soul land: Huo Yuhao Inheriting Centipede Immortal

After the first life-bound soul ring transformed into a divine ring, it didn't, like the Skydream Iceworm's million-year soul ring, grant two additional soul skills for a total of four.

Instead, the two existing soul skills were directly upgraded into divine skills!

Frost Centipede Poison evolved into Divine Frost Centipede Poison—still based on the core toxin of the mutant frost centipede martial soul. Now, however, it possessed toxicity powerful enough to threaten even gods.

Frost Centipede Fatal Strike became Divine Frost Centipede Slayer—still a destructive blow combining poison and ice attributes, but now with power strong enough to pierce divine defenses.

Divine skills, by definition, must rival the abilities of gods.

Back when the Snow Lotus obtained the divine skill "Devour – Sea God", it could dispel abnormal statuses and control effects—including those from god-level sources.

The problem was, on Douluo Star, divine skills were nearly unheard of. With Huo Yuhao's strength, very few control abilities or status effects could actually affect him.

As such, that first divine skill was rarely used and wasn't very useful to Huo Yuhao.

But now, with Divine Frost Centipede Poison and Divine Frost Centipede Slayer, Huo Yuhao possessed overwhelming power to deal with otherwise troublesome targets.

The mutant frost centipede martial soul stretched freely. On its forehead, the divine seal of the God of Wisdom radiated with iridescent light. Despite its monstrous appearance, it now exuded sacredness instead of fear.

In truth, the mutant frost centipede could no longer be classified as a beast or even a god-beast—it had essentially become a divine artifact.

That's because Huo Yuhao had long since refined it with destiny, turning it into a special living puppet: self-aware, capable of cultivation, yet not an independent lifeform.

The fact that the legacy of the God of Wisdom acknowledged it must mean it met the criteria—something even the God of Wisdom likely never imagined.

As for its other soul rings, there was no need to rely on the traditional fusion method to increase their age. The martial soul had now fully inherited the authority and techniques of the God of Wisdom—including the ability to increase its own soul ring age.

As cultivation continued, all of its soul rings could one day become divine rings.

Suddenly, the frost centipede spat out a ball of flame—and in the next second, it dove into it. Its massive body vanished in a blink.

A smaller version of it reappeared next to Huo Yuhao, climbing onto his shoulder and affectionately nuzzling his cheek.

"That was… Fire Escape?" Huo Yuhao was slightly surprised. That move had looked exactly like the Fire Escape technique from the Five Elemental Escapes.

What was even more surprising was that the frost centipede, an ice-attribute martial soul, could now use fire powers.

But Huo Yuhao quickly understood.

"It absorbed the power of the hundred-thousand-year Fire Mouse soul bone, didn't it?"

More precisely, it had fused the Fire Mouse's power with its own cultivation, acquiring this as an escape technique.

"Too bad, the frost centipede is of the Ultimate Ice attribute and not suited for fire-based cultivation. This ability is likely a one-off opportunity, and future mastery will be limited. Still, for movement or escape, this level is enough." Huo Yuhao evaluated calmly.

But the one most excited about the frost centipede's changes was actually Skydream Iceworm—who now felt like a proud pet owner watching his "dog" grow up.

After all, the Skydream Iceworm used to be the "core worm" within the mutant frost centipede's soul ring.

Huo Yuhao then sent the centipede into the Divine Realm of Wisdom to consolidate its new powers and further explore its potential.

Currently, it had only grown a third pair of wings, unlocking the Destruction attribute, but it had yet to fully develop that power.

The frost centipede also possessed three additional attributes—Spirit, Light, and Destruction. So far, only Spirit had been properly developed, with help from Skydream Iceworm, resulting in the innate divine ability Skydream Illusion.

In theory, the other two could also produce similar divine abilities.

Previously, the centipede's low intelligence held it back. But now, with the Wisdom Stele and the Divine Realm of Wisdom supporting it, further breakthroughs were only a matter of time.

It might not inherit the exact divine skills of the God of Wisdom, but it could definitely develop its own, tailored divine abilities based on its unique properties.

Little Frost Centipede was also sent to train alongside the main frost centipede, as they were technically of the same species and could benefit from each other.

