What reassured Huo Yuhao was that Beibei's IQ was online.
At least, at this moment, it was.
Beibei did not act rashly, instead choosing to retreat for the time being. He began gathering information near the Ironblood Sect, investigating Tang Ya's whereabouts, and whether there had been any recent battles involving the sect.
Clearly, Beibei was also worried that Tang Ya had gone to attack the Crystal.
Fortunately, although Beibei didn't find out anything about Tang Ya, he also didn't hear any news of the Ironblood Sect being involved in a fight.
During his investigation, however, Huo Yuhao picked up some interesting intelligence.
"A beast tide erupted in the far north?"
Huo Yuhao immediately perked up and quickly gathered more detailed information.
After the beast tide from the Extreme North launched a surprise attack on the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire, both empires had to mobilize massive human and material resources, even sending Titled Douluo experts to hold the front lines.
They barely managed to hold the defensive line…
And succeeded in repelling the second wave of the beast tide.
Although the beast tide had not erupted again, it hadn't fully retreated either.
Some soul beasts from the Extreme North, as if discovering a new paradise, gathered at the southern edge of their territory and refused to return north.
After all, despite the newly-occupied land having rather poor resources, it was still far richer than the snow and ice-covered Extreme North.
Quite a few soul beasts didn't want to leave. Instead, they wished to settle down and reproduce on this newly claimed land.
And there were many such soul beasts.
Even more soul beast clans were slowly migrating south.
Some experts predicted that if this situation wasn't addressed soon, the continued southward movement of soul beasts would lead to another massive beast tide within six months.
Meanwhile, although the Sun-Moon Empire had also experienced a beast tide, they didn't face the same issue. With the power of their soul tools, the Sun-Moon Empire had successfully defended its territory.
The Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire wanted to resolve the northern beast issue…
But at this time, the Star Luo Empire suddenly began massing troops along its borders with the two empires.
Publicly, the Star Luo Empire claimed that "since the former Three Kingdoms of the Douluo Continent were like branches of the same tree," it was preparing to support the two northern empires.
But any emperor with a shred of intelligence wouldn't believe that nonsense.
This forced the two empires to avoid recklessly sending troops to clear out the soul beasts in the north, fearing they'd be backstabbed by Star Luo.
The Heavenly Soul Empire, Douling Empire, and Sun-Moon Empire had all been affected by the beast tide.
But the Heavenly Soul Empire suffered the most—
Because it shared the longest border with the Extreme North!
And until the southward-migrating soul beasts were dealt with, the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire would have to continue burning grain and funds to maintain northern defenses.
The Heavenly Soul Empire was under huge pressure.
The Douling Empire was under significant pressure.
The Sun-Moon Empire had already resolved its issue.
The Star Luo Empire was laughing heartily.
Huo Yuhao was very curious—what was going on with the soul beasts in the Extreme North? There had been no mention of such beast tides in the original story.
Even Skydream Iceworm had no clue.
It wasn't like beast tides had never occurred before in the Extreme North—every once in a while, when food became scarce, soul beasts would move south, clashing with human empires and triggering beast tides.
But never on this scale, or for such a prolonged duration.
Still, Huo Yuhao knew one thing for certain: when the next wave comes in six months, there would be countless corpses of soul masters and soul beasts!
Huo Yuhao: "Don't the Three Kings of the Extreme North care about managing their soul beasts?"
Skydream Iceworm: "Maybe… the soul beasts of the Extreme North are planning something, too."
He wanted to say the names Bing Di (Ice Empress) and Xue Di (Snow Empress), but for some reason, Skydream couldn't bring himself to say them out loud.
Because it would be too painful.
One of them was the Ice Empress—someone he had loved, but who wanted to kill him.
The other was the Snow Empress—whom Ice Empress loved, and who also wanted to kill him.
And now they were targeting Huo Yuhao as well...
"The one you love betrays you… then brings her beloved to help kill you and your family?"
Electrolux: "Ah, yes. This plot—I know it well."
Huo Yuhao quickly made a decision:
"In six months, I will go to the Extreme North… to fight alongside the Heavenly Soul Empire against the beast tide! No other reason—just because I am human! It's my responsibility as a human being!"
Righteousness filled his expression.
"As expected of Big Bro Hao!" Skydream immediately buttered him up.
Huo Yuhao smirked with a crooked grin.
"Oh, right. When we get back, I need to stir up some trouble for the Star Luo Empire. I can't let them keep laughing. If the Star Luo Empire's happy, then I'm annoyed. Hmm… Let's start with the Duke White Tiger's mansion."
Nightfall.
"Big Bro Beibei, you've had too much to drink."
"Little Brother Huo, I… I… sob sob sob…"
Inside a restaurant, Beibei was drinking and crying at the same time, venting all the frustration and grief he had bottled up inside recently.
It drew the attention of nearby patrons—curious as to what these two handsome young men were going through to cry so bitterly.
