Beneath the Demonic Forest lay the headquarters of the Holy Spirit Church—the Holy Spirit Hall.
This vast underground structure sprawled across more than a thousand acres, entirely constructed from solid granite. With soul tool-powered illumination throughout, it radiated a twisted kind of grandeur.
Over a thousand evil soul masters had gathered in the hall, most of them relatively weak, between the third and sixth rings. Still, more than two hundred boasted significantly stronger cultivation.
Following Zhongli Wu's command, everyone had assembled in the central plaza, all eyes fixed on the boy standing beside him—Huo Yuhao.
Many of the younger evil soul masters looked at Huo Yuhao with undisguised hostility. Judging from the soul power aura he gave off, he was nothing more than a freshly initiated soul master—a complete weakling.
In any fantasy world, strength was the ultimate truth. And these evil soul masters clearly weren't impressed by this so-called "Holy Son."
Within the Holy Spirit Church, there could be multiple Saintesses, but there was only ever one Holy Son.
If he couldn't demonstrate something worthy of that title, no one here would give him the slightest respect—let alone fear.
Facing the eerie, oppressive aura radiating from the crowd, Huo Yuhao—who outwardly had only a soul power level of ten—would have been crushed on the spot by their spiritual pressure had Zhongli Wu not shielded him with his own power.
"Holy Son, please release your martial soul," Zhongli Wu said with a smile.
Huo Yuhao nodded, let his soul power surge, and activated his Spiritual Eye. A phantom-like gray-white soul ring materialized once again—immediately sparking a commotion.
"A body martial soul? Isn't that supposed to be the domain of the Body Sect?"
"Is that soul ring even ten years old? The color looks... off."
"This 'Holy Son' looks about ten years old. Why does he only have one ring?"
"..."
Listening to the whispers and doubts, Huo Yuhao clenched his fists. He'd had enough of being ridiculed and questioned.
Zhongli Wu noticed the emotion flicker in Huo Yuhao's eyes—and was very pleased. That unwillingness to submit was exactly what he wanted.
He raised his hand and gestured toward the crowd.
"Silence."
"I know you're all wondering—what qualifies him to be the Holy Son I've chosen? Let me tell you: that soul ring you see is a self-generated soul ring. His true soul power level exceeds Level 30. He is the only soul master on the continent to have been born with innate Level 30 soul power!"
Zhongli Wu's calm voice dropped like a bomb, stunning everyone into complete silence.
They had only ever heard legends of someone being born with innate Level 20—namely, the Angel God. But this boy had surpassed even that?
Some among the more knowledgeable soul masters even recalled ancient records from the Martial Soul Hall: anyone with innate Level 30 or above was destined to become a god.
Rumors had long circulated that Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's "Ten Core Competencies" theory was a plagiarized refinement of secret research from the Martial Soul Hall, borrowed via an intimate relationship with the then-Pope. Many classified records weren't even accessible to the Pope herself.
Some of those secrets only became public after the Wuhun Empire collapsed, when offerings and imperial archives scattered and fell into later scholars' hands.
Zhongli Wu relished their astonishment. With a satisfied smile, he slowly retrieved a Soul-Summoning Banner from his storage soul tool and began chanting incantations while waving it before him.
The higher-ranking church members immediately recognized what was about to happen.
Moments later, countless vengeful spirits, tormented victims of the Holy Spirit Church's cruelty, were released from the banner. Among them were even Titled Douluo-level wraiths.
"Yuanjia, activate your martial soul. I will now complete your martial soul's second awakening—in full view of the Church."
Crap… Huo Yuhao's eye twitched.
If his Spiritual Eye absorbed these malevolent spirits, wouldn't he become a pure slaughter-machine evil soul master?
But not absorbing them wasn't an option either—he'd probably just end up as their next meal.
Left with no choice, Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth, activated the Spiritual Eye, and stood his ground. The spirits sensed the activation and surged toward his eyes like moths to a flame.
