"Oblivion Radiance!"
Huo Yuhao shouted in a deep voice, and beams of multicolored light burst from his eyes, instantly illuminating the entire underground chamber. The space trembled, the air cracked explosively, and even the golden radiance supporting the space from the Golden Tortoise seemed like it was about to shatter.
The rainbow light was dazzling, like a falling meteor from the heavens, carrying an aura of utter annihilation. Its destructive force seemed powerful enough to shatter the very void.
Upon witnessing this, Electrolux immediately took action, casting undead magic to counteract the two beams of Oblivion Radiance, preventing them from causing further destruction.
The standoff lasted a full minute before the Oblivion Radiance finally subsided.
Yet the underground chamber still retained its menacing, obliterating aura, making the place feel even more eerie and terrifying.
Neither the Skydream Iceworm nor the Golden Tortoise dared to show their faces.
Electrolux couldn't help but praise, "What terrifying destructive power! If that hit a person directly, even a typical Soul Sage would be obliterated, flesh and bone wiped out. It might even be capable of breaking through a Soul Sage's Martial Soul True Body."
When the Oblivion Radiance faded, Huo Yuhao's eyes were finally revealed.
They were fractured—crisscrossed with irregular cracks, making them look like fragile works of art, as if a single touch would shatter them into countless pieces.
But it wasn't that Huo Yuhao's eyes were injured—rather, they had been tempered by the Oblivion attribute, transforming into a new type of eye: the Eyes of Oblivion.
Sitting cross-legged in the pool, Huo Yuhao suddenly flung aside Nan Shuishui, who was still clinging to him, not allowing her to distract him.
He then closed his eyes again, focusing on sensing the power of the Eyes of Oblivion.
Compared to his previous three pairs of eyes, the Eyes of Oblivion had no special abilities—only one effect: absolute destruction!
This became the most terrifying offensive ability of his Evil-Eyed Martial Soul.
It now carried the power of the Oblivion Radiance.
And because he had tempered his Evil-Eyed Martial Soul with the Oblivion attribute, Huo Yuhao's spiritual power also became tainted with the same property.
Now, whenever he used attacks infused with spiritual power, their destructive power would be significantly enhanced.
Huo Yuhao let out a deep breath and reopened his eyes.
His eyes had returned to normal—ice-blue irises with dreamy snowflake-shaped pupils, perfectly matching his stunning looks.
"If I want the Eyes of Oblivion to become stronger, I'll need to continue tempering the Evil-Eyed Martial Soul with the Oblivion attribute—or… strengthen them with a superior attribute."
And what was superior to Oblivion?
Destruction.
But that was something for the future.
The pool of beast corpses had lost its effectiveness.
Huo Yuhao stood up, preparing to climb out, when he noticed something red submerged in the water near his feet.
Curious, he drew it to his hand using soul power, discovering that it was the flagpole of the Blood Fiend Spirit Flag.
Huo Yuhao didn't know what the original material of the pole was, but since it was part of a Grade-9 Soul Tool, it had to be extraordinary.
Now, however, the pole had been dyed blood-red by the Blood Fiend energy, but instead of appearing sinister, it looked like blood jade—clear and radiant, almost like a piece of artwork.
The pole was nearly two meters long. Held in hand, it could easily serve as a staff-type weapon.
The fact that his Ghost Banner Martial Soul hadn't absorbed the pole meant the two were incompatible.
When Huo Yuhao tried injecting soul power into it, he found that it flowed through smoothly—meaning the pole could indeed be used as a weapon by a soul master.
Moreover, the pole didn't seem to carry any special properties, not even lingering traces of Blood Fiend energy.
Apparently, the Ghost Banner had absorbed it cleanly.
As for whether it had other properties, that would need further testing.
"But rather than a weapon," Huo Yuhao remarked, "this feels more like an unfinished weapon embryo. And since it still retains the toughness of a Grade-9 Soul Tool material, it'd be a waste to use it as-is."
A good item—best to keep it.
Later, he might find materials to merge with it. Who knew? He might even forge a powerful artifact rivaling a Grade-9 Soul Tool.
In Huo Yuhao's opinion, the Holy Spirit Sect's craftsmanship far surpassed that of ordinary soul engineers.
