Huo Yuhao did not use the three dragon maidens to enhance his own bloodline or martial soul. Instead, he used his own bloodline to strengthen theirs—completely reversing the usual logic of cultivation.
But the process went smoothly.
The dragon maidens—no, they should now be called the Heavenly Dragon Maidens—were thus born!
They had undergone a dramatic transformation. No longer did they appear as half-human, half-beast; instead, they had fully transformed into human-like forms. The only remaining distinctions were their eyes and the color of their body hair, which were both a pure, silvery white.
Huo Yuhao had confirmed it: it wasn't just their hair—it was all their body hair that had changed.
However, this didn't mean they had truly become human. They still couldn't awaken a martial soul. Their humanoid transformation merely unlocked new abilities—now, they could shift between three forms: human, dragonkin, and Heavenly Dragon.
It was somewhat like eating a Zoan-type Devil Fruit. In fact, this transformation was a natural manifestation of a monster's innate ability to shapeshift.
Having absorbed Huo Yuhao's blood, their path was now that of yao—monsters—no longer just simple soul beasts.
With this higher-level bloodline, the Heavenly Dragon Maidens not only looked even more stunning than before, but exuded a sense of sanctity and perfection.
Only the Snow Empress of the Extreme North could rival their beauty.
Their power didn't just increase in appearance. They had also gained a potent new force from the Heavenly Dragon bloodline—the Power of the Heavenly Dragon.
This power came in three parts:
Drastic Physical Enhancement – All three Heavenly Dragon Maidens now possessed physical strength on par with, or even beyond, that of body-refining Soul Masters of the same level.
Amplified Abilities – Their original powers were all significantly enhanced. Additionally, they now commanded two new elemental attributes: Light and Spirit.
Innate Domain Awakening – Each had awakened an innate domain, which Huo Yuhao named the Dragon Maiden Domain.
The Dragon Maiden Domain emitted dragon might to intimidate enemies, increased all physical attributes by 10%, and boosted the power of all their soul skills by 10%.
This domain was similar to the Heavenly Dragon Domain that came with Huo Yuhao's Bloodring, though the amplification effects were less than a third as strong.
However, the Dragon Maiden Domain still had room for development.
Its potential wasn't in improving the amplification rate—unless they received more of Huo Yuhao's bloodline—but in unlocking special powers hidden within the domain. These powers could be used like soul skills and had the potential to grow stronger over time.
Domains weren't just passive buffs—they were powerful forces waiting to be developed. For example, Ziji could unleash powerful soul techniques through her domain.
After acquiring the Power of the Heavenly Dragon, the three maidens' cultivation leaped to a level comparable to Soul Douluos. Depending on how well they mastered their powers, they might even be able to take on Titled Douluos.
In truth, the dragon maidens were not weak to begin with.
And Huo Yuhao had spared no resources in strengthening them. Naturally, the improvements were massive. After a period of training, these three Heavenly Dragon Maidens were sure to advance even further.
"Wake up, Heavenly Dragon Maidens. I am your master~"
Huo Yuhao awakened the three of them.
Their minds had not been tampered with or distorted. They were surprised by their own transformations and quickly accepted Huo Yuhao as their master.
After all, his blood flowed within them. Their innate closeness to Huo Yuhao meant they would almost certainly never betray him.
That was the bond created by bloodline power.
Huo Yuhao gave them each a name—Desire, Thought, and Joy—corresponding to the three demon women under Mara.
If he was going to become a Buddha, then he had to "taste the temptations of demonic women" first.
Huo Yuhao also passed on three rather proper cultivation methods to the Heavenly Dragon Maidens. Because they inherited the Heavenly Dragon bloodline, he naturally regarded them more highly.
The techniques were:
Demonic Cultivation Art: Dragon Maiden Breathing Technique – Developed by Huo Yuhao based on their physiology and the foundational "Breathing Technique," this method allows them to absorb the energies of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, refine their demonic energy, and cultivate the purest form of power.
True Command Technique (Yu Zhen Jue) – A righteous-path foundational technique. Though not particularly profound, it enhances one's control over their power, allowing for the coordination of internal energy for offense or defense. As a neutral technique, it can be cultivated by both humans and monsters.
