"This is...!" Xuanzi's eyes widened in shock—he recognized the dragon core. He had seen Mu En's dragon core before. He had even once been assigned the task of attempting to purge the malevolent energy within it. Sadly, he had failed.
But not all the elders were familiar with it, including Shi Xing.
"This dragon core was left behind by our teacher," Huo Yuhao explained to everyone without any hesitation, "Before his final moments, he used all his remaining strength to purify the malevolent energy within the core, and infused his entire being—his soul and power—into it. He said this dragon core would be enough to help someone suitable condense a second soul core and break through to the realm of the Limit!"
"Senior Brother Xuanzi, your Gluttonous Divine Bull martial soul has dragon blood in it. If you use this dragon core, your cultivation will surely accelerate, and you might even fully awaken your gluttonous bloodline—transforming your martial soul into a true Taotie!"
In fact, Xuanzi's martial soul was similar to Xu Sanshi's—it wasn't in its complete state.
Xu Sanshi's Mysterious Underworld Turtle martial soul could evolve into the Black Tortoise.
Xuanzi's Gluttonous Divine Bull martial soul could evolve into the legendary Taotie.
Martial souls like these had immense potential, but they typically came with certain flaws.
For example, Xu Sanshi's flaw required intimacy with a woman to awaken his full power. Xuanzi, on the other hand, was influenced by his martial soul's nature—causing him to overeat and indulge in gluttony.
As for Beibei?
His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul evolved into the Radiant Holy Dragon purely through his own potential—it wasn't due to an incomplete bloodline. So, Beibei didn't show any of the drawbacks that Xu Sanshi or Xuanzi had.
Though the three had similar martial soul types, their nature was fundamentally different.
That Xuanzi had managed to reach level 98 with an incomplete Gluttonous Divine Bull martial soul was proof of both the strength of his martial soul and his own incredible talent.
During the beast tide, Xuanzi had sacrificed part of his lifespan to activate more of his gluttonous bloodline, awakening more of its power.
Now, he had even managed to control himself better, no longer constantly clutching a chicken leg—this was a clear sign that the strengthening of his bloodline had lessened the negative effects of the previously incomplete awakening.
At this moment, as Xuanzi gazed at the dragon core, his eyes turned red and his lips trembled.
Mu En's figure seemed to appear before him once more, smiling kindly.
Others felt the same way. Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er were both deeply moved. Xian Lin'er even burst into tears on the spot, prompting Qian Duoduo to try and comfort her. Cai Meier quietly held Yan Shaozhe's trembling hand.
Huo Yuhao ignored the couples showing affection—he simply watched Xuanzi in silence.
Xuanzi knew his own condition well.
Though he had declared that he would train with all his might to break through his current limits, he knew the chances were slim. He was just hoping to give it one last try.
He had already mentally prepared to retreat into the Great Star Dou Forest in five years, to perish like a moth to the flame.
But now, Huo Yuhao had brought him hope.
With this dragon core, the Limit was once again within reach. He might even be able to stand against Di Tian!
No one else spoke; everyone quietly waited for Xuanzi's decision.
Some elders discreetly wiped their eyes, moved that Mu En had still thought of Shrek Academy even in death. He had been willing to sacrifice himself entirely—even allowing his body to vanish—to protect the Academy.
However, after the initial excitement, Xuanzi shook his head. "No. It would be a waste for me to use this dragon core."
He looked at Huo Yuhao. "Yuhao, I know you're a good kid, but I can't accept this dragon core! The one it's more suited for... is you!"
The elders were stunned, then quickly understood.
Indeed, Huo Yuhao possessed both dragon blood and light attributes—he was a better match for the core.
Moreover, as Huo Yuhao's dragon blood evolved, his martial soul would grow even more powerful!
None of this was a secret to the elders, so they quickly realized the implications.
Excitement began to ripple through the group.
With the help of this dragon core, Huo Yuhao could rapidly increase his strength and perhaps even break through to become a Limit Douluo faster!
"Yuhao clearly understands all this," one elder thought to himself. "Yet he still chose to give the dragon core to Xuanzi. We truly didn't misjudge him."
The elders couldn't help but admire Huo Yuhao's noble heart.
But Huo Yuhao calmly placed the dragon core on the table, then stepped back and bowed slightly. With a firm expression, he said:
"Senior Brother Xuanzi, please use the dragon core!"
