit Eyes!

This feeling clearly represented the Purple Demon Eyes’ highest level!

Of the Purple Demon Eye’s four different realms, Huo Yuhao had already reached the third realm. However, he had now ferociously broken through the third realm to reach the ﬁnal realm, Mustard Seed. The ability to see even the smallest details represented the highest possible realm. Furthermore, his spiritual power also began to evolve along with his Spirit Eyes.

Huo Yuhao activated Spiritual Detection, as this was the soul skill that he used most often. When he did, he could see faint purplish-golden light radiating outwards, with his Spirit Eyes at the center. Everything that this purple light reached was presented in his mind as clear as could be, and he could now use Spiritual Detection on the Delicate Silk Immortal where it had failed utterly before.

This… is this a crystallization of spiritual power? It’s a qualitative change, it really is! “This isn’t an actual crystallization of your spiritual power – true crystallization should mean your spiritual power should have both form and substance, and I never reached that level even when I was at the pinnacle of my cultivation. My spiritual power is extremely vast, as I have accumulated it for a million

years. If I had reached the realm where my spiritual power had both form and substance, heh, those bastards in the Great Star Dou Forest would have scampered away.” Skydream’s voice was clearly a little excited. He was the happiest one when he witnessed the transformations occurring within Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Eyes and to his spiritual power. Skydream was Huo Yuhao’s spirit, and that meant Skydream was a direct beneﬁciary of all of this, too!

Huo Yuhao hurriedly asked mentally, “Brother Skydream – what realm am I in now?”

Skydream answered, “I think you’ve already entered the metaphysical realm, even though you’re just at the beginner level. However, this realm is an important checkpoint that ninety-nine percent of spiritual-type soul masters and soul beasts absolutely have to cross. I originally imagined that it would have been quite impressive if you could reach that realm within ten years, but who knew? You have skyrocketed to this realm after eating that thing. You will understand when you listen to my explanation...

“When your spiritual power has form but no substance, you can even use spiritual power to suppress your Ultimate Ice soul power, and you can envelop your soul power when you cultivate so that it will no longer affect your body. Your cultivation speed will no longer be affected by Ultimate Ice, not

in the least. Your cultivation speed after this can even surpass that of normal soul masters, while every single spiritual-type soul skill that you possess has undergone a qualitative change as well.

“You can absorb another portion of the spiritual origin that I’ve sealed away in your spiritual sea. I will help you with that when we return, so that you can completely consolidate your position in this realm.

“When you have cultivated long enough that you’ve reached the pinnacle of this realm, then you can attempt to break through into the realm where your spiritual power has both form and substance. Once you’ve reached that stage, nobody else in the world can challenge you in terms of spiritual power!”

This pleasant surprise was simply too great. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power had been strengthened exponentially, while his overall abilities had also risen by an entire level. Even though his soul power wasn’t boosted at all, his spiritual power had changed qualitatively to the point where he had reached the metaphysical realm, and that meant improvements in his soul power weren’t that far away.

“Hey, hey...are you alright?” An extremely displeased voice suddenly jolted Huo Yuhao awake from his pleasant surprise.

Wang Qiu’er had seen him open his eyes, and then she realized that he was just smiling foolishly to himself. Wang Qiu’er was startled when his eyes began to shine with a faint purplish-golden light that began to extend outwards, because she had a feeling as though she was completely naked and exposed to a certain someone’s vision. The feeling of being stripped naked didn’t feel so good, and Huo Yuhao’s pupils had also began to undergo some peculiar transformations.

His pupils were originally pure black in color, but there now seemed to be another pupil within them – this pupil was purple, and the two pupils in a single eye became purple and gold when he released his Spirit Eyes. Everything looked extremely strange and peculiar. “This is… is this your body soul’s second awakening?” Wang Qiu’er asked in surprise.

Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. “My body soul’s second awakening? I don’t think so...”

Wang Qiu’er handed him a mirror. “Look at your eyes! Why would there be such a tremendous transformation if your body soul hasn’t been awakened for the second time?”

Huo Yuhao was also overcome with astonishment when he took the mirror and stared at his own pupils.

I have four pupils now! I… I actually have polycoria! This is the White Tiger Duke’s iconic polycoria!

Back in the day, he had been despised as the runt of the litter because he didn’t have polycoria, and the others in the duke’s mansion looked down on him for that. His martial soul had mutated because of the genes that his mother had passed down to him, and this made everyone treat him like a useless piece of trash. If… if I had been born with polycoria, and inherited the White Tiger Duke’s White Tiger martial soul, the duke’s wife would have never dared to treat my mother like she did, no matter how outrageous she was. Oh heavens, do you know how unfair you were to me and my mother? Why did you have to torment us like that?

Huo Yuhao felt countless emotions rush to his head as these thoughts ran through his mind. His Spirit Eyes had evolved, and it was likely that his martial soul had been awakened for the second time, so he should be happy. However, he couldn’t feel happy at all, and his mother’s image ﬁlled every corner of his mind.

“Eh, are you so touched and grateful that you’ve been overcome with astonishment?” the Delicate Silk Immortal asked curiously.

Huo Yuhao gradually calmed his emotions, but his eyes were still full of sullenness and grief.

Wang Qiu’er wanted to get him back for knocking her unconscious after he woke up. However, she could see the dejection in his eyes, and she swallowed everything that she wanted to say.

“What’s up?” Wang Qiu’er touched his shoulder gently.

Huo Yuhao shook his head and got to his feet. “My Spirit Eyes and my spiritual power have undergone some transformations after I absorbed that herb. You’re right, it’s possible that this is the second awakening of my Spirit Eyes, but I can’t be sure at the moment.”

Wang Qiu’er said, “You should really thank You You.” She immediately repeated everything that You You had said to her before this.

This was the test? Huo Yuhao was no longer that little resentful and vengeful youth that he had been when he ﬁrst departed from the Duke’s mansion. His grief was ﬂeeting, and he quickly recovered from it.

“You You, if I hadn’t taken that herb and I decided to leave with Wang Qiu’er, what would you have done?” Huo Yuhao didn’t directly express his gratitude, and asked this question instead.

The Delicate Silk Immortal heaved a sigh. “Why are you so smart? A question like this hurts our relationship. If you hadn’t taken the herb, that would only mean that you’re not determined and you’re extremely selﬁsh. How would a person like this not tell anyone else about this place? Even though we are conﬁdent in being self-sufﬁcient and of defending ourselves, there are just too many humans, and we can’t be sure if we can protect our home in the end. According to that person, we can do what we want to you. If you had the ability to break through from here, then you should be allowed to leave.”

Chapter 261: The Blazing Delicate Apricot's Test

Wang Qiu’er was taken aback, and her eyes immediately grew sharp. She understood now, the Delicate Silk Immortal had made thing very clear. If Huo Yuhao hadn’t chosen to risk his life to ingest that herb, they would probably have faced an all- out assault from the plant-type soul beasts around the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. There was no need to discuss the other plants around them, as the hundred-thousand year Delicate Silk Immortal herself wasn’t a force that they could deal with. In other words, Huo Yuhao’s impulsiveness had actually saved their lives!

Huo Yuhao’s expression was calm. His spiritual sea had been boosted once more, and his mind had become more transparent and clearer than before. That outcome was something that he had guessed would happen, so it didn’t come as a surprise to him.

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh and said, “It seems like I’ve been blessed with a fortuitous opportunity among all the dangers and perils. That means, You You, I don’t have to thank you. What I want to know is, what test will I have to go through after this? What test will I have to complete to obtain that book?”

The Delicate Silk Immortal puffed indignantly and said, “You should still thank me. Look, the Fullmoon Piercing Autumn Dew I chose for you is so compatible with you. Even though the Fullmoon Piercing Autumn Dew can’t be considered the best magical herb around here, it’s still ranked amongst the immortal herbs, and it’s also one of the most appropriate herbs for you in this place. Furthermore, it’s the easiest to absorb. I didn’t let you feel any pain or suffering at all!”

Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “But I’ve sustained a lot of emotional pain. Alright, thank you, then. You can tell me about the test I have to go through now.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal was satisﬁed as she said, “That’s better. The test before this has proven that your personality is trustworthy. That means, the subsequent test will be about your abilities. You can’t protect this book even if you have it if you’re not strong enough, yes? Therefore, according to what that person said, you have to display sufﬁcient ability before you can take this book. You will have to ﬁght against a soul beast suitable for your level to prove that you have sufﬁcient strength. This combat…”

“Wait, can you get to the point?” Huo Yuhao had no choice but to interrupt the Delicate Silk Immortal, as she was just too long-winded. If he were to let her continue like this, he would probably start feeling dizzy by the time there was a conclusion.

The Delicate Silk Immortal grunted and said, “It hasn’t been easy for me to ﬁnd someone to talk to, and you’re not going to let me talk more? Do you have any courtesy left in you? Hmph, I will choose a strong one for you, then. Ah Jiao, Ah Jiao, are you there? Please answer me if you are!”

Ah Jiao? Huo Yuhao’s eyes focused, and a strange event occurred. The four pupils in his eyes ﬂickered at the same time, and his dual pupils fused together, with the purple pupil behind and his black pupil in front. The purple pupil was slightly larger, and it appeared as if his black pupil had a purple light around it.

Huo Yuhao released his Spirit Eyes, and purple and black light sparkled at the same time. If one didn’t inspect them closely, one would only be able to see that his eyes had become entirely purple-golden. He hadn’t released his Purple Demon Eyes, and yet his eyes were already purple-gold. “Ah Jiao, Ah Jiao, please answer me! Otherwise, I’m going to disturb you.” The Delicate Silk Immortal’s petals began to ﬂap around as she spoke, and a white streak of light appeared from the white part of the lake before condensing in the air as ice crystals. The crystals instantly lined up in a formation as they pushed towards the center of the shore on the red side.

“You’re so irritating, You You, you garrulous thing. You’re interrupting my pleasant dreams again!” an intensely displeased voice was ﬁnally heard. It was also a female voice. However, her voice was a lot brighter and crisper, and she didn’t have You You’s tenderness. Her voice sounded a little more... valiant?

A red sphere lit up on the red lake’s shore in the distance, and Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er could ﬁnally see where this other enormous talking ﬂower was located.

This plant was completely ﬁery-red. It didn’t really look like a ﬂower, and was instead extremely tall. It was almost ten feet tall, while the open ﬂower was slightly smaller than the Delicate Silk Immortal in diameter, and in the shape of a cabbage. Its entire body seemed like it had been sculpted from red rubies. It glowed once more, and the temperature of the air inside the valley rose a little bit.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er were both highly resistant to heat, but they could still feel heatwaves smacking them in the face, and they instinctively channeled their soul power to ﬁght against them.

The Delicate Silk Immortal said, “Ah Jiao, can’t you see that we have visitors? You shall conduct this assessment. I can lift a burden off my chest if he can pass this test.”

The plant referred to as Ah Jiao answered, “What burden do you have to lift? Isn’t it just about the crystals that we have cultivated for many years? I sincerely hope that nobody comes to visit us.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal giggled and said, “What’s wrong with that? We don’t have any use for the crystals even if we keep them. Furthermore, he may not even pass your test. Without that person’s help all those years ago, we would have ceased to exist. Why do you have to be so petty? If you are that unwilling, then I will let Aniseed do it. This will prove that Aniseed is more powerful than you are.” “Nonsense! How is that scoundrel stronger than me? It’s obvious that I’m stronger, so you shut up! Come here, little boy, and let me teach you a lesson. Please bugger off from this place as soon as you lose.”

The ﬁery-red plant trembled, and a red beam of light soared from her body into the sky. A strange scene appeared – the dense vegetation in the valley suddenly opened a path as the plants on the ground separated to either side, and a path was created all the way from the Delicate Silk Immortal to where the ﬁery-red plant was located.

The Delicate Silk Immortal said to Huo Yuhao, “Go, go! Ah Jiao’s temper isn’t so good, and she is known as the Blazing Delicate Apricot. She’s a ﬁre-type immortal herb, and she’s extremely hot. Furthermore, you will be affected by the Blazing Sunspring when you’re ﬁghting over there.”

Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly and said, “She is a hundred- thousand year soul beast, and I only have ﬁve soul rings. She has every advantage possible, doesn’t that mean I’m just throwing my life away if I carry on with this test?” The Delicate Silk Immortal said, “Are you stupid? I never said that you have to defeat her. All you have to do is pass the test. Quickly, now! You cannot ask me how you can pass this test, as everyone does it differently. It’s all up to you now!”

Huo Yuhao knew that he couldn’t back down at a time like this. Furthermore, for some reason, his other senses had risen to another level after his Spirit Eyes evolved, and he could even detect a little bit of another person’s thoughts and feelings. For instance, he could feel intense worry and anxiety from Wang Qiu’er beside him, while he didn’t feel any hostility or evil intentions from the Delicate Silk Immortal. It felt like this large ﬂower and the plants around them no longer harbored any hostility or aggression towards them after he had passed the ﬁrst test.

Huo Yuhao was naturally a lot more conﬁdent than before with this realization. He nodded in Wang Qiu’er’s direction before he widened his stride and stepped onto the path that the plants had opened.

Wang Qiu’er hurriedly attempted to follow him, but the plants before her immediately closed up and sealed off her path. Voluminous vines swept into the sky and transformed into a barricade that prevented her from moving forward.

“You can’t go. This is a test that he has to face by himself!” the Delicate Silk Immortal’s voice rang out.

Wang Qiu’er shot a cold glare at her and said, “Have you forgotten what I said before this?”

“Uh… don’t be like that. Okay, okay, I’ll just tell you secretly. No danger will come to him even if he fails the test, as everybody is now treating him like a friend after he passed the personality test. Come, chat with me. The two of you can leave in peace even if he doesn’t pass this test.”

Wang Qiu’er glanced at her. She wasn’t afraid that the ﬂower was lying to her, and so she decided to sit down on the spot. However, she didn’t utter a single sound, let alone chat with the Delicate Silk Immortal.

The Delicate Silk Immortal was becoming a little bored and dejected. Her large pink ﬂower began to droop as she muttered under her breath, “You’re not interesting at all. You think you possess…” “Shut up!” Wang Qiu’er ﬁred off another ﬁery glare as golden light erupted and an intimidating look ﬂowed from her pinkish-blue eyes. The plants around her arched backward conspicuously, as if they had been blown back by a gust of strong wind.

The Delicate Silk Immortal said hurriedly, “Alright, alright!

Calm down, calm down! I’ll just stop talking...”

Huo Yuhao didn’t hear their conversation, as his attention had been locked entirely onto the Blazing Delicate Apricot ever since he stepped onto the path created by those plants.

