Chapter 88: The Enemy Attack Alarm Rings in Bai Family Village
"Damn it!"
Third Young Master Bai let out a furious roar in anger, and the voice made the entire Teahouse vibrate.
After cursing, he turned around, intending to quickly find his eldest brother, but the moment he turned, he froze on the spot.
The person who had clearly just left was actually standing right in front of him at this moment.
The expression of Third Young Master Bai changed several times in an instant, a mix of pleasant surprise and bewilderment.
Although he could not figure out why Hodu appeared behind him, he quickly guessed that when Hodu cast Apparition, he had indeed broken through the Anti-Apparition Charm in the Teahouse, but failed to completely shake off the effects, and could only move nearby.
Just as this thought popped up and before he even had time to be happy, Hodu had already moved.
Hodu stepped down with the right foot, and the bluestone beneath the feet instantly cracked into several fissures.
The next second, the entire body rushed in front of Third Young Master Bai as if being catapulted, so fast that the other party did not even have a chance to raise a hand.
Third Young Master Bai only felt the vision blur, and the body was sent flying violently, crashing solidly into the group of Wizards behind him.
The posture was just like a bowling ball hitting bowling pins, taking down three or four adult Wizards along the way.
The remaining people screamed and raised their magic fans, and their movements were indeed fast enough, but they were not faster than Hodu.
Hodu threw a punch at a nearby Wizard, calculating the direction of the punch long in advance, and after that Wizard flew out, he happened to crash into companions lined up behind.
As soon as the people in front fell, the people behind also suffered along with them.
In the blink of an eye, a whole patch of Wizards rolled and tumbled to the ground one after another.
Hodu had already reined in the strength, but when the strength landed on adult Wizards, it was still not something everyone could endure.
After those people fell, they could not climb back up for a long time.
"Blasting Curse!"
"Flying Sand and Pebbles!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Locomotor Mortis!"
Several shouts exploded simultaneously, and magic spells shot in from all directions.
The remaining Wizards were scared out of their wits by the speed of Hodu, ignoring everything else, and no longer considering whether Hodu would die under a pile of spells, only thinking of bringing out all the strongest methods.
But those spells landed on Hodu, yet directly passed through the body, just like before, without causing the slightest bit of impact.
The Wizards who were still standing all had ashen faces.
They gazed at Hodu, as if facing not a young man, but some incomprehensible monster.
Hodu did not give them any time to continue dazing at all.
Hodu raised a fist and blasted another person away, and that person crashed into the crowd, immediately dragging down a large swath of companions.
There were very few Wizards left who could still stand firmly in the arena, and everyone widened their eyes, staring fixedly at that figure.
An excessively young-looking boy stood in the middle of the encirclement, the fist not yet put down.
The surroundings were filled with adult Wizards lying on the ground; some had cracked foreheads, some had already passed out, and those who were still conscious lay on the ground screaming incessantly.
"Run!"
Finally, someone realized that it was simply impossible for them to defeat Hodu.
This shout was incomparably shrill, and the morale that had barely been maintained collapsed in an instant.
However, the Teahouse was set up with the Anti-Apparition Charm, so they could not escape by relying on Apparition either, instead becoming a group of people trapped inside.
One of the Wizards groped a small wooden sword out of the pocket and flicked a hand to toss it out.
The wooden sword grew larger against the wind, and he closely followed by leaping onto it, his actions as skilled as if he had repeated them countless times.
Within a split second, the person was already stepping on the peach wood sword and rushing into mid-air, fleeing in a panic.
Hodu raised the eyes to take a look, but did not stop him.
Someone had to be left to go back and report the news, otherwise how would the Bai Family welcome him later?
Could it be that he still needed to turn into a Dragon and run over personally to issue a challenge?
As for the other Wizards, they did not have that kind of family fortune, nor could they produce such an expensive peach wood sword, so they could only rely on two legs to run for their lives.
They dropped the wounded all over the floor and rushed hastily out of the Teahouse, but such a speed was truly pitifully slow in the eyes of Hodu.
Hodu sank the feet, and the body was catapulted out once more, catching up to one of them like an arrow off a bowstring.
With a gentle nudge of the fist, that Wizard was struck flying far away.
Before long, excluding the person who fled stepping on the peach wood sword, all the remaining Wizards who participated in the encirclement were lying on the ground.
Huo Yunqi only then ran out from the side.
He had watched the entire battle with his own eyes, yet looking at the Wizards lying sprawled out horizontally and vertically, he still felt it was hard to believe.
Is this really something a single person can do?
What made him even more unable to calm down was that this person was actually his own biological uncle.
Until this moment, Huo Yunqi seemed to have re-recognized Hodu.
This uncle whose temper was usually impossible to figure out was actually more ferocious than those terrifying magical creatures.
Huo Yunqi was both shocked and could not help but wonder how Hodu had cultivated this kind of strength.
No wonder the uncle somewhat looked down upon wealthy clans on ordinary days.
If he himself also had this capability, what did becoming a wealthy clan even amount to?
Hodu walked back to the side, casually patting away the residual gray smoke on the fist, the demeanor as relaxed as if he had just cleared away a pile of miscellaneous items.
"Let us go, let us pay a visit to Bai Family Village."
Finishing the words, he strode outward.
Huo Yunqi paused in place for a moment, then hurriedly followed.
At this moment, a surge of emotion inexplicably rose within the heart, and he never brought up the matter of leaving again.
The two left the Teahouse, and the streets outside were still bustling, with people coming and going completely unaware of what had just happened inside.
That fleeing Bai Family Wizard rushed all the way into Bai Family Village, startling the guards into pursuing one after another.
After barging into the ancestral hall courtyard, his footing became unstable, and he crashed heavily onto the ground, instantly adding quite a few injuries to the body.
When the guards hurried to the side and took a look, they only then recognized that this was a Wizard of the Bai Family.
Very quickly, the battered and bruised Wizard was carried into the clan hall.
The clan hall was usually the place where the Bai Clandeliberated on major matters.
At this moment, Bai Yi, Bai Chen, Yu Dongsheng, and others were sitting in the hall, but occupying the main seat was not Bai Chen, but the father of Bai Chen, Bai Yi.
Bai Yi was publicly recognized as the next patriarch, and by now basically all major and minor affairs within the clan were taken over by him.
As for the old patriarch, he was already in a semi-retired state.
As soon as the wounded person was carried in, the facial expression of Bai Chen suddenly changed.
He stood up abruptly, already understanding in his heart that this operation had flopped again.
Bai Yi managed to keep the composure on the surface, but suppressed fury was hidden deep within the eyes as he asked in a deep voice: "What on earth is going on?"
That Wizard intermittently recounted the process inside the Teahouse.
After listening, Bai Yi, Bai Chen, and Yu Dongsheng all furrowed their brows.
The uncle of Huo Yunqi? That means he is a person from the Huo Family.
But the other party looked too young; they went through the Huo Family figures remembered in the minds one by one, yet consistently could not find anyone who matched.
Could it be a hidden trump card of the Huo Family?
Being able to let spells pass through the body like a ghost, with speed and strength preposterously powerful, single-handedly laying down nearly twenty well-trained Wizards.
If not for this Wizard always being reliable, Bai Yi would have almost thought he was talking nonsense.
"Since the person has already left, the Huo Family will soon receive the news."
Yu Dongsheng stood up, cupped fists toward Bai Yi, and said, "Uncle Bai, I will take my leave first, so as to let the clan prepare in advance."
When all is said and done, this operation was a joint effort between the Bai Family and the Yu Family. Now that the person was not caught and the matter was exposed, the Yu Family would likely face the fury of the Huo Clan next.
Yu Dongsheng did not want to continue staying here waiting for trouble to knock on the door.
