Besides the cultivation-related resources, the other materials Huo Yuhao had requested had also been prepared—stored in five large soul tool storage devices.
However, Huo Yuhao didn't leave immediately. Last time he had to leave in a hurry and hadn't had the chance to explore Ghost Street properly. This time, he wanted to see if Ghost Street or the underground auction house had anything that caught his interest.
After all, with different cultivation systems, there was always the chance of discovering a rare treasure.
Unexpectedly, just as he returned to the underground auction, An Litong received a report from his subordinates: a special guest had come to the Alto Chamber of Commerce and left both a note and a letter.
The mention of a "special guest" immediately made An Litong tremble, recalling some unpleasant memories.
The first two Elders to have been subdued nearly collapsed to the ground, on the verge of PTSD.
Special guests like that were not to be messed with!
Fortunately, when they saw what was written on the note, An Litong quickly calmed down.
"It's someone from the military!"
The note used the secret code they shared with the military.
None of the five understood why the military would be contacting them now—it wasn't even time to hand over their scheduled tribute.
Still, a letter from the military was no small matter. The five of them entered the secret chamber together.
They all looked at Huo Yuhao with hesitant expressions.
Huo Yuhao understood what they meant and rolled his eyes. "Relax. Go ahead, I'm just observing."
An Litong quickly smiled apologetically and carefully handed the envelope over to Huo Yuhao.
"Sir, please read it first."
They were still getting used to it—after all, Huo Yuhao was now their boss.
"Alright." Huo Yuhao answered casually and took the letter to read.
He wasn't expecting any schemes—just curious.
He wanted to see what kind of communication the military usually had with the Alto Chamber of Commerce.
He tore open the envelope, took out the letter, and read it.
Soon, Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow in surprise.
The letter contained three items:
The Shrek Academy exchange students were arriving soon. The military wanted the Alto Chamber of Commerce to send assassins to attempt an attack—not necessarily to succeed, but to create a big stir.
A batch of materials was to be delivered to the military. A list of items was attached on a separate sheet.
A shipment from the "Common Alliance" would soon be leaving Mingdu. The Chamber was to intercept it and send it to the military.
"Assassinate Shrek's exchange students? Now this is interesting."
Huo Yuhao didn't comment right away. He handed the letter to the others. As they read it, their expressions changed drastically—they seemed to realize something.
That piqued Huo Yuhao's interest. "Go ahead. What did you figure out?"
An Litong didn't hold anything back.
"Sir, I believe the military wants to start a war."
"Details," Huo Yuhao said, standing a bit straighter, clearly intrigued.
"You might not be familiar with the internal dynamics of the Sun-Moon Empire's upper ranks. While all the leadership covets the lands of the Douluo Three Kingdoms, they have different approaches.
"The royal family and civil officials mostly believe the time isn't right and prefer to continue building up strength. But the military is very aggressive and wants to launch an attack as soon as possible. Their main concern is Shrek Academy, so they haven't acted rashly."
"Recently, they heard Shrek had been hit hard and that Dai Hao was missing. The military believes the time has come. So they're making moves."
"Oh? So they have detailed intelligence on Shrek Academy's current situation?" Huo Yuhao asked.
An Litong looked a bit troubled. "That… I don't know. I myself don't even know the full situation. Perhaps the assassination attempt is meant to probe their strength."
If even the big shots don't know, how could a black-market boss like him?
Then, the Elder Murong Qianjun added, "It's likely the military does intend to go to war. All these requested materials are for military use. But given the limited amount the Alto Chamber can provide, they may only be planning a small-scale probing conflict. Even if they can't follow through, just fighting one of the Three Kingdoms would yield some benefits."
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Regardless of whether the military was seriously preparing for war, they were definitely probing Shrek Academy. And if war did break out, the supplies from a single underground group wouldn't sustain a large-scale campaign.
What proper war depends on a black-market syndicate for logistics?
"Sir, if we provide all these materials, the Alto Chamber will suffer badly. What do you think?" An Litong asked cautiously.