There was no question that she was a formidable ﬁre-type plant soul beast, and she was a hundred-thousand year soul beast as well. He knew that he was no match for her, but according to what the Delicate Silk Immortal had said, he didn’t have to defeat her. Since that was the case, then all he could do was give everything he had.

The Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well comprised two lakes, but its surface area wasn’t that big. Huo Yuhao stepped forward steadily and quickly followed the path to where the Blazing Delicate Apricot was located.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot was clearly a lot ﬁercer than the Delicate Silk Immortal was. Not a single plant grew within two hundred feet around her, and the plants that lived beyond two hundred feet were mostly red, or close to red. There was no question that they were all ﬁre-type plants.

Huo Yuhao didn’t know much about this mystical place, but he had been observing everything around him ever since he had arrived. He had discovered through his observations that the plants in this mystical cornucopia had their own hierarchy. The plants that were located closer to the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well were either highly resistant to intense chill or intense heat, or they were extremely compatible with these temperatures. That also meant the plants closer to the lake were stronger than the others. The Delicate Silk Immortal and the Blazing Delicate Apricot grew by the lakeshore, and there was no doubt that these two ﬂowers were some of the strongest entities in this place.

The Delicate Silk Immortal grew at a location near the lake’s intersection, meaning her element was relatively neutral, and she didn’t lean towards ice or ﬁre. However, the Blazing Delicate Apricot before him was undoubtedly the dominant one among all the ﬁre-type plants, as she took up the central spot on the Blazing Sunspring’s shore.

All these discoveries were important to Huo Yuhao. At least, it was a start to understanding this place better.

He took another step and ﬁnally entered that barren patch of land. Huo Yuhao immediately felt a wave of intense and scorching heat hit him in the face, and even his clothes began to smell burnt. The air around him was rippling from the heat!

It’s so hot!

Huo Yuhao almost instinctively unleashed his Ice Empress’ Armor, which covered his entire body. Ultimate Ice was Ultimate Ice after all, and even though Huo Yuhao was still a world away from the Blazing Delicate Apricot’s cultivation and close to the Blazing Sunspring, he still had enough strength to protect himself in such an environment.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot quivered faintly as she said, “Eh? Ultimate Ice. It’s no wonder You You wants me to do it. Little guy, let me see if your Ultimate Ice is stronger, or if my Ultimate Fire is stronger.”

Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and replied, “That doesn’t seem very fair senior, as our cultivations are not equal in the ﬁrst place. Furthermore, you have the Blazing Sunspring behind you that You You speaks of, so my abilities will be greatly reduced. How could I be a match for you?”

The Blazing Delicate Apricot grunted and said, “Weren’t you extremely courageous when you ingested the Fullmoon Piercing Autumn Dew? Why are you cowering away now?”

Huo Yuhao answered seriously, “I’m not cowering away. The only thing is that book is extremely important to me, and I absolutely have to pass your test. Therefore, all I’m hoping for is that the test will be more just and fair. I also believe that you’re not the kind to bully weaker individuals.”

The Blazing Delicate Apricot said plainly, “Saying all that is useless. My test has been predetermined, and what you shall face is an opponent that is equal to your abilities – Ultimate Fire. However, your opponent will be supported by the Blazing Sunspring, and you will pass if you defeat your opponent. Otherwise, you can leave.”

The Blazing Delicate Apricot leaned backwards vigorously as she spoke, and a peculiar ﬁery-red whirlpool suddenly appeared in front of the ﬂower. The whirlpool resembled a colossal whale sucking in water as it drew in a large pool of ﬁery-red spring water from the Blazing Sunspring before ﬁring the water into the air in a violent pillar.

The ﬁery-red pillar of water condensed and didn’t fall apart. The air around it began to twist energetically and contort wherever this pillar passed, and the temperature within the valley skyrocketed once more.

“The test has begun!” the Blazing Delicate Apricot’s emotionless voice rang out.

The purplish-golden light in Huo Yuhao’s eyes became more intense as he half-crouched, and he made a pose as if he were about to erupt at any moment. His right hand’s Darkgolden Terrorclaw lashed out, and a bluish-green light shone like a wave from his chest. The ﬁery-red pillar descended from the sky and came directly for Huo Yuhao.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot’s voice could be heard once more. “Oh, yes. You’re not allowed to step out of this barren area to avoid damaging the plants around you. You will lose if you step out of this area.”

Huo Yuhao would have cursed at the top of his voice if he could, or if he had the time to curse. He couldn’t step out of this area, and that meant he would have to battle in the second hottest place within this valley. His Ultimate Ice would be greatly weakened in the process, while the Blazing Delicate Apricot’s intense heat would be greatly ampliﬁed. How could he win this ﬁght, even if they had the same cultivation?

It was a pity that he had no time or space to curse. The searing pillar of water bore down on him as his Spirit Eyes stared ahead, and he could clearly feel how frightening this attack was. The Blazing Sunspring was so hot that even Ma Xiaotao’s transformation into the Darkness Phoenix couldn’t compare to it, This was true Ultimate Fire! The red pillar of water covered an enormous area, but Huo Yuhao didn’t intend to meet force with force. He tapped on the ground with his foot, and his entire body sprang into the air like a lightning bolt. He twisted and somersaulted in the sky as he nimbly dodged the pillar.

Some of the blazing spring water smeared across his Ice Empress’ Armor, and some of the diamond crystals formed by the armor melted as a result. However, he managed to jump through an opening, and his left hand supported him on the ground as his body turned once more in midair. He tapped on the ground with his foot and changed directions as he leapt through yet another crack in the pillar.

His Spiritual Detection had evolved, and this gave him even greater ability to grasp opportunities. He narrowly but impeccably evaded the Blazing Sunspring’s attack.

However, the scorching spring water didn’t disappear when it landed on the ground. Instead, it congregated together strangely and instantly transformed into a humanoid ﬁgure.

Huo Yuhao had initially believed that he would be facing the Blazing Delicate Apricot. This was the reason why he was still on guard against her when he leapt through the air. Only now did he realize that his opponent was that ﬁery-red spring water.

The spring water congregated into a female human ﬁgure, Her features were faint and subtle, while there seemed to be a long red ponytail that draped all the way to her feet. Her ﬁgure was stunning, but it was a pity that the temperature emanating from her body was simply too frightening.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot released another red beam that landed on the body the water had formed, and this ﬁery girl immediately became golden-red. Her hands were lowered to her sides, and she now had a long ﬂaming blade in each hand. She tapped her foot on the ground and pounced towards Huo Yuhao, raising the two blades high above her head and slashing out violently.

Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection allowed him to detect even the smallest details and elemental differences after his Purple Demon Eyes ascended into the Mustard Domain. He looked on speechlessly as countless red specks of elemental ﬁre swiftly congregated toward the ﬁre lady’s twin blades as she raised her blades in the air. The ﬁery radiance at the tips of her blades reached up more than ten feet when she ﬁnally slashed down... and all of that was the unbelievably searing Ultimate Fire!

Huo Yuhao was at a great disadvantage because he was forced to ﬁght this ﬁre lady within the area designated by the Blazing Delicate Apricot. The temperature in this place wasn’t even, and the closer it was to the Blazing Sunspring, the higher it became… and the closer he was to the Blazing Delicate Apricot, the hotter it became! Huo Yuhao felt as if the Ultimate Ice within his body was being greatly suppressed and stiﬂed.

I’m dodging this! Huo Yuhao’s body ﬂickered as he used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and he once again relied on the might of his Spiritual Detection to leap through an opening within the pattern of the ﬂaming knives. But this time, he retaliated.

Bluish-green light converged in front of his chest, and an extremely chilly bluish-green pillar of light burst out from his chest. Ice Empress’ Wrath!

Huo Yuhao’s eyes grew slack immediately after he unleashed this attack. The Blazing Sunspring seemed like it had a life of its own, as if it could feel Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice. The ﬁery-red spring water surged into the air, as if something had induced a tidal wave, and an intense heat wave rushed toward him in the next moment. Huo Yuhao’s Ice Empress’ Wrath hadn’t even reached the ﬁre lady yet, but most of its strength had been dispelled by the scorching heat.

The ﬁre lady seemed like she had just taken steroids, and her frame exploded in size. Her former scarlet-gold color was now almost entirely gold. Her now-golden ﬂaming knives crossed, and Huo Yuhao’s Ice Empress’ Wrath was cut into a million pieces.

How do I ﬁght this? The Blazing Sunspring can also help it ﬁght?! This… isn’t this cheating? Huo Yuhao was truly exasperated. However, he was the passive one in this test, and he was in no position to determine the test’s criteria.

The ﬁre lady pounced toward him once more in a ﬂash. This time, she wasn’t in a hurry to slash down with her ﬂaming knives, and her movements changed right when Huo Yuhao attempted to dodge her using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. The ﬁre lady’s body also became a little illusory. Huo Yuhao wanted to dodge to one side, but she followed his footsteps to the same side before she laid her ﬂaming knives in front of him. It felt as if Huo Yuhao was about to slam himself into those ﬂaming knives.

“I… I…” Huo Yuhao ﬁnally started to curse. No matter how powerful his Spiritual Detection was, there was no way that the ﬁre lady could make the same steps as he did, the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track’s steps…?!?

Huo Yuhao vanished into thin air as his left leg ﬂickered once with golden light, and he reappeared right behind the ﬁre lady in the next moment. This was the Instant Teleportation that the wolf-ape’s left leg bone had given him.

Instant Teleportation was like a legendary skill to most soul masters, and its effects were most obvious when used in close- combat.

Aren’t you trying to weaken my Ultimate Ice? Fine, then I won’t use Ultimate Ice. Huo Yuhao slashed out with his right hand after he used Instant Teleportation, and his Darkgolden Terrorclaw’s sharp edges reached out over seven meters. The frightening blade seemed to howl as it ﬂickered once when it slashed through the air, as if it were about to sever the world itself in two.

One had to admit that combining Instant Teleportation and the Darkgolden Terrorclaw was simply unimaginably powerful. It was hard to avoid this attack even if his opponent could predict it. In the end, Instant Teleportation was just too quick, while the Darkgolden Terrorclaw’s area of effect was too vast at the same time.

The ﬁre lady was formed by the searing Blazing Sunspring, but even though she seemed to possess abilities similar to Huo Yuhao’s, she was caught off-guard, and even though she could use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and the Blazing Delicate Apricot was controlling her, she couldn’t evade Huo Yuhao’s sudden and explosive attack.

Huo Yuhao’s sharp blades slashed through her in an instant, and the ﬁre lady’s body was cut into multiple pieces by the frightening dark golden blades.

Is it over? Huo Yuhao was ecstatic. He had always been absolutely conﬁdent of his Darkgolden Terrorclaw’s offensive ability, and even powerful eight-ringed Soul Sages would probably be injured if they took a direct hit from this attack.

However, something else happened that made his eyes droop and his mouth go slack.

The ﬁre lady was sliced into several large pieces. However, these pieces reverted into spring water once they dropped to the ground, and the liquid swiftly congregated once more. The ﬁre lady reappeared in the time that Huo Yuhao spent in a daze, and she resumed slashing at him with her long ﬂaming knives once more. This time, she pounced toward Huo Yuhao as if she loomed over the entire world, and it felt as if the ﬁre lady had a life of her own...and she was angry…

Physical attacks are useless? Can they stop cheating like that?

It was Huo Yuhao’s turn to panic. He retreated at breakneck speed as he raised his left hand, and a golden light screen immediately transformed into a ripple as he placed it before him.

The golden ripple didn’t cover much, but it was large enough to protect Huo Yuhao behind it. The ﬂaming knives bore down on it, but they were actually reﬂected, and the ﬁre lady seemed like she was waving her ﬂaming knives to slash herself, while her body suddenly grew a little slack.

The Life Reﬂecting Shield’s defensive abilities were absolutely outstanding. However, its reﬂecting effect was deﬁnitely nothing much against the ﬁre lady, who didn’t have a life of her own. Furthermore, the ﬁre lady was emanating Ultimate Fire, so Skydream’s agonizing howls instantly rang out in Huo Yuhao’s mind.

The ﬁre lady didn’t have life, so the Life Reﬂecting Shield’s most prominent feature of absorbing the opponent’s life energy to reﬂect it back couldn’t take effect at all. This naturally made Skydream extremely annoyed and frustrated.

I can’t use it anymore, I’ll hurt brother Skydream! Huo Yuhao exasperatedly realized the sorrowful situation he was in. Every single ability he possessed was being weakened as he continued to ﬁght this ﬁre lady.

Huo Yuhao naturally wasn’t willing to be passive, and he wasn’t about to allow the ﬁre lady to beat him down. The Life Reﬂecting Shield didn’t hurt the ﬁre lady, but it bought him enough time to make a comeback.

Orange-gold light ﬂickered, and the little Snow Lady emerged behind him.

The Snow Lady wasn’t used to the searing environment around her, and her tiny eyebrows began to frown as she began to chitter.

However, Huo Yuhao began to unleash his abilities at this moment. The Ice Empress Jade Scorpion’s ﬁve soul rings lit up at the same time – one red, and four orange soul rings sparkled as his Ultimate Ice was channeled to the highest possible level. His fourth soul ring sparkled brilliantly, and the Snow Lady’s ﬁgure became a little illusory as the Snow Empress’ arrogance descended upon the world once more. In the moment that the Snow Empress’ projection appeared, the ﬁre lady in front of her and the Blazing Delicate Apricot not far from where they were became a little listless.

The Snow Empress was formed by the Icesky Snow Lady. Even though she didn’t have her original body, she still retained some of the aura of her formidable seven hundred thousand year cultivation!

Furthermore, the Snow Empress could be considered the strongest entity amongst ice-type soul beasts, and her element was a natural counter to ﬁre. Even though the Blazing Delicate Apricot was next to the Blazing Sunspring, she couldn’t help but feel a little fear!

Two ﬁgures merged back together in the next moment, and an icy-white beam of light erupted from Huo Yuhao with his body at the center.

This was the fusion between the Snow Empress’ Snowy Dance of the Brilliant Sun and Huo Yuhao’s Domain of Perpetual Ice. The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, Huo Yuhao’s strongest area control soul skill, had been unleashed!

Physical attacks were nearly useless against the ﬁre lady, and what use was his Spirit Eyes’ spiritual power against something that was just a puppet? Perhaps he could attack the Blazing Delicate Apricot directly, but if he infuriated her? Furthermore, she was a hundred-thousand year soul beast, so how effective could his spiritual attacks be? Huo Yuhao didn’t have the time for that anyway, as the ﬁre lady continued to pressure him.

Huo Yuhao had experimented with his attacks to the point where he was being suppressed on all fronts, so he ﬁnally unleashed his trump card.