Visualization Method – This allowed them to visualize the Heavenly Dragon, which helped boost both their cultivation and their spiritual power—especially now that they had awakened the Spirit attribute through the Power of the Heavenly Dragon.
After calming the three Heavenly Dragon Maidens, Huo Yuhao awakened Shangguan Wei'er and instructed her to take good care of them. Then, under the reluctant gazes of the four girls, he leisurely departed, completed his mission, and returned to the base.
This was Huo Yuhao's first official day reporting in to the Dusk Water Alliance, and Xian Lin'er had been closely following his progress. She was already waiting at the base. The moment he returned, she eagerly asked how things had gone.
Zhang Lexuan stood quietly nearby, listening in.
But Huo Yuhao had a serious expression. "Not very well," he replied.
Seeing their puzzled looks, he explained, "With my current merits and strength, even though I've joined the Dusk Water Alliance, I'm still just a 'promising newcomer.' After all, they have Super Douluos among their ranks. As a mere Soul Sage, they won't think much of me. And I still haven't fully gained their trust. If I'm not mistaken, they'll soon ask me to prove myself."
"Prove yourself?" Xian Lin'er frowned.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "I left for three days after receiving their benefits. Even though I reported it in advance, their trust in me likely diminished. They'll test me again."
He paused before continuing.
"This kind of 'proof of loyalty' is standard among underground forces like those in Ghost Street. You have to leave some kind of leverage behind before they truly accept you—otherwise, you'll always be an outsider."
Zhang Lexuan and Xian Lin'er understood. The Dusk Water Alliance would likely force Huo Yuhao to do something morally questionable.
"It's fine, Yuhao. Those who achieve great things don't worry over trifles. Besides, we're in the Sun Moon Empire," Xian Lin'er said calmly.
Her meaning was clear: Huo Yuhao could proceed without guilt. The Sun Moon Empire was the enemy.
To Xian Lin'er, the Sun Moon Empire was irredeemable. As long as something didn't happen directly in front of her, she wouldn't care.
And since Ghost Street was officially tolerated by the empire, she felt it was only right that the consequences of its existence fell on the empire's shoulders.
Zhang Lexuan didn't speak up, but she clearly shared the same rational perspective.
Huo Yuhao paused, then slowly nodded as if making a great decision. "I'll do my best. But… I have an idea."
"An idea?" Xian Lin'er asked curiously.
"Instead of waiting to be tested," Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, "why don't I make the first move?"
Taking the initiative—if his hands were fated to be stained with blood, then Huo Yuhao chose his targets proactively.
Thus, starting the very next day, Huo Yuhao became a regular on the third basement level of the Yage Pavilion.
That night.
He accepted three missions in one go, paying no attention to the identities of the targets—only whether they deserved to die.
As for the standard by which he judged who deserved to die, he naturally used Shrek Academy's moral compass—the same rigid, demanding standard they applied to others.
Huo Yuhao had to ensure his image remained righteous in the eyes of Shrek. That was his best disguise.
The three targets were: a leader of the underworld, a Mingdu noble, and a business guild manager.
The first target, the underworld boss, needed no explanation. His sins were too numerous to count. There may be clean individuals in the underground world, but no one clean could ever rise to the top.
Huo Yuhao found him at a casino and finished him with a single deadly strike.
Another grim legend was added to the Ghost Street's "Black Rat."
Targets from the underground world were easier to deal with. Those in the surface world required identity concealment.
Otherwise, acting too brazenly would attract unwanted attention.
After all, to those living in the daylight, a rat from the underworld had no place in the sun—and if it came out, it should be crushed.
So, after leaving Mingdu, Huo Yuhao put away his Ice Pole Twin Swords and began using other means in combat.
The second target, the Mingdu noble, was the kind of person unworthy of being called human. But his good days were over.
"Every cause has its consequence—and your retribution is me."
With nothing but his fists, Huo Yuhao stormed into the noble's mansion and wiped out the entire family, leaving not a single soul behind, all without alerting the outside world.
He had used his spiritual power to isolate the mansion completely. Under the scrutiny of his spiritual sense, not a single target could escape.