Did they get played by some rich older women?
Some carnivorous-type big sisters were already licking their lips, eyeing the two of them, waiting for them to get drunk so they could pick up the corpses.
They just wanted to offer a little… physical comfort to the two handsome guys.
Everyone knew that in Douluo Continent, people weren't particularly conservative about such matters. In fact, people could marry and have children as early as 12 or 13.
So boys—you'd better protect yourselves when out and about.
The reason Beibei ended up so heartbroken and drunk?
Because of his "thoughtful" little brother Huo Yuhao… who kept handing him stronger and stronger drinks.
Huo Yuhao: "Big Bro, try this one! It's got kick!"
In the end, Beibei got totally drunk.
Dead drunk.
Huo Yuhao carried Beibei on his back, left the restaurant, and headed back to the hotel to rest.
Many people were disappointed.
Among them… were men.
Don't underestimate the diversity of preferences.
Ironblood Sect.
In a secret room, Iron Li and his son Iron Tang were discussing something.
"Father, someone reported that people were asking around about our Ironblood Sect today," Iron Tang reported the information he had received earlier.
"Oh?" Iron Li's eyes narrowed. "Do we know who they are?"
"Seems like it's two teenage boys. They're staying at a hotel now. Should I send men to capture them immediately?" Iron Tang's eyes gleamed coldly.
What Beibei didn't know was that his every move had already been noticed by the Ironblood Sect.
Don't underestimate them.
In the original story, the Ironblood Sect was powerful enough to turn an entire city's citizens against Tang Ya. Even those once friendly to the Tang Sect dared not help her because of Ironblood's influence.
While Iron Li himself might only be a six-ring Soul Emperor…
To establish a sect in Heaven Dou City and occupy the old Tang Sect base, they clearly weren't as simple as they appeared.
There was no shortage of political manipulation and networking involved.
In fact, Ironblood's informants likely spanned all of Heaven Dou City—Beibei might have been fed information by one of their own spies.
Still, Iron Li did not agree with his son's plan.
His son might be clever—but not yet seasoned enough.
"No rush. Let's play with them for now. After all, they're just two boys. What we need to pay attention to is whether they have anyone backing them."
"Let's find out their origins and background first. Then we'll decide how to handle it."
Iron Tang nodded as he came to understand.
"Got it, Father."
The two then went on to plot the Ironblood Sect's next phase of development before finally leaving the secret room.
But just as they returned to the sect—
Their expressions changed.
They caught a familiar scent.
The smell of blood!
And it was thick.
Tie Li and Tie Tang immediately became alert. They didn't make any rash moves and instead activated their Martial Soul Possession at the first moment.
Both father and son had the Iron-Armed Bear Martial Soul. Once possessed, their bodies swelled, making them appear even more robust.
However, even with Martial Soul Possession, Tie Tang's body was still a size smaller than Tie Li's.
After all, Tie Li was a six-ring Soul Emperor, while Tie Tang only had the strength of a four-ring Soul Ancestor.
Soul rings floated around them:
Tie Li: One white, two yellow, three purple.
Tie Tang: One white, two yellow, one purple.
Neither had an optimal soul ring configuration, and neither possessed a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
After activating Martial Soul Possession, the two approached the door, Tie Li taking the lead. The secret room where they plotted was located beneath the Sect Master's quarters. The room they were in now was Tie Li's own.
When Tie Li pushed open the door, both he and Tie Tang saw the scene outside—and understood why no one had come to inform them that something had gone wrong.
Because the enemy was right outside the Sect Master's door!
The corpses of the elite disciples of the Ironblood Sect lay scattered across the courtyard.
And the culprit behind it all was a black-robed figure—the only one in the courtyard still standing.
The two Soul King elders of the sect were being held up by this figure, their necks gripped as if they were little chicks, completely powerless.
Fortunately, the elders' chests were still faintly rising and falling, though they were seriously injured.
Tie Li and Tie Tang's pupils contracted sharply, shrinking to needlepoints.
A master!!
But why hadn't they heard a single sound of fighting before?
Tie Tang was so shocked that he couldn't even speak.
Tie Li, barely keeping his composure, dared not show a hint of emotion and quickly asked respectfully,
"Senior, may I ask why you have come to our Ironblood Sect?"
"For what?" A slightly crazed young voice came from under the black robe, laced with mockery. "This place once belonged to the Tang Sect, didn't it?"
Tie Li and Tie Tang were startled.
"You… you're from the Tang Sect?"
"Not quite."
"Then why…"
"Oh, this." The black-robed man suddenly switched to a compassionate tone. "The Tang Sect has made great contributions to peace on the Douluo Continent over the past ten thousand years. And now, to see its legacy usurped—it's truly heartbreaking. So I've decided to help the Tang Sect seek justice!"
As he finished, the sound of bones breaking rang from both his hands.
The two elders of the Ironblood Sect were completely lifeless.