Their crafting was already approaching the level of artifact refinement, using blood pools to sacrifice soul tools, or even nurturing soul tools with souls to enhance their quality.
Even demonic cultivators would be impressed.
Meanwhile, most external soul engineers were still stuck at the stage of merging random materials.
After stashing away the flagpole, Huo Yuhao stepped out of the pool.
"Brother Hao, how do you feel?" Skydream Iceworm flew out cheerfully, asking with curiosity.
"Amazing!" Huo Yuhao replied with a radiant smile. "That pool of beast corpse water really boosted both my physique and spiritual power."
The most direct evidence—
He summoned his Mutant Ice Centipede Martial Soul. Its first life-bound soul ring had now reached seventy thousand years!
After absorbing his fifth soul ring, the limit of the first ring had increased from 40,000 to 60,000 years.
This time, thanks to the enhancements from the beast corpse pool, the first soul ring's age had jumped to 70,000 years.
"Nice improvement. Unfortunately… I can't do this openly. And collecting this many corpses myself would take a lot of time. I don't even have that much freedom," Huo Yuhao sighed. "If I had enough beast corpse water, maybe I could push the first soul ring to 100,000 years!"
The biggest regret was not having a large-space storage device—otherwise, he'd absolutely try raiding the front-line warehouses of all their soul beast corpses.
Skydream Iceworm also felt it was a shame. "If I had to cultivate the soul ring to 100,000 years using normal demon cultivation, who knows how long it would take?"
But it was certain—it would take at least a year or two.
Fifty thousand years was a bottleneck for soul beasts. Beyond that, advancing became much more resource- and effort-intensive.
But beasts over 50,000 years were also far stronger.
In the wild, a 50,000+ year-old soul beast could easily dominate an entire region.
Honestly, a year or two wasn't long. Huo Yuhao was only twelve.
But for Huo Yuhao and Skydream Iceworm, who were used to cheat-code-speed cultivation, even a couple months felt too long to wait.
"So, there's only one choice—find another way to rapidly increase the age of the first soul ring!" Huo Yuhao's eyes were determined.
He wanted a 100,000-year sixth soul ring.
Even if the Mutant Ice Centipede Martial Soul was just a transitional first Martial Soul, if he could strengthen its foundation, he would.
Because Huo Yuhao knew—his future enemies would be Divine Kings.
Then, he turned to look at Nan Shuishui, who had been thrown to the ground.
"The resources in the Earth Dragon Sect might be able to help me."
Both Extreme Ice Divine Crystal and Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow were suitable for his Mutant Ice Centipede Martial Soul.
Just then, Nan Shuishui's eyelids began to twitch.
She was clearly waking up.
"Mm~ Where am I…?"
Nan Shuishui slowly opened her eyes, still groggy from sleep, her mind clouded in confusion.
Then she heard a voice—one that was both familiar and strangely distant.
"Nan Shuishui, aren't you coming over?"
She turned toward the sound and was stunned to see Huo Yuhao standing nearby—completely unclothed.
He had just stepped out of a nearby pool and hadn't had time to dress before Nan Shuishui woke up.
Yet Brother Hao showed no sense of shame.
After all, only those lacking confidence in their body feel embarrassed.
Hao-ge, naturally proud of his physique and unique talents, was only concerned about whether others could handle what they saw.
Surprisingly, Nan Shuishui wasn't flustered or angry at the sight.
Instead, her eyes filled with longing.
She rose and, in an almost animalistic fashion, crawled to his feet and kowtowed reverently, her lips kissing the tips of his toes.
"Bright Consort greets Lord Ming King."
Within the spiritual sea, Huo Yuhao had established himself as the Ming King, and Nan Shuishui as his devoted Bright Consort.
Her entire sense of identity had been transformed.
Looking down on her, Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and commanded, "Lift your head."
Nan Shuishui obediently raised her gaze, revealing her elegant and alluring features—mature, captivating beauty, a swan-like neck, prominent collarbones, and striking curves.
Her form alone made blood surge with heat.
A golden lotus mark glowed at the center of her brow. Her eyes, soft and worshipful, looked at Huo Yuhao like serene pools of water.
But due to the angle of the light, a dark, thick shadow fell across her face—longer even than her face itself.
Huo Yuhao nodded in satisfaction.
"The conversion went well. But let's replace that lotus mark."