Even Skydream Iceworm followed into the secret realm—curious to see how the centipede would continue to evolve.

His primordial spirit body could also cultivate, though whether it would grow in the realm remained to be seen.

But even if it didn't, it was fine—Huo-ge would provide for him.

To Huo Yuhao's surprise, Golden Black Tortoise and Heavenly Dragon also followed into the divine realm, eager to improve.

They'd always been limited by talent, but now, with divine artifacts aiding them, they refused to miss this opportunity.

Naturally, Huo Yuhao had no intention of holding them back.

Whether he had a single coin or a billion, he would share it with everyone.

Elsewhere, the Third Prince completed his Destruction Core fusion about an hour later.

It wasn't an easy process—essentially merging another person's cultivation into his own. Even with identical martial souls, differences remained. Without careful adjustment, it could weaken or even damage one's strength and progress.

Thankfully, with Huo Yuhao's powerful spiritual control, everything went smoothly—after all, the Third Prince's body was also under his control.

Once the fusion was complete, the Third Prince soared into the sky. His Purple Radiance Dragon of Annihilation martial soul emerged, now exuding an even more terrifying aura of destruction—signaling its evolution.

The new version of the Purple Radiance Dragon looked far more savage and fearsome than before.

His soul power level also naturally broke through to Level 95, achieving Super Douluo status.

"Now, I just need to equip the Purple Radiance Dragon with more high-year soul rings, and his level will soar—at least until 98 without a bottleneck," Huo Yuhao commented with a nod.

Ideally, all nine rings should be 100,000-year soul rings. The only limitation now was the Third Prince's physical endurance—he needed a body capable of bearing that many high-tier rings.

But Huo Yuhao already had plans and preparations in place to strengthen his body.

The Third Prince then spoke up: "After fusing the Destruction Core, my internal balance is once again unstable. If I don't enter seclusion to adjust it, I'll need to complete the third layer of the Ninefold Death God Technique to forcibly harmonize the conflicting forces."

"Then begin the third layer's training. I've already prepared the necessary resources," Huo Yuhao responded decisively.

"Understood!"

Their conversation, though sounding like a dialogue, was really just Huo Yuhao thinking out loud, as he controlled both personas.

There was still time, so training for the third layer of the Ninefold Death God Technique could begin immediately.

This layer, notably, would target the flesh and meridians.

"Nine Death Divine Technique" is divided into nine levels, each a perilous journey between life and death. The essence of this technique lies in surviving through death—if you don't die, you must push yourself to the brink. There is no retreat—once you begin, there's no stopping.

Legend has it this technique belonged to the immortals. If one can master all nine levels, they can ascend and share longevity with heaven and earth.

However, among all who've practiced it, none have even reached the ninth level. Those who made it to the third are incredibly rare. But even the first three levels are enough to make someone a dominant force in the mortal world.

Every level is excruciatingly difficult—not only challenging the limits of body and soul but testing one's courage and will.

Thus, despite the technique being known in the world, few dare to practice it. It hasn't led to an explosion of powerful cultivators.

After all, many techniques claim to lead to immortality, and most appear far safer than this one. No one has witnessed someone become immortal through the "Nine Death Divine Technique," but countless have died trying.

Currently, the Third Prince has only succeeded in cultivating the first two levels. With the help of Mo Ying Douluo and Qing Ci Douluo, those first levels were practiced to perfection, even exceeding expectations.

The First Level refines the bones, reshaping the root foundation and improving talent.

The Second Level focuses on internal organs, regulating the five energies and forming the base of power.

The Third Level trains the flesh and blood, reshaping the physical body to shed mortality and attain a spiritual body.

More precisely, it forms a Postnatal Spiritual Body.

Spiritual Bodies are generally divided into Innate and Postnatal types. "Innate" means born with it, while "Postnatal" results from rare treasures or unique opportunities.

Innate Spiritual Bodies usually have an advantage, but even Postnatal ones are extremely rare.

Currently, Huo Yuhao's true body is considered a Postnatal Spiritual Body, inclined toward the ice and snow attribute. Poison Immortal could also be considered a Postnatal Spiritual Body, aligned with poison.