They were all Huo Yuhao's people now, meaning the Alto Chamber of Commerce essentially belonged to him. Draining their resources would also damage Huo Yuhao's own interests.
But to their surprise, Huo Yuhao smiled.
"Why wouldn't we provide the materials? In fact, give them more! You are the military's black-gloved hand, aren't you?"
"This… Alright." An Litong didn't know what Huo Yuhao was planning, but at least they wouldn't be caught in the middle, and that was a relief.
Yes, the supplies would hurt them—but if a war really started, Huo Yuhao stood to profit much more!
"Even if the military isn't serious about starting a war—once they accept the supplies, someone's gotta die," Huo Yuhao thought grimly. "But the main body is about to make a big move. It's not yet time for open war. I need to manipulate this to buy some time."
As for the Common Alliance's materials, Huo Yuhao didn't yet understand the full context. But he instructed that once the goods were intercepted, they had to be shown to him first.
After instructing An Litong and the others to cooperate with the military, Huo Yuhao lost interest in shopping. Before leaving, he even gave the five of them a new target—five hundred high-quality individuals, soul masters must be alive.
Fortunately, this time he gave them a whole month.
Soon after, Huo Yuhao returned to the First Sub-Altar of the White Lotus Sanctuary.
On the surface, it looked like an ordinary, quiet little courtyard. But underground, it contained a vast space.
The underground complex was divided into several zones: the corpse-refinement area, secret chambers, storerooms, and a main hall for instructing disciples.
Whoosh—
A black-robed Death Messenger flew into the hall like a giant bat, finally hanging upside-down in the shadows at the rear of the chamber.
He had no choice—the Death Messenger couldn't sit, and standing all the time felt like being punished. So in the end, he chose to hang upside-down. It also made him appear more eerie and intimidating.
"Greetings, Master!"
Several attendant disciples knelt in greeting.
"Call Nana to see me. The rest of you may leave," Huo Yuhao said. His voice, as the Death Messenger, was hoarse and chilling.
"As you command!"
The disciples rose, and one of them quickly left to summon Nana from the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
Hidden in the shadows, Huo Yuhao had decided—it was time to give the people of Mingdu a real taste of evil cultivator terror.
"Disciple greets Master!"
In the underground chamber.
Nana knelt respectfully on one knee. She had changed into the robes of a White Lotus Sacred Altar's core disciple. Unlike the black robes of the Holy Spirit Cult, these were white, embroidered with golden patterns and lotuses stitched with gold thread.
There was something reminiscent of the Akatsuki's cloud-patterned cloaks. That's right—it was personally designed by Huo Yuhao.
Nana wasn't wearing a hood, so her face was clearly visible. Though not particularly beautiful, her tan skin gave off a healthy glow, and her dark red hair was tied back into a ponytail, lending her a crisp, neat appearance. A sacred aura clung to her, adding an ethereal charm.
This was a side effect of cultivating the White Lotus Divine Technique.
Though the White Lotus Sect's techniques were heretical, their outward form was quite elegant.
"Rise," Huo Yuhao instructed.
"Thank you, Master."
As Nana stood, her towering height of over 1.8 meters became apparent—a rarity for women on the Douluo Continent. The fitted robe accentuated her figure: well-proportioned, with graceful curves neither exaggerated nor lacking.
When she looked up at the cloaked figure of the Death God Envoy in the shadows, her gaze shimmered with awe and reverence—proof that the White Lotus Doctrine was beginning to take hold.
Huo Yuhao didn't descend to the ground. Instead, he nodded in satisfaction. "Nana, looks like you've already grasped the Soul Capturing Technique?"
"Master's wisdom is boundless—this is all thanks to your guidance," Nana replied reverently.
"No need to downplay your efforts. You have the potential. That's why it worked." Huo Yuhao gave a rare compliment.
To each of his three core disciples, he had given a unique cultivation method suited to them.
For Nana, it was the Soul Capturing Technique.
In truth, Soul Capturing Technique wasn't a single manual but a category of methods—more accurately, they fell under the art of mind control.
It was a form of spiritual and soul manipulation—classified as dark arts.
