Jing Hongchen's shout rolled across the skies above Shrek.
Within the academy,
an uproar erupted.
The students were filled with shock and uncertainty.
"Who dares act so arrogantly at Shrek?!"
"Could it be a ferocious beast from the Star Dou Forest attacking?"
"From what he said, it seems related to soul tools—perhaps a powerhouse from the Sun Moon Empire has come!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The sound of tearing air rose sharply.
Beams of Spirit Power shot into the sky from various parts of the academy.
Shrek's powerhouses responded at once.
At the forefront was the Vice Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, the Level 98 Taotie Douluo—Xuan Zi..
A restrained fury burned in Xuan Zi's eyes as he stared at the figure a thousand meters away.
"Jing Hongchen, you dare come to my Shrek and cause trouble?!"
Spirit Power surged through him.
Above his head, a thick vortex of earthen-yellow clouds condensed.
Soul engineers excelled at long-range combat.
If he could close within a hundred meters, he was confident he could instantly suppress Jing Hongchen.
But he also knew…
this old fox was cunning and equipped with a full set of Level-9 soul tools—he would never allow a close-quarters opportunity.
"Xuan Zi, this Hall Master has come today to retrieve the soul tools stolen from Illustrious Virtue Hall."
Xuan Zi frowned. "How could your Illustrious Virtue Hall's soul tools be at Shrek?"
"Shrek would not stoop to coveting a few of your trinkets!"
At that moment,
Zhang Lexuan's voice transmitted via Spirit Power from behind him.
"Elder Xuan, during the Spirit Master Tournament, Junior Brother Huo Yuhao confiscated all the Sun Moon team members' soul tools… including those of their leading teacher."
The corner of Xuan Zi's mouth twitched.
Seeing this, Jing Hongchen sneered.
"Well?"
"Have I wronged Shrek?"
"The tournament's victory has been decided—but nowhere on the arena stage is there a rule permitting the seizure of spoils!"
Suppressing his emotions, Xuan Zi replied:
"The soul tools are in Huo Yuhao's possession. If you want them, wait until he appears."
"You expect this Hall Master to wait for a junior?"
Jing Hongchen let out a cold laugh.
"Who knows whether you might secretly send that boy away and hide him?"
Xuan Zi narrowed his eyes.
The Spirit Power vortex above his head churned violently,
gradually forming into the phantom of a Taotie—shaped like a divine ox yet radiating draconic might. Terrifying pressure swept across heaven and earth.
"Jing Hongchen, do not push your luck!"
"Do you think that merely advancing to the Titled Douluo realm gives you the right to shout before this old man?"
A smile lingered on Jing Hongchen's face. Yet an immense surge of Spirit Power suddenly erupted from him.
Golden light surged,
and the phantom of a golden toad condensed behind him.
At the same time,
his black robes fluttered without wind.
The intricate soul tool inscriptions engraved upon them lit up one by one.
A violent aura exploded outward, faintly matching Xuan Zi's Taotie pressure in equal measure.
"This Hall Master has long wished to test for himself just how capable you, a Level 98 Taotie Douluo, truly are!"
The instant his words fell—
Xuan Zi vanished from his spot.
Like a meteor, he shot toward Jing Hongchen, only to be precisely intercepted mid-flight by a soul tool beam.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
A mushroom cloud soared into the sky.
Blazing light swallowed all vision.
From within the clouds, the furious roar of Taotie erupted, tearing apart the smoke and dust.
Xuan Zi's figure expanded to three meters tall. His tattered hemp clothing shredded into fragments, and a pair of spiraling long horns rose from his head.
With a ferocious momentum capable of crushing mountains and rivers,
he charged at Jing Hongchen once more.
...
Meanwhile—
inside the Ancient Golden Tree cultivation chamber,
Huo Yuhao was fully operating the devouring power of the Titan Snow Demon King's torso bone. Vast quantities of life energy surged from the tree's origin.
