Douluo: Founding the Heavenly Court from the Holy Spirit Cult

This child's family is merely a tiny microcosm of the whole.

Yet, this has made the youth all the more terrifying. Previously, he was thought to be a genius driven solely by hatred, but now it is clear that he maintains a sense of reason and philosophy amidst that hatred.

Although that philosophy is simple, perhaps even crude, that is merely due to the youth's tender age and lack of worldly experience.

As he experiences more in the future, that philosophy will be continuously refined, perhaps even sublimated into a firm conviction.

A genius with conviction and a philosophy is undoubtedly more terrifying, more likely to succeed, and far harder to persuade or change.

When that time comes, he will inevitably ignite a war that sweeps across the entire continent, one perhaps even more tragic than the one four thousand years ago.

"I am very grateful to you, Senior, for capturing this person. I only wish to seek revenge and have no desire to harm the innocent; as long as they do not stand in my way, it will be fine."

Seeing Long Xiaoyao fall into silence, Yang Hao offered a promise to avoid straining their relationship too far.

With that said, he hoisted the unconscious Tai Jingang and carried him away.

Upon returning to his residence, Yang Hao forced Tai Jingang to kneel before a family portrait.

On the way back, he had already inspected the old man; his limbs had been shattered, the meridians within his body were ruptured in multiple places, and his Soul Core had been sealed by a dark soul power, rendering him a cripple who could be toyed with at will.

"If you want to watch, just come in. Why are you skulking about?"

Glancing outside the door, Yang Hao gestured for the person to enter.

"You're the one who's skulking!"

Ma Xiaotao pushed the door open and entered, retorting with dissatisfaction, though her gaze remained fixed on the burly old man.

"Who is he?"

She had been keeping an eye on this fellow; having seen him drag someone back earlier, she had come over out of curiosity.

"The patriarch of the Strength Clan, the mastermind who conspired to frame my parents back then."

As Yang Hao spoke, he splashed a cup of cold water onto Tai Jingang's face.

"He is the patriarch of the Strength Clan!"

Ma Xiaotao was shocked. This was the patriarch of the Strength Clan?

She had been thinking about that bastard's affairs for days, and the key to everything lay with this Strength Clan. Was it really as he claimed?

Stung by the cold water, Tai Jingang slowly regained consciousness. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw a youth offering incense, and on the wall hung a family portrait. He recognized the young man and woman in the picture.

"It's you, you little bastard."

Tai Jingang realized the situation, staring at the incense-offering youth with fury.

Although his stature had grown significantly, there was no doubt this was that little bastard.

"Old thing, when you framed my mother, murdered my brother, and stripped him of his Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone, did you ever think this day would come?"

Placing the incense into the burner, Yang Hao turned around to look down at the kneeling Tai Jingang.

"I should have killed you, you little bastard, back then."

Tai Jingang was consumed by hatred. He had spared the brat back then only to put on a show and avoid suspicion—the incident had caused such a massive stir—but who would have thought he would become such a disaster?

He was filled with regret!

Behind them, Ma Xiaotao's face turned pale. These words undoubtedly confirmed the bastard's claims. It really was this old man who had framed his parents and even utilized the Shrek Inspectorate to wrongfully kill innocent people.

It was actually true!

"You may leave now. What follows will be a bit cruel. They stripped my brother of his soul bone back then, so today, I am going to strip the bones from his entire body."

As Yang Hao spoke, he took out a protective suit and put it on, along with a pair of gloves.

These were pieces of equipment he had developed with the help of his Second Senior Brother to study the power of various thermal weapons; they were coming in handy now.

"Let's go."

Feng Ling's figure appeared, leading the deathly pale Ma Xiaotao away.

She had guessed what was happening the moment Long Xiaoyao brought the man back. She had been watching from the shadows and had just been outside, confirming the truth about the boy's parents.

It was indeed a conspiracy by the Strength Clan. This was a good thing for their Holy Spirit Cult, as it would at least solidify the boy's current stance.

Being hostile toward the Strength Clan and Shrek Academy was exactly what they wanted!

Furthermore, this incident served perfectly to shatter Ma Xiaotao's current philosophy and perceptions, allowing her to slowly identify with their Holy Spirit Cult and eventually become one of them.

Although she possessed methods to cloud the mind, such techniques would damage one's potential. Unless necessary, she did not want to use them on this girl.

The girl's talent was too exceptional—even better than her own had been at that age. With proper cultivation, she might even have a chance to reach the 99th-rank limit in the future.

She held high expectations for her!

After the two left, Yang Hao closed the door, took out a short blade, and blinded Tai Jingang. He then deployed the Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone to pierce him and begin the consumption, one leg even stabbing into the dantian to devour the sealed Soul Core within.

Tai Jingang tried to struggle and resist, but alas, his limbs were shattered and his soul power and Soul Core were sealed by Long Xiaoyao's energy. He was a cripple who could not resist at all, forced to watch helplessly as his martial soul and soul power were devoured.

The consumption of his martial soul, in particular, felt as if his very soul were being torn apart; the agony was beyond words.

Before long, Tai Jingang's martial soul and soul power were completely drained, and even his Soul Core had been devoured and refined.

