Revenge

Duke White Tiger's Mansion.

Dim moonlight pierced through thick, dark clouds to shine upon the golden glazed tiles, the reflected light faintly illuminating Huo Yuhao as he stood against the wall.

Huo Yuhao squinted his eyes under the light, holding his breath. He carefully sensed the patrol path of the guards, silently calculating the time intervals in his heart. He gripped the White Tiger Dagger tightly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against it.

At this moment, the dark clouds parted slightly, revealing a gap that exposed the moon. It illuminated the full view of the Duke's Mansion. Every time Huo Yuhao saw it, he felt a sense of shock; this was nothing less than a palace. The southern moonlight fell from the golden roof of the palace onto the heavy red doors. Anyone who saw it would feel the weight of history and the prosperity of the present.

Huo Yuhao did not lose himself in this opulence; hatred once again flooded his heart. Recalling the various persecutions he and his mother had endured while living here, his hand began to squeeze the dagger with force. The Duchess could not directly lower herself to deal with the mother and son, but the servants would do anything to please their mistress.

Embezzling their monthly allowance was only a minor matter; as long as they lacked a bit of money, they could grit their teeth and get by. The bullying his mother suffered at the hands of those maids was on a different level. At first, it was just secret sabotage to make them suffer, but later, it escalated and they became increasingly brazen. Several people began to group together to bully her openly. Eventually, they resorted to violence, and his mother was severely injured.

In the end, the matter blew up, and those maids were confined. He and his mother received some monetary compensation, and Huo Yuhao was finally able to start school. In reality, most of the oppression was borne by his mother; after all, Huo Yuhao was the Duke's son. No matter how far the servants went, they could not break the rules. Breaking the rules meant death.

Previously, there was a guard who, whether out of lust or pity for the mother and son—perhaps both—actually proposed to marry his mother. He was just a small fry, and after his intentions were leaked, he vanished. No one knew if he was dead or alive, but no one dared to talk about it anymore. After all, the Duke's reputation was still very important.

Just as Huo Yuhao was overcome with emotion, the guards began their next round of patrol. The moonlight revealed his figure. Even though various soul power detection methods were ineffective against him, the naked eye was another matter.

Such a large white object was standing right by the wall; it was too dark to see clearly before, but now the risk of exposure had increased dramatically.

Huo Yuhao was wearing the silkworm slough of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. This item, which could be called an artifact, could shield all aura, was warm in winter and cool in summer, and remained untainted by dust. The drawback that it could be seen was masked by the fact that soul masters were accustomed to using their own senses to investigate. After all, soul masters were strong and relatively confident, making them prone to overlooking things right under their noses. It was the perfect choice for sneaking into a house or a tryst on a dark, windy night.

His plan for revenge today was clear and complete. He would use the high stealth of the silkworm slough to sneak into the Duchess's room, declare her crimes, pass judgment, and finally create chaos to escape through the back alley.

This was a plan he had discussed with Tian Meng. Wang Yi, who had just awakened from his slumber, was so shocked by this perfect plan that his jaw dropped. In the end, not understanding the situation, he offered no comment. After all, he was just an ordinary person and didn't know much about the soul master system. He couldn't offer any constructive suggestions either.

Wang Yi had arrived after Electrolux during the fusion of Huo Yuhao and Tian Meng, which had infuriated Tian Meng. It even caused an aura leak, drawing several powerful auras from the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, scaring Tian Meng into finishing the fusion and fleeing immediately. It had to be said that the ice silkworm race had a high talent for running away. Surrounded by experts, they had vanished without a trace, though the parties involved were severely shaken. Tian Meng had realized during the fusion that he couldn't beat Electrolux, so he could only vent his anger on Wang Yi.

