As the eldest son, Dai Yueheng held a transcendent status within the White Tiger Duke's Estate. Moreover, since the second son, Dai Huabin, was not long for this world due to his condition, the title of White Tiger Duke was practically guaranteed to fall on Dai Yueheng's shoulders.
Dai Yueheng had already learned from his mother the truth behind why his younger brother had developed heart disease. As the elder brother, it was only natural for him to give his dear brother one last helping hand.
With Dai Huabin's reckless and brute-force temperament, he couldn't wrap his head around subtle assassinations and underhanded moves... it had to be Dai Yueheng taking charge.
Thinking about his inevitable ascension as the White Tiger Duke, Dai Yueheng couldn't help but chuckle foolishly, which even eased the lingering pain of the beatings he'd received from Ma Xiaotao over the past few days.
He didn't know what was wrong with that crazy woman; she came over to "spar" with him every single day. There was already a gap in their cultivation, and combined with Ma Xiaotao's sheer ruthlessness, that damnable Evil Phoenix Fire burnt his tiger fur clean off every single time...
Thinking of this, Dai Yueheng's face darkened. Damn it, you crazy bitch, sooner or later I'll make you cry beneath me...
Watching Huo Yuhao and "Huo Yun'er" disappear at the end of the street, Dai Yueheng checked the time and realized something was off.
"Strange... Huabin should have arrived by now. Why isn't he here?"
This matter couldn't be discovered by Shrek, so both Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin needed perfect alibis.
Two brothers both attending Shrek Academy—it was perfectly normal for them to meet up for a meal, wasn't it?
Dai Yueheng felt a prickle of unease. Could it be that his brother's heart condition had flared up again, causing a delay on the road?
...
Along the way, "Huo Yun'er" talked quite a bit, going on about how delicious a certain restaurant was and how much she had missed Huo Yuhao. She led the way briskly while Huo Yuhao merely smiled, following her deeper into the city.
The streets grew deserted. Before they knew it, they had arrived at a relatively remote part of Shrek City.
Huo Yuhao suppressed a smirk and came to a halt.
"We've arrived. You can tell your people to come out now."
"Huo Yun'er" froze. Before she could say a word, a black sword light lunged straight for her face.
As a Soul King trained by the White Tiger Duke's Estate, her combat experience was extremely rich. She released her martial soul, revealing two yellow, three purple, and five soul rings. Her third soul ring flashed, and she circled her hands, creating a jade-colored halo that transformed into a shield before her.
Clang!
The female Soul King disguised as Huo Yun'er was horrified to find that the force transmitted through the black sword in Huo Yuhao's hand was terrifyingly high. Without even using a soul skill, he had sliced right through her third soul skill.
Once the first move is made, there is no turning back.
The piercing screech of electricity sounded like a thousand birds chirping simultaneously. The blade of Huo Yuhao's [Demon Sword: Elucidator] instantly lit up with deep purple lightning, transforming into a pillar of violet light. The terrifying piercing power of Ultimate Lightning drove the blade right through the Soul King in front of him.
First blood. The "Crouching Dragon" had left the mountain.
He didn't stop. The purple glow on his sword didn't dim, and deep blue currents of water began to swirl around him. Huo Yuhao swung his sword with a flourish, sending a water tornado laced with lightning snakes sweeping toward the small grove where the White Tiger Duke's assassins were hiding.
By now, the six other ambushers dispatched by Dai Yueheng had reacted. They charged out of the woods, soul rings glowing on all of them. Five were Soul Kings with five rings, and one was actually a Soul Emperor level powerhouse with six rings.
A combined attack of Ultimate Water and Ultimate Lightning—even if Huo Yuhao was only a young Soul Elder—under the cost-blind activation of his dense soul power and the amplification of [Elucidator], was something even this group of Soul King and Soul Emperor masters had to take seriously.
The leading Soul Emperor was the first to trigger his sole ten-thousand-year soul skill. A massive blade flickering with black flames hacked savagely into the center of Huo Yuhao's lightning-water tornado.
The explosive roar of thunder and a massive cloud of water vapor instantly filled the path. Cries of pain soon followed from within the mist.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao shook his head with a trace of regret.
His Deep Blue Glazed Dragon martial soul hadn't been assigned any soul rings yet. Otherwise, with the amplification of a soul skill, that one strike should have been enough to wound all six or even kill one or two, rather than just injuring the Soul Emperor.
Baili Du had always cautioned him: The wise seek power from within; the unwise seek it from without.
Huo Yuhao had refrained from adding soul rings to his second martial soul for exactly this reason. Ultimate Water and Ultimate Lightning were already top-tier in both mechanics and raw power. Training his control over these two elements was far more important than the simple stats gained from a soul ring.
Thanks to this, Huo Yuhao's comprehension of the elements of Water and Lightning was quite advanced, even allowing him to develop skills similar to [Thunderflash] and [Siphon].
However, in a place like the Douluo Continent, one still needed soul rings to break through and grow stronger.
After this semester's break, he might consider Skydream's suggestion to visit the Extreme North to find soul rings for the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon.
"Bastard!" The leading Soul Emperor erupted with soul power, blowing away the surrounding vapor. He shouted to the five Soul Kings behind him: "Finish him quickly! We can't drag this out!"
Huo Yuhao simply smiled and made no move.
But in the next instant, endless flames accompanied by a sharp phoenix cry erupted. The air grew scorching hot as a phoenix composed of violet-red flames slammed into the six assassins with overwhelming force. The flames shot up over ten meters high, and three figures were sent flying in different directions simultaneously.
Of the six, three had already been vaporized...
Ma Xiaotao's tenderness was reserved only for Huo Yuhao. One must not forget that her nickname was the "Flaming Demon"! She had never been known for having a good temper.
"You dare touch my brother? You're asking for death!"
Huo Yuhao also raised his sword and charged toward the Soul Emperor who had been blown back. He was afraid Ma Xiaotao would get carried away and not leave a single witness.
[Elucidator] lunged forward. Purple lightning transformed into a sharp spear, piercing right through the Soul Emperor's leg.
"Aaaagh!"
Half a minute later, the surroundings fell silent.
Ma Xiaotao, in her high-heeled boots, walked up to the Soul Emperor and unceremoniously stepped on his head, grinding it into the dirt.
"Speak! How many more people from the White Tiger Duke's Estate are in Shrek City?"
The Soul Emperor's body thrashed. "Mmph... mmph!"
Ma Xiaotao increased the pressure. "Not talking? Then I'll just crush you!"
The Soul Emperor beneath her foot felt incredibly wronged. Lady, you're crushing my head into the dirt, how am I supposed to talk?!
Huo Yuhao walked over just in time. "Forget it, Sister Xiaotao. No rush with this guy. Where's Dai Huabin?"
"Over there. I was very careful; no one noticed."
"Good." Saying that, Huo Yuhao crouched down in front of the Soul Emperor and studied him closely. A halo of light flickered.
The Soul Emperor's eyes widened in shock.
He... saw himself...