His entire body bathed in resplendent golden radiance.
Even his hair seemed plated in gold, shimmering as energy flowed through him.
With each breath,
dense life mist, tangible as substance, coiled like dragons and serpents.
His Spirit Power, which had once stagnated after absorbing Xiong Jun's soul spirit and Spirit Bone, now surged upward once again.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his cultivation broke through barrier after barrier.
He steadily stepped into the realm of Level 60.
Moreover, his foundation was thick and perfectly rounded, without the slightest hint of instability.
After his Spirit Power reached its current limit,
the life energy shifted to tempering his body and martial soul.
His already formidable physique of ultimate power, under the forging of this most primal vitality, began transforming toward an even more boundless form of "ultimate."
Within the golden radiance, Huo Yuhao's body continuously changed.
At times, his muscles swelled like rising hills; at others, they were compressed and condensed through countless refinements.
This cycle repeated again and again.
Until finally—
a warm, jade-like luster crystallized upon his skin.
Every inch of his flesh contained inexhaustible vitality and immeasurable strength.
This was the Ultimate Body.
At his current Spirit Power level, this was the pinnacle his body could achieve.
Across the past, present, and future of this world, among all Spirit Emperors at Level 60, there was absolutely no second person with such a terrifying bodily foundation.
And as his Spirit Power continued to grow in the future,
this body would keep evolving—its potential boundless.
After his physique had been tempered to perfection,
the life energy did not cease.
Instead, it surged mightily toward his Spirit Eyes martial soul.
His Spirit Eyes had already evolved into the Eye of Life after absorbing the Life Gold.
Now,
the Golden Ancient Tree's energy was far vaster than that of the Life Gold.
The Eye of Life began evolving once more.
The pupils, once flowing with green-gold radiance, were now dyed in pure, resplendent gold.
Vigorous vitality surged like tidal waves within them, interwoven with an indescribable trace of divine aura.
At his brow,
a vertical eye suddenly opened.
In an instant—
golden brilliance burst forth.
The Life Guardian Blade, nurtured there, manifested as well.
It condensed into a carving knife seemingly cast from solid gold, its brilliance restrained yet alive, as if it possessed consciousness.
"Haa…" Huo Yuhao exhaled slowly.
With each breath, the entire cultivation chamber trembled faintly.
He opened his eyes.
Three beams of golden light shot forth as though tangible.
Where they passed,
even space rippled in layers.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Skydream Iceworm nodded repeatedly. "Excellent, excellent!"
"Worthy indeed of being this world's life origin—Yuhao's life level has been elevated to such heights."
"When Yuhao ascends to godhood in the future, he could even refine the Ancient Golden Tree into a god-level Spirit Ring."
"At that time, merged with him, the ancient tree could take root across myriad worlds at a thought, becoming instead a new fortune of rebirth."
Electrolux's tone carried approval. "The current Huo Yuhao, compared to his previous life at Level 60, has undergone a complete transformation."
"Across the myriad heavens and realms, among those of the same level, Yuhao's present foundation is exceedingly rare."
His cultivation concluded.
Huo Yuhao rose to his feet.
Looking down at his fair, jade-like hands faintly glowing with treasure light, joy welled up within him.
"The Ancient Golden Tree truly is a heaven-sent opportunity…"
Then his expression grew serious.
He suddenly lifted his head, glancing around.
The cultivation chamber was embedded within the ancient tree. The flowing sheen within the wooden walls seemed slightly dimmer than before.
But it was far from harming the tree's foundation.
Huo Yuhao felt reassured and let out a soft breath.
"That is good."
A realization stirred within him, and he quietly sensed it.
"Perhaps because I absorbed the ancient tree's life essence…"
"In the unseen…"
"I seem to have formed a subtle connection with this tree."
The gains from this cultivation far exceeded his expectations.
With a thought, the wooden door of the cultivation chamber swung open.
He stepped out.
...
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