At last, he'd shaken off those troublesome fellows.
Li Hao darted through the forest, eager to get home.
This trip had been an unqualified success.
His Soul Power had soared to Level 35.
He'd gained a third Soul Skill that was practically a cheat code.
And he'd even picked up an exceptionally high-quality External Soul Bone for free.
On top of that, he'd taught the future vice dean of Shrek a lesson with three swings of his rod.
Thinking of Zhao Wuji clutching his head, looking utterly horrified and questioning his entire existence, put Li Hao in an inexplicably good mood.
That was for yelling at me.
That was for not letting me go home.
Serves you right.
After crossing the familiar stretch of forest, he could already see Holy Soul Village.
He didn't enter the village. Instead, he circled around to an uninhabited hillside and, after confirming there was no one around, summoned the power of his mind.
A shimmering doorway quietly unfolded before him.
The feeling of home washed over him.
Almost as soon as the doorway opened,
two figures, one pink and one purple, came rushing out in a hurry.
"Daddy!"
A tiny pink figure cried out and threw herself into his arms.
It was Xiao Wu.
Her little hands clutched Li Hao's clothes tightly. Her whole body trembled as she buried her face against his chest and sobbed quietly.
"You're finally back... Xiao Wu was so worried about you..."
On the other side, Medusa appeared before him too.
She still looked as coldly elegant and noble as ever, but her normally placid, serpentine eyes now brimmed with unmistakable concern and relief.
Her shoulders, which had been tense the whole time, finally relaxed a little when she saw that Li Hao had returned unharmed.
"Master, you're back."
Holding the little sweetheart in his arms and looking at the queenly bodyguard before him, Li Hao felt warmth rise in his heart.
He really was socially anxious.
But being welcomed home by his family truly put him at ease.
"I'm back."
He patted Xiao Wu's back and comforted her gently.
"It's all right now. Look, I'm perfectly fine."
Xiao Wu lifted her little tear-streaked face and sniffled. She examined Li Hao carefully, and only after making sure he had no wounds did she break into a smile.
"Daddy's gotten so much stronger!"
She sensed the severalfold increase in the surging Soul Power within Li Hao and cheered happily.
Li Hao smiled and focused his thoughts.
Yellow, purple, purple.
Three Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
The third one in particular, a deep purple that seemed to contain a starry sky, radiated power far beyond that of an ordinary thousand-year Soul Ring.
"Wow! It's purple!"
Xiao Wu's eyes sparkled.
Medusa carefully sensed the energy fluctuations radiating from the Soul Ring and nodded slightly.
"Congratulations, Master. My felicitations."
Her congratulations were always so concise.
Li Hao dismissed the Soul Rings, then produced a seed wrapped in soft green light as if by magic.
"Look, I brought back a new companion too."
The moment the seed appeared, the auras of Xiao Wu and Qiluo, who remained in the Paradise, both reacted.
A surge of pure life energy made the entire Soul Beast Paradise hum with joy.
"This is... the Life Core of an Illusion Dream Tree Demon."
Medusa recognized the source of that aura.
"Mm. A poor soul that failed its tribulation."
Li Hao led them back to the Paradise.
He walked to the middle of the medicinal garden in front of the wooden cabin, which Qiluo had kept in immaculate order.
He crouched down, dug a small hole in the soft earth, and carefully placed the Illusion Dream Tree Demon's seed inside.
Then he extended a finger. A drop of golden blood, infused with his Soul Power and spiritual power, fell onto the seed.
Hum!
As if awakened to life, the seed instantly burst into brilliant green light.
It took root in the soil, and a tender green sprout broke through the earth, growing rapidly before their eyes.
It sprouted branches and unfurled leaves.
In just a dozen seconds, a sapling half a person's height stood gracefully before them.
It was verdant from top to bottom, every leaf like a piece of the finest jade, and it radiated a strange fluctuation that calmed the mind and filled one with serenity.
The fluctuation spread outward, making the air throughout the Soul Beast Paradise fresher. Even the space itself seemed to grow more stable.
Li Hao looked at the vibrant little sapling, then at his home—cozy, but rather plain.
There was only a wooden cabin, a hot spring, and a medicinal garden.
It was too small.
And too humble.
An unprecedented idea welled up within him.
His Soul Power had already reached Level 35, and his spiritual power far surpassed that of others at the same level. His grasp of space had also grown alongside the awakening of the Karma Rod.
Perhaps...
He could make this place better.
A world truly worthy of the name "Paradise."
He acted as soon as the thought came to him.
Li Hao took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
Standing in the center of the Paradise, he immersed his entire mind in this personal world of his.
He thought, This place should have mountains.
Rumble!
Before the thought had even faded, the distant plain began to tremble violently. The earth churned, and rocks burst from the ground.
At his command, a majestic peak rose straight from the earth!
Xiao Wu and Medusa watched, stunned.
This was no longer a simple Soul Skill.
This was... creation!
Li Hao didn't stop.
"Mountains should rise and fall, stretching on without end."
At his command, more ranges surged up from the earth, their peaks rising to different heights and forming a magnificent landscape.
"Where there are mountains, there should be water."
He turned his gaze toward a hollow in the land.
Soul Power poured from him, transforming into the purest water element and gathering in the center of the hollow as a spring.
The spring flowed without pause, gradually pooling into a lake that shimmered with ripples.
"Water should flow."
The lake overflowed. Guided by his will, it carved out a winding river that looped around the new mountains and ran through the entire space.
Looking at the rough framework of this world, Li Hao opened his eyes.
On his own, he was still too slow.
He looked at Xiao Wu and Medusa beside him.
"Let's do this together. Let's build our home into what we want it to be."
Xiao Wu was the first to respond. She cheered and activated Martial Soul Possession with her Soft Bone Rabbit.
She ran to the barren mountains and pressed both hands against the earth. A vigorous life force poured from her.
Greenery spread rapidly from where she stood.
Grass, wildflowers, shrubs, trees...
The bare mountain ranges quickly donned a lush green mantle.
Medusa moved as well.
She flew into the air, and her vast Soul Power surged outward, transforming into an invisible giant hand. She steadied the newborn land and reinforced the riverbeds, making this nascent world more solid and stable.
The three of them worked together.
One created the mountains and rivers.
One breathed life into them.
One fortified the foundations.
Over the next few days, the Soul Beast Paradise underwent a complete transformation.
The monotonous space, originally only a few miles across, expanded dozens of times over.
Now it had towering peaks that pierced the clouds, rivers that flowed without cease, lakes stretching as far as the eye could see, and boundless forests and grasslands.
At Li Hao's will, the sun, moon, and stars also appeared in the sky, taking turns in their celestial dance.
A true, complete, and vibrant paradise on earth began to take shape.
That day,
Li Hao stood with Xiao Wu and Medusa atop the tallest mountain in the Paradise.
He looked down at the magnificent landscape that belonged to him, at the Soul Beasts running through the forests and the fish playing in the lakes. His heart filled with a sense of accomplishment and contentment unlike anything he'd ever felt.
This was home.
This was the carefree life he wanted.
Just as his heart surged with emotion,
[Ding—!]
A dazzling golden light, unlike anything he'd ever seen before, suddenly burst from within him!
It wasn't the system's notification.
It was a vast, resonant bell toll, as if it came from the very origin of the world, echoing through his entire mind!
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