The Snow Empress’ Three Ultimate Techniques were formidable, and they were truly unrivaled among all other snow and ice skills. The icy-blue colors that suddenly erupted immediately dispelled the scorching heat around him, and began to extend outward with lightning speed.

It was very likely that his Spirit Eyes had undergone a second awakening and qualitative change, which led to a great boost in his spiritual level, and especially his control of spiritual power. Once the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice was unleashed, it immediately blanketed the ﬁre lady as if it loomed over the entire world. Huo Yuhao was like a blooming snow plum ﬂower as he bore down on her from the sky amid the scorching heat. Snowﬂakes ﬂurried as they threatened to consume the ﬁre lady, while Huo Yuhao himself was hidden within his domain.

Huo Yuhao was feeling the full effects of how his spiritual control had been ampliﬁed. He felt as if every snowﬂake within his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice was under his control, and his spiritual power was like an enormous formless web that connected them all. His domain felt as if it were a part of him and he could control it at whim. The sensation was just too fantastic!

However, the pressure that Huo Yuhao felt suddenly increased exponentially. The release of the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice meant he was no longer just targeting the ﬁre lady, he was going against the superheated environment around him. This also meant he was targeting the Blazing Delicate Apricot and the Blazing Sunspring. The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice’s mighty strength was limited to less than thirty percent of its original power inside this extreme environment. The scorching heat meant there was hardly any moisture in the air, and the temperature itself was incredibly high. Huo Yuhao’s soul power was consumed continuously, as if it were leaking out of his body.

The ﬁre lady seemed to feel the immense threat borne by Huo Yuhao’s Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, and she began to move the moment Huo Yuhao’s domain was unleashed. However, this wasn’t an attack; she began to move sideways with lightning speed as she darted rapidly towards the Blazing Delicate Apricot.

Huo Yuhao naturally directed his domain in pursuit of the ﬁre lady. The Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice was about to touch the ﬁre lady. Large amounts of water vapor could be seen evaporating from the ﬁre lady’s body, while her scarlet-gold colors swiftly grew dull.

However, something interfered with Huo Yuhao’s battle once again. Boom! The Blazing Sunspring seemed infuriated, and it exploded as if it were a mother trying to protect her kid. The burning red spring water surged into the sky.

The Blazing Sunspring didn’t retaliate against Huo Yuhao. The red spring water surged vertically into the air, but this sudden instance of extremely high temperature was enough to dispel half of Huo Yuhao’s Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice!

The domain that was just about to envelop the ﬁre lady naturally missed its target, and could only continue forward. The ﬁre lady took this opportunity to run behind the Blazing Delicate Apricot.

The domain inevitably loomed over the Blazing Delicate Apricot, and the ﬂower’s body erupted with an intense golden- red light.

What happened afterwards?

There was no “afterwards”… The Blazing Sunspring and the Blazing Delicate Apricot worked together against the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, and the entire domain dissipated to the point where not a single snowﬂake remained.

Huo Yuhao’s cheeks were ﬂushed red from the intense heat, and he stumbled backwards.

Fortunately, the Blazing Sunspring’s eruption only lasted for a single moment, and the temperature dropped back down once the red spring water returned to the well. However, the ﬁre lady came out from behind the Blazing Delicate Apricot as she ﬂashed her twin knives, and raced toward Huo Yuhao mercilessly.

“Wait!” Huo Yuhao shouted at the top of his voice.

“What?” The Blazing Delicate Apricot sounded rather bored, and answered extremely casually.

The corner of Huo Yuhao’s mouth twitched as he said, “This is cheating, senior. The Blazing Sunspring’s eruption can still be explained because it was affected by my Ultimate Ice aura. But how am I to continue with this test if you interfere as well?”

The Blazing Delicate Apricot’s voice was full of surprise. “What? Cheating? How am I cheating? The Blazing Sunspring has nothing to do with me. You’re the one who triggered it, yes? The reason why I interfered was because you attacked me too. Your domain was coming towards me, and that domain carried Ultimate Ice, so was I supposed to just let you beat me down? What if you severed my spiritual root? If you can’t pass, then you can’t. Don’t ﬁnd subjective reasons, and if you can’t pass the test, that means you’re never going to get that book from You You.”

“You…” Huo Yuhao was aggrieved. This is too unfair. How am I supposed to ﬁght this?

The Blazing Delicate Apricot sounded a little proud and excited as she said, “Quickly, are you going to accept the test? If you do, then continue. Otherwise, please leave us be. We don’t really welcome humans in here anyway. I will let you live because of your determination. Oy, look, that little fellow is so mischievous! She’s gone for a bath.” She was right. While the Blazing Delicate Apricot and Huo Yuhao were talking, the ﬁre lady had actually jumped into the Blazing Sunspring, and only came back out when the ﬂower called her back. The ﬁre lady had recovered completely from her weakened aura and energy, and once again sparkled with scarlet-gold light. She seemed like she had been revitalized. That also meant that if Huo Yuhao continued with the battle, he would be facing the ﬁre lady once more in her peak condition.

Huo Yuhao’s expression grew dark. He took a deep breath and said decisively, “I want to try one more time, senior. However, I wish to give everything I have, and it will be a proper defeat even if I lose. Do you mind letting me leave your arena to replenish my soul power, so that I can have a proper and ﬁnal ﬁght with the ﬁre lady?”

“That’s up to you,” the Blazing Delicate Apricot said, “However, I can’t guarantee that other plants won’t attack you if you leave my arena.”

It was as if she hadn’t said anything at all . He would be affected by the intense heat if he didn’t leave the area around her, and his recovery would be severely impeded, to the point where he could be weakened instead.

Surprisingly, Huo Yuhao grit his teeth and sat down on the spot. The Ultimate Ice aura around him disappeared, and a faint golden light replaced it. The golden radiance was full of spiritual undulations that protected him within. The air around him was so hot that heat waves were rising from the ground, but it didn’t seem like it affected him much at all.

There was a Class 6 Milk Bottle in Huo Yuhao’s hands he used to gradually replenish his soul power. The Blazing Delicate Apricot seemed like she liked to cheat, but she didn’t take this opportunity to send the ﬁre lady to attack him. She let the ﬁre lady, who had been restored to her peak condition, stand to one side.

Wang Qiu’er was quite far from the battle, but she could see and hear everything that was happening. There was no question that the Blazing Delicate Apricot had been hindering Huo Yuhao this entire time even though she had said she wasn’t going to interfere. In addition to the Blazing Sunspring’s effects, Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice had been greatly weakened. Wang Qiu’er didn’t see a single thread of a chance that Huo Yuhao could emerge victorious despite all his ﬁghting spirit and willpower.

Chapter 262: The Snow Empress' Overﬂowing Tyranny!

You don’t have a chance if you meet force with force. But what else can you do if you don’t do that? The Blazing Delicate Apricot has marked off such a tiny area, and the ﬁght has to be carried out within this designated area. How are you going to pass this test, Huo Yuhao? Can you even pass it?

Wang Qiu’er hoped Huo Yuhao would not continue risking his life for that book. However, there was a hope from deep down in her heart that he would emerge victorious in this battle.

Huo Yuhao got back to his feet in the blink of an eye, as restoring soul power with a Milk Bottle didn’t require much time. He raised his left hand, and a heavy cannon appeared on his shoulder. This was the same stationary soul cannon that he had used before this, and he swiftly placed a high-power Class 5 stationary shell inside the barrel.

It was clearly the ﬁrst time that these plant-type soul beasts had seen soul tools. The Blazing Delicate Apricot didn’t know what Huo Yuhao was doing, so she continued to observe curiously.

Huo Yuhao pointed the cannon towards the ﬁre lady. He lowered his voice and said, “I’m ready, senior. If I don’t leave the area you have designated, it means I haven’t lost. Am I right?”

The Blazing Delicate Apricot answered primly, “That’s right!

Everything’s ﬁne is you don’t step out. Come, come!”

The ﬁre lady dashed forward as she spoke, lunging toward Huo Yuhao with her twin ﬂaming knives as heat poured out from her.

BOOM!

Huo Yuhao’s stationary soul cannon erupted, and a blazing red sphere of light burst out from the cannon barrel. He chose the explosive shell not because of its high temperature, but for its violent explosiveness. The Blazing Delicate Apricot was a hundred-thousand year soul beast, but its territory was only so large. The force created by a Class 5 explosive high-powered shell under normal circumstances could ﬂatten anything within a hundred meters, while the shockwaves could reach from three hundred to ﬁve hundred meters away.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot’s attitude changed drastically the moment that high-power shell was ﬁred. The ﬁre lady was thrown backwards by the explosion, and the terrifying explosive energy expanded out instantly.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot lived up to her name as a hundred-thousand year soul beast. Ripples began to twist and contort in the air the moment she realized something was wrong, and the frightening explosive force, was refracted in all directions by the contortions in the air, and the shockwaves blasted through the sky. At the same time, the Blazing Delicate Apricot released a scarlet-red light from herself that formed a dome over her territory. This light absorbed every single ounce of the high-powered shell’s explosive force.

Huo Yuhao had deﬁnitely guessed how the Blazing Delicate Apricot was going to react since he dared to do this, and his aim was to buy himself enough time. The ﬁre lady was blown away, and she needed some time to come back, while the Blazing Delicate Apricot was preoccupied with containing the shell’s explosive force. She was caught off-guard, so she couldn’t control the ﬁre lady in time… this was his opportunity!

Four soul thrusters erupted behind Huo Yuhao’s back. Huo Yuhao didn’t choose to rush towards the ﬁre lady hurtling through the air to destroy her while the Blazing Delicate Apricot was distracted, because he knew that that was an impossible endeavor. The ﬁre lady was hurtling towards the Blazing Sunspring, and she was practically invincible and undying over there, since she was made from the Blazing Sunspring’s water in the ﬁrst place.

Therefore, the four soul thrusters behind Huo Yuhao began to ﬁre downward. A frightening force instantly propelled his body into the air, and he rocketed high up into the sky.

Huo Yuhao had already relied on this explosive acceleration to reach a height of ﬁfty meters before the Blazing Delicate Apricot recovered. His ﬂying-type soul tool expanded behind him and brought him even higher into the sky as he ﬂew upward.

“How… how is that possible? He only has ﬁve soul rings… how can he know how to ﬂy?” The Blazing Delicate Apricot was a little dazed. She was confused as to how a ﬁve-ringed human could ﬂy through the air at such a high speed.

You’ve fallen behind!, Huo Yuhao thought to himself. There was no longer an aggrieved look on his face, and a self- conﬁdent smile appeared in its place.

Huo Yuhao had been probing with his attacks throughout the battle before this, and it was the same even with his domain. He knew very well that it wouldn’t be easy to pass this test. He had absolute conﬁdence to win if the battle had been a fair ﬁght, but he was within the Blazing Delicate Apricot’s area of control, and the Blazing Sunspring also threatened him. How could he not know that he didn’t stand a single chance at all?

Therefore, he had been quietly observing this entire time, and made use of his spiritual power having just evolved into the metaphysical realm to observe... and ﬁnally, he had found a solution.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot looked on as Huo Yuhao’s body ﬂew more than a hundred meters into the air. She could control her attacks to reach that height, but this ﬁght was supposed to be between Huo Yuhao and the ﬁre lady. The Blazing Delicate Apricot could interfere from the side, but directly lashing out against Huo Yuhao was clearly not within the test’s rules.

Thus, she could only continue watching as Huo Yuhao ﬂew even higher into the sky. She had no idea what he wanted to do.

“Hey, you’re cheating. You’ve lost – you’ve gone outside my territory!” The Blazing Delicate Apricot shouted at Huo Yuhao in the sky.

Huo Yuhao answered, “No, I haven’t! How have I left your designated area? I’m ﬂying vertically in the air, but I’m still within your territory. I haven’t stepped out of it. If I don’t ﬂy out of this vertical area, then I haven’t lost. Am I right, senior? This test is still ongoing, you can’t lie to me!”

Huo Yuhao placed another Class 5 explosive shell inside his heavy cannon as he spoke, and he trained the cannon barrel downwards. The Blazing Delicate Apricot immediately burst out with red light, as she was still a little fearful of that fearsome explosive force. It wasn’t much to her, and it deﬁnitely wasn’t enough to wound her, but it could destroy the land around her. Land and soil were absolutely important to plants like them, and they

were also right next to the Blazing Sunspring. If the soil and ground around the Blazing Sunspring was damaged and the hot spring water ﬂowed out, the surrounding plants would be faced with a calamitous disaster. This wasn’t something that she wanted to see.

Huo Yuhao pulled the trigger right at this moment. A searing red sphere erupted once more, and barreled down towards the ground.

However, the Blazing Delicate Apricot was stunned when she realized that Huo Yuhao’s wasn’t ﬁring at her. The shell arched through the air and landed in the distance...it was going straight for the Extreme Chill Icespring!

Intense red light exploded once more as it came into contact with the white lake water,everything was within the precise calculations of Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection. Just like before, Huo Yuhao wasn’t trying to make use of the shell’s intense heat –,he wanted to use the bomb’s explosive impact and force!

The Extreme Chill Icespring almost instantly absorbed the explosive bomb’s heat energy. However, the terrifying explosive force and impact immediately blew a tidal wave out from the Extreme Chill Icespring.

The freezing water was blown at least thirty meters into the air. Huo Yuhao had deliberately directed his shell at an angle to create this effect, and the Extreme Chill Icespring’s water bore down on the Blazing Sunspring.

Right at this moment, Huo Yuhao was almost freefalling through the air as an orange-gold light emerged from his body. This sphere was like another cannon shell as it slammed accurately against the spring water that had been blown into the air.

A strange scene occurred. The Extreme Chill Icespring’s spring water that carried intense cold was bearing down on the Blazing Sunspring, but most of the water was suddenly frozen in the air. Huo Yuhao took this opportunity to descend to about thirty meters above the ground. Bluish-green light erupted from his body, and a tiny ﬁgure shining with orange-gold light ﬂoated above the Extreme Chill Icespring not far from where he was, opened her little hands, and giggled in his direction.

A miraculous scene began to unfurl.

The tiny Snow Lady’s frame was growing bigger with a speed that the naked eye could see, while the airborne Extreme Chill Icespring’s water was vanishing at an alarming rate. More accurately put, the Snow Lady was absorbing the water at an alarming rate!

The Snow Lady had released the Snow Empress’ projection when she unleashed the Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice along with Huo Yuhao. However, it was different this time. The Snow Empress’ spirit seemed to be aging. She gradually became a little child, and then a teenage girl, before ﬁnally reverting to the Icesky Snow Lady’s original appearance.