Yage Pavilion didn't care how a target was killed—only whether they ended up dead.
Zhang Lexuan and Xian Lin'er had no idea what kind of missions Huo Yuhao was completing. He merely picked a few sanitized "classic" cases to report to them. This not only maintained his image but earned their praise.
Unfortunately, the noble family's bloodline and martial souls had already declined. Not a single member had decent potential. The noble's daughter might have delicate skin, and the lady of the house might have her charms, but beautiful women without any value didn't catch Huo Yuhao's attention.
So, he simply absorbed them into his Ten Thousand Souls Banner martial soul.
He also used their bodies as fuel—converting them into life-force seeds to replenish his energy.
Naturally, he cleaned up the scene. There was no smell of blood, and it looked more like the entire noble household had mysteriously vanished overnight.
Their resources disappeared along with them.
Only an empty aristocratic residence remained.
Perhaps a few lucky ones had been out and escaped—but that didn't matter. If they had the guts, they could come find Huo Yuhao. He'd be waiting.
The third target, the business guild manager, was the classic "rich and heartless" type. The one who issued the mission clearly hated him—this was even included in the intelligence report.
This target was the most cautious, guarded by two Soul Douluo-level bodyguards and never leaving the guild headquarters.
But once Huo Yuhao accepted the mission, there was no way he'd let the man live past the night.
So, he used a different method.
As the manager worked late into the night, he suddenly heard a melodious tune. His eyes slowly closed in bliss, his face intoxicated. In his mind, countless beautiful women danced seductively around him, and he noticed nothing amiss.
Even the two Soul Douluo guards were caught in the illusion.
While the three were bewitched by the strange sound, Huo Yuhao silently appeared in the room and calmly ended all three of their lives.
In his hand, he held a piece of bone—crystalline and jade-like, almost resembling a work of art.
The enchanting sound came from this bone.
Then, he ran the bone over their corpses, extracting their desires. The bone absorbed the desires and glowed with a faint white light, appearing slightly strengthened.
This bone was the Beauty Bone, originally a magic artifact. After being refined with a salvaged Grade Nine Sound Soul Tool Core, it had evolved.
It now possessed the power of the Voice of the Soul, bewitching its targets through a spiritual sound that bypassed the ears entirely, affecting only the soul. Once caught in it, escape was nearly impossible.
So far, it had been proven that no one below Title Douluo level could resist its effect.
Huo Yuhao now called it the Enchanting Beauty Bone.
It not only charmed others but grew stronger by absorbing their desires.
He took the bodies and souls of the two Soul Douluos with him.
As for the guild manager—though nominally a Soul King, his strength was hollow, boosted entirely through drugs, and his martial soul was trash. So Huo Yuhao only took his soul and the signature soul tool on him as proof of a completed mission.
When he left, the room contained only a corpse with a faint smile and not a single visible wound—a strange and terrifying sight.
Completing the three missions took less than half the night—it was easier than going out for a midnight snack.
Huo Yuhao returned to Yage Pavilion and, under the astonished gaze of the staff, submitted the missions and walked out with the reward money.
Very soon, intelligence about Huo Yuhao was delivered to the Pavilion's true master on the fifth basement level—Tang Ya.
Tang Ya found his methods somewhat puzzling but didn't overthink it. On the contrary, she was intrigued and kept watching him with growing interest.
In truth, Tang Ya didn't care much about his loyalty—she had already figured out his true identity. She only wanted to see whether she could completely draw Huo Yuhao into the camp of the Evil Soul Masters—and help her exact revenge on Shrek Academy.
After leaving the Pavilion, Huo Yuhao didn't return to base. Instead, he followed an underground tunnel straight to the Sun-Moon Palace, effortlessly sneaking into the residence of a royal concubine—for a night of nourishment.
The concubine was only a Soul Douluo and, with the Enchanting Beauty Bone's help, was easy to handle.
Not just the concubine—every high-quality maid in her residence was also targeted.
One couldn't help but marvel—no wonder the Third Prince had once ravaged an entire harem in one night.
And this concubine's residence had even more maids. By midnight, Huo Yuhao had only "enjoyed" a third of them.
The quality of the maids was also superior.