The two had a cordial and friendly conversation, thanking Wang Yi for his arrival while discussing the past and looking toward the future. Both agreed to strengthen Huo Yuhao's capability building, grasping both spiritual power and soul power with equal firmness. They strove to optimize the soul ring configuration and strengthen spiritual and cultural cultivation, working together to do their best to nurture an independent, self-reliant, and positive powerful soul master. Although there were differences during this process, the two maintained consistency in the general direction and adhered to the principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences.

In reality, Tian Meng beating Wang Yi up was useless; his spiritual attacks couldn't touch Wang Yi's true form at all. He could only intimidate him to ensure he didn't harbor any bad intentions toward Huo Yuhao. Wang Yi's true form seemed to be a strand of vitality; one could feel the sublimation of life just by being near it. Although the amount was small, its status was extremely high. It had great benefits for Huo Yuhao's body, the specific effects of which were yet to be developed.

Wang Yi also knew he was in the wrong, so he opened his memories for them to experience, as there was nothing to hide. It was just the life of an ordinary worker: a carefree childhood, a youth spent studying hard, a reckless university life, and finally graduating to find work, find a partner, get scammed for a dowry, and work hard. That was where it ended.

Tian Meng and Huo Yuhao were both shocked by that world; how could it be so good? In the end, they could only express envy, as they couldn't go there anyway.

Just as Huo Yuhao wanted to change his position, he heard a very familiar voice.

"Commander Wei, where are we going to have fun after the patrol?" a soldier asked.

The soldier in that group was clearly tall, wearing heavy armor that matched the temperament of this palace perfectly. He just wasn't wearing a helmet. He held a gun in one hand and his helmet in the other, replying: "We can't go out to play often lately; that bitch is dead, so there's no extra income."

The others felt a bit regretful. Then they all began to curse that woman for not knowing what was good for her and to flatter Commander Wei. Commander Wei declined while smiling and nodding in agreement.

Not far away, Huo Yuhao listened silently to their conversation, punctuated by bursts of laughter. His body began to tremble with tension.

He recalled how his mother, in order to earn money, had to take on part-time jobs after finishing her assigned tasks—jobs that were the epitome of low pay and high labor. When he was young, he thought that as long as he worked hard, there would be money. As he grew a little older, he saw that most of the money was stolen. It was stolen by the group of male and female servants represented by Commander Wei. A de facto concubine of the Duke and a Duke's son had a significant amount of monthly allowance plus some earnings from odd jobs. His mother endured this oppression and humiliation silently so that Huo Yuhao could grow up safely. No one knew how the pampered and favored maid of the Duke had managed to hold on; Huo Yuhao only saw more and more wrinkles on his mother's face and more and more cracks on her hands and feet.

He wanted to help but was refused; she said this wasn't work for him. What left the deepest impression was one winter, when the cold wind stung the face and his ears felt almost numb, and his mother was told to wash clothes. The family was too poor to have enough firewood to burn, so where would there be hot water? She had to wash them by the river. Flowing water was good, but in winter, only the riverbank would freeze over with a layer of ice.

His mother broke the thin ice to start washing the clothes. Compared to the low temperature of the cold wind, the icy water was surprisingly warmer. She encountered many difficulties; the clothes would freeze as soon as they left the water, so she had to keep wringing them out. Water gradually formed icicles nearby, and layers of ice formed in the basin.

The sun was bright that day, and the dim light penetrated the steaming water vapor. The branches of the old tree by the river were blown from time to time, shielding his mother as she washed.

The clothes were washed perfectly, and she earned enough money to have a good New Year. But what was the cost?

At first, his mother's hands were just itchy and red on the surface, then they developed sores—it was frostbite. Afterward, she fell ill with a headache and fever. That New Year was spent in sickness and exhaustion. After the cold passed, her health deteriorated year by year. Finally, she passed away when Huo Yuhao was eleven. The seed of hatred was planted. Yet his mother had always taught him to be kind and to treat all things in the world with joy. He was very innocent then, because the cold wind was always blocked by his mother, and the sunshine would always be in his life. But this dream was destroyed, and the seed of hatred received rich nourishment. It grew and expanded into a towering tree.

