"Search quickly! That guy is definitely hiding somewhere in the Jingyang Mountains!"
"Whoever takes care of him will be heavily rewarded by the Holy Maiden!"
"Isn't he called the Death God's Envoy? Heh, I'll send him to meet the real Death God!"
A squad of twelve evil soul masters combed through the Jingyang Mountains, hunting for the Death God's Envoy.
The Blue Silver Holy Maiden and the Blue Silver Knight, who had long been tracking the movements of the Death God's Envoy, had dispatched these assassins once he left headquarters.
Although their original trackers lost him, they confirmed that he was still hiding somewhere in the mountains—a prime opportunity to eliminate him.
Last time, they had issued a public bounty to lure freelance evil soul masters to hunt the Death God's Envoy with the reward of joining the Holy Maiden's ranks. But the outcome was disappointing—few capable soul masters participated, and only one group, the Huaniao-Yu combo, even managed to locate him.
In the end, thanks to Huo Yuhao's remote control, the Death God's Envoy turned the tables and returned safely.
This time, the Blue Silver Holy Maiden and Knight dispatched a twelve-man elite squad—top-tier evil soul masters, the cream of the crop among those who had pledged loyalty to the Holy Maiden. This force represented most of her high-level combat power.
They were in a hurry to deal with the Death God's Envoy.
He was soon leaving headquarters, and once at the branch location, they could no longer guarantee that he wouldn't reveal the truth about Beibei. If that happened, controlling the damage in time would be impossible.
If Beibei's identity were exposed, not even the Chief Worshipper could guarantee his safety. Worse, Tang Ya might be implicated as well.
Having spent time in the Holy Spirit Cult, the pair knew not everyone among the upper ranks would bend to the Holy Maiden's will—and some might even want to act against them. In this cult, the position of Holy Maiden wasn't just a title—it was power. To control the Holy Maiden was to gain leverage over the entire cult. The one most eager to do so? The Cult Leader himself.
And aside from political reasons, Beibei had every right to want revenge—this Death God's Envoy had killed several inner disciples of Shrek Academy.
Even if Beibei resided within the Holy Spirit Cult, his heart was still with Shrek.
Tang Ya was willing to help him but refused to let him return to Shrek Academy.
In truth, the relationship between Tang Ya and Beibei was no longer as close as before.
Tang Ya had willingly become an evil soul master—conscious and uncoerced.
This was something Beibei found hard to accept. On top of that, he knew Shrek had abandoned her, which made it even more difficult for him to face her calmly.
Though they appeared close, a thick invisible wall still separated them.
Now, they remained together solely due to lingering affection.
Their cooperation in targeting the Death God's Envoy was, in essence, aligned interests.
Still, neither led the team themselves. On one hand, they believed the squad they sent was enough. On the other, they were focused on cultivating strength to survive within the Holy Spirit Cult—and perhaps, one day, face whatever future challenges awaited them.
The twelve evil soul masters were highly competent. Among them was a skilled tracker, who quickly discovered the cave where the Death God's Envoy was hiding. They didn't strike immediately but silently surrounded the area—hoping to catch him like a rat in a trap.
Inside the cave, the lifeless Death God's Envoy suddenly snapped his eyes open.
While he was unconscious, Huo Yuhao's consciousness had remained attached to him. At the first sign of danger, he became aware of the threat.
It wasn't spiritual detection that alerted him—but scent.
The Death God's Envoy had smelled the presence of living people.
Multiple life signatures surrounded the cave, slowly approaching—clearly with hostile intent.
Back in control of the Death God's Envoy, Huo Yuhao felt a strange sense of intrigue.
"No sense of smell, yet highly sensitive to the aura of living beings. Fascinating. So that's what vitality smells like?" He inhaled deeply, curious.
What he was detecting wasn't just scent—it was life force, something ordinary humans couldn't perceive.
The corpse-like body of the Death God's Envoy sat up abruptly. Huo Yuhao twisted his neck twice—producing creaky, undead-like sounds.
"So those outside were sent by the Holy Maiden and the Knight? Figures. Only they would know about the Death God's Envoy and have a reason to target him."
He had a clear guess about the enemies.
"Tch, what perfect timing," Huo Yuhao said with a wry smile.
Indeed, it was still daytime outside. He couldn't control the Death God's Envoy to fight in daylight. And the confined cave meant he was effectively trapped.