The cultivators of the "Jade Maiden Sutra"—Nan Shuishui, Yu Manwu, Tu Xijun, and Shangguan Weier—also have the potential to attain a Postnatal Spiritual Body, though none have succeeded yet. Still, their strength has seen significant boosts.

As for Innate Spiritual Bodies, only Jin Qiu'er, after taking on human form, can be counted among them. Huo Yuhao hasn't examined the God King's daughter in depth, so her case is uncertain.

Wild, naturally occurring Spiritual Bodies have not been seen.

In any case, whether innate or postnatal, those with Spiritual Bodies are considered geniuses in cultivation with great potential.

This underscores how rare and powerful Spiritual Bodies are.

Thus, a technique capable of producing a Postnatal Spiritual Body is considered highly valuable in the cultivation world—this is exactly what the third level of the "Nine Death Divine Technique" offers.

While the "Jade Maiden Sutra" can also eventually produce a Spiritual Body, it takes many years of gradual cultivation.

Having resolved to undertake the third level of cultivation, there was no hesitation. Huo Yuhao personally helped the Third Prince begin the process.

At this stage, neither Mo Ying Douluo nor Qing Ci Douluo could assist—their strength and abilities were not up to the task.

To complete the third level, one must first strip away all flesh and blood, then use special methods and resources to reconstruct the body.

Naturally, this consumes vast resources—another reason why this technique is so hard to master.

But for Huo Yuhao, this was no issue.

The Third Prince sat cross-legged in the forest.

Huo Yuhao activated his Sacred Eyes martial soul and used the power of the Yin-Yang Eyes to shoot beams of red light that scanned the Third Prince.

Under the light, the prince's flesh began to melt like wax, dissolving into blood and soaking into the earth and grass.

Before long, all that was left was a skeleton gleaming pale white.

Since cultivating the first level, the Third Prince's bones had become crystalline and stronger.

Two parts of his skeleton stood out—his left hand, practiced in the Yin Claw technique, radiated cold energy. His right arm, fused with a 100,000-year Purgatory Demon Dragon arm bone, glowed with intense heat.

Even so, the scene was terrifying.

Yet, the prince didn't scream once. He continued the process calmly.

While his flesh was removed, he had to simultaneously stimulate his power—this way, the reconstructed body would be better suited to his path and produce a Spiritual Body.

Eventually, all his flesh and organs were stripped, leaving only bones. His skeletal form sat in a pool of blood, grotesque and chilling.

Despite this, soul power still flowed through his body. His lower dantian held the Destruction Soul Core, and the energy of the five internal organs refined in the second level still shimmered faintly.

Surviving in such a state was another extreme challenge. Huo Yuhao used his techniques to forcibly suppress the prince's soul within the skeleton.

Upon close inspection, the prince's soul was muddled and dazed from the torment. Dominating his soul was a centipede-shaped shadow lodged halfway into his brain—the manifestation of Huo Yuhao's will and spirit.

After briefly confirming this, Huo Yuhao moved to the next step. He threw out blood energy seeds from within the Snow Lotus.

These exploded mid-air, forming a torrent of pure blood energy that rushed toward the skeleton, engulfing it.

At the same time, the Third Prince activated the third level of the "Nine Death Divine Technique," using the blood energy to regenerate flesh.

Flesh buds began sprouting from the bones, followed by internal organs, muscle tissue, and skin.

Watching the process, Huo Yuhao extracted a drop of his golden essence blood, which he then added to the blood energy, further enhancing the prince's transformation.

This drop wouldn't impact Huo Yuhao's power but would greatly elevate the prince's talent, strengthening the Spiritual Body even more.

After two full hours, the Third Prince was reborn. Now sitting nude in the forest, his eyes remained closed, but he radiated immense power—majestic without anger.

His soul power had soared to Level 97!

One transformation, a two-level leap, even though most energy had been used for body reconstruction.

His body had now successfully become a Postnatal Spiritual Body, one perfectly suited to the Purple Radiance Destruction Dragon.

"Fused with the Destruction attribute of the Purple Radiance Destruction Dragon and my essence blood, the Spiritual Body formed from this transformation... can be called a Destruction Body," Huo Yuhao concluded.

Naming the Spiritual Body after its attribute? Perfectly logical.