"Mm, thank you for your hard work." Bai Yi nodded, then instructed Bai Chen, "Bai Chen, you see Brother Yu out for me."
Watching the son accompany Yu Dongsheng away, Bai Yigently shook the head, and instead said to the Wizards still standing in the hall: "First send Third Young Master Baiand the others off for treatment."
Several Wizards immediately stepped forward and successively carried the wounded away.
After everyone else had left, the anger on the face of Bai Yicould no longer be suppressed, and he raised the hand to slap fiercely against the wooden armrest of the chair.
"To actually fail, a bunch of good-for-nothings!"
On the surface, this matter looked like the decision of Bai Chen, but in reality, the person who truly called the shots was him.
Bai Yi had long since prepared to offend the Huo Clan, but who would have known that the item was not obtained, and instead they had to face the subsequent entanglements.
He did not even need to think to know what kind of attitude the Yu Family would have next.
When the item was in hand, the two families were naturally allied side-by-side; now that the item was not in hand, the Yu Family probably would not acknowledge much responsibility.
Bai Yi also wanted to push this matter back onto the Yu Family, but the matter happened precisely on the territory of the Bai Family.
By then, the Yu Family could completely use this as an excuse, and in the end, it would mostly still fall to the Bai Family to deal with the Huo Clan alone.
This was not even the most troublesome part.
If the Huo Clan did not suffer substantial losses, they would not necessarily cause a fuss to the point of being irreconcilable, but once those few brothers in the clan knew the matter failed, they would definitely jump out to blame again.
Just thinking about it gave Bai Yi a headache.
What truly made him feel regretful was still that portion of blood.
Now that the person had already fled, no matter how great the influence of the Bai Family was, wanting to find the other party again was not an easy task.
AI Model: gemini-3.5-flash
On the other side, Bai Chen and Yu Dongsheng walked toward the village entrance in silence. Both harbored their own thoughts, and their expressions were rather grim.
In contrast, Yu Dongsheng actually felt a bit more relaxed. He had never shown his face throughout the entire operation, so even if things were exposed, he wouldn't suffer any loss. Moreover, the Yu Family hadn't walked away empty-handed; the blood sent by Huo Yunqi was already precious enough and would still be useful once taken back.
The reason they had to walk from the clan grounds to the village entrance was because the Bai Family Village was protected by an Anti-Apparition Charm. Most clans' ancestral grounds had similar setups to prevent sudden intruders from causing trouble.
Arriving at the village entrance, Bai Chen forced a polite front and said courteously, "Brother Yu, take care."
"Please look after the two attendants I brought with me, Brother Bai." Yu Dongsheng nodded, not forgetting the two members of the Yu Family whose fates were unknown. However, now was not the time to turn back and look for them.
Just as the two were about to say their goodbyes, a light chuckle suddenly came from the side.
"Yo, isn't this the Eldest Brother of the Bai Family, Bai Chen, and the Eldest Brother of the Yu Family, Yu Dongsheng? What major matter are you two discussing, huddled together like this?"
Bai Chen and Yu Dongsheng's expressions changed simultaneously as they whipped around to look.
They saw Huo Yunqi and that young man with the bizarre methods walking toward the village entrance from a distance.
"You actually haven't left?" Bai Chen blurted out, his face filled with disbelief.
Not only had these two not left, but they had actually walked right up to the entrance of the Bai Family Village in such a brazen manner. Were they delivering themselves to his doorstep?
"Why should I leave?" Huo Yunqi sneered in response. "Are you two so busy that you've forgotten? Don't forget, you were the one who invited me to the Poison Bee Valley."
With Hodu backing him up, he naturally spoke with much more confidence. There was none of the respect from their past meetings, replaced instead by an undisguised arrogance.
Bai Chen ignored him, keeping his gaze locked onto Hoduas he demanded sharply, "Who on earth are you? If you have the guts, stop hiding your face!"
"Hodu."
Hodu simply gave his name calmly, with no intention of hiding his identity.
Really someone from the Huo Family?
Bai Chen and Yu Dongsheng exchanged a look, their brows furrowing even deeper. They had seen or heard of almost everyone from the main branches of the great clans, yet the name Hodu was completely unfamiliar.
The man also claimed to be Huo Yunqi's uncle, and Huo Yunqi hadn't refuted it. If so, this person was likely a member of the Huo Family's main branch, but why had they never heard of him?
"What exactly do you want?" Bai Chen questioned again, his lips trembling slightly from tension.
He had already guessed that the visitor was hostile. But even if Hodu's methods were strange, did he really think he could take on the entire Bai Family by himself? Where did this confidence come from?
Hodu swept a glance over him and sneered, "For the true dragon shedding, of course. I originally wanted to make a proper deal with you, but who knew you great clans wouldn't even care about your dignity."
Bai Chen's expression darkened instantly, and he lowered his voice. "Do you really want to fall out with my Bai Family?"
"You were the ones who threw away your dignity first." Hodu was too lazy to argue with him further. "Looking at you, you don't seem like someone who can actually make the decisions. Have someone who can speak for the clan come out to see me. You are not qualified."
Bai Chen was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Although he was the future head of the Bai Clan, it was not yet his turn to be the patriarch, and even his father had not officially taken over the clan's power. In Hodu's eyes, this so-called Eldest Brother of the Bai Family was nothing at all.
Moreover, in terms of seniority, Bai Chen was just a junior. What could he possibly decide?
"You..."
This was the first time Bai Chen had been so humiliated to his face, and anger instantly rushed to his head. He whipped his head around and looked at the tower behind him.
The guard Wizards on the tower had already made themselves visible, and Bai Chen immediately gave them a look.
The Wizards understood immediately. They raised their magic fans in unison and began casting spells on Hodu.
Hodu followed Bai Chen's gaze to the tower, just in time to see the light of the spells shooting toward him. With a cold snort, his figure blurred, and in an instant, he appeared right in front of Bai Chen.
Startled, Bai Chen took a half-step back, not even having time to draw his magic fan.
Hodu grabbed him by his long robe, bent his body slightly, and suddenly exerted force like a fully drawn bow.
"Sending you in to deliver the message should speed things up a bit."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Chen was thrown right through the village entrance.
*Bang!*
Two or three seconds later, a dull, heavy crash echoed from inside the village. As the dust scattered, a distinct imprint of Bai Chen's body was left on the wall of a house.
Yu Dongsheng stared wide-eyed at this scene, his throat moving with difficulty. His bulky physique failed to provide him with any sense of security at this moment.
The young man in front of him clearly didn't have a massive build, yet his strength was like that of a Troll. And to make matters worse, that "Troll" was standing right in front of him now.
Under the close watch of such a creature, what safety could there possibly be?
The Wizards on the village entrance tower did not dare to act rashly again. They ran in panic to the top of the stone tower, where a large bell hung. A guard hurriedly swung the wooden mallet, striking it hard against the bell.
*Dong! Dong! Dong!*
After the first strike, the mallet seemed to lose control, striking repeatedly. The rapid tolling of the bell sounded like a death knell.
The sound was so loud it made ears go numb, having clearly been enhanced by an Amplifying Charm, and it instantly echoed throughout the entire Poison Bee Valley.
Hodu, Huo Yunqi, and Yu Dongsheng were the closest, and their eardrums buzzed from the vibration.
As the bell tolling spread, movement immediately broke out all over the Poison Bee Valley.
Outside the Bai Family Village, the shop owners' expressions changed. They quickly stepped out of their shops to look toward the village. No one stayed to watch; they swiftly closed their shop doors and hid inside.
These people were mostly Wizards of other surnames.
