Possession

Endless chill radiated from the cold spring at the center of the room, though such temperatures meant nothing to either Huo Yuhao or Ice Empress.

Ice-blue radiance flowed through the room, illuminating the tiny, drifting specks of light in the air.

Ice Empress's golden eyes chased those specks for a moment before she spoke calmly, "Yuhao, I want to become stronger."

"Hm? But Ice Empress, you still need to nourish your origin." Huo Yuhao was slightly stunned, his expression laced with confusion.

"It's too slow. At this rate, I fear it would take another ten years just to fully restore my origin."

A soft huff escaped Ice Empress's delicate nose, her tone heavy with obvious impatience.

"Yuhao, you know there is a faster way, don't you?"

"But..."

Huo Yuhao's words were cut off before he could finish.

A sensation of refreshing, icy coolness pressed against his lips—soft and supple.

In that instant of contact, Huo Yuhao felt his consciousness go blank.

Acting on instinct, Ice Empress couldn't help but wrap her arms around Huo Yuhao's neck.

The tingling sensation on the tip of her tongue made their breathing grow heavier.

A long time passed.

Huo Yuhao remained frozen in his original posture, his gaze fixed on the Ice Empress before him.

Her face, usually so full of pride, was now flushed with a captivating crimson, her lips slightly pouted and still glistening with moisture.

Huo Yuhao subconsciously licked his own lips, as if the cool, soft sensation still lingered there.

"Ice Empress, you..."

He had just started to speak when Ice Empress forcefully interrupted him.

"Yuhao, you didn't refuse, did you?"

Though her voice still held a hint of unease, it quickly grew defiant.

"For someone like you, wouldn't it have been easy to push me away just now?"

Ice Empress looked at the still-stunned Huo Yuhao, her original arrogance seemingly returning as she spoke bluntly, "Yuhao, I was jealous. When I heard you say you liked Wang Dong'er and Snow Empress, I was jealous."

"Are you going to say that these feelings I have for you are just an illusion caused by my origin being hosted within you?" Ice Empress's golden eyes held an unprecedented seriousness.

"Yuhao, it is precisely because of that that I cannot help but want to possess you. For us soul beasts, if we like something, we simply take it! And right now, I want to take you!"

While Huo Yuhao was still dazed by her direct and bold declaration, Ice Empress leaned in, pressed her lips against the exposed skin of his shoulder, opened her mouth, and bit down without hesitation.

Huo Yuhao frowned slightly as a faint sting radiated from his shoulder.

In the end, he did not push her away.

After a long while, Ice Empress extended her pink tongue to gently lick the clear mark, savoring the subtle taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

"Yuhao, now you belong to me."

The next morning.

Huo Yuhao walked out of the Mimicry Cultivation Ground, his lips still feeling a bit strange and slightly swollen.

Last night, he had essentially been held and nibbled on by Ice Empress all night long.

If not for his robust physique, he feared he would have been drained dry by her.

A satisfied Ice Empress had already returned to Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, basking in the contentment of digesting her newfound energy.

As for Tian Meng? He was still fast asleep.

Huo Yuhao shook his head, shaking off the lingering haze of last night, and walked toward the exclusive cafeteria for Inner Court disciples on Sea God Island.

The cafeteria was located near the center of Sea God Island, but since the island itself wasn't very large, Huo Yuhao arrived at the entrance in less than a quarter of an hour.

Compared to the cafeterias of the Martial Soul Department and the Soul Guidance Department in the Outer Court, the Inner Court cafeteria was much smaller and more refined.

However, the quality of food provided by the Inner Court cafeteria far exceeded the top-tier dishes served in the deepest parts of the Outer Court, with more luxurious ingredients and more precise nutritional balance.

Furthermore, it was fully furnished, elegant, and most importantly, completely free.

Of course, this was because the number of Inner Court disciples was extremely small.

Counting everyone who stayed on Sea God Island for long-term cultivation, there were only about sixty people in total.

Since it was still early, there were very few people dining in the cafeteria.

Looking around, there were only five or six people in total.

The Inner Court cafeteria operated on a fully open buffet model, with all dishes neatly arranged in designated warming areas.

Every dish was prepared using ingredients taken from at least the essence parts of thousand-year soul beasts.

Looking at the dazzling array of dishes, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but recall an experience from his past life, when he had come to the Inner Court cafeteria without his uniform and almost got caught by a new disciplinary teacher; he hoped he wouldn't be that unlucky this time.

He picked up a clean tray, prepared to pick out a few things he liked, and planned to bring a portion back for Ling Luochen, who was still resting, after he finished eating.

While Huo Yuhao was still selecting his dishes, two people sitting at a table in the corner of the cafeteria had already noticed him.

One of the women had dazzling, flame-red hair and wore a sharp red outfit that accentuated her graceful figure.

She was stunningly beautiful and appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

At that moment, she nudged her companion with her elbow, a mischievous smile on her face, and lowered her voice: "Han Ruoruo, look at that junior—doesn't he fit your taste perfectly?"

The woman being teased was tall with a gentle, quiet temperament and an exquisitely beautiful face.

Hearing Wu Ming's words, she immediately looked embarrassed: "Wu Ming, don't talk nonsense."

"Oh, Han Ruoruo, we both know each other well enough," Wu Ming giggled, making no effort to hide her teasing, "Isn't this exactly the kind of well-behaved, gentle little boy you like the most?"

As Wu Ming's beautiful eyes darted about, she stood up abruptly, waved in Huo Yuhao's direction, and shouted: "Junior, over here! Come sit with us!"

Watching Wu Ming's bold move, Han Ruoruo looked even more flustered. She hurriedly reached out to grab her arm, trying to pull her back into her seat, her voice laced with shy annoyance:

"Wu Ming, what on earth are you doing?"

"Han Ruoruo, I'm helping you," Wu Ming said, sitting back down but continuing to tease her relentlessly, "You'll be thirty in a few years. If you miss out on such a cute junior, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"You should worry about yourself first, Wu Ming," Han Ruoruo said, feeling somewhat irritated by Wu Ming's actions and words, and couldn't help but retort, "You are known in the Inner Court as the Golden Crow 'Saintess', after all."

Although she said this, the corner of her eye caught the white-clad junior actually walking toward them with his tray, and the blush on her face became even more pronounced.

Especially as Huo Yuhao drew closer and she saw his delicate, handsome features clearly, Han Ruoruo found it difficult to keep her composure.

This junior was, quite simply, perfectly aligned with her aesthetic.