Martial soul suppression, elemental suppression, physical suppression, strength suppression, spiritual suppression...
With all attributes of the True Body Avatar being superior to those of the Undying Venom, what could the Undying Venom possibly rely on to win?
Even with a martial soul avatar at the level of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, and soul skills to match, it was still not enough to withstand the full-force strike of the True Body Avatar.
All he could do was survive that strike.
When the elders of the Body Sect arrived at the battlefield, they saw the defeated Undying Venom and Huo Yuhao standing tall amidst the forested mountains, his True Body Avatar floating above his head.
"Patriarch? Yuhao? What the hell happened here? What is that thing?" one elder asked in astonishment as he gazed at the battlefield.
Some of the elders rushed to the Undying Venom to provide aid, while others surrounded Huo Yuhao and his avatar, keeping on high alert.
Though they didn't know what had transpired, the scene clearly suggested that Huo Yuhao had attacked the Undying Venom.
But how could that be?
How did Huo Yuhao manage to do that?
The Undying Venom had been smashed into the mountain, leaving a crater and clearing a large swath of forest. He was in an utterly sorry state, his martial soul attachment already dispelled, though he had fortunately not yet lost consciousness.
Supported shakily by the elders, the Undying Venom tried to speak. But the moment he opened his mouth—splat!—he coughed up a large mouthful of blood, shocking the nearby elders further.
Yet all the Undying Venom could do was lock his bloodshot eyes on Huo Yuhao, still filled with disbelief and dread. His body trembled slightly, as if he had yet to recover from the shock of the encounter.
"Haha—" Huo Yuhao chuckled lightly, sweeping his gaze across the many Titled Douluo elders. He spoke calmly, "Since everyone's here, why don't you all help me test the results of my training?"
Buzz—
An immense surge of soul power burst from Huo Yuhao's body, violently shaking the surrounding air. The elders, who had just begun to speak, instantly fell silent, their expressions changing drastically.
They could all sense it—danger!
An invisible pressure bore down upon them.
Gold! Red! Red-Blue!
Three extraordinary soul rings of distinct colors rose from Huo Yuhao's body. He himself seemed to float mid-air, lifted by the soul rings, while the red-blue light of his Yin-Yang Eyes shone even more brilliantly.
The True Body Avatar returned into Huo Yuhao's body.
"His martial soul actually has soul rings?!"
"What kind of soul rings are those? They look even stronger than hundred-thousand-year soul rings!"
The elders were visibly shaken.
"Could this be a misunderstanding?" one elder tried to ask.
But Huo Yuhao didn't respond.
Instead, the million-year soul ring of the Skydream Iceworm flickered—his spiritual power enveloped all the elders.
First Soul Skill: Spiritual Detection!
There were eleven Titled Douluos in the Body Sect total. Excluding the Undying Venom, there were ten elders. One elder had just returned this week, and all of them were now present.
Thus, Huo Yuhao was facing nine Titled Douluo elders, aside from the Undying Venom.
Some were super Douluos, like the Golden Body Douluo, who surpassed rank 95. Even the weakest among them were at least rank 92—physically strong and vastly superior in combat strength compared to average Titled Douluos. Among them, five even had hundred-thousand-year ninth soul rings!
In all of Douluo Continent, the Body Sect's Titled Douluos were among the strongest and most elite.
The nine elders stared blankly at Huo Yuhao, seemingly unsure how to proceed.
The Undying Venom finally suppressed his injuries and shouted, urgently and gravely, "All of you, attack together—capture him alive!"
Though they had doubts, the nine elders didn't hesitate after hearing his command. They soared into the sky and surrounded Huo Yuhao, intending to subdue him as a group.
Given that Huo Yuhao had defeated the Undying Venom, none dared to be careless.
Under Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao could see through their every move. The nine elders didn't know—they had already been marked.
His first soul ring flashed again.
First Soul Skill: Spiritual Sharing!
Huo Yuhao's overwhelming spiritual power burst forth. He didn't care about their will—he forcibly linked their minds.
"Let me give you full-map vision," Huo Yuhao chuckled inwardly.
Within the scope of Spiritual Detection, all gathered information was instantly fed into the minds of the nine elders through Spiritual Sharing. Not only did their perception of the world shift, but their brains were overwhelmed with data far beyond their limits.
Spiritual Detection combined with Spiritual Sharing was indeed a powerful combo for awareness and support. However, even when prepared, a brief pause was needed to adapt.
