"Turtle... Turtle me, I plan to sacrifice myself for you, kid. That way, you'll be able to obtain my hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. But you're only just over level 30, and you can't withstand the immense spirit power of my ring."
"So Turtle me has no choice but to offer up everything. If the Skydream Iceworm didn't lie to me, during this process, you'll be able to save my soul. But if the Skydream Iceworm did lie... Turtle me will be utterly annihilated."
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle muttered about the matter of sacrifice.
Sacrifices come in different forms.
Generally, there are two kinds:
If a spirit beast has a way to preserve its life, it can sacrifice only its spirit ring, retaining both soul and physical body, which allows the possibility of future resurrection or cultivation.
Coincidentally, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle does have such a life-saving method.
Never underestimate a turtle's survival instincts.
If Huo Yuhao were a Titled Douluo, or had a body capable of withstanding a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, the Golden Hawksbill could have set terms and only sacrificed its cultivation.
There might still be a sliver of hope.
In Douluo Dalu 1, Ah Yin (Blue Silver Emperor) sacrificed herself in this manner.
The second is where the spirit beast sacrifices both body and soul, which allows the addition of a spirit ring regardless of the spirit master's level.
Also seen in Douluo Dalu 1, Xiao Wu sacrificed herself in this way, becoming Tang San's sixth spirit ring. Coincidentally, Huo Yuhao's current physique is equivalent to a six-ring Spirit Emperor.
At that time, if it weren't for the Yearning Heartbroken Red extending her life, Xiao Wu's body would have turned to ash.
When Da Ming and Er Ming later sacrificed themselves—even though Tang San could withstand the pressure of a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring—they still had no choice but to sacrifice fully.
Because they had no life-saving means!
Their souls could only enter the spirit ring.
Now, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle can only choose full sacrifice to benefit Huo Yuhao.
Thus, once it begins, there's no turning back. Its very survival depends entirely on Huo Yuhao's ability to save its soul.
After explaining, the Golden Hawksbill suddenly felt a sense of relief.
After clinging to life for so long, the once-proud hundred-thousand-year beast king had been reduced to hiding in the mud of the mixed zone—it had suffered greatly for many years.
Whether this sacrifice worked or not, at least it wouldn't have to suffer anymore.
Of course, had it not been for Huo Yuhao and the Skydream Iceworm being strong enough to kill it, it would've rather kept enduring.
Better a miserable life than a glorious death.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle looked at Huo Yuhao and Skydream Iceworm: "What do you two think?"
Huo Yuhao said: "Who are you calling 'kid'? From now on, call me Brother Hao!"
"Yeah! And call me Brother Tianmeng!" the Skydream Iceworm said angrily, hands on its hips.
The Golden Hawksbill was dumbfounded: "I'm a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and you want me to call you 'brother'?"
"My brother is a million-year soul beast and still calls him Brother Hao!" the Skydream Iceworm snapped back. Then looked at Huo Yuhao. "Right, Brother Hao?"
"Exactly, Brother Tianmeng. Since you're with us now, you've got to mind your manners," Huo Yuhao nodded seriously.
"..." The Golden Hawksbill reluctantly muttered, "Brother Hao... Brother Tianmeng…"
Well, the decision was made.
Dignity didn't matter anymore.
The turtle shed tears of humiliation.
"Then let's prepare for the sacrifice."
Huo Yuhao activated his Aura-Seeing Technique to scan the surroundings. The Skydream Iceworm also scouted the area.
Once they were certain there was no danger or interference…
Huo Yuhao gave Bei Bei another three-day dose of sleep.
Golden Hawksbill's sacrifice didn't require sealing its origin power or pre-fusing soul bones.
It wasn't overly dangerous.
In fact, the soul ring and bone could even be absorbed together.
So normally, the entire process would take only a day.
"Sacrifice to my Ghost Banner Martial Soul. You'll be its third ring and its third main soul. Your soul will reside within the Ghost Banner."
Huo Yuhao summoned the Ghost Banner Martial Soul.
Golden Hawksbill looked at the eerie banner, instinctively wanting to refuse. But in the end, it said nothing.
In truth, the Ghost Banner only needed the turtle's soul to condense the third spirit ring.
With a full sacrifice, no one knew what kind of changes might occur.
As for his other Martial Souls, Huo Yuhao already had plans.
Mutant Ice Centipede Martial Soul would continue down the poison attribute path.
It had no spare slots for new rings right now.
Evil Eye Martial Soul was his primary soul and must get the best.
He was aiming for a Ferocious Beast ring—or even one from the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
The Golden Hawksbill, while a type of Auspicious Beast, was ordinary and could only bless itself—not the entire Great Star Dou Forest.
Letting it sacrifice to the Ghost Banner might give that spirit some of the Auspicious Beast's power.
"Oh right, leave your soul bone behind too. If it becomes an external soul bone, even better."
Golden Hawksbill: "...I'll try."
So demanding!
"Don't worry, I'll help out!" said the Skydream Iceworm, ready to assist.
"Let's begin!"
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged.
"Here I go!"
Golden Hawksbill's eyes grew serious. The sacrifice began.
Blood-red light bloomed, enveloping Huo Yuhao.