He tossed their corpses aside like trash and said lightly,
"Sect Master Tie, it's getting late. Time for you to hit the road!"
But what greeted him was Tie Li's massive bear paw.
"Run, son!" Tie Li shouted loudly.
At the same time, Tie Li's sixth soul ring lit up. His already thick arms swelled to three times their original size.
He slammed them down on the black-robed man.
But a dark golden shell-like defense emerged around the black-robed figure, completely covering him like a turtle shell.
Tie Li's arms smashed down, producing a resonant clang—but didn't shake the black-robed figure at all.
Instead, the impact caused Tie Li's arms to tremble violently, forcing him to stagger back.
"What terrifying defense!" Tie Li was shocked and prepared to continue attacking, attempting to entangle the black-robed man.
But the black-robed man didn't give him the chance.
With a flick of his wide sleeve, a two-headed serpent shot out and lunged toward Tie Li's neck.
Tie Li quickly raised his arms to block—but he hadn't expected that the snake was a ghostly apparition. It twisted in mid-air, bypassing his defense and sinking its two heads deep into his neck.
"Ahhh—!" Tie Li screamed in agony.
Tie Tang, who was about to run out of the courtyard, heard his father's cry and instinctively turned back—only to witness a terrifying sight.
Tie Li's body lit up with a brilliant seven-colored glow and then fell lifeless to the ground.
A venomous bite—instant death!
Tie Tang's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He wanted nothing more than to turn back and fight the black-robed man to the death. But his last shred of reason reminded him he couldn't waste the chance his father had bought with his life.
"As long as I escape and reach the city guard, I'll be safe! Then no matter the cost, I will avenge my father…"
Overwhelming hatred surged in Tie Tang's heart, turning his eyes blood red.
But the next second, that hatred—and his sprinting body—came to an abrupt halt.
Blood gushed from his mouth. He slowly looked down at his chest.
He saw a beast claw piercing through his body from behind.
Tie Tang collapsed at the courtyard entrance—just half a step from escape. His consciousness slipped into darkness.
The ghost of the Ferocious Poison Marsh Dragon lizard retracted its claw and trotted back to the black-robed man like a loyal puppy.
"You're a ghost now—you can fly. Stop running everywhere!" the black-robed man scolded.
The Poison Marsh Lizard tilted its head in confusion.
In contrast, the ghost of the Twin-Headed Rainbow Scale King Snake floated smoothly through the air, much more accustomed.
The black-robed man was Huo Yuhao!
The Ghost Banner Martial Soul slowly materialized in his hand.
Upon its appearance, the ghosts of the Poison Marsh Lizard and Twin-Headed Snake obediently crouched at his feet.
The Ghost Banner Martial Soul exerted absolute dominance over ordinary ghosts under its control.
The ghost of the Golden Tortoise drifted out from Huo Yuhao's body.
It had been the Golden Tortoise that possessed Huo Yuhao just moments ago.
"Brother Hao, how about my defense?" the Golden Tortoise asked proudly.
"What's the big deal? Just a six-ring Soul Emperor," the Spirit of the Ice Sky Worm scoffed from within the spiritual sea.
"Hmph! Next time I'll tank a Title Douluo's attack for you!" the Golden Tortoise retorted, unafraid.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Electrolux didn't appear, but the second soul ring of the Ghost Banner flickered.
The soundproofing barrier around the Sect Master's residence vanished.
That was why Tie Li and Tie Tang hadn't heard the earlier battle—because the sound had been completely sealed off.
Huo Yuhao didn't speak further. He was still experiencing the sensation of being possessed by the Golden Tortoise.
It was a novel feeling.
It was like having a new Martial Soul—though without any soul rings. All abilities were limited to what the Golden Tortoise itself possessed.
Once possessed, the Golden Tortoise enhanced Huo Yuhao's physical attributes. While it didn't grant powerful attacks, it gave him impressive defense and support abilities.
Theoretically, Huo Yuhao possessed by the Golden Tortoise was equivalent to a Title Douluo-level defensive and support-type Soul Master.
Powerful indeed.
But it came at a cost.
While possessed, it consumed both Huo Yuhao's soul power and the Golden Tortoise's soul energy.
After all, the Douluo Continent followed the principle of energy conservation—nothing could come from nothing.
Ghosts without bodies or soul power could only use soul energy to activate soul skills.
When possessed, Huo Yuhao could also use his own soul power to enhance the ghost's soul skills.
Once a ghost's soul energy was depleted, it would return to the Ghost Banner and slowly regenerate over time.
If a ghost was destroyed in battle, it would truly die.
However, the main soul would eventually be reborn within the Ghost Banner after a period of time, via its soul ring.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Huo Yuhao.
"Main souls can grow stronger—but what about soul masters' main souls? Do they still need soul rings? Can they still gain soul rings?"
As he pondered, he didn't stop moving.
The Ghost Banner swayed, and all the fallen souls in the courtyard—including those of Tie Li and Tie Tang—were drawn into it, making it livelier.
