Chapter 164: Death & Ice Vanguard-Necromancer?
Chapter 164: Death & Ice Vanguard-Necromancer?
The quiet of the Ice Jade Pool was about to end. Sensing the approaching intruders, Hao Hun turned to the majestic figure at his side.
"Minglong, stay close," he commanded softly.
He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, thankful for Xue Wuxia’s foresight. If the Sect Master hadn’t possessed her Sect Defensive Formation Disk to teleport directly out of the cavern, he would have been forced to orchestrate a sloppy extraction using Minglong or Xia Bing. That would have exposed Wuxia to immediate, ruinous scrutiny.
Hao Hun sat casually on a jagged rock, his fingers mindfully stroking a discarded piece of racy, crimson silk—the remnants of Wuxia's nightwear.
Utilizing his mental bond, he rapidly caught Minglong up on everything that had transpired.
The frantic, scratching echoes of burrowing Gu insects scraping through the cavern ceiling above had been impossible to miss. The moment he had finished making love to Xue Wuxia, those parasitic spies had found them. It was the exact reason he had immediately sent the Golden Silkworm Gu and the Sect Master away.
Minglong reached out, her finger playfully tapping the heavy, dark circles under his eyes. They weren't an act anymore; the exhaustion was entirely real.
"Master Hao Hun," she teased with a soft giggle, "our eyes match now. Look, we both have those same, gloomy bluish-grey eyes, teehee~!"
Before he could reply, the heavy atmosphere shifted. The Emperor strode into the cavern, hands draped casually behind his back. Close on his heels was Su Youming, her eyes darting around the rocky cavern in visible confusion, clearly hunting for someone who was no longer there.
What they found instead was a striking, bizarre tableau: a pale, exhausted young man with an intense emo-goth expression, sitting by a hot spring, openly clutching scandalous women's silk lingerie.
Maintaining his tight grip on the fabric, Hao Hun brought his hands together in a dry, perfectly executed cupped-fist salute.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," Hao Hun said, his voice entirely devoid of inflection. "Did you two come down to the Ice Jade Pool for a soak as well? I just finished bathing. It was... highly stimulating."
The Emperor’s jaw tightened. He fought down a sudden, raging urge to curse his own rotten luck. By all calculations, Hao Hun was supposed to be in Sect Master Xia Sha’s bed right now, not taking a dip in the very hot spring where Xue Wuxia had been located.
"No," the Emperor replied, masking his frustration with a smooth, authoritative tone. "I came to discuss urgent matters with Sect Master Xue. I was informed she was here. Have you seen her?"
Hao Hun shook his head with a blank look, raising the red garment as visual evidence for his fabricated story.
"I came here accompanied by a black-haired inner sect disciple—an Ice Immortal cultivator. She was wearing this," he lied smoothly. "She expressed a sudden desire to dual-cultivate with me here. Not wanting to offend my hostess, I agreed. But the moment our bodies joined, something anomalous occurred. I unexpectedly absorbed the floating Primal Ice inherent to this pool. Now, I somehow possess both the Ice and Death elements simultaneously."
He let out a heavy, dramatic sigh.
"But when I attempted to remove her full-face veil to see who she was, she panicked and teleported away. She left without even letting me take responsibility for taking her purity."
Hao Hun watched closely, inwardly savoring the flash of profound disappointment crossing the Emperor’s features. The Emperor believed the Golden Silkworm Gu was still bound to the mysterious woman, now mingled with Hao Hun's essence. In the Emperor’s mind, his coveted prize—the pristine Ice Phoenix Bloodline—had just slipped through his fingers.
Beside the Emperor, Su Youming stood completely stupefied. "What?! Did you say a Death and Ice Necromancer? That... that is exactly like how Loki Sky managed to wield three distinct elements, isn't it?"
Hao Hun kept his face perfectly expressionless as he piled on the deception. "Exactly. When I defeated Loki Sky, I spared his life on one condition: he had to reveal the secret of awakening a secondary element. I learned it depends entirely on manipulating the Body Constitutions within one's own frame. It is the very reason I married Sect Master Xia Sha—to claim her Yin-element Nine Nether Body for myself. That constitution is what allowed me to safely absorb the Primal Ice here without dying, granting me twin elements just like that westerner."
The Emperor, a man utterly obsessed with hoarding power and desperate to find a secondary element to complement his own Water affinity, opened his mouth to press for details.
Su Youming, driven by her own ambition, cut in first. "Hao Hun, can you share the method? The Emperor would surely reward you beyond measure for sharing such a profound dual-cultivation breakthrough."
Idiots, Hao Hun laughed internally. He knew exactly what they would ask. Forcing a melancholic, strained smile, he shook his head in mock regret.
"I cannot. I was forced to swear a binding Heavenly Vow to Loki Sky to secure the secret, ensuring I wouldn't use it to get myself killed. As for how I extracted Xia Sha's constitution, I had to swear a separate Heavenly Vow to her to keep her secrets. If I utter a single word of the process, absolute death awaits me. However..." Hao Hun paused, pulling a glowing parchment from his storage ring. "...having the Nine Nether Body combined with Loki Sky's training techniques means I can now walk the path of a Death & Ice Vanguard-Necromancer. Observe."
