Chen Wen rubbed his hands together, obsequiously pushing Xu Sanshi, urging, "Alright, young master, you can go in now."
Xu Sanshi stood in front of the door, looking somewhat hesitant, but in the end, he reached out and pushed the door open.
Bang!
A dark shadow suddenly appeared!
Huo Yuhao appeared behind him like Gui Mei, delivering a precise chop to the back of his neck. Xu Sanshi didn't even utter a sound before collapsing to the ground.
Chen Wen's eyes widened, and he took two steps back in terror, screaming, "Who... who are you?!" He whirled around, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Help! Someone attacked the young master—"
Before he could finish speaking, Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed, and an invisible spiritual force pierced Chen Wen's mind like a sharp blade.
" Soul Shock."
Chen Wen's expression froze instantly, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight down.
Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze, glanced coldly at the two people on the ground, then turned around and pushed open the tightly closed door.
"Alright, this farce is coming to an end."
Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, illuminating a blonde girl sitting on the edge of the bed.
She looked up, her eyes filled with astonishment and wariness.
"Who... who are you?!"
Huo Yuhao's lips curled into a slight smile, and he deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone, "A hero has descended from the sky to rescue the trapped beauty." He tilted his head, "Excuse me, are there any girls here who need to be rescued?"
The young girl, Jiang Nannan, was stunned, even though Huo Yuhao looked to be about the same age as her. She stared blankly at the masked man in black robes before her, unsure how to respond.
"Yes... yes." She hesitated for a moment, then shrank back warily. "But what do you want? Who... who are you?"
Huo Yuhao spread his hands, his tone gentle yet firm. "I'm here to save you. I heard the Xuanming Sect wants to use you to help Xu Sanshi evolve his Martial Soul? That won't do. A hero can't stand to see this kind of thing happen, so of course I have to come and join in the fun."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Jiang Nannan's eyes, but it quickly faded. She lowered her head, her voice trembling, "No... no. If I leave, Mom will die... I need money to buy the Black Tortoise Divine Pill, and the people from the Xuanming Sect promised to give it to me. Mom has congenital heart disease and needs the Black Tortoise Divine Pill to treat her."
Her tears fell to the ground like pearls from a broken string.
Huo Yuhao looked at her quietly, sighing inwardly.
As expected... just like in the future, she was forced to accept the deal in order to save her mother.
He crouched down, looked Jiang Nannan in the eye, and said softly, "Come with me."
Jiang Nannan shook her head, tears blurring her vision. "For Mom's sake... I can't leave..."
Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"Alright, I'll see this through to the end." He held out his hand, his tone firm. "If you come with me, I promise your mother will be saved. What do you say, beautiful girl?"
Jiang Nannan suddenly looked up, and through her teary eyes, she saw the resolute eyes behind his mask.
"Really... really?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Of course it's true."
He stood up, gave a casual, gentlemanly bow, and said with a smile, "So, beautiful young lady, what's your decision? Are you willing to come with me? This is a 'special treatment' from a hero, and it'll only happen once."
Jiang Nannan stared at him blankly, tears still streaming down her face, but a slight smile played on her lips.
"I... I do." She reached out her hand, her voice soft yet incredibly firm, "Please... take me away."
Huo Yuhao took her hand and gently pulled her up from the bedside.
"Receive."
He took out a large black robe from his storage ring and draped it over her shoulders, covering her thin dress.
"Let's go, the road ahead is still long."
Huo Yuhao lifted Jiang Nannan into his arms; the girl's body was as light as a feather, but her eyes were filled with confusion.
"Why... why did you take me away?" She looked up at his mask, her voice trembling slightly.
Huo Yuhao chuckled softly and walked out with steady steps, his tone relaxed yet firm:
"Because heroes are never stingy with their Goodness, especially when they see a beautiful young woman in danger—"
Jiang Nannan blinked, then suddenly muttered softly, "But you're dressed all in black... you don't look like a hero, you look like a villain."
Huo Yuhao was about to answer when suddenly he stopped in his tracks.
Ahead, dozens of figures surged forward like a tide, instantly blocking the entire corridor. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a powerful aura, unleashing his Soul Emperor- level pressure without any concealment.
"Insolence! Who dares to run wild on the territory of my Xuanming Sect?!" The Soul Emperor roared, his gaze piercing Huo Yuhao like a knife.
Huo Yuhao did not answer, but gently put Jiang Nannan down and raised his hand to set up a light golden Soul Power shield around her.
"Wait for me here," he said softly, then turned to face the Xuanming Sect members.
Jiang Nannan grabbed his sleeve, her eyes filled with worry. "You... you haven't answered my question yet."
Huo Yuhao turned his head to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath the mask.
"Because heroes and demons are two sides of the same coin, capable of transforming into one another." His voice suddenly turned icy. "To the Goodness, I am a hero; but to the wicked—"
He slowly raised his hand, and seven-colored divine light suddenly bloomed, forming a divine sword that flowed with the Power of Emotion in his palm.
"--I am the most terrifying demon."
The Soul Emperor of the Xuanming Sect's pupils constricted sharply, his voice trembling with terror:
"A... Titled Douluo?!"