However, since their strength in life was mediocre, they didn't contribute much to the Ghost Banner's power.
"Brother Tianmeng, Turtle—go loot the bodies and search the Ironblood Sect. Dig up anything valuable," Huo Yuhao ordered.
The Ice Sky Worm and the Golden Tortoise eagerly nodded and joyfully set off to plunder the sect.
While the Ice Jade Centipede Emperor and the Golden Tortoise were busy looting the Ironblood Sect's stronghold—
Huo Yuhao's ears twitched. He turned his head toward the courtyard entrance.
He had suddenly picked up the sound of hurried footsteps and the clash of weapons.
Someone's coming?
Sure enough.
Soon, a group of people rushed to the courtyard and surrounded it. Upon seeing the scene inside, they couldn't help but stir with alarm.
Huo Yuhao also took a good look at them.
Judging from their outfits, most were city guards, with a few disciples dressed in the Ironblood Sect's uniforms.
"Oh? Some stragglers?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled.
"So it was you guys who led the city guards here?"
The appearance of these stragglers made it clear—they hadn't been present at the sect when it was attacked.
Frankly, they were too insignificant for Huo Yuhao to have bothered chasing down.
He could already guess what these stragglers had done.
After returning to the sect and discovering the massacre, they didn't flee. Instead, they called in the city guards.
Loyal enough. In that case, I'll send you down to reunite with your comrades.
Huo Yuhao thought to himself with a smile.
When the city guards and Ironblood disciples saw the gruesome scene in the courtyard, their pupils all contracted sharply.
Because they recognized the corpses of Tie Li and Tie Tang.
Tie Li's residence was a secluded courtyard, with the sect's main base surrounding it. To reach it, they had to walk through the heart of the Ironblood Sect.
Along the way, they had already seen countless corpses of Ironblood disciples.
All had died instantly from single fatal blows.
Though they had suspected something terrible had happened to Tie Li and Tie Tang, seeing their bodies firsthand still sent chills down their spines.
A Soul Emperor with six rings, and a bunch of elite disciples—wiped out, just like that?
If not for those few disciples contacting the city guards, they wouldn't have even realized something had happened.
Those surviving Ironblood disciples looked horrified at first. But when they saw the bodies of Tie Li and Tie Tang, their expressions twisted with grief and rage.
"Sect Master! Young Sect Master! No—!"
They rushed toward Tie Tang's corpse by the door.
Oddly, none of them dared to approach Tie Li's body—it was only a few steps away from Huo Yuhao.
Then Huo Yuhao noticed something strange—those cries of grief weren't as sorrowful as they should've been.
On closer inspection, he saw a shocking sight: the disciples who had rushed over to Tie Tang's corpse were secretly searching it under the pretense of mourning.
Fake crying while looting the corpse?
Huo Yuhao: Wow. 10/10.
"Looks like I gave them too much credit."
"These stragglers... could it be they came back thinking they could inherit the Ironblood Sect's riches? So they brought the city guards for backup?"
Huo Yuhao almost wanted to say, "Stop groping around, you look creepy. The good stuff's already been taken by Golden Tortoise."
As a sacred beast of fortune, corpse looting naturally fell to Golden Tortoise.
Who knows—maybe one swipe and it'd pick up a legendary gold drop.
Meanwhile, the Ice Jade Centipede Emperor was using his spiritual senses to loot the buildings. All the hidden treasure troves the disciples stashed during their lifetimes had been uncovered by him.
The stragglers may have stolen the spotlight, but the city guards didn't forget why they came.
A stern-looking middle-aged man stepped forward from the city guards—he seemed to be the captain. He sized Huo Yuhao up as he spoke in a low voice:
"Was it you who destroyed the Ironblood Sect?"
Huo Yuhao didn't answer. He simply let out a strange chuckle.
Since he'd already attracted the city guard's attention, it was time to leave.
"Before I go, I should test this new soul skill my eyes just developed."
When Huo Yuhao lifted his head, the city guards couldn't see his face under the hood, but what they did see—was two bizarre eyes glowing from within.
Each eye had two pupils—one red and one blue—emanating an eerie light.
Then, from beneath the black robe, came a raspy voice:
"Rise."
The city guards witnessed something horrifying.
The corpses that should've been dead… one by one, they stood up, faces frozen in their final expressions of terror, bodies stiff and unnatural.
Even Tie Li, who had been poisoned to death, got up.
"AHHH—!"
Sudden screams rang out, startling the already nervous city guards.
They looked and realized—the screams came from the straggling Ironblood disciples.
Because Tie Tang—the body they were mourning and looting—had moved and attacked them.
He had already torn out one disciple's throat with his teeth, spraying blood in a brutal arc.
The rest of the disciples were frozen in shock.
"If you won't die with your sect, then I'll send you down to confess to your Sect Master myself."
Huo Yuhao chuckled, thinking to himself what a kind man he was.