With a soft buzz, he unfurled the Full Knight potion list for Thorin—a recipe book he had meticulously transcribed from Ayala's Amazones training records.
Standing just behind him, Minglong bit her lip, desperately suffocating a burst of laughter. Hao Hun was utterly breaking these people, using components of Xia Sha, Loki Sky, and Xue Wuxia to build a flawless, terrifying web of lies. The Emperor looked physically ill, as if he wanted to palm-strike Hao Hun or himself for missing out on the Nine Nether Body he could have claimed years ago if he had only been willing to make a Heavenly Vow.
For a fraction of a second, a lethal surge of murderous intent leaked from the Emperor. It vanished just as quickly, suppressed the moment the monarch's eyes locked onto Minglong standing watch like a lethal guardian.
Hao Hun ignored the flash of danger. In truth, his lack of a Yin-based constitution had completely locked him out of utilizing his 6th Circle Vanguard abilities. Now, with his newly forged Nether Ice Body, that barrier was entirely gone. He felt a sudden pang of genuine annoyance at himself; he really should have listened to Ayala about raising his Vanguard level sooner.
Furthermore, dual-cultivating with Xue Wuxia had yielded an incredible, unexpected bonus: her legendary swordsmanship. He was no longer just an archer. He could now wield a Jian, Sabre, Longsword, Ninjato, or Katana with absolute, flawless mastery.
Hao Hun bowed deeply to the two figures. "Please excuse me. I must return to my quarters to rest and attempt to track down that mysterious woman. I may hail from the unrighteous path, but I am a man who takes full responsibility for those I share a bed with."
As he turned to leave, the Emperor remembered his primary objective: pulling this monstrous talent into his imperial faction.
"Hao Hun, wait," the Emperor called out. "You may belong to the Corpse Refining Sect, but your identity as a prodigy of the Eastern Wastelands transcends the petty boundaries of righteous and unrighteous. I do not view the world in simple black and white. Your talent is the pride of our lands.
Perhaps we can find a quiet moment to speak more deeply about aligning our forces against the Western Kingdom?"
Hao Hun immediately dialed his acting skills up to maximum, adopting a humble, bootlicking persona.
"Your Majesty," Hao Hun said, his eyes shining with false reverence. "Though we walk different sides of light and shadow along the Dao, you are the single male cultivator I admire above all others. I am ready to speak with you at any time if it means making our Eastern Wastelands invincible."
The Emperor nodded, thoroughly appeased by the flattery. He didn't even register the subtle insult hidden within the praise—that Hao Hun was merely comparing him to the likes of Vali Balder, Owen Balder, and Loki Sky, the only other male casters worth mentioning.
"Excellent," the Emperor replied. "We have two days remaining of the Summit before we depart, at which point I shall personally officiate your wedding to Sect Master Xia Sha. Oh, one more thing—I wished to ask about your Corpse Puppet. What are its origins? You may speak freely in front of Su Youming."
Hao Hun’s expression instantly darkened into a somber, brooding mask. He stared off toward the western horizon, looking like a tragic hero carrying a heavy burden.
"My summon requested that I allow her to personally deal with the Western King for his betrayal against her," Hao Hun murmured, pitching his voice to sound raw and honest. "I believe that allowing a summon to pursue their own destiny is how they truly grow strong. She has not shared every detail with me, nor do I require her to. As long as her loyalty to me remains absolute, I care nothing for whatever schemes she plays."
With a fluid, heavy motion, he slung his massive black coffin onto his back, gazing at them as if confiding his deepest, darkest secrets.
"If you wish to know my personal ambition, Your Majesty... it is simply to completely eclipse Loki Sky. That arrogant fool managed to become the Sect Master of the Demonic Sect. That is precisely why I joined the Corpse Refining Sect—to one day claim the seat of Sect Master for myself. It is the exact reason I must take Xia Sha as my primary wife. I only hope you do not find my naked ambition to conquer my own sect distasteful."
The Emperor’s posture visibly relaxed. He was ecstatic to hear that Hao Hun was firmly opposed to both the Western Kingdom and Loki Sky. Better yet, the youth’s grand ambitions were safely confined to managing a single, isolated sect rather than destabilizing the empire.
"Not at all. A young man without grand goals is no man at all," the Emperor remarked approvingly. "Su Youming, you and Holy Son Hao Hun share a similar, exalted status. Why don't you walk back to the quarters together and discuss the insights of the Dao? I have another matter that requires my immediate attention."
As the Emperor walked away, Minglong’s telepathic voice chimed inside Hao Hun's mind, sounding incredibly amused and deeply exhausted.
“Master Hao Hun, I am completely spent. I’m going to take a nap, so use Call Summons to call me if you actually get into trouble,” she sent, before slipping away into the shadows.
Hao Hun knew neither the Emperor nor Minglong had actually gone far. Both were undoubtedly lingering in the darkness, acting like literal peeping-toms to watch how he and Su Youming interacted without supervision.