With a wave of his will, the golden lotus transformed into a golden centipede tattoo. The creature seemed to come alive, slithering down her skin, across her cheek, onto her neck, and then disappearing into her clothes—destination unknown.
"Yes, this is much better. Subtle and hidden—it won't raise suspicion," Huo Yuhao remarked approvingly.
He added, "From now on, when outside, refer to me as Huo Yuhao."
"Yes, Lord Ming King," she replied with utter obedience.
What followed caught Huo Yuhao off guard. Still kneeling, Nan Shuishui suddenly lifted her head and brought her rose-red lips to him in a bold, intimate motion.
Hisss—!
Huo Yuhao inhaled sharply in surprise.
But before she could go any further, Nan Shuishui's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed—unconscious.
The indoctrination wasn't complete. Her personality couldn't maintain the Bright Consort state indefinitely.
With her collapse, the golden centipede mark faded away, and the real Nan Shuishui—the sect leader of Earth Dragon Gate—returned to standby mode, unaware of what had transpired.
Yet Huo Yuhao could summon the Bright Consort version at any time, and the golden centipede would continue subtly eroding her identity, reshaping her into his devoted follower.
Feeling a bit guilty, Huo Yuhao glanced toward Electrolux—only to realize the spirit had already fled into the ghost banner.
Electrolux: "This is too twisted! I feel out of place just for not being twisted enough…"
Nearby, the golden hawksbill turtle spirit looked on, face like an elderly man discovering mobile phones for the first time.
"You humans play like this? I don't get it, but I'm deeply shocked!"
Skydream Iceworm chimed in, "This is way more exciting than those little movies!"
"Shut up, Turtle!" Huo Yuhao snapped. "And you too, Skydream! You've been watching this whole time instead of sleeping?"
"But… those clips are from your memory…" Skydream muttered pitifully.
"Shut up!"
With that, Huo Yuhao sealed both spirits' senses and shoved them into a mental isolation chamber.
Only then did he finally relax, quickly dressing and preparing to leave with the unconscious Nan Shuishui.
With the golden turtle's disappearance, the underground space was beginning to collapse again.
Before leaving, Huo Yuhao retrieved the soul tool sack Nan Shuishui had been trapped in earlier.
This sack could contain living beings—albeit with limited space—and had a secondary effect of inducing unconsciousness. Clearly not designed for anything noble.
Don't ask how Huo Yuhao knew. He had read Nan Shuishui's memories after all.
It turned out the Third Elder had lured her to a remote area and then ambushed her with the sack.
Unfortunately for him, someone spotted the act, and even the Tyrant Dragon Douluo may have been alerted.
What happened afterward, Nan Shuishui didn't remember.
But she'd overheard fragments of conversations while in the bag, and pieced the rest together.
After erasing all traces of his presence, Huo Yuhao prepared to retreat.
This time, he didn't summon his variant Frost Centipede martial soul. Instead, he used Earth Escape, one of the five-element movement techniques—not the kind seen in Naruto, but a style of spiritual-earth travel across materials of the five elements.
He bundled Nan Shuishui back into the sack and burrowed underground with Earth Escape.
Along the way, he passed the soul beast corpse storage chamber, where he conveniently collected a Phantom Chameleon Ghost, and helped himself to a meal.
No use letting bodies go to waste.
In fact, during this mission to eliminate the evil soul masters, Huo Yuhao had picked up a soul bone—a thousand-year Ice Rabbit left leg bone, found in a senior elder's soul tool storage.
Like the earlier Snow-Scaled Beast bone, it would serve as fusion material for enhancing the Ghost Banner martial soul.
"Speaking of which, after this last round of upgrades, the Ghost Banner has reached a threshold. It's time to try unlocking that crystal containing a dragon's soul…"
Nan Shuishui awoke, shivering, on a snowy plain.
"Where am I…" she murmured, blinking as the orange hues of twilight filled the sky.
Suddenly, a golden centipede-shaped mark glowed faintly beneath her clothes.
And in that moment, memories rushed back.
"I remember now! That Titled Douluo-level evil soul master tried to extract the 'annihilation' attribute from my martial soul. But then another evil soul master called Compassionate Fiend! showed up, and they fought. I escaped during the chaos, but with my soul power sealed and my body weakened, I passed out in the snow…"
"I need to get back to the frontlines quickly—it's too dangerous out here with soul beasts roaming around."