The version given to Nana included various ways to control the human mind. Though the approaches varied, the fundamentals and entry requirements were the same.
Her mesmerizing gaze was already proof of her initial mastery. And in this context, "soul-capturing" wasn't just an adjective—it was literal.
As someone with a Ghost-type martial soul, Nana had a natural affinity for spiritual techniques, making her the perfect candidate.
Sure enough, in just a few days, she had entered the beginner stage.
Unfortunately, while the Ghost Spirit martial soul was decent, it wasn't top-tier. Without a major stroke of luck, Nana's future path might stall at mastery and fall short of perfection.
Still, her current abilities were sufficient.
With her initial success, she could now use basic soul-influencing techniques.
"Nana, I have a task for you," Huo Yuhao said.
"Rest assured, Master. I will not fail you!" she declared loyally.
The White Lotus Doctrine had only just begun to take effect, so her loyalty wasn't absolute. How much of her devotion was real? No outsider could say.
"If you complete the task, I'll reward you with a new cultivation technique—and return your parents' souls."
"I will sacrifice life and limb if needed!" This time, Nana's response carried genuine emotion.
"Good. The task I'm giving you is…"
In the dim underground chamber, no third party could hear what Huo Yuhao instructed.
…
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao's main body—
He and the four women continued their training journey. They had now reached a small town in the Heavenly Soul Empire, even closer to the Sunset Forest—in fact, right at its outskirts.
Night had fallen.
In the hotel room, Huo Yuhao stepped off the bed with a bare torso. Lipstick marks were still visible on his skin. On the bed lay three exhausted women, bodies tangled.
That's right—only three.
Zhang Lexuan was currently sleeping in a separate room.
Huo Yuhao hadn't rushed with Zhang Lexuan—after all, their journey had just begun, and a Titled Douluo like her held far more value.
He walked to the window, gently pulled open the curtain, and gazed outside.
There was no moon tonight. The small town had little nightlife, so it seemed engulfed in darkness.
"The Death God Envoy has begun the setup. From now on, aside from normal cultivation, we just need to wait."
"Nana's mission must wait until the Otto Chamber of Commerce makes its move. But Nana alone might not be able to execute it flawlessly… perhaps I should send Eunuch Gao to assist."
"The Otto Chamber's materials have also been secured. Preparations are ready. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the Holy Spirit Cult's response. Though they and the Xi Shui Alliance have yet to act, they definitely will."
"Sending Eunuch Gao can also help tie up loose ends. If something goes wrong, he can recover the Death God Envoy's body."
"As for me…"
"Tonight was rather good."
A glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. The next moment, Spiritual Detection radiated outward. At his current level, he could use soul skills even without activating spirit rings.
Within his detection range, nothing was out of the ordinary. The window silently opened.
The night breeze stirred the curtains.
Yet Huo Yuhao was no longer at the window.
The three women on the bed remained fast asleep, smiles of satisfaction on their faces.
This small town near Sunset Forest was not particularly prosperous. Its development was due to its location as a transportation hub, connecting Heaven Dou City to the southeastern regions of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Nearby towns had declined, mostly due to the Sunset Forest's deterioration, far removed from its flourishing state ten thousand years ago.
Though some soul beasts remained, most were only of ten- or hundred-year levels. Even millennium-level beasts were rare.
The forest's interior was now a human no-go zone, shrouded in deadly toxic mists. Contact meant certain death.
The town was still some distance from the forest, but at Huo Yuhao's speed, he quickly reached the outer perimeter under cover of darkness and advanced toward its core without hesitation.
Inside the forest, Huo Yuhao observed that its vegetation was sparser compared to Star Dou Forest. The ecosystem was also different.
Here, coniferous trees suited to temperate climates dominated, with some subtropical flora interspersed.
Curiously, toxic and medicinal herbs were relatively abundant, though few were of high grade—at least on the outskirts.
As for soul beasts?
It was tragic.
Just as the original novels described—only low-level soul beasts remained. Millennium beasts were extremely rare.
Huo Yuhao could only sum it up in two words: utterly barren.