His mother was dead, and he wanted revenge. Someone had to die, and he had to kill. What if someone stopped him? If a god blocks, kill the god; if a Buddha blocks, kill the Buddha.

Gray gradually covered his deep blue eyes, as if a storm were brewing within. In his rage, Huo Yuhao did not lose his mind; his spirit began to concentrate highly, and his emotions began to detach from his body, looking down at the group of guards. What should this situation be called? The wrath of a god!

Suddenly, Huo Yuhao's body also began to change; his heart began to beat violently, and high-temperature blood circulated rapidly through his body. His muscles twitched, and the restrictions were lifted. A wisp of life force flowed through Huo Yuhao's body—this was actually the aura brought by Wang Yi.

Specks of green appeared in his gray eyes, gradually forming two halves. Huo Yuhao's consciousness began to control his body. His body was very strong now, and he could use the strongest power of his body.

The sound of his heartbeat began to spill out. So, Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, bent his waist, and bent his legs, springing out like lightning. Several crisp sounds erupted like lightning.

Commander Wei actually heard a slight disturbance, but he didn't care. After all, years of comfortable life had worn down his will. Wouldn't it be a huge hassle to check every disturbance? Who would have the guts to cause trouble at the Duke's Mansion? Even if they were all hostages, not everyone could be provoked.

A white figure rushed over at extreme speed, scaring him so much that his pupils constricted. It was too late; his hands were occupied, leaving him at a loss for a moment. Finally, the quality of a three-ring Soul Elder allowed him to raise his long spear in time to block the weapon of this short assassin—it was a white dagger.

For a moment, he saw the assassin's face, and anger and disdain arose in his heart. Just as he was about to speak, the situation he thought he could control changed.

Huo Yuhao looked indifferently at Commander Wei's somewhat ferocious face and began to catch his breath. His frail body began to erupt with greater power. He adjusted the angle of his wrist and, with lightning speed, pressed the spear back until it stopped near his neck, unable to move an inch further.

The White Tiger Dagger suddenly shone brightly; after absorbing a large amount of soul power, it could emit a light blade. It wasn't very long, just enough to pierce through a neck.

Fresh blood sprayed out, and Commander Wei fell down in disbelief, his spear and helmet falling to the ground. He clutched his neck, his eyes wide, making a gurgling sound. A three-ring Soul Elder had fallen to a one-ring child just like that. He hadn't even released his Martial Soul.

The guards nearby were stunned; in fact, the person was gone in just a few seconds. No one had ever taught them what to do in such a sudden situation, and a bunch of old veterans were terrified. No one dared to rush forward; why risk one's life for a guard?

Huo Yuhao looked up at them, and the guards felt a chill when they saw his eyes. It was as if he were looking at dead men. Before they could react, Huo Yuhao suddenly retreated and quickly vanished into the darkness.

Only then did someone react and shout that there was an assassin, scattering in all directions to call for reinforcements. As for the fallen Commander Wei, no one cared anymore.

Exhausted, Huo Yuhao leaned in a corner, gasping for breath. His heart beat violently and uncontrollably; if he opened his clothes, he could see his left chest bulging continuously. His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.

Is this what killing is? It didn't seem that difficult. Huo Yuhao thought to himself, his blue, gray, and green eyes interweaving. His spirit returned from its previous state of wandering. Now he began to think about what to do next.

As soon as he thought about it, he realized things were serious; he had alerted the enemy. Now the people in the Duke's Mansion had been mobilized, and they were all coming to search for him. He could run now; no one could track him. But deep down, he didn't want to leave. Seeing the lights in the Duchess's room in the distance, he made up his mind not to go.

Just then, a sentence suddenly appeared in his mind: "Little guy, I can help you."

Duchess's room.

The lights had been turned on, and the Duchess, awakened from her sleep, listened impatiently to the Head Maid's report. She said angrily: "So that little bastard has returned? Find him and kill him." The Head Maid understood and prepared to go out to make arrangements.

