The Evil God Pearl—no, it should now be called the Dragon God Pearl (Divine Dragon Pearl).
With the aid of the remaining energy from the Ice and Fire Dragon Pill, Gu Yuena extracted a portion of her bloodline power and divine energy, merging it seamlessly into the pearl.
After being refined by the Master of All Elements, the Dragon God Pearl had undoubtedly become a supreme treasure!
Perhaps due to the infusion of the Ice and Fire Dragon King's unformed god-level soul bone, the Dragon God Pearl had evolved into a divine artifact comparable to the Golden Dragon Spear.
Most importantly, it was a growth-type artifact—one that could evolve alongside Huo Yuhao's cultivation!
In a way, it resembled an enhanced version of an external soul bone.
Of course, for the Dragon God Pearl to fully realize its potential, Huo Yuhao would need to reach a level of strength where he could completely merge with it. That would likely require him to attain the Ultimate Douluo realm.
For now, he could only establish a gradual connection with it.
Through this process, Huo Yuhao discovered that the current Dragon God Pearl could accelerate his cultivation speed and aid his second martial soul's transformation into a true Chaos attribute.
It can also enhance his physical strength and elemental control.
Moreover, as his soul power grew, the fusion rate would increase, unlocking even greater benefits—somewhat akin to his relationship with the Knife of Life Watch.
In essence, with the Dragon God Pearl's assistance, Huo Yuhao now possessed the foundation to ascend to godhood without relying on divine inheritance.
Whether it was achieving a divine body, divine power, or divine soul, none of these barriers could halt his progress.
He even had the potential to forge his own path to divinity, independent of external aids like the Gu Worms.
That said, at this stage, the Dragon God Pearl's attributes—aside from its original Evil nature and the Ultimate Ice and Fire condensed from the Dragon Pill—had yet to reach their peak.
To elevate them further, Huo Yuhao would need to absorb high-tier soul rings, soul bones, or natural treasures.
Gu Yuena's efforts had granted the Dragon God Pearl immense potential, despite her own unhealed injuries. The cost behind this gift was staggering.
Even skydream, who had been observing silently in Huo Yuhao's mind, couldn't help but sigh:
"The gap between people is truly vast. Yuhao, you don't even need to lift a finger, and opportunities just fall into your lap."
The Son of Luck was indeed terrifying!
The thought of effortlessly ascending to godhood was exhilarating.
Even the typically aloof Ice Empress couldn't hide her envy.
Whether it was the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well or the Silver Dragon King's assistance—had she possessed such opportunities back then, she might never have been trapped by her 400,000-year tribulation.
If she had intercepted even a fraction of the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow that skydream failed to consume, her fate might have been entirely different.
Yet, had she survived that tribulation, she might not have agreed to Huo Yuhao and skydream's godhood plan initially.
'Was this what Yuhao meant by misfortune being the root of blessing?'
Huo Yuhao chose not to dampen their spirits. For him, godhood might only mark the beginning of his journey.
Especially with Tang San looming as a potential adversary.
Though Electrolux's intervention had safely retrieved Huo Yun'er's soul, nurturing it within the Spectral Demiplane, Tang San could no longer exploit her to manipulate Huo Yuhao.
Yet, their conflict ran deeper than that.
Still, these were concerns for the future. Revealing them now would only burden his allies.
It seemed absurd.
Tang San—one of the Five Great God Kings, a member of the God Realm Committee, entrusted with judging gods and upholding divine law—would he knowingly break the rules to target a mere mortal soul master?
'Preposterous!'
Would the noble and righteous God King Tang San truly stoop to underhanded schemes?
'Surely not!'
Yet Huo Yuhao knew better. Tang San was fully capable of obstructing divine inheritances.
Take the original timeline, for instance. The only reason Huo Yuhao succeeded in inheriting the God of Emotion's mantle was due to his exceptional talent swaying Rong Nianbing and Tang San's machinations behind the scenes.
Had Huo Yuhao failed to earn Rong Nianbing's favor—or proven insufficiently loyal—Tang San's schemes might have relegated him to a lesser god, or worse.
In truth, Tang San had been playing a millennia-spanning game of chess, treating Douluo Continent as his personal backyard.
Huo Yuhao even suspected Tang San had secretly barred gods from bestowing their favor upon Douluo's soul masters.
Why else had no one of comparable talent—aside from Tang's own lineage—ascended in all these years?
Turning to the visibly weary Gu Yuena, Huo Yuhao bowed solemnly.
"Thank you. Truly."
Though Gu Yuena remained unaware of Tang San's ambitions, Huo Yuhao would never forget her aid in his time of need.
"No need for thanks. Consider it an investment," Gu Yuena replied softly. "If you can alter the fate of soul beasts, this will be your reward."
"I won't let you down," Huo Yuhao vowed.
He was no ingrate.
