"Boy, y—"
Dai Mubai's platinum eyes were tangled with anger and coldness. He was about to scold him, bind him on the spot, and torture him slowly.
But before he could speak, a sudden change occurred.
Huo Yuhao's gaze—originally lowered in thought—snapped up. Those eyes were no longer the youthful chill of Huo Yuhao. In their place was a deep, desolate gray light, as if it had read the rise and fall of ages.
Accompanied by a contradictory aura of death and sanctity, a vast divine consciousness surged and erupted from Huo Yuhao's body.
The intensity of that divinity—its inherent rank—was enough to make Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's hearts pound. It was something an ordinary Second-Rank God could never possess. It had already reached the threshold of a First-Rank God.
Yet this divine consciousness was extremely "vain" and "incomplete"—like a tree without roots or water without a source. It looked like a supremely high persona, but it lacked the support of an endless divine power and the complete origin of a soul that should have matched it.
"Divine consciousness?!" Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's expressions changed drastically at the same time, and they shouted.
They knew that fluctuation well—this power of spiritual sublimation that only gods possessed.
How could a youth from the Lower Realm hide such powerful divinity?
"What a pity…"
From "Huo Yuhao's" mouth came an ancient sigh, as if it had traveled across endless time and space. There was a gentleness and helplessness in that voice, like Electrolux.
"You two should forgive—and be forgiven. Sorry, old man's disciples. I can't let you threaten and bully them like this."
Before the words even fell, "Huo Yuhao"—now controlled by Electrolux—moved.
He didn't choose to violently shake off control. Instead, he drove the remaining power of that divine consciousness, Huo Yuhao's own soul power, and the core of the mind controlling this body to their absolute limit.
His figure flickered. His entire body seemed to turn into an insubstantial gray streamer. It wasn't mere physical movement—there was a blend of deep-space leaping and spiritual afterimages, so fast it surpassed the limits of visual capture, shooting toward the outer wall of the garden opposite Dai Luoli's meditative position.
At the same time, he rapidly drew mysterious, complex gray runes with his left hand and chanted an ancient, obscure incantation under his breath.
In an instant, the space at the center of where he had been standing twisted violently, and three planar gates that reeked of death and decay opened.
"ROAR—!!!"
A deafening dragon roar tore through the garden's silence.
Three undead bone dragons with three heads were enormous—formed from gray-white bones that gleamed with a metallic luster—as they boldly burst out of the planar gates.
Their eyes throbbed with dark-green soul flames. Their bodies were wrapped in frigid deathfrost and corrosive dark magic. The aura radiating from each head was comparable to a Super Douluo among humans—and made even harder to handle by their undead traits and massive size.
The three-headed dragons clearly had orders from Electrolux. The moment they appeared, they split into two groups without hesitation—one pouncing at the nearest Dai Mubai, the other surging toward Zhu Zhuqing like a gale.
They opened their massive bony jaws and spewed corrosive undead dragon breath, while their scythe-like bone wings and claws swung wildly—obviously aiming only to stall for time.
"This bastard—trying to run? Don't even think about it!"
Dai Mubai snapped out of the shock. Seeing "Huo Yuhao" turn into gray light and flee, he instantly flew into a rage. The War God's divine power erupted, and he wanted to chase into the air.
But the moment his figure moved, he halted abruptly.
At the edge of his vision, Dai Luoli was still drenched in blood, deep in the perfect moment of profound meditation—and two gigantic bone dragons were already closing in, exhaling lethal dragon breath.
If he chased desperately and the bone dragons' attacks affected Dai Luoli—or even destroyed him—then the backlash from interrupting meditation alone would shatter the meridians Dai Luoli had finally gained a chance to reform, ruining his future.
"Damn it!" Dai Mubai roared, fury blazing. He had to deal with the immediate crisis first.
Golden light flashed around his fist as he lunged forward. Two condensed golden tiger-claw phantoms tore through the air like will made manifest, colliding head-on with the undead dragon breath and blasting it apart with a thunderous boom. The shockwave even blew back the charging bone dragon, snapping bones as it was hurled backward.
But the other skull dragon had already seized the opening. Its massive bony tail ripped through the air with a cracking howl, whipping down with brutal force.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing's reaction was faster.
