An Unexpected Turn, Hogg's Crisis

The night was hazy. In the tranquil Duke Paterson residence, a swift figure flashed forward along the eaves and corners of the walls.

Hogg was not weak now!

Although he lacked battle aura, this actually made it harder for enemies who relied on sensing battle aura to detect him.

Step by step, he infiltrated the very heart of the Duke's residence.

But that was as far as he would get!

Without battle aura, ordinary people could easily overlook him.

But as the younger brother of King Clyde, the guards of Duke Paterson were no simpletons!

A person moving with such strange stealth, approaching the bedroom of Duke Paterson under the cover of night, would never be ignored by experienced guards.

Even if Hogg possessed no aura of battle energy and did not appear to be a powerhouse.

They would not ignore him!

A seventh-rank guard stepped directly out of the shadows, blocking Hogg, who was dressed in servant's attire and had undergone a simple disguise.

He asked sharply, "Which steward do you serve under, and why are you here at this hour?"

As he spoke, he scrutinized Hogg.

"I don't recall ever seeing you before?" By the time he said this, the guard's hand was already gripping the hilt of his blade.

At this point, Hogg had no intention of hiding anymore.

According to his investigations, Hogg had discovered that it was Duke Paterson who had made a move against him all those years ago.

Having infiltrated the residence, Hogg, who had been tormented by pain for years, had already steeled his heart to kill Duke Paterson even if it meant his own exposure.

In any case, Lin Lei had already grown up; even without him, the revival and rise of the Baruch Family was only a matter of time!

Glancing at Duke Paterson's bedroom, Hogg, believing it impossible to pass the guards' interrogation, struck directly.

Boom!

Though he felt something was off, the guard, who hadn't taken Hogg seriously, was struck squarely in the abdomen by Hogg's fist.

The man was sent flying like a cannonball, his body curling like a shrimp as he crashed through the wall of the bedroom behind him.

With such a commotion, everyone knew something had gone wrong!

The members of the guard squad swarmed out, blocking Hogg just as he was about to charge into the bedroom.

But there was not a hint of fear on Hogg's face; he took out the life-saving trump card Lei Lin had given him and crushed it.

As the token shattered, two magic arrays appeared.

One converged toward the center, causing wisps of silver light to emerge on the surface of the blood-red pill he had crushed.

The other expanded outward, enveloping Hogg and forming a protective barrier.

Hogg looked at the barrier around him, stunned for a moment, and thought to himself, This little guy Lei Lin, he really put some thought into this!

Without another word, he consumed the pill in his hand, clearly intending to use the secret medicine to stimulate his bloodline and gain explosive power.

A life-saving item, used the moment he arrived!

Lei Lin, who had been using surveillance methods, realized Hogg's intention. His brow twitched as he thought, Heh, I gave you this medicine, but did I mean for you to use it right away?

It was meant to save your life!!!

At the same time, he realized why Hogg, despite having a bright future in Wushan Town and the prospect of his bloodline awakening, still couldn't resist taking action.

First, this matter had likely been tormenting him, leaving him unwilling to endure it any longer.

Second, it was because the Dragonblood Pill he had provided to be safe had given him enough confidence.

So much so that even after tracking the culprit to Duke Paterson, he had no intention of stopping!

Just as Lei Lin was lamenting the unpredictability of the world, violent changes were already occurring in Hogg's body.

The effect of the Dragonblood Pill had been optimized to the extreme by Lei Lin, and it quickly completed the stimulation of Hogg's bloodline, allowing him to transform smoothly into a Dragonblood Warrior covered in silver scales.

Seeing this, Lei Lin remarked, "Hmm, still just one head!"

"Tch, I thought there might be two, considering it was a pill made from the dragon blood of a mutated two-headed Silver Dragon."

"Still, these silver scales are quite pretty; the overall look is decent!"

At this moment, Lei Lin was more concerned with the aesthetics of Hogg's transformation, but for the guards facing Hogg, it was a matter of life and death.

From the moment Hogg crushed the token and the barrier appeared, they realized the intruder was no simple man.

They attacked the barrier desperately, trying to interrupt Hogg.

But it was useless!

This was a barrier Lei Lin had specifically prepared to buy time for Hogg's awakening; a group of seventh-ranks couldn't possibly break it in such a short time.

Once Hogg had fully transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior, the terrifying pressure of his aura made them feel as if the Grim Reaper himself was calling!

After the transformation, Hogg paid no mind to the pain caused by the first activation of his bloodline.

He touched the dragon scales covering his body, feeling nothing but excitement.

This was the thing he had craved his entire life!

However, he quickly forced down the excitement in his heart; after all, according to what Lei Lin had said, the medicinal effect would only last for three minutes.

Under these circumstances, he could not afford to waste a single second!

Amidst the terrified gazes of the guards, Hogg, in his transformed state, slaughtered everyone in his path, not letting a single guard escape.

Then, amidst a scene of severed limbs and mangled flesh, he charged into the bedroom, grabbed Duke Paterson, and fled.

Paterson, held in Hogg's grip, offered no resistance at all, as he was already in a state of unconsciousness.

Furthermore, judging by the unnatural twisted state of his limbs, it was clear they were broken.

Lei Lin sensed the situation and hummed, "Hmm, comminuted fractures!"

"At least Uncle Hogg hasn't gone completely insane; he still knows to kidnap the target. I actually thought he intended to take his revenge right there on the spot!"

"Besides, after three minutes, he'll only be weak for a night. When Uncle Hogg discovers tomorrow that he is still a healthy Dragonblood Warrior..."

"Hmm, he should be pleasantly surprised!"

"I should also..."

Just as Lei Lin was planning to leave, a sudden change occurred.

According to his reconnaissance, Cardinal Gilmore of the Radiant Church was currently on his way.

If Hogg continued to flee along his current route, there was a high probability he would run straight into Gilmore.

Lei Lin: "..."

He silently looked up at the starry sky and thought to himself, "Uncle Hogg..."

"He wouldn't, would he? Does he really have to die?"

Lei Lin thought back to the rule he had summarized from his investigations—that minor trends could be altered, but the grand trajectory remained unchanged—and fell silent.

He simply watched the movements of both Hogg and Gilmore quietly.

"I hope they don't meet, I hope they don't..."

But Murphy's Law proved that it loved to teach people a lesson. When it came to being disappointing, it never disappointed!

Gilmore and Hogg met after all!

The battle broke out immediately!

After all, with Hogg's current appearance, he didn't look like a righteous character no matter how one viewed him.

Coupled with Duke Paterson in Hogg's hands, Gilmore struck the very first moment he saw them.

Although Hogg was currently in his Dragonblood Warrior transformation, he was still no match for a ninth-rank grand magus.

Especially after being caught off guard by the opponent's preemptive strike, he barely had any chance to fight back at all!

He could only endure the continuous magical onslaught from Gilmore!