"What... is going on?"
The terrifying surge of Soul Power made Dai Huabin turn back despite himself. To the astonished gazes of Dai Huabin and the guards, the Dragon Wings behind Huo Yuhao beat once, and he shot forward, turning into a streak of deep-blue light as he charged toward the White Tiger Guard at the front.
Lightning didn't just have destructive power; it could also boost speed.
His long, thick Dragon Tail swept across and slammed into the guard's chest.
As if he'd just hit a baseball, the guard went flying even faster than he'd charged in, his ribs cracking with a series of crisp snaps. He crashed into another man on the way down.
Though he had no Soul Rings and was only seven years old, the Soul Power he'd cultivated with the Spirit Ice Art had continuously nourished his body over the past year. And with a Dragon King-level Martial Soul—the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon, an existence practically off the charts—little Huo Yuhao's physical abilities were definitely no weaker than those of a Power Attack System Soul Elder.
So what if he had no combat experience? With the two Ultimate Attributes of Ultimate Water and Ultimate Lightning, Huo Yuhao could wade through these White Tiger Guards like a tiger among sheep, knocking them down one by one with nothing more than wild punches.
That was the beauty of raw stats.
Of the four White Tiger Guards who'd charged in, Huo Yuhao had already knocked two down.
Little Yuhao dodged a White Tiger Guard's punch with a sidestep. Golden light flickered in his eyes as he threw a punch of his own, smashing it into the guard's abdomen.
The tremendous force sent the White Tiger Guard shooting straight into the sky in a corkscrew. At that moment, the vast difference between ordinary people and Soul Masters was on full display.
"This..."
Was this damn kid really seven?!
The last guard immediately lost his will to fight and turned to run. But before he'd gone two steps, Huo Yuhao caught up and kicked him in the butt.
He flew out of the woodshed even faster than he'd entered, then landed in front of Dai Huabin in a miserable face-first sprawl.
"..."
Dai Huabin glanced down at the White Tiger Guard sprawled beside his feet, snorted in disdain, and stepped on the man's head as he walked toward Huo Yuhao.
"Useless trash! You can't even deal with a bastard..."
The formidable aura of his White Tiger Martial Soul, released alongside that yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring, carried the majesty of the king of beasts. The White Tiger Guards around him shuddered and instinctively backed away.
Dai Huabin was a rare genius. He'd possessed Soul Power at level eight from birth, and under the Duchess's guidance and through his own hard training, he'd personally killed Soul Beasts despite his young age. He'd already obtained a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, and his cultivation had reached level fifteen.
Huo Yuhao's expression didn't change, but his gaze grew colder.
Over the past few years, Dai Huabin had incited his underlings to bully him and his mother. Huo Yuhao had never forgotten that grudge.
Dai Huabin looked at the Dragon Wings behind Huo Yuhao and sneered. "So it's not a White Tiger Martial Soul... I knew you were a bastard! Your slut of a mother must've picked up some wild man off the street and had you with him! People like you staying here is a disgrace to the White Tiger Duke Mansion!"
Huo Yuhao couldn't be bothered to answer. He stepped forward, the eight Dragon Wings behind him fluttering slightly, and was in front of Dai Huabin in an instant.
Dark purple and deep blue wrapped around his fist as it transformed into a dragon claw. He slammed it into Dai Huabin's face.
"Huh?!"
Dai Huabin hadn't even had time to react before Huo Yuhao's punch landed squarely on his hard face. He went flying, blood spraying from his nose through the air.
Though [tigers] and [dragons] had always been ranked among the strongest Soul Beast species on the Douluo Continent, the truth was that tigers often fell short of dragons.
For example, there was a true ceiling to the Douluo Continent's power: the [Dragon God]. But no one had ever heard of a [Tiger God].
Besides, [Baili Du] had fashioned a Dragon King-level Martial Soul for Huo Yuhao. Whether it was basic strength or speed, it was countless levels above the [Evil Eye White Tiger].
The old Dai Family's Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul really wasn't all that impressive. Its same old three tricks hadn't changed in tens of thousands of years. So what if Dai Huabin activated the [White Tiger Protection Barrier]? How could it stop a punch from Huo Yuhao, who'd been reborn from the ashes?
Huo Yuhao grabbed Dai Huabin by the neck and lifted him into the air.
The sensation of suffocation and pain made Dai Huabin's short legs kick wildly. He pounded with both hands at Huo Yuhao's arm, which wasn't particularly muscular but was astonishingly strong.
His voice no longer sounded cold and arrogant. Instead, it trembled with fear. "Let go of me... or my mother... The White Tiger Duke Mansion won't let you get away with this..."
Huo Yuhao raised his index finger in front of himself and made a shushing gesture. He tightened his grip, stopping Dai Huabin from making another sound, then began to channel his Ultimate Lightning Soul Power.
"Crackle..."
Black-purple snakes of lightning coiled over Dai Huabin's body. He began to convulse continuously, his eyes rolling back and foam spilling from his mouth.
No one would want to experience the torture of being shocked by Ultimate Lightning. And don't forget, lightning was especially destructive to the body.
Huo Yuhao's spiritual power also continued to assault Dai Huabin's brain, keeping him from passing out during the torture.
After two minutes of torment, Dai Huabin's fine clothes were in tatters. His body was covered in patches of charred flesh, and a faint smell of roasting meat hung in the air.
Little Yuhao smiled with satisfaction. His voice was cold, and each word he spoke seemed to lower the temperature of the air by a degree.
"You might take pride in having the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul, but I don't."
"I'm glad I got the chance to defy fate and change my life—to draw a clear line between myself and vermin like you."
"So... out of the goodness of my heart, I'll give you a chance too. Cultivate with the White Tiger Martial Soul you're so proud of. When you turn twelve, I'll personally take your life. Of course, your fate won't change. You're welcome to try and fight back."
When he'd finished speaking, Huo Yuhao tossed Dai Huabin in front of the White Tiger Guards, who were all still dumbstruck, as if he were throwing away a piece of trash.
"Take him and get out!"
The White Tiger Guards still standing looked at each other. After hesitating for a moment, they dragged their unconscious companions and Dai Huabin away from the woodshed, scrambling over one another in their haste to escape.
Watching the people from the White Tiger Duke Mansion flee in a panic before him, little Yuhao felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
Those who'd once seemed impossibly far above him, swaggering around and throwing their weight about in front of him, were now so weak they could barely put up a fight.
Was this what it felt like to have power?
[Baili Du] walked over and stood beside Huo Yuhao, patting him on the shoulder. "Well done! But aren't you worried the Duchess will retaliate? You're still nowhere near strong enough."
Dai Hao's dear wife was famously jealous. With how much she doted on her son, she might even accuse Huo Yuhao and his mother of deserving death right then and there. There was no way the two of them could keep living peacefully in the Duke's Mansion.
Of course, with him around, even if Tang San came down to the Douluo Continent right now, he couldn't put a dog collar on Huo Yuhao.
It was just that Baili Du still couldn't understand why the Duchess, as the legal wife, would be jealous of a... personal servant who didn't even have a title.
Huo Yuhao quietly shook his head. "But if I don't do this, there's no way Mom will leave with me, is there?"
"...?!"
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, [Baili Du] fell silent. How had he never thought of doing this before?
With the Duchess threatening to kill them, no matter how lovesick Huo Yun'er was, she'd have to consider her own safety and her son's.
Then he felt relieved. That was right. He was Huo Yuhao, and only Huo Yuhao... It was perfectly normal for someone this age to be smarter than him!
"Good! That's a clever plan!"
Before you continue