As for the Sun Martial Soul, which is a lesser form of the Purple Radiance Destruction Dragon, it wasn't weakened by this transformation—instead, it became stronger. In fact, the Destruction Body allowed the Sun Martial Soul to evolve.

The prince summoned his Martial Souls: both the Sun Martial Soul and the Purple Radiance Destruction Dragon appeared. The dragon was dominant and fierce, while the Sun Martial Soul burned hot with an aura of incinerating everything.

Most crucially, the fire attribute of the Sun Martial Soul had broken through the limit!

"Ultimate Fire, is it?" Huo Yuhao smiled.

The Sun Martial Soul had officially evolved into an Ultimate Martial Soul, now possessing the attribute of Ultimate Fire, with an added destructive effect!

In fact, the Fire of Destruction could now be considered its origin flame.

Night.

Huo Yuhao had returned to the cave.

Xian Lin'er had been waiting for a long time. Her expression was one of anxious anticipation—almost like a wife waiting for her husband's safe return.

The first thing she asked upon Huo Yuhao's return wasn't about results but about his safety.

"Senior Sister Xian, don't worry. I didn't run into any trouble. I also didn't find any traces of the senior sisters, but since I didn't see signs of battle, I'm guessing they're safe for the time being—maybe they've already escaped," Huo Yuhao said reassuringly.

Xian Lin'er knew he was just trying to comfort her. Still, no news might actually be good news. It meant that Zhang Lexuan and the others hadn't encountered a fight. Either they were hiding, or they had successfully slipped away.

With Zhang Lexuan's strength, as long as they didn't come across a 100,000-year soul beast, they'd be fine.

As for the 100,000-year Starlight Laurel Tree that had been provoked—it couldn't move, so it couldn't chase them down personally.

Wasn't it only commanding its subordinates to search for them now?

Xian Lin'er nodded at the news Huo Yuhao brought. She wasn't disappointed.

Besides, there was nothing she could do right now. Her injuries and cultivation were recovering slowly, so everything had to be left to Huo Yuhao.

Thinking of this, she felt somewhat guilty.

She should have been the one protecting him.

Even while hiding in the mountains, meals couldn't be skipped. They needed food to recover their strength.

Huo Yuhao quickly prepared dinner.

Despite the crude environment, he still managed to make medicinal food that helped with injury recovery—and it tasted great too.

Xian Lin'er couldn't help but be impressed. Even she couldn't match Huo Yuhao's cooking skills.

Jokingly, she said, "Yuhao, your cooking is truly remarkable. But I suppose only Luochen will have the privilege to enjoy it in the future."

In her heart, Huo Yuhao and Ling Luochen were a perfect match.

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Huo Yuhao quickly replied, "Senior Sister, if you ever want to eat my cooking again, just come find me. I'd never refuse."

"It's a promise, then." Xian Lin'er giggled behind her hand.

"Of course." Huo Yuhao smiled sincerely, trying to show he was a man of his word.

After the meal, the two sat in silence.

The awkwardness stemmed from Huo Yuhao suddenly becoming bashful. Puzzled, Xian Lin'er asked, "Yuhao, what's wrong?"

"Well... Senior Sister, it's time to change your medicine," Huo Yuhao replied, blushing furiously.

Xian Lin'er was momentarily stunned, then her own face turned a little red. The previously harmonious mood instantly became awkward, and the cave's atmosphere grew a little warm.

Still, Xian Lin'er took the lead again and calmly said, "To recover quickly, I do need to change the medicine. I'll handle the front myself, but I'll need your help with my back."

"No—no problem!" Huo Yuhao waved his hands quickly.

"Ahem. Yuhao, go outside for now. I'll call you in when I'm ready."

"O-okay. Got it."

Stiffly, Huo Yuhao walked out of the cave.

Only after he left did Xian Lin'er let out a sigh of relief, her cheeks even redder.

Though Huo Yuhao had already seen her body before while treating her injuries, that was under emergency conditions, and she had been unconscious.

Now, she was fully aware—and undressing in front of him was just too embarrassing.

Still, even though he was outside now, he'd have to come back in and see her back eventually.

Thinking about him seeing her body again made Xian Lin'er feel inexplicably warm.

She forced herself to stay calm.