And now, Huo Yuhao had forcibly connected all nine and maliciously flooded them with massive information.
Unable to bear the overload, the elders experienced severe mental shock. Their ears rang, and some rolled their eyes back—losing control over their bodies.
Only soul masters with formidable spiritual strength could quickly adapt and recover.
But not all of them were that mentally strong.
From the ground, the Undying Venom realized how dire the situation had become. "Wake up!" he shouted.
But his warning came too late.
At the very instant he spoke, Huo Yuhao struck—his gaze fixed on two of them.
"Eye of Ice and Snow: Spiritual Freeze!"
"Eye of Annihilation: Destruction Beam!"
Left and right—each eye unleashed a different power, respectively freezing and heavily injuring two elders.
The Yin-Yang Eyes allowed Huo Yuhao to use the power of all his eyes—and even separately wield different eye powers against different foes.
Next, Huo Yuhao's eyes glowed with a sinister aura. Multiple elemental forces manifested around him, then converged into a single point of eruption.
"Evil God's Eye: Elemental Burst!"
The Evil God's Eye could manipulate various elements. It could attack individually or, as he did now, fuse all elements together for a devastating explosion.
The more concentrated the elements, the greater the explosive force.
Targeting just two elders, the blast severely injured them and knocked them from the sky, making them unable to fight any further.
In just two breaths' time, Huo Yuhao had defeated four elders before they even reacted.
The Undying Venom watched in horror from below. Only now did he realize—Huo Yuhao himself was even more terrifying than the True Body Avatar!
Those twin eyes of his... their power was beyond comprehension.
But why?
Why, after exhausting himself in battle with the True Body Avatar, did Huo Yuhao still have such strength?
Seeing Huo Yuhao preparing to strike again, the Undying Venom roared, ignoring his wounds. He once again activated his martial soul, flew into the air, and launched himself recklessly at Huo Yuhao.
Two breaths of recovery only gave him enough strength to act, not to use soul or battle skills. He had no choice but to rely on the most primal form of attack—
A desperate collision.
Facing the charging Du Bushi, a gleam flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and a tiger's roar echoed from within his body.
Evil Eye Domain, Vision Enhancement!
His body was instantly enhanced several times over. Then, Huo Yuhao casually raised a leg and whipped it out at lightning speed, striking Du Bushi's charging body. "Down you go!"
Du Bushi was sent flying backward at an even greater speed, crashing hard into the mountain again. A deeper crater formed, rumbling loudly as he disappeared from sight.
There was no sign of Du Bushi reappearing.
However, his desperate delaying tactic and the explosive shockwave did serve their purpose—it awakened the remaining five elders.
The five elders quickly adjusted to the partial Spiritual Detection Sharing. With it, they swiftly grasped the situation around them. Their expressions turned pale with horror as they immediately launched their attacks at Huo Yuhao.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul True Body!"
"Ninth Soul Skill—"
"Ninth Soul Skill—"
"Combat Technique—…"
"…"
From five different directions, the five elders launched their strongest attacks at Huo Yuhao.
He didn't even blink.
The second soul ring of the 200,000-year Infernal Demon Dragon King flashed.
Second Soul Skill—Heavenly Demon Domain!
Heavenly Demon Reversal!
Purple radiance unfurled like a halo from behind Huo Yuhao—seemingly slow, but in reality instantaneous. It was deeper than night, devouring even the moonlight, plunging the surroundings into absolute darkness. Inside, concentric vortexes of purple-black spun ominously.
As the five elders' attacks descended, they were all drawn into the vortex. Not a single blow landed on Huo Yuhao. Instead, the vortex expanded rapidly, having absorbed the power of their attacks.
In the next instant, Huo Yuhao vanished—swallowed by the vortex behind him.
The vortex then instantly condensed into a solid state, transforming into five mirror-like panels, each facing one of the elders. Within each mirror, the same elder appeared, launching the same attack they had just used—now reflected back at themselves.
As the mirrors shattered, the attacks erupted.
Caught completely off guard, the five elders' eyes widened in terror. They frantically changed tactics, colliding with their own attacks.
This was the Heavenly Demon Reversal!
Within the Heavenly Demon Domain, the reversal could be cast instantly.
Within the domain, techniques were turned against their wielders—like stars shifting in the heavens.
The stronger the attack, the greater the backlash under the Heavenly Demon Reversal.