The moment the bone dragon lunged, her figure melted into the wind, blurring as she effortlessly slipped past the undead dragon's frontal spray. Her cold eyes flicked toward the direction Huo Yuhao vanished, then to Dai Mubai and Dai Luoli—who needed protection—and she made her decision immediately.
"Mubai, deal with these bones first."
Zhu Zhuqing snorted. Her figure flashed like a ghost, so fast it left multiple afterimages.
She didn't use large-scale divine techniques. She relied on extreme speed, condensing claw phantoms in her hands and shredding through in a flash of ghostly light.
Two gods facing three Super Douluo-level undead bone dragons—by rights, it should have been a capture.
But these bone dragons Electrolux summoned were clearly specially refined. Their bones were abnormally hard, containing stubborn undead magic. They resisted both physical and energy attacks, and most importantly—they did not hesitate to stall for time.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing not only had to resolve it quickly, but also had to avoid impacting Dai Luoli or the manor itself.
Inevitably, they were held up.
Boom—boom—!
A short but fierce clash erupted in the garden. Golden light, black shadows, and gray-white undead magic collided and annihilated each other.
After only a few breaths, the three gigantic undead bone dragons finally collapsed with unwilling roars, crumbling into shattered bones across the ground as their soul flames went out.
The planar gates slowly closed as well, leaving only drifting chaos and the stench of death.
But that brief delay was enough—for a determined, prepared powerhouse—to escape.
Almost the instant the bone dragons collapsed, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing turned into two streaks of divine light—gold and black—shooting into the sky. Their consciousness spread at full strength like an invisible, enormous net, instantly covering a radius of hundreds of miles.
And they firmly locked onto Huo Yuhao in the distance—faint, yet unmistakable, with that unique aura of undead and spiritual fluctuations.
"Hmph. A petty trick."
Dai Mubai hovered in midair. His golden eyes seemed to pierce space itself as he stared at the path of Huo Yuhao's escape, letting out a cold snort.
"You think you can get away with something like this? Too naive."
His voice was full of ridicule and absolute confidence.
"Your aura has been completely sealed by our divine consciousness. Unless you have the ability to instantly flee this planet, or completely cut off a Second-Rank God's pursuit—otherwise, even if you run to the ends of the earth, you won't escape."
Dai Mubai had the capital to be confident.
At this moment, he possessed the true divine body of a peak Second-Rank God, and the War God's position granted him unparalleled combat power.
The sudden manifestation of divine consciousness in Huo Yuhao's body was lofty and shocking, but its origin was badly damaged—like a candle flickering in the wind. It couldn't last long, let alone confront a true Second-Rank God head-on.
Moreover, they had two on their side—and Zhu Zhuqing's speed ranked among the very best even in the God Realm.
"Zhuqing, chase. Don't let him get away. Xiao Wu's whereabouts are likely behind him."
Dai Mubai spoke urgently.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly, saying nothing more. Her figure had already melted into space like a strand of black silk, pursuing Huo Yuhao's escape route at a speed far beyond Dai Mubai's limit.
Her speed was the greatest guarantee of the chase.
Dai Mubai dared not slacken either. Golden light flooded his whole body as he followed close behind.
Two streaks of divine radiance tore through the sky with razor-sharp killing intent, like eagles hunting prey, biting down on the gray streamer ahead.
At the very moment Huo Yuhao transformed into a gray streamer and fled, and Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing turned into divine light to pursue—
an invisible emergency distress signal, based on spiritual connection and a special contract, was transmitted instantly through the secret network within the World Serpent organization, arriving at the scattered thrones across the continent.
…
Deep Sea — Demon Whale Territory
A colossal shadow slowly patrolled a ten-thousand-meter abyss, purple thunder rumbling as it made marine life tremble.
Having fused a complete Thunder core and broken free of the soul beast curse, the deep-sea ruler—the Demon Empress—was immersed in cultivation, controlling thunder's destruction while tempering her divine body.
Suddenly, her massive form trembled slightly. A mental fluctuation carrying Huo Yuhao's urgent message surfaced in her mind.
The message was brief, yet clear:
He had encountered two Second-Rank Gods from the God Realm—the War God Dai Mubai and the Speed God Zhu Zhuqing—near the Star Luo Empire, and he was requesting support.
"Hm?"
The Demon Empress's red eyes snapped open like twin lakes, violent thunder echoing within them.
"Help? Gods… actually in the Lower Realm? And they're targeting Huo Yuhao too?"