At the same time, more Wizards rushed out from all directions. Some grabbed their magic fans and headed straight for the Bai Family Village, while others had already taken to the air on peach wood swords, rushing to the village entrance ahead of the rest. No matter their method, they all had only one goal.
The reaction inside the village was even faster. Barely four or five seconds after the bell rang, a large number of figures flew into the sky on peach wood swords, gathering densely toward the village entrance, looking like a flock of startled birds from afar.
In less than half a minute, the sky was filled with Wizards.
Huo Yunqi looked up at this scene, his scalp tingling. The oppressive feeling of the sky filled with figures even reminded him of being surrounded by Dementors, except there were far more Wizards here.
He hadn't expected the guard Wizards to sound the alarm directly.
This bell signified an enemy attack. Once the sound spread through the Bai Family Village, all Wizards with the surname Bai would rush to join the fight. Furthermore, Hodu had just thrown Bai Chen into the village; that prestigious Eldest Brother of the Bai Family was likely seriously injured. Doing such a thing at their village entrance was virtually no different from a direct declaration of war.
Not only were people arriving from the air, but Wizards on the ground also arrived quickly, surrounding the three of them.
Hundreds of Wizards surrounding just two people seemed excessively dramatic no matter how one looked at it.
But Huo Yunqi couldn't bring himself to smile at all. With his slight frame, he wouldn't be able to withstand even a single stray offensive spell. Now that things had escalated to this point, even if the Bai Family actually beat him to death, the Huo Family might not necessarily stand up for him.
Before he knew it, he had completely run out of options, so he could only run quickly to stand beside Hodu and Yu Dongsheng.
Seeing that Hodu remained completely calm, Huo Yunqifinally breathed a small sigh of relief. To be so composed while surrounded by so many Wizards, his uncle must have a plan, right?
The Wizards in the air and on the ground all held their magic fans, pointing them firmly at Hodu, yet none of them dared to make the first move. They all seemed to be waiting for someone to appear.
Yu Dongsheng's situation was just as bad. Especially when Hodu's gaze landed on him, a drop of cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
He even felt he was unluckier than Huo Yunqi. Spells didn't have eyes, and with so many Bai Family Wizards so close, if a fight broke out, who knew which spell would hit him? If he lost his life for no reason, there wouldn't even be anyone to hold accountable.
Not to mention there was a human-shaped Troll standing right in front of him, looking as if he might throw him into the village at any second.
This kind of waiting was truly agonizing.
"This has nothing to do with me!" Yu Dongsheng's body trembled slightly as he quickly spoke up. "It was all Bai Chen's idea!"
Hodu gave him a cold look but was in no hurry to make a move on him.
Chapter 89 Humanoid Natural Disaster, Subsidence of Bai Family Village
Not long after, a group of adult Wizards surged out from the village entrance.
Their attire was completely different from ordinary people; their long robes were made of extremely fine fabric with vibrant colors, and they wore round hats on their heads with a large gemstone embedded in the center of the hat. Gold, silver, and jade were everywhere on their wrists and fingers.
Most of the Wizards walking in the middle were elderly, with sagging skin and stacked wrinkles.
"Father, Yuan'er was heavily injured right here by this brat."
Bai Yi suppressed his anger and spoke to his father.
His father was the true head of the Bai Family, and even though Bai Yi usually acted on behalf of the family head, with the real person stepping out, he had to step aside.
"This brat claims to be the uncle of the fifth child of the Huo Family, and he also has the surname Huo. He has freakish strength and is as fast as a wind. He doesn't look like a Wizard, but rather a Troll. What's most bizarre is that magic spells hit him as if passing right through the air."
Bai Yi introduced in a low voice beside the family head. Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the gloating gazes of his younger brothers nearby, his expression darkened by another shade.
"That blood is what this brat brought out?"
The head of the Bai Family was lean and thin, with a withered yellow complexion resembling a piece of decayed wood, and wrinkles crisscrossed his face. Only a pair of eyes still carried a bit of liveliness. He slightly raised his hand, revealing jade rings covering his fingers.
"It should be him. The Yu Family side can confirm that they have even better ones in their hands."
Bai Yi hurriedly nodded, obedient like a child.
Although he was the one who made the final decision regarding the plot for the blood in Huo Yunqi's hands, the family head was unaware of it.
"Notify the people in the clan. When the critical moment arrives, the Unforgivable Curses can be used."
The head of the Bai Family said calmly.
The Unforgivable Curses were banned in any Magical World, but now that someone had beaten their way to their ancestral grounds, even if people from the Ministry of Punishments were present, they would still do the same.
The Ministry of Punishments would either pretend not to see or have to put nearly one-fifth of the Wizards in the Magical World on the wanted list.
Their Bai Family would not treat Dark Arts as ferocious beasts or floods. When cultivating elite Wizards, Dark Artswere naturally compulsory courses, and the Unforgivable Curses were no exception.
How could disputes in the Magical World be child's play? If they didn't even know the Unforgivable Curses, wouldn't they be wiped out by others when a real fight broke out?
"They are here!"
Huo Yunqi's head kept turning, looking at the Wizards in the sky and on the ground for a moment, afraid that the other party would make a sudden move. Suddenly seeing a crowd walking out from the village entrance, he quickly spoke up.
"Even the patriarch of the Bai Clan has come out; this time things have blown up!"
Huo Yunqi spotted a figure in the crowd, and his neck couldn't help shrinking back.
That was one of the six most powerful people in the Magical World. Aside from the patriarchs of various major families, the remaining five were academy Deans, all of whom were members of the Wizards Federation.
There were more than just these few people in the Federation, but the ones who truly called the shots had always been only these six.
"Rest assured, if we really have to fight later, I will send you away."
Hodu looked straight ahead, staring unhurriedly at that group of people.
"I wonder what your intention is by fighting your way to the entrance of my Bai Family Village, Your Excellency? Could it be that your Huo Clan wants to go to war with us?"
The voice of the Bai Family patriarch was like a grand bell, majestic and resounding, spreading all around.
The corners of Hodu's mouth split into a grin as he cast an Amplifying Charm on himself.
"Your Bai Family, together with the Yu Family, set up an ambush in the Teahouse. Weren't you already prepared to go to war with the Huo Family back then? Now this Young Master of the Yu Family is right here, what else do you have to argue about!"
These words were heard clearly by the surrounding Wizards, who curiously looked towards Hodu's side. Indeed, it truly was the Young Master of the Yu Family.
The Young Master of the Yu Family was a frequent guest in newspapers, and very few in the Magical World did not recognize him.
Exclamations suddenly arose all around. The magic fans they were holding tilted slightly aside; if a magic spell accidentally hit the Young Master of the Yu Family, they would be in big trouble.
Bai Yi coldly swept his gaze over those Wizards who let out exclamations, silencing them with a single look, and then stepped out to shout sternly.
"Audacious! You dare to kidnap a junior of the Yu Familyand block the entrance of my Bai Family Village. Do you want to go to war with both of our families at the same time? Is this the idea of your Huo Clan, or are you juniors acting recklessly? I advise you to quickly release the junior of the Yu Family and kneel in submission at the entrance of my Bai Family Village by yourselves. I can treat this matter as a joke among you juniors."
As Bai Yi's voice fell, the entire Bai Family Village fell into a dead silence, and everyone's gazes were pinned on Hoduinside the encirclement.
Just this kind of gaze pressure would make ordinary people's hearts tremble, but Hodu suddenly burst into laughter.
"I knew you would say that, so let me make it clearer: your Bai Family tried to snatch the things in my hands and failed, and now it's my turn. You'd better hand over what I want today, Bai Family, or I will sink your Bai Family Village!"