Under the turtle's precise control, the sacrifice didn't cause much noise.
But the fluctuations were still intense.
The shockwave blew the sleeping Bei Bei into a distant tree, making him groan and spit blood.
But he remained unconscious.
The Toxic Swamp Lizard Dragon's mangled corpse was blown into fragments, scattered everywhere.
The Golden Hawksbill's body gradually faded. Its soul ring and bone flew toward Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul and body.
Then, a large chunk of life-infused golden metal dropped into the mud—its Life Gold.
But Huo Yuhao couldn't collect it now.
He was fully focused on absorbing the soul ring and bone.
The red hundred-thousand-year spirit ring settled atop the Ghost Banner Martial Soul.
A wave of sinister gray energy spread from the banner, dyeing the red ring gray, though it still retained a faint red glow.
"Aaaah—" the Golden Hawksbill suddenly screamed.
Startled, the Skydream Iceworm asked, "What's wrong, Turtle?!"
"I…" The turtle wanted to voice its fear—the transformation of its ring into gray was terrifying.
But then it blinked in confusion. "It doesn't hurt… Actually, it feels kind of nice? I feel like this Martial Soul is drawing me in. My soul feels... comfortable. You weren't lying to me?"
Skydream Iceworm: "…"
Then why were you screaming like that?!
I ought to slap you!
As the soul ring merged with the Ghost Banner, great fortune gathered upon it. The banner seemed to be transforming.
Electrolux's shadow appeared beside the banner, eyeing the spirit ring with interest.
"Such a fusion is wasteful… In that case, allow this old man to help."
Ancient necromantic spells flowed from his mouth and into the spirit ring.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao absorbed the soul ring and bone together. While not dangerous, the pressure was considerable.
His heart pounded. The cool aura of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus spread, helping relieve the pressure.
"Thank you, Snow Lotus." Huo Yuhao silently expressed gratitude.
The Snow Lotus had no consciousness and couldn't respond, but it reacted instinctively to his condition.
With reduced stress, Huo Yuhao could now focus more on the changes in his body.
The turtle's soul bone merged into his chest.
Instead of becoming a torso bone, as in the original story, it became a heart-guarding mirror—an external soul bone!
—Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden Heart-Guarding Mirror!
The Skydream Iceworm withdrew its spirit power, wiping nonexistent sweat from its brow.
Before the soul bone stabilized, it had disrupted its formation to ensure it became external.
As for the turtle itself, it was now lost inside the Ghost Banner—silent for half a day.
Once the bone fused, Huo Yuhao sensed a bloodline power merging into him.
"Absorbing a soul bone can fuse bloodlines?" he was surprised. "Then I now have three special bloodlines?"
White Tiger bloodline (from Evil Eye Martial Soul)
Mutant Ice Centipede bloodline
Golden Hawksbill bloodline (from Heart-Guarding Mirror)
The new bloodline spread throughout his body, enhancing his strength and latent potential.
Then—suddenly—something changed.
Some of the Golden Hawksbill bloodline seemed drawn to his left hand.
More specifically, into the soul mark of the Mutant Ice Centipede Martial Soul!
The next second—
The Martial Soul activated itself.
But this time, it didn't take centipede form.
Instead, it transformed into centipede armor—covering Huo Yuhao's upper body.
Icy-blue armor with golden patterns. Rib decorations like centipede legs, shoulder plates like shell segments, and spine in jointed form. Armor covered his forearms but left a section of the arm visible.
It looked as if a centipede had wrapped itself around him.
Terrifying and powerful.
The armor lacked the centipede's head and tail.
But its wings extended from Huo Yuhao's shoulder blades—unfolding like he was ready to soar.
When folded, they looked like an ice-blue cloak.
In his fortune domain, one of the three golden potential dots inside the centipede's projection disappeared.
The Skydream Iceworm stared dumbfounded at the armor, his tiny legs trembling.
"Wait, I haven't even gotten in yet!"
Skydream Iceworm: "I'm the driver, and I didn't get on the bus!"
Note: The Mutant Ice Centipede Martial Soul will now transform into head, upper body, and lower body armor—requiring three bloodlines to unlock. Weapons or other variations will appear in the future.
Half a day later.
Huo Yuhao had completed the fusion of his martial soul and soul bone.
The fluctuations of soul power gradually dissipated.
The Golden Tortoise was good at hiding, and for the entire half-day, no soul beasts disturbed Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, stood up, stretched lazily, and unleashed his soul power.
His cultivation at the level of a rank 40 Soul Ancestor was now obvious!
With a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, Huo Yuhao's cultivation had directly surged to level 40. After he obtained the soul ring, his level might even rise further.
"If I go back with this kind of power, Mu En is probably going to lock me up and interrogate me," Huo Yuhao muttered.
Then, Huo Yuhao began chanting, and a pseudo-Buddhist light washed over his body.
His soul power aura began to visibly retreat — first to level 35, and finally settling at level 33 before stopping.
"Absorbing a newly-minted ten-thousand-year soul ring at level 30, and only reaching level 33 due to the compression from my Ultimate attribute soul power — that's fairly reasonable," Huo Yuhao said with a smile.