He remembered clearly—ten thousand years ago, even ten-thousand-year soul beasts weren't uncommon here.
The cause?
The forest's core region, once the most fertile and ideal for raising powerful soul beasts, was now blanketed in dense, corrosive mists. Even birds couldn't penetrate it.
Even poison-type beasts were reduced to ashes by this fog.
Moreover, it wasn't that nothing existed within the mist...
As he approached the toxic core, Huo Yuhao suddenly veered off course and landed in a hidden valley on the outskirts.
Although this was Huo Yuhao's first time entering the Sunset Forest…
He had actually been laying out his plans in the forest for quite some time.
And his setup was…
Huo Yuhao had discovered an unremarkable cave in a hidden valley. After entering it, he found it led to an underground passage, so deep it seemed bottomless. Digging marks were clearly visible along the walls of the passage.
This tunnel—was Huo Yuhao's handiwork!
Don't forget, back then, Huo Yuhao had sent out many centipede-leg avatars.
But it wasn't the avatars who dug it personally. Instead, they controlled some soul beasts skilled in excavation. With specific techniques and months of effort, they excavated this underground tunnel.
Why dig a tunnel?
Obviously—for a stealth attack from underground!
Right up ahead was a bush where "that person" had planted a surveillance eye. If Huo Yuhao entered directly from the front, wouldn't he be fully exposed?
Anyone stealing from the jungle knows to avoid detection, right?
Moreover, ever since nearing the Sunset Forest, Huo Yuhao had been masking himself with luck-based concealment, cautious to an extreme. Who knows what other hidden tricks that person might have?
In the original story, Huo Yuhao entered the forest through proper means. But this time, he was here to do something shady.
The idea of digging a tunnel had been inspired by the underground caves in the Star Dou Forest.
When doing bad things—go off the beaten path. The more unexpected, the better.
This route also gave Huo Yuhao easier access to his real target.
Question: What's the most precious thing in the Sunset Forest?
The complete Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record? Poisonous herbs scattered everywhere? A hundred-thousand-year-old immortal plant?
Nope, none of those!
These things might be nice additions, but they weren't crucial to Huo Yuhao at his current level.
What truly mattered—what could bring him massive gains—were only two things: the corpses of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, and the two slumbering dragon souls!
Yes, the dragon souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings still existed. In the future, they would awaken and be summoned by plant-type fierce beasts to guard the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Both would possess half-god-level power.
Right now, the two dragon souls were still asleep, and their strength hadn't fully returned to that level. But whether or not they had the ability to awaken was unknown.
However, Huo Yuhao's Ghost Banner Martial Soul had long been ravenous with hunger.
After carefully masking his aura and tracks, Huo Yuhao wrapped himself tightly and dove straight into the tunnel.
"Alright, I'm coming in hot!!"
…
The underground tunnel was incredibly long.
It wound from the hidden valley at the edge of the Sunset Forest in a huge arc toward the forest's center—digging down over a kilometer deep.
That depth? Comparable to where nuclear waste is buried.
Breathing became stifling—but fortunately, Huo Yuhao had techniques to suppress his breathing. A mere lack of air? For cultivators like him, going hours without breathing was no big deal.
He wasted no time—he had to act fast and finish the mission quickly.
Luckily, the tunnel was wide enough to let him fly through it without touching the ground, greatly speeding up his movement.
At last, Huo Yuhao sensed an aura of mingled heat and cold coming from the tunnel's end—undoubtedly the signature of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!
At this point, the tunnel wasn't dug through soft soil anymore, but solid rock.
To create this passage, the centipede avatars had worn out three fifty-thousand-year-old soul beasts skilled in drilling.
The tunnel hadn't been completely opened at the end—if it had, water from the Ice and Fire Well would have flooded in, collapsing the tunnel and potentially exposing Huo Yuhao's setup.
He paused, first using divine sense to penetrate the rock and scout what lay beyond.
His spiritual sense pierced the rock successfully, confirming that the other side was indeed the depths of the Ice and Fire Well's waters, teeming with dense elemental energy.
But it wasn't the bottom of the well yet.