If it were night, he could've gone on a rampage and drank his fill of blood.
No Titled Douluo was among the enemies—no one at that level would ever join a squad ambushing a minor threat.
Officially, the Death God's Envoy was recorded as a Soul Emperor.
Even if the Holy Maiden and Knight suspected him to be stronger, they'd never imagine he had already surpassed Soul Douluo level. At most, they might guess he had reached Soul Sage.
After all, an evil soul master could rapidly grow up to Soul Sage. But beyond that, growth was slow—nearly impossible to reach Soul Douluo in just over a year.
The original Death God's Envoy had unique methods but remained a traditional evil soul master—chaotic soul power and suboptimal soul ring configuration.
If a Titled Douluo had shown up, the cave ceiling would already be torn off, and the Death God's Envoy dragged out for immediate execution.
"That means there's only one choice!" Huo Yuhao grinned.
Since he couldn't fight in daylight, the only option was—escape.
A centipede-legged clone burst up from underground and swallowed Huo Yuhao in one gulp, then tunneled away at high speed.
Outside, one of the approaching evil soul masters suddenly turned pale.
"Damn! We've been found! He's escaped underground!" he cried out.
He held a blood-colored compass in his hand—his martial soul. The needle trembled violently, pointing toward a direction.
Hearing this, the others' expressions darkened. The leader barked:
"Chase him! Don't let him get away!"
"Yes!" they shouted in unison.
Thus began the pursuit—twelve evil soul masters giving chase through the forest.
But Huo Yuhao soon noticed something—these enemies could track the Death God's Envoy. They pursued relentlessly.
"Troublesome," he muttered.
But not impossible to deal with.
From within the centipede-legged clone, Huo Yuhao shifted tactics—ordering it to dig even deeper.
As expected, although the tracker sensed the change, he couldn't do anything about it.
The pursuers' faces turned grim.
Not one among them could chase someone into the depths of the earth.
"What is he? A rat? How deep can he burrow?"
"Keep locking onto his position," the leader growled. "I don't believe he'll stay underground forever!"
A single Soul Douluo, three Soul Sages, and eight Soul Emperors.
That was the lineup assembled to hunt down the Death God Envoy.
One had to admit, the title of "Holy Maiden" was truly useful within the Holy Spirit Cult. Tang Ya had easily rallied a group of followers. Whether out of faith, profit, or ambition, these people had all chosen to serve her now.
The positions of Holy Maiden and Holy Son were not mere titles—they were the symbolic bearers of the Cult's beliefs, their status second only to the Grand Elders, the Chief and Vice Chiefs, and the Twelve Worshippers. Even the Elders at headquarters had to show them respect.
The Holy Spirit Cult was, in essence, a cult—a real one, deeply rooted in faith.
For Tang Ya, such power would've once been unimaginable. Back when Tang Sect still existed, not even a single Soul Sage stood among them. That was part of why they were wiped out in a single night by the Ironblood Sect.
But now, Tang Ya could command not only Soul Sages, but even a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse. Even titled Douluo-level Elders from headquarters were willing to extend her favors.
Of course, Tang Ya felt there was no need to trouble such powerful figures just to kill the Death God Envoy—that would be overkill.
To ensure success, she had dispatched a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse—one with high standing in the Cult. His code name: "Evil Wolf."
He was a tall and muscular man, even a bit handsome, exuding a heroic aura. He looked nothing like a typical evil soul master.
But he was an evil soul master—a real, Soul Douluo-level one.
Under Evil Wolf's lead, the group continuously tracked the Death God Envoy. They discovered that while he kept shifting position, he never left the Jingyang Mountains. He always remained underground, never surfacing.
Time slowly passed from daylight into dusk.
"Does this guy not need to come up for air?" one evil soul master finally shouted in frustration.
The others were similarly angry and exhausted—and the more tired they got, the angrier they became. They all felt like the Death God Envoy was just toying with them.
He could burrow underground yet didn't flee the region—clearly toying with them!
But giving up the hunt wasn't an option—they couldn't face the Holy Maiden if they returned empty-handed.
Even Evil Wolf's patience was wearing thin. He no longer simply wanted to complete the mission—he had begun to hate the Death God Envoy.
The others were no different.
"When we catch him, I'm going to make sure he suffers!"