These powers were filtered and refined by the Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone, their essence merging into the soul core within the bone. Fusing with the One-Eyed Vajra martial soul, they propelled its strength to a significantly higher level.

"One-Eyed Vajra Possession!"

With a shift of his will, he activated the One-Eyed Vajra martial soul bound to the Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone. His physique expanded rapidly, transforming him into a three-meter-tall Devil Muscle Man in the blink of an eye.

"As expected of a Title Douluo."

Feeling the further enhanced One-Eyed Vajra martial soul, Yang Hao was very satisfied.

Having previously undergone a cleansing of his blood and energy through the devouring and refining of the soul bone, his physical constitution had improved greatly. Now, he could easily bear the changes and amplification brought about by the One-Eyed Vajra Possession.

"Holy Son, Wanhun requests an audience."

At this moment, a voice came from outside. Yang Hao had previously ordered for Wanhun to be brought here to assist in dealing with the soul of Tai Jingang.

After all, this was a Title Douluo; it would be a waste to let him go to waste.

Wanhun had originally been an elder of a branch altar. Having performed meritorious service in reporting the situation regarding Ma Xiaotao, and having been severely injured in the battle against Shrek, he had been transferred to the main altar.

No one knew his original name; his current title within the Holy Spirit Cult was simply Wanhun.

"Enter."

"Holy Son!"

Wanhun entered and bowed respectfully. He knew that this person was currently the most favored figure in the cult, highly regarded by both the Cult Master and the Vice Cult Master, and he could not afford to offend him.

"This is a Title Douluo, and also my enemy. Can you control his soul?"

Yang Hao asked. He did this not to further torture Tai Jingang, but because he had some ideas and wanted to use Wanhun to research the future soul spirit system.

"I can!"

Wanhun was stunned for a moment before decisively confirming he could, his heart filled with joy.

This was a Title Douluo!

His martial soul was the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, which required a vast number of souls to fill; the more souls, the stronger it became. A soul at the level of a Title Douluo was enough to become the primary soul within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Once refined, not only would his own strength increase significantly, but his martial soul would also evolve, thereby increasing his cultivation speed. The benefits were numerous.

"Can the souls you control unleash the soul skills they possessed in life?"

Yang Hao asked again. He still needed this man to research this aspect himself; he could only provide some hypotheses.

"This subordinate can only devour souls."

Blinking his eyes, Wanhun answered truthfully.

"I have read some ancient texts. A martial soul can be considered a type of soul; it is born as one with the soul master's soul. You can try to devour the martial soul along with the soul master's soul, and then find a way to fuse the two.

After that, there are soul beasts. Ten-thousand-year soul beasts can integrate their lingering thoughts into soul rings, and hundred-thousand-year soul beasts can even integrate their martial souls into soul rings and soul bones. It is clear that soul and power can be fused..."

Yang Hao explained the settings in this regard. If it worked, all the better; if not, it didn't matter, as there was no loss anyway.

Wanhun listened attentively, his face flushing with excitement. He felt there was some feasibility to this and decided he must conduct research in this area in the future.

"Take him down and dispose of him."

Having finished explaining the concepts he knew, Yang Hao pointed to Tai Jingang, who was slumped on the ground with only a breath left.

"Many thanks, Holy Son. This subordinate will do everything in his power to research the fusion of martial souls and souls, and will follow the Holy Son's lead from this day forward."

Wanhun thanked him respectfully and decisively pledged his loyalty.

It was not easy to get by in the Holy Spirit Cult, especially at the main altar; following the right person was crucial.

This Holy Son was valued by the Cult Master and Vice Cult Master and had a boundless future, possibly even becoming the next Cult Master. Following him was definitely the right choice.

Not to mention this proposal—if it succeeded, he would be set for life.

"Mm, follow me and you won't be treated unfairly. The Strength Clan of the Star Luo Empire is my enemy; when the time comes, you will accompany me on a trip.

The Strength Clan still has a few Soul Douluos and over a dozen Soul Sages. Your strength needs to be improved further."

Yang Hao was very satisfied; he needed such sensible talent.

"This subordinate will not fail the Holy Son's trust."

"This subordinate takes his leave!"

Wanhun bowed respectfully and dragged Tai Jingang away.

Chapter 24: The Path to Godhood

For Yang Hao, Tai Jingang was merely a small interlude. Afterward, he continued his daily routine of cultivation and research, while simultaneously reading the various classics collected by the Holy Spirit Cult.

As one of the top forces on the continent, the Holy Spirit Cult possessed a vast and comprehensive collection of texts, including the cultivation insights of many Super Douluos and even Limit Douluos.

Among them were the condensation of soul cores, the cultivation of synchronized resonant soul cores, and even hypotheses and records of attempts at the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core architecture.

These were exactly what Yang Hao urgently needed. After experiencing the fusion of the Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone's soul core, the origin of the One-Eyed Vajra martial soul, and the soul guidance core of the Nine-Turn Soul-Changing Instrument, he had a bold idea.

It was to use the soul beast soul core as a reference, condense a source soul core based on his martial soul origin, and cultivate using this source soul core as a foundation, following the cultivation path of soul beasts to break through his level bottleneck.