All one could say was: the Emperor himself may be useless, but the imperial harem must never be.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao followed his usual routine—returning to base on schedule, reporting to Zhang Lexuan, then going to his room to rest. Four maids soon arrived to serve him while Zhang Lexuan watched from the shadows.
What was different this time was that Zhang Lexuan, who once had incredible self-control, now seemed overwhelmed—perhaps because she had "tasted the meat" once.
Her mind was filled with urges, wanting desperately to storm into the room and take the maids' place.
When she could no longer endure it, she fled without hesitation.
Huo Yuhao smiled to himself in the shadows.
Run?
Running away would only make her crave return even more!
The hunt had begun!
Ever since that night, someone of high status had died in Mingdu every evening. The methods of death varied: some were gruesomely dismembered, others died peacefully in their sleep, and some were poisoned.
Sometimes only one person died, sometimes entire families were wiped out. And in some cases, the victims simply disappeared—no trace of life or body ever found.
Compared to the identities of the deceased, the accompanying losses of various goods and resources seemed almost negligible… though not entirely. Some highly confidential documents related to illicit dealings also vanished, which sent those with vested interests into a panic.
The atmosphere in Mingdu turned increasingly eerie and tense. Everyone was on edge. Nobles and high-ranking officials began mobilizing every resource at their disposal to catch the killer. They felt threatened and insulted, and they wanted to eliminate any potential risk.
However, the perpetrator left no trace. Not even special tracking techniques yielded any leads.
Yet the variety of killing methods indicated clearly: it wasn't the work of a single person. It was likely a group—or even an organized syndicate.
The situation escalated to the point where the Emperor of the Sun-Moon Empire himself took notice and ordered the city's defense authorities to track down and apprehend all the perpetrators within a set deadline.
As a result, many assassins and factions in the underground world were dragged into the mess, leaving them with no place to hide or escape.
Even Ghost Street saw a decline in traffic.
The underground forces were frustrated. Again? How many times has this happened already? Are we getting purged again? Is it really that hard to find work these days?
In truth, all the victims shared one thing in common: they had all been listed on the Yage Assassination Registry of the underground world. And their assassination contracts had all been accepted by the same person.
That person went by the codename—Frost Armored Emperor.
Only one person knew this: the head of the Yage organization.
Yage, Level B3 of the Underground Headquarters
Huo Yuhao sat in a chair, sipping juice as he leisurely flipped through the mission handbook.
But to Tang Ya, what he held looked more like a Book of the Dead.
Any target Huo Yuhao locked eyes on would not live to see the next sunrise.
At the moment, Tang Ya was leaning lazily against the bar, boldly watching Huo Yuhao. Her slim figure was wrapped in a black-and-blue dress that couldn't conceal her alluring curves. Her face was disguised, of course—but still strikingly beautiful. It was the same face she used during the "Golden Lotus Staff Incident" with Huo Yuhao on Ghost Street.
But Huo Yuhao didn't seem the least bit captivated. He continued flipping through the booklet, looking for suitable targets.
Thanks to him, this third basement level of Yage had become almost deserted. Today, only the two of them were present. Many assassins had been caught up in the current turmoil, and others had gone into hiding, not daring to show up to take on contracts.
Only Huo Yuhao kept showing up day after day without fail. Each time, he left with three or four assassination missions—openly and without concealment.
Perhaps because the place had grown so empty, no other assassins had yet figured out that Huo Yuhao was the cause of it all.
The original staff of Yage's third basement level had all been replaced by Tang Ya herself. She did it to cover for Huo Yuhao, and to prevent any unexpected accidents. Of course, it was also an excuse to get closer to him.
The reason for covering up Huo Yuhao's actions was simple: the missions were issued through Yage. If this blew up, not only would Huo Yuhao be targeted, but Yage would be destroyed as well. Tang Ya couldn't afford to let that happen—she had worked too hard to build Yage into what it was.
Thinking of this, Tang Ya looked at Huo Yuhao with a faint, slightly resentful expression.
Finally, Huo Yuhao selected his next "lucky" targets for the night. He downed the rest of his juice, closed the mission booklet, and walked up to Tang Ya.
"Miss Beiya'er, please pull the mission sheets for these three people," Huo Yuhao said calmly.