"That Death God bastard! Total scum!"
"Coward! All he knows is how to run!"
Their twisted expressions brimmed with hatred and killing intent toward the Death God Envoy.
Offending the Holy Maiden? He should've just laid down and waited to die!
How dare he resist?
He had to learn that living could be far more painful than death!
Meanwhile, the one they were hunting—accurately speaking, Huo Yuhao—hadn't been idle during this time.
Originally, he had planned to wait in a cave until the Death God Envoy reawakened, then send him back to the Holy Spirit Cult. But when the Holy Maiden launched a pursuit, he was forced underground.
Since he was already underground, he figured he might as well explore a little.
And as for breathing?
What kind of proper zombie needs to breathe?
There were plenty of things hidden beneath the Jingyang Mountains.
Among them were mineral deposits. Using the claws of the Death God Envoy, Huo Yuhao transformed into a zombie miner and unearthed many rare resources—even a few precious gemstones.
He stored them all in his storage ring and sent them back to his main body.
He also encountered a few soul beasts that lived underground—and hunted them over the course of the day.
At this moment, he had just discarded the drained corpse of a ten-thousand-year soul beast, using its blood to replenish the Death God Envoy's strength after mining.
The soul beast's corpse shattered on the ground—it had already become a dry husk, not even worth using for corpse explosion techniques. Its soul was seized by Huo Yuhao's soul banner, and all that remained was a single black ten-thousand-year soul ring, drifting in the cave.
Unfortunately, it was useless to the Death God Envoy.
Although Huo Yuhao could use the Death God Envoy to perform soul ring ascension rituals, this particular soul beast's bloodline didn't match any of the Death God Envoy's current rings.
That day, however, he had successfully upgraded the Envoy's fourth ring from a hundred-year level to ten-thousand-year quality—he had found a suitable soul beast.
But doing so had consumed a considerable amount of the Death God Envoy's luck. Until that luck replenished, Huo Yuhao couldn't perform another upgrade. Not everyone could afford to burn through luck like he could.
Too little luck… and death became a very real risk.
Even zombies could die!
"The time is just about right."
Fully restored, Huo Yuhao prepared to deal with the enemies on the surface—because the sun was about to set.
"I've been waiting for nightfall. What are you waiting for?"
With those words, his centipede-leg clone carried the Death God Envoy up from the depths, tunneling toward the surface.
Night had already fallen aboveground.
The twelve evil soul masters were still gathered together, watching over the Death God Envoy's location. Bored and frustrated, they had killed a passing hundred-year soul beast and roasted it for dinner.
Evil Wolf claimed the most tender parts for himself—but instead of wine, he washed the meat down with pungent, fresh blood.
The others didn't react—they'd seen worse. There were plenty in the Holy Spirit Cult who ate even more grotesquely than Evil Wolf.
At this point, no one was complaining anymore.
They were as determined as turtles biting a scale—dead set on staying put until the Death God Envoy showed himself.
This was no longer just a mission. It had become a matter of pride.
Just as they thought the Death God Envoy would remain underground and the stalemate would continue, a lookout suddenly cried out:
"He's coming up!"
The shout stunned everyone. They were so numb with fatigue that they didn't react right away.
Fortunately, Evil Wolf recovered quickly. He stowed his blood-filled flask, stood up, and barked an order:
"Everyone, battle positions! Don't let him escape again!"
The others were ecstatic.
"Finally! He's coming up!"
"Hahaha! He couldn't hold out anymore!"
"I'm going to show him some real love!"
Fueled by excitement, they all summoned their martial souls—some even directly entered martial soul possession.
Instantly, the forest was engulfed by a haze of resentment, bloodlust, and dark energy. Wailing and howling sounds echoed through the trees—it felt like a horror movie come to life.
That was the natural "special effect" of evil soul masters.
Evil Wolf, too, activated his martial soul possession—transforming into a werewolf-like creature. His martial soul was originally a beast-type "Evil Wolf" with a dark attribute, but after training in evil soul master techniques, it had mutated into the "Bloodthirsty Evil Wolf." It could boost its power by drinking blood—and came with an uncontrollable craving for it.
As Evil Wolf and the others braced for combat, the centipede-leg clone neared the surface and spat out the Death God Envoy. Huo Yuhao immediately unleashed Soul Douluo-level power through the Envoy's body, erupting from the ground.