He forcibly suppressed his fear and gritted his teeth, saying, "Your Excellency is Titled Douluo, and our Xuanming Sect can overlook your offense, but that girl... it was her own choice! We will also provide compensation!"
"Compensation?" Huo Yuhao sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Your so-called 'compensation' is forcing her to give herself up in exchange for a Black Tortoise Divine Pill and some money. What do you take a girl's innocence for?"
"Compensation? All you bastards know is compensation. Who knows if you're forcing people into prostitution?"
His voice grew colder and colder, and the Emotion Divine Sword in his hand shone brightly.
"However, I don't care about any of that. I don't care what methods you use to deceive people, but today—" he pointed his sword and said coldly, "If you dare to stop me today, you will be my enemies, and the fate of my enemies is death."
The Soul Emperor's face turned deathly pale, but he still forced a smile and shouted, "Does Your Excellency truly wish to become an enemy of my Xuanming Sect?!"
Huo Yuhao laughed, his laughter tinged with disdain and contempt.
"To be enemies?" He flicked his wrist, and his sword flashed like a rainbow. "Then I'll show you what it truly means to be 'enemies'."
Before the words were even finished, a seven-colored sword light swept out!
Whoosh--!
Wherever the sword energy passed, space seemed to be torn apart. Twenty or thirty Xuanming Sect disciples didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to ashes in the dazzling sword light.
The Soul Emperor felt a chill on his right arm—
Clatter
A severed arm fell to the ground, and blood gushed out.
He stared blankly down at his empty right shoulder, the intense pain finally and belatedly assaulting his nerves.
"Ah--!!!"
Huo Yuhao sheathed his sword and stood there, giving him a cold glance:
"Go back and tell your sect leader—"
"If you dare to lay a finger on her again, the next sword strike won't be aimed at your arm, but at your entire sect."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards Jiang Nannan. The moment the protective shield was removed, the girl's eyes were still wide open, too shocked to speak.
Huo Yuhao bent down and picked her up in his arms again, his tone returning to its previous ease:
"Alright, the hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress act is over, time to leave."
Jiang Nannan stared at him blankly for a long time before asking softly:
"Who... are you?"
Huo Yuhao's smile deepened beneath his mask.
"Just a passing-by... demon hero, I suppose."
Oh right, it's something he's been thinking about, he almost forgot.
However, before we leave, there are a few things I need to tell that guy.
He put Jiang Nannan down, then approached again, standing before the leading Soul Master.
Huo Yuhao's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced to the bone like ice, each word carrying a chilling killing intent:
"Remember--"
He slowly raised his hand, the Soul Power swirling around his fingertips was as red as blood, and his killing intent solidified into countless tiny blades that hissed in the air.
"Go back and tell your sect leader that if he dares to force innocent girls to sacrifice themselves again under the guise of ' Martial Soul Evolution '..."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly clenched his fist!
boom--!
A violent killing intent erupted like a tsunami, causing the beams and pillars of the entire pavilion to groan under the unbearable weight, and the bricks and tiles to crumble and crack. The Xuanming Sect members were so overwhelmed by this pressure that they knelt on the ground, blood seeping from their seven orifices.
Huo Yuhao looked down at them condescendingly and said, word by word:
"I will slaughter the entire Xuanming Sect, leaving not a single chicken or dog alive."
He raised his hand in a grasping motion, and the neck of the leading Soul Emperor seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, lifted into the air.
"As for your sect leader's head..." Huo Yuhao's eyes flashed with a cold light, "I will retrieve it myself."
Click!
The Soul Emperor's left arm bones shattered inch by inch, emitting a shrill scream.
"Roll."
Throwing the person dozens of feet away like discarded trash, Huo Yuhao turned to walk towards Jiang Nannan, when he heard intermittent wails behind him:
"Yes... yes! We dare not do it again! Please spare our lives, Your Majesty!"
The raging killing intent transformed into a spring breeze the moment it touched Jiang Nannan. Huo Yuhao knelt on one knee, his fingertips lightly touching the protective shield.
"Scared?" He lifted his mask, revealing half his face. The demon who had just slaughtered everything now had a smile on his face. "Even heroes sometimes have to play the bad cop."
Jiang Nannan stared at the blood-stained corner of his clothes, then suddenly reached out and grabbed it:
"Your... your hands are shaking."
Huo Yuhao was taken aback.
The excruciating pain from the backlash of extreme killing intent had already twisted and deformed his knuckles.
"It's just a minor injury." He smiled and picked her up with his good hand. "Now, it's time to go save your mother."
A night wind carrying the stench of blood swept by; as black robes billowed, two figures vanished into the moonlight. Only the ruins on the ground bore witness—
The devil's tenderness is reserved only for certain people.
When a hero dons the mask of a demon, there is nothing left to fear in the world.
P. S.: Hero or demon, the two can be transformed. Doing good for the Goodness is doing good, and doing evil for the wicked is doing evil. Killing is helping the good and punishing the wicked.
Of course, what I said may not be entirely correct, but that's just my point: evil people should be killed, and good people should be saved. Also, I don't know why I wanted to say that.
When you try to be a hero, you're already unworthy. (Just kidding, it's a line from Ryuki.)