"It's fine. Yuhao is my junior. I could be old enough to be his grandmother. He only respects me. Besides, he already has someone he likes…"

After adjusting her mindset, she removed her clothes and picked up the ointment Huo Yuhao had prepared.

Earlier, Xian Lin'er had been hit by a ranged attack that shattered her martial soul form, caused serious internal injuries, and even broke several bones.

Now, even though she could barely move thanks to her strong physique, tending to her wounds on her own was extremely difficult.

Still, she had to try.

Her wounds needed not only internal treatment via pills and medicinal decoctions, but also topical application to prevent worsening.

Plus, Huo Yuhao had told her the ointment was specially formulated—with ingredients that promoted muscle regeneration and bone healing, and could even prevent scarring.

As a woman, that was something she couldn't refuse.

Nearly a stick of incense's time passed before Xian Lin'er's voice called from the cave, and Huo Yuhao carefully re-entered.

There, he saw Xian Lin'er sitting on the stone bed, facing the wall, wrapped in a blanket, with her bare back exposed. Though injured, her back was clearly once flawless.

"Yuhao, hurry up!" she said, her voice urging him on while her cheeks—unseen—were bright red.

"Okay, Senior Sister. I'll start," Huo Yuhao replied, gently beginning to apply the medicine.

As his hands moved across her back, Xian Lin'er's face grew redder and redder, the blush even reaching her ears.

But what she couldn't see was that Huo Yuhao's expression remained calm.

"Looks like the psychic suggestion is working. She's beginning to accept me rather than reject me. But it's not enough yet."

Huo Yuhao had originally expected that Xian Lin'er would be completely unable to move and would have to rely on him totally—trying to recreate a "Yan Emperor" type situation.

But unexpectedly, she had a special defensive soul tool that had reduced the damage. Plus, her recovery exceeded expectations—she had likely used some potent healing items she'd stored privately.

This reduced her dependence on him.

But that was okay. If one plan failed, he had another.

On this trip to the Demonic Forest, Huo Yuhao's target wasn't just Xu Tianran and the Evil-Eyed Tyrant.

Xian Lin'er was also a target.

Unfortunately, hypnosis and memory manipulation techniques were flawed. Huo Yuhao didn't have the ability to twist logic or alter perception—his spiritual power was powerful but mainly good at offense, detection, and illusions. He couldn't act without limits.

Still, spiritual power wasn't his only card to play.

The awkward atmosphere ended as the treatment finished without further incidents, letting Xian Lin'er breathe a sigh of relief.

Afterward, she stayed in the cave while Huo Yuhao kept watch outside. They made do for the night.

The next morning, Huo Yuhao applied another round of medicine and prepared food before setting off again.

Today, his target was—the Evil-Eyed Tyrant!

It was time for his Holy Eye Martial Soul to acquire its fourth soul ring!

The Evil Emperor, ruler of the Evil-Eyed Clan, is more formally known as the Tyrannical Evil-Eyed Overlord. Ranked second among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, he has cultivated for nearly 800,000 years and is a purely spiritual-type soul beast.

He once fought Di Tian and retreated unscathed. His combat power far surpasses that of the Bear Lord. Even the Snow Empress, without the environmental advantage of the Extreme North, wouldn't be his match.

"A rare purely spiritual-type soul beast, with a cultivation close to 800,000 years. My Holy Eye has now evolved into an extreme spiritual attribute—it is the destined end point for all spiritual abilities. Clearly, this beast and I are fated."

 —Huo Yuhao

Huo Yuhao had every reason to believe the Evil Emperor was prepared especially for him, the "Child of Destiny."

It was precisely because of the Evil Emperor's existence that Huo Yuhao's martial soul mutated into the Spirit Eye, a spiritual-attribute variant. Before Huo Yuhao, no White Tiger martial soul variant had ever become a Spirit Eye.

The Evil-Eyed Clan, therefore, also seemed connected to Huo Yuhao—at least at this point in time.

The Evil-Eyed Clan ruled over the Demonic Forest, but in truth, they weren't a single homogeneous race.

Not all Evil Eyes had the same abilities—Evil Eyes could possess various innate talents. So based on different abilities, the clan was subdivided into different branches.

Think of it like how rural Chinese dogs have three main lineages.