He carefully scanned again—sensing no unusual danger—before boldly proceeding.
He activated a technique and directly phased through the rock.
This was a cultivator's technique—Five Elements Escape Art!
These escape techniques weren't like casting fireballs—they were used for evasion and stealth.
As cultivation theory goes, all of heaven and earth is composed of the Five Elements!
Though not absolutely true, if the technique is advanced and the user's proficiency is high, most environments can be passed through using this method.
But that's the ideal scenario.
Even Huo Yuhao—well-equipped and powerful—used up 20% of his power just getting through the wall.
Escape arts are not a one-and-done move; they require continuous energy to maintain. If you run out of power midway, you could literally be crushed inside solid matter.
And the rarer or more special the material, the higher the energy cost to pass through it.
The rocks beneath the Ice and Fire Well had been tempered by elemental forces for who knows how many years—they could even serve as decent forging materials. Far tougher than ordinary rock!
Fortunately, once through the rock and into the water, Huo Yuhao's energy expenditure dropped.
He only needed to coat his body with energy to resist the water pressure and elemental erosion.
He did a quick calculation—at his current rate of consumption, he had about half an hour left.
And even if he ran out of energy… he wouldn't die.
Let's not forget—his body was extremely tough. At full power, he was comparable to a demigod.
Still, he had no intention of using the Well to refine his body, and the longer he stayed, the higher the risk of discovery.
After all, his current concealment relied on luck manipulation—and every second drained his resources.
Huo Yuhao looked down and immediately activated his Qi-Vision Technique, scanning for any hidden threats.
What he saw shocked him—there were still tens of thousands of meters below!
No choice now—he dove in at full speed.
It took another thirty thousand meters of descent before he finally found something.
Truly, a depth of ten thousand fathoms!
If Huo Yuhao weren't so powerful, he'd never have discovered the secret beneath these waters. No wonder "that person" from the past never found the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' corpses—you'd need this level of power just to reach it!
Unexpectedly, at the very bottom of the pool was a space resembling a self-contained domain, where two entwined dragon shadows could be faintly seen.
Fortunately, he didn't detect any mind-numbing aura of a Sea God.
"Let's go!"
With that, Huo Yuhao plunged straight into the enclosed space—unimpeded.
This domain wasn't created by special power, but by the immense aura emanating from the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' corpses, which repelled the surrounding water and formed this isolated zone.
And that made it all the more awe-inspiring.
There they were—the corpses of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, resting in the heart of the space, their residual power continuously merging into the well's waters, blessing the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!
Buried deep beneath the earth.
30,000 meters beneath the lakebed!
Whether beneath the ocean or on land, such depth is already a forbidden zone for life.
At such a depth, no life could exist—only fossils.
Perhaps it was due to Douluo Planet's unique core or the exceptional thickness of the crust in this region, but there was no sign of subterranean magma even at 30,000 meters.
If Little Huo (Xiao Huo) remembered correctly, in his original world, the Earth's crust ranged in thickness from 5,000 to 70,000 meters due to its uneven distribution.
So, the lack of magma at 30,000 meters wasn't entirely unthinkable.
But that didn't mean the other dangers were any less severe.
The crushing pressure of the water at that depth, combined with the elemental fluctuations of the two Dragon Kings, forced Huo Yuhao to go all out.
As his strength was rapidly consumed, Huo Yuhao summoned Electrolux and Mu En, allowing them to possess him to help resist the pressure. Only then did he appear calm and composed, capable of dealing with the Dragon Kings' remains and souls.
The two Dragon Kings, once god-king-level beings, radiated a terrifying presence even in death—just their skeletons exuded an aura that surpassed that of an Ultimate Douluo.
The elemental power leaking from their remains had long nourished the entire Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
It was unclear whether the Dragons lacked immortality or whether their divine bodies had been destroyed, but their power had clearly leaked out over time.
That elemental leakage had caused their bodies to decay, leaving only bones—no flesh remained.
If the elemental leak continued, the skeletons might eventually vanish as well. But more likely, the Dragon Kings' souls would fully recover and awaken before that happened.