The achievement system had aided him greatly, but without the help of soul beasts like skydream, the Ice Empress, and Qiu'er, he'd never have come this far. Now, Gu Yuena's generosity had deepened his debt.
"I'll strive too!" Qiu'er chimed in, fists clenched. "For the rise of soul beasts!"
"By the way," Huo Yuhao added, "Qiu'er recently formed a soul contract with a 100,000-year-old immortal herb."
Qiu'er eagerly demonstrated her progress, but Gu Yuena's reaction was muted—a simple nod of approval before shifting focus.
"Let's go."
"Go? Together?" Huo Yuhao blinked.
"To Shrek. As I mentioned, I'll oversee the Spirit Transmission Tower's development. I also wish to see the human world."
Gu Yuena paused, then added, "Besides, your fates are now intertwined. For your safety, I must accompany you."
Huo Yuhao's mind short-circuited.
'The Silver Dragon King is tailing me. What do I do?'
'Simple, embrace it.'
With a god-tier bodyguard, he could afford to be bold.
'Bring on the world!'
Though Gu Yuena quickly tempered his enthusiasm.
"I'm still recovering and can't act recklessly. My presence will shield you—and aid my healing."
"Then let's go," Huo Yuhao agreed, though something felt… off.
Her gaze seemed to say: 'You wouldn't refuse a wounded benefactor, would you?'
'Why do I feel so guilty?'
Qiu'er, however, was thrilled. "Wonderful! With the Lord joining us—"
"Wait," Gu Yuena interjected. "You've collected the other immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, correct?"
Huo Yuhao nodded, leading her into the Spectral Demiplane.
Upon seeing the miniature Mandarin Duck Pot and its vibrant flora, Gu Yuena's eyes gleamed. Without hesitation, she extracted a bean-sized fragment of Life Gold and infused it into the pot.
"The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's energy won't last forever. This should suffice."
Instantly, the pot radiated a verdant glow, its life force invigorating the immortal herbs. Even those without sentience swayed in gratitude.
Though the effect wasn't as potent as the original Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's tenfold growth acceleration, it still multiplied their development rate—while the life attribute proved more universally beneficial.
"I owe you even more now…" Huo Yuhao murmured.
"Good. Remember that," Gu Yuena replied, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "Your evolved second martial soul may aid my recovery."
"Shall we test it tonight?" he offered.
"Agreed. But first—to Shrek."
Huo Yuhao acquiesced. If he could hasten Gu Yuena's healing, her restored strength would be invaluable.
Upon returning to his Shrek dormitory via spatial rift, Huo Yuhao suddenly reconsidered his living arrangements.
'Perhaps a private residence would be better?'
With Qiu'er's frequent nocturnal visits and now Gu Yuena's presence, the dorm felt… inadequate.
After briefing Gu Yuena on human customs, he handed her a storage ring containing a common-sense encyclopedia he'd prepared earlier—originally meant for the Snow Empress.
"You'll need this."
Gu Yuena accepted it gracefully. Though familiar with soul tools, she'd seldom used them.
"One more thing," Huo Yuhao added. "If you're joining Shrek, you'll need a martial soul."
He demonstrated his own: the Spirit Eyes, adorned with five soul rings (three purple, two black). His recent surge to Rank 60 had left his sixth ring undecided.
"Like my Golden Dragon!" Qiu'er interjected.
"What's considered top-tier among humans?" Gu Yuena asked.
"This," Huo Yuhao stated proudly. "Even among those with soul-ring enhancement secrets, it's unmatched."
Gu Yuena nodded—then summoned six soul rings: three purple, two black, and one blood-red.
Huo Yuhao's jaw dropped.
A 100,000-year sixth ring was unheard of—barring divine trials or soul beast sacrifices. Even legends like the Poison Douluo and Niu Tian had only managed three red rings in their primes.
But then again…
Tang San had achieved it via Xiao Wu's sacrifice.
With their talents, wasn't this plausible?
Besides, Huo Yuhao had his own absurd feats—like killing Soul Douluo-ranked evil soul masters as a mere three- or four-ringed soul master.
Shrek's open-mindedness, coupled with his status, would smooth over any scrutiny.
Though it might attract unwanted attention…
But wasn't that what power was for?
With Shrek and the Spirit Transmission Tower backing him, he feared no schemes.
In fact, he planned to kickstart the soul contract revolution—beginning with Qiu'er's rule-breaking sixth ring.
While matching her feat would be difficult for others, even seventh- or eighth-ring soul masters could absorb 100,000-year souls with proper preparation.
Of course, perfect matches like the 100,000-year-old immortal herbs were rare. Huo Yuhao reserved such privileges for his inner circle. For outsiders, 10,000-year would suffice.
But first—
'Let's give Shrek a little shock.'
The records set by the Snow Empress and Qiu'er weren't unbreakable!
He just wondered…
'Who'd be the first to taste defeat?'
…
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