The Evil-Eyed Clan had even more classifications.

What was consistent, however, was this:

The fewer innate abilities an Evil Eye possessed, the stronger its talent.

In other words, fewer talents = greater potential.

It was like the Evil Eye had a fixed number of "talent points." How those points were allocated determined the creature's ceiling. Naturally, putting all points into one ability gave the highest potential.

On the outskirts of the Demonic Forest, Evil-Eyed beasts could also be found—but they were weak. The Mutant Ice Jade Centipede Martial Soul had devoured some before. However, all it gained were slight boosts in various attributes—barely noticeable.

That was likely because the Centipedes had only consumed ordinary Evil Eyes, ones with multiple talents, and rarely those over ten thousand years old.

Once an Evil Eye surpassed ten thousand years of cultivation, it could be called a Tyrannical Evil Eye.

Generally, only Evil Eyes with three or fewer innate talents could grow into these tyrants.

There were very few known cases of Evil Eyes with four talents becoming tyrannical.

Among all talents, spiritual-type talents were the most special and noble. This was because the spiritual attribute best suited the Evil-Eyed physiology. As a result, Evil Eyes with spiritual talents were usually more powerful than their peers with the same number of talents.

Due to this unique system, even though the Demonic Forest held a large population of Evil Eyes and the Evil-Eyed Clan had ruled it for countless years, they weren't overflowing with tyrants.

In fact, most were still ordinary Evil Eyes.

Most of the Tyrannical Evil Eyes resided in the core region, cultivating in hopes of becoming even stronger, all while remaining under the Evil Emperor's rule.

Hence the title: Tyrannical Evil-Eyed Overlord.

The Evil Emperor himself had only one innate ability—pure spirit. In the entire Evil-Eyed Clan, he was truly the "dragon among eyes."

He slumbered deep in the heart of the Demonic Forest, the only forbidden zone in that realm. The outside world had no idea what lay hidden there.

As Huo Yuhao delved deeper into the forest, he encountered more Evil Eyes—and stronger ones.

Progressing further, he noticed that Evil Eyes with more than three talents grew rarer, and those with three or even just two talents began to dominate his mental scan.

Tyrannical Evil Eyes with over 10,000 years of cultivation became more frequent—some even reached 50,000 years. And Huo Yuhao noticed that those surpassing 50,000 years were almost always two-talent Evil Eyes.

He also discovered that the awakening of talents in the Evil-Eyed Clan was linked to underground mineral veins.

Evil Eyes living near veins of certain properties were more likely to awaken matching talents—and focused their cultivation around that affinity.

To avoid alerting anyone, Huo Yuhao refrained from harvesting these Evil Eyes, and thanks to his concealment, they never detected his presence.

Finally, when Huo Yuhao reached the edge of the forbidden zone—the Evil Emperor's doorstep—his spiritual scan picked up the first Evil Eye over 100,000 years old!

A soul beast over 100,000 years was known as a Beast King in the Douluo Dalu world.

At the same moment Huo Yuhao detected it, it also sensed him—it was a single-attribute, purely spiritual Tyrannical Evil Eye King!

The instant it noticed Huo Yuhao, it unleashed a mighty spiritual wave—not to attack, but to sound the alarm.

After all, Huo Yuhao was already knocking at the door, and he made no attempt to hide his presence. As a fellow spiritual powerhouse, the Evil Eye King quickly sensed Huo Yuhao's bottomless mental energy—and the undisguised greed and malice within it.

The Evil Eye King immediately broke out in cold sweat.

"An invader is here!"

It shot from its lair, rushing toward Huo Yuhao to intercept him at the forbidden zone's edge.

Even sensing danger, the Evil Eye King still took up its duty. It believed that no matter how strong Huo Yuhao was, he couldn't kill it instantly.

A single-attribute spiritual Tyrannical Evil Eye King, at full strength, could rival a 200,000-year soul beast.

If it could hold off Huo Yuhao for a moment, its "brothers" would arrive to assist.

And if even that failed, they could awaken their sleeping father, the Evil Emperor himself, to destroy the enemy.

That's right—this Evil Eye King was the youngest son of the Evil Emperor—the very same one that, in the original novel, became Huo Yuhao's seventh soul ring.