All five elders were blown away by their own reflected strikes. Fortunately, their robust physiques and rich combat experience prevented them from losing their fighting ability. They only suffered internal injuries, coughing up blood.
Huo Yuhao canceled the Spiritual Detection Sharing—if the opponents became accustomed to it, it would only benefit them.
However, the five elders, now cut off from the shared vision, felt a sudden sense of loss. The all-encompassing battlefield awareness had been intoxicating.
Even so, they quickly regrouped, ready to launch another joint assault on Huo Yuhao.
But they didn't expect Huo Yuhao, reappearing after ending the Heavenly Demon Domain, to strike first.
The third soul ring of the Ice-Fire Dragon King inheritance lit up!
Huo Yuhao slowly raised his hand, gathering the forces of extreme heat and cold in his palm. At that moment, his power over Ultimate Ice surged to terrifying levels—and alongside it appeared the equally powerful Ultimate Fire.
Ice and fire manifested as two points of light—one blue, one red—like fireflies swirling in his palm. Eventually, they merged into a single pure white light.
Then, Huo Yuhao flipped his palm, and the light drifted down slowly.
"Feel the divine might!"
"Third Soul Skill—Divine Might Ice-Fire Transformation!"
The glowing light descended—no sound, no violent energy surge. Only a terrifying silence that inspired dread.
The third soul ring, formed from the soul of the Ice-Fire Dragon King, didn't ascend directly to god-level, but it possessed semi-divine power. Its quality even surpassed the million-year soul ring of the Ice Empress, and the attached soul skill was equally terrifying.
Just as the five elders prepared to attack again, the light exploded.
Blinding white light engulfed the entire mountaintop, swallowing all trees and living beings in its path—including Du Bushi, who had just crawled out of the pit, and all nine Titled Douluo elders.
In that moment, silence thundered louder than sound itself.
…
The next day.
As dawn's first rays spread across the sky, disciples of the Body Sect awoke to begin their daily training.
Long Aotian rubbed his forehead upon waking, feeling unusually refreshed. He'd had an excellent night's sleep.
But… he clearly remembered training late into the night. He glanced at the blanket on his body in confusion.
"Did I fall asleep while training? Who covered me? Was it the Sect Master?"
Moved by the thought that the Sect Master cared enough to check on him, Long Aotian felt a warm gratitude. Even if he was no longer the young master of the Body Sect, he was still determined to fight for its future.
As for Huo Yuhao and Veena—Long Aotian wasn't the kind to obsess over such matters. Besides, there was never really anything between him and Veena to begin with. Having never experienced romantic love, he hadn't devolved into a love-struck fool like typical Douluo protagonists. His priority remained the sect.
He would even reconcile with Huo Yuhao for the sect's sake.
But as Long Aotian stepped out of his stone dwelling to join the others for morning training, he noticed something strange—no one was training. Instead, the early risers were gathered together, all staring toward a single direction.
"Gu Tong, what's going on?" Long Aotian approached his familiar companion, puzzled.
Only when he got closer did he see the look of shock on Gu Tong's face—shared by everyone else.
Gu Tong didn't even look at Long Aotian. He just pointed toward the distance, voice trembling in disbelief. "The mountain… the mountain next to us is gone!"
Long Aotian turned to look—and his eyes widened in astonishment.
Next to the Body Sect, one of the mountains where disciples often trained—over 300 meters high—had completely vanished!
All that remained was a massive crater, as if struck by a meteor. The center bore traces of a tremendous impact.
"Im… impossible…" Long Aotian muttered, stunned.
The surrounding disciples buzzed with speculation.
"That mountain was here just yesterday! How could it be gone overnight?"
"Did a star fall from the sky? But we didn't hear a thing!"
"There's still lingering traces of intense fire and ice elemental energy… feels more like a soul master attack."
"No way. What kind of soul master could do this? Even the Sect Master couldn't!"
"Did you just say the Sect Master couldn't? I'm reporting you!"
"It's too early for this nonsense!"
Gu Tong's voice shook. "Aotian… I want to take the day off. My mental state isn't right for training."
"You're scared? Why?" Long Aotian asked, still unable to sense any real danger.
"Didn't you think about what would've happened if that attack had landed on our sect's mountain instead? The scariest part is… no one in the entire sect noticed anything last night!" Gu Tong said, nearly wetting himself from fear.
Long Aotian fell silent. He too felt a chill run down his spine. Then, a realization struck him. "Wait… where are the Sect Master and the others? Why hasn't anyone come to explain what happened?"