After a moment of shock, emotions exploded in her heart—excitement, intoxication, and killing intent intertwined.
"War God Dai Mubai… Speed God Zhu Zhuqing… Tang San's most loyal lackeys and companions."
Her voice was icy, filled with hatred.
"Fine. I was worried I wouldn't find a chance—yet you deliver yourselves right to my door."
Her hatred for Tang San overflowed like an ocean, impossible to wash away.
Her husband, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, had been hunted by Tang San and forced into ten thousand years of slumber. If she hadn't obtained the Herrscher Core, she would never have broken the curse—she would have remained a pitiful insect, waiting only for catastrophe.
Now, directly storming the God Realm to take revenge on Tang San was temporarily impossible. But if she could kill his right-hand men and closest partners in this realm…
Even if it was only a heavy blow, an unhealable wound—she could still make Tang San feel heartache, and taste what it meant to lose what he cherished.
"…Let's collect interest first."
The Demon Empress let out a low roar of savage pleasure.
Her enormous body rapidly shrank and transformed, while the surrounding thunder converged inward, compressing and condensing.
In the blink of an eye, the deep-sea demon whale that had blotted out sky and sun vanished. In its place stood a cold, proud woman in a dark-purple gorgeous dress, wearing a crown like thunder—seductive yet carrying an aura of ruin.
Fine purple arcs danced around her body, subtly warping the space around her.
Without hesitation, the purple figure flashed. She turned into a terrifying bolt of violet lightning, splitting the deep sea as she shot toward the surface at unbelievable speed.
Wherever she passed, seawater parted automatically, forming a vacuum channel. Countless sea creatures trembled and crawled, unable to resist.
Only Lan Fozi remained behind.
Inheriting the blood of both parents and now grown strong, the Demon Whale Princess stared toward the direction of her mother's disappearance. Worry and a deep sense of helplessness surfaced on her beautiful face.
She could feel it—inside her mother's heart was hatred far too intense, so fierce it seemed it could burn her alive.
She knew she could no longer stop her mother from walking this path of destruction and danger.
She could only pray silently… that her mother would not completely lose herself along the way.
…
Extreme North — Eternal Permafrost and Glaciers
In the core region, a hidden land surrounded by ten thousand years of mystical ice, the world was so rich in energy it nearly condensed into tangible crystals of ice and snow.
The Snow Empress—who had been sitting cross-legged, bathed in bright ice-blue divine light—slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze was no longer the pure clarity of ice and snow. It held deep sacred radiance—like the birth and death of stars, the turning of seasons.
The moment her consciousness returned, within the deep sacred-mark space of her soul, a divine throne condensed from the purest laws of ice and snow appeared—so clear it seemed transparent, exuding eternal cold and supreme majesty.
At last, it fully transformed from illusory light and shadow into solid reality.
Buzz—
A wordlessly gentle yet vast divine ripple spread quietly from the Snow Empress, instantly sweeping across the entire Extreme North.
In that moment, every living being of the Extreme North—whether powerful hundred-thousand-year soul beasts or weak snow rabbits on the tundra—felt something stir in their hearts and could not help looking toward the core region.
The frozen earth beneath their feet became firmer. The ice elements in the air grew more active and joyous than ever, as if the energy of heaven itself had been summoned—converging in that direction and raising the entire Extreme North's cultivation environment to a higher level.
The Snow Empress's consciousness naturally expanded, like an invisible net of ice and snow, enveloping the world she ruled.
She could clearly "see" everything—the fall of every snowflake, the path of every cold wind, the breathing of every soul beast.
Her soul power—after long seclusion and with the help of the Ice Ruler's Core—had already fully condensed, transforming into divine power close to the laws of ice and snow.
Her body too had been tempered by divine flame, shedding its mortal form and evolving into an immortal divine body. Her skin was smooth as jade, yet tougher than the hardest black ice. A cold, sacred, unreachable brilliance naturally radiated from her entire being. Her beauty surpassed heaven and earth.
With the resources provided by Lu Jingming, the Herrscher of Ice Core, and driven by the faith of thousands upon thousands of soul beasts of the Extreme North—
she finally severed the cursed chains the Dragon God had placed upon soul beast bloodlines, established her own divine position, ascended to the God Realm, and became the true Goddess of Ice and Snow.