As for its every action, Huo Yuhao didn't intervene at all. He could already feel multiple powerful presences waking within the forbidden zone—including some ferocious beasts.

The Evil-Eyed Clan's foundations were incredibly deep. Compared to the Star Dou Forest's core, they lacked a Silver Dragon King and a few top-tier powers, but their lineup of 100,000-year soul beasts and ferocious beasts was nearly equivalent.

The Evil-Eyed Clan had a single overlord and no natural enemies in the Demonic Forest. If not for their unique talent system and limited resources in the forest, they wouldn't have remained confined there.

To address these issues, the Evil Emperor had already formed an alliance with the Holy Spirit Church—a strategic partnership to gain access to external resources.

There were likely other reasons too—but those remained unspoken. In the original story, the Evil Emperor and Huo Yuhao barely interacted.

Their relationship was more like: the loser submitting to the victor.

At this moment, the Evil Eye King finally arrived before Huo Yuhao.

It looked like a massive eyeball, over three meters in diameter, with a silver-white iris and sixteen silver tentacles.

But before it could speak, Huo Yuhao directly summoned his Healing Angel Puppet Martial Soul.

With a gentle smile, the Healing Angel stepped forward—

—and slapped it right across the face.

The body size of the Healing Angel Puppet Spirit was in no way smaller than that of the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King, and its power far surpassed the latter's.

Even though the Healing Angel Puppet Spirit was a support-type, when its strength reached a certain level, it could still deliver crushing blows under absolute power disparity.

This slap carried the force of a Level 99 Title Douluo. You, a mere hundred-thousand-year-old Evil-Eyed Little Calamari—how are you going to take that?

The Evil-Eyed Tyrant King never expected Huo Yuhao to be this decisive. Without even exchanging a word, he struck directly. What, did it think it was made of mud?

The next second, a powerful spiritual wave burst out from the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King—faster than the puppet's attack—launching a mental attribute strike directly at the Healing Angel Puppet Spirit's head.

Mental-type attacks were known for their speed. If this one landed, it could easily cause an ordinary Title Douluo's head to explode on the spot.

And yet—nothing happened.

The Evil-Eyed Tyrant King's spiritual attack entered the Healing Angel Puppet Spirit's mind like mud into the sea—without so much as a ripple.

This left the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King stunned. Meanwhile, the Puppet Spirit didn't stop—it followed through with its attack, slapping its palm directly on the giant eyeball.

Splurt—

Just like a chopstick piercing a tomato, the Healing Angel Puppet Spirit's palm sunk right into the eye, even causing a juicy splatter effect.

The immense pain made the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King unleash a blood-curdling scream, while the Puppet Spirit looked as though it had discovered something fun, its expression brimming with eagerness.

Yet no matter the expression, the Healing Angel Puppet Spirit's eyes remained pure, its aura still radiated kindness.

Slaughter, destruction—none of these acts elicited any negative emotions from the Puppet Spirit, because it didn't understand the true meaning behind them. It had no sense of morality. It was, after all, just a puppet.

But it had preferences. What Huo Yuhao disliked, it disliked as well.

Though wounded, the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King wasn't out of the fight. It tried to counterattack, its sixteen silver tentacles flailing wildly as waves of spiritual power surged toward the Puppet Spirit.

But just like before, all its mental attacks registered as "Invalid."

As Huo Yuhao's Spirit, the Healing Angel Puppet was closely linked to him. Knowing its enemy used mental attacks, Huo Yuhao had long safeguarded the Puppet's mind and soul.

A mere hundred-thousand-year-old mental force from the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King—how could it possibly compare to Huo Yuhao's god-level, battle-hardened mental prowess?

That attack was like a mere breeze.

It was then that the Skydream Iceworm sensed the spiritual fluctuations. Returning from the secret realm, he floated by Huo Yuhao's side in soul form—only to witness the Puppet Spirit pummeling the Evil-Eyed Tyrant King.

Soul rings on the Puppet Spirit flared in succession. From its palm burst extreme cold and snow, quickly freezing the wounded Tyrant King into an ice block.

"Brother Hao, honestly—if I didn't know better, I'd never believe that's a Healing Angel," the Skydream Iceworm couldn't help but roast.