"Yuhao, you—!" Xuanzi hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to be so stubborn.
In the end, after refusing three times and being urged three times, Xuanzi reluctantly accepted the dragon core. His emotions were a tangled mess, and he nearly wept.
Huo Yuhao, however, smiled happily.
Qian Duoduo grew anxious, but was silenced by a glare from Elder Lin. Even Elder Lin wanted to speak up, but in the end, she only sighed.
"Yuhao is just like Wang Dong'er—appears gentle, but once they've made a decision, no one can change their mind."
Seeing Huo Yuhao's joyful smile, the elders grew even fonder of him. They believed he had inherited Mu En's spirit and love for Shrek Academy.
And Huo Yuhao had every reason to be happy.
That dragon core was prepared for Xuanzi.
"With the help of this dragon core, Xuanzi should be able to break through to level 99 and fully awaken his Taotie bloodline. Then, he'll be ripe for me to harvest and refine."
The Sea God's Pavilion meeting concluded.
The elders dispersed.
The rest had nothing to do with Huo Yuhao. Besides, the busy elders wouldn't have time to monitor him.
So, Huo Yuhao was finally free to deal with the spoils of the beast tide.
Indeed, for the past three days, he had refrained from handling his gains from the beast tide, in order not to reveal any weaknesses.
Now that things had calmed down, Huo Yuhao quietly entered Shrek City and arrived at a secluded private courtyard.
This courtyard had been arranged with the help of Nan Shuishui. It was remote but well-hidden, and Huo Yuhao had personally set up defensive measures. Even titled Douluos wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
The courtyard was simply furnished.
It had a small, elegant building with front and rear gardens. The back garden featured a pond and a small bamboo grove.
After entering the building, Huo Yuhao descended to a hidden cultivation chamber specifically set up for this purpose.
He sat cross-legged.
Then, he summoned his martial souls.
First came the Mutated Frost Centipede Martial Soul.
As soon as it appeared, the frost centipede began crawling around lively—and then astonishingly stood up to walk on two legs.
The influence of the Skydream Iceworm and its transformation into a "yokai" had clearly left traces on the centipede.
Although it was stuck at level 80, the mutated frost centipede could still unleash power comparable to regular titled Douluos—perhaps even Super Douluos.
It had already transformed into a yokai and gained sentience.
Attributes: Ultimate Ice, Ultimate Poison, Light, Spirit
Soul Rings: Red, Black, Black, Black, Black, Red, Red
Three red and four black soul rings. The first and seventh red rings had exceeded 300,000 years, and the sixth was close to 200,000 years. The four black rings were all above 50,000 years.
Abilities: Centipede Leg Clones, Skydream Illusion, Devour and Assimilate
These improvements came from following Huo Yuhao in hunting soul beasts and kings in the mountains and participating in the beast tide, which enhanced the soul rings' age and allowed absorption via the Devour and Assimilate technique.
"The Mutated Frost Centipede Martial Soul should continue absorbing soul rings to help raise my soul power. But more importantly, it needs to formally begin its yokai cultivation."
"Now that its bloodline is no longer suppressed, it needs only to supplement its bloodline further. Once all three pairs of wings grow, it will become a complete Mutated Frost Centipede!"
Then came the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul.
The Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul, though a beautiful woman, was quite large—three meters tall. She had six pairs of wings, a holy halo above her head, and was draped in white silk that covered her vital areas.
Fortunately, the stone chamber was tall and wide enough.
Looking at the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul, Huo Yuhao was reminded of the "Eight-Foot Lady."
This Martial Soul also possessed its own intelligence, though it wasn't a demon cultivator. Despite inheriting Wang Xian'er's memories, her mind was like a child's—innocent and naïve.
However, her aura was full of light, exuding a sense of compassion and gentleness.
Upon being summoned, she gazed at Huo Yuhao with undisguised affection and immediately pulled him into her arms.
Being near the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul gave a sense of purification and healing, as if all fatigue melted away.
Huo Yuhao struggled for a bit before managing to free his head and then had the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul stay off to the side.
She was very obedient and soon began playing with the Variant Frost Centipede Martial Soul.
Their mentalities were about the same.
Although the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul was the last to become one of Huo Yuhao's Martial Souls, her cultivation level was already at Rank 99.
Even as a purely support-type soul, she could still unleash considerable offensive power through soul ring abilities.
Her attributes were Life and Light. Though not at the extreme level yet, she was close.