At the same time, the Envoy's eighth soul ring began to glow.
"Devil's Terror!!!"
Ughhh——!!!
Huo Yuhao seized the initiative—
Striking the pack including Evil Wolf completely off guard.
A strange and terrifying shriek erupted from the mouth of the Death God Envoy, gratingly shrill. At the same time, a wave of dark energy burst from his body, spreading in all directions and slamming into Evil Wolf and the others without exception.
Everyone hit by the dark force convulsed violently, their screams of agony filling the air—as if they were enduring excruciating torment.
Other than Evil Wolf, the rest toppled over, bleeding from their seven orifices. Some even rolled their eyes back and lost consciousness entirely.
Even Evil Wolf dropped to one knee, blood seeping from his nostrils, clutching his head in anguish as if trying to relieve the pain. His eyes flashed with disbelief.
"A soul attack!"
Most soul masters lacked any soul-based techniques. Few cultivated their spiritual essence directly, and most could only rely on raw power to resist soul assaults. Thus, soul attacks were a glaring weakness among them.
Evil Wolf hadn't expected the Death God Envoy to wield soul-based techniques—especially since the intelligence gathered by the Blue Silver Knight had no mention of such abilities.
As the team's captain and strongest member, Evil Wolf had access to all intel on the Death God Envoy, information sourced from Bei Bei. It was mostly gathered during their earlier encounter in the Ming Dou Mountain Range, with special emphasis on his Corpse Explosion Technique.
Even if Tang Ya and Bei Bei had overestimated the Death God Envoy, speculating that he might have reached Soul Sage rank, the seventh soul skill of a Soul Sage would merely be a martial soul avatar—not a whole new ability.
In truth, even the underground evasion method previously used by the Death God Envoy wasn't in Bei Bei's intelligence, raising suspicions in Evil Wolf's mind. He suspected that the burrowing came not from a soul ring but from something else entirely: a soul bone technique.
The Death God Envoy possibly had a soul bone.
This sparked greed in Evil Wolf's heart. He deliberately withheld certain pieces of information, hoping to secretly claim the corpse and extract the soul bone for himself—keeping both the bone and the secret.
He hadn't anticipated the Death God Envoy would give him such a cruel surprise.
Once the soul skill ended, Huo Yuhao scanned the surroundings with a pleased expression.
"As expected of a rare soul beast's skill—the effect is spectacular."
Of the twelve evil soul masters, only three remained conscious. Among them, only Evil Wolf retained any combat capability. Five had been killed outright, their souls completely shattered.
Of the remaining two who were still conscious: one was a Soul Sage, whose spiritual strength was comparatively high; the other was a Soul Emperor, whose martial soul had some soul-related properties that gave him minor resistance.
Still, neither of them could fight—their minds were reeling, seeing double, unable to even focus.
How could they resist a 90,000-year soul ring technique?
"And just when the Death God Envoy needed new cultivation resources—here they come, delivered to the door."
While muttering to himself, Huo Yuhao lunged toward Evil Wolf—the last remaining threat.
Seeing the Death God Envoy rush over, Evil Wolf was horrified. The spirit power now emanating from the Envoy was clearly Soul Douluo level, and indeed, he had eight rings!
Wasn't he supposed to be a top-level Soul Sage? How the hell was he a Soul Douluo?!
Who calls an eight-ringed being a Soul Sage?!
The Blue Silver Knight misled me!
Despite the shock and fury in his heart, Evil Wolf didn't give up—he knew this was no place to linger. With his damaged soul, he couldn't mount a full defense. He needed to flee. Reaching headquarters meant safety.
"Evil Wolf True Form! Awooo!!!"
Evil Wolf activated his Martial Soul Avatar, transforming into a massive jet-black wolf over three meters tall, standing on all fours. His fur bristled like steel needles, with a blood-tinged gleam beneath. His scarlet eyes radiated bloodlust.
But this time, the bloodthirsty wolf didn't charge into battle. Without hesitation, he turned and ran. All four paws hit the ground in full sprint—no hesitation, no pride.
"Running? Not a chance." Huo Yuhao chuckled sinisterly.
Soul rings flickered in quick succession:
"Fifth Soul Skill: Smoke Magic!"
"Wolf-Ape Soul Tool Technique: Spatial Blink!"