Beside him, the Holy Maiden maintained her elegant, pristine act. She gracefully retrieved her stark white sect uniform and matching face veil from her spatial ring.
"Though you are the only man besides the Sect Master to ever see my uncovered face," she murmured softly, her voice dripping with artificial purity, "I cannot venture outside where others might gaze upon me."
Hao Hun gave her a respectful, solemn nod and turned his back completely, acting like the ultimate gentleman who cared deeply about her modesty.
Rustle, rustle.
Behind him, Su Youming made an exaggerated show of the fabric shifting, intentionally drawing out the sounds of her dressing. It was a calculated distraction. Hao Hun rolled his eyes hard internally. Thanks to his extensive arsenal inherited from Loki Sky, he recognized exactly what she was doing.
She was utilizing a Hidden Gu to completely mask her casting of Minor or Greater Life Utility magic, attempting to inconspicuously plant a parasite into his flesh.
A moment later, a soft, delicate hand brushed gently against the skin of his neck.
Hao Hun didn't flinch. Without knowing the exact strain of the Gu she had just injected, he had to carefully calculate his reaction. He needed to look entirely enamored, deeply in love, or perhaps uniquely resistant.
"Alright, Hao Hun, you may turn around now," Su Youming whispered seductively. "Would you... mind helping me secure my veil?"
Swelling his chest, Hao Hun turned and forced an expression of pure, starry-eyed adoration onto his face, panting slightly like an excited puppy. His calculated reaction hit the mark perfectly. Su Youming had used a legendary Love Gu—a terrifyingly rare parasite of which a master could only ever harbor one. Deploying it on a monstrous talent like him made perfect tactical sense, especially if the Emperor had covertly ordered her to do so right before walking away.
As Hao Hun took the delicate fabric and carefully placed the headpiece over her brow, Su Youming leaned in close. Her bright, vivid green eyes fluttered with hypnotic temptation, staring deeply into his newly acquired bluish-grey gaze.
Then, the trap sprung—but not the way she intended.
Deep within Hao Hun's chest, the protective Talisman resting near his heart flared. It instantly wrapped itself in thick threads of Fate Webbing, snaring the invasive Love Gu and violently dragging the parasite directly into his pitch-black Death magical core.
Hao Hun braced himself, expecting a wave of artificial, overwhelming infatuation to hijack his mind. Instead, a bizarre sensation washed over him. The spell had completely inverted.
Looking at Su Youming, he felt completely normal, clear-headed, and entirely cynical. But Su Youming? Her green eyes dilated violently. Her breathing hitched, and a rich, crimson flush crept up her neck. The 54-year-old Holy Maiden—a ruthless, calculated Gu Master who spent her entire life manipulating human beings like mindless puppets—had just fallen into absolute, max-power, authentic love for the very first time in her life. She was completely defenseless against it.
Before he could lower the veil completely, she leaned closer, her voice trembling with an uncharacteristic, vulnerable innocence.
"Hao Hun... tell me... do you believe in love at first sight?"
Hao Hun’s soul was practically high-fiving his Death Vital Shared Fate Gu for being an absolute masterpiece of counter-magic. He smirked savagely in the privacy of his mind, but his lips formed a tragic, painfully intense expression.
"I do believe in love at first sight," Hao Hun declared, his voice ringing with the righteousness of a dramatic, self-sacrificing chuuni. "But I refuse to acknowledge love unless I can passionately kiss my lover—proving to my soul that she is a beautiful reality, and not a cruel illusion or a disguised trap."
Su Youming stood utterly paralyzed, her mind completely short-circuiting. In more than five decades of living, she had never once been kissed, let alone held by a man. The overwhelming rush of genuine, chemical love flooding her system left her totally incapable of processing his profound words.
"Hao Hun..." she stammered, her face burning hot beneath her silk. "Then... do you wish to kiss me now? To find out?"
Hao Hun knew she was completely at his mercy. If he wished, he could have easily shoved half a bottle of bright pink aphrodisiac pills down her throat and stayed in the cavern for hours. If he were truly affected by the Love Gu, he would have taken her right there.
Instead, he suddenly clutched his chest right over his heart, looking away with an expression of profound, agonizing torment.
"No," Hao Hun choked out righteously, shaking his head with bitter resolve. "No matter how violently my heart screams for you, Holy Maiden... I cannot betray the profound kindness the Emperor has shown me. To defile his trusted Maiden in these shadows would be an act of unforgivable disrespect. I shall choose to suffer in silence, burying this burning love deep within my soul... Come, Holy Maiden Su Youming. Let us return to the Summit."
Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode dramatically out of the cavern.
Deep in the shadows, the Emperor watched him leave, thoroughly awed and deeply impressed by the young man's staggering display of ironclad self-control and loyalty.
Behind him, the completely love-struck, emotionally devastated Su Youming stood frozen in the damp cavern, her heart aching with a profound, crushing rejection because the boy she suddenly worshiped had walked away without kissing her.