Concealing one's cultivation and aura was a common skill among rogue cultivators, and Pudu Cihang (Compassionate Salvation) was a master of this art.
After all, Pudu Cihang could even disguise himself as a monk from a Buddhist sect.
As long as Huo Yuhao didn't actively use soul power beyond level 33, he wouldn't expose his true strength.
Once his soul power fluctuations had completely stabilized…
Huo Yuhao first picked up the Life Gold that had fallen to the ground and stored it in his soul tool, planning to deal with it later.
Only then did he inspect the armor still covering his body, which had been transformed from the Variant Ice Centipede Martial Soul.
When the armor was on him, Huo Yuhao felt his physique and strength enhanced, and it allowed him to better utilize his Ultimate Ice power.
It was similar in effect to a martial soul armor.
"Have to admit, it looks pretty cool. But this situation means… my martial soul has been refined into a magic weapon!" Huo Yuhao's expression turned a bit peculiar.
He finally understood the ultimate result of refining a martial soul through luck and fate.
That is — the martial soul becomes a magical artifact!
The one most upset about this was Skydream Iceworm.
"Brother Hao, wahhh, what am I going to do now…"
Huo Yuhao: "…Really can't do anything with you."
He waved his hand, and the armor detached from his body, reverting to its centipede form.
Skydream Iceworm immediately stopped crying and joyfully re-entered the Variant Ice Centipede martial soul. He found that he could still control it, and its defensive power had become even stronger.
"Brother Hao is the best~"
"As long as you're happy."
Huo Yuhao also figured out the state of the Variant Ice Centipede martial soul.
"It's not a living being anymore, but a puppet-like magic weapon. It can transform into armor and doesn't need Skydream Iceworm to operate it in that form."
"And the condition to transform…"
Huo Yuhao recalled the process of the transformation.
"It requires bloodline activation! Something similar to blood refining!"
"Then why didn't my White Tiger bloodline cause any reaction in the Variant Ice Centipede?"
After considering how much bloodline power the centipede had absorbed, he understood.
His meager White Tiger bloodline simply wasn't enough to trigger any transformation.
But the future was promising.
"Duke White Tiger's estate, huh… heh…"
After finishing his inspection, it was time to look at the spoils of battle.
Ten-thousand-year external soul bone: Golden Heartguard Mirror — it's capable of growth.
Its form changed, and so did its soul bone skill.
It now had two effects — one active and one passive.
Active Soul Skill: Golden Turtle Crystal Barrier
Defends against mental, elemental, and physical attacks, reducing incoming damage by 50%. Purely a defensive ability.
Passive Effect: Auspicious Protection
Occasionally triggers blessed intuition, allowing the user to dodge incoming attacks. The stronger one's luck, the more effective this becomes.
Huo Yuhao's verdict:
"Interesting."
Next, the soul rings on the Ghost Banner.
He withdrew the Variant Ice Centipede and summoned the Ghost Banner martial soul.
As soon as it appeared, the air around him turned chilly, and even the sunlight seemed to dim.
Three gray soul rings encircled the Ghost Banner, though they were different from one another.
The first ring appeared plain — nothing special yet, likely due to He Caitou's weak soul strength. But it had potential.
The second ring exuded a holy and noble aura despite its gray color — perfectly fitting for Electrolux.
The third ring glowed faintly blood-red amid the gray — still carrying the original color of the Golden Tortoise's soul ring.
Huo Yuhao waved the Ghost Banner.
Four ghostly figures emerged.
The sunlight dimmed further.
Even though sunlight normally weakens ghostly spirits, the ghosts summoned by the Ghost Banner could still appear during the day — just at reduced strength.
Except Electrolux, of course.
He was a fragment of a Divine Spirit.
The four ghostly figures were:
He Caitou
Electrolux
Golden Tortoise
Poison Swamp Lizard Dragon
He Caitou retained his appearance in life, surrounded by dark ghostly energy, but his gaze was dull and expressionless — no awareness. He showed only a dislike for sunlight.
His soul was too weak, so after becoming a ghost, he had no sentience left — only instinct.
But he was still usable.
The Poison Swamp Lizard Dragon was only slightly better than He Caitou.
It retained its terrifying appearance from before death.
Electrolux was unaffected by the sun and smiled gently at Huo Yuhao.
Golden Tortoise, while still averse to sunlight, had a soul strong enough to retain full intelligence.
At this moment, the Golden Tortoise was thrilled.
"Hahaha! Brother Hao, Brother Skydream! You weren't lying to me — I'm getting to live a second life!"
He was in such a good mood that he called them "brother" without hesitation.
Skydream's soul floated out and proudly patted the tortoise shell.
"Glad you know. Stick with Brother Hao and you'll be eating nine meals a day!"
"Brother Skydream, I'll be in your care!"
"Don't worry — Brother Hao never treats his own people badly."
Then, Electrolux spoke up.
"Yuhao, I sealed all the physical power that the Golden Tortoise offered during his sacrifice into his soul ring. If you activate the ring now, you'll get a surprise."
Electrolux naturally wouldn't call him "Brother Hao" — "Yuhao" was just right.