With two blinks, the distance between Huo Yuhao and the fleeing Evil Wolf vanished. He reappeared at the wolf's flank, slamming his left hand into the wolf's waist.
Extreme Corpse Poison!
Boom!!
A dull thud echoed out as the running Evil Wolf was struck, the force launching his body like a missile. He smashed into a massive tree, shattering its trunk, and collapsed to the ground with a whimper of pain.
Fortunately, Martial Soul Avatars weren't made of flesh. Otherwise, that strike might've snapped his spine.
Still, the damage was severe. Blood seeped from his mouth and nose. A sickly green handprint appeared at his waist—the corpse poison had begun invading his body.
Evil Wolf didn't have the presence of mind to worry about the poison. He was panicking. He knew—he likely wouldn't escape.
To his credit, Evil Wolf was decisive. Struggling to his knees, he kowtowed toward Huo Yuhao.
"Death God Envoy, spare me! I submit! I know who wants you dead!"
"Not interested."
Huo Yuhao replied coldly, striking again without pause.
Seeing that surrender was useless, Evil Wolf's eyes turned steely. It was clear he would now fight to the death.
"Eighth Soul Skill: Evil Wolf Blood Assault!"
The Bloodthirsty Evil Wolf turned into a streak of crimson light and lunged at Huo Yuhao, wild and ferocious.
But before Evil Wolf made his move, Huo Yuhao had already activated the newly evolved fourth soul skill of the Death God Envoy, upgraded to ten-thousand-year level:
"Fourth Soul Skill: Mourning Drain!"
A grey-black glow emerged from the Death God Envoy's body as he met Evil Wolf head-on.
This soul ring was originally gained from a rodent-type soul beast. The ability was primarily meant to empower corpse puppets.
Mourning Drain could be applied to corpse puppets, allowing them to absorb the opponent's life force during combat to strengthen themselves. Though it was originally just a century-level ring, the effect was still decent and greatly boosted their sustained combat capability.
This skill wasn't especially effective against stronger foes, since corpse puppets could be easily eliminated before they could drain anything. And against weaker enemies, it wasn't needed. But against opponents of the same tier, it was highly effective, growing more potent the longer the fight dragged on.
Earlier that day, Huo Yuhao had hunted a new rodent soul beast and upgraded the ring to a ten-thousand-year level—significantly enhancing the technique.
Absorbing life force during battle to empower oneself—this was true bloodlust.
He wouldn't back off from a Devil Monkey; how could he flinch before a mere evil Soul Douluo?
Huo Yuhao didn't even bother using his Zombie True Form.
And Evil Wolf didn't have the Devil Monkey's resilient physique.
In just two minutes, between the effects of Mourning Drain and the corrosive Extreme Corpse Poison, the Bloodthirsty Evil Wolf collapsed. His Martial Soul Avatar dissipated, and he lay on the ground, barely alive, his consciousness fading.
But in his eyes, the hatred had not vanished—it burned still for the Blue Silver Saintess and the Blue Silver Knight.
Evil Wolf believed it was their failure to disclose the Death God Envoy's true power that led to his downfall.
Huo Yuhao didn't care about that in the slightest. Seeing Evil Wolf fall, he controlled the Death God Envoy to grab the man by the neck and hoist him up.
Then, without hesitation, he sank his fangs into Evil Wolf's throat, gulping down mouthfuls of blood.
The bloodthirsty wolf… was finally bled dry.
The only two remaining conscious Soul Saints and Soul Emperors were equally horrified after the sudden attack. Realizing the Death God's Envoy was far beyond what they could handle, they gritted their teeth against the pain and stumbled away in panic, fleeing deeper into the Jingyang Mountains.
However, they hadn't gone far when the figure of the Death God's Envoy suddenly descended from the sky like a ghost, landing right in front of them and blocking their path.
"Where do you think you're going?" the Death God's Envoy croaked. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, filled with a sinister glee like a cat playing with its prey.
The fleeing Soul Saint and Soul Emperor were instantly terrified. They could clearly see the Death God's Envoy clutching the neck of the powerful Evil Wolf, who possessed Soul Douluo-level strength, dangling lifelessly from his hand.
How long had it been?
A Soul Douluo had already been taken down by this monster?
We're doomed!
Now, just like Evil Wolf before them, the two of them began to harbor bitter resentment toward the Blue Silver Saintess and the Blue Silver Knight.