Before the eyes of all assembled, the overpowering spirits began pouring into Huo Yuhao's eyes. These weren't low-tier villagers from the Duke's mansion—these were powerful, ancient souls. The mental backlash was searing.
After absorbing only three or four, Huo Yuhao's head felt like it would explode. He let out a pained cry, trembling.
But Zhongli Wu saw something different—light erupting from Huo Yuhao's eyes. Though he felt a pang of guilt, the potential Huo Yuhao represented to the Church quickly dulled any such feelings.
This was a method unique to evil soul masters for awakening spiritual-type martial souls. Unlike the Body Sect, which refined physical attributes through bodily stress, evil soul masters were spiritually fragile by nature. Simply boosting Huo Yuhao's soul power would be reckless, potentially destabilizing his foundation.
Instead, baptizing his mental sea through spirit-onset trauma was the safer—and more effective—choice. Zhongli Wu genuinely intended to raise Huo Yuhao as a true Holy Son, so he wasn't going to take shortcuts.
Under the intense gazes of all the gathered soul masters, Huo Yuhao's eyes began to ripple with concentric circles. His formerly light-blue pupils turned a deep blood-red, and a tremendous spiritual pressure began to surge outward.
Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Eye was a spiritual-type martial soul. From the moment he awakened it at age six, his mental strength had already surpassed the Lingyuan Stage and entered the Lingtong Stage. After years of cultivation, he had reached its middle levels.
After absorbing countless spirits from the Duke's estate, his mental power had soared to the peak of the Lingtong Stage. Now, under Zhongli Wu's focused aid, he finally broke through.
From Lingtong Stage… to Linghai (Spirit Sea) Initial Stage, then Mid, Peak, and ultimately—Lingyuan (Spirit Abyss) Stage!
Vast as an abyss, cruel as hell. Heaven and earth alike bow to the will of thought. Where the mind wills, all returns.
Finally, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Eye ceased its devouring.
Zhongli Wu was ecstatic. He instantly stowed the Soul-Summoning Banner and grabbed Huo Yuhao's shoulder to feel his transformation for himself.
Among the spiritually weak evil soul masters, none of the young elites had ever reached the Spirit Abyss Stage.
Now that Huo Yuhao had broken through, he could even perceive his own physical transformation without a mirror. His spiritual sea had expanded dozens of times over. His appearance had grown sharper, more striking, and his blood-red eyes were now lined with distinct rippling patterns.
Wait… what the hell? Huo Yuhao blinked.
He could now manipulate spiritual force with just his gaze alone.
He spread his arms. His spiritual energy surged outward. A powerful force of will lifted him off the ground. Another gray-white soul ring appeared beneath his feet, and a sudden repulsion field exploded outward.
Great. Shinra Tensei...
(The "Almighty Push.")
The crowd of Holy Spirit Church members gasped in awe as Huo Yuhao levitated upward. A beam from a soul-powered spotlight cast his silhouette in stark relief.
In that moment—he truly looked like a descending demon god.
"Welcome, Holy Son!"
"Long live the Holy Spirit Church! Long live the Holy Son!"
No one knew who started the chant, but it instantly erupted into a frenzy of worship. To Huo Yuhao, it felt like being back in his past life—at a concert, with fans screaming themselves hoarse.
Several elders rushed to Zhongli Wu, unable to contain their excitement.
"The Holy Son has descended—congratulations, Hierarch!"
"Hahahaha!"
Zhongli Wu threw his head back in triumphant laughter. His elation was unrestrained. The elders exchanged glances, equally exhilarated.
"Heaven favors the Holy Spirit Church!"
Floating midair, Huo Yuhao could only awkwardly go along with the act, using his spiritual power to project a deeply edgy line:
"Now... let the world feel pain!"
Okay, I admit it—I was totally being a cringe lord.
(End of Chapter)
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