The night was deep. In Huo Yuhao's dormitory, Nana clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. Her gaze was wary and hesitant, like a night cat ready to flee at any moment.
"You said... you could save my parents' souls." Her voice was low, yet trembled slightly. "Is it true?"
Huo Yuhao did not answer immediately. He raised his hand and lit the Soul Guidance Lamp on the table. The warm yellow light dispelled the shadows in the corner of the room and also reflected the girl's pale face.
"Otherwise what?" The boy leaned against the window, the moonlight gilding him with a silvery edge. "Geniuses like Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan have all fallen to me, yet I made you 'specially admit defeat'—" He suddenly turned around, his golden eyes staring directly at Nana, "You really think you're strong enough to make me go easy on you?"
These words were like a sharp sword piercing through her disguise. Nana suddenly took half a step back, only realizing with a jolt that she had nowhere to retreat when her back hit the wall.
"Ultimately, it's because of the vengeful spirit within you. You possess the aura of Evil Soul Master, yet you are not Evil Soul Master. Therefore, I had to use some methods to examine your soul."
"What?! Who are you? What do I have to give in return for helping me???" Nana's pupils shrank, and her nails dug deeply into her palms.
"Don't be nervous." Huo Yuhao handed over a cup of hot tea. "Who I am isn't important. What's important is—" His eyes were exceptionally clear, "Do you want to save your parents' souls?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled softly, "I know there are many people like you at the Holy Spirit Cult Cult's branch altar, and I will release them as well."
"I will save your parents' souls, so don't worry."
He suddenly became serious, "And I, in my entire life, despise Evil Soul Master the most. Their actions are utterly immoral. I simply want to rid the world of some of these scourges."
The night breeze lifted the curtains, and the boy's words resonated deeply:
"I simply want to restore peace to the world. For the sake of love and peace in this world, it's that simple."
Nana stared at him, mesmerized. In the interplay of moonlight and lamplight, the eyes of this boy who spoke of "love and peace" seemed to hold the shimmering of stars.
"If... if you can really save them..." She suddenly knelt down, her voice choked with emotion, "I'm willing to serve you, my Lord, for the rest of my life! I'll do anything you ask, even..."
A blush spread from her neck to the tips of her ears, and the unspoken words burned in the air.
"Don't worry," Huo Yuhao gently helped her to her feet. He understood what Nana meant and said calmly.
"I won't do anything to you, and you don't need to call me master. I'm just a passing hero who likes to meddle in other people's business."
Nana slowly raised her head, and the moonlight shone through the gap in the curtains onto Huo Yuhao's profile, gilding him with a layer of holy silver light.
She suddenly realized that the boy in front of her, who was even younger than herself, seemed to radiate a light warmer than the sunlight in the dimly lit room.
"An angel...?" she murmured unconsciously, then gently shook her head. No, even if the legendary holy Angel Descent here, they would pale in comparison to the boy who was now saying he would save her parents.
Huo Yuhao felt a little uncomfortable under her direct gaze, touched his nose and laughed, "What? Is there something on my face?"
Nana snapped out of her daze and quickly looked away. But the shock she had felt just moments before was deeply etched in her heart—the light in the eyes of this boy who had said he would "meddle" was more real than any promise from a god.
"It's nothing..." she said softly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hem of her dress, "It's just that I suddenly felt... it's so wonderful to have met you."
What was Huo Yuhao's purpose in doing all this? He simply wanted to reduce the amount of trash in the world and create a relatively peaceful one.
This world is too chaotic. He seems to have really identified himself with a god, whether it's Tang San or anyone else.
He has received the blessings of this world, so it's always good to make this world a cleaner place.
Let those who deserve to live happily continue to be happy, and let those who do evil be punished.
But that's getting off-topic.
The night was as dark as ink, and a cold wind swirled a few withered leaves around the west gate of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Nana tightened her collar and walked toward the gate with a calm expression. When the Soul Engineer guarding the gate saw her, their faces immediately lit up with smiles, and they respectfully made way for her—after all, Nana was now a very popular figure in the academy.
Unbeknownst to anyone, an invisible figure silently followed behind her. Huo Yuhao's Simulation Soul Skill perfectly concealed his presence; even as they passed each other, no one could sense his aura.
The two hurried along, navigating the intricate streets and alleys, finally stopping in front of a gloomy building. Nana frowned slightly and whispered, "This is it..."
Huo Yuhao's gaze was calm as he said indifferently, "Follow me."
His steps were unwavering, as if he were intimately familiar with every mechanism in the area. Nana was astonished—how could he know so much about the Holy Spirit Cult's branch altar? Even more than she, a servant who had been forced to join!