"There's no need to be so formal. We're already so familiar. Besides, being able to serve you is my honor." Tang Ya smiled warmly, her demeanor charming and gracious.
But Huo Yuhao remained unmoved.
Beiya'er? Beibei + Tang Ya? That alias was trying a little too hard not to be obvious.
Still, Huo Yuhao maintained a cold and distant attitude, as if he had no interest in forming bonds with others.
That only made Tang Ya want to get closer. She felt more challenged by him.
Huo Yuhao had recognized her the moment they first met in the third basement. He didn't expect her to disguise herself as staff to get close to him.
But he pretended not to know anything.
Even when Tang Ya tried to hint at their "fateful" encounter on Ghost Street, Huo Yuhao acted indifferent—as if nothing in the world existed except for his missions.
So once again, Huo Yuhao responded to her compliments with his usual cold tone. "The mission. Please."
Tang Ya pouted playfully, but quickly retrieved the three mission sheets and handed them over.
Without another word, Huo Yuhao turned and left.
After he disappeared, Tang Ya's smile faded. Her eyes darkened as she stared in the direction he'd gone. "What exactly is he trying to do…?"
"Saintess, if we let that boy continue like this, he's going to bring disaster to Yage sooner or later," said a raspy voice behind her. Elder Yanmo emerged from the shadows, voicing his warning.
But Tang Ya didn't turn around. She simply replied calmly, "We can't touch him. Behind him… is the rest of Shrek Academy. If we make a move, we might provoke some of Shrek's top fighters. Have you already forgotten how the Chief Worshipper once intimidated the entire underground world?"
Yanmo fell silent.
Judging by the various killing styles and the lack of any clues so far, it was highly likely that Huo Yuhao wasn't acting alone. He probably had a full team—and powerful ones at that.
If a Super Douluo appeared, even the Dusk Water Alliance and Elder Yanmo might not be able to stop them.
And it wasn't unlikely that a Super Douluo was secretly watching over Huo Yuhao.
After all, both Tang Ya and Elder Yanmo found it hard to believe that Shrek Academy would send a mere Title Douluo to Mingdu alone to find Beibei.
In truth, if they hadn't gotten in touch with Xian Lin'er, it would have only been Huo Yuhao and Zhang Lexuan coming to find Beibei—not a single Title Douluo among them.
And so, a glorious misunderstanding was born.
"Tch. So now even Shrek Academy is resorting to such shady tactics," Elder Yanmo grumbled.
His dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that he also had a stake in Yage's profits.
"Don't worry, Elder Yanmo. Shrek Academy won't leave any evidence behind. We just have to focus on doing our part. Besides, with all the chaos they're stirring up, aren't we profiting too?" Tang Ya smiled. Letting Shrek Academy's people work for her gave her an odd sense of satisfaction.
Another reason she wasn't worried was because Beibei was also part of the Dusk Water Alliance. If something really went wrong, she could simply stay close to Beibei—and then Long Xiaoyao would naturally step in to protect them.
"The more chaotic Mingdu gets, the more opportunities we'll have," Tang Ya murmured to herself. She had no intention of being just a minor underground boss forever.
On the way to his mission target, Huo Yuhao reviewed his recent tasks and upcoming objectives.
Main Quest: Retrieve Bei Bei.
Progress: Successfully joined the Dusk Water Alliance. The next step is to infiltrate Tang Ya's inner circle—only then might she spare Bei Bei.
Side Quest 1: Harem Disruption.
Progress: Two imperial consorts and all their palace maids have been subdued. Two consorts, one Imperial Noble Consort, and the Empress remain.
Side Quest 2: Resource Collection.
Progress: Resources from the Jingyang Mountains are steadily being brought back by centipede-leg clones. Meanwhile, assassination missions have facilitated collection of assets from various nobles and high-ranking officials in Mingdu. The tunnel to Mingde Hall's underground vault has been breached. Once he leaves Mingdu, it'll all be swept away in one go.
Side Quest 3: Senior Sister's Humiliation.
Progress: Zhang Lexuan is growing increasingly uneasy with being spied upon—time to turn up the heat.
