"Are we going to wipe out the White Tiger Duke Mansion?"
Feng Ling knew that back then, White Tiger Duke Dai Hao had issued the order to hunt down Xiao Hao's parents, so he bore some responsibility.
"No."
Yang Hao shook his head. He had no intention of going inside.
Ever since he had drawn near, he'd felt a sense of resistance. Clearly, the Plane Will was warning him.
As an acquired Adopted Child of Luck, he was indeed inferior to a naturally born Child of Luck.
Only by perfecting the Martial Soul Core system and spreading it until it became the dominant system of the Douluo Plane could he become a true Child of Luck, or even the Son of the Plane.
"Pretty big sister, you can go somewhere else and take a look around, or just clear your mind. I'm going to cultivate here for a while."
After saying that, Yang Hao leaped into a tree and hid among its branches. With the Golden Finger's comprehension boost upon him, he carefully sensed the power of luck.
He couldn't directly sense the power of luck himself, so now that he had the opportunity, he naturally had to make the most of it.
"Stay here and keep watch."
Feng Ling glanced at the boy in puzzlement, then instructed Wan Hun and Sleep Nightmare before leaving.
She wanted to look around Star Luo City and take care of a few arrangements while she was there.
Wan Hun and Sleep Nightmare leaped into the treetop, concealed themselves, and quietly stood guard.
Two days passed like this, and the year's end drew closer. Just then, a gentle-looking woman dressed as a maid walked by, heading toward Star Luo City.
Her face was rather pale, and she coughed now and then. Clearly, her health was poor.
Sleep Nightmare glanced at her without much interest. She was just an ordinary person and posed no threat.
### By the afternoon, the woman returned with a cloth bundle in her hands. She had probably gone to buy New Year's provisions.
She was coughing even more frequently now. The long journey had obviously worsened her condition, and her clothes were thin. There were even several chilblains on her hands.
That caught Yang Hao's attention. He stared at the woman in the maid's uniform.
This road led straight to the White Tiger Duke Mansion, so she had to be someone from there.
On top of that, her attire and sickly appearance brought to mind a figure who was easy to overlook, yet crucial.
"Huo Yun'er!"
Yang Hao called out tentatively. Huo Yun'er stopped walking and turned to look at him, confusion on her face.
"So it really is you."
Yang Hao smiled, rushed over, knocked her unconscious, slung her over his shoulder, and left.
"The Holy Son's all grown up!"
Wan Hun and Sleep Nightmare exchanged glances, both wearing knowing smiles.
The woman was only an ordinary person, but she was quite beautiful. Her sickly appearance made her all the more pitiful. No wonder the Holy Son had taken an interest in her.
Yang Hao had no idea what his two subordinates were thinking. Carrying Huo Yun'er, he ran at full speed, only stopping once they were far from the Duke Mansion.
He laid her beneath a tree, then turned his back to her and tilted his face forty-five degrees toward the bright moon, doing his best to look impressive as he considered how to bluff her.
Wan Hun and Sleep Nightmare followed behind. When the Holy Son stopped, they did too, then turned around.
This wasn't something they ought to watch.
"Who are you?"
Huo Yun'er slowly came to. Once her senses had returned, she warily watched the figure before her, reaching for the dagger at her waist to steady herself.
"White Tiger Duke Dai Hao is one of my enemies. I heard you're his servant girl, and that you have a child."
Yang Hao spoke without turning around.
At his words, Huo Yun'er's face went deathly pale. They struck her to the core, and her heart seemed to stop.
Huo Yun'er had been whipped by Dai Huabin some time ago and was already injured. She had also caught a chill, and over the past few days it had developed into myocarditis. After walking such a long way that day, she was now overcome with emotion. Her myocarditis flared up, her heart failed, and it stopped.
Clutching her chest in agony, Huo Yun'er's face turned blue. Yet she kept staring at the boy, pleading with her eyes, wanting to say something—but her body no longer allowed her to speak.
At last, she died unwillingly, her arm falling limply to her side.
When no answer came for a long while, Yang Hao turned around in confusion and froze.
"What the hell happened?"
Though baffled, he hurried to perform CPR, even channeling the power of Gold of Life into her. It was no use. She was already dead.
"Wan Hun."
"This subordinate is here!"
Wan Hun hurried over. He glanced at the lifeless woman and looked a little stunned too.
How had she just died?
"While her body's still warm, collect her soul and protect it. Don't turn her into a vengeful spirit."
Yang Hao gestured for him to take the soul. After death, the soul didn't leave the body immediately; it departed only once the brain cells had completely ceased to function.
Since there was no saving her body, he would preserve her soul. It would be a powerful asset for his future plans concerning Huo Yuhao.
He absolutely couldn't let her fall into God King Tang's hands. That would give him a way to keep Huo Yuhao firmly in line.
