Ye Lingling was just a background character in the original series—no wonder Huo Yuhao didn't remember her at first.
Wait, the amnesia thing must be fake. She probably only recently transmigrated and hasn't had time to learn about this world yet. She must've realized something was off when she overheard those two talking after getting captured—this isn't her original world. She's not from this era, so she lied and said she lost her memory.
In just a short time, Huo Yuhao had pieced together about seventy to eighty percent of the truth.
"Little girl's pretty clever," he thought. "If she told someone she transmigrated, she'd probably be dissected the next day." Unfortunately, she let her real name slip—otherwise, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have figured it out.
Ye Lingling noticed the shock in Huo Yuhao's eyes and asked softly, "Big brother, is my spirit really that powerful?"
Huo Yuhao, quite the actor, put on a look of deep emotion and replied, "Powerful doesn't even begin to describe it. Anyway, come with me first."
He walked ahead while Ye Lingling quickly followed. After walking about 300 meters, they spotted Du Bushi sitting beside a campfire. He had already set up a grill with every kind of seasoning and chili oil you could imagine—everything was ready except the ingredients.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but chuckle. Titled Douluos are supposed to be these lofty, untouchable figures. Who'd think that a level 98 Super Douluo would be a barbecue-obsessed old man?
When he saw his disciple bringing a girl back, Du Bushi winked and teased, "Nice, kid. Took you long enough. Leaving this old man here starving—turns out you were off flirting!" He even gave Huo Yuhao a knowing look.
Huo Yuhao: "…"
How had he never noticed this old man had such a playful side?
That stream was just 300 meters away—with Du Bushi's cultivation, he definitely sensed everything. So yeah, he was just running his mouth.
But this wasn't a bad thing. Who says a Titled Douluo has to be all high-and-mighty, acting like mortals are beneath them?
Huo Yuhao handed over the Soft-Boned Rabbit and fish to Du Bushi, then happily took the hands-off approach. The key point? This old man didn't just love to eat—he loved to cook, and his skills were top-notch.
With an outsider present, they didn't discuss anything private. Besides, Huo Yuhao had already explained all the benefits he gained on the road earlier.
One thing worth mentioning: the Dark Devilgod Tiger didn't give him just one soul skill as his fourth ring. Instead, like a 100,000-year soul beast, it gave him two—making its 40,000-year cultivation no less valuable.
Huo Yuhao's fourth soul skills were: Evil God Strike and Evil God's Protection.
Evil God's Protection was, as the name suggests, a defensive soul skill—a single-target shield similar to the Invincible Golden Body, though a bit weaker in defense. However, it lasted longer and could absorb death energy from the surroundings to strengthen itself during battle.
Evil God Strike was a wicked, spatial-type offensive skill. It was a linear dash that tripled his attack power during the sprint. Within a hundred meters, the dash speed was nearly teleportation. The downside? It drained a ton of soul power.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger also dropped two soul bones—one was a left arm bone.
The final one was an external soul bone. Originally, this soul bone should've been a tail stinger, but it materialized in the same location as Bloodflame Thorn, resulting in fusion and consumption.
The new fusion was better named Evil God Thorn.
This Evil God Thorn came with a passive skill: Devour—it could consume both vitality and soul power, and then feed that energy back into Huo Yuhao.
Aside from that, the Dark Devilgod Tiger also granted Huo Yuhao a domain called Evil God Domain.
However, the Evil God Domain seemed to resonate with Huo Yuhao's Anti-Magic Domain, leading the two to merge and massively boost his Chaos Mode.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger really was like a giant loot box—whack it once and out popped soul rings and bones.
But Huo Yuhao was frustrated. Because of his special cultivation technique, he couldn't absorb soul bones. He had just barely finished fusing the Bloodflame Thorn, and now there's this Evil God Thorn. Worse yet, the Dark Devilgod Tiger's bloodline was way stronger than the Bloodsoul Boar, so fusing it would be even harder.
By Huo Yuhao's estimate, it'd take at least a year or more—and that meant his cultivation speed would take a hit.
Soon, the smell of grilled meat filled the air. The old man was brushing chili oil and sprinkling spices like a pro. Not long after, a crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside roasted rabbit was ready.
Ye Lingling's big sparkling eyes lit up.
"Gurgle." Her stomach voiced its protest.
"Haha, little girl, come try Grandpa's cooking." Du Bushi chuckled and tore off a rabbit leg, handing it to her.
"Thank you, Grandpa." She thanked him and started eating. She was going fast—clearly hadn't eaten well in days.
Huo Yuhao wasn't that hungry. He took a few bites and was done. With nothing else to do, he decided to cultivate for a bit. He'd never been the lazy type, and with Du Bushi nearby, even the soul beast forest felt safe.
"Yuhao, come with me back to the sect later." Du Bushi's muffled voice rang out as he munched.
Huo Yuhao nodded. It made sense. He'd gained a lot from Du Bushi, and the sect's most important inheritance mark was with him—he owed them that much.
Seeing his disciple agree, Du Bushi was pleased. While gnawing on a rabbit leg, he added, "Good. You'll get to meet a few elders this time too."
"How about this, Master—let me take this little girl back to my place first, then I'll go to the sect with you. Shrek City's nearby, and with my speed, I can do a round trip in four or five hours." Huo Yuhao suggested.
Du Bushi put down his chicken leg and gave him a look-over. "Didn't know you were such a schemer. Hiding girls in secret rooms, huh?"
Hearing this, Ye Lingling's face turned pink. She might be young, but she wasn't clueless. "Haven't eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run," as the saying goes.
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes. No point arguing with the old man.
The little girl's appetite was small—even after starving for two days. "Big brother, I'm full."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao summoned the Evil God Thorn. Countless needle-thin black thorns poured from his sleeves like a swarm of bees, assembling into a large, pitch-black sword on the ground before him.
The transformed Evil God Thorn was fine as a strand of hair, no longer than an inch—but there were over 20,000 of them. The number would grow as Huo Yuhao's cultivation increased.
[Author's Note]:
Ye Lingling's character was pulled into the Douluo Dalu 2 era via a spatial rift. Yeah, I was probably influenced by fanfics—I really like her. You guys should check her out in the animation; she's no worse than the main cast.
Douluo 1 had no real challenge, and I didn't want to do a copy-paste setup, so I brought her here. She has no cheats, no system—but following the protagonist guarantees benefits. She'll be a major character later. The spatial rift and the divine realm are connected, but the gods didn't cause it—they're not that capable. All will be explained in time.
So don't overthink it—Ye Lingling's just like any normal character. You can ignore her transmigrator status completely. She has no unfair advantage—it's just the time period.
(End of Chapter)