"Oh? Elder Electrolux has a surprise?" Huo Yuhao curiously activated the third soul ring.
The skeletal figure of the Golden Tortoise began to appear and slowly solidified. Its ghost was involuntarily pulled into the skeleton.
A green soul flame ignited in the skull, and a soft green glow lit up the eye sockets.
Then, a startled voice came from the skeletal mouth.
"Eh? What's going on with me?"
"This is…" Huo Yuhao curiously touched the summoned skeletal Golden Tortoise and realized — it was physical!
The whole body radiated deathly aura, its bones pale and clean — no trace of gold.
"An undead creature?!"
Electrolux nodded.
"That's right. After the Golden Tortoise sacrificed itself, all flesh and essence were spent — only the skeleton remained. It was perfect for transforming into an undead creature."
"Now, your third soul ring also has the ability to summon the Skeletal Golden Tortoise as a battle companion. You can control it directly with the Ghost Banner, or let its ghost possess the skeleton and control it."
"Though it no longer retains any special abilities, it still has all its defensive power. With this Skeletal Golden Tortoise protecting you, even a typical Title Douluo won't be able to break its defenses!"
Evening.
The setting sun bathed the Star Dou Great Forest in a golden glow. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting large patches of dappled light onto the ground.
A battle was unfolding at the outer edge of the forest's core area.
"Hiss hiss—"
A two-headed venomous serpent lunged, both fearsome mouths snapping toward a boy mid-air. Its sharp fangs glinted coldly in the light.
The boy was dressed in a golden-blue armor styled after a centipede. Behind him, wings like those of a cicada were folded together, resembling a flowing cape.
Seeing the snake strike, the boy remained calm. Instead of dodging, he thrust his palms outward. His hands slapped the two snake heads from the sides, sending force straight into their skulls.
The snake heads jerked off-course, and all four of its eyes grew dazed and blurry. The serpent recoiled, wobbling its two heads as it tried to clear its mind.
The boy landed smoothly on the ground, putting distance between himself and the serpent.
This boy was Huo Yuhao.
Feeling out the earlier exchange with the two-headed serpent, Huo Yuhao looked a little disappointed. "This Pudu Cihang's martial arts… isn't really that strong."
The spiritual form of the Skydream Iceworm hovered nearby, raising its little claws with a shrug. "What do you expect? His profession was a spellcaster. His martial arts were never that refined—he relied on raw cultivation to carry them."
Big brute strength and a flying brick—such things exist in every world.
"Looks like I'll have to figure out melee techniques on my own," Huo Yuhao said, shrugging helplessly.
Ever since his Mutant Ice Centipede martial soul had evolved into Frost Centipede Armor, Huo Yuhao had realized it was time to practice some close-combat skills.
Furthermore, the awakening of his White Tiger bloodline and the enhancements from his Evil-Eyed martial soul had already given him solid melee capabilities.
Now that he had the Frost Centipede Armor on top of that, not learning any martial arts would be a waste of talent.
But the martial inheritance from Pudu Cihang was… a bit underwhelming.
Pudu Cihang had focused mainly on spellcraft.
Generally speaking, spell techniques were meant to overpower mortal martial arts. That's how Pudu Cihang had seen it too, which is why his hand-to-hand skills were so crude. After all, he didn't have access to more refined martial arts systems.
And when he did get forced into close combat, Pudu Cihang would just transform into his demonic beast form.
In melee, wasn't a beast form far stronger than a human form?
It wasn't just Pudu Cihang—righteous cultivators, too, mainly focused on spellcraft, with martial arts playing a supporting role.
Only after Pudu Cihang had reached mastery did he meet someone who had taken mundane martial arts to a level that defied reason: a man named Zuo Qianhu.
But what did it matter?
No matter how good Zuo Qianhu was, he still wasn't a match for the nearly dragon-transforming Pudu Cihang.
Pudu Cihang's setup made sense in his world.
But on Douluo Continent, it didn't quite work.
Not because his strength would be weaker—but because it would waste Huo Yuhao's talent.
And Yuhao… was not the kind of guy who wastes his talent.
"In Douluo, combat methods are called soul skills, or martial techniques. And when it comes to martial techniques in this era—none surpass the Body Sect!"
"Looks like the Body Sect and I are fated to meet."
Martial techniques could wait for now.
Huo Yuhao turned to look at his fourth soul ring.
Well—technically a proto-fourth soul ring.
The two-headed venomous serpent had recovered, coiled itself up, and was ready to strike again.
The serpent was over two meters long, had two heads, and—surprisingly—was quite beautiful. Its back was covered in seven-colored scales, giving it a dreamlike appearance.
It was a soul beast recommended by the Golden Tortoise.
Its true identity: a 23,000-year-old Twin-Headed Rainbow-Scaled King Serpent!
Extremely poisonous!
Huo Yuhao needed a fourth soul ring around 25,000 years in age. So he'd consulted the local expert—the Golden Tortoise—who had given him this suggestion.
With the tortoise's guidance, Yuhao found the Twin-Headed Rainbow-Scaled King Serpent.
A normal Rainbow-Scaled King Serpent had only one head. It was a toxic soul beast that fed on other snakes and venomous beasts—highly aggressive and extremely dangerous.