Surely the Ironblood Sect Master would thank him in the afterlife~
The screams were like a signal flare.
All the risen corpses charged toward the city guards with twisted movements—even faster and stronger than when they were alive.
They were tireless, fearless, and unnaturally strong.
The city guards were pushed back as soon as they clashed.
Only the captain—a Soul Emperor with optimal ring configuration—could barely hold off Tie Li's corpse.
But that was to be expected.
This was only a regular patrol squad, not an elite force.
Their strength was limited.
And these corpses? All Ironblood elites, including the sect leader and two elders.
Dead men fear nothing.
Even the fiercest fighter fears those who feel no pain or death.
The straggler disciples were wiped out in an instant.
The city guards fell into disarray, struggling to maintain formation.
"Evil soul master! Retreat!"
The captain shouted.
But when they tried to fall back, they found a second group of corpses charging in from the rear—
These were the bodies of the disciples who had died earlier in the outer sect.
They too had risen, launching a pincer attack.
The captain's face went dark.
Surrounded on both sides, the city guards' formation broke apart completely. After firing signal flares for reinforcements, they fought desperately, unable to worry about anything else.
Boom—
The flare exploded in the sky, bursting into a red firework.
Huo Yuhao took a moment to enjoy the view.
The courtyard once again fell into silence.
"Zombies serving the tiger. Couldn't have named it better."
Huo Yuhao smiled.
From his White Tiger bloodline, the Evil Eyes had developed the ability to manipulate corpses he had personally killed.
The Evil Eye's Enhancement Gaze could strengthen his own body.
This derived power allowed him to control corpses of those he had slain.
No contradiction.
It's all physical-based ability.
He named this soul skill—"Zombie Pawns of the Tiger."
Although these weren't true zombies, they were just as fearless and immune to pain. Lacking self-awareness, they broke their own physical limits, gaining increased strength and speed.
However, the more corpses he controlled, the harder it became to move them precisely. Their movements would grow stiffer during combat.
Also, if a body had been dead too long and rigor mortis had set in, it became much harder to manipulate.
Thus, the technique was best used in all-out assaults like this—winning by sheer numbers.
Still very effective.
At that moment, Ice Jade Centipede Emperor and Golden Tortoise returned with the loot.
"Brother Hao, a powerful enemy is on the way," Ice Jade warned anxiously. It was sensing this threat that had made them rush back.
"Alright, let's go."
Huo Yuhao leapt into the air, vanishing into the night.
Soon after, a powerful figure from the city guards caught up to the fleeing black-robed figure in the city.
"Stop right there!"
A Soul Douluo expert instantly closed the gap, grabbing the figure by the neck and flooding them with soul power—
Shattering the black robe.
But what was revealed beneath—was the corpse of an Ironblood disciple, face still twisted in terror.
The Soul Douluo's eyes widened in disbelief before he flung the corpse away in disgust. His face turned red with fury.
"Damn it! He tricked me!"
"Search the entire city—find him no matter what!!!"
But that night, the city guards would come up completely empty-handed.
When the City Defense Army began tightening security around Heaven Dou City, Huo Yuhao had already quietly returned to his hotel room.
In Pudu Cihang's memory, there was a complete skill set dedicated to escape: how to conceal one's presence, how to erase scent, how to leave no trace, and how to mislead pursuers… all extremely practical.
Now that Huo Yuhao had returned to his room, he shed all disguises and returned to his true form.
As long as he wasn't caught on the spot, there was nothing to worry about afterward.
Unless the Heavenly Soul Empire could produce solid evidence that Huo Yuhao was an evil soul master, he was essentially safe.
Even if the Heavenly Soul Empire suspected him, they couldn't use force against Huo Yuhao, much less search him arbitrarily.
His identity as a core student of Shrek's Outer Court and a disciple of Mu En was his talisman.
Moreover, whether the Heavenly Soul Empire would actually investigate further, or for how long they might pursue it, was still uncertain.
After all, this was a world of xuanhuan (fantasy cultivation).
Human lives were cheap.
Unless the dead were someone's close kin or friend, who would really go out of their way to seek justice for them?
Those in power would rather carve up the Ironblood Sect's assets than avenge it.
Even though the Skydream Iceworm and the Golden Tortoise had already looted it.
The remaining properties, buildings, and enterprises of the Ironblood Sect were still a fortune—arguably the most valuable part of its estate.
Otherwise, back in the day, the Ironblood Sect wouldn't have risked offending Shrek Academy just to destroy Tang Sect.
After washing up, Huo Yuhao changed into pajamas, sat comfortably cross-legged on the hotel's plush bed, and began tallying up his gains.
As for the drunk Bei Bei, he was snoring away in the room next door.
...
The loot gathered by the Skydream Iceworm and the Golden Tortoise was all sorts of oddities, so Huo Yuhao had to sort through it first.
Then he couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder they say Heaven Dou City sects are loaded!"