Soul Rings: Two 100,000-year soul rings.
These came from the Forest Deer King and the Rainbow Scale Butterfly King, each providing signature soul skills—some with control, others with offensive power.
"She'll need seven more soul rings. I can also select a suitable cultivation technique from orthodox paths for her to train in," Huo Yuhao thought.
He had thoroughly inspected her—although a puppet, she had a flesh-and-blood body indistinguishable from a human's.
And she was capable of cultivating like a human cultivator.
For a furnace, basic rapid-cultivation techniques were enough. But for the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul, he had to choose a method best suited to her attributes.
There's a difference between tools and family.
Based on her attributes, it was clear she needed a righteous-path cultivation method.
Next was the Evil-Eyed Martial Soul.
Not much had changed, though seven potentials had been activated—granting seven different eye abilities.
They were:
Ice and Snow Eye
Evil Eye
Eye of All Laws
Destruction Eye
Golden Eye
Blue-Gold Eye
Soul-Capturing Eye
Three more potentials remained. After that would come the second awakening of the main Martial Soul.
It currently had only one soul ring: the million-year ring of the Skydream Iceworm.
The remaining slots were reserved for other fierce beasts.
Huo Yuhao didn't consider condensing soul rings on his own—it wasn't meaningful.
Soul ring absorption was still bound by the world's rules. Once his cultivation reached mastery and he continued on the cultivator's path, would soul rings even still be necessary?
The Soul Fusion Technique had already pushed things to the limit—no need to ask for more.
Finally, the Ghost Banner Martial Soul.
As soon as it was summoned, it emitted an intensely murderous aura. The temperature in the chamber dropped instantly, and frost formed on the walls.
It caught the attention of both the Variant Frost Centipede and the Healing Angel Puppet Martial Souls. But neither feared it—because the Ghost Banner Martial Soul was Huo Yuhao's life-bound artifact and bore his aura.
The Ghost Banner Martial Soul had changed the most after the recent beast tide.
It had absorbed a massive amount of beast souls and Blood Fiend Qi.
Its aura was now more terrifying than ever. The blood-red and black colors on the banner emitted a dim glow that sent chills down the spine.
It still had four soul rings, mostly gray. Only special soul beasts or those with great fortune were qualified to attach soul rings to it.
"If I can't get nine soul rings for it, I'll use divine souls instead."
In terms of attributes, the Ghost Banner Martial Soul leaned toward Yin and Evil—an amalgamation of Darkness, Soul, and Evil attributes. On Douluo Continent, it was undoubtedly an evil-type Martial Soul.
It had absorbed over a thousand beast souls of ten-thousand-year grade or stronger—including Soul Kings.
This far exceeded Huo Yuhao's original expectations. It was thanks to Xuanzi's final explosion, which caused massive losses among the beast hordes.
The fierce beasts like Bear Sovereign were heartbroken at the time.
This caused the Ghost Banner Martial Soul to evolve to a much higher level.
It even absorbed Mu En's soul.
After becoming a ghost, Mu En, no longer hindered by age or hidden ailments, had his strength enhanced—rising from near-Demigod to full Demigod.
However, Huo Yuhao did not restore Mu En's sentience, leaving him under the control of Demonic Reign.
Huo Yuhao didn't want to argue with Mu En about right or wrong. All he cared was that Mu En's power was usable and effective—that was enough.
Another major boost came from the absorption of vast amounts of Blood Fiend Qi, which caused the Blood Fiend Domain to evolve.
Just as the Killing God Domain could evolve through constant slaughter into the Slaughter Domain, the Blood Fiend Domain had evolved into the Blood Massacre Domain.
Its debuff effect on enemies and buff effect on self had both been enhanced. It also gained the ability to condense Blood Fiend Qi into physical form.
This included creating Blood Fiend Blades to throw at enemies—or controlling them like flying swords.
Within the Blood Massacre Domain, these Blood Fiend Blades never missed!
However, absorbing all that Blood Fiend Qi brought even more change to the Ghost Banner Martial Soul.
Huo Yuhao looked at the blood-red sphere at the top of the Ghost Banner.
This sphere wasn't part of the Ghost Banner by default—it was the birth vessel of the Blood Fiend Holy Flag's artifact spirit, a parasitic presence.
Because it had given him the Blood Fiend Domain, Huo Yuhao had tolerated its existence.