Its venom was a compound poison—created by absorbing and combining toxins from other creatures. Not only was it highly toxic, but also notoriously hard to cure.
The more colors on its back, the more types of venom it had absorbed—and the stronger its poison.
Out of every thousand Rainbow-Scaled King Serpents, only one might mutate into a twin-headed version. These had even deadlier venom—and awakened a unique soul skill exclusive to their kind.
However, neither the single-headed nor twin-headed variants were of dragon lineage—they didn't carry any dragon blood.
But as long as it's poisonous enough… that's good enough.
The twin-headed serpent suddenly burst into motion, lunging at Huo Yuhao to launch another attack.
Yuhao pressed off the ground and leapt, his wing-like cape unfolding behind him. With a flap, he actually took flight, evading the serpent's bite.
"I was just testing out my hand-to-hand earlier. But now… I'm going all in."
The serpent missed and quickly began slithering along the ground, keeping an eye on the sky while preparing to counter any attacks.
The first soul ring behind Huo Yuhao lit up.
First soul skill: Frost Centipede Venom!
He didn't need to spew the poison like the original mutant centipede martial soul did.
Instead, the venom emitted directly from his armor, blanketing the area.
Cold mist drifted down from the air like snowfall—beautiful, yet carrying a deadly threat.
The twin-headed serpent had nowhere to hide. It couldn't burrow underground.
All it could do was sit there and get drenched in poison.
"Hiss hiss hiss—"
The serpent let out pained screeches as a corrosive sound echoed from its body.
Even though it was a toxic-type soul beast, that didn't mean it was immune to poison.
Especially since Frost Centipede Venom attacked at the cellular level. It was also corrosive—capable of eating through even its tough scales.
Naturally, this posed a serious threat.
But it wasn't fatal—yet.
Agonized, the twin-headed serpent snapped. It unleashed its innate soul skill, unique to its kind.
Both mouths opened wide. As its soul power surged, it spewed out a torrent of venom, like a tidal wave crashing in every direction indiscriminately.
Any plants, flowers, or even rocks it touched were instantly corroded and drained of life.
In the blink of an eye, the whole area became a poison-infested dead zone.
The poison wave surged like a tsunami—engulfing Huo Yuhao in midair.
The serpent, now visibly weakened from unleashing its trump card, saw Yuhao consumed in the wave and felt a surge of joy.
Not even your bones will survive that!
But then—just a moment later—
A wave of extreme cold began to spread from within the poison.
It gradually froze the entire poisonous wave solid.
Huo Yuhao walked out from the frozen mass calmly, his body surrounded by soul power infused with Ultimate Ice.
"So this is the soul skill 'Poison Tide'—you actually sprayed out a toxin volume a hundred times your body size. Not bad at all. Your soul skill is not bad at all."
Yuhao smiled.
A pseudo-Buddha Light rose from his body.
With a single gesture, the light pierced through one of the serpent's heads.
The Mutant Frost Centipede martial soul might lack offensive soul skills…
But Huo Yuhao himself was not short on attack options.
Don't let the "pseudo" fool you—Pseudo-Buddha Light excelled at both offense and defense.
Pudu Cihang could poke someone with it—and they'd fall without a sound.
The serpent, severely wounded, went completely berserk.
It was ready to go all-in, risking death.
Half an hour later.
Huo Yuhao examined his newly acquired fourth soul skill.
"Fourth Soul Skill – Venomous Torrent.
Effect: Uses soul power to activate toxins, continuously releasing large quantities of venom. Comes with a 'mixed poison' effect, allowing the cold poison from other soul rings to merge together, making the toxicity even more ferocious."
The Frost Centipede Armor still clad Huo Yuhao's body, but now the soul rings floating around the armor had turned into three black and one purple.
The soul of the Two-Headed Color-Scaled King Serpent had been taken into the Ghost Banner.
Its corpse lay motionless on the ground.
No soul bone had been produced.
Looking closely, one could see that numerous plant-like tendrils were piercing into the serpent's body, probing it like tentacles, extracting every last bit of value from the corpse.
The once full-bodied serpent gradually shrunk into a withered husk, its surface covered in cracks.
Once all the value had been completely drained—
The tendrils swiftly retracted.
Immediately after, the serpent corpse turned into dust and vanished.
The withdrawn tendrils retreated back into Huo Yuhao's body, slipping under his skin without leaving a trace.
It was now nighttime.
But Huo Yuhao's face was covered in a bloodthirsty red glow and a strange smile.
The remaining blood and flesh essence from the 23,000-year-old Two-Headed Color-Scaled King Serpent was currently gathering inside the 100,000-year Snow Lotus at Huo Yuhao's heart, which was helping him rapidly digest and convert it directly into nourishment.
However, under Huo Yuhao's control, the Snow Lotus did not integrate the serpent's bloodline into his body. It was completely refined into pure nutrients, solely used to enhance his own power.
The essence, remaining soul power, and potent toxins of the serpent all became fuel for Huo Yuhao's growth.
As all the essence was gradually digested, the soul power fluctuations around Huo Yuhao's body slowly increased.
Level 44... 45...