To think they were sent to deal with such a powerful target without any warning—this was basically sending them to their deaths!
They dropped to their knees, about to beg for mercy.
But before they could utter a word—
The Death God's Envoy flashed forward and appeared beside them. Tossing Evil Wolf's body aside, he raised both hands and seized them by the neck. With his fangs bared, he drank their blood in quick succession.
Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered to listen to their pleas for mercy.
Just like that, all twelve pursuers were slain. Their blood was consumed by the Death God's Envoy, their souls captured by the Soul Banner, and their possessions were claimed for his personal treasury.
Unfortunately, none of the twelve carried a single soul bone. No other valuable items, either.
Thankfully, their blood was fairly nutritious. Huo Yuhao let out a long breath as he felt the continuous transformation occurring within his body, and he shook his head with a faint smile.
"Drank too much, huh~"
Indeed—he had.
The Death God's Envoy still hadn't fully digested the blood of the Demon Ape. Its consciousness had been forced into dormancy for a time. And now it was fed with even more fresh blood.
Twelve "blood bags"—especially Evil Wolf, a fellow Soul Douluo—provided a significant boost to the Death God's Envoy.
The good news? When the Death God's Envoy awakened, it would be even stronger.
The bad news? It would now sleep for an even longer period.
Why not just skip the feeding?
Would Yuhao waste good resources?
If left too long, blood loses its freshness.
Better to burst than waste!
Besides, bursting had its perks.
This simply meant Huo Yuhao would have to split his focus a bit more and control the Death God's Envoy manually for a while. If it disappeared for too long, the Holy Spirit Sect might label it a traitor—or presume it had died. That would complicate Yuhao's efforts to leech off the sect later on.
Moreover, Yuhao still needed the Death God's Envoy to keep an eye on Beibei. Beibei was like a big brother to him. If his bloodline matured, it would greatly benefit Yuhao's own Heavenly Dragon bloodline.
Even if the Death God's Envoy was assigned to a branch sect, it would still retain contact with headquarters, which made it easier to track Beibei's development.
Without this connection, getting inside info on the Holy Spirit Sect would be a lot harder.
Beibei's development might take years, but Huo Yuhao could wait. He'd even helped Beibei reunite with Tang Ya—surely Beibei would return the favor when the time came.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Huo Yuhao turned his attention to Evil Wolf's corpse.
Yes—he had deliberately left some blood in Evil Wolf's body instead of draining him completely.
Infected by corpse poison but not reduced to a dry husk, Evil Wolf had begun transforming into a zombie.
Two zombies were too few. With the Death God's Envoy's current power, it was time to expand his undead ranks.
Evil Wolf was the perfect candidate.
Being infected by the Death God's Envoy's corpse poison meant Evil Wolf would inherit some of its traits.
"Third soul skill: Evil Corpse Command Technique!"
"Sixth soul skill: Rotting Conversion!"
The third soul ring of the Death God's Envoy was a truly sinister one, radiating gray, evil light. The attached skill allowed for control over corpses—perfect for an evil soul master.
It was the foundational technique for refining corpse slaves and could also enhance their combat ability.
It also helped significantly in zombie creation.
The sixth soul skill accelerated the decay process. When combined with the power of the third skill and the Death God's Envoy's strength, it sped up zombie production.
It was thanks to these two skills that the Death God's Envoy had once turned himself into a Green Zombie and created two White Zombies as well.
As the power of both soul skills was applied to Evil Wolf's body, the lifeless corpse began to rise on its own—already displaying traits of the walking dead.
"In the future, I should upgrade the age of these two soul rings," Huo Yuhao mused. He was very satisfied with their effects and resolved to enhance them later.
Then, Yuhao summoned a blood coffin and stuffed Evil Wolf into it.
"Sorry, bro. The Death God's Envoy only had two coffins ready. You'll have to squeeze in for now. I'll get you your own later," Yuhao said as if consoling the body, speaking to himself.
The previous occupant had no objections, naturally.
With everything tidied up, Huo Yuhao glanced at the night sky. It was about time to return to the Holy Spirit Sect.
If Tang Ya and Beibei had any more tricks up their sleeves, it could mean more trouble.
With Soul Douluo-level strength, the Death God's Envoy moved much faster, and now that it wasn't daytime, there was no need to worry about sunlight—he could travel freely.
