Before Wang Qiu'er could resist, Huo Yuhao had already leaned down and kissed her.
This single kiss.
Even the stars and moon seemed to lose their luster.
Wang Qiu'er was stunned, her entire body freezing in place like a statue. Her fierce eyes were filled with shock and panic, yet this time she did not push him away. Instead, her body gradually relaxed as she slowly closed her eyes in response.
She knew not how much time had passed.
Feeling Huo Yuhao's breath grow increasingly unstable, Wang Qiu'er flushed red and pushed him away, then glared at him with endless grievance. "Jerk, you have no shame!"
"What is it, Qiu'er?"
Huo Yuhao wore a face full of smiles, teasing her with utter innocence. "You said yourself not to kiss your face, and I kissed your lips, didn't I?"
Wang Qiu'er burst out laughing with a snort.
Finally.
She completely surrendered to this version of Huo Yuhao that left her both astonished and delighted, immediately shooting him a warning glare. "You're a giant idiot, and I won't allow you to do this next time."
Despite her words.
Judging by the slightly upturned corners of Wang Qiu'er's lips, her true mood was fully betrayed. Words might deceive, but expressions never would.
Right now, Wang Qiu'er's emotions were firmly held in the palm of Huo Yuhao's hand, completely reversing the dynamic from passive to active.
After a long while.
The atmosphere finally calmed down.
Huo Yuhao had no choice but to confess to Wang Qiu'er. "Qiu'er, I may have to leave for a while..."
"Hmm?"
Wang Qiu'er's thoroughly satisfied expression instantly turned icy, her brows furrowing slightly as she spoke. "Didn't you just finish seclusion? You can ignore the Spirit Transferring Hall, but surely you don't intend to ignore the Spirit Hall Academy's Soul Tool Department either?"
There was a hint of interrogation in her tone.
Wang Qiu'er meant that while he could hand over the God-Making Plan to Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena, what about the Spirit Hall Academy? It wasn't that she demanded Huo Yuhao manage the Soul Tool Department, but rather that she wanted him to care about her, who belonged to the Soul Tool Department.
Wang Qiu'er had waited so long for Huo Yuhao, only for him to leave again after a brief reunion. How could she not feel a sense of loss?
There was no help for it.
Who told Huo Yuhao to accept a hell-tier god trial quest.
To destroy Slaughter City.
Although with his current strength, he did not fear the Nine-Headed Bat King or even Tang Chen in the slightest, wanting to destroy Slaughter City was no easy task.
Slaughter City was established by the divine rules set down by the Asura God King. With his current abilities, Huo Yuhao had no power to destroy it from the outside.
To complete this god trial, he had to delve deep into the interior of Slaughter City. Only after passing through the Hell Road, under the condition where he would no longer be restricted by soul skill rules just like Tang Hao and Bibi Dong back then, would he have the opportunity to dismantle the entire Slaughter City from within, and finally gain the power to fight the Nine-Headed Bat King and even Tang Chen.
Huo Yuhao actually wished to stay in the Spirit Hall Academy a bit longer to be close to Qiu'er, but the God-Making Plan still had a long way to go. He knew this was not the time for self-indulgence, which was why he mustered the courage to confess to Wang Qiu'er.
"Those two fellows..."
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's confession, Wang Qiu'er let out an angry, furious huff. "Why didn't they just hand their god positions over to you directly instead of playing around with some god trials?"
"No choice. The God Kings call the shots."
Huo Yuhao grinned broadly. "So Qiu'er, do you agree?"
Wang Qiu'er: "Hmph! That's your own business, why do you need my consent?"
Though she grumbled complaints with her lips, Wang Qiu'er still produced her Golden Dragon Spear and handed it to Huo Yuhao.
Possessing the memories of both the Life and Destruction God Kings, she naturally understood the perils of Slaughter City. While she believed Huo Yuhao could handle the survival environment within, bringing the Golden Dragon Spear along added an extra layer of protection.
After all.
Slaughter City merely restricted soul power and soul skills, but it did not restrict martial souls and divine artifacts.