Despite her physical strain, Nan Shuishui forced herself to her feet, picked a direction, and began staggering back toward the battlefield.
The sun was setting in the west.
Today's sunset looked as if it had been stained red with the blood of the beast tide — unusually demonic, yet hauntingly beautiful.
In a deserted forest...
A thirty-thousand-year-old Icefield Giant Lizard lay dead.
And right beside it, Huo Yuhao was sitting cross-legged, actually absorbing the soul ring of the Icefield Giant Lizard!
To be precise, he was absorbing the ring to increase the age of his third soul ring.
That's right — Huo Yuhao was using a secret soul ring enhancement technique that he had personally modified!
Two black ten-thousand-year soul rings were pressed together, golden fortune energy flowing between them, refining both rings.
Suddenly, the Icefield Giant Lizard's soul ring shattered into countless fragments, releasing a massive burst of soul power.
Huo Yuhao immediately sped up his secret technique.
He shouted in a low voice:
"Fuse!"
The soul ring fragments all merged into his third soul ring, along with the leaking soul power, gradually increasing the age of the ring.
Once the fusion was complete, he stopped the technique.
The third soul ring trembled briefly, then returned to calm.
Enhancement complete!
His third soul ring had successfully been upgraded from just reaching ten thousand years to a full twenty thousand years.
Like his second ring, this one also mutated slightly and formed a faint connection with both the first and second rings.
Only then did Huo Yuhao open his eyes and immediately activated his third soul skill:
"Third Soul Skill: Piercing Cold!"
A wave of frigid energy surged from his hand into a nearby giant tree.
The tree was instantly frozen.
Yet the cold poison penetrated through the entire tree, spreading beyond — proof that the poison had completely contaminated the tree from within.
"The skill's effect hasn't changed, but its power has increased," Huo Yuhao concluded.
Using a thirty-thousand-year soul ring had only upgraded the third ring by ten thousand years — a loss of two-thirds.
Most of that was lost during the fragmentation of the soul ring and the uncontrolled leaking of soul power.
It was only thanks to Huo Yuhao's immense spiritual strength and precise control that he managed to preserve one-third.
If it were someone else — even if they could perform the enhancement — with weaker spiritual and control abilities, they might retain less than one-tenth of the original power.
As Huo Yuhao's spiritual strength grows, future enhancements will lose less and less.
But the greatest benefit of this secret technique is that it saves on fortune energy.
This time, he used even less than what was required to enhance his second soul ring to ten-thousand-year level.
However, the method doesn't work with just any soul beast — it must be the same type, not merely the same attribute.
"Soul beast type" refers to bloodline.
So:
Second ring needs spider-type soul beasts
Third ring needs lizard- or dragon-type
Fourth ring needs snake-type
Fifth ring needs toad-type
The first ring doesn't require enhancement — centipedes are spared.
Unless, of course, a hundred-thousand-year centipede-type beast strolls past Huo-ge...
Huo Yuhao raised his hand, drained the Icefield Giant Lizard into a dry husk, and then destroyed the corpse. Its spirit had already been claimed by his Ghost Banner martial soul.
"Now... Should I go look for soul beasts to enhance my fourth and fifth rings, or return to the front lines?"
He wasn't in a rush. He didn't rely on these soul skills in battle anyway.
He'd only killed the Icefield Giant Lizard because it crossed his path — he punished it casually.
Plus, enhancing the ring didn't improve the compatibility with his mutated Frost Centipede martial soul — it wouldn't help the first ring.
And with the sun nearly down, if he didn't return soon, Vena might send someone to look for him.
If anyone saw something they shouldn't... that would be super awkward.
So Huo Yuhao cast a diWei Nation.
The turtle shell clattered...
Clink!
As a few coins landed on the ice, Huo Yuhao calculated the result. His expression became a little odd.
"That direction... romance?"
He smirked mischievously and stepped forward:
"Let me see... What kind of resource is walking right into my arms this time?"
Meanwhile, on the Icefield...
Nan Qiuqiu was fleeing desperately, panting heavily.
Behind her, a six-thousand-year-old Ice Dust Demon Dog was hot on her trail.