Side Quest 4: Cauldron Collection.
Progress: Current targets: Juzi and Xu Tianzhen. Additionally, more than ten girls have been identified as suitable cauldrons. Shangguan Wei'er is also assisting in scouting girls with exceptional potential.
Side Quest 5: Third Pair of Wings for the Mutant Ice Centipede Martial Soul.
Progress: Xu Tiannan has already broken through to Title Douluo. The next encounter will be the moment to reap the reward.
Side Quest 6: Training the Dragon Princess.
Progress: Requires more live combat sparring partners.
Side Quest 7: Training the Lotus-Hearted Demon.
Progress: Ghost Street has become the Lotus Demon's hunting ground, but due to its recent decline, it might be time to let her hunt within Mingdu itself.
Huo Yuhao felt that he was quite busy indeed. Others only needed to wait for Brother Hao's favor, while Brother Hao had a thousand things to consider.
To fulfill all these tasks efficiently, Huo Yuhao decided to activate his clone—a clone derived from his true body!
The true-body clone had just finished refining the ancient soul beast remains and now possessed a real, physical body. It was currently adjusting to this body within the Palm-Sized World dimension, ready to be summoned at any moment.
Huo Yuhao soon arrived at the location of his first target—a noble hiding within his family estate.
"While I'm at it, let me give you a lesson. Watch carefully. Learn well," Huo Yuhao said to the clone inside the Palm-Sized World.
The clone watched eagerly from within.
It was time for a live demonstration.
Huo Yuhao raised a barrier, sealing off the entire estate and isolating it from the outside world.
"This barrier is the secret to assassination," he explained.
Then he vaulted over the estate wall and began today's kill.
Because of Huo Yuhao's killing spree over the past few days, many people were already on edge—especially nobles and officials who had made enemies or had bad reputations. Though they couldn't catch the killer, they had increased their defenses, hiring more guards to protect themselves.
Those with enough money could even hire Title Douluos as bodyguards.
Of course, there weren't enough Title Douluos to go around. The main recruits were Soul Douluos and Rank-8 Soul Engineers.
Once Huo Yuhao entered the estate, the guards quickly noticed him—thanks to many surveillance-type soul tools set up around the perimeter.
"Assassin!" someone shouted, shattering the quiet estate.
A group of guards charged at him, led by two Soul Douluos.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and opened his arms slightly. The strength of the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear surged through his tattoos. Leaping up, he unleashed the Darkgolden Terror Claw.
Having evolved for forty thousand years, the bear now had power and defense exceeding typical hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. And with Huo Yuhao wielding its strength, the attack was nearly on par with a savage beast.
With one strike, the two Soul Douluo bodyguards—and many others—were ripped to shreds. Even Grade-8 soul tool shields were like tissue paper.
Soul engineer guards setting up cannons nearby were stunned.
Fortunately, someone quickly came to their senses and shouted, "Fire! Focus all attacks on him or we're all dead!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of soul cannon blasts rained down on Huo Yuhao, but a golden light stood firm amidst the explosions—it was the Darkgolden Defense, another skill of the bear.
Simply put: flesh tanking cannon fire.
The barrage had no effect. The soul engineers panicked—they weren't professional soldiers, and their leader had just been torn apart by Huo Yuhao. Their will to fight collapsed completely.
But Huo Yuhao had no habit of sparing those who dropped their weapons.
"Everyone. Must. Die."
The sealed-off estate became a slaughterhouse. Huo Yuhao killed every living soul he saw.
A quarter-hour later, he twisted the noble's neck, then turned to his clone and asked, "Got it?"
The clone, who was helping clean up the corpses, nodded thoughtfully.
The clone now looked identical to Huo Yuhao, except he had water-blue hair and eyes and an aura like the ocean—calm on the surface, turbulent beneath.
The color of his hair, eyes, and his aura were all influenced by the ancient soul beast remains.
Interestingly, the clone wasn't a soul master—he resembled a savage beast more. Though his power was equal to Huo Yuhao's, he had inherited the ancient beast's ability to control water. His water element was extremely pure—on par with Ultimate Ice.
