Chapter 222: Confrontation at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion
The grand door of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion was suddenly shattered with a resounding crash. A dozen aggressive spirit masters stormed in with killing intent rolling off their bodies like waves. At the forefront stood a fearsome Titled Douluo whose spirit rings shone in a rare and awe-inspiring pattern: two yellow, two purple, two black, and three red. Behind him were veterans with formidable ring combinations—two yellow, two purple, and four or five black rings—indicating strength at or beyond Spirit Douluo.
Though the group was small, with just over ten members, every single one aside from the protected youth in the center was a Spirit Douluo or stronger. If any perceptive soul master were to probe them, they would discover at least three of these figures were Super Douluo, with spirit power levels at or exceeding 95.
Inside the mansion, Duke Dai Hao's expression darkened. The destruction of the main gate was a blatant insult to his authority. Yet, faced with five Titled Douluo—one of whom possessed three red spirit rings, signifying immense power—he suppressed his fury. If this group truly intended to fight, even the mighty White Tiger Duke's Mansion could be reduced to rubble.
Doing his best to maintain composure, Dai Hao spoke calmly. "May I ask what business brings such powerful seniors to my White Tiger Duke's Mansion?"
A sharp voice responded with contempt.
"Hmph. Do you recognize him?" The speaker, Du Bu Si of the Body Sect, gestured toward a frail figure—Huo Yuhao—who stood silently, his face pale and eyes burning with resentment. His body bore the marks of hardship and pain, a broken arm, and signs of prolonged starvation. He had barely escaped to the border before the Body Sect found him.
"This young man is…?"
"You don't remember Huo Yun'er?" Huo Yuhao asked through gritted teeth.
"Huo Yun'er?" Dai Hao's mind reeled. He had taken many women—wives, concubines, maids—but most were just fleeting indulgences. In the original canon, Huo Yun'er was eventually declared his "true love," but only after Huo Yuhao became powerful enough to warrant fear and respect. Right now, with Huo Yuhao still in his infancy of power, Dai Hao genuinely didn't recall who she was.
But he was no fool. The hatred and hope mingling in Huo Yuhao's gaze were unmistakable. Coupled with the presence of the powerful Body Sect, Dai Hao quickly pieced things together.
Sighing dramatically, he gave a sorrowful expression. "Of course I remember. Yun'er… she was the only woman I ever truly loved. How could I forget her?"
"You… you really never forgot her?" Huo Yuhao's tone wavered. His anger began to fade, replaced by a yearning he had buried deep inside. He hadn't come just to condemn Dai Hao—part of him desperately wished to be embraced as a son.
"Mother…? You're really my father…?"
"Yes. If your mother was Huo Yun'er, then I am your father. I swear it."
His words were flawless, but the Body Sect elders who stood behind Huo Yuhao were unmoved. Dai Hao's sentiment might have convinced Huo Yuhao, but it couldn't fool them.
Huo Yuhao was stubbornly loyal to Shrek and the Tang Sect, but not to the Body Sect. Though he had accepted their help, he refused to officially join them. Still, the Body Sect had taken him in, healed him, and investigated his past.
What they found infuriated them.
Dai Hao's "true love" was not even a maid, let alone a wife. Meanwhile, he had one wife, seven concubines, twenty-three lower consorts, and had slept with hundreds of women. The claim that Huo Yun'er was his only love was an insult to their intelligence.
"Enough, Dai Hao!" Du Bu Si thundered. "You not only humiliated a member of my Body Sect, but now you expect us to believe this ridiculous lie? We investigated you. You speak of 'true love,' yet Huo Yun'er was neither your wife nor even a maid in your household! At least think before you lie!"
Before Dai Hao could respond, Huo Yuhao stepped forward, his voice tense and protective. "Senior Du, I believe Duke Baihu. This must be the doing of the Duchess. Please do not slander my father."
Du Bu Si: "…"
No matter how absurd the truth might appear, as the protagonist of Tang Jia San Shao's work, Huo Yuhao naturally leaned toward blind filial piety. He would sooner defend a father who abandoned him than believe anyone who criticized him.
Seeing the situation spiral, Du Bu Si relented slightly. "Since you insist, then we demand the Duchess be handed over to us. Let her pay for her cruelty. That will settle this."
Dai Hao nodded readily. "Very well."
Dai Yuheng, standing by his mother, was stunned. "Father! What are you saying?! You're handing Mother over to them? They're evil soul masters! The Body Sect killed an elder of the Clear Sky Clan, refined his soul into a puppet, and left his corpse as a mummy!"
"Nonsense!" Du Bu Si snapped. "We are upright and righteous. Don't confuse rumors with facts!"
Before the argument could escalate, Huo Yuhao could bear it no longer. He lunged forward with surprising speed and seized the Duchess by the wrist with his only remaining hand.
A terrifying chill spread immediately.
The Duchess's left arm began to wither, flesh and skin rotting before everyone's eyes. It dried up like an old corpse, shriveling into something closer to a mummy's limb than that of a living woman.
The Body Sect masters fell silent.
"…What… just happened?" someone muttered.
No one dared to move. Even Du Bu Si took a step back, eyes locked on Huo Yuhao's cold expression.
The duchess gasped, then collapsed to her knees in pain and fear, unable to comprehend what had just been done to her.
And Huo Yuhao?
He stood tall, face devoid of emotion, hand still gripping hers like the grasp of death itself.
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