Ice and snow covered her entire body, and was presented as the most beautiful and enchanting dress. Her large dark-blue eyes were clear and deep, as if she could watch over the entire world. Long hair draped behind her back and became icy-blue in color, and her hair seemed like eternal glaciers. Intense cool immediately permeated the skies, and at this moment, the Blazing Sunpsring’s aura was completely suppressed by this frightening chill.

Huo Yuhao was the one that had planned all this, but not even he had expected this to happen. He had determined his battle strategy after his meticulous observations before this. His goal was simple, The Blazing Delicate Apricot and the ﬁre lady are drawing strength from the Blazing Sunspring, and since this place is called the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well, there is no question that other side is an Icespring, since the Sunspring is on this side. The Sunspring weakens me, while the Icespring will greatly amplify my abilities. Therefore, his high-power shell was aimed that way so that he could draw upon the Icespring’s energy, and then he would use his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice again. He would give everything he had to strike down from the air and ﬁnish off the ﬁre lady with a single strike. He had a chance to determine the outcome of this battle when the ﬁre lady no longer had the Sunspring’s protection, and if he didn’t let the Blazing Delicate Apricot interfere.

Who knew that this peculiar sight would happen once the tiny Snow Lady absorbed the Extreme Chill Icespring? The Snow Lady had grown up, and she had become the actual Icesky Snow Lady. The Snow Empress’ aura was so terrifying that even Huo Yuhao felt his heart quiver in fear, the four orange-gold soul rings on his body sparkling with unprecedented intensity. Huo Yuhao felt the soul power in his body surging torrentially. At this moment, he felt as if he could

actually rely on his soul power to ﬂy!

Flying with soul power was something that seven-ringed soul sages did, but he only had ﬁve rings! That meant that he temporarily possessed the strength of a soul sage. What was happening? Strange things had been happening over and over again ever since they had entered the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well!

The Snow Empress glanced at Huo Yuhao. Her eyes were a little complicated. Her look seemed a little intimate and friendly, but there was also a little bit of contempt and rejection. However, she only gave him a single glance before she turned towards the Blazing Delicate Apricot beneath her. The Snow Empress snorted coldly as she descended toward the giant ﬂower.

The Snow Empress raised her hands, and the icy-white water from the Extreme Chill Icespring erupted a hundred meters into the air as it became the Snow Empress’ background. Howling winds billowed above the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well in the next moment as snowﬂakes waltzed through the air. The entire area around them immediately became enveloped in a whiteness that only snow could produce. A dome of light separated the Extreme Chill Icespring under the Snow Empress’ control, and it forcibly suppressed the Blazing Sunspring beneath it so that the hot spring’s heat was completely blocked off.

The Snow Lady’s expression was icy as the Icespring’s aura surged into her body rapidly.

Huo Yuhao was still hovering in midair, and he felt as if his body were swelling up as the Snow Lady continued to absorb the Icespring’s energy. No matter how much autonomy and consciousness the Snow Empress’ spirit had, she still had to rely on the host that she had signed a contract with. The Snow Empress’ aura continued to rise, but Huo Yuhao was almost reaching his limit. Huo Yuhao’s body reached the point where it might explode from the overwhelming and terrifying Ultimate Ice if this was allowed to continue.

“I can’t take it anymore, Snow Empress!” Huo Yuhao shouted at the top of his lungs. If he died, the Snow Empress would no longer have a host, and she would perish as well.

The Snow Empress glanced at him, but she didn’t seem to hear him as she pointed at him with her right hand. The little Snow Lady’s familiar dark-blue ice burst out, except it was exponentially larger than before, and it ended up beneath Huo Yuhao’s feet before it froze into an enormous ice pedestal in midair, supporting his body so that he wouldn’t fall. That ice pedestal hovered there along with the blizzard around them.

Large amounts of ice and snow were falling to the ground. The plants around the Icespring were still alright, as they liked the cold, but the plants near the Sunspring no longer had the Sunspring’s heat. They were starting to tremble in response to the Ultimate Ice’s extremely low temperature, and most of them began to release their own auras to resist the ice and snow descending from the sky.

Huo Yuhao felt as if his own blood was freezing, and his body was swelling to the point where it began to crackle. However, there was nothing he could do as the Snow Empress continued to unleash her aura. The gap in their abilities was simply too great.

The Snow Empress descended from the sky towards the Blazing Delicate Apricot. The hundred-thousand year immortal herb was absolutely stunned at this moment. “You… you…” The Blazing Delicate Apricot no longer had the Sunspring’s support, and her aura was a lot weaker than before. Furthermore, the Snow Empress was bearing down on her the sky, and the hundred-thousand year plant felt a little stiﬂed.

This was the true Empress’ Chill, and it had blanketed the entire Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. The toxic miasma in the air was blown high into the sky from all the cold energy, and couldn’t come back down.

The Snow Empress stared coldly at the Blazing Delicate Apricot and said, “Weren’t you feeling a little complacent before this?”

She waved her right hand through the air as she spoke, and a dark-blue blade that seemed like it was going to slice the entire world into pieces ﬂickered before it vanished. The ﬁre lady beside the Blazing Delicate Apricot disappeared into a stream of smoke, and the entire area around the Blazing Delicate Apricot was swiftly tainted with icy-blue colors.

“That was just a test, it was a test which that person left behind! You… what are you trying to do? You can’t touch me! You will be condemned and scourged by the heavens!” The Blazing Delicate Apricot’s voice was starting to tremble.

The Snow Empress that had appeared wasn’t the real Snow Empress, but she drew upon the Extreme Chill Icespring’s immense origin energy to temporarily possess the strength that she had when she was still alive.

She had been kidnapped by humans just as she chose to be reborn as a human, and she ended up in Jing Hongchen’s hands before Huo Yuhao rescued her. She experienced the polar reversal afterwards and eventually became Huo Yuhao’s spirit. It wasn’t hard to imagine the grievances and suffocation in her heart. The Snow Empress had once reigned supreme in the Extreme North, but she eventually became a human’s bound spirit! Even though she was grateful to Huo Yuhao for rescuing her, how could she reconcile this with the deep frustration in her heart?

“Punished? Ha ha ha ha, scourged by the heavens!?” The Snow Empress’ voice grew high-pitched and shrill. Even so, her voice was still as enchanting as ever. “Punishment! I have been punished six times, and I am where I am today because I had to avoid the seventh time. You dare to speak of punishment to me?! Very well… I will settle your punishment before anything else, then!”

The Snow Empress gradually raised her right hand as she spoke. Her palm seemed like it weighed several tons as the torrential ice and snow in the air began to spin in a clockwise direction. It didn’t take long before a colossal and incredibly frightening tornado of ice and snow formed above the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well.

The Snowless Glacier of the Snow Empress’ Three Ultimate Techniques! If this palm was allowed to come down, it would possess the Snow Empress’ full power! The Snow Empress possessed seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, and she was ranked number three amongst the Ten Great Savage Beasts. She was also the leader of the Extreme North’s Three Heavenly Kings!

“No!” The Delicate Silk Immortal exclaimed in the distance. She wasn’t the only one that reacted, as more than twenty immortal herbs shone with intense light around the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. This light swiftly congregated in the air as an enormous barrier resisting the terrifying tornado of ice and snow that was about to fall from the sky.

The Snow Empress grunted coldly as she raised her right hand until her palm was pointing towards the sky. It felt as if she were a ruler who was about to descend upon the world as she muttered coldly, “Do you actually think you can stop me?”

“No, Snow Empress!” Huo Yuhao’s hoarse voice rang out.

The Snow Empress’ body quivered faintly. Even though she had recovered her memory and her powers, she was still Huo Yuhao’s spirit after all. She could feel that Huo Yuhao’s body was about to fall apart, so she no longer absorbed the Extreme Chill Icespring’s origin energy. She couldn’t entirely resist Huo Yuhao’s will.

“Shut up! Have you forgotten how they’ve treated you?” the Snow Empress asked coldly.

Huo Yuhao struggled to reply, “This is a paradise for plants, and the heavens have gifted the Douluo Continent with the miraculous Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. Furthermore, I have to ﬁnd the Yearning Heartbroken Grass for Dong’er to save her life. I refuse to continue living if she dies. When that happens, you will die, and even the Ice Empress won’t be revived. Don’t hurt them, Snow Empress. They meant no ill toward me.”

Huo Yuhao’s other words didn’t affect her much, but when he said “Ice Empress”, the Snow Empress’ body ﬁnally quivered once more before she brought down the palm that had been raised high in the air.

Her large and beautiful, but fearsome and murderous eyes were ﬁxed upon the trembling Blazing Delicate Apricot. “Has he passed the test?”

“Yes, yes! He has passed the test!” The Blazing Delicate Apricot wasn’t stubborn, and she could only swallow this humiliation in the face of a stronger force. She was facing the Snow Empress directly, and the Snow Empress’ element was a natural counter to her own. The Blazing Delicate Apricot was almost unable to resist the intense chill any longer.

The Snow Empress raised her hand and mercilessly reached into the center of the Blazing Delicate Apricot’s ﬂower. It looked as if a beautiful lady was reaching through another lady’s neckline before she violently grabbed and rubbed a few times inside. When the Snow Empress withdrew her hand, there was a red and transparent rubbery item in her hand.

The rubbery object still caused the air around it to contort a little even though it was being suppressed by the Snow Empress’ formidable powers. It was not difﬁcult to imagine how frighteningly hot this object was.

“You… please don’t take everything! Leave some for me…” the Blazing Delicate Apricot pled pathetically.

“Hmph! You can create a single drop every year with your current cultivation. You can’t do anything with it even if you keep it.” The Snow Empress embodied the meaning of unreasonable as she pinched with her right hand, and the red spherical rubbery object immediately froze. An icy-blue shell appeared around it, completely sealing the heat inside.

The Snow Empress disappeared from in front of the Blazing Delicate Apricot in a ﬂash. The Blazing Delicate Apricot’s dazzling ﬁery-red radiance was greatly diminished – perhaps that was because she was freezing from the Snow Empress’ aura, or perhaps she had suffered a painful loss from losing that rubbery object. Her body was still twitching and quivering, as if she were a human reeling from the heartache of losing something precious.

The Snow Empress arrived before the Delicate Silk Immortal in the next moment. She wasn’t courteous at all as she reached out her hand and commanded, “Give it to me!”

“What… what do you want?” The Delicate Silk Immortal’s giant ﬂower immediately closed up and became a giant ﬂower bud, before a tiny purple stamen protruded out and stared at the Snow Empress cautiously.

The Snow Empress replied coldly, “Huo Yuhao has passed the test. Give the book to me, right now!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll give the book to you, alright?” You You immediately chose to submit before the Snow Empress’ fearsome aura. The book that was made from some unknown material immediately ﬂew out from her ﬂower’s heart and hovered in front of the Snow Empress. The Empress grabbed the book and grunted coldly as she said, “You’re a good-for-nothing as well. It’s too bad for you that you have something valuable. Give me the Silk Heart.”

“How… how can I do that? It hasn’t been easy to cultivate the Silk Heart. I can’t give you that, can I give you something else?”

The Snow Empress’ reply was plain. “This isn’t a negotiation, I’m ordering you to do it! I can tear your body apart to retrieve it, or you can give it to me yourself! With your current cultivation, you can create another one within ten thousand years!”

“What!? What do you mean it can be done within ten thousand years? Ten thousand years is a long time, alright!?” the Delicate Silk Immortal retorted.

The Snow Empress’ laughed coldly and said, “You have only been alive for a few days, and you dare to discuss time with me? I have been alive for seven hundred thousand years, and ten thousand years is but one-seventieth of my life. Is that very long to you? I’m going to count to three. One, two…”

The Snow Empress raised her right hand as she spoke, and the ice and snow in the air seemed like it was going to condense into another tornado once more.

“Don’t do it!” The Delicate Silk Immortal was hysterical. “Don’t do it! I’ll give it to you, alright? However, you cannot harm my companions. Otherwise, we will ﬁght you to the death even if it will eventually cost us our lives! You may be powerful, but there are many of us, and everyone’s combined efforts, along with the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well, might be enough to challenge you!”

The Snow Empress was clearly indifferent towards the Delicate Silk Immortal’s display of strength. “Give it to me. I will let this go because Huo Yuhao has asked me to. However, if anything happens to him... hmph!”

The Delicate Silk Immortal looked like she had to bear humiliation so that she could save her own skin. Her pink petals trembled faintly as a sphere of purple light gradually rose from her stamen.

The purple sphere looked extremely tender, without a trace of any brutal or violent aura. It was a purple pearl about as big as a peach, and looked like a purple water crystal. A layer of cloud-like radiance could be seen meandering within the translucent pearl, and it looked exceedingly peculiar.

The Delicate Silk Immortal was still unconvinced, and it was clear that she couldn’t bear to part with this pearl. She probed one more time after the pearl ﬂoated out, “Can you leave half of it for me?”

The Snow Empress didn’t respond, instead directly raising her right hand into the air.

“Don’t do it, I’ll give it to you...” The Delicate Silk Immortal didn’t dare to try anything else, as this concerned the lives of the multiple plants around her, and the purple pearl slowly ﬂew before the Snow Empress.

The Snow Empress grunted as she reached out and grasped the pearl before she turned around and said with a cold look on her face, “It’s not easy for the lot of you to grow in a place like this. In addition to the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well’s exotica, this will be all.”

The Snow Empress tapped on the ground with her foot, and her enchanting ﬁgure soared into the sky dramatically as she ﬂew slowly towards Huo Yuhao. Not a single plant saw that the dark blue color in her eyes was receding rapidly as she surged through the air.

She quickly arrived at the hard ice that was yet ﬂoating in midair. Huo Yuhao had gotten to his feet at this point. The Snow Empress controlled herself and didn’t absorb any more energy from the Extreme Chill Icespring in the end, so he could forcibly control her body. However, the immense origin energy of heaven and earth was still clashing within his body and causing him unspeakable suffering.

The Snow Empress said plainly, “Whether this will be good fortune or a disaster for you is up to you. The origin energy of heaven and earth belongs to the Extreme Chill Icepsring . Even though it will temporarily cause damage to your body, it will give you a boost if you can gradually absorb it, and it will

completely change your physique. Here, take these. Remember… don’t bully my infant self!”

She passed the book, the rubbery substance obtained from the Blazing Delicate Apricot that had been sealed in Ultimate Ice, and the purple sphere from the Delicate Silk Immortal to Huo Yuhao.

The Snow Empress’ face suddenly blushed at this point, before she glared at Huo Yuhao and said, “And you’re not my father!”