The original Tang Sect had already fallen into decline, so when it was taken over, there wasn't much legacy left behind.
But the Ironblood Sect was a rapidly rising new sect—truly flourishing.
And they exploded with eight million gold soul coins!
Sure, Huo Yuhao had also once held three million, but that was from gambling big and winning big—this was earned, and all in liquid assets. It wasn't the same.
Eight million gold soul coins would be enough to fully arm an eight-thousand-man heavy cavalry unit, including horses, down to the teeth.
If the strongest person in the Ironblood Sect hadn't been such a mediocre six-ring Soul Emperor, their legacy might've been even greater.
After all, with weak strength, you simply can't hold onto more benefits.
Aside from the gold soul coins, there were various herbs, pills, ores, soul beast materials, soul tools, and so on.
Most of it had been looted from the Ironblood Sect's warehouse.
While most of it wasn't useful to Huo Yuhao directly, if sold at a merchant's guild or auction, it could be converted into quite a lot of gold soul coins.
But at the very least, he couldn't sell any of it inside Heaven Dou City.
"With the Ironblood Sect's inheritance added in, do I now count as someone with assets worth ten million gold soul coins?" Huo Yuhao was rather pleased.
The Ironblood Sect's stuff, when piled together, looked like a lot, but besides the gold soul coins, there was nothing particularly precious. Not much help for him directly.
...
After sorting everything into categories and putting it away, Huo Yuhao began his daily cultivation.
By destroying the Ironblood Sect, all the sect's fate had also been plundered by Huo Yuhao—giving him a huge windfall.
And now that Huo Yuhao had entered the "Mage Realm" stage, he could control even more fate, and wouldn't face the same issue he had at the freshman tournament awards ceremony—when he had to use up fate prematurely because he couldn't handle the surplus.
Besides, after the Golden Tortoise sacrificed itself to the Ghost Banner Martial Soul, the banner gained some suppressive power over fate too.
At this point, Huo Yuhao had reached level 46 and was entering a new phase of cultivation.
His cultivation still focused on demon-buddha techniques, mainly practicing the White Tiger Fate Seizing Art, using fate to nourish the White Tiger.
But now, within his spiritual sea, beside the White Tiger, there was a new addition—a little turtle.
Ahem, to be precise, a Xuanwu.
Even more precisely, the Douluo Continent's version of Xuanwu.
It was based on an image Huo Yuhao had seen in a book.
While traveling to Heaven Dou City, he'd visualized this image during the journey.
Xuanwu existed in the Douluo Continent as well. The most representative example was the Xuanming Sect, where Xu Sanshi came from. Their family bloodline had Xuanwu lineage, and their Xuanming Turtle Martial Soul could evolve into a Xuanwu Martial Soul.
And Xuanwu had some ties to the Golden Tortoise.
According to the original novel's Xu Sanshi, if a Xuanming Turtle soul master obtained a soul ring from a Golden Tortoise, their martial soul could evolve into a Xuanwu and even allow descendants to inherit the Xuanwu Martial Soul.
Moreover, both the Xuanming Turtle and Golden Tortoise shared the Earth-Water dual attribute.
Huo Yuhao had visualized a Xuanwu because he now possessed the Golden Tortoise's bloodline, and it was quite concentrated—it'd be a shame to waste it.
Otherwise, if the White Tiger bloodline dominated, the Golden Tortoise's bloodline would essentially be useless.
The mutated Frost Centipede bloodline was less of a concern since its martial soul was still evolving.
In his spiritual sea, the adult White Tiger behaved like a curious cat, constantly poking at the fist-sized little Xuanwu.
Poke.
Poke again.
And poke once more...
Little Xuanwu: (へ╬)
"Turtle Spray Attack!"
A jet of water shot from the Xuanwu's mouth, drenching the White Tiger and forcing it to back off in panic—it hated water.
Little Xuanwu chuckled, "This turtle ain't a pushover!"
That's right—within Little Xuanwu was the Golden Tortoise!
To clarify, Huo Yuhao wasn't schizophrenic, so theoretically, he could only visualize one entity.
But he had a trick up his sleeve.
He directly invited the Golden Tortoise into his spiritual sea to serve Little Xuanwu, helping it cultivate the Fate Seizing Art.
Surprisingly, the process went smoothly. Maybe it was because of their shared origin, but Little Xuanwu was progressing rapidly.
Feeding one body, but growing two!
Now both White Tiger and Xuanwu could absorb fate independently and grow on their own, freeing up Huo Yuhao's time and energy.
Then came soul power cultivation.
Huo Yuhao didn't practice the Medicinal Blood Art.
His soul power, imbued with Ultimate Ice, had become more viscous, and without sufficient flesh resources, his cultivation speed slowed drastically.
Soul beast flesh under ten thousand years old no longer helped much.
So, Huo Yuhao took out Bei Bei's old storage ring from his own storage bracelet—and then pulled out an ice chunk from it.