Huo Yuhao had entrusted him with a trace of the Water Dragon King's origin power and the reverse scale. Soon, the clone would evolve into a bearer of Ultimate Water, and possibly inherit part of the Water Dragon King's legacy.
"Since you understand, I'll leave the next two missions to you," Huo Yuhao told him.
The clone gestured an "OK."
In fact, now that he had a body, the clone could speak—but he didn't, because it felt unnatural to him.
While the clone went off to perform assassination missions, Huo Yuhao himself headed toward the Sun-Moon Empire's inner palace.
Tonight, he had more time to handle the affairs of Chancellor Dong.
Tonight's chosen consort was one with phoenix aura, the mother of both the fourth and sixth princes.
Women with phoenix aura often possessed certain unique qualities, and their children were typically extraordinary. Most importantly, the women themselves were exceptional.
After personally verifying this, Huo Yuhao had to admit—this one was indeed far more enduring than the previous consorts who lacked phoenix aura.
Of course, the amount of phoenix aura she had was still nowhere near that of Yu Manwu. After just one night of "digging," he had almost drained her dry—it would take quite some time for her to recover.
As for Tu Xijun, who was still a young girl not yet fully matured, it made sense her phoenix aura was limited. This particular consort had been in the palace for years and still had only this much aura—no wonder she could never become Imperial Noble Consort or Empress.
After harvesting another wave of Phoenix Qi, all of it was channeled into Snow Lotus. She responded with an emotion of joy toward Huo Yuhao.
After that, Snow Lotus began to change slightly. A seven-colored halo slowly formed around her, encircling the flower in a dazzling ring of light.
"This is... a halo? The prototype of a domain?!" Huo Yuhao was surprised.
The halo resembled the one used by Wang Xian'er's Healing Angel martial soul. Like hers, it appeared to be a nascent innate domain—a powerful type of domain ability granted by one's bloodline. Snow Lotus' halo was seven-colored, seemingly connected to the Seven-Colored Lotus Light born from the Rainbow Dragon bloodline.
"Could this be a support-type domain?" Huo Yuhao speculated.
But either way, it didn't matter. With him around, Snow Lotus would never be harmed. Her only job was to support Huo Yuhao—he would take care of the enemies, eliminate every threat, and provide her with more nourishment.
Wang Xian'er, despite a lifetime of effort, had never succeeded in evolving her halo into a true innate domain. It was only when Huo Yuhao refined her martial soul into a Healing Angel puppet soul, fully fusing her soul and flesh, that the Life Domain finally took shape.
Now, Snow Lotus had also condensed a halo representing a domain prototype. To further evolve this into a real domain, it would undoubtedly require a continuous infusion of Phoenix Qi.
And since this domain would form by absorbing Phoenix Qi, there was no doubt it would be extraordinary.
Snow Lotus quietly grew within Huo Yuhao's heart. Over the years, her transformation had drastically altered his constitution.
Countless tendrils of Snow Lotus spread through his meridians and flesh, constantly strengthening and reshaping his body. These tendrils even acted as a secondary meridian system, allowing him to practice two different cultivation techniques simultaneously.
Huo Yuhao's internal organs were now far superior to even the Third Prince, who had trained in the Ninefold Death God Technique.
If someone were to cut open his chest and abdomen, they'd see blood and flesh glowing like red jade—crystal-clear and radiant. Each strand of flesh shimmered with golden light, and intricate root-like veins extended through his tissue. His blood vessels carried golden blood.
Inside his heart, Snow Lotus had essentially replaced the heartbeat itself. The chamber of his heart had expanded into a small dimension filled with seven-colored lotus light.
Snow Lotus' roots connected to his flesh, while her icy-blue petals floated at the center of his heart, glowing with rainbow light and surrounded by a radiant halo. On her petals and leaves, rare dewdrops glistened. At her core, thousands upon thousands of blood-colored Snow Lotus seeds clustered together. Suspended at her heart was a sea-blue flame—a water-like fire, burning slowly and steadily.
Each of these phenomena pointed to Snow Lotus' unique attributes.
Her original ice-and-snow attribute had fully reshaped Huo Yuhao's physique, pushing him toward post-natal spiritual constitution, and perhaps one day, even toward the pre-natal spiritual body—a legendary level.