Regardless, the remaining power of the two Dragon Kings was enough to make Huo Yuhao salivate with desire.
Due to the immense pressure radiating from their remains, their skeletons hadn't been buried in the mud. Instead, a special space had formed at the lake's bottom, isolated from the surrounding water.
Upon entering this isolated space, Huo Yuhao laid eyes on the Dragon Kings' skeletons. They stood like mountainous peaks, maintaining their dragon form despite the loss of flesh. There was no sign of collapse, no erosion, no petrification—they seemed almost lifelike.
The two skeletons intertwined, dividing the ice and fire elements but somehow existing in perfect harmony. While the lake outside had become deadly, the waterless space within was even more terrifying—here, Huo Yuhao had to directly confront both elemental forces.
Electrolux and Mu En did their utmost to help him resist the elemental corrosion. Even his disguises remained intact.
With his Spirit Sight active, Huo Yuhao quickly scanned the Dragon Kings' remains.
The damage to the bones told of a brutal and tragic battle long ago.
Rather than immediately touching the skeletons, Huo Yuhao summoned his Ghost Banner martial soul and called out mentally:
"Brother Tianmeng, Old Yi, Turtle, Qiu'er—assist me!"
Tianmeng: "Finally, it's my time to shine! Don't worry, Hao-ge, I'll get it done!"
Electrolux: "Do what you must, Yuhao. I've got you."
Golden Tortoise: "Relax, Hao-ge. I'm the most reliable here!"
Three-Eyed Golden Lion: "Who said you could speak so familiarly?"
Despite her sharp words, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion joined in to help, driving the Ghost Banner martial soul alongside Huo Yuhao to summon the Dragon Kings' souls.
Huo Yuhao chanted an incantation, initiating the soul summoning ritual.
Tianmeng Iceworm, along with the spiritual projections of the White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Heavenly Dragon, empowered Huo Yuhao, enhancing his ritual.
His spiritual sea boiled like a tsunami, golden Buddhist light flooding the space.
The Ghost Banner martial soul surged with power.
Electrolux, the Golden Tortoise, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion helped push the Ghost Banner's power to new heights. Even the dim-witted He Caitou, influenced by the others, joined in.
Inside the Ghost Banner's realm, countless ghosts howled, as if heaven and earth were being torn apart. Dark energy seeped into the lakebed and coiled around the two Dragon Kings' remains.
The Ghost Banner had already surpassed the bounds of a typical martial soul. Though it hadn't officially reached god-level, it could easily be considered a demi-god martial soul.
Naturally, it could affect the lingering Dragon Souls of the Dragon Kings.
While Electrolux empowered the Ghost Banner with necromantic spells, Mu En did his best to shield Huo Yuhao from the elemental assault.
At last, two sleeping dragon shadows—one red, one blue—were dragged out of the skeletons.
They were the souls of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings!
Just as Huo Yuhao thought the ritual had succeeded—
The two Dragon Souls suddenly resisted, stimulated into near-awakening. They began to reject the pull of the Ghost Banner.
After all, these were god-king-class Dragon Souls. Even in their weakened state, they were quasi-demi-gods with enough power to resist.
If forcibly awakened, a disaster might occur—perhaps even altering the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well itself and attracting the attention of that person.
Huo Yuhao immediately activated his Evil Eye martial soul, intending to strike preemptively.
But to his surprise, Mu En—who was helping resist the elemental forces—underwent a sudden change.
More precisely, the Holy Light Dragon martial soul within Mu En responded to the two Dragon Souls, releasing an aura of Light Dragon heritage.
And not just Mu En.
Within the Ghost Banner martial soul, every dragon-type ghost also responded, releasing their own dragon lineage aura.
Leading the call—Ziji!
"What's going on?" Huo Yuhao's expression shifted.
Then he felt it—his own body was trembling, seemingly compelled to call out to the Dragon Souls.
Ah Hui spoke up, "Hao-ge, I can't hold back anymore." As a dragonkin, he too felt the urge to call.
Tyrannosaurus Rex: "Same here!"