The Duchess, having sobered up a bit, called her back. "Don't kill him; capture him and cripple him. Those with the White Tiger Bloodline cannot die." The Head Maid was stunned for a moment and could only say yes. After she went out, she heard the Duchess's curses: "That damned old thing is always restricting me; they all deserve to die."

The Head Maid pretended not to hear and ran out to mobilize the guards. She was determined to capture Huo Yuhao.

It didn't take long for good news to arrive; the guards had already cornered Huo Yuhao. Catching a turtle in a jar was supposed to be easy. However, a disturbance suddenly broke out in the encirclement. Thinking the guards were being too rough, she quickly issued an order emphasizing that Huo Yuhao must not be killed. But the reality did not seem to be what she had imagined.

Gray now completely saturated Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye, the green and blue having vanished. With nowhere left to retreat, Huo Yuhao did not panic; instead, he looked at the guards before him with indifferent contempt. He stood there as steady as a mountain, possessing the aura of a grandmaster. He spoke: "I have no interest in killing you. Move aside."

Some guards couldn't help but laugh when they heard such words from a child, but they soon stopped, their laughter turning awkward as the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

"Huo Yuhao" walked toward the encirclement with a leisurely stride as if they hadn't heard his warning. Dense, gray patterns began to emerge in his eyes. A single white Soul Ring floated beneath his feet. Seeing that he was only a one-ring Soul Master, they all breathed a sigh of relief; they had been intimidated by that aura.

Electrolux didn't care about their reaction and said to Huo Yuhao in his Sea of Spirit: "I am not from this world and do not understand the rules of power here, but the essence of power is the same. To someone like me, the amount of power is neither important nor unimportant; it all lies in how it is used. Watch closely how spiritual power is utilized." With that, Huo Yuhao's first Soul Ring shone brightly.

Mental Interference Domain! Mental-type Soul Skills were extremely rare, and a mental-type domain was one in ten million. It was a supreme crowd-control skill.

Most of the ordinary people in front of Huo Yuhao clutched their heads and swayed, while those with weaker constitutions fainted outright. Only a few experts remained standing, looking at Huo Yuhao with grave expressions. They all had one question: Is this the effect of a Ten-Year Soul Ring? If so, who would ever want a Century Soul Ring?

By now, Huo Yuhao had approached the nearest Soul Master, and his Soul Ring shone brightly once more.

Soul Shock!

Even though Huo Yuhao was only at the first ring, and his Soul Ring came from the non-aggressive Ice Silkworm, the one using the skill was Electrolux. He was the Holy Necromancer! The spiritual attack pierced directly into that Soul Master's Sea of Spirit like a needle.

The defenses of the Sea of Spirit were rendered useless, and the man felt as if his head had been stabbed by a needle. It was a pain far worse than the toothache said to touch the soul; this truly touched the soul.

Without any resistance, he allowed Huo Yuhao to slice his throat open with a dagger, and he collapsed to the ground, dead, as blood gushed out.

The other Soul Masters were terrified, not knowing why their comrade had been killed. They all released their Martial Souls, preparing to use their Soul Skills. Countless Soul Rings rose, white, yellow, and purple appearing in turn; no black ones appeared.

Huo Yuhao was not surprised by this and continued to walk slowly. He killed one person for every step he took. Whenever someone tried to release an attack-type Soul Skill, a faint Soul Shock would strike, disrupting the activation.

Just like that, Huo Yuhao walked out of the encirclement without a single drop of blood splashing onto him.

Killing was as effortless as a casual stroll, and he walked right out of the encirclement.

The gray gradually faded, and his deep blue eyes returned. Before Huo Yuhao could react, a sharp pain struck him. His brain and body were in agony; the physical overdraft was too severe.

The green light seemed to sense Huo Yuhao's physical state and began to circulate through his body, and the sharp pain began to subside. His body temperature rose sharply, and adrenaline surged.