Furthermore, the Golden Dragon Spear was not driven by pure soul power alone; anyone possessing the Golden Dragon Bloodline could awaken it using sheer spiritual power. Thus, Wang Qiu'er decided to lend the Golden Dragon Spear to Huo Yuhao temporarily.
Huo Yuhao took the Golden Dragon Spear, then casually tucked a strand of Wang Qiu'er's dark hair behind her ear. He looked sincerely into that mesmerizing, soul-stirring face and spoke. "Don't worry, Qiu'er. I promise you I'll be fine-the years stretching ahead are far too long, and I'd never bear to die. When the time comes, I'll still need you to bear me eight or ten little Three-Ended Golden Lions!"
"What did you say?"
Wang Qiu'er's expression changed instantly, a shy flush spreading rapidly down to the base of her neck. "No, I was worried about the safety of your trip, and all you have in your head is wanting me to give you... You ruffian, you shameless, despicable scoundrel!"
Huo Yuhao spread his hands in mock innocence, pulling her directly into his embrace despite her struggles.
The moonlight hung high in the sky.
Spirit City remained brightly lit.
Huo Yuhao held Wang Qiu'er like that, and before either knew when it happened, they fell asleep in each other's arms, using the sky as their quilt and the earth as their bed.
The next morning.
The golden crow rose in the east.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the soft, weightless warmth draped across his chest, he couldn't help breaking into a satisfied smile. Just as he tried to move slightly, Wang Qiu'er bolted awake from her dream.
Their eyes locked.
The atmosphere turned somewhat awkward for a moment.
It was then that Wang Qiu'er realized Huo Yuhao's clothes were somewhat disheveled, and her own hand had somehow reached inside Huo Yuhao's robes, resting directly against his warm, jade-smooth chest.
Instantly.
Wang Qiu'er's face flared red. She hurriedly yanked her jade hand back and stammered out an explanation. "What... what are you looking at?"
Ah?
Huo Yuhao stared blankly at Wang Qiu'er's pretty face, for a moment growing completely enchanted as he thought to himself that Qiu'er actually had such an adorable side.
Huo Yuhao, oh Huo Yuhao, had your brain short-circuited a ten-thousand-years-hence lifetime to actually let go of such a wonderful girl? No wonder the Destruction God King scolded you for being good for nothing.
With a soft chuckle in his mind.
Huo Yuhao smiled lightly. "Qiu'er... would you like to get up first before we talk?"
The next second.
Wang Qiu'er sprang up at the speed of light, her flushed face somewhat warm as she straightened her clothes. "Um, I'll head back to the Spirit Hall Academy first. I haven't returned all night, and Zhang Ping and the others will start to worry..."
With that.
Wang Qiu'er turned, covering her blood-red face with both hands, and vanished from the roof of the Spirit Transferring Hall.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao wore a deep, rich smile.
Watching the figure of Wang Qiu'er fleeing in panic, he too vanished from the top of the Spirit Transferring Hall.
Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong sat high upon the Pope's throne.
Huo Yuhao was recounting his upcoming plans to her, requiring Bibi Dong's assistance to enter Slaughter City.
Hearing Huo Yuhao's plan, Bibi Dong furrowed her brows as she looked at him, finding it somewhat hard to understand. "Yuhao, with your current strength, finding an opponent across the entire continent is already a rare feat. Why on earth do you still need this seat to send you into Slaughter City?"
"No choice."
Huo Yuhao spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "This is the Destruction God Trial; I can't control it."
What do you mean you can't control it.
Had he not run his mouth so much back then, the Destruction God King wouldn't even have planned to give him god trial quests. Huo Yuhao could have entirely used cultivation time to exchange for strength on an equivalent basis until he broke through the plane's restrictions.
Now that his cleverness had backfired, he could only swallow his broken teeth along with his blood.
"Very well."
Bibi Dong naturally understood god trials, so she nodded immediately and spoke. "As it happens, Hu Liena went there a year ago as well. At first I worried she wouldn't be able to get through the Hell Road, but now that you're going, I can finally set my mind at ease."
Hu Liena?
Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows, thinking that she had already been in Slaughter City for a year?
If he remembered correctly, the timeline of Tang San entering Slaughter City happened to be exactly one year apart from Hu Liena's.
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