With that, Huo Yuhao looked on with slack eyes and jaw as the extreme chill and iciness in the air suddenly dissipated, and the Snow Empress’ frame shrank rapidly until she reverted to the cute and adorable little Snow Lady in the blink of an eye. Where was the aura that looked down on the entire world? The little Snow Lady’s huge eyes were pure and full of innocence.

The ice and snow in the air disappeared in an instant, and the icy layer covering the Blazing Sunspring gradually receded, while the tough ice supporting Huo Yuhao’s body was no longer there. He felt as if he were a balloon that had been blown to its largest possible size, and he could pop at any moment. No matter how strong and formidable his physical body was, the nerves and passageways throughout his body throbbed with acute pain.

The little Snow Lady continued to help him as an icy mist condensed beneath Huo Yuhao, supporting him as he gradually descended towards the ground.

Huo Yuhao grunted the moment he touched the ground and spat out an enormous mouthful of blood vapor.

Strangely, the blood vapor immediately transformed into icy dust. He was standing within the Blazing Delicate Apricot’s territory, but this blood vapor actually made the scorching environment slightly cooler than before.

Huo Yuhao’s body swayed, and he collapsed onto the ground, a look of intense pain on his face. The Snow Empress had absorbed too much origin energy from the Extreme Chill Icespring, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and face. These beads of sweat became pearls of ice as they dropped

to the ground.

Huo Yuhao’s mind was still incredibly clear even though his physical body was in pain. He was extremely clear about the danger that he was in. The problem wasn’t with him, but with the Snow Empress.

Could the Snow Empress have struck down with her palm, the one that she had threatened both the Blazing Delicate Apricot and the Delicate Silk Immortal with?

Huo Yuhao knew very well that the ﬁrst thing that would have happened if the Snow Empress had swung her palm down was that he would have exploded into a cesspool of blood that would have permeated through the entire valley.

The Snow Empress had temporarily recovered her consciousness using the immense volume of energy from the Extreme Chill Icespring. However, she was still reliant on Huo Yuhao’s existence even if she came back, as she was still Huo Yuhao’s spirit. If Huo Yuhao were a Transcendent Douluo, then perhaps he could have taken this opportunity to help the Snow Empress completely recover her consciousness, and he could perhaps have helped her recover part of her former strength.

It was a pity that he just a Soul King at this moment. There was a limit to the amount of energy that his body could sustain and accommodate, and if the Snow Empress had been stubborn enough to continue absorbing energy under such circumstances, then both she and Huo Yuhao would have perished together.

The fearsome aura that the Snow Empress ferociously released was the limit that Huo Yuhao’s body could take. The Snow Empress didn’t have much offensive power after she drifted to the ground, and she was merely using her seven hundred thousand years of cultivation and the terrifying aura that came with it to suppress the plants in the valley.

What rendered Huo Yuhao speechless was the fact that the leader of the Extreme North’s Three Heavenly Kings had been pushing it as she extorted the Blazing Delicate Apricot and the Delicate Silk Immortal. What would Huo Yuhao and the Snow Empress do if the plants teamed up and retaliated against them?

Huo Yuhao could faintly feel that it wouldn’t have been beyond the Snow Empress to slap down with her palm, given her arrogance and pride. During the period when she recovered her consciousness, it was apparent that their pact had become a little shaky. In the end, the Snow Empress was too powerful, and if Electrolux hadn’t burned his own divine sense, this pact wouldn’t have been completed in the ﬁrst place.

That was close! Huo Yuhao had never expected that the reason he would have a close shave with death would be the Snow Empress, and not the plants around him.

The little Snow Lady sat on Huo Yuhao’s shoulder and even leaned against his head, her large eyes were staring at the Blazing Delicate Apricot.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot’s cabbage-like body quivered. They were all soul beasts, and it was clear that she could feel that this little person was the petrifying Icesky Snow Lady that had just appeared before her.

“Wah –” Huo Yuhao spat out another pool of blood vapor before he began to feel better. The Snow Empress was his spirit, and when she absorbed the Extreme Chill Icespring’s vast origin energy, it had already coursed through her own body, and thus it was already in its purest form. Huo Yuhao’s body had also fused with the Life Gold before, and the strength of his veins and passageways were unmatched by even Wang Qiu’er, while he was also highly resistant to Ultimate Ice at the same time.

He started feeling a lot better once the Icesky Snow Lady disappeared, and also because the environment around him was scorching hot. He forced himself to sit down with his legs crossed.

However, he couldn’t cultivate even if he wanted to. There was just too much energy contained in his body, and all he could do was sit down and let his own body adjust by itself.

Wang Qiu’er quietly landed beside Huo Yuhao with a ﬂash of golden light. She was full of awe and astonishment over what happened before this. She had no idea that Huo Yuhao possessed a secret as huge as this, and the Icesky Snow Lady’s aura had stiﬂed her to the point where she found it hard to breathe. Wang Qiu’er stared at the little being perched on Huo Yuhao’s shoulder, and a word surfaced in her mind – Spirit!

Wang Qiu’er could see Huo Yuhao’s ghastly pale face, and she placed her hands on his back to help him recover.

However, she felt an exceedingly chilly force lash back at her as soon as she placed her hands on his back. She leapt backwards reﬂexively, and saw that her entire right hand was already covered with frost.

“How can there be so much soul power within his body? And it’s all Ultimate Ice. How can his body take it?” Wang Qiu’er stared at Huo Yuhao in shock, as she hurried used her own soul power to force away the chill in her hand so that she could melt it away.

The little Snow Lady was also sitting cross-legged on Huo Yuhao’s shoulder. A faint icy-blue light radiated from her, intertwined with the orange-gold light surrounding her body.

Huo Yuhao could feel that the incredibly agonizing chill in his body that was causing his body to swell was gradually ﬂowing into the little Snow Lady. Huo Yuhao instantly felt a lot better with the little Snow Lady sharing the burden.

The lazy bug that was wrapped around Huo Yuhao’s ﬁnger slowly raised his head at this moment. Golden light erupted from his eyes, and he transformed into a streak of light that disappeared into Huo Yuhao’s forehead in a ﬂash.

Buzzzz... Huo Yuhao’s body trembled peculiarly. A bluish- green layer of light gradually shone from his body through his clothes, clearly coming from his skeleton.

Chapter 263: Ancestor Tang San

The turquoise radiance became increasingly intense and illuminated the surrounding area. After being suppressed by the aura of Ultimate Ice, the Blazing Sunspring that had just broken free from the Extreme Chill Icespring radiated huge waves of heat. It brought about a scorching aura that resisted the chilly intent radiating from Huo Yuhao’s body, greatly reducing it.

When the azure-green radiance expanded to its limit, it started to slowly shrink back and became dimmer.

As this radiance expanded and retracted, Huo Yuhao felt much less bloated, and ﬁnally managed to relax.

Undoubtedly, this change was brought about by the Skydream Iceworm. Huo Yuhao’s body was ﬁlled with the vital energy of heaven and earth. Even Skydream didn’t dare to circulate his soul power. If something went wrong, the weaker passageways in his body might burst! However, this didn’t mean that he was helpless. As a million- year soul beast in Huo Yuhao’s body, after Huo Yuhao fused with his spiritual origin he completely understood every part of Huo Yuhao’s body. It wasn’t even far-fetched to claim that the Skydream Iceworm understood Huo Yuhao’s body better

than Huo Yuhao himself.

It wasn’t possible to circulate Huo Yuhao’s soul power and absorb it because he was already saturated. However, he could use a different method! Huo Yuhao’s passageways weren’t the toughest part of his body; that was his soul bones!

At this point, Skydream activated the power of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s skeleton. As a hundred-thousand year soul beast, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s skeleton sealed the origin energy of the Ice Empress. The Frigid Jade Essence Bed was originally used to further the fusion, but no one had expected a sudden reversal in the Snow Empress’ soul power that made it perilous. This also caused the Ice Empress to enter a state of hibernation.

At this point, Huo Yuhao’s body had already reached its limit, he couldn’t withstand the strength of the Ultimate Ice anymore. However, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s skeleton hadn’t reached its limit yet!

Under Skydream’s control, a part of the origin energy was absorbed as the radiance expanded and retracted. This helped to neutralize the crisis that Huo Yuhao was facing.

The blue-green radiance appeared once again, ballooning in size before shrinking. The external Blazing Sunspring’s frightening heat helped to protect Huo Yuhao at this point. Because of its suppression, the Skydream Iceworm was able to dispel the remaining chill as he helped to compress the origin energy of heaven and earth into Yuhao’s skeleton. This made the entire shrinkage process much smoother.

This carried on several times. After nine consecutive times, Huo Yuhao’s body wasn’t just exuding an turquoise radiance anymore, he had actually turned pale blue. His body was still aching, but at least he was able to move now. He felt much more comfortable once he could move his body. However, his soul power had stalled, as it was affected by the origin energy. Only a ﬁfth of it was able to circulate, and even then, the circulation was much slower.

“Yuhao, the skeleton has also reached its limit. It can’t compress any further, otherwise there might be danger. You can only rely on time to continue absorbing this strength. The Snow Empress was a little extreme. I’m afraid you won’t be able to unleash your full abilities for some time. However, the Extreme Chill Icespring will be very beneﬁcial in waking up the Ice Empress. After all, her spiritual sense will recover faster under the nourishment of the origin energy of pure Ultimate Ice.”

The Skydream Iceworm was rather exhausted. After all, most of his spiritual origin had fused with Huo Yuhao. Now that he had activated the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s skeleton, it was equivalent to him establishing a connection with Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power again. He was helping Huo Yuhao now, and wasn’t just controlling on his own power.

“Thanks, Brother Skydream. I feel much better.” Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief and released a gust of white gas from his mouth, releasing a chill into the region that the Blazing Delicate Apricot occupied.

“Blazing Delicate Apricot, please open a path. I’ll go over to Youyou’s side.” He struggled to stand up and looked at Wang Qiu’er, gesturing to her that he was ﬁne. The Blazing Delicate Apricot wasn’t in a particularly good mood. She couldn’t wait for Huo Yuhao to leave.

After groaning, she immediately instructed the surrounding plants to open a path for Huo Yuhao to return. She wanted to act up, but she didn’t when she saw the Snow Lady on Huo Yuhao’s shoulder. She was traumatized after almost being crushed into powder. It was her ﬁrst time experiencing such a complete elemental suppression of her abilities.

Huo Yuhao could walk, but he estimated that his current abilities were only as good as they were when he was at Rank

30. It was difﬁcult for him to even activate ﬂying-type soul tools. His meridians were still aching, too. The surfeit caused great harm to his body and could deﬁnitely be called an internal injury.

At this moment, the air that he was exhaling was extremely cold. He also looked pale, and his body felt very cold. This was the huge price he had to pay for the Snow Empress’ awakening!

Huo Yuhao revealed a bitter smile on his face. Ever since the Snow Empress had entered his body, he had suffered greatly. The last time, it was a complete reversal of the Snow Empress’ strength in his body, causing Electrolux to burn his divine sense in a bid to save him. This time, he almost blew apart. It was a huge headache for him!

However, this encounter had also enlightened him. Huo Yuhao realized that he could restore the Snow Empress’ memories temporarily if he possessed immense Ultimate Ice soul power. He could even unleash her tremendous abilities. Of course, he couldn’t do it with his current cultivation. The Snow Empress only appeared today when he tapped into the origin energy of heaven and earth from the Extreme Chill Icespring. If he wanted the Snow Empress to really make a move, he needed to have at least seven or eight soul rings. Furthermore, it would at most be the for only one or two attacks.

However, it was good that there was such a possibility. It was like his eldest senior’s Radiant Holy Dragon’s Awakening, and his third senior’s Xuanwu turtle’s Awakening. It’s just that the Snow Empress’ Awakening was of a more advanced level. In addition, he had no control over her, either. He had to take things slowly. Perhaps the Snow Empress’ memory could be fully restored when he became a Transcendent Douluo in the future... As he thought of that, Huo Yuhao turned to look at the Snow Lady on his shoulder. He still believed that she was much better right now, rather than with the Snow Empress’ memories. At least the Snow Lady listened to him. Furthermore, she was very cute! The Snow Empress was too

cold, just like Wang Qiu’er…

Wang Qiu’er followed behind him, and her nose started to turn itchy. She looked as if she wanted to sneeze, but she managed to suppress it.

As she looked at Huo Yuhao, she could sense that he wasn’t feeling well even though she didn’t know what was happening to him. However, she could still feel it due to their martial soul fusion. The frightening Awakened existence had caused great damage to his body!

However, things became much smoother after he paid the huge price. This was evident from the Blazing Delicate Apricot’s attitude. Who would dare to offend the terrifying existence in Huo Yuhao’s body? It had released an extremely strong aura that could destroy everything here. Even Wang Qiu’er was petriﬁed when she faced the might of the Snow Empress. She had only ever experienced a similar feeling when she…

Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief as he returned to the Delicate Silk Immortal’s side. He lowered his head to look at a book in front of him and said to her, “Apologies, You You! I didn’t imagine something like this would happen. Perhaps I was provoked by something in the outside world, and thus the Snow Empress was Awakened.”

The huge, pink ﬂower on the Delicate Silk Immortal was still blooming. However, the scent was less evident. She groaned and said, “Stop shedding crocodile tears. Hmph, return my pill if you are truly apologetic.”

What left Wang Qiu’er and the Delicate Silk Immortal shocked was that Huo Yuhao actually retrieved the pill and nodded as he said, “Alright, I’ll return it to you.”

As he spoke, he actually walked towards the Delicate Silk Immortal and passed her the pill.

“What? You’re really returning it to me?” If the Delicate Silk Immortal could reveal facial expressions, she would be very stunned right now. Huo Yuhao said sincerely, “You You, I didn’t come here to look for treasure, I’m not looking to obtain anything. I’m only here to retrieve the Yearning Heartbroken Grass for my lover. I hope to receive your help. I’m extremely apologetic for what the Snow Empress did to all of you earlier. I don’t want this to

cause a conﬂict between us. Not only am I returning this pill to you, but I’ll also return what the Snow Empress took from the Blazing Delicate Apricot. I just hope that there are no more obstructions, and I can search for the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal was incredulous. “Wait, wait. Huo Yuhao, do you know what you’re saying? You must know that the Blazing Rubber that Ah Jiao produces is of top-notch quality. A normal Blazing Delicate Apricot can produce very little of the rubber even after ten thousand years. Such a large quantity of rubber is sufﬁcient to increase the cultivation of ﬁre-type soul masters to the level of the Ultimate Fire. It’s very valuable! My pill is even more impressive. If you have it, all lethal poison will lose its effect within a three hundred square foot region. Even if you are infected by poison and the poison has entered your blood, the poison can be dispelled once you place the pill in your mouth. They are considered treasures! Priceless treasures! Are you going to give them up just like that?”