Soon, Huo Yuhao exited the Jingyang Mountains and entered the nearby Demonic Forest, heading back toward the Holy Spirit Sect headquarters.
The forest wasn't named "Demonic" just because it was home to the Evil-Eye Clan—its atmosphere truly lived up to the name.
Many of the trees had black or gray leaves instead of green, as if shrouded in a perpetual gray mist. At night, it felt even more sinister.
A perfect filming location for a horror movie.
Fortunately, none of that affected the Death God's Envoy—or Huo Yuhao.
Using the Death God's Envoy's memories as guidance, Yuhao navigated easily and arrived at the headquarters of the Holy Spirit Sect by dawn.
Traveling at full speed all night without fatigue—that was another strength of the zombie body.
…
The Holy Spirit Sect was hidden within the Demonic Forest, but it was located near the forest's edge. After all, the evil soul masters still needed outside resources, so they couldn't be too far from civilization. Staying near the edge also made entry and exit easier, without worrying too much about soul beasts.
Plus, the forest was vast. The sect's location was well concealed and had never been discovered.
As Huo Yuhao approached the area near the headquarters, he instantly sensed someone secretly watching him. But he didn't care. He simply shifted his robe slightly to reveal the Death God's Envoy's token at his waist.
Immediately, the sensation of being watched vanished.
The observers were cult members stationed as sentries outside the headquarters, some of whom were even Soul Douluo-level experts.
Returning members wouldn't be harmed. Even rogue evil soul masters might be tolerated. But if an outsider stumbled in by accident—well, they were doomed.
Without strength, not even bones would remain.
Once inside the Holy Spirit Sect's domain, all he could see was an endless forest.
Because the Holy Spirit Sect headquarters was underground!
After passing security checks, Huo Yuhao guided the Death God's Envoy's body through a hidden entrance and descended below the surface. There, beneath the outskirts of the Demonic Forest, lay a vast underground palace.
The structure covered more than a thousand acres, built entirely from solid granite and lavishly decorated in every corner.
Over a thousand members lived within, all core disciples of the Holy Spirit Sect. There wasn't a single ordinary person among them—the weakest possessed at least three soul rings.
If the existence of these evil soul masters were revealed to the world, it would shake the entire Douluo Continent!
On the surface, the Sun Moon Empire opposed evil soul masters as well. However, their stance lacked the necessary intensity.
For various reasons, this allowed the Holy Spirit Cult to grow and thrive within the Sun Moon Empire. Even the imperial family was unclear about how powerful the cult had become.
The Holy Spirit Cult did not consist solely of evil soul masters, but nearly all the soul masters at its headquarters were indeed evil.
Only those drawn in by the cult—strong individuals with unique backgrounds—could live in the headquarters without being evil soul masters themselves. This included the Twelve Offerings and Bei Bei. Even then, Bei Bei had to keep his identity hidden.
Other non-evil soul masters within the cult were only found in branch locations, where they served as "Holy Servants." Most were forced to join the cult, often blackmailed into service. These Holy Servants would usually undergo rituals that turned them into evil soul masters anyway.
At the cult headquarters, the minimum required strength to survive was the rank of a three-ring Soul Elder. Anyone weaker couldn't last—they'd just become food for others.
Unless, of course, someone had immense backing that deterred all threats.
But any wise and powerful figure would never allow their juniors to live at the cult's headquarters while still weak.
Who could say what sinister forces lurked in that place? If something truly terrible happened, it would be too late for regret, even if they managed to kill the perpetrator.
Evil soul masters typically advanced very quickly. A stage below the third ring was just a brief transition—they would soon break through.
Still, that didn't guarantee a permanent place in the headquarters.
Only those with significant potential and strength could remain at the cult's center. These individuals were referred to as "Holy Spirit Disciples" and were considered core members of the organization.
However, without any special status or background, disciples with power between three and six soul rings would serve as attendants or even servants.
Only upon reaching seven rings could one earn a modicum of status within the headquarters.
For evil soul masters, the seventh ring was a crucial dividing line. Many could reach six rings quickly, but breaking into the seventh often became a lifelong bottleneck.
Even those who did break through often experienced a significant drop in cultivation speed afterward.
Despite being treated as servants, disciples at the headquarters had better access to resources and opportunities to reach the Soul Saint level, and were more likely to be noticed by powerful mentors.