A sense of foreboding loomed over Long Aotian's heart.
Long Aotian's ominous premonition came true—but not entirely. Poison-Immortal and the others had indeed encountered an incident, but it hadn't led to their complete demise.
In the end, Yuto managed to save Poison-Immortal and the others.
After all, their Martial Soul essences had not yet been assimilated by his True Body Avatar. These members of the Body Sect couldn't be wasted so easily.
Due to the mysterious disappearance of the neighboring hill, quite a few disciples had already gathered outside the main sect hall. They wanted to get specific information from Poison-Immortal and the other elders.
In truth, within the Body Sect, aside from the Titled Douluo-level Sect Master and elders, all remaining members—including Soul Douluos—were considered disciples.
However, despite waiting a long time, the doors of the main hall remained tightly shut. If not for the fact that they could still sense the stable auras of Poison-Immortal and the others inside, the disciples might have assumed something tragic had occurred and burst in by force.
Their trust in Poison-Immortal and the other elders, as well as their authority, helped calm the disciples—even if they were anxious, they still chose to wait.
Of course, since it was only the adjacent mountain peak that had disappeared and the Body Sect itself remained unaffected, their concern didn't escalate to outright panic.
Inside the grand hall, Yuto was focused on treating the heavily wounded Poison-Immortal and the remaining nine elders.
There was no need for the Snow Lotus to intervene, nor did he summon the Puppet Martial Soul of the Healing Angel. Just by relying on the light and life attributes of his Golden Eye, Yuto managed to heal all ten individuals.
Taking a life can be done in an instant, but saving one takes time. Especially when the patients are seriously injured—some of them were just a breath away from death.
By midnight, Yuto had fully healed their physical injuries and deactivated his Golden Eye.
Though the ten remained unconscious, their vital signs had stabilized.
During the healing process, Yuto also had his True Body Avatar assimilate their Martial Souls, further strengthening it.
This wave of assimilation brought tremendous gains.
The True Body Avatar remained a golden humanoid figure. Its facial and bodily features had become increasingly detailed, now identical to Yuto's. However, it was now adorned in a golden Frost Centipede armor—albeit still somewhat illusory.
The stronger the Avatar became, the more it resembled Yuto.
Through its semi-transparent skin, one could faintly see a galaxy-like structure within its body. Countless golden light dots floated in orbit, slowly revolving around a central, brightest core in its chest.
That core was the Avatar's nucleus. Destroying it would defeat the Avatar—if one could first breach its formidable defenses.
Although damage to the Avatar wouldn't physically affect Yuto, its destruction would still cause a backlash. Fortunately, it wasn't lethal. With some cultivation time, Yuto could recreate the Avatar.
Assimilating all the disciples' Martial Souls of the Body Sect didn't come close to the power boost he gained from assimilating the ten elders.
Because their Martial Souls were far stronger—at least at the Silver Awakening Tier Two level, with Poison-Immortal even reaching Golden Awakening Tier Three.
Moreover, Poison-Immortal truly possessed a Visionary Martial Soul, with his unique phenomenon fully developed. Among the other nine elders, three more also had Visionary Martial Souls. Although they hadn't awakened their unique phenomena fully, they were halfway there. Even at this half-awakened state, they surpassed the younger generation Visionary Martial Soul users like Long Aotian, who had yet to awaken.
The reason there were so many Visionary Martial Soul users was the accumulation of generations in the Body Sect. These Titled Douluo-level elders were not from the same generation.
Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that Douluo Continent was a transcendent world, making it more likely for such Visionary Soul users to emerge.
Still, the Body Sect's phenomena were considered postnatal talents—they needed to be developed and awakened through cultivation.
"Golden Awakening Tier Three really does seem tied to the full awakening of a Visionary Martial Soul," Yuto muttered, rubbing his chin while waiting for them to regain consciousness. "While Silver Awakening Tier Two results in only partial awakening. Interestingly, these phenomena, when fused into the Martial Soul system and affected by Soul Rings, produce some rather unique transformations."
Take Poison-Immortal for instance—he was likely a postnatal spirit body. Through absorbing poison-element Soul Rings and cultivating poison-element techniques, he had transformed into a Poison Spirit Body.
As for the three partially awakened elders, their phenomena were located in the torso, head, and legs. Due to differences in Soul Ring attributes and cultivated techniques, each developed unique effects.
The torso absorbed metallic elements, enhancing defense and strength.