At that moment, Nan Qiuqiu was overwhelmed with grief.
At the front lines, she had heard that her mother had been captured by evil soul masters. In her panic, she left with other sect disciples to search for her.
But they ran into a small beast tide.
The Dilong Sect's team was scattered.
Nan Qiuqiu was left alone.
As she tried to return, the keen-nosed Ice Dust Demon Dog had picked up her scent.
At six thousand years old, it was far too powerful for even her Rouge Dragon martial soul to handle. All she could do was run for her life.
Thankfully, the demon dog seemed injured, its steps unsteady — and still hadn't caught up.
But the problem was, it wouldn't stop chasing, and Nan Qiuqiu was almost out of strength.
Human soul masters often have less stamina than soul beasts.
Eventually, she collapsed.
Her energy and soul power were completely drained.
The Ice Dust Demon Dog caught up, panting like an old bellows.
It had nearly killed itself chasing her — but finally, it was about to be rewarded.
Nan Qiuqiu glared at the beast, a final display of defiance.
It opened its jaws wide, ready to tear at her throat — she could already smell its foul breath.
"Sorry, Mom… Let your daughter join you in the afterlife…" Nan Qiuqiu closed her eyes in despair.
But the next second, she felt her body lift — her butt suddenly off the ground.
Then came a pained howl from the beast.
Nan Qiuqiu quickly opened her eyes — and saw:
A stunning youth, clad in icy armor, holding her in his arms, his ice-blue eyes "gently" gazing at her.
The Ice Dust Demon Dog lay on the side, howling with a broken leg, unable to rise.
But Nan Qiuqiu barely noticed that — her mind went blank, stunned by the boy's breathtaking face.
"Are you alright?" Huo Yuhao smiled at her.
"So handsome!"
She blurted out her true thoughts without realizing it — then suddenly snapped back, face flushed, head lowered, heart pounding like crazy, even causing her "little bunnies" to bounce.
Huo Yuhao then casually stepped forward and killed the demon dog.
Now there was no more noise to interrupt them.
Ice Dust Demon Dog: You're the real dog here!
As the sun set, Huo Yuhao carried Nan Qiuqiu back to the front-line camp.
By then, the beast tide had already subsided.
It wasn't that the soul beasts had gone home to sleep for the night—it was simply that the tide had nearly come to an end.
Most of the lower-ranked soul beasts had been slain, while the rest had either escaped or fled.
The mid- to high-ranked soul beasts had been eliminated by the human powerhouses.
With no 100,000-year soul beasts holding the line, and no top-tier soul beasts appearing, the human side's Title Douluos were the strongest force on the battlefield!
With Title Douluos present, the human side's Soul Douluos and Soul Sages could fight with peace of mind.
If the third elder of the Holy Spirit Sect hadn't gone off to abduct Nan Shuishui, even Tyrant Dragon Douluo wouldn't have needed to act.
Once the beasts lost their leader, the tide scattered instantly. At most, a few small beast packs led by ten-thousand-year soul beasts were left to wander the wilds.
The number of soul beasts that had come south from the Extreme North wasn't enough to sustain a prolonged beast tide.
Soldiers were now cleaning up the battlefield—retrieving corpses, scrubbing away bloodstains, and preventing outbreaks of disease.
Post-battle cleanup was just as crucial.
Just as Huo Yuhao returned with Nan Qiuqiu, he happened to run into Wei Na, Bei Bei, and others who had come out searching for him.
But among them were a few unexpected faces.
This made Huo Yuhao tense up instinctively and raise his guard.
Because among them were Wang Dong and members of the Clear Sky Sect!
However, Wang Dong and her group stood at the back, not stepping forward.
Bei Bei and Wei Na rushed over, concerned.
"Little Brother Huo, you're finally back!"
"Yuhao, did you run into any danger?"
Huo Yuhao smiled, replying,
"Brother Bei Bei, Sister Wei Na, don't worry. I'm fine—no danger, no injuries."
Then Bei Bei and Wei Na both noticed Nan Qiuqiu on Huo Yuhao's back—disheveled but with flushed cheeks.
Something was clearly off!
Anyone seeing this scene would suspect something happened between the two—Nan Qiuqiu's lingering expression said it all.
Those who know, know.