The reason Tang San dared to carry out so many inhuman schemes was that he had Huo Yun'er as his trump card. No matter how furious Huo Yuhao felt, seeing his mother Huo Yun'er resurrected would make him swallow his anger.
As the saying went, "A gentleman can be ensnared by his own principles." Huo Yuhao was undoubtedly a filial son.
But if Tang San could scheme against a Child of Luck, so could he. They could compete fairly.
At the same time, he guessed why Huo Yun'er had died. Her injuries had been too severe, and then her emotions had surged violently. That was what killed her.
She had already been on the verge of dying from illness. By his calculations, she would have died sometime this year. His appearance had only brought it forward a little.
"This subordinate understands."
Wan Hun understood. He used his Martial Soul, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, to draw Huo Yun'er's soul out, then sealed it inside a small banner and presented it to Yang Hao.
This Soul-Nurturing Banner was a Soul Tool he had made based on his own Martial Soul. It could collect and nourish souls, making it perfect for this woman.
Yang Hao took the Soul-Nurturing Banner and put it away. Then he revealed the Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone and devoured Huo Yun'er's body.
He had poured quite a lot of Gold of Life's power into trying to save her. He couldn't let it go to waste.
Soon, Huo Yun'er's corpse had been devoured, leaving a dried husk. Yang Hao put it into a Storage Soul Tool, planning to find a chance to burn it later.
In the future, Dai Hao would have Huo Yun'er's grave repaired and repent before it. That was how he resolved the conflict between himself and Huo Yuhao. He naturally had to erase that part of the story.
After all, Dai Hao was one of his enemies too.
"The White Tiger Dagger, huh!"
Looking at the dagger he had taken from Huo Yun'er, Yang Hao clicked his tongue and put it away.
It was a plot-important item, and also a token. It might come in handy someday.
"Let's go. We'll wait near the Strength Clan's territory."
Without lingering, they turned toward the Strength Clan's territory.
Two days later, Feng Ling came to meet them. She had finished making arrangements in Star Luo City.
"Holy Son, everyone from the Strength Clan is here."
Sleep Nightmare returned to report. He had just captured a member of the Strength Clan and used an illusion to get the information. Everyone was there.
"What lovely weather."
Yang Hao looked up at the pitch-black night sky. Too bad there was no wind. Otherwise, it would have been the perfect dark-and-windy night.
"Pretty big sister, I'll have to ask you to take down the Soul Douluo inside. This place is too close to Star Luo City."
Yang Hao turned to Feng Ling. He would need her to take action.
Wan Hun and Sleep Nightmare were both Soul Douluo now. Together, they could instantly kill anyone below that rank, but a Soul Douluo would be a difficult opponent.
Star Luo City wasn't far away. If they caused too much commotion, they would inevitably alert the powerful figures there.
This time, he wasn't just seeking revenge. He also wanted to seize the Strength Clan's assets, and that would take time.
"How are you planning to take revenge? Have those two make the clan members turn on each other?"
Feng Ling was curious, but also somewhat worried.
Hatred was a terrifying force. It could drive a person to extremes. The Supreme Sect Leader had been the perfect example. She didn't want this child to be twisted by hatred too.
"Do I look like the sort of person who'd take pleasure in that, big sister?"
Yang Hao insisted that he had standards. He didn't want to come across as a madman; that would only make others fear and guard against him.
Besides, there was no need to go that far. His way of thinking was that of an adult, after all.
Revenge was inevitable, but there was no need to get his own hands too dirty. There were plenty of people to do the dirty work, which was one of the main reasons he had recruited Wan Hun in the first place. He was very good at making vengeful spirits.
"That's for the best. It's only natural to repay a debt of blood with blood and a grievance with a grievance, but don't let it cloud your judgment.
"You're the Holy Son now, and you're destined to become the sect leader one day. If you want to take charge of the whole Holy Spirit Cult, you'll need a steady mind."
Feng Ling was pleased. After offering that reminder, she flew into the Strength Clan's territory.
"The priority this time is to do this without a sound. Understood?"
Yang Hao spoke, then strode toward the Strength Clan.
He had missed the Strength Clan so much. He thought about them every day. Now he had finally gathered enough strength to return in glory.
Cyclops
Yang Hao stopped before the Strength Clan's entrance and looked at the familiar gate. Hatred and killing intent welled up inside him as scenes from the past resurfaced in his mind.
He had only seen this gate twice before. The first time, he had been brought to the Strength Clan under the pretense of being protected and raised. The second time, Tai Wushuang had taken him to the Star Dou Forest. In the three years between, he had been confined to the clan's grounds and forbidden to go out.
Now he had finally returned to this place, and once again stood before that gate.
Before you continue