The head gained spiritual traits, capable of emitting fear-inducing mental waves.
The legs absorbed draconic Soul Rings, enhancing power and bestowing dragon bloodline traits.
Yuto named their partial awakenings as follows: Demon Head, Golden Body, and Dragon Legs.
Fittingly, these names were also their Titled Douluo titles.
Yuto glanced at his True Body Avatar and triggered a transformation with a thought. In an instant, it changed—no longer gleaming gold.
The entire Avatar turned green-gold, radiating poisonous energy.
A second head emerged from its neck—a terrifying demon head with wild black hair, blood-red eyes, and fangs, exuding a fearsome mental pressure.
The torso grew a deeper golden hue, radiating powerful metal energy, giving off an indestructible aura.
The legs thickened, scales resembling dragonhide appeared, and two blood-red evil dragons coiled around them.
From the shoulder blades, two thick arms extended. The spine arched like a mountain, giving the avatar a hunched posture. Bone spurs jutted from its hands, while its chest bore rib-like patterns. The core gleamed at the heart, protected by this fearsome physique. Its original face remained mostly unchanged, though it now sported demonic eyeliner and a pair of antennae.
These final traits came from the soul bones Yuto had. Of course, soul bone skills could not be used by the Avatar.
Looking at this form, Yuto nodded.
"With all its powers activated, this guy's looking less and less human. Honestly, it's basically a demon."
As fearsome as it looked, its strength had undeniably increased. Exactly how much would require testing in battle.
Yuto quickly returned the Avatar to its normal form and recalled it into his body.
He sensed that Poison-Immortal and the others were beginning to stir.
It wouldn't do to scare them with the monstrous version of the Avatar—after all, Yuto had an image to maintain.
Finally, Poison-Immortal was the first to awaken. He blinked in confusion, then his memories came flooding back. His gaze sharpened, and he immediately sat up and looked forward.
There he saw Yuto lounging on the sect master's seat, swinging his legs.
"Yuto!" Poison-Immortal growled through clenched teeth. He immediately tried to activate his Martial Soul—but to his horror, he found he couldn't control it.
He couldn't even control his own body!
"Yo, Sect Master, you're awake~ Sleep well?" Yuto greeted with a smile.
"You beast! What the hell did you do to us?!" Poison-Immortal roared, spotting the other nine elders still lying unconscious on the floor.
"You're calling me a beast?" Yuto pointed to himself with a smile, then pointed at Poison-Immortal. "Wrong!"
"I'm the beast among beasts!"
Before Poison-Immortal could say another word, Yuto continued:
"Right now, aside from the disciples and elders who are out on missions, everyone in the Body Sect is under my control! If I want them to live, they live. If I want them to die, they die!"
"And I don't ask for much. From today on, this Body Sect—is my dojo! Everyone in it—is my slave!"
"Behave yourselves, and I might even bring you all to the God Realm!"
The grand doors of the Main Hall of the Body Sect finally swung open.
Du Busi and the group of elders emerged with grim faces. After stepping out, they closed the doors behind them, facing the assembled disciples.
The moment they saw Du Busi and the elders, the disciples reacted as though they had found their anchor, rushing forward to speak, all talking at once.
"Sect Master, Elders, you've finally come out!"
"Sect Master, what on earth happened to the mountain next door?"
"Was it an enemy attack last night?"
Seeing their disciples so agitated, Du Busi raised both hands and pressed downward. The disciples immediately quieted, their eyes still filled with urgency, waiting for an explanation.
This alone was enough to prove the immense authority Du Busi still held.
Scanning the crowd of disciples, Du Busi sighed inwardly. At this moment, he finally understood the saying: "Ignorance is bliss."
To suddenly awaken and find oneself someone else's slave, with life and death no longer in your own hands—who could accept that calmly?
But he didn't show any sign of it. Instead, he squeezed out a smile and said, "Everyone, rest assured. What happened on the neighboring peak was simply a sparring match between myself and a visiting senior last night. Nothing to worry about."
An excuse like this was easy enough. Whether they believed it or not didn't matter—it wouldn't affect anything.
"I do have an announcement. Everyone, gather in the plaza shortly! I, your Sect Master, will be passing on some new battle techniques—methods that will push our Body Sect to new heights!"
As expected, the mention of new techniques and elevating the Body Sect's power immediately diverted the disciples' attention from the demolished mountain. They grew excited, eager to rush to the plaza and receive these promised teachings.
