Assassination by the Holy Spirit Cult

Several days later, deep within the Demon Forest.

A gray, hazy sky shrouded the entire dense forest. Towering ancient trees blotted out the sun, and the air was thick with a damp, decaying stench. Occasionally, the low roars of Soul Beasts echoed through the woods, making the already perilous forest feel even more oppressive. Huo Yuhao and Ye Guyi had been traveling through the forest for five full days, yet they had found no trace of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast suitable for Ye Guyi.

Ye Guyi's aura had become steadier than before. The power of a level-seventy Soul Sage had initially stabilized; all she lacked was a soul ring perfectly suited to her Sacred Angel Martial Soul before she could truly enter the ranks of Soul Sages. But Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were scarce to begin with, and the Demon Forest was dominated by dark and sinister Soul Beasts. Finding a pure light-attributed Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring here was easier said than done.

The two rested briefly against the trunk of a thick tree. Just as Huo Yuhao was about to sense the Soul Beast fluctuations nearby, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

An icy, violent soul power filled with evil intent was rapidly approaching from afar. The other party clearly had no intention of concealing itself, carrying undisguised killing intent.

Without even pausing to think, Huo Yuhao shouted inwardly and activated Tianmeng Ice Worm's Simulation soul skill. A faint white glow gently enveloped him and Ye Guyi. Their originally powerful auras were instantly suppressed, distorted, and disguised as the most ordinary Soul Master auras—he appeared to be a two-ring Great Soul Master, while Ye Guyi was reduced to a one-ring Soul Master who had only just broken through level twenty. They looked like two ordinary people with no backing, hunting soul rings in the mountains alone, utterly harmless.

Ye Guyi froze for a moment, then immediately understood Huo Yuhao's intentions. Obediently lowering her head, she concealed all her sacred aura. She looked timid and delicate, no different from an ordinary young girl.

Only a few breaths later, four black figures darted out from the forest like Gui Mei, landing not far in front of them.

The two men in the lead were tall, their bodies wreathed in black soul power so dense it seemed impossible to disperse. Their auras were heavy and domineering—they were clearly two Soul Sage-level Evil Soul Masters. Behind them stood two Soul Emperors in their sixties, with sinister eyes and cruel smiles on their faces. The moment the four appeared, the surrounding air seemed to turn colder, while the vegetation withered slightly beneath the corrosion of their dark soul power.

"Strange. I clearly sensed an extremely pure aura just now. How did it suddenly disappear?" The lead Evil Soul Sage frowned and swept his gaze over the surroundings before it finally landed on Huo Yuhao and Ye Guyi, his eyes filled with suspicion.

The other man spat impatiently, his tone brimming with hostility. "We've searched for so many days, and there's still no progress on the task the Cult Leader assigned us. That little girl with the Sacred Angel Martial Soul had been staying by Jing Hongchen's side, so we had no chance to strike. We finally waited until she entered the Demon Forest, only to fail to catch even a glimpse of her. What rotten luck."

His gaze fell upon the disguised pair, and greed and cruelty immediately flashed in his eyes. "Since we can't find the real target, we'll use these two little ones as compensation. The soul power of weak humans is the purest. Refining them will be perfect for improving our cultivation."

As soon as he finished speaking, soul power surged around the two Evil Soul Sages as they prepared to attack.

Huo Yuhao's eyes instantly turned cold.

He no longer held anything back and shouted inwardly, "Ice Empress, Snow Empress, attack!"

Two auras of extreme frost suddenly erupted from his body. The chill of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion intertwined with the frigid cold of the Ice Heaven Snow Woman, forming a terrifying torrent of ice and snow that swept toward the four Evil Soul Masters. This was the ice-and-snow fusion technique jointly unleashed by the Ice Empress and Snow Empress. Wherever the frost passed, thick ice crystals instantly formed across the ground, and even the air seemed frozen solid.

Crack—!

A piercing sound of ice sealing rang out.

The two Evil Soul Emperors in the rear did not even have time to react before their bodies were instantly wrapped in solid ice. They were frozen from head to toe, their eyes wide as they remained locked in the posture of attack, completely losing the ability to move.

However, the two Soul Sage-level Evil Soul Masters were powerful after all. At the instant the ice seal descended, they simultaneously erupted with all their dark soul power, forcibly shattering the ice covering their bodies. They staggered back several steps, their faces turning incomparably grim.

"Ice-type Soul Masters! And Extreme Ice!"

One of the Evil Soul Sages was shocked and enraged. He stared fixedly at Huo Yuhao, finally realizing that these seemingly weak young man and woman were anything but ordinary.