As soon as these words came out, the faces of the clan elders at the entrance of the Bai Family Village turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
For so many years, they had never suffered such humiliation—being blocked at the village entrance by a junior talking wildly, it was simply slapping them in the face. If other major clans found out, who knows how they would laugh at them behind their backs.
"Patriarch, make a move and capture this despicable scoundrel, let him taste the methods of our Bai Clan!"
An old man in the crowd could no longer hold back and shouted angrily, a sentence echoed by many people.
Without waiting for them to say anything more, Hoducontinued, "Rest assured, I am not a person of the Huo Clan, so you don't need to hold back."
By suddenly saying this, he wasn't worried about implicating the Huo Clan at all; instead, he was afraid the Huo Clan would bask in his glory.
"Good, good, good! It seems my Bai Family has been peaceful for many years and our prestige hasn't been prominent, so now even a junior dares to stroke a tiger's tail. Wanting to clear your relationship at this point? Too late! Today, even if that old fellow Huo Tiancai came in person, it would be useless!"
The patriarch of the Bai Family laughed out of extreme anger, his voice bone-chilling. He suddenly raised a palm full of wrinkles and swung it down fiercely.
The next instant, all the Wizards in the sky and on the ground understood this gesture and waved their magicfans in unison.
Seeing this, Hodu grabbed Huo Yunqi, completely ignoring the life or death of the Young Master of the Yu Familybeside him, and directly Apparitioned away with Huo Yunqi.
In the blink of an eye, the two appeared in the ancestral grounds of the Huo Clan. Huo Yunqi hadn't even had time to say a few words to Hodu before seeing Hodu vanish once again.
Seeing Huo Yunqi and the others disappear just like that, and with spells covering the sky coming towards him, Yu Dongshan was scared almost to the point of wetting himself. He scrambled away in a flurry, using every ounce of his strength to run wildly.
Fortunately, the Bai Family didn't intend to finish off this Young Master of the Yu Family as well. As he ran, Yu Dongshan suddenly found himself cast with a dozen Shield Charms. Even though a few poorly-aimed spells landed on him, they were bounced back, and only then did he completely breathe a sigh of relief.
Within a short while, Yu Dongshan ran back to the entrance of the Bai Family Village, panting heavily, feeling strongly as if he had escaped death by the skin of his teeth.
The magical light across the sky dissipated. Aside from those a few spells that landed on Yu Dongshan, the rest completely missed. The spot was empty, clearly indicating that the other party had escaped using Apparition.
"Humph, consider him lucky to run fast, but today's matter is not over yet! Nephew Yu, your Yu Family can't just contribute nothing, right?"
Bai Yi snorted coldly and turned to look at Yu Dongshanwith a sinister gaze and full oppressive presence.
"N... No!"
Yu Dongshan felt that if he refused, he would likely be left here. Swallowing his saliva, he answered sensibly.
Bai Yi was somewhat more satisfied then.
Although there were mistakes this time, it was not without room for redemption, especially since a member of the Huo Clan had injured his son and blocked the village entrance, which was enough for them to make a move.
Since matters had reached this point, they might as well join forces with the other four clans to force the Huo Clanto hand over what they had in their hands.
Once they knew what that item was, they would naturally be tempted. By then, even if the Huo Clan couldn't produce the item, they would still carve a piece of flesh off the Huo Clan.
Just when everyone thought the matter had come to a temporary conclusion, a Wizard on the village entrance watchtower suddenly shouted loudly.
"He is back!"
Everyone turned back to see a solitary figure standing in that previous area.
"How bold!"
Seeing this scene, Bai Yi shouted angrily, his face turning directly black. This was jumping back and forth purposely to slap them in the face.
"Father!"
Bai Yi turned to look at his father, the patriarch of the Bai Clan, with an inquiring tone.
At this moment, the face of the Bai Family patriarch was also as dark as the bottom of a pot. Understanding what Bai Yi meant, he slowly nodded.
Getting the patriarch's approval, a sneer immediately grew on Bai Yi's face as he whispered instructions to someone beside him. That person nodded and left quickly.
Hodu returned here, took out a small sword from his clothes, and casually threw it out. The peach wood swordinstantly expanded, and with a light jump, he landed steadily on the sword, rapidly ascending into the air and overlooking the entire Bai Family Village from high above.
"Since you can't understand good and bad words, don't blame me for being unpolite."
Hodu said coldly, his voice spreading throughout the entire Poison Bee Valley.
At this moment, a line of Wizards also stepped on peach wood swords and rose into the sky. They wore black robes and black cloth masks over their faces, revealing only their eyes. However, those eyes were somewhat different from ordinary people's; just by making eye contact, one could feel that cold and merciless aura.
They said nothing. The next instant, they fiercely made their move, waving their magic fans as streaks of horrifying green fluorescent light suddenly shot out.
The Wizards witnessing the scene burst into an uproar, one by one recognizing what magic curse that was.
Hodu widened his eyes, letting the spell attack him. He watched as that horrifying green fluorescent light passed right through him.
All the Wizards present stared closely at Hodu with wide eyes, only to see Hodu still lingering in the air, seeming completely normal. Their gazes began to change as they drew in a sharp breath.
This was the Killing Curse, one of the Unforgivable Curses! From their perspective, it clearly hit, yet that person was completely unaffected as if nothing happened.
The expressions of the Bai Family members below changed one after another, especially Bai Yi. Although he knew in advance that there was something peculiar about Hodu, he never thought this peculiarity would also be effective against the Killing Curse. After all, the Unforgivable Curses were designated as Unforgivable Curses for their own reasons.
If the Magical World had a way to resist this curse, it would not have been listed among the Unforgivable Curses.
The Killing Curse was like the heaven of all Magical Worlds across the globe, a curse standing at the pinnacle of magic knowledge, with few spells capable of transcending this heaven.
At this moment, Hodu's expression also sank as he coldly looked at the black-robed Wizards lined up in the air.
These Wizards actually dared to brazenly use the Unforgivable Curses in front of Wizards from more than half of Poison Bee Valley. This was indeed something Hodu hadn't expected.
Of course, the moment the spell was fired, he had a chance to dodge, but he didn't. Because the Phantom Concealment trait was enough to make magic turn a blind eye to him, which had already been verified previously.
Hodu counted the Wizards in front of him; there were a full seven of them.
During this period, the seven Wizards did not stop because of Hodu's peculiarity, continuing to cast the Killing Curse, yet all of them passed straight through his body.
Gradually, the cold gazes of these seven finally changed, melting like solid ice as they grew full of shock and uncertainty one by one.
Hodu didn't make a move, coldly watching them cast the Killing Curse over and over again.
The Bai clan elders below were the same. As the Killing Curse missed time and time again, their hearts grew increasingly cold. What kind of monster was this!
Bai Yi widened his eyes, blue veins bulging on his face, looking somewhat horrifying. He hurriedly grabbed a nearby Wizard and whispered a few words into the other's ear.
Seeing that the subordinate in front of him was still stunned, he gave a fierce shove and shouted angrily, "Quick!"
Only then did that subordinate wake up with a start and hurriedly left.
Gradually, these black-robed Wizards also generated despair, their eyes filled with horror. Knowing that the Killing Curse was useless, they tried other spells, which similarly had no effect.
The person in front of them was simply an insulator, insulated from magic. No matter what spells they cast, they were of no use at all.
Finally, they stopped, looking at each other not knowing what to do.
Seeing this, Hodu sneered directly.
"Heh, it seems you are tired, and now it's my turn."
As soon as these words came out, several of them suddenly felt a sense of dread. Quickly turning around, they manipulated their peach wood swords, wanting to flee back to the Bai Family Village.
Hodu's mouth twitched, and the next moment, along with his sword, he appeared above the village entrance, giving the Bai clan elders below a fright.