However, before she could think it through, a chilling aura suddenly locked onto the two of them!
"There's the scent of a living person!" The hoarse voice of the Great Holy Spirit came from the darkness.
"Ha, courting death!" The two Holy Spirits appeared with a sinister grin, their Soul Ring flashing and their evil aura surging.
But the next second--
"Click! Click! Click!"
The ground suddenly cracked open, and countless ice spikes burst forth from the earth like thorns! The chilling aura of Ultimate Ice instantly swept across the entire area. Before the two Holy Spirits could even react, they were frozen into ice sculptures, their life force extinguished!
Huo Yuhao's figure slowly appeared, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.
The Great Holy Spirit's pupils constricted sharply, and he roared, "Who dares to trespass on my Holy Spirit Cult's branch altar?!" He suddenly waved the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and in an instant, countless vengeful spirits roared and rushed out, the black mist churning as if hell had descended!
However, Huo Yuhao just smiled coldly.
"Buzz--"
Gray flames ignited around him, interwoven with golden light, and an ancient gray robe billowed around him without wind. His eyes gleamed with a deep gray light, as if they could see through life and death.
Those originally ferocious vengeful spirits, now as if seeing a god, froze in mid-air, and then—
Submit!
They surrounded Huo Yuhao like the most devout believers, awaiting his command.
The Holy Spirit trembled all over, staring at this scene in disbelief.
"This... this aura... impossible!" His voice trembled as he suddenly knelt on the ground. "You... you are the Holy Son?! Such noble power of death, only the Holy Emperor can rival it!"
Huo Yuhao stared at him indifferently, without answering.
The Great Holy Spirit raised his head in fervor and hissed, "Holy Son! Why are you here? If the Holy Emperor knew of your existence, he would be overjoyed! Your power is enough for our sect to Reign Over the World! Your holy power is too great, your aura too noble, may the Holy Emperor live ten thousand years!"
"You lowly ant, die!"
A cold glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and the air around him instantly froze. Hundreds of ice cones appeared out of thin air, each one Entanglement scarlet killing intent, like blood-stained blades hanging in mid-air.
The Holy Spirit had not yet had time to beg for mercy.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Ice spikes rained down like a storm, instantly pinning him to the wall. Extreme frost spread along the wound, freezing him into a hideous ice sculpture in the blink of an eye. Huo Yuhao raised his hand and clenched it, causing the ice sculpture to shatter with a deafening roar, turning into countless ice crystals that scattered across the sky.
As the dust settled, he turned to look at the hall filled with vengeful spirits, his gray robes fluttering even without wind.
Rest in peace.
No chanting, no incantations, just a simple gesture—
Golden holy light emanated from his palm, like the rising sun dispelling all gloom. The hideous faces of the vengeful spirits gradually softened, transforming into starlight in the radiance and rising into the sky.
Nana stood frozen, tears blurring her vision. She saw her parents' spirits appear in the light, smiling gently at her.
"Go," Huo Yuhao said softly, "Time is running out."
The girl seemed to awaken from a dream, and stumbled as she ran towards the depths of the light.
Huo Yuhao turned to the remaining eight holy servants, his gaze sharp as swords. "Those who wish to see their loved ones one last time, go to the underground hall now." His mental pressure was like a collapsing mountain, "Anyone still here after one minute—"
Before he could finish speaking, the crowd scattered in terror.
The servants had regained consciousness and went to the underground hall.
He stood silently with his eyes downcast, listening to the sobs and farewells coming from below.
Frost swirled around his fingertips, reflecting on his cold, handsome profile.
Huo Yuhao didn't kill them, only the Great Holy Spirit and the Second Holy Spirit. Ultimately, it was because they weren't deeply entrenched in the religion and hadn't been corrupted too much. If they had been corrupted to the point of not caring about their own families, then this place would have become a killing field.
He even thoughtfully gave them a minute to hurry up and go; those who didn't want to go could stay, but what the consequences of staying were was anyone's guess.
Just like the fate of Lin Luhe's followers in the story of Zhou Chu eliminating the three evils, Huo Yuhao might slowly say, "The time is almost up," and then the ice spikes filled with murderous intent on his body would pierce the hearts of those holy servants one by one.
P. S.: Next, this chapter of the Sun Moon Empire will be completely turned over. So, brothers, you can come back now, right? My grades are making me feel disheartened day by day...
In short, a new storyline will be launched later. As for what kind of storyline it will be, please look forward to it. Of course, it will take some time, and launching a new storyline won't be that quick. It's almost time for the matchmaking event.
Brothers, come back soon...