Heavenly Dragon: "Feels… familiar."
Even Huo Yuhao, who had dragon blood himself, was affected.
It felt like they were children seeking affection from a higher existence—a longing for a divine connection?
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes.
"If that's the case—then let's try!"
He burned more destiny energy, shielding the events in this space from outside perception.
Then, he activated his Frost Centipede martial soul.
Frost Centipede Armor activated!
Dragon bloodline ignited!
Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold!
Four Blood Qi Soul Rings emerged. Huo Yuhao had successfully condensed his fourth Blood Qi Soul Ring.
The third and fourth rings—those tied to his dragon bloodline—flashed and let out dragon roars.
His Frost Centipede Armor transformed again—his lower body and legs turned gold, reflecting his fusion of White Tiger and Dragon bloodlines.
The power of the Blood Qi Soul Rings altered even the armor's form.
As Huo Yuhao released his dragon bloodline and called out to the two Dragon Souls—they no longer resisted.
Instead of entering the Ghost Banner…
They suddenly turned—and dove directly into Huo Yuhao's eyes!
More precisely, they were drawn in by the Evil Eye martial soul!
In an instant, Huo Yuhao felt a searing pain in both eyes.
His Evil Eye Martial Soul seemed on the verge of splitting apart!
Yet the Evil Eye's latent potential was immense — it held on!
At that moment, the last two fragments of latent potential were completely consumed.
In the next second, two dragon souls entered Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, forcibly compressing it back despite it being enveloped in golden light.
Red and blue radiance emerged, and then — golden, red, and blue light divided the spiritual sea into three parts.
As Huo Yuhao's consciousness sank into his spiritual sea and he saw this, he instantly understood — the two dragon souls intended to slumber within his spiritual sea!
Compared to the constantly leaking remains of the Dragon Kings, this environment was far superior.
They were treating Huo Yuhao as a junior of the dragon race, wanting to rely on him to awaken in the future, while using their power to help him grow — essentially aiding Huo Yuhao in further unleashing the potential of his Evil Eye Martial Soul.
A flash of resolute ruthlessness surged in Huo Yuhao's heart.
If he were a true descendant of the dragon race, he would naturally welcome the two dragon souls with reverence and gratitude.
But Huo Yuhao would never allow two uncontrollable beings to reside in his critically important spiritual sea.
He activated the Demonic Buddha Art with full force!
A golden core in his belly, a noble fire in his heart.
These two cores released energy and empowered his cultivation method!
His Snow Lotus and Healing Angel Puppet Martial Souls simultaneously unleashed life essence, bolstering his vitality. His golden core and noble fire entered an overloaded state.
Within his spiritual sea, golden Buddha light burst forth, expanding fiercely and compressing the red and blue lights.
ROAR! ROAR!
Two low dragon roars echoed, like whispers in a dream, yet expressing the dragon souls' dissatisfaction.
"Visualize White Tiger, visualize Xuanwu, visualize Heavenly Dragon — go! Beat them up!"
Hearing Huo Yuhao's command, the three — who were already impatient — charged forth like unleashed huskies, diving into the red and blue radiance, tearing and devouring.
They weren't attacking the dragon souls themselves, but the power attached to them — luck and dragon aura, which were immensely beneficial to the visualized beings.
These dragon souls carried dragon aura — and not just any dragon aura, but the thick Dragon King dragon aura!
Even a tiny fraction of it far surpassed the dragon aura of mortal emperors.
As vast quantities of dragon aura were absorbed:
The Visualized White Tiger's "王" character on its forehead gradually turned gold and glowed.
The Visualized Xuanwu's snake tail grew thicker and deeper in hue.
The Visualized Heavenly Dragon radiated white brilliance, each dragon scale trembling, its horns glowing brightly.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao's body began to change.
A vertical slit slowly formed at his brow, from which dazzling golden light shone — a third eye was opening!
The Guardian Serpent pattern on his body became clearer, slithering across his body.
Dragon scale patterns emerged slowly on his cheeks, shoulders, ribs, hips, and legs!