The water attribute derived from the Sea God's divine power had merged into Huo Yuhao's spiritual fire, becoming a special water flame—a seed of Sea God power. This also protected him from being targeted by Sea God power, giving him the potential to usurp the Sea God's authority in the future.
The light attribute granted by the Golden Ancient Tree had fused with the Rainbow Dragon bloodline, forming the Seven-Colored Lotus Light, which enhanced all his abilities and now was evolving into a unique innate domain.
His healing ability had also received a significant boost thanks to the life attribute gifted by the Golden Ancient Tree. The medicine-like energy it generated continuously protected Huo Yuhao from most poisons and injuries.
This life energy also allowed Snow Lotus and the Healing Angel puppet soul to coexist harmoniously. Both had developed rudimentary spiritual intelligence, often communicating within his body using their shared life force. When they flowed through his meridians together, it was like sisters strolling through a marketplace.
Under the constant refinement by life energy, Huo Yuhao's body kept growing stronger.
The effect might be subtle at any given moment, but accumulated over time, it was invaluable.
With such a potent life attribute, all Huo Yuhao needed was a catalyst, and he'd achieve supreme life affinity—greatly enhancing both Snow Lotus and the Healing Angel puppet soul.
In addition to all this, Snow Lotus was also digesting two special seeds:
One from the Blue Silver Empress, and another from Yu Manwu's black Phoenix Qi.
Perhaps because Yu Manwu had been crippled, her Phoenix Qi held an ominous black hue. Snow Lotus did not absorb this corrupted Phoenix Qi directly, but sealed it within a seed and was slowly digesting it.
As Snow Lotus grew, these two seeds were gradually being absorbed—who knew what powerful new traits they might awaken...
Later...
Time was about up.
Huo Yuhao pulled up his pants and prepared to leave Noble Consort De's palace.
Behind him, Noble Consort De lay limp on the phoenix bed, clothes in disarray. Despite her exhausted state, she propped herself up and gazed at him with a complicated expression.
She wanted to scold him... but last night had just felt too good.
Having lost her son, the Fourth Prince, Noble Consort De was vulnerable—desperate for support and comfort.
What? She still had the Sixth Prince?
That useless disappointment didn't even count.
Even parents have favorites. To Noble Consort De, the Sixth Prince was nothing more than a backup. Without the Fourth Prince, he was irrelevant.
"Will... will you come again?" she mustered her courage and asked timidly.
Huo Yuhao, now fully dressed, paused mid-step. He didn't turn around. He just sneered and replied casually:
"That depends on your performance next time. Maybe go learn a thing or two from Noble Consort Shu and Noble Consort Xian—your technique's a bit lacking."
With that, he walked away.
On the phoenix bed, Noble Consort De's eyes widened. Her lips parted slightly in disbelief.
So she wasn't the first.
Others had already been defiled by this villain. Had the other noble consorts also suffered the same—this man barging into their chambers and forcibly...
"Even Noble Consort Shu..." she murmured, eyes complex.
Noble Consort Shu, the mother of the Fifth Prince, had also lost her son. They were sisters in tragedy. And now, it seemed, they shared another fate.
As for Noble Consort Xian—she had a son too, but he was under ten years old and had no real claim to the throne.
Soon enough, Noble Consort De came to terms with everything. You don't get to be a high-ranking consort without knowing how to play the game.
Now that the Fourth Prince was dead and she had been violated, her only support was this terrifying man. Without him, she would be exposed and vulnerable—a dead woman walking.
A man who could do such things in the palace was clearly no ordinary figure. Noble Consort De decided to bet everything on him.
Maybe allying with Noble Consort Shu and Noble Consort Xian wouldn't be a bad idea either.
After all, she knew about the Emperor's deteriorating health. If she wanted a good outcome, she had to plan an escape route now.
Having sorted out her thoughts, Noble Consort De lay back on the bed. Her mood had improved.
Because Huo Yuhao's parting words meant he'd be back—she wasn't just a one-night fling.
But if she wanted to keep him coming back, she'd have to prepare a few tricks of her own.
"Maybe I should go exchange notes with Noble Consort Shu and Noble Consort Xian..." she murmured thoughtfully.