But now that the domain had evolved into the Blood Massacre Domain, and the previously slumbering artifact spirit had awakened, it could no longer be allowed to remain.
Although it was still hiding—thinking it well concealed—how could Huo Yuhao, who shared a life bond with the Ghost Banner, not notice?
He wanted to keep the Blood Massacre Domain, but not the foreign artifact spirit. It had to go.
Huo Yuhao touched his brow, summoning the Evil God Spear.
After absorbing the Dragon Orb's malevolence, the spear looked even more vicious.
Huo Yuhao aimed it at the sphere atop the Ghost Banner—and thrust!
"You awaken only to hide? Clearly harboring ill intent—you're already on the path to death!"
"The spear shows no mercy!"
From the sphere came an urgent shout—it had clearly realized it had been discovered and was highly intelligent. But its voice revealed no discernible gender.
Huo Yuhao had no intention of sparing it.
The artifact spirit had no choice but to save itself.
Two streams of blood shot out from the sphere—not to attack Huo Yuhao, but to form a pair of bloody hands, which clapped together and caught the Evil God Spear mid-thrust.
Zzzzz—
Like butter meeting a hot iron plate, the blood-red hands screeched on contact with the spear, obviously injured and suppressed by its power.
But the artifact spirit didn't dare let go.
Because letting go meant death!
"Huo Yuhao—no, Brother Hao! Brother Hao, please spare me! I'll surrender willingly!"
The artifact spirit panicked!
It hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to detect its awakening—let alone act so decisively, without uttering a word, immediately striking with a killing move.
Wasn't it supposed to be dormant within the Ghost Banner Martial Soul?
And that Evil God Spear—how could anyone casually stab with something like that?
Not only was the Evil God Spear inherently malevolent, but it also possessed a powerful suppressive force against similarly evil entities like artifact spirits.
The artifact spirit had awakened after the beast tide. Hiding within the Ghost Banner Martial Soul, it had spent the last few days quietly observing Huo Yuhao—coming to understand his power and danger, which was why it hadn't dared to reveal itself.
What truly gave it false hope was Huo Yuhao seemingly ignoring it.
Now, with Huo Yuhao about to strike decisively, it could no longer remain hidden. It hurried to beg for mercy, hoping to surrender and survive.
Over those days of observation, the artifact spirit also noticed that Huo Yuhao seemed to enjoy being called Brother Hao—at least, that's what his allies called him.
Yet, the Evil God Spear in Huo Yuhao's hand showed no sign of relenting.
"To be born with such high intelligence means you're cunning— I can't let you live."
Huo Yuhao activated his Spirit Eyes and summoned the power of his right-arm spirit bone, pushing the Evil God Spear closer to the bead housing the artifact spirit.
The artifact spirit panicked, extending more blood-soaked hands in an attempt to block the spear. But it couldn't stop it—in fact, the Evil God Spear's power was eroding and devouring its own.
The sensation of being dissolved and consumed inflicted great pain on the spirit. Still, it didn't dare resist. All it could do was beg desperately.
"Brother Hao, please spare me! Let me live—I'm willing to submit! I want to grow stronger! I—I have other abilities that could help you!"
"Oh?" Huo Yuhao seemed intrigued. While keeping his stance firm, he asked curiously, "What kind of abilities?"
"Brother Hao, look at this Evil God Spear—"
"Cut the crap!"
Huo Yuhao was about to strike again.
"Wait wait wait! I'll talk! I'll talk!" the artifact spirit immediately gave in and revealed its powers.
"I have the ability to control blood puppets!"
In the Blood Slaughter Domain, the artifact spirit could manipulate blood puppets.
According to it, it could use the absorbed blood within the domain to create puppets that replicated the original target's power—then send them into battle.
As long as blood kept flowing, the blood puppets could continuously regenerate. The more blood absorbed, the more puppets it could create.
In short—it was a zerg-rush style of overwhelming numbers.
Once it matured, this terrifying ability could shake the entire continent. After all, it only required blood—even a single drop—to replicate a puppet possessing most of the original's power.
Killing a powerful enemy instantly was hard, but making them bleed? That was easy for Huo Yuhao.
"Any other powers?" Huo Yuhao asked calmly.
"No… no more," the artifact spirit answered blankly. As a newly born artifact spirit, it thought it had already developed an exceptional ability. Wasn't that enough?
"Then you can die now."
"What?!"