Huo Yuhao had no time to investigate why; ahead was the Duke's room. The Duchess was inside, right where the light was still on. He could still walk. He wiped away the nosebleed caused by the excessive use of spiritual power and continued forward.

Just as he reached the door, someone blocked his path. An old man, dressed in simple hemp clothing, looked spirited with eyes like torches. But that wasn't the main point; he had seven Soul Rings beneath him.

A seven-ring Soul Saint!

The old man looked at him with appreciation: "You are a good child, do not go any further. If you leave now, it will be as if this never happened in our White Tiger Family. You can still return to your ancestors."

"Move."

The only response he received was this arrogant word, which made the old man somewhat angry.

"If you turn back now, you are still a member of the White Tiger Family. The Duchess absolutely cannot die. You can kill those servants to take revenge; your mother's tragedy was not caused by the Duchess."

Hearing his words, Huo Yuhao felt a bit dazed. So, they knew about his mother's plight all along? Why didn't they come out sooner? If they had, Mom wouldn't have had to die. Even a little bit of fair treatment would have been enough! He roared in his heart, and the spiritual fluctuations caused ripples in his Sea of Spirit.

"Because you have started to resist," the transmigrator Wang Yi explained to Huo Yuhao. "People can choose not to use violence, but they cannot lack the courage to use it. Because you were too weak, you were bullied. So, what do you want to do?"

"I want to kill her. She must die."

"Good." In fact, Tian Meng had already discussed the theory of how to deal with experts with Wang Yi. Tian Meng had ways, but they weren't quite suitable in appearance. That was where Wang Yi came in handy; Wang Yi would step forward, and Tian Meng would provide the power. In principle, they wouldn't act unless necessary; the energy had to be saved for little Huo Yuhao's growth.

The old man saw Huo Yuhao stop speaking and assumed he had been persuaded. He said a few more words to express his views, urging him to be upright and kind, to observe filial piety, to perform well for his future, to strive to enter the Main Sect, and to shed the label of a traitor, and so on. Finally, he was stunned.

He felt a terrifying spiritual power locking onto him, and beads of sweat the size of peas slid down his wrinkled face. He looked up slowly and saw a young man floating in the air, looking at him with a smile. Floating in the air was something only a Title Douluo could easily perform, except in special circumstances; a Soul Douluo could do it, but it was too difficult and less efficient than walking.

Coupled with such terrifying spiritual pressure, it had to be a Title Douluo. Just as he was about to apologize, he was interrupted.

"Shh, don't make a sound, just watch the show," this "Title Douluo" said nonchalantly. He quickly agreed and stood there honestly, watching the show, unable to stop himself from wondering which family's expert had come to interfere with the White Tiger Family. After all, grassroots experts were limited and all listed on the various family rankings. There was no news at all about this one.

While the old Soul Saint was lost in thought, Huo Yuhao had already bypassed his obstruction and entered the mansion. It was truly luxurious.

It didn't have the nouveau riche feel of gold and silver everywhere; at a glance, it seemed to have a scholarly air, but a closer look revealed it was extraordinary. The furniture was all made of thousand-year Soul Fir Wood, treated with red lacquer. The small items were all extremely intricate gold and silver ware, exquisite yet not vulgar. Several paintings and calligraphy works hung on the walls.

What a wealthy family indeed!

Huo Yuhao had no interest in these things and went straight to the Duchess's bedroom. The door actually had a mechanical lock with a password. He didn't understand it and didn't want to stop, so he punched the wooden door, shattering it. He didn't care about the wounds on his hand. His eyes were fixed on the Duchess hiding under the bed, and he casually stabbed the Head Maid who was hiding behind the door, ready to ambush him. An ambush was too pathetic for him; just because Electrolux didn't need Spiritual Detection didn't mean the ability wasn't powerful. Once Spiritual Detection was activated, the situation was clear at a glance, and the possibility of being ambushed was basically non-existent. This Head Maid was the one who led the bullying of his mother, promoted to Head Maid after the confinement. The servants' debts were mostly settled; now it was time to execute the ringleader.