Without hesitation, the disciples bowed and withdrew, hurrying to the plaza. Only Du Busi and the elders remained.
They exchanged bitter glances.
"I'm sorry… This is all my fault. If I hadn't brought him up the mountain…" Du Busi's voice was full of regret. He wished he could go back in time and slap his former self for bringing Huo Yuhao into the sect.
"Sect Master, don't say that," said Golden Body Douluo, cutting him off. "You were doing it for the sect's future. You were deceived!"
The elders, too, were bitter, but just like Du Busi, they were powerless.
"Man is the knife, I am the fish. We don't even have the choice to resist or end it ourselves anymore. All we can do is submit," said Demon Head Elder. His tone then changed slightly: "Let's hope he wasn't lying. Maybe he really can fulfill his promise."
Everyone fell silent.
Yes, being enslaved by Huo Yuhao was humiliating—but what he offered… was too much to resist!
Even setting aside the promise of ascending to the God Realm together, just the techniques and abilities he gave them were already beyond their comprehension. Yet they could tell—they were tailor-made for the Body Sect and held the potential to bring them to a whole new level.
Patting the books hidden in his robe, Du Busi nodded. "Let's go. We have no choice left."
"Let's hope the Body Sect doesn't vanish from history."
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao remained seated on the stone throne inside the Main Hall.
He hadn't bothered persuading Du Busi and the others. There was no need—his orders were now absolute.
If they wanted to maintain any sense of self, fine. If not, he could simply puppeteer them directly. Luckily, Du Busi and the elders were smart enough.
Of course, the main reason they cooperated was… he gave them a big red date.
Even a stubborn mule needs a carrot.
Huo Yuhao gave two.
A false one: the promise to ascend the God Realm together.
A real one: several highly compatible body-refinement cultivation techniques.
Although Huo Yuhao didn't cultivate body-refining methods himself (his Demon Buddha Technique and Medicinal Blood Technique already strengthened the body), he still possessed many powerful body-refining techniques.
He even handed Du Busi the original version of the Black Blood Technique, which he could likely convert into a Poison Blood Technique.
If resources kept up, the half-awakened elders might fully awaken. The silver second-awakening elders could advance even further. With these techniques, some might even reach the golden third awakening level.
And the Body Sect disciples who began cultivating these body-refinement techniques would see immense improvement in strength and spiritual power—bolstering their martial souls as well.
Training these disciples was worthwhile. For Huo Yuhao, they were essentially experience farms for his Embodied Clone. Their strength was his strength.
Some disciples, like Long Aotian and others with anomalous body martial souls, needed to awaken their unique soul traits on their own before the Embodied Clone could synchronize with them.
The clone itself couldn't create such anomalies.
After all, the Embodied Clone was a tool, not a true lifeform.
One elder was still outside the sect, unaware of recent events. Huo Yuhao had already imposed a gag order on those within the sect. When that elder returned, he'd be captured and assimilated, his martial soul brought under control.
That elder actually piqued Huo Yuhao's interest. His martial soul was… a tail.
The man was born with a monkey tail, which became his martial soul after awakening. Due to his mutation, he was abandoned in childhood. His life was tragic until he awakened and joined the Body Sect, ultimately achieving great strength.
He also had a disciple—whose martial soul was wings.
Huo Yuhao remembered this disciple from the original story. He would become Long Aotian's teammate in the next Soul Master Tournament. A promising talent.
Both of them were still out training.
Huo Yuhao found such unnatural martial souls—like tails and wings—particularly interesting. They felt like true congenital anomalies, genuine natural phenomena.
This trip to the Body Sect was a complete success.
Now, he could return to Heaven Dou City. First, he'd soothe Ma Xiaotao and the other girls—after a week apart, their desires must be simmering.
Then he would head to Earth Dragon Gate to absorb the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow, followed by a trip north to acquire spirit rings and break through.
If everything went smoothly, Huo Yuhao would return from the far north as a Title Douluo.
This time, he planned to claim both Ice Empress and Snow Empress!
His Embodied Clone's progress had given him substantial physical upgrades, giving him greater confidence in absorbing Snow Empress's spirit ring.
As for defeating her? Easier than expected.
Even Snow Empress would struggle to survive that mountain-flattening strike.
And that wasn't even Huo Yuhao's full power.
His third spirit ring—granted by the Ice-Fire Dragon King's soul—provided overwhelming strength and four spirit abilities!