The spirit was shocked—it realized Huo Yuhao had been toying with it all along. Its tone turned vicious.
"Huo Yuhao! You think I can't fight back—AHHH!!"
Before it could finish its threat, it screamed in agony—not from the Evil God Spear, but from within the Ghost Banner Martial Soul itself.
"Little spirit, you let your guard down. Be more careful in your next life," said the aged voice of Electrolux from within the Ghost Banner.
A chain specially designed to bind spiritual entities wrapped tightly around the spirit's bead.
At the same time, under Huo Yuhao's command, Mu En unleashed light energy to enshroud the orb.
With two demigods working in tandem, the spirit, no matter how unique, stood no chance of resisting.
Huo Yuhao sneered.
"To deal with you, the power of the Ghost Banner was already enough. I never needed the Evil God Spear. I was just testing you. Looks like you're not as dangerous as I thought. Now, die."
Clearly, the spirit was still hiding something, but its submissive attitude revealed that its trump cards couldn't truly threaten Huo Yuhao.
If they could, it wouldn't have grovelled so quickly.
Its hidden power didn't matter—what mattered was whether it posed a real threat.
The answer was no.
Suddenly, the Evil God Spear emitted a flash of light. The dark demon evil god tiger's spirit emerged from the weapon, roaring and shattering all the bloody hands, freeing the spear.
In the next second, without Huo Yuhao even commanding it, the Evil God Spear stabbed into the orb, beginning to devour the spirit's power.
"ARGHHH!!"
The spirit screamed in agony.
For evil beings like it, their essence could actually be used as nourishment for the Evil God Spear, even allowing it to develop new abilities.
So, rather than waste it—it was better to make use of the trash.
The spirit stared at Huo Yuhao in disbelief, powerless to resist. Even without a face, Huo Yuhao could feel its gaze.
"Why?" the spirit used its last strength to ask.
"Why could the dark demon evil god tiger be spared and even become the Evil God Spear's spirit, yet you won't let me live?"
With Electrolux and Mu En both striking together, the spirit could only surrender to fate.
Huo Yuhao replied with a calm expression:
"If you don't die, I can't sleep."
And just like that, the newly awakened spirit, full of resentment, was utterly annihilated.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao ran several checks to confirm the spirit hadn't escaped—not even a shred.
Because artifact spirit reincarnation wasn't unheard of.
With the spirit gone, the orb on the Ghost Banner Martial Soul immediately cracked, its previously glowing blood-red surface turning dull and lifeless.
The Blood Slaughter Domain suffered a heavy blow.
It had only just begun to grow in strength—yet it was already fading away.
If the spirit was killed, it would inevitably affect the domain's quality—perhaps even shatter it entirely. That was unavoidable.
But for Huo Yuhao, a self-aware artifact spirit was a greater threat.
Especially one born from blood fiend energy!
An artifact spirit born of such baleful energy was bound to be ominous—always carrying the risk of turning on its master.
Only madmen or the suicidal would dare try to tame such a thing. Even evil cultivators would hesitate.
Even with traditional refinement techniques, this kind of spirit could taint its owner's fate.
Let alone a malevolent spirit with a will of its own—many magical swords without spirits already backfired on their wielders. What of a weapon with one?
Besides, what kind of proper artifact spirit is born with that much intelligence right away?
Just look at the frost centipede variant and the healing angel puppet spirits—they still act like naive college students.
The dark demon evil god tiger became the spear's spirit because it was a perfect fit—and not a naturally formed spirit. It couldn't influence Huo Yuhao and was easier to control.
Now, having consumed the spirit, the Evil God Spear glowed with a crimson light. The tiger spirit yawned like a lazy cat, clearly satisfied after a feast.
Huo Yuhao ignored everything else. Raising a hand, he formed a hand seal and muttered:
"Eunuch Gao, the time of creation is now. Will you not reveal yourself?"
As Huo Yuhao let out a low shout, Eunuch Gao's ghostly spirit shot out from the Ghost Banner martial soul. After bowing respectfully to Huo Yuhao, he excitedly plunged into the shattered sphere.
Having invested substantial resources into developing the Bloodslaughter Domain, Huo Yuhao naturally wasn't willing to abandon it so easily.
Fortunately, even though the artifact spirit had been lost and the Bloodslaughter Domain was breaking apart, it wasn't beyond saving.
The solution: find it a new artifact spirit!