Being chosen by a strong figure as a personal disciple could drastically change one's fate.
In contrast, disciples at the branches didn't have to serve others, but unless they held an elder's position, they lived a life of hard labor and held lower status compared to headquarters disciples. Advancing in strength was also more difficult.
Currently, the Death God Envoy held the temporary status of a Holy Spirit Disciple. Without revealing his full strength, he was still subject to orders from others.
Fortunately, due to his role in "offering" Bei Bei, he gained Dragon Xiaoyao's favor and was allowed to cultivate in peace for a time, free from disturbance.
Later, if sent to a branch as a Soul Emperor, he would at best become a regular disciple, maybe gaining a formal ranking.
What intrigued Huo Yuhao more was how Dragon Xiaoyao truly viewed the Death God Envoy.
He hadn't eliminated the envoy to keep things quiet. Was it because he thought the envoy couldn't possibly suspect that the Blue Silver Knight was actually Bei Bei in disguise? Or perhaps he intended to use the envoy as practice for Bei Bei and Tang Ya?
Surely, it wasn't that he was so shocked upon seeing Bei Bei that he simply forgot about the Death God Envoy afterward?
To Dragon Xiaoyao, the envoy was probably just a minor character.
Was it that in the eyes of the strong, ants simply didn't matter?
Still, the possibility of Dragon Xiaoyao killing the envoy couldn't be dismissed.
If it were the previous Death God Envoy, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have cared—he had merely been using him to get Bei Bei into the Holy Spirit Cult.
The corpse-refining method he left behind had just been a casual gift.
But now that the envoy had become a green zombie through his own effort and showed real potential, Huo Yuhao was reluctant to lose him.
If Dragon Xiaoyao truly intended to eliminate the envoy, there would be no escape.
And that, Huo Yuhao absolutely could not accept.
In that case, Dragon Xiaoyao would learn what true fear really meant.
"So, being transferred to a branch and leaving this swirling vortex of headquarters politics is actually the best outcome for the Death God Envoy," Huo Yuhao concluded.
This way, even if Tang Ya and Bei Bei continued to confront him, it would only be indirect skirmishes—just playfully exchanging moves with their old friend.
But if Dragon Xiaoyao intervened, there would be real losses.
"Even if the worst happens and the Death God Envoy dies suddenly, I must find a way to preserve his soul. After binding it to the Ghost Banner Martial Soul, he can still assist me with corpse refinement," Huo Yuhao thought.
Corpse refining took time. But with the right "accelerators" and assistants, it could become extremely efficient and worthwhile.
On the way back to the Holy Spirit Cult, Huo Yuhao kept thinking about the envoy's future, as the assignment to the branch was imminent.
He planned to return to the envoy's residence to await the official transfer notice.
Despite their low rank, even sub-seven-ring disciples at headquarters enjoyed excellent treatment.
Each had a 100-square-meter residence and received a monthly "salary" in cultivation resources. They could also trade contribution points for more resources or secret techniques.
The Death God Envoy's residence was simple—furnished with only the bare essentials and reeking of blood, with dried black stains on the floor.
He had always conducted corpse refinement here and never bothered to clean.
As for valuables, most had already been used up, and what remained he carried with him. The residence was just a place to stay.
Huo Yuhao wasn't bothered by the filth—he couldn't even smell it. He simply had the Death God Envoy go into standby mode and didn't pay him any more attention.
But not long after, Huo Yuhao's consciousness was stirred—someone was knocking at the door.
He possessed the envoy's body, stiffly opened the door while concealing soul fluctuations, and stayed alert.
Standing outside was a woman dressed as a maid. Her black dress hugged her curves alluringly, and her face was covered by a black veil, concealing her features. Her aura was calm but carried a hint of haughtiness.
She had already reached the level of Soul Saint.
Seeing the envoy appear, she spoke coldly before he could say anything:
"Death God Envoy, the Cult Leader summons you! Come with me!"
With that, she turned and walked away, showing no concern whether he followed or not.
After all, who would dare defy the Cult Leader's command?
Huo Yuhao quickly grasped the situation.
"So that's the Cult Leader's maid. No wonder… But the Cult Leader wants to see the Death God Envoy?"
Now this truly piqued Huo Yuhao's interest.
"Zhongli Wu, is it?"
With that thought, he followed after her.