The first, a passive one called Elemental Mastery, allowed control over ice, fire, and water elements. It enhanced both control and intensity.
Water was included because the Ice Dragon King was also known as the Water Dragon King.
The second and third were identical in nature—Dragon King Descent. One summoned an Ice Dragon King projection, the other a Fire Dragon King. Each could fight for fifteen minutes, with power near demigod level. They could only be summoned once every three days, and maintaining them longer required Huo Yuhao's own energy.
Maintaining two demigod projections simultaneously was extremely taxing. Even for him.
Plus, the projections weren't necessarily stronger than his main body, making them not always worth deploying.
The final spirit ability—the one he used to destroy the mountain—was called Divine Might: Ice-Fire Transformation.
A terrifyingly powerful attack, it fused the Dragon Kings' elemental essence. It could only be used once per day.
But once was enough—it could threaten a quasi-god.
The key lay in the origin fire and origin water of the dragons—essentially their innate divine elemental energy.
When powerful enough, these elemental forces evolved into innate divine skills.
Now, through the spirit ring, Huo Yuhao had inherited their origin fire and origin water, and with that, an extreme-level flame—one of the finest types.
Just unleashing this combo was enough to give both Ice and Snow Empress a hefty slap in the face.
And that was only one of his spirit rings.
After a morning spent digesting all he gained the night before, Huo Yuhao quietly left.
He came in silence, and he left in silence—leaving behind a sect now molded in his image.
The Body Sect had become his farmland.
And it belonged to him—entirely.
Even its fortune cloud—its luck and karmic destiny—was now bound to him, overriding Du Busi as Sect Master.
After leaving the Body Sect, Huo Yuhao returned directly to Tian Dou City.
His return didn't cause much of a stir—only four women, Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Weina, were the most emotionally moved.
In fact, they had been extremely worried.
Heaven knew what they felt when they learned that Huo Yuhao had been taken by the Body Sect. Zhang Lexuan nearly returned to Shrek Academy to rally reinforcements.
Fortunately, the Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire personally offered assurances, stating that Huo Yuhao had only been invited as a guest and would not be harmed. He guaranteed that Huo Yuhao would return within half a month. Only then did Zhang Lexuan reluctantly put her mind at ease.
After all, a promise made by an emperor carried significant weight.
In the Douluo Continent, the ideology of imperial supremacy still held sway.
Since the Emperor had vouched for him, the Body Sect naturally wouldn't dare harm Huo Yuhao—out of respect, if nothing else. As a sect within the borders of the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Body Sect had to give the Emperor some face.
Otherwise, if Huo Yuhao really did get hurt, the Body Sect would be offending both the Heavenly Soul Empire and Shrek Academy—leaving their safe escape from the empire in question.
In truth, the Emperor dared to make such guarantees because he had a prior agreement with Du Bushi. The two were in a cooperative relationship, conspiring against Shrek Academy, and were in a "honeymoon phase." Du Bushi still gave the Emperor some consideration.
Du Bushi also knew he couldn't hold Huo Yuhao indefinitely—Shrek Academy would definitely respond. Half a month was the limit.
In his original plan, if Huo Yuhao didn't fully come over in that time, at the very least he'd develop some favorable impression of the Body Sect. As a possessor of a Body Martial Soul, Huo Yuhao was bound to have interactions with them, and their relationship would eventually deepen.
But unexpectedly, things progressed far faster—so fast, in fact, that the Body Sect was now practically shaped in Huo Yuhao's image.
In the future, with Huo Yuhao destined to inherit the Sea God Pavilion, it was now the Heavenly Soul Empire that had become the outsider. Du Bushi could only wait for the empire to face misfortune too.
After all, the original plan had been proposed by the Heavenly Soul Empire!
Once Huo Yuhao returned to Tian Dou City, in order to reassure Zhang Lexuan and the others, the Emperor specially arranged for the imperial physician and a Titled Douluo to examine Huo Yuhao. They confirmed that not only had he not been harmed, but his physical condition had even improved.
As for what happened within the Body Sect, Huo Yuhao's explanation to the women was this: Du Bushi had long sought to defeat Mu En and avenge his brother Du Bishi. But upon learning that Mu En had already passed away, he turned his attention to Mu En's finest disciple—Huo Yuhao—and "invited" him to the Body Sect for some guidance.
They also agreed that once Huo Yuhao reached the Titled Douluo level, he would return to the Body Sect and spar with its disciples.
