After Huo Yuhao left, Qian Ran lost interest in continuing to toy with Huo Yun'er.
After indulging in some intimacy for a while longer, Qian Ran decided not to push things further. If he did, Huo Yuhao might truly snap.
"Sweet Yun'er, in a couple of days, we'll go take wedding photos. When the time comes, have Yuhao be our photographer. I think he'll make an excellent cameraman." Qian Ran kissed Huo Yun'er's forehead, his tone filled with amusement.
As for whether Huo Yuhao would agree, Qian Ran had his own ways of ensuring compliance.
Would Huo Yuhao really feel comfortable letting him and Huo Yun'er go take wedding photos alone? Impossible.
By then, Huo Yuhao might even volunteer himself, just to keep an eye on them and make sure nothing untoward happened. Refusing wasn't an option for him.
Thinking about it made Qian Ran a bit excited.
Perhaps he could invite Dong'er along too, taking photos with two stunning beauties at once. Wouldn't that make Huo Yuhao even happier?
"Understood, Master. Is it tomorrow?" Upon hearing Qian Ran's plan to take wedding photos with her, Huo Yun'er's cheeks flushed red with excitement, her heart racing.
She was just a lowly maid by her master's side. Yet, she had the honor of taking wedding photos with him, almost as though she were his wife. What a privilege this was!
Although Qian Ran rarely treated Huo Yun'er as just a maid, she always regarded herself as his servant. Over time, Qian Ran stopped bothering to correct her.
If Huo Yun'er was happy with this role, why should Qian Ran insist otherwise?
A maid like her was just perfect in his eyes.
She was provocative and obedient—an irresistible combination.
"In a couple of days. I'll check if I have any other plans first." Qian Ran paused to consider. He still had plans to visit the Star Dou Forest—it was time.
After all, his reserves of female soul beasts were running low.
Xue Di and Bing Di had already contributed their soul rings and bones. His second martial soul, the Golden Dragon, currently only had Xue Di's 700,000-year soul ring and Bing Di's 400,000-year soul ring.
To acquire more soul rings, he would need more female soul beasts to offer themselves.
If he visited the Star Dou Forest and allied with Gu Yuena, what would she do upon learning that he could obtain soul rings and bones from soul beasts through such means?
That would be interesting.
Gu Yuena might even order Zi Ji, Bi Ji, and the others to willingly offer themselves to him.
Knowing Gu Yuena's personality, it was entirely possible.
Not just Zi Ji and Bi Ji—other unique and capable soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest, even those whose cultivation wasn't as advanced, might not escape their fate. The soul rings and bones Qian Ran acquired from soul beasts were all growth-type, and he cared more about the power of the soul skills than the beasts' cultivation level.
"Though, I wonder if Bi Ji and Zi Ji are still tied to Di Tian." Qian Ran pondered. He recalled that Zi Ji and Bi Ji were depicted as lovers with Di Tian in later parts of the story. He wasn't sure how their relationship stood during the Ultimate Douluo timeline.
However, if Gu Yuena issued an order, Di Tian would have no choice but to obey, no matter how reluctant he might be.
Heh. Perfect.
And Qiu'er? She wouldn't escape his grasp either.
Technically, Qiu'er could be considered Dong'er's sister. After all, both Qiu'er and Dong'er were fragments of Tang Wutong's soul. By logic, the two of them were sisters.
Qian Ran had no intention of letting them merge back into Tang Wutong.
Frankly, Qian Ran wasn't particularly interested in Tang Wutong herself.
Her appearance might be identical to Dong'er and Qiu'er's, but her personality was worlds apart—spoiled and headstrong. Why would Qian Ran let her out?
Choosing one versus having both—any rational person would pick the latter.
"Then there's Gu Yuena. If I acquire her soul ring and bone, those would start at several million years, wouldn't they?" The thought suddenly struck Qian Ran.
Indeed, Gu Yuena was also a soul beast.
If Qian Ran became the Silver Dragon Knight, wouldn't that grant him her soul ring and bone as well?
A mythical soul beast like Gu Yuena would likely provide a torso bone. If that happened, he'd have to replace the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion torso bone he'd fused from Bing Di. But that didn't matter to Qian Ran. He already had four powerful ice-type soul skills from Xue Di and two from Bing Di. Six ultimate ice-type skills were more than enough for him.
If he obtained Gu Yuena's soul ring and bone, how many soul rings and skills could he gain?
Perhaps, he could even harness Gu Yuena's unique attributes as the Silver Dragon, stepping closer to becoming an existence as powerful as the Dragon God.
The Dragon God's unparalleled strength came from its millions of years of cultivation and the combined innate talents of both the Golden Dragon and Silver Dragon—two top-tier dragon species.
At this rate, Qian Ran wouldn't just acquire the innate abilities of the Golden Dragon and Silver Dragon but also gain powers from other apex soul beasts.
Achieving this would make Qian Ran's potential far surpass that of the Dragon God—though his cultivation would still lag behind.
Besides, Qian Ran didn't rely solely on his second martial soul. He also possessed the Angel martial soul, which he believed had no less potential.
"Master, would you like Yun'er to accompany you to the Star Dou Forest?"
"No need. If you leave, Huo Yuhao will grow suspicious. I'm not done having my fun yet. How could I let the game end so soon? You can instruct the other maids under your command to enter my Sumeru Ring. From now on, that will be your home. I'll work on enhancing your strength in the meantime," Qian Ran replied.
"Yes, Master. I'll notify them shortly."
Currently, the Sumeru Ring contained the peculiar environment of the Icefire Yin Yang Well. The maids could figure out how to construct living quarters there. They were soul masters, so they should be capable with enough effort.
The Sumeru Ring could only be accessed by Qian Ran. Once someone entered, they became his exclusive possession. Without his permission, escape was impossible.
"When the time comes, I'll see if we can develop a portal within the Sumeru Ring that allows access to the outside world. Perhaps Gu Yuena could help with this. I want Yun'er and the others to have the ability to open it themselves. After all, I don't want the little world inside the Sumeru Ring to feel oppressive, like a prison. That would ruin the fun."
Qian Ran's ultimate goal was to create a paradise—an exclusive utopia for himself and his harem of beauties.
(End of Chapter)