Those black-robed Wizards halted in horror. However, because they had previously driven their peach wood swords recklessly, even when they stopped, their bodies were still sliding forward.
Looking at the seven black-robed Wizards coming straight at him, Hodu directly opened his mouth. For these people who wanted to take his life, he had nothing to hold back.
In an instant, a blazing flame spewed out from Hodu's mouth, fierce like a jet, rushing out instantly and completely swallowing up the seven Wizards.
Hodu seemed to just breathe out a breath, closing his mouth after expelling the flames, yet the flames continued to surge forward for a few breaths.
All the Wizards watched this scene in horror, yet they failed to hear any screams from those Wizards, which inevitably gave rise to a trace of doubt in their hearts. Could this flame just be for show?
Yet when the flames dissipated, there was no longer any Wizard's figure in the air.
The entire Poison Bee Valley fell silent in an instant, looking at this scene in disbelief.
Where were they?
Not only the Wizards outside the Bai Family Village had this doubt, but those clan elders were equally puzzled.
Could it be that they ran away using Apparition?
Hodu sneered, however, and said loudly, "No need to look, not even their ashes were left behind."
They couldn't even let out a scream because everything was too fast. Hodu didn't hold back on the Dragon Breath Leaf Flame trait, opening it directly to ten thousand times full power. They dissolved the instant they encountered the flames, so nothing could be seen.
An uproar instantly spread through the entire Poison Bee Valley. Naturally, some people didn't believe it, thinking they had just left using Apparition; otherwise, how could dead people not leave even a corpse behind?
Hodu flew up once more, observing the entire Bai Family Village from the air. Unfortunately, thick fog hung over the Bai Family Village, obscuring the scenery inside.
"I said before, if you don't hand over the items, I will sink your Bai Family Village."
Hodu said coldly, but no one understood this sentence.
The next moment, Hodu perceived the terrain of Poison Bee Valley, determined the range of the Bai Family Village, and with a thought, the Rock and Sand Control trait activated!
Boom!
With a loud crash, the figures of the clan elders at the village entrance began to sway.
"Earth Dragon turning over?!"
The patriarch of the Bai Family woke up with a start, not expecting to encounter such a thing at this juncture.
They swayed one after another, and the surrounding buildings collapsed with a bang as dust filled the air.
The Wizards in the sky couldn't care about anything else at this moment and scattered in all directions; they still had family members at home.
Yet for some reason, they suddenly stopped and looked towards the area outside the Bai Family Village. Looking down from above, they could see it clearly: those buildings were actually standing steadily, and not a single one had collapsed.
In contrast, even though the Bai Family Village was obscured by thick fog, they could see that many buildings inside were collapsing, which couldn't help but make people suspect whether the buildings inside the Bai Family Village had been tampered with by someone, or if they had been embezzled of funds by some fellow? Their expressions turned peculiar one by one.
This was naturally Hodu's doing; he was only targeting the Bai Family Village.
Of course, moving such a large area meant the surroundings couldn't possibly remain unaffected, so his Rock and Sand Control trait covered the entire Poison Bee Valley, stabilizing the area outside the Bai Family Villageand making this region as secure as an iron bucket.
Therefore, the scene at this moment was that Wizards outside the village were looking at the Bai Family Villagein astonishment, while inside the Bai Family Village, it was in utter chaos.
They seemed to have an illusion that the entire ground was collapsing downward.
After a while, this swaying sensation finally stopped.
The clan elders immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the Earth Dragon turning over had ended.
Chapter 90: The Sinking of Bai Family Village and the Exploding Conclusion
However, when their gazes fell toward the entrance of the village, they all froze in a daze.
The ground of Bai Family Village, taking the watchtower at the village entrance as the boundary, had collapsed by a section as a whole; looking from the outside, the watchtower only revealed half of its original height.
If they wanted to go out now, they first had to climb over that protruding two-to-three-meter-high stone wall.
Under the sunlight, a figure stood right on top of it, swaggeringly staring down at them—who else could it be if not Hodu?
Bai Yi gritted his teeth and pulled out his magic fan, aiming it at Hodu, but that spell was slow to be cast. He couldn't be sure whether his magic would be useful against this person; this fellow was too bizarre.
"How about it? If you still don't take out the things I want, I will sink your entire village, and by then it won't just be this little commotion before your eyes."
Hodu looked down at them from a superior height, the sunlight striking him and making people's eyes dizzy.
Hearing these words, several Bai clan elders' complexions changed instantly, as if something had exploded in their minds, and they suddenly thought of a possibility, staring wide-eyed at Hodu—did this person cause the earth dragon to turn over?
A Wizard ran over in a hurry and shouted to the patriarch, "Patriarch, the entire village has sunk! It seems only our village has run into trouble, and there isn't the slightest commotion outside!"
As soon as these words came out, they matched everything Hodu had just said completely. Everyone's complexion turned terrifyingly pale; to be able to push things to this extent, was that even a Wizard?!
"You... How did you pull this off?!" The Bai Family patriarch couldn't hold it together anymore, his voice going completely out of tune.
Hodu's eyes flicked, having no intention of explaining to him, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
"Hand it over, or not?"
"You!" The patriarch pointed a trembling finger at Hodu, his lips trembling for a long time without spitting out a single word.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind; perhaps all of this was just a coincidence, not this person's means at all, and they just happened to run into an earth dragon turning over.
If they just handed it over like this, being forced to this state by a single person, what face would the Bai Clan have to show their faces in the future? Once today's matter spread, they would become a joke of the entire Magical World; what face would they have to face their ancestors a hundred years from now!
But if they didn't hand it over, and if all of this really was this person's ability, the Bai Clan would probably be wiped off the Poison Bee Valley by someone today, and generations of family enterprise would be destroyed in his hands. What face would he have to face his ancestors a hundred years from now!
"Humph!"
Seeing the appearance of the Bai Family patriarch, Hodulet out a cold snort. Following this cold snort, the entire Bai Family Village shook again, and this time they saw it clearly—the village was sinking bit by bit!
Now who would dare not to believe it? The other clan elders were so anxious their eyeballs were about to pop out, shouting at the patriarch, "Patriarch!"
If they hesitated any longer, the ancestral land would be gone!
The blood color on the patriarch's face faded completely clean, his bloodshot eyes bulging out as he stared at the increasingly sinking village. That figure was rising higher and higher, and the watchtower at the village entrance was already a large section lower than the ground outside.
"Hand it over! We'll hand it over!"
The patriarch's shout finally exploded out, his whole body shrinking into a ball as if a bone had been pulled out of him. This cry seemed to squeeze all the air out of his chest, and he collapsed as well. Earlier, he had used an amplification spell, so this voice spread throughout the entire village and throughout the Poison Bee Valley.
For a moment, all Wizards were stunned. The Bai Clan bowed their heads just like that?!
As the shout fell, the shaking stopped in the blink of an eye, and the village stopped sinking. This scene made those clan elders' hearts jump straight up, and they understood completely—the source of all this was the person right before their eyes.
"Very well, I'll come to take it tomorrow. If you want to set an ambush, you can also give it a try. Next time, I won't hold back."
Hodu finished saying in a calm tone, turning his head to cast his gaze onto the Yu Family's eldest young master, Yu Wenhao.
Being looked at like this by him, Yu Wenhao's legs couldn't stop going soft, and he secretly cried out that it was bad in his heart.
"Your Yu Family took my things before, and I want to see them returned completely intact. Also, the matter of you uniting with the Bai Family to deal with me won't be turned over so easily."
Dropping these words, Hodu directly Apparitioned away.