He finally barely reached level 46!
After absorbing the 23,000-year soul ring, he had jumped from level 40 to level 43, and then by absorbing the remaining essence, he had reached level 46.
Even Evil Soul Masters couldn't match Huo Yuhao's conversion efficiency.
This also allowed Huo Yuhao to feel the euphoric rush of power surging through him.
"So this is the thrill of being an Evil Soul Master? It's... really addictive!"
As for the corpse of the Toxic Swamp Drake, there wasn't nearly as much benefit. After all, its cultivation had only barely reached ten thousand years and was artificially accelerated.
Not very enjoyable to "feast" on.
Once Huo Yuhao completely digested the essence, the red glow on his face faded, and his soul power calmed down.
As for whether such rapid leveling would result in a shaky foundation?
Please — you're talking to a Supreme Attribute Soul Master!
Do you even understand how valuable Ultimate Martial Souls are?
Supreme Attribute Soul Masters have three key traits, which is why Shrek Academy values them so highly:
Invincible at the same level
Soul power naturally purifies itself
No bottlenecks in cultivation
At this point, Huo Yuhao's soul power was even closer to the liquefaction stage.
Additionally, due to absorbing the serpent's toxins, the toxic nature of his soul power had undergone a qualitative transformation.
Huo Yuhao raised his hand, and a drop of venom formed at his fingertip. He flicked it toward a large tree nearby.
Zzzzz—
A single drop of poison corroded a bowl-sized hole in the tree.
Then the tree, at a visible rate, turned yellow, wilted, and shed all its leaves, finally collapsing into rotten wood with a crash.
"Liquid-form poison... terrifying indeed!"
Huo Yuhao was extremely satisfied with the enhancement of his poison-based soul power.
Now, his Variant Frost Centipede Martial Soul had four soul skills:
Frost Centipede Poison, innate soul skill.
At first glance, it's just simple poisoning, but it actually reflects the potency and overall strength of the martial soul. The soul ring for this skill had already surpassed 30,000 years and was still increasing toward 40,000 years.
Hidden Venom, utility soul skill.
Allows poison to be hidden within objects, making it much harder to detect.
Bone-Piercing Cold, utility soul skill.
Gives poison penetrative power and a high chance of dispelling external buffs on enemy Soul Masters (though Huo Yuhao hadn't tested this yet).
Venomous Torrent, attack soul skill.
His first offensive soul skill, capable of terrifying area-of-effect damage. It turns an entire region into a death zone of extreme poison. The mixed poison effect also greatly amplifies the venom strength of his martial soul.
Huo Yuhao then hid one of his soul rings, making it appear as if he had only three, and once again masked his soul power to level 33.
"Next, I should go find Brother Bei Bei in that tree hollow... wait, which tree hollow did I put him in again?"
Bei Bei awoke to a rocking sensation.
He blinked in confusion and saw Huo Yuhao carrying him on his back.
This scene felt eerily familiar.
It was already nighttime. A soul light hung from Huo Yuhao's chest, casting a faint glow on his figure.
Very quickly, Bei Bei recalled what had happened.
He had been ambushed by a soul beast while helping Huo Yuhao hunt a ring...
"I'm still alive?" Bei Bei asked in disbelief.
The soul beast didn't eat him?
"Brother Bei Bei, you're awake!" Huo Yuhao turned with surprise and delight.
Looking at the disheveled Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei tried to move but was met with sharp pain and had no choice but to remain slung over his back.
Still lying on Huo Yuhao's back, he quickly asked,
"Little Brother Huo, wasn't I ambushed by a soul beast? What happened? Where are we now?"
Huo Yuhao, still walking while carrying Bei Bei, explained,
"Brother Bei Bei, you were taken into the swamp by the Toxic Swamp Drake. I rescued you with my Frost Centipede Martial Soul."
"Don't worry, I checked your injuries. They're not too serious. With your constitution, you'll be able to walk again by morning."
Bei Bei asked again,
"What happened to the Toxic Swamp Drake?"
"My Frost Centipede and I managed to defeat it. Turns out it wasn't just a 9,000-year beast — it had already stepped into the 10,000-year realm. I absorbed its soul ring afterward."
At that moment, the sound of rustling echoed nearby.
The Variant Frost Centipede Martial Soul crawled beside Huo Yuhao, seemingly having just returned from keeping watch.
Bei Bei saw the new, light black soul ring on it.
Huo Yuhao chuckled.
"Heh, Brother Bei Bei, pretty impressive, huh?"
Bei Bei's lips trembled.
He was no longer amazed by the fact that Huo Yuhao had absorbed a ten-thousand-year ring. Instead, with a bit of hope, he asked:
"Little Brother Huo... no passing soul masters helped you, right?"
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao looked puzzled.
"We were fighting in a swamp. What soul master would happen to pass by there?"
Bei Bei's eyes turned red.
Huo Yuhao had risked his life diving into the swamp to save him, and even fought a ten-thousand-year soul beast alone.
Even though he rescued him and gained a soul ring...
Just thinking about what kind of danger and pain Huo Yuhao must have gone through made Bei Bei's heart ache.
And now, Huo Yuhao was still smiling like it was nothing.