Without the hints from this person, how would those servants have dared to touch a woman carrying the Duke's child? When he was young, he was terrified of her, but now, seeing this woman crawling under the bed made his childhood fear vanish. He couldn't help but smile, though his eyes remained cold, without a trace of warmth.

Huo Yuhao walked up and dragged the Duchess out. She suddenly took out a stick-like object and pointed it at him, pulling the trigger. Huo Yuhao had already seen the gun before she brought it out; Wang Yi's memory helped him see the danger. He dodged the aim before it could fire. After a loud bang, the Duchess's face turned deathly pale. The bullet shattered the Soul Guidance Lamp in the room, which hissed and sparked.

He snatched the gun and hung it on his body, pressing her face to make her look at him properly. The flickering light of the lamp made Huo Yuhao look terrifying. After all, not everyone could see in the dark.

While the Duchess looked in terror at the person she had never bothered to look at, Huo Yuhao was also thinking about what to say. The Duchess seemed to have said many things begging for mercy, but Huo Yuhao seemed not to hear any of it, lost in his own thoughts. In the end, he couldn't think of what to say; he was ultimately limited by his lack of education.

He dragged the Duchess out of the room. He had originally wanted to carry her, but he found that the Duchess was taller than him, which was very awkward. He could only drag her. On the way, he passed the pool of blood where the Head Maid lay, and his clothes were stained with quite a bit of blood, which made him feel nauseated.

He dragged her to the entrance. Outside, the scene was spectacular: countless guards and maids stood with torches and weapons, but their faces were not looking good. There was a Title Douluo-level expert above them; weren't they just throwing their lives away? When they saw Huo Yuhao dragging the blood-covered Duchess out, they were scared to death, not knowing what this master wanted to do next.

Huo Yuhao didn't care about the curses or confusion; he just looked down at the dagger in his hand. A night of slaughter had stained it with a layer of blood. He spoke to himself: "This was a keepsake Mom left for me. I used to think so."

"But I think this is a shackle, a connection between me and this sinful place. With it, I could never be at peace. Mom certainly wouldn't approve of my decision."

"But I believe Mom would definitely support my decision. After all, what mother doesn't want her son to be happy?" As he spoke, Huo Yuhao showed a sunny smile for the first time, then stabbed the White Tiger Dagger into the Duchess's neck.

During this time, he hadn't said a word to her, nor had he listened to anything she said. What does killing you have to do with you?

Just like that, the Duchess was killed in front of everyone. After stabbing it in, Huo Yuhao let go, letting everyone see the ugly look on her face as she died. She clutched her neck, struggling incessantly, before going still. Her wide eyes stared at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao didn't care about any of this; he stood up straight and let out a long sigh of relief.

The moon emerged at this moment, the dark clouds dispersing. It shone directly upon Huo Yuhao, bathing him in lunar radiance that made his eyes sparkle brilliantly. Coupled with his smile, he looked incredibly adorable.

I should go, he thought to himself. He then set off, leaving the White Tiger Dagger behind. He was utterly carefree.

At this moment, the old man who had been silent all along finally spoke up: "Do you have any idea what a grave sin it is to have killed her?"

"I know. If they want to come for me, then let them come. I have only one thing to say to all of you," he thought of a phrase Wang Yi had once remembered, taking a deep breath.

"Those who submit will prosper, those who resist shall perish!"

As he finished speaking, he felt a surge of boundless heroism erupting within his body. Wang Yi, who had been hovering above his head the entire time, sensed Huo Yuhao's resolve. As Huo Yuhao walked out through the Duke's Mansion's gate, which was steeped in history, a surge of power emerged. With the force of a landslide and a tidal wave, it struck the gate, even knocking down the plaque above it and shattering it into two pieces.

With this, Huo Yuhao broke out of the gate, severing all ties with Duke White Tiger forever.