Huo Yuhao had many ghostly souls that could be used for refining an artifact spirit. This time, he chose to give the opportunity to Eunuch Gao.
After all, Huo Yuhao had long promised him this chance. Moreover, Gao had executed several tasks diligently.
Also, Gao's martial soul, Heaven-Crippled Earth Sunflower, had a faint connection to the Bloodslaughter Domain in terms of aura.
Namely—blood.
The Heaven-Crippled Earth Sunflower was red not by coincidence. Once stained with blood, it would become stronger—be it from the blood of enemies or of the wielder themselves.
Although the martial soul was sinister, causing the soul master to become a eunuch, it wasn't considered an evil martial soul since it didn't require blood consumption to cultivate.
In fact, if not for its flaw of sterilizing its wielder and being untransmittable, the Heaven-Crippled Earth Sunflower would be classified as a top-tier martial soul, one ideal for combat, potentially forming the foundation of a powerful clan.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
However, as Gao was refined into the sphere and became its new artifact spirit, both his soul and martial soul were affected by the Bloodslaughter Domain and began to mutate.
The mutation, influenced by the aura of bloodlust, caused the Heaven-Crippled Earth Sunflower to begin transforming into an evil martial soul, yet simultaneously remedied some of its flaws.
One such flaw was the inability to break through level 90!
Buzz~~
Soul power surged from within the sphere, rapidly growing until Eunuch Gao finally reached level 90!
His figure merged with the orb, while his martial soul emerged above it, floating in the air.
Two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings—eight in total—encircled the martial soul.
Just one ring short of becoming a Titled Douluo.
The blood-red sunflower had grown in size and emanated a ferocious, violent aura, its very presence soaked in the scent of blood. It looked like a flower grown from blood.
The orb began to transform. Though its cracks didn't heal, its shape subtly shifted, forming a sunflower pattern. It also shrank slightly, becoming more refined—a pearl, more accurately.
The formerly collapsing Bloodslaughter Domain stabilized again—and even grew stronger.
At last, Huo Yuhao flipped his hand, sent a mark into the pearl with a low chant, and completed its refinement.
Eunuch Gao was now fully integrated as the pearl's artifact spirit.
"Condense!!"
Eunuch Gao's figure, now the artifact spirit, flew out of the pearl and merged with the blood-colored sunflower above.
The Bloodslaughter Domain reassembled successfully and enveloped Gao. Countless streams of bloodlust energy surged toward him, condensing into a blood-colored ninth soul ring on top of his others!
"Self-condensed soul ring?" Huo Yuhao's eyes turned into the Eyes of Universal Insight, examining the changes.
He quickly understood: "So, it's a feedback loop from the artifact to the artifact spirit after becoming one."
Such a result was difficult to reproduce unless all conditions were exactly the same—a broken domain artifact, an artifact spirit's soul lacking a ninth soul ring.
The soul ring condensed through the artifact's feedback was virtually equivalent to a regular soul ring, allowing Eunuch Gao to break through to level 91.
Still, the ninth ring was more like a symbol of identity than a massive power boost, and didn't provide much soul power. Luckily, Gao could now resume normal cultivation.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao had completed the artifact's refinement, giving him full control over the pearl—and insight into the changes within.
The Bloodslaughter Pearl now stored a vast amount of bloodlust energy. The domain's effects were unchanged, but with the artifact spirit, Huo Yuhao could manipulate the bloodlust energy more effectively.
The biggest change was in Eunuch Gao.
Not only had his soul power broken through, his martial soul had further mutated.
From Heaven-Crippled Earth Sunflower to Bloodslaughter Earth Sunflower!
This new form was deeply tied to the Bloodslaughter Domain. As the domain grew, the sunflower would evolve with it.
Its new feature: it could absorb more blood to amplify its attacks.
The ninth soul ring, though red, was formed from bloodlust energy—not a true hundred-thousand-year soul ring. It had only one ability, without a true soul skill.
But that ability was simple and powerful: for a short time, it could double the Bloodslaughter Domain's power!
If Gao chose to burn his soul, the domain's power could be increased even further.
However, now that he was no longer bound to the Ghost Banner, if his soul dissipated, he would be truly dead.
Overall, Huo Yuhao was very satisfied with this artifact refinement.
The Evil God Spear had consumed the old artifact spirit and grown stronger.
Replacing it with Gao ensured that the pearl wouldn't affect Huo Yuhao's fate and guaranteed Gao's loyalty.