He'd failed once again...
First Tang Ya, now Huo Yuhao.
He couldn't protect anyone.
Bei Bei's voice trembled.
"I'm sorry, Little Brother Huo, I..."
"It's okay, Brother Bei Bei." Huo Yuhao interrupted with a brilliant smile.
"Let's go back to the Academy. Teacher is still waiting for us there."
"Little Brother Huo…"
At this moment, Huo Yuhao was carrying Bei Bei, making their way out of the Star Dou Forest.
The night in the forest was dangerous.
But to Huo Yuhao, with map-wide perception, he could always find a safe path through peril.
Bei Bei was silent for a long while...
Then suddenly spoke again.
"Little Brother Huo, I don't want to go back to Shrek Academy yet."
"Huh? Brother Bei Bei, is something wrong?"
"I want to go to the Heaven Soul Empire to find your Sister Tang Ya. The old Tang Sect site is there."
Heaven Soul Empire?
Wasn't the Body Sect there too?
Huo Yuhao smiled widely.
"Okay, Brother Bei Bei — wherever you go, I go!"
"Little Brother Huo…"
Bei Bei almost couldn't hold back his tears of gratitude.
When he marries Tang Ya in the future,
If Little Brother Huo isn't there, no one is allowed to touch their chopsticks first!
Bei Bei: Everything I have now is all thanks to Little Brother Huo!
Here is the full English translation of the passage you provided:
As Huo Yuhao departed in the night with Bei Bei, heading north toward the Heavenly Soul Empire…
What they didn't know was—
The Soul Douluo tasked with protecting them didn't even pack, abandoned his family outright, and fled to the Sun Moon Empire overnight.
"It's all that damned Bei Bei's fault! Overestimating himself and getting captured by soul beasts! And that Huo Yuhao is just as foolish—chasing after a 9,000-year-old Venomous Swamp Drake alone!"
"Elder Mu… Mu En must be senile too, letting those two useless fools go hunt for soul rings on their own!"
"Great, now they're both dead, and they've completely screwed me over!"
"There's no going back to Shrek Academy now. If I return, I'll definitely be harshly punished, maybe even killed! After all, I'm not like Xuan Zi; I'm not an Elder of the Sea God's Pavilion!"
"But I'm already a Soul Douluo and have the potential to break through to Title Douluo. I still have a bright future ahead—I can't lose everything now!"
"Shrek Academy, I hope you treat my family well. Otherwise, when I return, I will avenge them!"
"My family, wait for me! Once I become a Title Douluo, I'll come back to take you all away—we'll live a good life in the Sun Moon Empire!"
Mu En could never have imagined that the guard he assigned to Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei would be such a person.
And so, the three who set out ended up going their separate ways.
It wasn't until noon the next day that Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei still hadn't returned to Shrek Academy. Mu En finally realized something was wrong.
By rights, they should have been back by now.
And the Soul Douluo escort hadn't sent any word either.
Worried, Mu En immediately sent Yan Shaozhe to search for Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei in the Star Dou Forest.
He must find them—dead or alive!
Meanwhile, the family of the Soul Douluo was placed under strict surveillance by Shrek Academy.
…
Heavenly Soul Empire.
Heaven Dou City.
It had once been the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire ten thousand years ago.
After the Heaven Dou Empire split, Heaven Dou City became the capital of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
The former site of the Tang Sect was also located in Heaven Dou City.
After several days of travel, Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei finally arrived at Heaven Dou City.
During the journey, Bei Bei had recovered from most of his injuries and could now move freely, though he still felt a dull pain—especially in his back, as if he'd slammed into something.
But right now, Bei Bei wasn't thinking about his wounds.
He stood gazing at the tall city walls of Heaven Dou City, lost in thought.
"Xiao Ya, will you be here in Heaven Dou City?"
Bei Bei was full of emotions—nervousness, hope, and anxiety.
Ever since Tang Ya left, Bei Bei had constantly worried about her. He called in favors, searched tirelessly, just to obtain a single clue about her whereabouts.
In the end, it was Tang Ya's roommate, Jiang Nannan, who gave him a vital hint:
"Now that Xiao Ya has left Shrek Academy and has no one to rely on, she most likely returned to the old Tang Sect headquarters. After all, she grew up there. It was her home."
Jiang Nannan clearly understood Tang Ya better than Bei Bei did. After all, they'd shared a room for years, and best friends often knew more than a newly confirmed boyfriend.
That one sentence awakened Bei Bei like a dream. He was desperate to head to Heaven Dou City to search for Tang Ya.
But due to school rules, Bei Bei couldn't just leave. He had to wait anxiously for a break.
Even sneaking out with Huo Yuhao last time was a risky move for him.
He couldn't cause Elder Mu any more trouble.
But unexpectedly, this time Elder Mu actually let him go out with Huo Yuhao to hunt soul beasts.
Once he left Shrek City, Bei Bei couldn't hold back the urge to go to Heaven Dou City to search for Tang Ya.
After all, it wasn't unusual to be a few days late returning from a soul hunt, right?
Bei Bei had to check out Heaven Dou City. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to focus on cultivation.
And so, Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei arrived in Heaven Dou City.