Wei Na's gaze immediately sharpened, and she moved a little closer to Huo Yuhao, asking casually,
"Yuhao, what happened with Miss Nan Qiuqiu?"
She wasn't asking about Nan Qiuqiu's condition—she wanted to know why Nan Qiuqiu was with Huo Yuhao, and what had happened between them.
Was Nan Qiuqiu trying to seduce him?
Bei Bei stepped back, his face full of gossip.
The Imperial Guard commander and his men stood to the side, quietly spectating.
Their job was to protect Huo Yuhao and Wei Na—not to help a princess pursue her man.
Wang Dong scoffed,
"Playboy! Just looking at him makes me mad! Let's go!"
The more she looked at Huo Yuhao, the more annoyed she became. She turned and left with the Clear Sky Sect members without looking back, as if she had made a firm decision.
The Clear Sky disciples scratched their heads, completely confused by Wang Dong.
You said you wanted to greet your classmate—and now you're storming off without a word?
You playing a prank or something?
But she was their little ancestor. All they could do was follow orders and not question her.
Only Huo Yuhao noticed their departure and quietly felt relieved.
But Wang Dong didn't know that a certain god-king, who had taken her seriously and was secretly watching, was gritting his teeth in fury.
Why are you running?!
Go fight him!
You're a girl, what kind of weird mental purity are you clinging to?!
How am I supposed to set the trap now?!
The god-king considered taking control for a heroic intervention—but ultimately gave up.
After all, Wang Dong was still too fragile. If anything happened to her, there was no healing spring nearby to restore her.
He hadn't even succeeded at storming the tower back at Shrek Academy—what was the point in trying to jungle solo in the wild?
The god-king knew he might have to activate his backup plan.
Half-baked substitutes would always be just that—not as good as his complete daughter.
Once she serves her purpose, it's time to retire her!
…
"I ran into Nan Qiuqiu on the way back, so we returned together."
Huo Yuhao explained to Wei Na, giving Nan Qiuqiu some face.
"Oh, I see," Wei Na replied, quickly putting the pieces together.
Nan Qiuqiu looked weak—clearly, something had happened and she had been rescued by Huo Yuhao.
How embarrassing.
But a hero rescuing a beauty—this was trouble!
Also… how long are you planning to stay on Huo Yuhao's back?!
Even I haven't been on it!
You get on his back today—are you planning to get on his bed tomorrow?!
"Qiuqiu… Qiuqiu…"
Suddenly, Nan Qiuqiu mumbled on Huo Yuhao's back.
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao blinked.
Nan Qiuqiu finally said clearly,
"Yuhao, just call me Qiuqiu."
Her tone was calm, but her face flushed even redder. Her way of addressing Huo Yuhao had clearly become more intimate.
Powerful, talented, beautiful, aloof—and now her personal hero.
What girl wouldn't fall for that?
Especially one raised in a romanticized Douluo World culture.
"Oh, alright. Qiuqiu," Huo Yuhao responded casually.
No acceptance, no rejection, no initiative.
That was Huo Yuhao's way.
Nan Qiuqiu squinted and glanced sideways at Wei Na—full of provocation. She clearly noticed Wei Na's interest in Huo Yuhao.
Wei Na was grinding her teeth, though she still maintained a polite smile.
She changed the subject.
"Miss Nan Qiuqiu, word from the main camp just came—your mother, the Sect Master, has returned… but her condition isn't very good…"
"Mother!"
As expected, Nan Qiuqiu was instantly panicked, completely forgetting her shyness. She quickly jumped off Huo Yuhao's back.
"Yuhao, I'm going to see my mother! I'll thank you properly later!"
With that, she hurried away.
Wei Na was quite satisfied to see her go—and quietly hoped Nan Qiuqiu wouldn't come back.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, rolled his eyes inwardly.
You think I don't know Nan Shuishui's condition?
"Yuhao, you must be tired. Let's go back," Wei Na said softly, reaching out to smooth the creases on his clothing—just like a caring wife.
This was what Huo Yuhao liked most about Wei Na: no matter what she felt, she never caused drama, and always stayed gentle and sweet.
He never had to worry about fixing her emotions.
"Mm. Wei Na-jie, let's go back," Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile.
Bei Bei chuckled beside them,
"Little Brother Huo sure is popular with the ladies."