He made no mention of his Body Martial Soul.
Revealing that Du Bushi knew of Mu En's death was a strategic move—it would make the elders of Shrek Academy more cautious, wary that their secrets had already been exposed.
It also served to show the Body Sect's goodwill. After all, Du Bushi hadn't revealed this information, not even to the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and Ling Luochen all believed him. In their hearts, Huo Yuhao was the kind of obedient boy who wouldn't lie to them.
Zhang Lexuan even sighed, "Though the Body Sect has a bad reputation, it still carries the pride of a powerful force. Du Bushi can be considered a great figure."
As for why Du Bushi only looked for Huo Yuhao and not Yan Shaozhe or Xian Lin'er? Everyone knew the answer: Huo Yuhao's talent far exceeded theirs.
But saying that aloud would be impolite.
Only Weina knew the full truth, but she didn't say anything. She merely exchanged a knowing smile with Huo Yuhao—everything was understood without words.
To the Emperor and Du Bushi, Weina was a spy they had placed beside Huo Yuhao, loyally feeding them intelligence.
In reality, Weina had long since become someone "shaped" by Huo Yuhao. She had already disclosed their plans to him.
Though it seemed as if Huo Yuhao had been suddenly captured, he had been prepared all along. Weina didn't know exactly what he would do, but she chose to believe in him. She only worried about whether he would succeed.
Du Bushi only realized the truth after experiencing Huo Yuhao's martial soul and his control over other Body Martial Souls. That was when he understood—Weina had long since been "turned"!
He could only hug himself in sorrow.
Youngsters these days had no honor—scheming against an old man over a hundred years old.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao spent several days reassuring Ma Xiaotao and the others. Once Weina had mostly recovered from her injuries, they continued their journey with Zhang Lexuan.
Heading north once again.
However, Huo Yuhao now had an additional task—finding Tang Ya and "returning to his roots." Since he had read the Xuan Tian Record, he needed to officially join the Tang Sect. But until he formally took a master, he couldn't claim to be a Tang Sect disciple.
No master, no sect!
As such, the Tang Sect's fortune and influence had yet to manifest on Huo Yuhao.
To obtain the glorious title of "Tang Sect Disciple," Huo Yuhao was determined.
Huo Yuhao: "Come back, Master Tang Ya!"
Leaving Tian Dou City and traveling northward, Huo Yuhao glanced at Zhang Lexuan's back.
"The way that master passed down his teachings gave me some inspiration. Perhaps… I could also…"
…
With matters at the Body Sect settled, Huo Yuhao turned his main focus toward the Sun Moon Empire.
The Death God Envoy had been pushed nearly to her breaking point. In order to prevent her spirit and soul from completely collapsing, Huo Yuhao stopped using her for combat.
Now, he mainly used her to give commands to the White Lotus Sect and the Oduo Trading Association—and occasionally perform for the Third Prince's benefit.
The eunuch Gao was still undercover beside the Death God Envoy, handling certain tasks that she couldn't manage herself. So far, he hadn't needed to act.
Huo Yuhao's primary "account" now was that of the Third Prince, Xu Tiancheng.
Three days had passed since the Mingdu bombing incident. Although Mingdu seemed to have returned to normal and reopened to the public, the atmosphere was still tense.
Entry and exit had become far more difficult, with tighter security checks.
Though Mingdu had no walls, that didn't mean there were no inspections. In fact, the entire city was shielded by a massive soul device barrier, making surveillance even easier.
Anyone who wanted to enter or leave Mingdu had to pass through the barrier—leaving a trace behind.
Compliance was fine. Refusal? That meant trouble.
Mingdu was watching for any potential threats!
This raised a major issue—
"Reporting to the Saintess: Security checks in Mingdu have become too strict. Our Holy Sect's disciples cannot infiltrate."
Outside Mingdu, in a mountain area, two Holy Spirit Church members were kneeling and reporting to two figures standing before them.
The figures—one male, one female—stood tall and imposing. The woman at the front wore a blue-black saintess robe, with a graceful figure and an aura of sanctity. A blue-black vine-woven mask obscured her face, concealing her true appearance.
The man behind her had a tall frame, dressed like a knight, a longsword at his waist, and a matching blue-black outfit. He also wore a metallic mask.
Both revealed only their eyes, exuding an air of deep mystery.
They were—
The Blue Silver Saintess and the Blue Silver Knight!
Tang Ya and Bei Bei!