Huo Yuhao’s expression was very calm as he nodded. He said, “To me, the only priceless thing is my lover. I don’t want to have a conﬂict with all of you because of these external possessions. Take it.” As he spoke, he placed the pill directly into the ﬂower of the Delicate Silk Immortal. He let go of the pill and allowed it to roll down.

Wang Qiu’er was in a daze as she looked at Huo Yuhao, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t try to stop him at this point. She only felt that something was stuck in her heart, and she also felt a great sense of loss.

The Delicate Silk Immortal sighed, and her petals started to open. The purplish pill drifted back above her stamen.

“Ah Jiao, what do you think?” she actually asked the Blazing Delicate Apricot.

The Blazing Delicate Apricot also sighed and said, “That person once said that it was easy to ﬁnd valuable treasures, but difﬁcult to have a lover. Let him pass. He’s probably one of the special humans.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal said, “Alright, I shall let you pass. You’ve passed all the tests that person left behind. Return Ah Jiao’s stuff and you can start reading that book. If you need help, I can help you.”

“Thanks!” Huo Yuhao was delighted.

This was the ending he wanted! To him, nothing was more important than Wang Dong’er. He didn’t wish to offend these plant-type soul beasts because of his greed, which would affect his search for the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. He wasn’t willing to risk anything.

He returned to the Blazing Delicate Apricot excitedly, and passed the Blazing Rubber back to her.

“Don’t, don’t give it directly to me. Just place it on the ground. I want to re-absorb it once the Ultimate Ice melts.” The Blazing Delicate Apricot was evidently terriﬁed of the Ultimate Ice left behind by the Snow Empress.

When she saw Huo Yuhao placing the rubber on the ground without any hesitation, her scarlet-red body swayed a little, and she spoke again, “It’s easy to ﬁnd valuable treasures, but difﬁcult to have a lover. You are a good person.”

Huo Yuhao grinned and replied, “Thanks. It’ll really be good if I can leave with the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.”

After he ﬁnished speaking, he returned to the Delicate Silk Immortal’s domain. He sat down cross-legged and started reading the book.

This book was completely snow-white, and the material used to make it was unknown. The book was soft and felt a little like silk, but it seemed tougher than silk. It was also slightly damp to the touch.

There weren’t any words or title on the cover page. Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged and ﬂipped open the ﬁrst page of this book. There weren’t many words on the ﬁrst page, but those that were there felt very ancient.

“I’m glad that someone can see my last words. If you can pass the Delicate Silk Immortal’s test, it proves that you are qualiﬁed to read this book. This book was left behind by Tang Sect’s ancestor, Tang San. It records the difference between the various types of immortal and poisonous plants. There are also some lost Tang Sect methods of using poison. After you learn them, please leave this book behind. You must also use these abilities prudently.”

Huo Yuhao was shocked as he read this! He didn’t expect that this book recorded the Tang Sect’s ways of using poison!

He was originally doubtful of the Blazing Delicate Apricot and Delicate Silk Immortal’s words. They weren’t referring to Wang Dong’er’s father. It seemed like his doubts were right. The person who really left this book behind was Tang San, the founding ancestor of the Tang Sect! He was also the one who had discovered this place!

Wang Dong’er’s father must have had passed the test too, and found the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. It was just that he couldn’t leave with it, and thus he left behind these words in the book.

As he thought of this, a few of his doubts were resolved. This was undoubtedly the most appropriate explanation.

He quickly ﬂipped to the second page.

“He who has an afﬁnity, hello! I am the founder of the Tang Sect, Tang San.

“The Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well is a gift from heaven. The Extreme Chill Icespring and Blazing Sunspring exist together here; Yin and Yang complement each other. It is one of the blessed lands. The Douluo Continent as a whole is also a blessed land. After I discovered this place, I didn’t dare to take it for my own. I found some valuable herbs here along with my partners and re-grafted some of these rare yet valuable plants. Whoever you are, you must rid yourself of greed since you passed my test. You can’t ask for more. You can only take seven types of herbs from this place. “The methods of using poison can save and harm people. Those with ill intentions can destroy lives. That’s why I intentionally left the medicine and poison chapters of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record here. Only those who have passed the test will be able to learn it. Whoever learns this Treasure Record will be considered a part of the Tang Sect, and I hope you’ll look after the sect. If you are unwilling to join the sect, please return the book. You can still obtain the herbs under the Delicate Silk Immortal’s guidance. If you are willing to join the sect, you can’t leak the chapters either. You can only use them yourself. Exercise caution!

“Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, Hidden Weapon Hundred Separation, Medicine Chapter.

“Delicate Silk Immortal – the jinx of a hundred poisons. It has the effect of neutralizing all poison. It can’t dispel poison on its own, but it can curb poisonous substances. Its scent is clear and refreshing. All poison around the Delicate Silk Immortal becomes useless. Its scent can neutralize all poison.

Its ﬂower is pink, and its petals are…

“Snowworms are another way to refer to top-quality cordyceps. Snowworms are greyish-white in color, and there are ring patterns on them, eight in total, and the central four rings are the most evident. It is thin and long, while its color ranges from light to deep brown. Its cross-section is slightly longer than most cordyceps, and there’s a slightly larger spore at the top. This spore is bright-yellow on the outside and white on the inside. It is plump and juicy. Not only is it larger than an

ordinary cordyceps, its uses are much better too. Just in the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well…

“Ninth-grade Trogopterus Dung – an invaluable treasure. It’s nurtured by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and needs to absorb…

“Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass. It possesses huge white ﬂowers in the shape of star anises. The stamen in the center of its ﬂowers shine like ice crystals. It doesn’t possess any scent. It’s located at the center of the Extreme Chill Icespring…

Oh my! Huo Yuhao started to become agitated after just a slight loot at the book. He hadn’t expected to obtain the medicine and poison chapter left behind by Tang San. It wasn’t a problem for him to enter the Tang Sect, since he was already a part of it! At this point, the Delicate Silk Immortal’s voice sounded, “Hey, have you ﬁnished reading the ﬁrst few pages? Are you willing to join the Tang Sect? If you aren’t, you can’t continue reading. I promised that person…!”

Huo Yuhao lifted his head to look at the Delicate Silk Immortal and smiled. He answered, “I’m a disciple of Tang Sect. Of course I’m willing.”

“Oh? You’re a disciple of Tang Sect? Let me take a look at your Mysterious Jade Hands, then.”

Huo Yuhao nodded and lifted his hands. He slowly circulated his Mysterious Heaven Technique, and his hands slowly turned the color of jade. As his body condition wasn’t at its peak right now, he couldn’t fully use his Mysterious Jade Hands. However, it wasn’t possible for him to fake the Mysterious Heaven Technique.

“Alright, that’s ﬁne. You can continue. After you ﬁnish reading, return the book to me. That’s why you’d better memorize it.” “Alright.” Huo Yuhao nodded, then started to read the book seriously.

He didn’t read it in order. He quickly found the record related to the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.

“Yearning Heartbroken Grass, also known as the Yearning Heartbroken Red Flower. It looks like a ﬂower, but it’s actually grass. It has a white ﬂower the size of a palm. There are no leaves, and its stem is connected to a black stone.

“The Yearning Heartbroken Grass is one of the most valuable herbs. There’s a legend about it too. A long time ago, there was a young man who lived a very simple life. He loved plants and ﬂowers, and he had a whole garden of them. He would spend most of his time with his ﬂowers. Every time his ﬂowers wilted, he would become extremely sorrowful. He would then gather their petals and bury them. He even spent time mourning their loss. His love for ﬂowers touched the Flower God in the heavens, who descended to the mortal world and came to live with him. They had a great time together. However, this didn’t last. The other gods and deities were enraged when they found out about this. They believed that gods and mortals shouldn’t be together, and recalled the Flower God back to the spiritual realm. When the youth lost his lover, he became very depressed and started to neglect his ﬂowers. As a result, his garden became a pitiful sight. One day, a white-haired elder came and told him that his favorite white peony in the garden was the reincarnation of his beloved wife. As long as he destroyed the ﬂower, the Flower God would lose her divine body and could return to the mortal world once again. They would be reunited then. However, he couldn’t forsake his garden. After the elder ﬁnished speaking, he turned into a gust of wind and disappeared. The youth was jolted awake and regretted neglecting his ﬂowers. He started to take good care of them again. Although he loved his wife, he couldn’t bear to destroy the white peony. He took even greater care of the ﬂower and shared everything with it. Eventually, he died heartbroken. Before he passed away, he dripped his blood on the ﬂower petals, and the peony instantly turned into grass. The white petals were stained with the youth’s blood. That’s why it’s also called the Yearning Heartbroken Red Flower.

“The ﬂower isn’t ordinary. When you pluck it, you must think of your lover. After that, you must spit out your blood on the petals. If you have other intentions, you’ll die before you even pluck the ﬂower. After plucking it, the ﬂower will never wilt as long as it’s with its owner. If the ﬂower is forcefully destroyed, the Yearning Heartbroken Red Flower will also lose its medicinal effect. Consuming this grass has the effect of preserving one’s body. One can even extend his lifespan by ten years and greatly increase their soul power.

“Previously, my wife loved me deeply, and I plucked this ﬂower. She was once a hundred-thousand year Softbone Rabbit who was reborn into a human. To save me in a crisis that followed, she sacriﬁced her soul ring. I’m grateful to this grass for saving her. Before I left, I returned to the Iceﬁre Yin Yang

Well to plant this ﬂower again. It awaits someone who has the afﬁnity to pluck it once more.

“The Yearning Heartbroken Grass will only work for lovers. Destiny can’t be forced. You must remember that. You must remember that.”

The medicine chapter introduced the Yearning Heartbroken Grass more thoroughly than the rest of the immortal grasses. However, Huo Yuhao still felt that it was too short. There were two paragraphs of a touching love story. The ﬁrst paragraph introduced the possible origin of the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. The other paragraph recorded the love story of Tang San and his wife.

Tang San’s story touched Huo Yuhao more, as he understood the life of a soul master. When he saw the word ‘sacriﬁced’, he felt his blood surging in his body. Their love must have been very deep for Tang San’s wife to sacriﬁce herself to become a soul ring! Humans could actually get together with soul beasts. Although Tang San only brieﬂy mentioned how the grass was his benefactor, Huo Yuhao knew that the backstory wasn’t so simple. Only Tang San would know how much pain and torment they went through back then.

After taking a deep breath, Huo Yuhao calmed himself down.

Wang Dong’er’s beauty ﬁlled his mind at this point. Dong’er, I’d also sacriﬁce myself as a soul ring if I were a soul beast, and protect you forever.

As he thought until here, he revealed a grin on his face. Her beautiful ﬁgure in his mind also became clearer.

After calming himself down, Huo Yuhao started to quietly ﬂip through the Tang Sect’s record in his hand. In addition to his impressive memory, his spiritual power was also considerable He only ﬂipped through the entire book once, but he managed to memorize all its contents. Then, to make sure he didn’t miss out on certain points, he read it again. After that, he stood up and returned the book to the Delicate Silk Immortal.

“You You, can you tell me about the various plants that were introduced in the book?” Huo Yuhao asked.

“Alright.” Perhaps it was because Huo Yuhao returned her Delicate Silk Immortal Pill, she agreed to his request readily. Under her guidance, Huo Yuhao managed to learn more about the various magical plants in this Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. No one understood this place like the Delicate Silk Immortal. She even clearly told Huo Yuhao about some soul plants that weren’t recorded in the book.

They only stopped when darkness fell.

---

Wang Qiu’er passed the dry rations that she had just heated up to Huo Yuhao without saying a sound. She only lowered her head and started to munch on her food quietly.

Huo Yuhao looked at her and smiled. He said, “Thanks, Qiu’er.”

Wang Qiu’er was a little startled She lifted her head to look at him, and saw the clear light in his eyes. For some reason, she shivered slightly in her heart when she saw the look in Huo Yuhao’s eyes. An ominous feeling started to rise inside her.

Wang Qiu’er’s senses were not inferior to Huo Yuhao’s, since she possessed the Golden Dragon’s Perception. She suddenly felt that he wasn’t ostracizing her anymore, and didn’t try to keep his distance from her. The look in his eyes was extremely calm and amiable as he looked over. He treated her as a friend now. Yes, he treated her only as a friend now, a good friend one treats with respect. However, this was what made Wang Qiu’er anxious, because he was no longer afraid of what had happened between them.

After receiving Niu Tian’s letter, Huo Yuhao entered the Setting Sun Forest and came to the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well, where he ﬁnally obtained the mysterious record after going through many ordeals. To him, everything was a test of his heart. He was training his heart throughout the entire process, and his love for Wang Dong’er became deeper and deeper. Huo Yuhao felt that his heart had become clearer after he read about Tang San and Xiao Wu’s love and sacriﬁce.

The clarity also helped him realize why he was terriﬁed of Wang Qiu’er. It was because the Goddess of Light had left a deep impression in his heart, which made him afraid of her. He was afraid that he would fall in love with her.

However, this crisis had also helped him recognize his true feelings. In his heart, there was only one person and one Goddess of Light. That person was Wang Dong’er. After recognizing his true feelings, he didn’t need to worry about other things anymore. He could face her normally now.

“What’s there to thank me for? I didn’t do anything. You managed everything on your own,” Wang Qiu’er said coldly.

Huo Yuhao said, “Thanks for accompanying me here. I will remember this favor. If you need help in the future, you can tell me.”

Wang Qiu’er snorted, “No need. Since you have so much energy to talk nonsense, I suggest that you use it on eating and cultivating. With your current state, I don’t even think you can control a ﬂying-type soul tool.”

“Okay.” Huo Yuhao was already used to her indifferent attitude, and so wasn’t too bothered by it. He quickly consumed his meal before starting to cultivate.

Three days! Huo Yuhao took three days to learn of all the plants in the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. This place contained more than two-thirds of the immortal and poisonous grasses recorded in the Hidden Weapons Hundred Separation’s medicine and poison chapters. This place deserved to be called a blessed land. There were some plants that weren’t recorded in the chapters, but the Delicate Silk Immortal introduced them to Huo Yuhao in detail. With her help, Huo Yuhao managed to turn a special herb into a concoction, and he recorded it at the back of the record.

“Alright, your memory is astounding. I have taught you everything I know. You are a good student.” After a few days of interaction, the Delicate Silk Immortal and Huo Yuhao had also become more familiar with each other. Although she was rather naggy, she was actually quite a peaceful character. She also formed a decent friendship with Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao nodded, then turned his head in a certain direction. It was the area where the Yearning Heartbroken Grass grew. He had seen the divine products created by the grass before, but he didn’t rush out after it. He memorized the special characteristics of the surrounding herbs instead.