Huo Yuhao's expression did not ripple in the slightest as he spoke again. "Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass, Ice Bear King, help me!"

Two figures appeared simultaneously. The Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass radiated a refreshing chill as countless ice needles hovered in the air. The Ice Bear King's enormous body blocked the way ahead, his thick ice-type soul power forming a wall that completely sealed off the two Evil Soul Sages' retreat. Four ice-type powers erupted at once, shrouding the entire area in endless cold.

Huo Yuhao slightly raised his left arm, and a pale-blue Soul Bone glow suddenly bloomed.

Ice Dragon King's Left Arm Bone, fully activated.

"Icebound Domain!"

An invisible domain instantly spread outward. The temperature between heaven and earth plunged madly, reaching a suffocating degree. Fine ice patterns split across the ground, crystalline icicles formed on the branches, and even the dark soul power surrounding the two Evil Soul Sages was frozen into stagnation. The two men, who had just broken free from their restraints, felt their bodies sink as their limbs instantly went numb. The next moment, thick solid ice completely encased them, leaving only their heads barely able to turn. Their eyes were filled with terror and despair.

In a single instant, all four Evil Soul Masters had been frozen. The outcome was decided.

Huo Yuhao slowly walked before one of the Evil Soul Sages. His expression was calm, but his eyes were as cold as ice. With a light tap of his fingertip, he released the ice sealing the man's head, allowing him to speak.

"Who sent you? The Holy Spirit Cult?" Huo Yuhao's voice was low, but it carried unquestionable pressure.

The Evil Soul Sage's heart shook violently. He had not expected that, despite hiding so deeply, he would still be seen through at a glance. There was no point in concealing anything now. He glared at Huo Yuhao, his voice trembling with unwillingness. "You... you're the young man who has always been guarding that Sacred Angel Martial Soul?"

Huo Yuhao nodded faintly. "That's right. We're the people you were looking for."

The Evil Soul Sage's pupils contracted sharply as he gritted his teeth. "It was the Holy Spirit Cult Leader! He noticed you long ago and specifically sent us here to secretly eliminate you! He said that the Sacred Angel Martial Soul is our greatest enemy and must be eradicated as soon as possible!"

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Huo Yuhao said no more.

He turned toward Ye Guyi, his tone steady and serious. "Remove your disguise."

Ye Guyi nodded gently. The simulated aura around her instantly dispersed, and golden sacred light shot into the sky. Pure, warm power of light spread through the area, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding chill. Her Sacred Angel Martial Soul unfolded, golden feathers of light drifting down around her and making her look like an angel descending into the mortal world.

"Use your sixth soul skill to send them on their way," Huo Yuhao said calmly. "The dark power of these Evil Soul Masters will be perfect for tempering your soul power. It will also complete the mission of your Angel God Fourth Trial."

Ye Guyi's expression turned solemn, and she did not hesitate in the slightest.

She pressed her hands together as golden soul power gathered in her palms. The light of her sixth soul skill shone with incomparable brilliance.

"Angel Descends!"

A massive pillar of golden light descended from the sky, enveloping the four frozen Evil Soul Masters. Sacred light naturally restrained Evil Soul Masters. The solid ice instantly melted away, while their dark soul power continuously dissipated beneath the purification of the power of light. The four Evil Soul Masters did not even have time to scream before they turned into specks of light within the pure holy radiance, completely vanishing into the air.

The surrounding chill was swept away, leaving behind only a faint lingering warmth of light.

Ye Guyi let out a soft breath. She could clearly feel that her soul power had become more condensed, while the progress of her Angel God trial had also advanced by a great step.

Huo Yuhao stood where he was without speaking, but he was quietly thinking to himself.

The Holy Spirit Cult had actually taken the initiative to strike against him and Ye Guyi, even dispatching Soul Sage-level experts to assassinate them. This showed that the other side was no longer concealing its killing intent. Their actions would only become more frenzied from here on.

He had originally planned to help Ye Guyi stabilize her realm first, then slowly search for the remains of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. But now, it seemed the plan had to be moved up.

The resurrection of Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo could no longer be delayed.

The overwhelming control of the Twin-Level Stasis Domain was the power he needed most to contend against the Holy Spirit Cult. As long as he could revive those two former peak experts, he would gain two absolute trump cards. His confidence in rebuilding Spirit Hall and opposing the Holy Spirit Cult would grow significantly.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and looked toward Ye Guyi, determination returning to his eyes.

"We'll continue searching for your soul ring and finish your matter as soon as possible. After that, I have a more important task to carry out."

Within the dense forest, the wind whispered softly. A new scheme had already quietly begun to unfold in his heart.