Leaving everyone with varied complexions, Bai Yi's complexion was even uglier than the bottom of a pot. This time, they had truly kicked an iron plate. What was even more crucial was that this matter had been meticulously planned by Bai Yi from beginning to end; in other words, this disaster had been brought about by his own hands.
Secretly, a few people didn't feel it was shameful; instead, they felt some joy in their hearts, waiting to make a joke of this prospective family head. This time, the prospective family head was probably going to be replaced.
The place where Hodu appeared was the Huo Clan's ancestral land. Huo Yunqi seemed to still be in place without leaving, and he had come over specially.
Seeing Hodu manifest, Huo Yunqi hurriedly crowded over and asked, "How did it go?"
"Resolved, they conceded defeat."
Hodu said it lightly, but falling into Huo Yunqi's ears, it was a completely different matter.
Huo Yunqi couldn't describe what kind of taste was in his heart. The wealthy, powerful clan they were so proud of had just conceded defeat like that? This was simply too...
However, thinking about it again, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because the person who made them concede defeat was someone he knew, and moreover, his own biological uncle.
Huo Yunqi shook his head with a bitter smile, "This matter is estimated to blow up big; the family is probably going to question me."
He had shown his face over at the Bai Family side, so it couldn't be concealed anymore.
"It's fine, just tell the truth."
Hodu didn't care much, placing one hand on Huo Yunqi's body, directly bringing him to Apparition, sending the person back to United Academy, while he turned around and headed back to the villa side.
The sun gradually sank to the west, and the setting sun spread across the courtyard. Hodu comfortably lay on the lounge chair by the swimming pool, facing that patch of gentle red light, and fell into a deep sleep.
This sleep lasted two or three hours, swaying the time to eight or nine o'clock.
His stomach began to rumble, and only then did he fish out his phone to order takeout. While eating the delivered takeout, he continued his fierce battle with the Dragon Turtle, resting only at dawn. Then he ran back to the Hogwarts side. Over here, the sky was still early, but it was gloomy, and a dense rain was starting to fall outside.
Returning to the dormitory, he saw Harry and the others sprawled over the tables catching up on homework.
As soon as Hodu saw this battle array, he hurriedly fished out his own homework booklet and also buried his head to write. He hadn't forgotten how he managed to survive that period of time; if it happened again, he would 100% have his parents notified.
During this period of time, the Magical World over in his old home had long blown up into a stir.
The Bai Family's affairs spread extremely fast; there was more than one group of people in Poison Bee Valley to begin with, and the composition was complex, making it impossible to block the news.
Compared to ordinary Wizards, the ones who received the news first were those powerful, wealthy clans.
The Yu Family was itself a direct participant and one of the planners; Yu Wenhao was right at the scene, so naturally he knew the earliest.
When the Huo Family heard this news, they were somewhat stunned. At first, they thought it was a rumor, but later they figured out that this matter was true.
What was even more crucial was that, judging from the news passed back, their Huo Clan turned out to be the protagonist of this matter, forcing the Bai Clan to lower their heads. When did they ever have such means?!
The Huo Family members looked at each other in dismay, and sent people to inquire about the whole story of this matter. Finally, they figured out that the protagonist actually turned out to be their own fifth-youngest, Huo Yunqi. Hearing that Huo Yunqi was right at the scene, they hurriedly sent people to pick Huo Yunqi back from the academy, and after a round of questioning, they finally learned the ins and outs of the whole matter.
In the Huo Clan's ancestral hall, people from all branches were present. The patriarch sat in the main seat, while Huo Yunqi stood obediently, welcoming the gazes of the others.
"You said that person is truly the third brother's child; how can you be certain you weren't deceived?"
This matter was asked back and forth several times, but the Huo Clan patriarch still couldn't help asking once more.
To him, Hodu was his younger brother's child, but could that child really be that defy-the-heavens?
"When we first met, the bloodline jade pendant issued by the clan had a resonance."
Huo Yunqi patiently repeated it honestly.
"Did he really almost sink Bai Family Village?" the patriarch asked curiously.
"As for that, I don't know. I had already left at that time."
Huo Yunqi only learned later how the Bai Family had lowered their heads, and his heart was likewise shaken quite a bit. Although he knew Hodu was awesome, he hadn't expected him to be awesome to this degree.
So this was his backing! Huo Yunqi muttered internally. No wonder he usually always said he wanted to support him to become the family head; it turned out he truly had this ability.
Hiss—Huo Yunqi was abruptly startled. Could what Hodusaid actually be true?
However, he naturally didn't dare to speak this matter out in front of so many people; that would be asking for trouble for himself.
"Father, in my view, it's better to welcome this child back."
Hearing that Hodu alone forced the Bai Family to lower their heads and possessed such methods, someone immediately hatched an idea. If they had someone of this caliber sitting in the clan, wouldn't they be able to walk sideways in the Magical World!
As soon as these words came out, someone immediately echoed them.
"That's right, when all is said and done, the matter back then had nothing to do with this child."
Upon hearing this, the patriarch sighed, tapped his pipe against the table, and slowly said, "I'm just afraid this child has a knot in his heart. After all, his father being struck off the family register back then was a decision made by the clan."
The patriarch's words made the noisy clan hall quiet down instantly. Only then did everyone remember that for this child, not only might he not return to the family, but on the contrary, he might harbor resentment toward the Huo Clan. If he turned around and sank the Huo Clan instead, that would be troublesome.
"Bufan, if he comes to look for you again, remember to explain the matters of back then clearly, and don't let him misunderstand."
The patriarch hurriedly instructed. The good news was that this person was truly a member of their Huo Family; the bad news was that he wasn't on the family registry.
The next day, Hodu attended classes as usual. While dazing off in class, he calculated the true dragon sheddingthat was about to fall into his hands, hoping this thing wouldn't let him down.
As for whether the Bai Family might still think of dealing with him, that was really hard to say, but he didn't take it to heart at all, so he didn't dwell on this matter at all.
By noon, he hurriedly parted ways with a few people, returned to the dormitory, directly transformed, and then cast Apparition. His entire person vanished with a swoosh and appeared in Poison Bee Valley.
As soon as he showed his face, he felt this place was lively beyond description, with people all over the streets.
They each looked like they had received news and run over to watch a show; in fact, that was indeed the case.
By this time, the sky had completely darkened. Even though the streets were brightly lit, these people didn't notice that the protagonist had already arrived on the scene.
Hodu followed the street, squeezing all the way toward the entrance of Bai Family Village, and fragments of legends about him drifted into his ears from time to time.
On the way, he also saw some Wizards wearing uniform yet somewhat out-of-place attire. They donned bright red robes and red berets on their heads; in the Magical Worldover in his old home, this was already considered very cutting-edge dressing.
These people stood on one side of the street, and virtually no idle Wizards dared to approach that vicinity. At a glance, they were not to be trifled with.
Hodu recognized their origin: bailiffs of the Ministry of Punishments, similar to Aurors of the British Magical World.
Just appearing here made it somewhat thought-provoking; they wouldn't be here to arrest him, would they?
The Bai Family wouldn't go so far as to find official people to deal with him, right?
Hodu muttered inwardly, but his footsteps didn't stop.
Walking all the way to the entrance of Bai Family Village, the people here gradually decreased, but the closer he got, the more gazes he attracted. There were also quite a few Wizards stepping on peach wood swords in the sky.
"He's here!"
Unknown to who recognized Hodu, they muttered quietly. In the noisy environment, this quiet remark was exceptionally jarring, and many people heard it at once. Gazes swept over with a swish, scanned a few times, and quickly locked onto him.
This wasn't hard to find; Hodu's image was rather prominent. The person he transformed into was only a child of around ten-odd years old, so appearing here naturally made him quite conspicuous.
