The Holy Spirit Cult had long hidden in the shadows to avoid attacks from other factions. As a result, even Xuan Zi had initially only heard of evil soul masters but had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit Cult as an organized group. However, once the cult fully aligned itself with Xu Tianran , and after Xu Tianran ascended to the throne, he even elevated this organization of evil soul masters to the status of a national protectorate religion.
Of course, before officially gaining this title, the Holy Spirit Cult had frequently kidnapped human soul masters within the Sun Moon Empire partly for cultivation purposes and partly because many evil soul masters were depraved lunatics.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
Xu Tianran was warmly conversing with teachers and students.
Naturally, he kept a fair distance from most people for security reasons. Although he had hidden bodyguards protecting him from the shadows, he remained perpetually vigilant.
After all, it was due to an assassination attempt that he had become crippled and confined to a wheelchair.
Even though he had made many arrangements to ensure his safety, he still carried an overwhelming sense of crisis.
At that moment, a group of people flew overhead and descended onto the academy grounds.
The Dean immediately stood up, his face lighting up with joy. "The Headmaster has returned!"
Xu Tianran also smiled, signaling to his attendants to push his wheelchair forward so he could greet Jing Hongchen's group and personally reward Huo Yuhao and his team, using the opportunity to win favor with the students.
But then, an old man appeared in his line of sight, and Xu Tianran suddenly froze. His expression turned to one of puzzlement.
"Why is Elder Kong here?"
"Isn't he focused on researching the creation of rank ten soul tools? Why would he suddenly appear here?"
"Could it be that Elder Kong is also helping these students obtain soul rings? But that's unnecessary Jing Hongchen alone should be more than enough for that task."
Xu Tianran was genuinely confused.
Kong Deming had remained low profile for many years because he had been solely devoted to discovering a path to becoming a rank ten Soul Engineer.
To achieve this, two requirements had to be met:
Reaching rank ninety five, the level of a Super Douluo.
Creating a rank ten soul tool.
Take Ye Xishui, for example. She was a rank ninety nine Ultimate Douluo and also a rank nine Soul Engineer. Her cultivation level was definitely sufficient, yet even she had not discovered a way to create a rank ten soul tool.
At this moment, Kong Deming also noticed Xu Tianran 's presence. He spoke first, "Your Highness, what brings you here today?"
Xu Tianran replied straightforwardly, "Elder Kong, I am here to reward the heroes of our empire!"
"Huo Yuhao and his team won the championship, bringing glory to the Sun Moon Empire. As the Crown Prince, it is only right for me to officially reward them on behalf of the royal family."
As he spoke, he retrieved several ornate wooden boxes from his storage soul tool. "Inside these boxes are elixirs that enhance soul power. As long as they are consumed in moderation, they will not affect one's future potential."
Kong Deming nodded, reached out his hand, and directly took the wooden boxes. He then distributed them to Huo Yuhao and the Hongchen siblings.
"Then, on their behalf, I thank Your Highness for your generosity."
Xu Tianran smiled. "Elder Kong, it is already midday. You probably haven't eaten yet, have you? How about I host a banquet for you and our distinguished champions?"
Kong Deming shook his head. "Your Highness, I have pressing matters to attend to. I must take my leave."
With that, he immediately departed.
"Elder Kong, take care." Xu Tianran remained composed, maintaining his warm smile.
Afterward, he turned to Huo Yuhao and his team and delivered a motivational speech.
He praised them for their accomplishments.
He emphasized that every Sun Moon citizen should be loyal to the empire and the royal family.
Some time later, Xu Tianran once again invited Huo Yuhao to meet with him privately.
However, Huo Yuhao declined, using the excuse of having to work on soul tool research.
Xu Tianran showed no signs of anger. Instead, he publicly praised Huo Yuhao again, reinforcing his image as a benevolent and magnanimous leader.
Afternoon, Mingde Hall.
Huo Yuhao stood before a rank nine soul tool, the Sealed Divine Platform, his eyes gleaming with excitement. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵
The Sealed Divine Platform was an externally fragile but internally indestructible soul tool. If attacked from the outside, it could be easily shattered.
For a long time, Huo Yuhao had coveted the Snow Empress' embryo, and now, he finally had a chance to get close to it.
He had convinced Jing Hongchen to let him study the Sealed Divine Platform up close, but that was only a pretext.
His true goal was simple: turn the Snow Empress into his soul spirit and make her part of his second martial soul.
If he had directly told Jing Hongchen about his intentions, the latter would have stopped him immediately, believing it to be far too dangerous.
In the original timeline, the reason the Snow Empress couldn't initially become an intelligent soul ring was that she had self destructed, losing her physical body and severely damaging her spiritual consciousness.
This caused her core energy to spiral out of control, preventing her from maintaining clarity.
However, this time, she had not self destructed.
Thus, she still had control over her core energy.
With the Ice Empress and Skydream Iceworm assisting him and Electrolux using his full abilities Huo Yuhao was confident that he could succeed in making the Snow Empress his soul spirit.
The Ice Empress and Skydream naturally believed that Huo Yuhao was a reincarnated deity, so they would do everything in their power to help.
As for Electrolux... he was simply a great teacher who wouldn't half ass his efforts.
In the original story, Elder Yi had to sacrifice himself to turn the Snow Empress into a soul spirit.
That was because the Cold Jade Ice Marrow Bed had triggered a chain reaction in the Snow Empress' core, causing it to ignite uncontrollably.
Since the already weakened Snow Empress couldn't control it, Elder Yi had to step in and bear the consequences.
However, right now, she hadn't self destructed yet.
Moreover, Huo Yuhao hadn't used the Cold Jade Ice Marrow Bed for cultivation, so the Snow Empress was in much better condition compared to the original timeline.
If things proceeded according to plan, once the Snow Empress' body perished, a significant portion of her core energy would solidify into a soul bone.
A soul bone from the number one beast of the Extreme North the Snow Empress was an unimaginably valuable treasure.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.
"Snow Empress, you old hag, hurry up and drop that soul bone!"
However, once she became his soul spirit, any excess core energy would still need to be sealed.
Otherwise, his current physical condition simply wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Ice Empress, you should talk to her first. I don't really know the Snow Empress that well."
Huo Yuhao sent a message into his Spiritual Sea, preparing to let the Ice Empress take control of his body to negotiate.
This was similar to how, in the original story, Skydream took over his body to resolve Ma Xiaotao's crisis.
Of course, unlike that situation, the Ice Empress didn't need to unleash her full power, so her temporary possession wouldn't harm Huo Yuhao's body.
Within his Spiritual Sea, only the Ice Empress had a good relationship with the Snow Empress.
The Ice Empress responded with a simple "Mm."
Moments later, Huo Yuhao's eyes turned a deep jade green, and his entire aura shifted.
At the same time, inside the Sealed Divine Platform, a whirlwind of white mist suddenly began to surge violently.
(End of chapter.)Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my . Read 15 Chapters In Advance: .com/Albino1