Off to the side, Three-Eyed Golden Ni hadn't gone far. It was also watching the scene unfold from start to finish, its eyes flickering as if deep in thought.
Huo Yuhao's skin was growing increasingly flushed. Du Bushi was getting anxious. Out here in the middle of nowhere, where was he supposed to find a woman? Left with no other options, he released his vast spiritual power, hoping to find a female soul master hunting soul beasts in the forest.
Just then, the space around them was enveloped in a red mist—this was Huo Yuhao's newly awakened Duan Mo Domain.
In the state of broken thought, all traces of evil madness faded from Huo Yuhao's body. His expression became calm.
"I forgot, he has a domain." Du Bushi withdrew the spiritual power he had just released. In his mind, this Duan Mo Domain was the perfect counter in this kind of situation.
For a moment, Du Bushi thought of many things—this domain almost seemed tailor-made for this exact purpose.
Fate is such an intangible thing—unseen and unfelt—but every top-tier powerhouse in every era rose with unimaginable fortune.
To outsiders, it looked like Huo Yuhao had calmed down and was now absorbing the soul ring normally. But was it really going to be that simple?
"Human, I believe we can have a conversation." A mini version of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger opened its mouth inside Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea. This was a trace of spiritual power it had deliberately left inside the soul ring.
This spiritual sea wasn't the one where Xuedi and the others resided. Otherwise, seeing those 400,000, 700,000, and million-year bosses, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger definitely wouldn't be acting this calm.
"What do you want to talk about?" Huo Yuhao's voice echoed from all directions, but his figure did not appear—his voice was heard, but he was unseen.
"Simple. I want you to find me a suitable body for me to possess. You and your companion must swear on your martial souls to never harm me in any way. I will swear the same in return."
Huo Yuhao: "Oh? And why would I listen to you?"
"Because without my permission, you won't have the chance to absorb the soul ring. I think there's no need for hostility between us. Humans hunt soul beasts for rings, and soul beasts consume humans to grow stronger—it's only natural. There's no right or wrong."
"I don't resent you. Humans hunt us to gain soul rings; we eat humans to grow stronger. It's the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. I simply lost because I was weaker. Help me find a body and let me possess it—then we're even."
At this point, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger even sighed in a very human-like way and said helplessly: "But if you refuse, then you leave me no choice but to go all in. I'll try to possess you directly. Even if your elders kill me, so be it. Your choice."
"Heh." Huo Yuhao chuckled. "A tiger with this many schemes? Cut the crap. You're not some magnanimous tiger. Don't think I don't see through you. Let me be clear—absolutely no way. Honestly, if I met your true body alone, I'd have to run. But you? You ridiculously think you can possess me? Did you forget I'm a spiritual-type soul master? Or did you think my low level means I'm easy to manipulate?"
"Enough. I've wasted enough breath on you. Now—vanish into dust."
As soon as he spoke, a storm of spiritual power surged like a hurricane toward the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
"No! Human, who the hell are you?! With your weak cultivation, it's impossible for you to have this kind of spiritual strength! Who are you really?! No! I refuse to accept this! No—no—"
And with that final unwilling roar, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger finally met its true end.
When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes again, the scene before him stunned him a little. His master was standing in front of him, holding up Three-Eyed Golden Ni.
Opposite them stood a soul beast nearly six meters long and over two meters tall. It looked like a lion but had three identical dog heads on its neck. Long canine teeth protruded from its jaws, glowing with a bright golden-red light.
Man and beast stood at a standoff. Du Bushi was calm, but the three-headed soul beast had deep wariness in its eyes. It kept glancing at the Three-Eyed Golden Ni in Du Bushi's hand.
"Alright, Master. Let it go. Let's leave." Huo Yuhao didn't stand up. He knew Du Bushi wasn't afraid of that three-headed soul beast. Taking Three-Eyed Golden Ni hostage was just to prevent the potential fight from disturbing him—he couldn't afford distractions during soul ring absorption.
Huo Yuhao could already guess the identity of that lion-like soul beast—Chi Wang, the original form being a 300,000-year-old Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Hound, ranked eighth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, and Three-Eyed Golden Ni's bodyguard.
Du Bushi nodded, released Three-Eyed Golden Ni, and left quickly with Huo Yuhao.
Just before leaving, Huo Yuhao looked at Three-Eyed Golden Ni and frowned slightly: "Have we met before? Why do you feel so familiar to me?" As he said this, he stared into Three-Eyed Golden Ni's eyes, observing its reaction.
"Human, I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Is that so? Then maybe it's just my imagination." Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. But he caught the flicker in Three-Eyed Golden Ni's eyes in that very moment.
Next to a stream, dense Blue Silver Grass grew along the bank. From above, it looked like a blue-silver carpet. Near the water, a snow-white rabbit was munching on a thick blade of grass. Its snowy ears stood upright, twitching adorably.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound sliced through the air. The next moment, the snow-white rabbit was impaled by a flying black short spear, pinned diagonally into the ground.
A breeze passed. The snowy fur was stained with specks of blood. Instant death—no time to even squeal.
With that done, Huo Yuhao walked over, still holding four fat yellow fish, each over thirty centimeters long.
He picked up the Soft-Boned Rabbit, walked to the river, and skillfully skinned and gutted it—like he'd done it a thousand times.
"Well, well, where'd this brat come from? Where are your parents?" A sneering voice came from behind him. The speaker was a tall, skinny young man with a slight hunch, a sharp face like a monkey, and a thick patch of facial hair—almost like devolution in action.
Next to him was the exact opposite—a fat, waddling companion. His belly jiggled as he walked, his chubby face trembling with every step, oozing the aura of a street thug.
Huo Yuhao didn't turn around. With his spiritual sense, he had noticed the two long ago. Just a Soul Grandmaster and a freshly advanced Soul Elder—nothing worth mentioning.
"Hey brat, my big bro's talking to you! Are you deaf or what?!" the fat man cursed, spitting as he shouted. His eyes bulged like brass bells, and his pudgy face shook with every word—pure bandit energy.
"No need for chatter. Let's just bag him now." The tall, skinny one didn't get angry. His eyes even lit up—he looked at Huo Yuhao like he was staring at a mountain of gold soul coins.
Only then did Huo Yuhao turn around and see that the tall, skinny man was carrying a large sack on his back. Muffled cries came from inside.
[Huo Yuhao's exclusive little nurse is about to appear. Bet you'll never guess who it is.]
(End of Chapter)