The Imperial Guard commander glanced at Bei Bei and silently added:
This is what you call a real expert.
Lots of people flirt around, but in this world, the more outstanding you are, the more attention you attract.
But to actually make all the women around you get along in harmony, build a real harem—that's the real deal.
But... what did any of this have to do with him, a mere commander?
If the princess was getting outflanked and even the emperor wasn't worried, why should he be?
Better to just enjoy the show.
—
As the sun set, the air grew cold, and the atmosphere at the front lines turned gloomy.
Aside from the soldiers cleaning up corpses, most people hid inside their tents.
There was no victory celebration.
After fighting all day, everyone was simply too tired.
Huo Yuhao stayed in his own tent.
He didn't rest. Instead, he took out his Ghost Banner Martial Soul and began counting his gains.
"Although I didn't collect the soul of a million-year beast, I did gather over fifty qualified souls—both soul beasts and soul masters."
"And the Ghost Banner Martial Soul has been successfully enhanced."
"Finally, I can try making a move on the Dragon Soul!"
Electrolux set up a small isolation barrier within Huo Yuhao's tent, cutting off sound and shielding it from outside detection.
Then, Huo Yuhao took out the crystal that contained the slumbering hundred-thousand-year-old dragon soul.
This was the serendipitous encounter that he, Bei Bei, and Xuan Zi experienced in the Extreme North, which had triggered the upheaval in that region.
One of the resulting aftershocks was this beast tide.
During this time, Huo Yuhao had not neglected to study the crystal. With Electrolux's help, he had already figured out its secrets.
Inside the crystal slept a dragon soul over one hundred thousand years old, possessing both ice and light attributes.
This crystal had formed from the soul core of the dragon before its death.
It was unclear whether it was due to the dragon's innate ability, some special technique, or a fortunate coincidence, but the soul remained intact in the core, allowing the dragon soul to survive.
However, Huo Yuhao didn't believe it was just coincidence—he was more inclined to think this was all by design.
The dragon must have been critically wounded or unable to survive its tribulation, so it used a unique method to turn its soul core into a crystal, preserving its soul within it—clinging to life.
Its original power had been stored beneath the crystal as bait, set to lure others.
Someday, someone would find the crystal, triggering a burst of soul power that would draw soul beasts from the Extreme North.
And if anyone tried to use the crystal's power, the dragon soul would seize the opportunity to devour their soul and possess their body, completing a kind of rebirth.
In cultivation terms, this was known as body snatching.
Of course, this world had no concept of body snatching.
But Huo Yuhao couldn't help but suspect foul play—everything lined up too perfectly.
Why had this crystal remained undiscovered for so many years, only to be sensed by Bei Bei, who happened to have light attributes?
It felt like bait.
The soul beasts drawn to the area seemed less like a coincidence and more like candidates, a test for whoever claimed the crystal.
Not only did it respond to light attributes—ice attributes were also compatible with the dragon soul, and ice-type soul beasts were abundant in the Extreme North.
Pushing this line of thought further, one could even suspect that the dragon's true intention was not just to be reborn—but to be reborn as a human.
The dragon soul hid itself well—even Xuan Zi hadn't noticed it. It was the Skydream Iceworm who used his spiritual power to sense its presence.
If Bei Bei had tried to use the crystal on his own, he would've stood no chance against a hundred-thousand-year-old dragon soul.
"Big Brother Bei Bei, I really saved your life here. You owe me," Huo Yuhao muttered.
You can ignore debts you owe others, but you must remember those owed to you.
Even if Bei Bei didn't know it, Huo Yuhao would still collect on that favor.
Just like that, Bei Bei now owed Huo Yuhao a life debt—without even realizing it.
Huo Yuhao pointed his Ghost Banner Martial Soul at the crystal, preparing to bind the dragon soul.
Previously, he had held back because the Ghost Banner wasn't powerful enough—he would've needed Electrolux to possess him to handle such a soul, which could have caused major chaos or mishaps.
Unlike the Golden Tortoise, who willingly dropped his guard, this time Huo Yuhao would have to force the dragon soul to submit.
The methods were very different.
Now, with his Ghost Banner Martial Soul upgraded, Huo Yuhao was stronger, and with Electrolux, the Skydream Iceworm, the Imagined White Tiger, and the Golden Tortoise assisting him, the risk was minimized.