The spacious hotel room instantly felt cramped.
Because what he pulled out was none other than the ice-sealed body of a horned sheep soul beast!
Even after all this time, the ice on the soul beast hadn't melted in the slightest—on the contrary, it was still radiating extreme cold. The horned sheep looked lifelike under the ice.
Huo Yuhao had been eyeing that meat for a long time.
The ice had preserved its flavor.
"Now that my soul power's broken into level 40 and is beginning to liquefy, the quality has improved—I should be able to start absorbing the ice layer bit by bit…"
Huo Yuhao placed his hand on the ice.
The horned sheep's flesh was a high-grade cultivation resource.
But the layer of ice sealing it was top-tier for ice-attribute soul masters!
Because this was Ultimate Ice released by the Snow Empress, still containing some of her power. If Huo Yuhao could absorb it, he might break through to level 50!
If Ma Xiaotao had access to the horned sheep, she could use the outer layer of ice to suppress her evil fire for a long time.
Previously, Huo Yuhao's soul power wasn't strong enough to affect this ice, let alone absorb it.
Ultimate Ice soul power getting frozen? Nobody would believe that.
It also showed just how vast the gap between him and the Snow Empress still was.
But now that his soul power had begun to liquefy, greatly increasing its quality, he was ready to try again.
After a round of experimentation, Huo Yuhao was delighted to find that—he could absorb it!
And the cold energy from the ice fused beautifully with his soul power, even slightly enhancing his Ultimate Ice affinity!
With this success, Huo Yuhao wasted no time—placing both hands on the ice and sitting cross-legged to cultivate.
As he cultivated—
The Skydream Iceworm wasn't idle either.
The mutated Frost Centipede Martial Soul didn't continue devouring moonlight to cultivate. Instead, it coiled in a corner, radiating demonic energy.
It was cultivating divine abilities!
Now that it had transformed into a demon, it was time to begin working on divine powers.
There were two paths to cultivating divine abilities, and they could be pursued simultaneously:
One was strengthening oneself to awaken innate divine abilities.
The other was learning from predecessors' divine powers to form one's own. In this case, the model was none other than Pudu Cihang—the big centipede.
Pudu Cihang's "Centipede Leg Clone" was his innate divine power—a very handy cloning-type ability.
The clones had combat ability and could even turn invisible and fly.
Within the Ghost Banner Martial Soul—
Electrolux was observing Huo Yuhao's cultivation from within.
He was impressed by how hard Huo Yuhao was working—almost moved to praise him aloud.
Seeing Huo Yuhao, the Skydream Iceworm, and the Golden Tortoise all diligently cultivating—
Electrolux felt a bit itchy.
So he turned to the dazed He Caitou.
He Caitou hadn't regained consciousness yet, but he wasn't brain-dead—he could still comprehend external information.
"Ghosts are also a type of undead… Little He, how about I teach you necromancy?" Electrolux said with a grin.
He Caitou: "Abba abba abba…"
The next day, the weather was sunny with a gentle breeze.
However, in Heaven Dou City, the atmosphere had turned tense and oppressive. More soldiers than usual were patrolling the streets.
The residents walked quickly and cautiously, afraid of getting caught up in something they had nothing to do with.
Early in the morning, Huo Yuhao's cultivation in the hotel was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
"Open up! Room inspection!"
"Don't check me—I'm not involved in anything shady!"
"..."
In the end, Huo Yuhao still opened the door.
As soon as he did, he saw several soldiers conducting a search throughout the hotel.
The hotel guests were visibly angry but dared not say a word.
After all, this was just an ordinary hotel. Those who stayed here were mostly traveling merchants and spirit masters with no background, and they couldn't afford to offend the city defense troops.
The hotel owner was desperately trying to curry favor, secretly slipping gold soul coins to the soldiers in hopes of leniency.
Outside one room, two soldiers confronted Bei Bei with stern expressions.
"Show your identification and release your martial soul. We're searching for evil soul masters!"
"Step aside. We need to search the room!"
Bei Bei frowned. Though annoyed, he still moved aside.
At the same time, he asked, "I'm a student of Shrek Academy. What's going on in the city? Why such a large-scale operation?"
Bei Bei was deeply concerned about any incident in Heaven Dou City—he was afraid Tang Ya might get caught up in it.
When the soldiers heard he was a Shrek Academy student, their expressions softened slightly. One of them explained:
"Last night, the Ironblood Sect was wiped out by an evil soul master. We're under orders to investigate the perpetrator."
That explanation only made Bei Bei's expression turn colder.
With a loud bang, he kicked the door frame, blocking the soldiers from entering.
The soldiers frowned, confused. "What's the meaning of this?"
"The meaning?" Bei Bei sneered. "The Ironblood Sect is gone—what's that got to do with me?"
If this were about something else, Bei Bei might have cooperated—he might have even helped.