“Thanks, You You. Can I start now?” Huo Yuhao asked.

She replied, “Anytime. As long as you think it’s possible, you can do it. After that, you can take away seven different types of herbs from this place too. If they have successfully turned into plant-type soul beasts, you can categorize their ﬁnished products based on their medicinal effects. For example, there’s my pill and Ah Jiao’s rubber. These are the rules that Tang San left behind. In fact, the pill and rubber would have been included among the seven if you didn’t return them to us.”

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment before saying, “Is the Fullmoon Piercing Autumn Dew that I’ve eaten included?”

The Delicate Silk Immortal’s pink ﬂowers swayed a little, and she said, “No. It was used to test you. If you didn’t pass the test, nothing would have followed.”

Huo Yuhao immediately said without hesitation, “I only want to take two things away today, the Yearning Heartbroken Grass and the Blazing Rubber. As for the other ﬁve types, I’ll come in the future when I need them.”

“Alright. Why don’t you want my pill? It can neutralize countless poisons; it’s very useful.” The Delicate Silk Immortal was advertising her own ability. Huo Yuhao answered, “I’m not going to need it now. I’ll leave these ﬁve chances for the future. If my partners or friends need emergency help in the future, it’ll be convenient for me to ﬁnd suitable herbs here.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal said, “What about the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass? It’s very suitable for you. It’ll greatly increase your cultivation. To be conservative, I expect it to increase your soul power by at least ﬁve ranks. It absorbed the extreme cold from the Extreme Chill Icespring and the Frigid Raindew separated from it is more effective than the Blazing Rubber.”

Huo Yuhao shook his head and smiled. “Ancestor Tang San said that we can’t be greedy. I have already absorbed the Fullmoon Piercing Autumn Dew, and I also obtained the origin energy of heaven and earth absorbed by the Snow Empress from the Extreme Chill Icespring. I can’t take more for myself. The origin energy will take some time to fully digest.”

As he spoke til this point, he laughed bitterly. The origin energy absorbed in his body was too immense. It was so immense that even the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s skeleton was ﬁlled with extremely pure energy. Huo Yuhao’s own body was like a receptacle that was completely ﬁlled. If he wasn’t careful, he might blow apart.

He had to be extremely cautious in his cultivation right now. He could only activate the circulation of his soul power through his narrow meridians to absorb the origin energy for his own use. His meridians were also under great pressure, to the extent of being internally hurt because he was being continually struck by the origin energy of the Extreme Chill Icespring. It was even difﬁcult for his Life Gold’s immense life power to restore his body. Huo Yuhao felt that the Snow Empress had used his body’s limit as a blueprint when she was absorbing the origin energy earlier.

However, Huo Yuhao could also sense that once he absorbed more than half of the origin energy, his cultivation would soar. In addition, it would be much easier for him to absorb the remaining origin energy once he reached that stage.

His Ultimate Ice martial soul was a result of fusing with the Ice Empress. This time, he had completely tempered his body into an Ultimate Ice body. This was also the intention of the Snow Empress, and it would be very beneﬁcial for his future development. The Skydream Iceworm told him that he wouldn’t suffer from the repercussions of wielding Ultimate Ice once he managed to absorb all the origin energy. After he absorbed it completely, it might even help him obtain a Martial Soul True Body. The only problem was that he had no idea how long it would take for him to absorb it all. Furthermore, his cultivation was currently stuck at three rings, as he couldn’t overactivate his soul power. Just as Wang Qiu’er had said, he couldn’t even command a ﬂying-type soul tool.

@Chapter 264: Raging Hot Blood in the Boundary Between Life and Death

The Delicate Silk Immortal made a snorting sound and said, “You really don’t want my pill?”

Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, “If I need it in the future, I’ll ask for it. Thanks, You You.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal groaned, “Then you should get going. I don’t think you can stay any longer either.”

She was right. He had been gone from Shrek Academy for a week. Although he knew that nothing would happen to Wang Dong’er’s internal injury, he was still very anxious. In order to be more prepared to obtain the Yearning Heartbroken Grass, he had to make sufﬁcient preparations. He couldn’t be distracted at all. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a second chance if he failed! This was what he was afraid of.

A dim light ﬂashed, and Huo Yuhao revealed a focused gleam in his eyes. He clasped his hands in front of his chest. Every time the light in his eyes ﬂashed, the air would distort slightly.

He didn’t rush out to pluck the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. He stood up and looked into the distance, in the direction of Shrek Academy.

Slowly, the calm expression in his eyes started to turn gentle. There was only one ﬁgure in it, and he started to smile. He recalled the ﬁrst time he had met Wang Dong’er.

She had been extremely arrogant then! She was obviously a girl, but she dressed up like a guy. No wonder so many weird things had happened.

They had learned and cultivated together. They even possessed martial soul fusion skills and unleashed the Golden Road Amidst Withering Resplendence.

They had been together for a long time.

On the beautiful Sea God’s Lake during the Sea God’s Fate, she ﬁnally revealed her identity as a girl. From the Love at First Sight, to Destined in Three Lives, and ﬁnally to Eternal Love.

Dong’er, you have ﬁnally become my girlfriend. I was stupid, I was really stupid. It was only then that I was certain you were a girl. It was only then that I realized you weren’t a brother or partner to me but…

Dong’er, I’m very foolish, right? In your heart, I’ve always been very foolish and stupid. However, you fell for me. With your status as the Clear Sky Sect’s young mistress, you must have had many choices. With your ravishing Goddess of Light’s looks, you can attract many guys.

However, you chose me. You chose my ordinary looks. I was even the worst-looking fellow when we were ﬁrst admitted to the academy.

Dong’er, you’ve sacriﬁced a lot for me. What kind of pressure have you been under? You never told me. Even when Uncle Niu Tian and Tai Tan doubted me, you stood on my side.

You are my goddess, a goddess that I’ll protect with my life.

My body, heart and spirit belong to you. Dong’er, I love you. In his mind, the dancing ﬁgure of the Raiment of Light surfaced. Huo Yuhao moved as he smiled.

He walked forward one step at a time. At this point, he seemed to have lost his focus and spirit in his own emotional world. There was a thick sense of love in his eyes.

Wang Qiu’er wasn’t standing far away from him. She watched everything quietly. At this moment, she realized that she couldn’t enter Huo Yuhao’s heart like Wang Dong had.

Her tears started to ﬂow uncontrollably. She was crying in sorrow. Before she had met him, she had never imagined that she would shed tears for a man. However, she was really crying now, and she was even crying for Huo Yuhao.

In just a short seven days, his life had been in danger several times. However, he managed to survive everything because of his love for Wang Dong’er. His love for her was extremely deep. Why did I meet him so late?

Wang Qiu’er was crying in sorrow. At this moment, she didn’t possess the dominance and toughness of the Golden Dragon anymore. She was only ﬁlled with the pain and sorrow of a young girl losing her lover.

Huo Yuhao continued to walk forward. The Delicate Silk Immortal didn’t help him, but the sentient plants could sense his love, and they all opened a path for him as they pulled away to either side.

Eventually, he came in front of the pitch-black stone and the white ﬂower that seemed so vulnerable.

The white ﬂower was shaped like a peony, but it was much thinner than one. It didn’t have any scent, and wasn’t decorated with anything. There wasn’t even a leaf on it. There was only a patch of blood-red on it. It was color ﬁlled with sorrow.

The Yearning Heartbroken Grass. It bloomed and withered only for love.

The divine product in the grass was also of a ten-thousand year level, but it didn’t possess its own intelligence or the strength of a soul beast. It wasn’t that it couldn’t evolve. If it chose to evolve, it would be the strongest out of all the grasses. However, it didn’t do so because it was unwilling. It only wanted to protect its stubbornness for love. It was just like the scholar and Xiao Wu back then, waiting for the right one to come. Once they decided, they were willing to give their

everything. This was the stubbornness for love that the Yearning Heartbroken Grass possessed.

Huo Yuhao stopped and looked down. He looked at the patch of red on the ﬂower that was ﬂashing slightly. Above the patch of red, it really seemed as if fresh blood was ﬂowing.

“Dong’er, Dong’er, wait for me. I’ll be back soon.” Huo Yuhao slowly lifted his head, and a dim layer of golden light started to rise from his body. The weird thing was that the golden light was shaped like a ﬂame as it surfaced. It was undulating slightly, as if he was burning his own life.

Huo Yuhao’s spiritual sea started to shake tremendously at this moment. The pure undulation of his spiritual mind caused his spiritual sea to turn into a smooth icy ocean. A golden ﬁgure started to dance amidst this icy ocean. A thick sense of love started to spread in his heart as the Goddess of Light appeared in his mind. Wang Qiu’er was stunned to ﬁnd out that a projection that was identical to Wang Dong’er had appeared behind Huo Yuhao as the golden ﬂame rose. Yes, she was certain that the projection was Wang Dong’er, even though they looked very similar.

Even the demeanor, aura, and look in the projection’s eyes were all similar to Wang Dong’er. She was smiling. It was a gentle smile, as if she were sensing something. She ﬂoated behind Huo Yuhao quietly and shone along with the golden ﬂame that Huo Yuhao emanated.

The Skydream Iceworm was the most shocked right now. He crawled out of Huo Yuhao’s body and turned into a ring. He was stunned to see the projection and muttered to himself, “Concrete-immaterial realm. He has done it! He has focused everything into love. He has actually entered such a realm! His Sovereign’s Descent will cease to exist now. What’s left will only be the Goddess of Light that he has comprehended!”

Yes, Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power had evolved. He was like Ji Juechen. He had found the path that fused both his spiritual and soul power. It wasn’t the Sovereign’s Descent anymore. The Sovereign’s Descent was created by Elder Mu, but it wasn’t his true path. The Sovereign’s Descent had shown him a smooth road, but at this moment, he had found his own way The name of this path was the same as his lover. It was the Goddess of Light.

Huo Yuhao turned his right palm around and slapped his chest hard.

“Wa——” Icy-blue blood spewed out of his mouth, and splattered on the surface of the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.

Suddenly, the Yearning Heartbroken Grass started to shake. Huo Yuhao’s golden projection also turned dim and disappeared.

He stared at the divine product in the grass that could give Wang Dong’er life again.

This pool of blood that he spat out was ﬁlled with his love for Wang Dong’er. His palm strike even caused the suppressed origin energy in his body to rage slightly. This origin energy started to course through his meridians. However, Huo Yuhao didn’t seem to have any awareness of all of that. He only widened his eyes and looked at the fresh blood that had landed on the Yearning Heartbroken Grass’ ﬂower.

He was in a daze the next moment. That was because he was stunned to discover that his blood had been affected by his origin energy and turned into ice. His blood didn’t fuse with the ﬂower, but turned to ice instead. It stopped seeping into the petals.

“No… no, this can’t happen!” Huo Yuhao panicked. Before this, his face had still been brimming with a smile of love.

What do I do? What should I do? How has this happened?

My blood has actually frozen? No, this can’t happen!...

Suddenly, he turned around and ran quickly towards the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well. The plants opened a path for him.

“Huo Yuhao, what are you doing?” The Delicate Silk Immortal and Wang Qiu’er asked at the same time. That was because they saw Huo Yuhao bursting towards the Blazing Sunspring. It seemed like Huo Yuhao had failed to pluck the Yearning Heartbroken Grass and turned crazy.

Huo Yuhao was too quick. By the time Wang Qiu’er managed to react, he was already in front of the Blazing Sunspring. Without any hesitation, he kneeled down in front of the Blazing Sunspring. He reached out both his hands into the Sunspring.

He was like a detonator to a stationary soul cannon, as his body was ﬁlled with the origin energy of Ultimate Ice. As his palms entered the spring, there was a sudden explosion in the Blazing Sunspring. The terrifying aura that raged forth after that even swept all the way over to Wang Qiu’er.

Steam started to rise from Huo Yuhao’s body. This was the result as Ultimate Ice clashed with Ultimate Fire. Right now, he seemed to be intoxicated, and didn’t appear to feel anything. He cupped some of the spring water in his hands and brought it to his face.

Mist started to rise from his palms. Even though he had Ultimate Ice to protect his body, he had no intention of protecting himself. Blisters started to surface on his hands. They were like cooked shrimp at this point, burning red.

“Dong’er! My love for you is pure. I will succeed!” He knelt down beside the sunspring and lifted his head and hands as the plants all looked at him. Before Wang Qiu’er could grab hold of him, he swallowed the spring water.

A red gust rose from his head, and a layer of thick icy fog was unleashed from his body. Wang Qiu’er’s hand was pushed away by this layer of fog.

Huo Yuhao didn’t stop. His face had already turned completely red, and he looked like a drunk. However, he still managed to focus and activate the Instant Teleportation from his left leg soul bone.

A golden light ﬂashed, and he teleported all the way back to the black stone, arriving in front of the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.

His eyes had already turned red at this point. However, there was a satisﬁed smile on his face. However, this look of satisfaction appeared a little weird on his red face. However, it also seemed a little sacred!

“No, you will die!” Wang Qiu’er cried. She also activated her Instant Teleportation, but she wasn’t teleported as far as Huo Yuhao. She was too late. She watched as Huo Yuhao slapped his chest for the second time.

She saw him spewing blood from his mouth. His blood landed on the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.

At this instant, time seemed to have stood still. Wang Qiu’er collapsed onto the ground, and tears ﬂowed down her face. At this moment, she couldn’t imagine what he had been through. At the same time, she also felt that her heart had broken.

“Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao!” Wang Qiu’er was crying sorrowfully. She was crying sorrowfully with her eyes shut.

However, Huo Yuhao’s eyes were wide open. He was staring at the white ﬂower and his own blood.

The ice melted. As his blood fused together, it started to seep into the ﬂower. A layer of pure and holy light shone from the ﬂower and engulfed Huo Yuhao. It was shaking slightly, as if it were struggling. The blood of sorrow on the petal started to fade.

Even though it looked very delicate, all the ﬂowers surrounding the Iceﬁre Yin Yang Well closed and drooped when it broke free from the black stone. This included the Delicate Silk Immortal, the Blazed Delicate Apricot, the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass and the Wonderloft Chrysanthemum . They were like subjects bowing down to their king.

The small, white ﬂower drifted quietly in front of Huo Yuhao and stuck closely to his cheek. It was as if it had found its lover, and was exuding a jade glow.

Huo Yuhao’s expression turned a little silly. Even though his hands were ﬁlled with blisters and looked as if they were melting, and even though blood was coming out of the pores of his body before turning into ice ﬂakes, he still smiled in deep satisfaction.