"Brother Tianmeng, every support-type actually has the heart of a DPS," Huo Yuhao said with a grin.

"True that. I might not have strength, but I've always dreamed of punching Di Tian and kicking the Evil Emperor," the Iceworm nodded solemnly.

It was then that the other Evil-Eyed Tyrant Kings finally showed up.

Not just the siblings of the one attacked, but also elder Tyrant Kings loyal to the Evil Emperor.

Most had only single-type attributes, and even the dual-type ones had spirit as a core trait.

Seeing the frozen and heavily injured youngest prince—who was deeply favored by the Evil Emperor—the group erupted in fury.

This was a blatant provocation against the Evil-Eyed Clan!

A challenge to the Evil Emperor's authority!

"Little brother—what happened to you?!"

"How dare you hurt one of our clan—die!"

"Capture them alive—I want to torment them slowly!"

The Evil-Eyed Tyrant Kings launched an all-out assault with their spiritual powers, targeting Huo Yuhao and the Puppet Spirit.

The Skydream Iceworm was itching to go.

But the Puppet Spirit acted first.

Abilities Activated:

Ice Jade Scorpion's Sixth Soul Skill: Ultimate Ice Control

Profound Ice Crystal Turtle's Fourth Soul Skill: Turtle Sky Shield

Ice Bear King's Fifth Soul Skill: Blizzard Rampage

Snow Goose's Third Soul Skill: Silent Cold Flash

The Puppet Spirit, as if unaffected by energy consumption or cooldowns, unleashed three consecutive hundred-thousand-year skills. Due to the Ice Jade Scorpion ring's passive effect, all attacks were elevated to the Ultimate Ice level.

Not only did she block the Tyrant Kings' attacks, she delivered a devastating counter.

Now, the Tyrant Kings understood why their youngest prince fell so quickly—this opponent was immune to mental attacks and loaded with god-tier skills.

Did she just activate Wind Spirit Moonlight Shadow?

What is this—Great Sage Mode?

But it was too late. Most of them were frozen solid, crashing to the ground alongside the little prince.

Only a few true-beast level Tyrant Kings survived. And yet, all of them stared at the Puppet Spirit with sheer terror and dread.

Just when they thought they had handled the worst of it, they forgot—there was also the Mutant Frost Centipede Spirit.

Toxic mist spread—harmless to the environment, but devastating to the survivors. They all felt paralyzed, and soon fell unconscious, crashing to the ground.

Total Annihilation—Evil-Eyed Tyrant Kings Eliminated.

Huo Yuhao summoned a 500,000-year-old Tyrant King, far larger and stronger than the prince, with 49 tentacles—a single-attribute spiritual beast.

This was the Evil Emperor's most powerful son.

And Huo Yuhao tossed it to the Puppet Spirit to absorb.

It was time the Puppet Spirit got a true beast-level soul ring. Without hesitation, she thrust her hand into its body and crushed the soul core.

As the Evil-Eyed Crown Prince died, a blood-red soul ring rose, staining the forest red. The ring had five golden patterns—a true divine-grade mark.

The Puppet Spirit sat cross-legged, beginning the absorption.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao turned his gaze toward the deeper part of the forbidden zone, where a terrifying aura was awakening.

No doubt—it was the Evil Emperor. Awakened by the death of his favored son.

"Who dares kill my son?!"

The Evil Emperor's roar echoed from deep within.

Finally, the Skydream Iceworm saw his chance. Excited, he pleaded, "Brother Hao, let me log in—I need to let loose! Pretty please~"

Fighting a true beast was his dream—and now he actually had a chance to win. He couldn't pass this up.

"Alright, alright. I'll have the Frost Centipede make room. Brother Tianmeng, stay sharp—don't lose us points," Huo Yuhao agreed.

"Hehe, just watch me." The Iceworm grinned, his soul merging into the Frost Centipede Spirit.

The centipede stood upright—clearly, the pilot had changed.

Then, under Tianmeng's control, it flew into the sky, flapped its wings, and shouted toward the forbidden zone:

"Evil Emperor, I fu— your mother!"

Huo Yuhao clapped his hands and cheered.

"Brother Tianmeng, well done!"