The bailiffs of the Ministry of Punishments also looked over, but didn't make any moves, looking like they were genuinely here to watch a show.
The surrounding clamor doubled once more, but Hoduignored it and continued walking toward the village.
Very soon he reached the entrance of Bai Family Village. Just like yesterday, the entire Bai Family Village had sunk down. If it rained, it would probably turn directly into a lake.
As soon as Hodu arrived, Bai Family members had long discovered him and directly blew a whistle. By the time he walked up close, a group of Bai Family members were already standing there waiting.
Unlike yesterday, today the gazes of the Bai Family members looking at Hodu were full of dread.
After yesterday's matters concluded, they realized that the seven death-pledged soldiers sent out previously were truly dead, without even bones left behind. Only then did they realize their people hadn't fled, but had perished right on the spot.
"Where are the things?"
Hodu didn't have a shred of expression on his face, asking coldly in a single sentence.
This wasn't a glorious matter, so this time the patriarch didn't show his face. The person who came was Bai Yi, and his gaze looking toward Hodu was somewhat gloomy, also carrying a trace of helplessness.
His eldest son, Bai Chen, was directly crashed into severe injuries by Hodu yesterday. If not for timely rescue, he would have lost his life on the spot. Even so, he would have to recuperate in bed for several months to recover; just how heavy the injuries were could be seen from this.
What was even more fatal was that after going through this ordeal, his future could basically be foreseen. The best-case scenario was that one of his sons could succeed to the position of family head in the future, but more likely, the position of family head would henceforth have nothing to do with his branch.
As for himself, his fate was naturally even worse.
Yet even so, Bai Yi didn't dare to flip his face. He waved his hand, and his subordinates held out an archaic wooden box, delivering it into Bai Yi's hands.
Bai Yi swallowed his anger and handed the box over.
The moment it entered his hand, Hodu's complexion changed. The fluorescent glow felt from this sandalwood box was enough to demonstrate the preciousness of this item; it seemed it really might be true dragon shedding.
At this moment, everyone's gazes gathered on the wooden box in Hodu's hands, extremely curious inside. Those with channels naturally knew what was packed inside this box—that was the remains of a True Dragon, not allowing them not to stretch their necks, hoping to see something.
Just as Hodu was about to open it, a loud explosion suddenly burst out on flat ground.
The huge sound reverberated back and forth in Poison Bee Valley. In the dark night, the flames gushing out from underground swallowed Hodu's entire person in the blink of an eye.
Everyone was startled by this sudden explosion, watching that scene in shock. They saw that amidst the terrifying flames, Hodu was directly blown flying away.
"Muggles' explosives?!"
The bailiffs of the Ministry of Punishments who stopped to watch this transaction suddenly changed their complexions, recognizing what that was instantly.
This wasn't magic, it was Muggles' explosives!
Explosives had been buried underground by someone who knows when. After the flames dispersed, a huge crater shockingly appeared on the ground, and the figures originally standing at that spot were none spared.
Hodu was blown flying away, life and death unknown.
Bai Yi and that group of Bai Family members likewise bore the brunt, their bodies all flying out under the explosion.
The people who survived cried out in agony. The most miserable one had his hands and feet blown away entirely.
This was just the ones who could still shout; Bai Yi didn't even have this chance, directly tipping over to sleep permanently, his body blown away by half.
Everyone watched this scene, various thoughts surging up, yet each one didn't dare to step forward.
They somewhat suspected this was the Bai Family's means; could it be that they didn't want to hand over the things?!
And they didn't know if that person from the Huo Familyhad been blown to death as the Bai Family wished, but these severed limbs were too ruthless; judging from the appearance, the Bai Family patriarch's eldest son Bai Yiwas probably gone.
Seeing that no one dared to step forward to check, the bailiffs of the Ministry of Punishments squeezed out from the crowd, cast a protective spell on themselves, and strode forward.
After the Bai Family people reacted, they also rushed out one after another. They themselves also muttered inwardly, not knowing whether this was their own family's means, but regardless, they shouldn't just leave it unattended now.
Some people became active-minded, actually running toward the direction where Hodu fell, not knowing whether they wanted to save someone or do something else.
Before they could get close, they saw a person whose entire body was dyed pitch-black by gunpowder smoke sitting up from the ground—it was precisely Hodu.
Hodu lowered his head to look at his clothes, which had already turned into a tattered rag, barely hanging on his body. His arms were covered in black smoke and carried a whiff of gunpowder.
Yet there wasn't a single shred of a wound on his body.
He had indeed been careless, not expecting that there would still be this kind of attack.
However, this kind of carelessness was, to a certain extent, indulged by himself; after all, he had never thought that these things could hurt him.
Chapter 91 The Chase After the Explosion
Hodu stood beside the blasted ground, looking at the ruins before him with a calm expression.
The power of that explosion just now was indeed considerable; if the blast point had been any closer, I'm afraid not a single one of these Bai family members would have survived.
As for whether this explosion had anything to do with the Bai family, he could not yet determine for certain.
Hodu waved his hand, and the dust and charred marks on his body all faded away. Even his tattered clothes were restored to perfection under the effect of restoration.
He stood up and scanned the ground, his gaze sweeping over the mess and the Bai family members, before beginning to search for the sandalwood box that had just vanished from his hands.
The people all around were staring at him, their facial expressions stranger than the last.
No one had expected that, facing an explosion of this magnitude, Hodu would act as if nothing had happened, without a single wound visible on his body.
In contrast, Bai Yi had been blown into two pieces, clearly facing a completely hopeless end.
The contrast between the two sides was far too stark; looking at Hodu, everyone couldn't help but bubble up with a question in their hearts.
Is this really something a Wizard can do?
Hodu ignored the gazes of the onlookers.
He searched around a circle and did not see his sandalwood box, so he smoothly deployed Spirit Treasure Perception, yet still failed to sense the light of the true dragon shedding.
This little explosion was not enough to completely destroy the true dragon shedding.
Even if it had truly been blown into dust, relying on the specialty of that item, Hodu would still be able to find it out from a pile of ordinary dust.
What's more, what he had obtained from the Bai family was not a complete true dragon shedding in the first place, but a small jar of something ground into powder.
At that time, when he had just taken it over, he had already confirmed it with Spirit Treasure Perception, so it wasn't strange that he hadn't been able to find it directly before.
But now there wasn't even a shred of residue nearby, leaving only one answer: the item had been taken away by someone.
The opponent might have just conveniently taken it amidst the chaos, or perhaps they had arranged all this from the very beginning, with the goal of snatching the true dragon shedding from Hodu's hands.
No anger could be seen on Hodu's face.
He was indeed somewhat displeased, but the matter was still within his control and far from reaching the point of spinning out of control.
As long as it was something locked onto by Spirit Treasure Perception and hadn't completely vanished, he could retrieve it.
Even if that item had been taken to a very distant place, it remained the same.
The thought had just fallen when Hodu expanded the range of Spirit Treasure Perception, locking onto only that sandalwood box.
Before long, the location of the box clearly reflected into his perception.
It had already left Poison Bee Valley, and even traveled all the way from the southwest direction to the central region.
This distance was quite remote; no matter how powerful that explosion just now was, it was absolutely impossible for it to directly send a box over there.
Right at this moment, a group of Wizards flew out from the direction of Bai Family Village.
They had evidently heard the commotion and sensed that something major had happened here, so they hurried over.
Walking right at the very front was none other than the Bai Clan Head.
The moment he left Bai Family Village, he saw limbs scattered all over the ground and his own biological son, who was left with only half a body, causing his eyes to turn red on the spot.
Afterward, he saw Hodu standing in the ruins.
The other party was completely unharmed, yet his own son had died so miserably, causing the Bai Clan Head to almost instantly pin this account onto Hodu's head.