"Let this pearl be called the Bloodslaughter Pearl!"
Though different from the Ghost Banner martial soul, the Bloodslaughter Pearl could still be used in tandem and recalled through the same martial soul imprint.
Soon, the Bloodslaughter Domain was retracted into the pearl. Gao's soul power calmed. He condensed into a physical form and landed before Huo Yuhao, eyes filled with overwhelming emotion.
He knew gratitude—and immediately tried to kneel in thanks, only to be lifted up by Huo Yuhao.
"We're one of our own. No need for that," Huo Yuhao said with a smile.
Eunuch Gao was even more moved. His gaze toward Huo Yuhao burned with loyalty and resolve—ready to die for his benefactor.
"Brother Hao, thank you for fulfilling my wish! From now on, whatever Brother Hao commands, I will do without hesitation—even unto death!"
"I know the Duke's Manor and the Star Luo Palace well. When Brother Hao moves, I'll be the first to charge!"
"Hahaha… good!" Huo Yuhao laughed heartily and didn't refuse Gao's declaration of loyalty.
Looking at the nine soul rings now on his body, Gao was moved to tears.
Who would've thought that all his life, chasing power and striving to become a Titled Douluo, he would fail while alive, but succeed after death?
More importantly, he felt respected by Huo Yuhao.
Though he had once been a Soul Douluo, he was always treated as a servant in front of his old masters.
Only with Huo Yuhao did he finally feel like he was treated as a true strong warrior.
Even though Huo Yuhao was far stronger than he was.
"With such magnanimity, if Brother Hao doesn't succeed, then heaven itself would be unjust!" Eunuch Gao thought, overwhelmed with emotion.
Originally, the ability of the artifact spirit to condense blood puppets from fresh blood was not retained, nor inherited by Eunuch Gao.
But that didn't matter.
The blood puppet's ability was indeed powerful, but unfortunately, Huo Yuhao could directly control ghosts and still mass-produce soldiers.
Moreover, the strength of a blood puppet ultimately depended on the amount of blood fiend energy contained within the Blood Slaughter Bead. If that energy was exhausted, the blood puppet would be useless.
Did you really think summoning a blood puppet with nearly the original body's strength from a single drop of blood came at no cost?
All that strength was fueled by the blood fiend energy!
"Eunuch Gao, go back and rest inside the Blood Slaughter Bead for a while. You've just become an artifact spirit, and need time to adapt to the artifact. It's not suitable to stay outside for too long."
"Understood, Brother Hao."
Eunuch Gao had no objections and obediently returned to the Blood Slaughter Bead.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao retracted his other martial souls and only maintained the possession of the Evil Eye martial soul. The Evil God Spear was also recalled.
There was still one more gain to process.
It was the orb dropped by the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, took out the orb, placed it on his palm, and then used the power of the Evil Eye martial soul to activate the elemental power inside the orb.
If everything went smoothly, Huo Yuhao would gain the ability to control multiple elements, just like the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger—and in doing so, unlock new potential in his Evil Eye martial soul.
The elemental powers of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger were quite impressive, especially since they included the rare attributes of Time and Space. It was worthy of becoming the new potential of the Evil Eye.
As Huo Yuhao activated the power in the orb, the orb in his hand began to float, hovering in front of him, releasing energy that resonated with his Evil Eye martial soul.
Gradually, various elemental powers were stripped from the orb and fused into Huo Yuhao's eyes.
They were—Wind, Lightning, Evil, Strength, Space, and Time!
And as Huo Yuhao absorbed these, his Evil Eye martial soul changed once again. His pupils turned into a pair of sinister blood-red cat-like vertical pupils.
Within them, the attributes lay hidden, waiting to be released.
In his fate, a point of potential quietly disappeared.
A new pair of eyes was born!
After he had extracted these six attributes, the orb did not disappear. Instead, it turned pure white, and in the next moment, two more elemental powers burst forth from it, surging into Huo Yuhao's eyes.
These two new powers were—Spirit and Holy!
These two forces entering his eyes took Huo Yuhao by surprise.
Because this far exceeded his expectations.
"This wasn't in the original novel!"
"Why is there a Holy attribute? Won't the Holy and Evil attributes conflict?"
But surprisingly, there was no conflict. Both coexisted harmoniously in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao remembered another book related to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's core, one of the early works of that adult.