But as soon as he heard the Ironblood Sect was the victim, and that the city defense was reacting so strongly, he was instantly enraged.
Back when the Tang Sect was destroyed, the city defense didn't lift a finger. And yet the Ironblood Sect had been allowed to thrive here in Heaven Dou City.
Now that the very same sect had been annihilated, they were making a huge scene in retaliation?
Clearly, they had no regard for him—a descendant of the Tang Sect.
As Shrek Academy's founder Flender once said—those who are afraid to cause trouble are worthless!
For the sake of the Tang Sect's pride, Bei Bei was determined to cause a stir today!
His words and hostility stirred anger in the two soldiers.
"You're refusing to cooperate?!"
"Just because you're a Shrek Academy student, you think you can do whatever you want in Heaven Dou City? You're just a student—this is the Heavenly Soul Empire!"
Even Shrek Academy students staying in a place like this couldn't possibly have that much clout, right?
Their raised voices caught the attention of other soldiers. A crowd started to gather.
Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and subtly positioned himself in front of Bei Bei.
"Brother Bei Bei, this…" Huo Yuhao asked quietly.
"Don't worry, little brother Huo. I've got this. Just watch," Bei Bei whispered back, then turned to face the soldiers again.
Huo Yuhao nodded. You said it. I'll just watch then.
At that moment, a man in city defense armor—likely the squad leader—walked over with a scowl.
"What's going on here?" he barked.
"Squad Leader!"
The two soldiers quickly turned and saluted.
Pointing to Bei Bei, they explained:
"This man is refusing to cooperate and is being disrespectful!"
"He claims to be a Shrek Academy student."
The squad leader squinted at Bei Bei, quickly sizing him up. He didn't immediately see anything that confirmed his identity.
But from Bei Bei's bearing and demeanor, he could tell this young man came from a notable background.
So he decided to be polite first and asked, "Little brother, do you have proof that you're from Shrek Academy? And what's your background?"
Bei Bei tossed over his Shrek Academy identification token, crossed his arms, and sneered, "I'm the senior brother of the Tang Sect!"
"The Tang Sect that was wiped out years ago by the underhanded tricks of the Ironblood Sect!!!"
The moment he mentioned the Tang Sect, both the city guards and hotel guests were visibly shocked.
The Tang Sect was a legend. Even though it had been gone for years, its name still held weight.
And it had once been located right here in Heaven Dou City.
No one had known exactly why the sect had perished.
But now, to learn there was a surviving heir—and that the destruction of the Tang Sect was linked to the Ironblood Sect—that was explosive news.
Could it be that the destruction of the Ironblood Sect last night was the work of a Tang Sect descendant?
The hotel guests were suddenly full of interest.
This gossip—delicious.
Not only the guests, but even the soldiers were starting to suspect the same.
Even Bei Bei himself had doubts. He worried it was Tang Ya's doing—and even more so that she might be headed down a dark path.
But he knew that now, he had to stand firm—and perhaps even divert the city defense's attention.
Whether or not Tang Ya was responsible, someone had avenged the Tang Sect. Bei Bei didn't mind taking the heat. If that person really was an evil soul master, he would deal with them another day.
Only the squad leader frowned slightly. The token Bei Bei had tossed was authentic. That identity made things a bit tricky.
Who dared touch someone from Shrek Academy?
Who would dare disrespect Shrek?
Nonetheless, the soldiers had subtly surrounded Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao.
But Bei Bei showed no fear. Instead, a steely light flickered in his eyes.
Xiao Ya… for the wrongs you suffered back then, let me fight for your justice today!
"What's the matter? When the Tang Sect was destroyed back then, you did nothing to punish the Ironblood Sect. But now that they've been wiped out, you're making a huge fuss avenging them?"
"The Ironblood Sect sure raised a fine pack of dogs!"
Huo Yuhao: Old man, subway, cell phone. ([meme-style inner monologue]) Bei Bei… have you been possessed? Your tongue is on fire today!
The soldiers were instantly furious, their blood boiling, faces filled with rage.
"Boy, you've got a death wish!"
One of them was about to strike.
But the squad leader raised a hand to stop him. His eyes were cold as he suppressed his anger.
"Watch your mouth, boy. Words can bring disaster. Your version of what happened to the Tang Sect is just one side of the story. But the Ironblood Sect's destruction—you're a prime suspect. Come with us for questioning. For Shrek's sake, we won't rough you up."
"And if I say no?" Bei Bei narrowed his eyes.
The squad leader didn't reply, but soul power surged from his body.
He couldn't push too hard, but if Bei Bei challenged the Heavenly Soul Empire's authority, they'd have justification to act.
So he tried to provoke Bei Bei, hoping the hot-headed youth would strike first.
But Bei Bei wasn't so easily baited. Though his own soul power flared in response, he didn't activate his martial soul.
The standoff grew more intense.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao stepped up beside Bei Bei, standing with him in solidarity.
Bei Bei's eyes glimmered with gratitude.