(Special thanks to the Holy Spirit Sect for their contributions.)
The Ghost Banner Martial Soul unleashed a soul-drawing force toward the crystal.
As expected, the dragon soul was easily drawn out of the crystal.
Huo Yuhao even controlled its size to under half a meter.
But doing so woke the dragon soul.
Its eyes opened—and saw Huo Yuhao, Electrolux, He Caitou, the Skydream Iceworm, the Imagined White Tiger, and the Golden Tortoise cloaked in the Imagined Black Tortoise's form—a whole team of people and spirits surrounding it.
"So you're the dragon soul, huh?" Huo Yuhao sneered. "Boys, get him!"
No words were wasted—Electrolux and the others immediately sprang into action.
Electrolux used necromancy to bind the dragon's wings with spectral ropes.
The Skydream Iceworm bounced on the dragon's head like a trampoline.
The Imagined White Tiger unleashed its signature "Meow Meow Fist," slapping the dragon silly.
The Imagined Black Tortoise bit down on the dragon's tail, nearly ripping it off.
He Caitou just stood to the side going, "Ababa ababa."
"Why are soul beasts helping a human?!" the dragon soul roared in fury.
"Jejeje... Scream all you want, no one's coming to save you," the Skydream Iceworm cackled.
Huo Yuhao laughed and thrust the Ghost Banner into the dragon soul. "Princess, please check in!"
"I'm a male dragon, damn it! Dragons never bow to others!"
"No—Not there—ARGHHH—!"
In the end, the helpless dragon soul was sucked into the Ghost Banner Martial Soul.
Once it was inside, its fate was no longer in its own hands.
"Well done, everyone! Good job. When your brother becomes a god, I'll hand out bonuses," Huo Yuhao said, casually drawing a big pie in the sky.
Electrolux rolled his eyes.
The Skydream Iceworm said, "Come on, Brother Hao, don't treat us like that."
Only the naïve Imagined White Tiger and the clueless Golden Tortoise seemed motivated by the promise.
He Caitou continued with his "ababa" gibberish.
Electrolux sighed, looking at He Caitou. "Yuhao, it's time to boost his power a bit—maybe then his brain will finally work."
"Don't worry, Elder Yi. I've got enough 'dog food' ready. I'll take him out for a soul ring tomorrow," Huo Yuhao assured him.
Electrolux nodded in satisfaction.
But back to the dragon soul.
Huo Yuhao summoned it again using the Ghost Banner.
The dragon soul tried to fight back.
"Dragon soul, shut up," Huo Yuhao ordered, narrowing his eyes.
The dragon soul immediately fell silent and sat obediently on the ground.
"Still got some fight in you? Elder Yi, turn up the pressure," Huo Yuhao said coldly.
Electrolux blushed, coughing awkwardly. "I'll pass this one off."
So he handed the whip—formed from necromantic magic—to the Skydream Iceworm.
The Iceworm let out a demonic laugh and approached the dragon soul with the whip in hand.
The dragon soul's eyes filled with terror as it shook its head wildly.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The restless night... there are always those who seek excitement.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, Electrolux, and the Golden Tortoise turned to look at the crystal.
After the dragon soul was extracted, the crystal began to change.
More accurately—it began to soften, and it gave Huo Yuhao a very familiar feeling.
The Golden Tortoise was the first to realize what it was. "Brother Hao! This is an unformed soul bone!"
"Unformed?" Huo Yuhao was stunned.
Then—he understood.
How are soul bones formed?
The answer: They usually come from a soul beast's soul core!
After death, the core would morph into the beast's most characteristic part—thus forming a soul bone.
If the soul beast had control over the process, the shape could be slightly altered, but the effect and skill type wouldn't change. The Golden Tortoise had even made a custom hundred-thousand-year external soul bone for Huo Yuhao, but it still focused on defense.
And this crystal? It was formed from the dragon's soul core.
But unlike others—it was still formless.
"Though I don't know how the dragon did it, if Brother Hao absorbs this crystal, he could choose the type of soul bone—maybe even make it an external soul bone!" the Golden Tortoise exclaimed. When it came to custom soul bones, he was the undisputed expert—because among the ghosts, he was the only one with experience.