"There's another state, completely opposite—one that breeds evil thoughts, endlessly amplifies negative emotions, disrupts the mind, lures one to corruption, and drastically enhances perception. I call it… Chaotic Demon."
"This is the Domain of Broken Demons."
As if remembering something, Poison Undying asked, "Can these two states exist at the same time?"
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "Anyone within my domain will be affected by one of the two states. I can freely switch between them, even assign different states to different individuals."
Now that was borderline insane. In this Domain of Broken Demons, allies blessed with the State of Severed Desire would have a clear mind and detached emotions, giving them total battlefield control.
But if that state was cast on enemies, it might lead to unexpected results—like snapping impulsive hotheads out of their frenzy. After all, nothing's more valuable than your own life.
Or, say, in a skirmish where the opponent is on the losing side and happens to be the cowardly type—releasing the Severed Desire state on them might just make them too scared to continue fighting.
The Chaotic Demon state, on the other hand, would seriously mess with enemies—but it couldn't be used on allies.
That said, it wasn't absolute. Not everyone fears negative emotions. Quite the opposite—some people might actually power up under such mental duress.
Kind of like how on Blue Star, some folks get drunk and suddenly throw down a full set of Drunken Fist, flattening seven or eight dudes like it's nothing.
In the end, choosing which state to use depends entirely on the person.
"Yuhao, you've really impressed your master this time." At last, Poison Undying began to understand why the inheritance mark had chosen this kid. The inheritance had a will of its own, and with such divine talent, it was hard to come by in any era.
"Greetings, Sect Master, Young Master." At this moment, four men in black stepped forward and spoke in unison. Three knelt on one knee in full salute, while the fourth simply gave a slight bow—without kneeling.
Looking at the man, Huo Yuhao realized something: only Titled Douluo elders in the Body Sect could skip full ceremonial bowing before the Sect Master.
Though he hadn't been in the sect for long, Titled Douluos were the pillars of every power, and Huo Yuhao had done his homework.
The Body Sect currently had ten Titled Douluos, namely:
Ghost Soul Douluo — Martial Soul: Ghost Soul, Rank 91
Spirit Devourer Douluo — Martial Soul: Stomach, Rank 91
Divine Hair Douluo — Martial Soul: Body Hair, Rank 92
Divine Arm Douluo — Martial Soul: Arm, Rank 93
Swift Shadow Douluo — Martial Soul: Legs, Rank 93
Sound Spirit Douluo — Martial Soul: Mouth, Rank 95
White Bone Douluo — Martial Soul: White Bones, Rank 94
Holy Blood Douluo — Martial Soul: Blood, Rank 95
Golden Body Douluo — Martial Soul: Torso, Rank 96
And lastly, Sect Master Poison Undying, Body Douluo, Martial Soul: Body, Rank 98
Oh right, Spirit Devourer was the newly promoted Huang Yan's title.
Honestly, when Huo Yuhao first learned all this, he was floored. The Body Sect's strength was no joke.
With such a luxury lineup, there probably weren't many factions on the continent that could match them.
No wonder the original series claimed the Body Sect had the highest number of Titled Douluos. Huo Yuhao guessed that a few years down the line, after Mu En kicked the bucket, not even the Sea God Pavilion would be a match for the Body Sect.
Not just yet, though. Right now, the Sea God Pavilion still had two top-tier powerhouses: the Rank 98 Taotie Douluo Xuanzi, and the Rank 99 Dragon God Douluo Mu En. The Taotie Douluo wasn't too concerning—he was weaker than Poison Undying.
But Mu En was another matter. He was a tough nut to crack. The previous Body Sect Master, Poison Must-Die, older brother of Poison Undying, was slain by Mu En—and he was a Rank 98 powerhouse himself. That alone showed how terrifying Mu En was.
Even though the old guy didn't have many years left, as long as he still drew breath, no other force dared lay a finger on Shrek Academy—not even the Body Sect.
Anyway, back to the present.
Among these eleven Titled Douluos, three left a deep impression on Huo Yuhao—Sound Spirit Douluo, Divine Hair Douluo, and Holy Blood Douluo.
Sound Spirit Douluo was the elegant blue-robed lady who had led Huo Yuhao through the Body Sect while he was chasing Cui Lian. Her full name was Ran Hongyue, her Martial Soul was Mouth, and she specialized in sonic attacks.
Divine Hair Douluo sounded impressive, but his Martial Soul was Body Hair. All of it. Pretty ordinary, really. What made Huo Yuhao remember him was a rather disturbing thought: if the Martial Soul affects all hair… what about down there?
Holy Blood Douluo was the most unique. Her Martial Soul was Blood, and she could manipulate others' blood as part of her attacks. She was also the only Titled Douluo in the sect with a domain ability.
Her domain, Holy Blood Domain, matched her title.
If she were outside the sect, she'd probably be branded an evil spirit master and hunted down.
But actually, Holy Blood Douluo was kind-hearted. Though she had the ability to rapidly grow stronger by absorbing others' blood essence, she had always cultivated diligently without ever harming anyone.
Unfortunately, in this era, people were extremely hostile to evil spirit masters. Their definition was narrow and paranoid. It didn't matter who you were or what you did—if your Martial Soul could make you an evil spirit master, they'd wipe you out.
There was once a man who had done nothing wrong, but just because his Martial Soul was a Dark Crow, aligned with darkness, he was labeled an evil spirit master and hunted down. Enraged, he eventually joined a powerful organization of true evil spirit masters—becoming exactly what people feared.
"Alright, you may leave. I'll be taking Yuhao to find a soul ring. No need for you to follow."
Poison Undying's voice pulled Huo Yuhao back from his thoughts.
After dismissing the others, the master and disciple pair headed deeper into the Star Dou Forest. This time, Huo Yuhao's target was a 60,000-year-old soul beast.
The trees around them were tall and densely packed. Occasionally, insects chirped and birds called. Perhaps due to Poison Undying's overwhelming power, the two walked for half an hour without encountering a single soul beast.
Walking through the primeval forest, Huo Yuhao felt emotional. He remembered the last time he came here alone. Back then, he didn't even have a single soul ring—he wasn't even a Soul Master—yet he nervously ventured here just to test if his memories were real. The results had been brutally honest.
This past year, he had pushed himself relentlessly. But for what? To pursue the Great Dao? Power? Wealth? Beauty? No. None of that.
He simply refused to let others dictate his life. That's why he would fight against people, fate, and even gods. His destiny could only be his own to control.
"I could've endured the darkness, if I had never seen the light."
(End of Chapter)