He opened his mouth and wanted to say something. However, his throat had been scalded by the Blazing Sunspring water. His voice was very hoarse, but it was possible to tell what he was trying to say by reading his lips.

“Dong’er, I have succeeded!” The white ﬂower stuck closely to his face and didn’t fall off. The glow that came from it was still ﬂashing, as if it were soothing his hurt body.

Huo Yuhao’s body shook slightly, and he almost fell down. He forcefully twisted his head to look at Wang Qiu’er. There was a pleading look on his face.

Wang Qiu’er had just crawled up from the ground. At this moment, she didn’t dare to reject him no matter how aloof and sad she was.

“Alright, I promise!” Wang Qiu’er muttered as she cried.

Huo Yuhao’s lips moved. Fresh blood ﬂowed from his body. His body was slowly collapsing to the ground. Before he completely collapsed, he forced his head to one side so that the Yearning Heartbroken Grass wouldn’t touch the ground. He was afraid of crushing the delicate ﬂower. No, he was afraid of crushing Wang Dong’er’s hope.

Wang Qiu’er walked towards Huo Yuhao slowly. His body crashed irregularly to the ground. Fresh blood continued to stream from his mouth and nose. His life was slowly diminishing. The ﬂesh on his hands had mostly melted off, and his bones could almost be seen. An intense chill was surging through his body. It was about to blow him apart.

He’s, he’s about to die. He’s really about to die?

Wang Qiu’er’s heart was trembling. She turned around suddenly to look at the Delicate Silk Immortal.

“What can save him, what can save him?” She was almost shouting hysterically. As she spoke, she lifted Huo Yuhao up and rushed in front of the Delicate Silk Immortal.

The Delicate Silk Immortal’s voice was also ﬁlled with sorrow, “He’s hurt too badly. The spring water that he swallowed has already burned his throat, windpipe and even his heart. He didn’t activate the Ultimate Ice in his body to resist the scorching spring water. Because of this, the blood that he spat out was burning. It’s really blood from his heart! He is the best human I’ve ever seen. His stubbornness towards love isn’t inferior to that of Tang San and Xiao Wu!” “Stop spouting nonsense now. Can you save him? If he dies, I’ll bury all of you here with him.” Wang Qiu’er’s face was stained with tears. However, an indescribable force was unleashed from her body at this instant. Her powdery-blue hair quickly turned golden and ﬂew up behind her back. Her sky blue eyes also turned golden. She released an indescribable aura from her body. Golden light rapidly spread from her body, and everything that surrounded her was dyed gold.

The plants started to tremble in deep fear.

“Stop, please stop ﬁrst!” The Delicate Silk Immortal was shuddering as she spoke.

Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “He dies, I die, everyone dies.” The golden light stopped spreading momentarily. Every word from her mouth was very determined. She was so determined that it was terrifying.

The Delicate Silk Immortal was a little stunned as she said, “His, his lover doesn’t seem to be you...” Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “Is this related to what I asked? It’s not important whether he loves me. However, I have realized that I love him. Since he can give up his life for her, I can also do the same thing. Do you really have no way of saving him? If you don’t, I have a plan. However, all of you will die if I use this plan.”

The Delicate Silk Immortal sighed and said, “Initially, there was no way. However, there might be a chance since you love him so much. Unless you can…”

……

Shrek Academy, Sea God’s Lake, Sea God’s Island, Sea God’s Pavilion...

The Golden Tree exuded a gentle aura of life. However, there seemed to be something different within this gentle aura of life.

Wang Dong’er was seated quietly in Huo Yuhao’s room. The window was open, and she could see the thick vegetation outside. But right now, everything seemed grey within her eyes.

She had been seated here for a day and night. She didn’t move the entire time.

Over the past ten days, she and her partners had combed the entire academy and Shrek City. They had even searched a region in the Great Star Dou Forest.

However, there wasn’t any news of him.

Wang Dong’er’s eyes were a little swollen. She had cried a countless number of times.

When she discovered that he had disappeared with Wang Qiu’er, she had been ﬁlled with rage apart from the heart- chilling cold. Did he betray me? No, Yuhao wouldn’t do that. These two thoughts appeared alternately in her mind.

Niu Tian wouldn’t have expected that the pouch he gave to Wang Dong’er would also become a test for her. The test was tormenting her.

The initial rage and chill started to change as time passed. Her rage intensiﬁed. She couldn’t wait to ﬁnd him and grab his collar before interrogating him as to why he left, and why he left with Wang Qiu’er. Is it really because I’m not good enough, and she loves you more than I do?

The rage even caused her to lose her rationality.

However, what happened after her rage vanished? After her rage vanished, she was only left with fear.

Before this, she hadn’t expected that she would one day lose Huo Yuhao. However, she really had lost him this time. She had discovered that she couldn’t live without him. Without him, her entire world turned grey and lifeless.

After the rage subsided, it was replaced with an indescribable sense of yearning.

At this point, Wang Dong’er only had one thought in her head. As long as you return, I won’t probe further. I believe that you love me. Yuhao, please come back!

At that moment, she started crying. She was so heartbroken that she cried for an entire night. When she crawled up the next morning, she continued to look for him.

It was only yesterday that she felt a little hopeless when she returned to the Sea God’s Pavilion. Her mindset had changed once again.

Yuhao, come back. If you come back, I won’t be angry as long as you are well, alive and ﬁne no matter what your choice is. If you still love me, I’m willing to share you with her. Yuhao, come back, please come back.! I’m waiting for you! No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait for you...

As a result, she went back to his room and sat there quietly.

Bei Bei and the rest came over. Even Yan Shaozhe and Elder Xuan visited her. However, Wang Dong’er didn’t listen to any of their words. She was already completely immersed in her own world. There was only Huo Yuhao there.

It was only after Huo Yuhao disappeared that she fully understood how deeply she loved him.

She was scared that Huo Yuhao would be like Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao, leaving without returning.

Yuhao, will you come back? No matter what you want, I’ll promise it! Anything as long as you return!

Tears started to ﬂow down her face once again. Wang Dong’er stood up slowly and walked over in front of Huo Yuhao’s bed. She quietly sat down before lying down on it. She hugged his pillow and sniffed the remnants of his scent on it. She was sobbing pitifully.

So, loving someone is actually so tormenting and unforgettable. Yuhao, Yuhao, do you know that? Where are you exactly? As long as you can come back ﬁne, I’m willing to exchange my life. I just want to see you well, even if we can’t get together.

------

Sunlight shone into the room through the window, projecting the jagged shadows of trees into the room. The refreshing air the outside seeped into the room and gently diffused.

“Dong’er, Dong’er!” At this moment, an anxious voice was calling out distantly

Wang Dong’er didn’t move. Right now, she was completely immersed in Huo Yuhao’s memory.

The door opened, a purplish ﬁgure burst into the room and found Wang Dong’er after scanning the room momentarily. “Dong’er, quick! Quickly get up! Yuhao, Yuhao is back!”

The word ‘Yuhao’ was like a bell to Wang Dong’er. She instantly bounced up from the bed, and her emotionless eyes became vibrant again. She was looking at the equally ravishing lady that had rushed into the room.

The lady who had rushed into the room was the fourth member of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, Jiang Nannan.

Jiang Nannan had an outraged look on her face. Something seemed to have infuriated her.

“Really, really… is he really back?” Wang Dong’er’s voice was trembling slightly, as was her petite ﬁgure.

Jiang Nannan couldn’t stand her haggard look. She wanted to say something, but she stopped herself.

“Sister Nannan, is he really back? Tell me, tell me!” Wang Dong’er grabbed onto her shoulder, and the anxiety in her eyes surged with the tears that ﬂowed down uncontrollably.

Jiang Nannan was still indignant as she told Wang Dong’er, “Yes, he’s back. However, he came back with Wang Qiu’er.

“Huo Yuhao, that scoundrel! I won’t let him off. You treat him so nice, but he went out with Wang Qiu’er. They just returned! I saw them outside the academy before I immediately rushed here to inform you. Dong’er, what are you doing? Don’t go! That scoundrel…!”

Before she could ﬁnish speaking, Wang Dong’er had already rushed out through the window. Her Radiant Butterﬂy Goddess’ wings ﬂapped open and carried her in the direction of Shrek Academy’s gate.

Jiang Nannan sighed and muttered to herself, “More care, more trouble... more care, more trouble! Fortunately, I informed Bei Bei and the rest. Huo Yuhao, you are a bastard! I won’t let you off. Dong’er sacriﬁced so much for you, but you chose to be with another woman. Hmph!”

As she spoke, she also quickened her footsteps. This was the Sea God’s Pavilion. She didn’t dare to jump out of the window like Wang Dong’er had. She backtracked along her original route and left the Sea God’s Pavilion quickly, heading straight for the gate.

------

Going straight all the way from Shrek Academy’s gate would lead one to the shore of the Sea God’s Lake. Proceeding down the paths that wound along the shore would lead to the inner courtyard. There was also a statue at the end of each of these paths.

At this moment, a tough-looking lady was surrounded in front of one of these statues.

Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, and Xiao Xiao all looked a little unfriendly. The person who was surrounded by them was Wang Qiu’er, who had been missing for ten days. She was carrying someone on her back, and that person was Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao looked very weird. He seemed to be asleep on her back, and was evidently not clad in his own clothing. His drooping hands were also wrapped up. There was a satisﬁed smile on his face, and there was even a white ﬂower stuck closely to one side of his face. He appeared very strange.

“Make way!” Wang Qiu’er said coldly.

Even Bei Bei, who was normally very reﬁned, looked slightly infuriated now. “Wang Qiu’er, what happened to Yuhao? He went out with you?”

Wang Qiu’er replied coldly, “That’s right, he went out with me.”

“The two of you, how can the two of you…?” Xiao Xiao said righteously.

Wang Qiu’er scoffed, “Why can’t we?”

“You…” Xiao Xiao was so angry that her face turned red. She was about to rush up, but He Caitou pulled her arm back. They knew that Wang Qiu’er’s abilities were extraordinary. Xiao Xiao was likely to suffer if she attacked like that. Xu Sanshi said in a deep voice, “Wang Qiu’er, pass Huo Yuhao to us. What happened to him? Why did you carry him back? Where did the two of you go?”

Wang Qiu’er didn’t answer his questions. “Where’s Wang Dong’er? Huo Yuhao is back, but where is she?”

“Are you trying to assert your authority over her?” Xiao Xiao asked furiously. As she spoke, two yellow, two purple and one black soul ring rose from her feet. A black cauldron also subtly appeared. She was ready to attack now!

Wang Qiu’er was still fearless. Her eyes were extremely focused, and a dangerous aura was being exuded from her body.

Bei Bei said unkindly, “Wang Qiu’er, Yuhao’s disappearance must be related to you, even though we don’t know what happened. If you are unwilling to hand him over, don’t blame us for being unkind.”

He was a little worried about Huo Yuhao’s condition. With his cultivation, how could he possibly be sleeping on Wang Qiu’er’s back? Something must have happened!

Wang Qiu’er acted like she didn’t hear his threat. She continued to say coldly, “Where’s Wang Dong’er?”

Bei Bei snorted coldly. His soul rings rose from his feet. He was really angry now. They had been looking for Huo Yuhao for ten days! They had been seeing Wang Dong’er’s pale face every day. Even he was unhappy with Huo Yuhao, a junior that he had always liked.

Seeing that Bei Bei had unleashed his soul rings, He Caitou immediately jumped backward, and heavy soul cannons appeared on his shoulders. Xu Sanshi took a step forward and unleashed his Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle. Although only four of the members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were here, their coordination was still decent.

Wang Qiu’er stood there without moving and only looked at them coldly. “I won’t ﬁght with all of you. It’ll only hurt him. Call Wang Dong’er over.” Xu Sanshi snorted furiously. He took a step forward and was about to attack Wang Qiu’er with his shield.

At this point, a bright blue streak descended from the sky as a hoarse voice called out, “Yuhao, where’s Yuhao?”

Wang Dong’er descended from the sky and landed several meters in front of Wang Qiu’er.

After seeing Wang Dong’er, Wang Qiu’er was slightly stunned. Her complexion looked very unhealthy, and it seemed that she had become extremely lifeless. Her body was much thinner, and she even looked a little out of shape. Only ten days had passed! Her life seemed to have diminished.

Wang Dong’er didn’t look at Wang Qiu’er. She was ﬁxated on Huo Yuhao’s body, and exclaimed in sorrow, “Yuhao, what happened to you?” As she spoke, she rushed towards Wang Qiu’er. She had only taken a glance at him, but had already realized that something wasn’t right. Their connection was very close since they had formed martial soul fusion skills together. However, Wang Dong’er clearly couldn’t feel his powerful martial souls in his body right now. Wang Qiu’er lifted her hand to block Wang Dong’er.

Wang Dong’er was stunned for a moment before looking at her. As their gazes met, Wang Qiu’er saw the look of sadness and heartache in Wang Dong’er’s eyes, while Wang Dong’er only saw loneliness in Wang Qiu’er’s eyes.

“I’ll hand him over to you, but you need to hear what I want to say ﬁrst,” Wang Qiu’er said.

Wang Dong’er said anxiously, “What, what happened to him?

Can you tell me after I’ve taken a look at him?”

Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “Don’t worry, he won’t die.”

Wang Dong’er calmed herself down and nodded. She replied, “Alright, tell me.”

“No.” Bei Bei came up beside Wang Dong’er and interrupted her. Wang Dong’er’s body was very weak now. Everyone believed that Wang Qiu’er had nothing good to say. What if Wang Dong’er was provoked?

Cerita silat IndoMandarin

Unrivaled Tang Sect Volume 26

Chapter 243: Representing the Tang Sect to Fight?

Chapter 244: Qiu'er, I'm Not One Who Picks on Others

Chapter 245: The Tang Sect Grows Stronger

Chapter 246: The Soul Tool Hall is Formed

Chapter 247:The Continuously Strengthening Tang Sect

Chapter 248: Old and New Battle Teams, and New Rules

Chapter 249: The Powerful Wang Dong'er

Chapter 250: Huo Yuhao VS Wang Qiu'er

Chapter 251: All You Know How to Do is Bully Me!

Chapter 252: The Second Spirit

Chapter 253: Yearning Heartbroken Grass

Chapter 254: Invading a Territory?

Chapter 255: The Setting Sun Forest

Chapter 256: Ice and Fire Destroy the Poisonous Miasma

Chapter 257: Jade Phosphorous Flower of the Seven Absolutes

Chapter 258: Paradise on Earth

Chapter 259: You You

Chapter 260: Polycoria

Chapter 261: The Blazing Delicate Apricot's Test

Chapter 262: The Snow Empress' Overﬂowing Tyranny!

Chapter 263: Ancestor Tang San

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