He glared at Hodu with towering rage, his emotions so fierce as if he were going to rush up and fight to the death the very next moment.
It was just that the people beside him held him back desperately.
Those people stopping him didn't think Hodu was innocent, but rather understood very clearly that even if everyone rushed up together, they might not necessarily be Hodu's match.
If they really started fighting, besides dying in vain, they wouldn't be able to change anything.
At this time, the Bai family Wizards who had witnessed the incident rushed over in a panic, lowering their voices to recount everything that had just happened to the Bai Clan Head.
The Bai Clan Head's expression changed repeatedly.
After listening, he evidently already understood the truth of the matter; the anger that had just rushed to his face slowly subsided, and when he looked at Hodu again, only sorrow remained in his eyes.
"I swear by the honor of the Bai clan, this matter was definitely not arranged by the Bai clan!"
His voice was hoarse and miserable, almost shouted out, containing both the anger of losing a son and the desolation of having to prove his innocence in public.
The Bai Clan Head's eldest son had clearly been murdered by someone, yet he, as a father, the very first thing he did was stand up and distance the Bai clan from it.
Listening to it in their ears, the family disciples watching the commotion nearby also felt a somewhat indescribable emotion in their hearts.
"No matter who did it, I will definitely make them pay the price!"
Having said that, the Bai Clan Head abruptly turned his head to look around.
That gloomy and intimidating gaze swept across the Wizards present one by one, frightening quite a few people into feeling a chill in the depths of their hearts.
Until this very moment, they remembered anew that the person in front of them was not just an old man who had lost his son, but also one of the most powerful people in the Magical World.
Once he launched his retaliation, it would bound to come fast and viciously, and the entire Magical World could be plunged into turmoil because of it.
Hodu only gave the Bai Clan Head a faint glance and did not reply.
The other party speaking with such rich emotion did not mean that this matter truly had nothing to do with the Bai family.
Who could guarantee that this wasn't an act?
In order to obtain the true dragon shedding, powerful aristocratic families might not be incapable of sacrificing a son.
To them, if a son was gone, they could have another, but there was only one True Dragon.
Hodu withdrew his gaze, simultaneously locking onto the location of the true dragon shedding with the aid of Spirit Treasure Perception and Apparition.
The next second, his figure vanished from the spot.
When he appeared again, he was already standing in the living room of a Muggle residence.
From his previous perception, Hodu had long since confirmed that this was not a gathering place for Wizards, but rather an apartment building in ordinary human society.
There were almost no traces of magic left nearby, only the presence of a magic fan.
His sudden appearance startled no one.
The television in the living room was still on, advertisements were playing on the screen, but no figure could be seen near the sofa.
From another room came the sound of humming, and it sounded like that person's mood was quite good.
Hodu's gaze fell on the living room table; the sandalwood box was placed right there.
This box had only stayed in his hands for a few seconds previously, but at this moment it was stained with smoke traces from the explosion, and the box lid had already been opened.
Inside the box was placed a milky-white porcelain bottle.
Having experienced that kind of explosion, the porcelain bottle unexpectedly did not suffer the slightest damage, obviously not some ordinary item, but a magical object.
Hodu picked up the lid, closed the sandalwood box once more, and then directly stuffed it into the money pouch he carried with him.
Right after finishing these, footsteps sounded inside the room.
He looked up and saw a young man with messy, curly hair and a face full of disheveled beard walking out from inside.
That person's eye sockets were deeply sunken, wearing only a white shirt on his upper body, with his chest still exposed outside.
When the young man saw Hodu, his entire body instantly froze.
Astonishment and tension surfaced on his face simultaneously; he clearly recognized Hodu at a glance, and his arm abruptly groped toward his waist.
But it was completely empty.
His wand was still in the clothes he had changed out of just now.
"You...!"
The young man had just spat out a single word when Hodu's figure had already vanished from before his eyes.
Apparition?
Before he even had time to figure out what had happened, he felt a hand press against his waist.
In that instant, terror surged out from the bottom of his heart like cold water, his skin broke out in goosebumps a step earlier, and his scalp tingled along with it.
Immediately following that, everything around him began to spin.
The ceiling seemed to grow higher and higher, getting further and further away from him, while his body shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.
From a living, breathing person, he finally turned into a silver watch.
Hodu propped up this watch to look at it, and casually wore it on his right wrist.
This was a new usage he had figured out from the Self-Transformation trait.
As long as it passed through his hands, whether it was an object or a living Wizard, they could be forcibly transformed by him into another appearance.
Of course, this kind of transformation also had obvious limitations.
Once the object broke away from his control, the change would immediately lift; as long as it remained firmly within his grasp, the transformation effect would not disappear.
Turning a person into a watch still could not be considered easy within Transfiguration, but there were not a few people who truly mastered this ability.
What surprised Hodu was that the Wizard who had meticulously designed the explosion and wanted to blow him to death on the spot actually possessed a Western face.
He walked around the room casually and soon found the Wizard robes the young man had just changed out of, rummaging out a wand from the clothes.
The appearance of that wand resembled a section of a tree branch.
Hodu merely glanced at it and did not reach out to take it.
To him, this wand had no value.
The biggest trouble with wands was that if a Wizard who didn't match it obtained it, not only would they fail to exert its power, but it might instead drag down their spellcasting.
magic fans were different.
As a standardized magical medium, it wasn't very picky about users; anyone could directly utilize it upon obtaining it.
But this did not mean that the magic fan was necessarily stronger than the wand; it could only be said that both had their respective strengths and weaknesses.
A wand with an extremely high compatibility with oneself still provided greater help to a Wizard.
He heard that the Wizards within those powerful aristocratic families mostly used specially customized versions of magic fans, which were quite different from the common magic fans on the market.
Hodu used Spirit Treasure Perception to sweep the entire room once, and finding nothing else worthy of attention, he no longer lingered and directly cast Apparition to leave.
The next moment, he returned to the Hogwarts dormitory and greeted Harry and the others just like usual.
Harry and the others quickly noticed the extra watch on his wrist and asked a few questions with curiosity.
Hodu casually brushed it off and didn't give any special explanation.
Watches were not rare items in the Magical World; it was just that the one Hodu wore was not an alchemical product and looked very ordinary on the outside, leaving nothing particularly worthy of attention.
Hodu sat unconcernedly on the bed, lowering his head to look at the watch on his wrist.
The other three people in the dormitory could never have imagined that he had just experienced an explosion that almost cost him his life on the spot.
And this matter was of course far from over.
The true mastermind behind the scenes was currently turned into a watch worn on his hand, so there was no need to worry about the other party escaping at all.
The troublesome part was that wanting to extract useful things from the other party's mouth was not that simple.
Hodu did not know Legilimency; even if that person were willing to speak, he couldn't guarantee that the content he heard would definitely be the truth.
truth serum could solve this problem, but truth serum was not an ordinary Potion that could be found everywhere, and buying it from an ordinary Potion shop was not easy.
Perhaps it could be found in a black market like Knockturn Alley, or he could have Huo Yunqi figure out a way to get a bottle.
With Huo Yunqi's status, accomplishing this matter shouldn't be difficult.
However, this time, Hodu was not prepared to purchase it from outside.
He intended to brew a bottle himself, and moreover, to make a bottle of truth serum that was completely different from what was on the market and had much stronger effects.
The key lay in his blood.
According to what he currently understood, wanting to enhance a Potion with blood was not as simple as casually dripping a few drops into it at the end.
One had to seize the right timing during the brewing process, adding it when the Potion was about to be completed yet had not truly formed, in order to allow the medicinal effect to be enhanced.
Therefore, this time, Hodu decided to personally brew a bottle of truth serum.