Huo Yuhao quietly stood beside the brooding Bei Bei, not disturbing him.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao used his Qi-watching technique to observe the city's fortune and quietly sighed in admiration.
"Heaven Dou City really is the capital of two dynasties… this fortune is overwhelming…"
Unfortunately, all of that fortune belonged to the Heavenly Soul Empire. Huo Yuhao couldn't absorb it recklessly—he could only slowly gather the unclaimed strands of fortune.
And it was even harder to collect unclaimed fortune near the capital than it had been in the Star Luo Empire.
Probably because… Huo Yuhao wasn't a registered citizen of the Heavenly Soul Empire?
Eventually, Bei Bei came back to his senses. He gave Huo Yuhao an apologetic smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting, little brother Huo."
"No problem at all, big brother Bei Bei. Where should we go to look for Sister Xiao Ya?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
"Let's start at the old Tang Sect site," Bei Bei said, gazing toward the city with anticipation.
…
Inside Heaven Dou City.
Huo Yuhao followed Bei Bei to a grand gate.
The gate tower was about six meters tall and fifteen meters wide. One-meter-high walls extended twenty meters from each side of the tower, painted bright vermillion red with a solemn air. The roof tiles were grey, neatly laid out.
Above the gate tower were three large characters: Ironblood Sect (铁血宗).
On either side of the tower stood upright plaques: the left read "Ironblood and Loyal Heart," the right, "Unyielding Bones Eternal."
"Ironblood Sect?" Huo Yuhao read aloud.
"That's right. This is the place! Once hailed as the number-one sect in the world—this was the Tang Sect!" Bei Bei clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, restraining his inner rage.
Bei Bei had only heard about the place before—this was his first time seeing it with his own eyes. It stirred a deep, seething anger in him.
Let's not forget—Bei Bei was also a disciple of the Tang Sect!
Even though he never lived here, the woman he loved—Xiao Ya—once called this place home.
This was Tang Ya's home!!!
To see the home of the one he loved taken over by others—what man could endure that?
Bei Bei longed to storm in and drive out every last member of the Ironblood Sect, then rebuild the Tang Sect and welcome Tang Ya back home!
But he couldn't. He didn't have the strength—and even if he did, he couldn't act recklessly.
Tang Ya had never told Bei Bei exactly how the Tang Sect fell or why their legacy was stolen.
But after his own private investigation, Bei Bei had found clues suggesting that the fall of the Tang Sect—and even the death of Tang Ya's parents—was part of a conspiracy.
And the biggest suspect?
The ultimate beneficiary—the Ironblood Sect!
Bei Bei had once asked Elder Mu why Shrek Academy hadn't helped the Tang Sect.
Mu's reply was helpless: "Shrek Academy is a neutral force. The Tang Sect was part of the Heavenly Soul Empire. We can't interfere in imperial affairs. At most, we can shelter the orphans of the sect."
Bei Bei didn't doubt Mu's words—he only felt helpless.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao remembered the Ironblood Sect clearly.
This was an important plot location!
In the original story, the Ironblood Sect's master, Tie Li, and his son, Tie Tang, secretly bribed the city's guards so that when disaster struck the Tang Sect, no help came.
Thus, they seized the Tang Sect's foundation without resistance.
Only Tang Ya managed to escape.
Later, Tang Ya enrolled at Shrek Academy, and Tie Li and Tie Tang didn't dare move against her because of the academy's protection.
But after Tang Ya left school and returned to Heaven Dou City to rebuild the Tang Sect, Tie Li and Tie Tang discovered her and began plotting once more.
They tried to provoke her into making the first move against the Ironblood Sect—then they could kill her and eliminate the threat without Shrek Academy having any reason to intervene.
However, they didn't expect Tang Ya to fully snap after a series of blows—releasing the devouring power of her Blue Silver Grass martial soul and slaughtering the Ironblood Sect.
Afterward, Tang Ya was taken away by an unnamed elder of the Holy Spirit Sect to begin her path as the Blue Silver Saintess.
Now that the Ironblood Sect was still around, either Tang Ya hadn't returned yet—or the Ironblood Sect had struck her down.
As for the original plot…
Huo Yuhao could only comment:
Tang Ya was seriously brain-dead!
The Ironblood Sect had blood-deep enmity with the Tang Sect. Yet she returned to Heaven Dou City—their turf—to rebuild the Tang Sect right under their noses?
What was she thinking?!
Did she even have the strength to pull that off?
Any halfway sane person would not try to grow their power on their enemy's doorstep without adequate strength.
It'd be like Native Americans setting up camp right outside the White House, announcing their plans to reclaim North America—and actually trying to do it.
That's just asking to get "suicided" from behind seven times.
"…However—"
"The Ironblood Sect usurped another's legacy through blood and deceit. A sect so evil is bound to perish!"
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes slightly.
Ironblood Sect Master Tie Li was a six-ring power-type Battle Soul Emperor—unlikely to reach seven rings—but a fierce hand-to-hand fighter.
Huo Yuhao could make use of that.
Before he found a disciple from the Body Sect, using Tie Li as a stepping stone wouldn't be a bad idea.