Netherworld Overlord

Feeling the soul power within him, Dai Yao was instantly astonished. His Soul Power Level had reached twenty-three.

"No wonder it was a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. The soul power boost it brought was equivalent to several years of ordinary cultivation."

It was not only his soul power; his physical abilities had also improved greatly.

If he fought Fatty now, he probably would not need Hidden Strength. He could beat Fatty until he was crawling with just Eight Extremes Collapse.

"As expected, a One-Ring Soul Master and a Soul Grandmaster are in completely different realms." Dai Yao sighed, feeling the tremendous changes in his body.

"Looking at it now, luck played a major part in my battle with Fatty back then."

At that moment, the middle-aged Soul Master lifted the tent flap and respectfully reminded him, "Your Highness, it is about time."

The two of them rested in the Beast Taming Garden for a day, recovering their energy and soul power.

After Dai Yao successfully absorbed the Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, the middle-aged Soul Master's attitude became extremely respectful, even somewhat fawning.

"Then let's head back."

After eating some dried meat and packing away all their camping equipment, the two of them followed the road they had taken here and left the Beast Taming Garden.

After several hours of travel, they finally reached the edge of the Beast Taming Garden.

After briefly bidding farewell to the middle-aged Soul Master, Dai Yao boarded the carriage and rode through the canyon.

Once they left the canyon, Dai Yao lifted the window curtain and looked back.

The mountains rising from the ground were like a towering wall that reached into the clouds, blocking the view of the distance and leaving only a narrow crack in the middle.

"Perhaps I will never come back here again." Dai Yao felt somewhat conflicted.

Although his experiences in the Beast Taming Garden had not been pleasant, the two Spirit Rings he obtained here had left him with a different sort of attachment to the place.

The oldest soul beast in the Beast Taming Garden was only two thousand years old, which could not satisfy the requirements for his Third Spirit Ring. When the time came, he might have to make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a satisfactory Spirit Ring.

The middle-aged Soul Master stared silently in the direction Dai Yao had left for a long time.

"Ah, we finally got rid of that pest. I hope he doesn't come back next time," the Guard Captain complained.

Seeing the middle-aged Soul Master standing blankly to one side, the Guard Captain waved his hand in front of him and teased, "What's wrong, old brother? What's so memorable about this Fourth Highness? Don't tell me he threatened you too?"

The middle-aged Soul Master was jolted awake by the Guard Captain's antics. He smacked away the Guard Captain's misbehaving hand in disgust, then turned and gazed fervently in the direction Dai Yao had left.

"Little brother, do you know what I saw?" he said mysteriously.

"What did you see?" the Guard Captain asked, puzzled.

"I saw a legend slowly rising..."

One day and one night later.

Dai Yao finally returned to the Royal Academy.

The moment he stepped into the Academy, countless gazes turned toward him. Some were curious, some disdainful, and some hostile.

But Dai Yao did not care. Ignoring those gazes, he went straight back to his Cultivation Ground.

Behind the waterfall, inside the dark cavern.

Zhu Zhuqing was cultivating cross-legged. Dark-attribute soul power gathered from all around the cavern and was absorbed by her.

She opened her eyes and sensed the changes in her soul power, looking thoughtful. "My cultivation speed has increased considerably."

Before, when she cultivated, the energy between heaven and earth seemed to have to be begged before it would reluctantly merge into her body.

Ever since her Martial Soul had mutated, whenever she cultivated, the energy of heaven and earth fought to rush inside, as though being cultivated by her were an honor.

After taking the Purple Lotus, her current Martial Soul was worlds apart from the Netherworld Cat Spirit.

But whenever she thought of the mysterious Purple Lotus, worry filled her heart.

She did not know where Dai Yao had obtained the Purple Lotus, but its existence was undoubtedly a supreme treasure of heaven and earth. She had never seen anything capable of improving a Martial Soul before.

"Since he is unwilling to say, I will not force him. But when he returns, I must remind him repeatedly. This thing is extremely significant, so he has to be more careful."

There were simply too many people who knew her in Star Luo Academy. Ever since her Martial Soul mutated, she had never used it publicly again.

As she was troubled by this, footsteps sounded outside the waterfall.

Zhu Zhuqing immediately withdrew her Martial Soul, went to the entrance of the cavern, and warily looked outside the waterfall.

When that familiar figure appeared, a surge of joy rose within her.

"You're back." Zhu Zhuqing looked at Dai Yao's travel-worn face and smiled faintly.

They were like an old married couple, their relationship calm yet sweet, lacking the blazing passion of young lovers.

They had been born into the imperial family, so their emotions were far more restrained. Under the cruel rules of the struggle for the throne, the two of them seemed more like people huddling together for warmth.

It was a compromise they had no choice but to make.

Their so-called engagement was merely an embellishment for that compromise.

But after three years of getting along and supporting each other, Zhu Zhuqing had gradually come to acknowledge Dai Yao.

Especially a few days ago, when Dai Yao had appeared during her moment of despair and opened a tiny crack in the heart frozen by the misfortunes that had befallen the Zhu Family.

"How is your Martial Soul?"

Dai Yao hugged Zhu Zhuqing briefly and noticed that she seemed to have grown a little taller. Remembering the strange situation that had occurred after she took the Purple Lotus a few days ago, he asked worriedly.

Seeing Dai Yao's worried expression, Zhu Zhuqing felt warm inside. "After taking the Purple Lotus, my Martial Soul became much stronger."

With that, Zhu Zhuqing activated Martial Soul Possession.

"It doesn't seem much different." Dai Yao examined her for a moment but could not tell what had changed.

That was what he said, but his body was being perfectly honest. Zhu Zhuqing in her Martial Soul Possession state was incredibly alluring, and Dai Yao stared at her without moving his eyes away.

Her former aura had been lively and agile, but now she seemed like a lofty ruler, noble and mysterious with every gesture.

"Why is she so much more alluring now? Could the Purple Lotus's effect be this?" Dai Yao thought.

"Feel it carefully." Zhu Zhuqing wore a slightly mischievous expression.

When Dai Yao closed his eyes, a chill suddenly appeared around him. Immediately afterward, his entire body seemed to be immersed in icy water.

He shuddered, and even the mist from his breath condensed into frost.

"What is this? Why is it so cold?"

Dai Yao rubbed his arms and asked in astonishment.

One had to know that he was a Power Attack System Soul Master with an exceptionally strong physique and immense resistance to the cold. He could even endure sitting beneath the waterfall in the middle of winter. Why was he unable to bear it now?

When he opened his eyes, he found that the cavern remained the same. Moss covered the ground, and it seemed completely unaffected by the cold.

"That's not right. The temperature in the cavern hasn't changed!" Dai Yao suddenly turned around, thinking in shock.

"How did you do this?" he asked in astonishment.

An Ice Crystal Crown appeared above Zhu Zhuqing's head, containing boundless might. All the dark elements in the cavern became active, as though welcoming the arrival of a King.

The Sacred White Tiger Spirit seemed to sense something and instantly possessed Dai Yao.

It was an existence on the same level as his Sacred White Tiger Spirit.

"This is my current Martial Soul—the Netherworld Overlord," Zhu Zhuqing explained.

I really had no idea what to name it...

Something came up at the company today and delayed me. The next chapter will be out after midnight.