Sitting cross-legged in mid-air, Huo Yuhao fully focused on suppressing the two dragon souls.
Eventually, although the consciousness of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings had not fully awakened, they cursed and grumbled like sleep-talkers as they reluctantly left Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
As if complaining that Huo Yuhao, this junior, really didn't know what was good for him.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes — his Evil Eye Martial Soul surged to the limit, and two dragon souls, one red and one blue, shot out from his eyes!
The dragon souls were expelled — but the benefits remained.
Not only had the Visualized White Tiger and others gained from it.
After this event, Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea expanded further, boosting his spiritual power to the demigod level!
The ninth and tenth levels of the Evil Eye's potential had been fully unlocked, not forming two new eyes, but rather a unique pair of eyes:
One red, one blue. One fire, one ice. Crystal clear, divine-like eyes.
Though it cost two units of potential, the true value of these eyes was not in sheer power, but in their transformational impact on the Evil Eye Martial Soul — surpassing the sum of all previous eight eye abilities!
Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that his Evil Eye had reached a state of transcendence.
But now wasn't the time to examine it in detail.
Seeing the two dragon souls trying to flee, Huo Yuhao snorted coldly, summoned his power, and extended golden Buddha light that transformed into two dragon-binding chains, tightly restraining the dragon souls.
Come and go as you please? What do you take me for — a brothel girl?!
The two dragon souls let out low groans.
As if saying: You didn't want us, but you won't let us leave. What do you want?
To avoid triggering the full awakening of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' consciousness, Huo Yuhao refrained from using the Ghost Banner Martial Soul. Instead, he slowly refined the dragon souls like frogs boiled in warm water.
Eventually, as if compromising, the two dragon souls remained, coiling around Huo Yuhao, flying faster and faster until they fused into a brilliant red-and-blue soul ring, attaching itself to his Evil Eye Martial Soul.
Evil Eye Martial Soul — third soul ring acquired!
Looking at the dazzling soul ring, Huo Yuhao felt mixed emotions.
"So this is Douluo Dalu, huh? In the end, you just can't escape the rings…"
At last, everything calmed down.
Once Huo Yuhao withdrew his power, the underground chamber also returned to peace.
But inside him, there was no peace. The exhaustion from exerting himself completely was even worse than after a fierce battle. Yet alongside it came the excitement of great gain, as his spiritual power pulsed with vitality.
Mu En remained loyally by his side, shielding Huo Yuhao from elemental damage.
Electrolux also appeared, sharing the burden. Seeing that Huo Yuhao was safe, he nodded lightly but said nothing.
Only then did the Skydream Iceworm finally poke his head out from deep within the spiritual sea, looking shaken.
No one knew better than him — when those two dragon souls barged in, he was nearly scared to death!
Even Di Tian couldn't defeat them — what chance did he have?
Thankfully, Huo Yuhao proved himself once again.
"Skydream Bro, seriously? Wasn't I here the whole time?" Huo Yuhao said helplessly.
"Hehe, Brother Hao, you know me — I'm a piece of trash!" The Skydream Iceworm beamed proudly.
No one knew why he was proud of that…
Huo Yuhao didn't blame him. On the contrary, he felt relieved — glad the Skydream Iceworm was unharmed. He deeply valued his old companions, because they were family.
In truth, there wasn't much Skydream could have done.
Outside the spiritual sea, he could help by channeling soul skills and amplifying power — like piloting a Gundam.
But inside the spiritual sea, Skydream reverted to a big meat worm. Not entirely powerless, but forced to rely on his own strength.
Most of which had been gifted to Huo Yuhao. The rest was sealed — only by detonating his sealed spiritual origin could he release real power.
"Alright, Skydream Bro, we can't waste time. Every second, a mountain of luck is burning."
Huo Yuhao turned toward the two remaining Dragon King skeletons, and extended his left hand, which began glowing with golden light, as if it could devour everything.
"A mustard seed can contain Mount Sumeru; within the palm lie the sun and moon."
"The sleeve hides vastness; the world fits in one's hand."
Divine Ability of the Skydream Iceworm's Molting — Universe in the Palm!