"Heavenly Jewel Change"!
In that story, the protagonist Zhou Weiqing obtained the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's core—an item that the great Tang God King had once failed to master—and it became his left-hand life-bound jewel.
Through it, Zhou Weiqing gained six elemental powers like the tiger itself. Later, through union with his wife Tian'er, whose "Holy" attribute acted as a catalyst, he unlocked hidden powers.
Those hidden powers in the life-bound jewel were Spirit and Holy!
The Holy element is also a type of attribute.
But like how the Wood attribute is often subsumed by Life, Holy is usually subsumed by Light.
Only those who develop the Holy attribute independently will have it stand alone, making it very rare.
For example, the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul has the Holy attribute and is also known as the Holy Angel Martial Soul. The Bright Sacred Dragon Martial Soul also contains the Holy attribute, though it's primarily a Light attribute martial soul with a Holy aura.
"Legend has it that the power of the Evil God descended upon a White Tiger—these Holy and Spirit attributes align with many traits of pureblood White Tigers. Could the legend be true?" Huo Yuhao pondered the origins of these two hidden attributes.
"Zhou Weiqing, huh..."
He was a heavyweight too—part of the Tang God King's camp. If there were to be a conflict with the God Realm in the future, Zhou would be an unavoidable opponent.
"I wonder which is stronger—my Evil God's Eye, or his Stone Cat Eyes of Multiple Transformations?"
Huo Yuhao no longer hesitated and fully absorbed the two hidden attributes.
The Spirit attribute matched perfectly with his Evil Eye martial soul. With the orb's energy, his Evil Eye evolved to include new Spirit-based abilities.
Only after completely draining the Spirit and Holy powers did the orb finally shatter and vanish.
Thus, Huo Yuhao's eyes now wielded the powers of:
Wind, Lightning, Evil, Strength, Space, Time, Spirit, and Holy!
Eight elemental powers!
He could now strengthen his newly awakened eyes by absorbing corresponding attribute energies.
And this newly awakened pair of eyes was what Huo Yuhao named:
The Evil God's Eye!
Absorption complete, he closed his eyes to consolidate the gains.
When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes again, they had returned to normal—but now shone with even more brilliance.
Another gain had been successfully processed.
Next was the fusion of Mu En's soul bone, which required a tribulation and couldn't be done in Shrek City.
Only one final gain remained.
Huo Yuhao looked up slightly—toward the attic above.
Within the Ghost Banner Martial Soul space.
From the neighboring Blood Slaughter Bead, artifact spirit Eunuch Gao was invited as a guest by Electrolux. The main spirits of the Ghost Banner Martial Soul and a few sentient ghosts had gathered, creating a lively atmosphere.
Golden Tortoise, Ah Hui, and Ah Tai followed Skydream Iceworm, leading a group of soul beast spirits to form the "Soul Beast Faction."
At the forefront of this faction was none other than Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Even in ghost form, her status was high—being a main spirit. Golden Tortoise also instinctively respected her.
Parading around with beast spirits and bullying others had become the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's new pastime.
Who knew how long it would entertain her?
Electrolux, with his dimwitted disciple and Caitou, had been in high spirits lately. As Caitou's strength increased, so did his wisdom and speed in learning necromancy.
Eunuch Gao, being originally from the Ghost Banner Martial Soul, was at ease and quickly surrounded himself with sentient soul master ghosts. They chatted happily and congratulated him, though with clear envy.
They too longed to grow stronger!
Some soul master ghosts who refused to accept their reality were cast aside to accompany Mu En, Forest Deer King, and the Colorful Scaled Butterfly King—souls with no sense of self.
They were now the primary targets of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's beatings.
Clearly, as more intelligent ghosts emerged, factional lines began forming inside the Ghost Banner Martial Soul.
Interestingly, the soul beast spirits were especially united.
On the second floor of the attic, inside the bedroom.
The bedroom was originally decorated romantically by Nan Shuishui—but another woman had entered first.
It was Zi Ji, still under the control of Demonic Reign Over the World.
Though she was basically just a high-quality puppet under control—barely better than a silicone doll—Huo Yuhao didn't mind.
This wasn't about pleasure—but about her 200,000 years of pure yin essence.
Huo Yuhao had no intention of showing mercy or affection. He used the most direct and brutal dual-cultivation technique.
"Let's hope you'll help me further strengthen my physique and condense even more Blood Qi Soul Rings!"