Butler Lu only acted so arrogantly because he mistakenly believed the other party was a Soul Sect. Fortunately, he carried the Dai family name. Otherwise, that Soul Sage wouldn't have just chopped off his balls—he would've taken his damn head.
The woman in black stayed silent. She finally understood—this was yet another aristocratic family drama.
Butler Lu's face turned ashen with rage. This had always been a thorn in his heart. Now being mocked about it? He couldn't hold it in any longer and spoke with a chilling tone: "Since Young Master is so unruly, don't blame this old servant for being disrespectful. Seize him."
The two others stepped forward at the command—but in the next instant, Huo Yuhao struck.
Demon Severing Domain, Chaos Magic, and Soul Shock—a seamless double combo.
The three stood dumbfounded, paralyzed on the spot. Simultaneously, three black needles pierced into their foreheads.
Just like that, the trio dropped dead, stiff as boards.
The woman in black stared, stunned. This had gone way beyond mere family infighting. And this boy—he was just a teenager! Yet he had wiped out three Soul Emperors in a blink. That level of strength and ruthlessness…
"Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life."
Only then did Huo Yuhao look at her. She seemed just in her early twenties. An oval face, curvaceous and well-built, with sun-kissed skin and a hint of exotic beauty.
"No need to thank me. They were here to kill me anyway. But why were they targeting you too? Do you have some grudge with them?"
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao casually glanced at the three corpses nearby. This woman wasn't ordinary either. To take down three out of six soul masters at the same level? Not easy.
The woman in black didn't hide anything and told him the whole story.
Her name was Lin Xi, from the Star Luo Empire. Three years ago, because of her outstanding beauty, a rich young lord took a liking to her. At the time, Lin Xi was already a Soul Sect. The young lord didn't dare force her directly, so he secretly kidnapped her younger brother to blackmail her.
But in the end, Lin Xi rescued her brother and crippled the rich brat, who's now spending the rest of his life in bed.
However, that wasn't the end.
Turns out, that brat was from a branch of the White Tiger Duke's household. And when your rich kid gets beat up outside? Naturally, you go crying to daddy.
The Dai family flew into a thunderous rage upon hearing this and sent people to hunt down Lin Xi. Leading the pursuit was none other than Butler Lu's son, who also lusted after Lin Xi's beauty. He even shamelessly offered: if she became his woman, he'd plead for mercy on her behalf.
But by then, Lin Xi had already broken through to the Soul King level. Her pride wouldn't allow her to bow to her enemies. Besides, that punk was just a rookie Soul Sect. Not even close to her league. So, unsurprisingly, she turned the tables and killed the lot of them.
After hearing the whole story, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh.
This Lin Xi—her life was like a protagonist straight out of a novel. Beat up the weak ones, then stronger enemies show up, then the big bosses... and yet she keeps winning and getting stronger. When she's in a pinch, fate throws her a helping hand.
Total protagonist vibes.
Hmm… that would make Huo Yuhao her benefactor, wouldn't it?
"May I ask, Young Master, what is your connection with the Dai family?" asked Lin Xi, tossing out a question out of nowhere.
While rummaging through the dead men's soul tools, Huo Yuhao casually replied without even turning his head: "No real connection. About the same as you, honestly."
Thud!
Suddenly, Lin Xi dropped to one knee. "Your lifesaving grace is beyond repaying. If Young Master does not mind, Lin Xi is willing to follow you from this day on and serve at your command."
The sudden gesture caught Huo Yuhao off guard for a moment. But he wasn't stupid—no one volunteers to be a lackey without a reason.
Huo Yuhao turned with a half-smile and looked at her. "You've got talent. Why lower yourself like this? Give me one good reason—and don't try the whole 'lifesaving gratitude' act."
Facing Huo Yuhao's gaze, Lin Xi felt as though her very soul had been seen through. She was inwardly shocked by his aura. "Young Master sees through all. With only Soul Sect-level cultivation, you defeated Soul Emperors with ease. Your future is limitless. I simply wish for a bit of guidance in cultivation from such a genius."
Huo Yuhao chuckled. He got it now—this woman was impressed by his power and wanted to ride the same boat. More importantly, they were both being hunted by the Dai family, so it made sense to stick together.
"At least you're honest. Fine, you can follow me for now. But let me be clear—I don't really have anything to teach others." With that, Huo Yuhao turned and left.
Lin Xi followed. She decided to observe for a while before making her next move.
By dusk, Huo Yuhao was already home. Last time, when he brought Ye Lingling back, he had asked Wang Qing to look after her. According to Wang Qing, Ye Lingling had been spending most of her time at the bookstore.
Huo Yuhao wasn't surprised. She was trying to familiarize herself with this new world. After all, she had crossed over from ten thousand years ago. Could that have altered the records of her existence in history?
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao stepped onto the balcony and softly called a name: "Song Ming?"
"Young Master, do you have any instructions?" As soon as Huo Yuhao's voice fell, a plain-looking man suddenly appeared beside him. Song Ming, an 87th-level Soul Douluo, had taken over Huang Yan's duties as Huo Yuhao's bodyguard—since Huang Yan was now a Titled Douluo, it wasn't really appropriate for him to keep doing grunt work.
"Look into the background of those two people. Also, find information on any historical holders of the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul."
Song Ming didn't ask why. He simply nodded and went off to handle it—better to work than talk.
That night, Lin Xi and Ye Lingling played housekeepers and made dinner. But the taste… let's just not talk about it.
Later that night, just after bathing and sitting down to cultivate, Lin Xi's eyes widened in shock. She realized her cultivation speed had at least doubled.
No, it wasn't just her—it was the heaven and earth energy in this place. Upon closer inspection, Lin Xi discovered the truth.
The next day, Huo Yuhao stood at the lake's edge with eyes closed. In front of him floated a black vortex, roughly the size of a fist. It spun slowly, exuding a pulling force.
This was Huo Yuhao's spatial ability gained from the Dark Devilgod Tiger. With Spiritual Detection activated, he was observing subtle changes in space, trying to deepen his understanding of it. The Dark Devilgod Tiger had only planted the seed of spatial power in him—now it was up to Huo Yuhao to cultivate it.
Typically, only Ultimate Douluo like Mu En could wield the power of space. If not for the Dark Devilgod Tiger, Huo Yuhao would've had to wait till who-knows-when to even touch this field.
As for time power—that was way too deep. Not something he could study at this stage.
One thing was clear: Huo Yuhao was a total cheat code. Two lifetimes of memories, the Great Heavenly Demon Technique, a nearly 400,000-year-old soul ring, a legacy mark that boosted cultivation speed… and mastery of evil, dark, lightning, ice, wind, space, and time—seven elemental powers.
(End of Chapter)